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‘Our kids don’t start preparing early’: Assam’s only student who cracked UPSC this year
Assam’s Ahmed Hasanuzzaman is the only student from Assam to make it to the recently declared merit list of UPSC 2020 examinations.
Assam’s Ahmed Hasanuzzaman Choudhury is one of the 20 students from Jamia Millia Islamia’s Residential Coaching Academy (RCA) to clear the Civil Services Examinations this year. A resident of Silchar town, Hasanuzzaman is the only student from Assam to make it to the recently declared merit list of UPSC 2020 examinations. He has secured 283rd rank in UPSC which is considered to be one of the toughest examinations globally.
Ahmed Hasanuzzaman Choudhury is a student of Kendra Vidyalaya, Silchar. He completed his higher secondary education at National Public School in Guwahati in 2012. After completing B-tech from Jamia Milia Islamia University in 2017, he started preparing for UPSC in Delhi. He joined Jamia Millia Islamia’s Residential Coaching Academy(RCA) run by the Centre for Coaching and Career Planning. He appeared for the mains examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission in January 2021, followed by personality tests in August and September 2021.
Hasanuzzaman’s father Jakir Ahmed Choudhury has retired as chief general manager of Assam Electronics Development Corporation. His grandfather is a retired judge. Hasanuzzaman is the third and youngest child in the family. His elder sister, Dr Salma Fedous Choudhury is a gynaecologist presently working in Silchar Medical College and Hospital. His eldest sister is working as a software engineer in Hyderabad.
Talking to Hindustan Times on Saturday, Ahmed Hasanuzzaman Choudhury said, “Our family always motivated us to get a proper education. I have two elder sisters, one of them is an engineer and the other is a doctor. While studying engineering in Jamia, I started dreaming about UPSC. My father always supported my decisions. When I chose not to join a job in a private company and continued preparing, he stood by my side.”
Hasanuzzaman is also the second person ever from Barak Valley part of Assam to succeed in UPSC. Talking about the lack of success stories in Barak Valley he said, “We do not start early, students in our area start thinking about UPSC once they complete the graduation. While in other states, students start preparing since they are in school. This attitude gives them more success while we fall behind.”
Hasanuzzaman informed that apart from the methods taught in Jamia’s residential coaching, he preferred self-motivation and self-preparation. “There is a three-layer examination process in UPSC and you can fall short in any of them. It demotivates many students and this was one of the toughest challenges for me also. After two unsuccessful attempts, I was also facing challenging moments. But I was focused to crack the UPSC examination. My family members supported me. I wanted to become an IAS officer but my first goal has been achieved.”
He opted for Political Science and International Relations as optional. While he was preparing for UPSC, he enrolled in Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to study Political Science. “A master degree in Political Science helped me in my optional preparation,” he said.
Hasanuzzaman’s father Jakir Ahmed Choudhury said, “I have two daughters and one son. I never discriminated and tried to give them proper education. As a government employee, I always wanted my kids to crack the UPSC examination. When my son expressed his desire to start preparing for that, I was happy. Today I am proud and I want my son to serve society as a better human being.”
Deputy commissioner of Majuli district of Assam, Bikram Kairi, who is also a resident of Barak Valley and the first person to crack UPSC examination from this area, said, “After 6 to 7 years we have another student who has successfully passed the UPSC examination. This also shows that we have talented students but we do not have the proper platform to nourish them. I hope, with this success, Hasanuzzaman keeps motivating more students to try.”
