UPSC Dreams: In the lanes of Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar, known as one of the UPSC hubs in India, fortunes can turn in an instant; what was once dust can become gold, and gold can turn to dust. Many stories of IAS aspirations have emerged from here, while countless others have crumbled just as they were taking shape. NDTV set out to explore these very lanes in search of such stories.
The struggle of students living in Mukherjee Nagar is not merely financial; the mental pressure is equally immense, the aspirants noted. This pressure defines the story of every student who has spent years preparing for an exam and whose family’s hopes are pinned on them. But then I remember my parents’ faces and their expectations. And so, the next day, I sit down to study again.”
Even a student renting the cheapest room might need to arrange between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 in the first month to cover rent, the security deposit, an advance payment, and brokerage fees, according to Anand. Rahul Jadaun from Agra, a 2023 batch gold medalist in History who has also qualified for the NET twice, is still waiting for a job.
He said that even if a student finds a room and approaches the landlord directly, the issue of paying a brokerage fee often comes up in one form or another. Rahul said that often, the stress of the exam itself is not as heavy as the pressure arising from questions posed by society and relatives. One student, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “Sometimes I feel like giving it all up and going back home.
Gold Medalist In History To Ordinary Aspirant
Rahul Jadaun from Agra shared his story with NDTV. Rahul is a gold medalist in History and has qualified for the NET exam twice; his academic record is exemplary, the kind that would be cited as a model in any small town. Yet, here, all these achievements count for nothing until the golden milestone of becoming an IAS officer is added to the list. For any student living away from home, the essentials go beyond just academics; arrangements for accommodation and food are equally critical. In conversations with students in Mukherjee Nagar, the most frequent complaints centered on paying guest (PG) accommodation and street food. Preparing for civil services and other competitive exams involves not just a mental struggle but a financial one as well. Inu questioned the logic: if the room and facilities are the same, how can the criteria for determining rent differ?
Vivek Pachauri, a native of Aligarh who has been preparing for the civil services exam for the past few years, explained that even excluding rent and other overheads, the cost of breakfast and two meals a day alone comes to around Rs 300. One student might pay Rs 8,000, another Rs 7,000, and a third Rs 7,500, despite the amenities being virtually identical.
