Battling Trials with a Smile: Dwij Goel’s IAS Journey

January 24, 2024

4 Minutes

IAS Dwij Goel

Introduction

“Jin mushkilo me muskurana mana ho, un mushkilo me muskurana humara dharam hai.” 

This is a well-known line written by the poet Gopal Das Neeraj, which is also the motto that IAS Dwij Goel, who cleared the UPSC examination in 2022 with AIR 71, lives by. In this blog, you will discover how he displayed mental resilience during his preparation and reaped the benefits of having a supportive peer group.

Background

Dwij was born in the small town of Kharkhoda in Meerut where his mother, a single parent, raised him and his brother. Dwij was able to achieve success in his life due to the efforts of his mother. He completed his initial education at Diwan Public School, after which he graduated in Mechanical Engineering from NIT, Bhopal in 2019. He started working at Hero MotoCorp in Gurgaon and during this time he appeared for UPSC for the first time. He couldn't succeed in the Mains exam and left his job in 2020 after working for one year. 

Pinnacle of Adversity

In 2021, Dwij appeared for another attempt with a full-fledged preparation but missed the final list by five marks. This was a depressing moment for him, since he had been trying to clear this exam for the past two years, but failed. He tried a startup with a friend, but it failed within five months. He started to feel burdened and pressured because it felt like nothing was working out for him. He decided to try one last time for UPSC and went all in. In October 2022, he was selected in the reserve list for UPSC and was allotted Commissioner Municipality in Pondicherry, where he got five months of experience, after which he cleared the UPSC examination with AIR 71. 

Drawing Motivation

Anyone who is thinking of appearing for UPSC should have a clear reason in their mind for this decision. Even in his childhood, when Dwij was interested in this examination, he would always try to define why. There were a few instances in his life that strengthened his resolve to appear for UPSC. 

Three Instances that Changed Dwij’s Life

• The first incident happened when he was already working in Pondicherry. An old, slender man approached Dwij and explained that he was a cemetery worker. The man explained how he didn’t have any skills and no way to earn a livelihood, and he was barely supporting his family. The fact that these people placed so many expectations on officers like Dwij made him realise how Civil Services can bring a change in their lives. 
• The second instance was when he joined his college administration in his final year and was able to bring change in a lot of areas related to the overall functioning of the college.  Similarly he felt that change in society can be brought by joining Civil Services. 
• The final instance was when he used to jog in the morning during his preparation and he would see a girl who would pick up the trash along the way. The girl was almost the same age as Dwij but she was focused on trying to earn the bare minimum. This ignited a spark inside Dwij to uplift the underprivileged sections of society. 

Navigating through Preparation 

During his preparation, Dwij relied solely on self-study while staying at home and also ensured that his mental and physical health was the best. Dwij had a peer group where he and his two friends could study as well as share their personal problems, which created an atmosphere of collaboration rather than competition. In their second attempt, all three of them got rejected after the interview stage and the next Prelims was only five days away. Everyone was disheartened and it was hard to appear for the exam in five days, but they got back up again, took the exam, and cleared it together. This displays the importance of a friend group where everyone supports one another and you get to learn from each other. 

Valuable Learnings

Three things Dwij learned from his journey were that there is no substitute for self-study, peer learning should be a collaborative activity, and focusing on building your mental toughness is very important. Dwij believes that every aspirant needs to be patient and resilient during this journey. Do not try to rush into things, time will make everything possible. Do not take everything too seriously. UPSC is not your whole life, rather it is a part of your life. It is all about how you perceive life and live through it. 

Conclusion

Dwij focused on some aspects of the UPSC examination that are often overlooked by candidates, such as mental health and peer collaboration. He is an inspiring figure for all aspirants because of his ability to smile through all phases of life, even if they’re the hardest ones. 

Know more about IAS Dwij Goel's journey here.