Patna, July 5: Brains are made in Bihar but not career.
Most of the candidates, who cracked the UPSC civil services exam on Saturday, shifted base to Delhi and other cities to hone their skill in clearing the test.
Even fifth-rank holder Suharsha Bhagat, with his roots in Samastipur, went out of the state to pursue his childhood dream. Suharsha, after completing his matriculation from Ramakrishna Mission Mission Vidyapith, Deoghar (Jharkhand), did his higher studies from DPS RK Puram, New Delhi, and IIT Bombay (chemical engineering).
Suharsha's is not an isolated case. Rohan Kumar Jha, having AIR 95, completed his education from outside Bihar. Rohan, after completing his Class XII exam from DPS Bokaro (Jharkhand), moved to IIT Bombay studying mechanical engineering. Passing out from IIT Bombay in 2010, Rohan joined a multinational company, working for a period of one and half years. However, the boy from Madhepura quit his job and started preparations for the UPSC civil services exam. Rohan never opted Patna or other districts of Bihar for the UPSC exam preparations but moved to Delhi.
Rohan's father Durganand Jha, posted as an assistant manager at Bokaro Steel Plant, told The Telegraph from Bokaro: "After preparing for a year at an IAS coaching institute in Delhi, he cracked the UPSC exam last year with an AIR of 97." At present, Rohan is undergoing IPS training at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad, but he prepared for the exam again and secured rank 95 this year.
Balram Tiwari, former Hindi teacher of Patna University who a decade back was associated with an IAS coaching institute in Patna, said: "The process of decline of standard of education for civil service preparation started as students coming from Bihar state board were not able to crack the exam."
Tiwari used to take classes with Nalanda Open University vice-chancellor Rash Bihari Prasad Singh and others for UPSC civil services exam aspirants. Many students such as Pramod Tiwari (an Assam-cadre IAS officer), Neelima (Punjab-cadre officer) and Mukesh Kumar (Jharkhand-cadre officer) have studied under Tiwari's guidance.
Neha, who has secured rank 22 in the exam, though did her school education at St Michael's High School, Patna, moved out for shaping her career. After completing Class XII, she went to Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani-Goa, for pursuing chemical engineering in 2011. Neha, working for a brief period in a software company, decided to join the administrative services.
Neha's uncle Balbir Singh, based in Patna, said: "For preparation of the exam, Neha moved to Delhi and joined a coaching institute. She cleared the test in her third attempt though in her second attempt, she reached the interview level."
Neha's father Dilip Kumar Singh is posted as sub-divisional officer in Jamshedpur while her elder sister Swati works in a bank in London. Neha's younger sister Divya is
pursuing software engineering in Pune while brother Dipak is in Bangalore for studying engineering.
Sources said the process of decline of Bihar students clearing the UPSC exam preparing from the state started around a decade ago and many IAS coaching institutes with base in Patna moved to Delhi.
Pitambar Kumar of Manpur Patwa Toli, Gaya, who cracked the UPSC exam with rank 754, too, did his preparations from Delhi. After completing engineering from IIT-Bombay in 2010, Pitambar did not join any job but decided to target the exam. Along with two other youths from Patwa Toli Chandrakant Pateshwari and Hulash Prasad, he began the arduous preparations. Pitambar said: "After completing IIT, I got a job offer but my dream was to join the administrative service and set an example of success in Patwa Toli."
Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday congratulated Suharsha Bhagat and others who successfully cleared the exam from the state. Nitish said Suharsha has not only made his family proud but also Bihar and the entire country.
Additional reporting from Alok Kumar in Gaya
