First, watch this video by IRS Officer Dr. Shivin Chaudhary (AIR 297 – UPSC CSE 2022): CSAT is only difficult in your head because others are telling you that it is. After watching this video by Shivin sir, you’ll realize how easy it is to learn the skills, avoid the mistakes that most people are making, and clear CSAT…
PRELIMS-SPECIFIC:My UPSC Prelims-Specific Session Video: You can write any Prelims-related questions, doubts, or confusions in the YouTube comment section of the above video. Prelims-Specific Resources: MAINS-SPECIFIC: My UPSC Mains-Specific & Q&A Session Video: Mains-Specific Resources: You can write any Mains-related or general questions, doubts, or confusions in the YouTube comment section of the above video. Also…
Courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it. Note: words – Completed in 1 h 32 minutes (brainstorming + writing) – typed version with minor grammatical edits made (originally handwritten on 11 September, 2024) A massive explosion is heard at the back of the spaceship. “What the hell was that?” the astronauts think as the alarm…
The most fertile ground for growth is often found in the cracks of imperfection. Note: 1140 words – Completed in 1 h 34 minutes (brainstorming + writing) – typed version with minor grammatical edits made (originally handwritten on 11 September, 2024) His army was tiny. A few hundred men compared to several thousands. The battle seemed lost even before it…
The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining. Note: 1364 words – Completed in 1 h 26 minutes (brainstorming + writing) – typed version with minor grammatical edits made (originally handwritten on 8 September, 2024) Noah led the last sheep onto the boat, shutting the door behind him. As he sealed the edges of the door,…
Essay 6 – Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence Note: 1309 words – Completed in 1 h 36 minutes (brainstorming + writing) – typed version with minor grammatical edits made (originally handwritten on 8 September, 2024) A terrified tiger leaps through the bushes, hobbling along the forest floor as his hind leg bleeds profusely. He is being…
Inspiration for creativity springs from the effort to look for the magical in the mundane. Note: 1254 words – Completed in 1 h 27 minutes (brainstorming + writing) – typed version with minor grammatical edits made (originally handwritten on 25 August, 2024) As the clock strikes 10 pm, the children climb into bed, their tummies rumbling with hunger. It’s the…
Not all who wander are lost. Note: 1272 words – Completed in 1 h 45 minutes (brainstorming + writing) – typed version with minor grammatical edits made (originally handwritten on 23 December, 2023) A young boy, only 10 years old, walks around the grand castle, watching in awe as the paintings on the wall speak to him and to each…
A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity. Note: 1179 words – Completed in 1 h 32 minutes (brainstorming + writing) – typed unedited version (originally handwritten) An old man, Rameshwar, coughing violently into his dirty handkerchief, walks up to the counter. He’s come to this counter in the local government electricity office for the…
Visionary decision-making happens at the intersection of intuition and logic. Note: 1284 words – Completed in 1 h 20 minutes (brainstorming + typing) – unedited version Human lives are merely the product of the innumerable decisions we make. These decisions may be made by the individual, or in some cases, by others on their behalf. While the individual-level decisions mostly…
Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms. Note: 1111 words – Completed in 1 h 15 minutes (brainstorming + typing) – unedited version It is rightly said that the future of a country lies in the hands of its youth. The current working age generation and the older generations are often the products of an old education system,…
It was a usual Monday morning. Rubbing my eyes, I switched on my laptop and joined the online Byju’s UPSC coaching class, hoping to learn something new that day and further my understanding of our glorious Indian History. After replying to what seemed like a few hundred “Good Mornings” pouring out of the chat box, our teacher, Abhishek sir, decided…
Does it hurt? If you are a true Indian cricket fan, the answer is probably yes. Today’s loss feels personal. In our cricket-frenzied nation, every time the selected 11 players walk out onto the field, they carry the tremendous burden of expectations of 1.4 billion people on their shoulders. Their performances affect not only their team, but an entire nation.…
The first poem I ever wrote, written during the darkest phase of my life in high school. "The Boy" contains raw, unbridled emotions from that time, and will hit hard to anyone who's experienced a dark, depressing phase in their life.
A series of social media posts by Sumant Dangi that consist of anecdotes and stories about college life in SVNIT Surat.
You can be the smartest and most knowledgeable person on the planet, but if you can’t express your ideas and knowledge to others in a clear, simple, and effective manner, they’re absolutely useless.
Learn how to start writing if you are a beginner in this how-to guide by Sumant Dangi
With IPL 2022 just around the corner, read this article and find out about the top 5 Indian players who will set stadiums alight with their blazing performances!
"17 months. 15 days. And 13 hours. That’s how long I had waited to see these magnificent blue and white gates. Once upon a time, I, along with many other naive souls of SVNIT, wished for long vacations from college, where we could chill at home in monk-like tranquility — no worries, no assignments, and most importantly, no stress."
The protagonist returns to his college after Covid. Will his college be the same? Will he meet his friends again? Or does fate have different plans?
Read the story to find out.
After a 25-day break that seemed to last forever, Indian fans finally witnessed the Men in Blue return to international cricket in the 1st ODI vs Sri Lanka on a pleasant Sunday afternoon. When the hosts of the island nation finally clashed against the Indian ODI side, they faltered at crucial junctures in the game to allow a comprehensive victory for the Men in Blue.
"I look back down at the place I was lying just a minute ago, fully awake now thanks to that adrenaline rush. No pillow, no bed. There are just leaves and twigs there. I swerve my head around on both sides, my heart pounding against my chest."
Read this thrilling story about a man who gets lost in college, literally.
"Oh, what’s this? One more batsman is striding out, with his shorts still on. I thought they were a man short. Seems like one of their injured players must have been forced to walk out. Tiwari Ji, hand me my glasses. I can’t believe my eyes. What is happening here?"
Read the epic tale of The True MMNCT Champion.
"Dear IPL, I know it’s not been long since you left. Just a few days. And yet, it feels like months have passed. Your absence is unsettling and I would be lying if I said it didn’t hurt."
"I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me." - Kvothe
"History will never forget this Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and neither will we."
Read the epic tale of an underdog Indian Cricket Team ravaged by injuries that defied all odds to pull off the impossible in Australia.
"It’s been a rough year for everyone. Yet, here we are again, ready to give you an idea of what the upcoming year will look like."
With Reporter Sumant Dangi, LIVE from Surat
"6:25 am. You glance at your watch for the fifth time this morning and realize that it’s awfully early to be stranded at a noisy railway station. You’ve just gotten off the train with your parents, and for some reason, the 3 suitcases lugging behind you feel like they’ve been stuffed to the brim with bricks. Mom packed an insane amount of luggage, didn’t she? 'Well, it’s only a few more hours, then I’ll be free,' you think to yourself."
"Let's go back to the summer of 2016. The ghost situation at SVNIT had gotten out of control as the souls of the departed flooded the campus. With no one to resist their dark powers, they established a reign of terror that soon spread its terrifying tentacles over the entire college. Recently, the spirits had taken a particular liking to abducting the living."
"Indian Cricket was going through one of its worst times. India had been knocked out of the 2007 ODI World Cup. By Bangladesh. The country was in turmoil — upset, hurt, furious. It had become a boiling pot of emotions.
The reigns of the new T20 team were handed over to a young lad from Ranchi.
The rest, as they say, is history."
"Gods are not born but made. In the cricket-frenzied nation of India, we make our premier sportsmen, particularly cricketers, into gods. They don’t ask for it. But it happens anyway."
"For centuries, mankind has lived in awe of the unexplained — the field of hocus pocus, the world of magic. Magicians were treated as mystic creatures, possessing powers that no other mortals could ever understand, let alone acquire and wield. While some made objects bend, float, or disappear, others played with fire, saws, and bunnies."
Read this article and discover the secrets used by magicians to deceive their audiences!
"You will either love this story or absolutely hate it. There's no middle ground.
It's the year 2022. Almost half of February has rolled by. Now, you may be thinking, 'Wait, we made it all the way to next year?' Yes friend, we did. We survived."
"SVNIT hosted the All-India Inter-NIT Cricket and Badminton Tournaments from 20-23 February, 2020. The cricket matches took place at various cricket grounds scattered throughout the city of Surat, including the SAC Cricket Ground on the SVNIT campus. Meanwhile, the badminton matches were played in the SAC Badminton Hall on campus."
Read all about these elite Badminton and Cricket Tournaments here!
"As the first month of 2020 tumbled away, there was a noticeable change in the atmosphere. An electric buzz of excitement could be felt coursing through the veins of SVNIT. Manoj Memorial Night Cricket Tournament (MMNCT) had returned."
Read about SVNIT's beloved 5-day cricket carnival!
“It’s the year 2078. My name is Derik. I am the last living koala on this planet, once known as Earth. Why ‘once known’ you ask? Well, it doesn’t really exist anymore, at least most of it."
"Humans have been stargazing for centuries, looking up at the sky, wondering what truly lies beyond our home planet. So far, humans have only imagined what travelling into space, landing on other planets, and exploring extra-terrestrial lands would be like. But now, concrete plans to travel to our dear, red celestial neighbor are not only in place but also being implemented."
Read about future exploration plans of the Red Planet now!
"The date is 22 July 2019. It is afternoon at the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) in Sriharikota. You look around and you notice something. That something is ISRO’s GSLV MkIII-M1 rocket, ready for a 2nd launch attempt after the initial one was postponed due to a technical snag. The nation holds its breath and counts down along with Mission Control."
Read about India's Chandrayaan 2 Moon Mission and what happened on that fateful day.
"When the evening descends
And night takes over,
When the mask comes off
And reality hits"
"A man comes up to you and tells you that he is going to fly from France to England on a hoverboard. Would you believe him? Most people would likely dismiss and label such a human as a ‘madman’."
Read this article about a Frenchman who created a real-life hoverboard and flew to England on it!
"Sitting here, I wonder
How on Earth I was lucky enough
To find a gem such as you
No words are enough
Yet I will try"
Note: This poem is a fictional continuation of "The Flea" written by the famous English poet John Donne. I have written this epilogue, which continues the poem from the point of view of the female character. In this poem, read the woman's reply to the protagonist trying to seduce her.
