Innovator – 2022

Interview Section
Tagline:
Success is not final;
Failure is not fatal;
It is your perspective and the courage to continue that define
your destiny.

Editorial:

I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to interview

two amazing personalities. The way they answered all the questions
really helped me understand how much your perspective on life
matters, and how it helps you achieve various great things in life.
It was a very nice experience meeting and talking to Dr. Ravi
Bhushan Sir, who has contributed selflessly during the very difficult
Covid-19 pandemic situation and has helped save numerous lives. His
words really made me think about how difficult it is to go out of your
way to help others, but the joy that it gives you makes it all worth it.
Mr. Chetan Jichkar Sir, who has worked in various fields before
getting selected for Civil Services, is indeed an inspiration. I believe
that his wise words and unique perspective of looking at failures and
other things in life can be highly motivating for aspirants out there.
Interview 1: Dr. Ravi Bhushan, Super specialty Hospital, Amravati.
Special Contribution during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
1. Is there any story behind choosing medicine as a career?
“Right from the beginning of my secondary education, I was very
much inclined towards this profession. I wasn’t from a significant
medicinal background if we consider the family background. It was
purely my interest that made me choose medicine as a career.”
2. Medicine is a promising and a big money-making profession.
What kept you motivated to provide free service and health care to
these patients?
“For even running a small clinic, you have to spend around a lakh
rupees per month, whether you earn that much or not. And just for
becoming an MBBS doctor, you have to study for 6-7 years.
Nowadays, you cannot become a doctor with just that. You have to
pursue a specialization. So, the belief that medicine makes a lot of
money is partially a myth since you also have to invest a lot of money
to have a career in medicine. In addition to that, being a doctor is a
very difficult job. The motivation to provide good healthcare service
is purely the will to serve people. Our patients are the ones who give
us motivation and strength to keep going, it is the will to help them
recover and make them feel better and healthy. Even the pandemic,
the Coronavirus was a sort of motivation to provide free service to
patients because I could see so many people suffering and I wanted
to help them.”

3. What is it that kept you going amidst these tough times?

“My source of inspiration, who kept me motivated during these
difficult times is definitely my wife. She has been supporting me,
motivating me, and lending me strength. She inspired me and stood
by me in these covid times, as well as in other times.”

4. As many people lost hope during the pandemic period, some

people like you have given them strength and lots of hopes of living
a happy life again. Is there any incident or story you would like to
share with us?
“I would like to share a story with you. One of my patients who had
covid was a lady who was around 8 months pregnant. It was just the
beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, so there was no definite
method of treatment for pregnant women. It was a new case for us,
thus being very critical. We had to take care of not just one, but two
lives. The pregnant lady couldn’t be given the regular supplements
for covid as they could be harmful to the baby growing inside her. So,
what we did was provide an environment for her where she could
feel at home. We ensured that she maintained a proper diet and that
proper care was taken. The treatment was properly planned and
executed for her. It worked, she recovered from Covid and even gave
birth to a healthy baby. She called and thanked the doctors; she was
very grateful. It was a beautiful feeling.”

5. Communication is an asset in getting to know and attaching to

people in the right way. It isn't easy at all to handle different
people and communicate with them. We would like to know; how
did you interact with the corona-affected patients and with their
families?
“Yes, communication is very important when you are interacting with
patients. There are older patients, and senior citizens, you have to
talk to them and make them eat their meals on time. It is just like
taking care of your own grandparents.
It was just so hectic at the time, I had to stay at the super-specialty
hospital for almost 13-14 hours a day. Whatever free time that I
managed to get, I used to go and catch up on sleep. A lot of times we
had to eat our lunch in the covid hospital itself. People used to be
afraid, but that was the only option we had.
I remember a patient, who was just 42, his father and he was both
affected by Covid. His father had died recently, but he didn’t know
that. He was on a ventilator but slowly improving. He asked me
about his father, I told him that his father was improving too and
they’ll be able to go home soon. On the day that he was supposed to
be discharged from the hospital, I got a call from the nursing staff
that he passed away in his sleep. It was a very sad time for us.
The ICU part was 10% of the total amount of patients. The rest of the
patients only needed counseling and moral support. I used to go
there around 7:30 in the morning when the tea used to be served. I
used to make sure everyone has tea. Many patients were suffering
from depression, so we had to talk to them and make them eat their
meals. A proper diet and moral support really help a patient to
recover. The patients that needed critical medical care were in the
ICU. They were properly taken care of, there was nursing staff
allotted for all the patients.
You might have heard that the medicines were thrown away in a lot
of places. But we made strict rules and took great care that nothing
of such sort happens. In the first wave, we even had normal covid
patients admitted to the hospital. But by the second wave, we only
had critical Covid patients. It was a very difficult task to manage. Last
February-March, we had around 450 critical patients and there were
150 staff members to take care of them. It was a very challenging
part to manage all of that. I must say that communication skills, as
well as priority management, are very crucial skills.”

6. What are your goals/plans for the near future?

“I am still working for Covid patients, and what I’m interested in is
preparing and keeping the infrastructure ready for patients. Because
even if this pandemic goes away, people will still suffer from
diseases. During the past 2-3 years, we got a good opportunity to
accumulate equipment that’ll be useful for the upcoming 10-15
years. We have Covid Hospitals with beds ready, they will be
inaugurated soon, and they can also be utilized for non-covid
patients. We are working on accumulating resources so that we are
ready to face a problem like this in case it arrives.”
7. Pandemic is a life lesson for all of us. What kind of improvement
do you expect in the health sector from the side of the
government?
“Presently, the government is spending a very low amount on
healthcare, only about 1% of the total GDP. I think the government
should allocate more finances and resources to the health sector. It
is a necessity, considering the health crisis that we have faced
recently. There should also be measures taken to improve the safety
of medical workplaces, all kinds of workplaces. Hospitals and medical
care facilities should be reachable so that no life is lost due to
improper transport or a hospital being too far.”

Interview 2: Mr. Chetan Jichkar, Grade A officer in the Ministry of

Railways, Currently under training at IPS Academy, Lucknow.
1. What do you like about this job?
“Currently I am under training at IPS Academy Lucknow and I have
just joined last month. Before this, I was working as a support
engineer in automation systems. I worked from home since my
company was located in Canada, for about two and a half years.
While working, I was preparing for Civil Services.
After I graduated from Sipna COET in 2008, I started my journey as a
Professor in DY Patil COE, before working at several companies in
Pune, Bangalore, Canada. I also started my own company in
Amravati.
While working as an engineer, I always had a feeling that the work I
was doing wasn’t enough for my society, it didn’t satisfy me. I had
always wanted to join a force, be it the Army, Police, or any
paramilitary force. I even tried for the Indian Army, but
unfortunately, I couldn’t clear it. When you assess yourself, you
come to know about your own abilities, to initiate a change in the
society we live in, and you recognize your ability to lead the system.
When you walk around on roads, you see a lot of problems like
criminal acts, unhygienic conditions, and the like. But as common
citizens, we cannot do anything much more than thinking about it.
But when you become a civil servant, you gain the power and
authority to bring a positive change. Now I am in the ministry of
Railways, so there are a lot of positive changes that I can bring about
to make it better, and I think that is the best part of my job. Be it any
civil service, you gain the ability to “serve” the society, as we call it in
Hindi, “Seva”. We can change whatever is going wrong.”

2. What are those subjects you have chosen while preparing for
UPSC?
“All the other subjects are compulsory, and among the optional
subjects I had chosen Sociology.”

3. Every person faces a failure of some sort in their journey. Have

you ever faced such a failure? If yes what is it that motivates you to
try again and keep trying?
“UPSC teaches you everything. There are a lot of examples of people
who prepare for it and pass the exam in a single attempt. But that
isn’t always the case. You have to deal with failure. Frustration,
depression, and failures are some factors that you have to deal with
when you aspire to achieve something. If you keep comparing
yourself to others, it will be very difficult for you to progress on your
path. You have to analyze your mistakes and try again. It isn’t always
necessary that you’ll clear everything in the first attempt. I had to
travel a lot while preparing, I was in Delhi, and I was in Bangalore. I
couldn’t clear my exam there, but I cleared it while in Amravati,
during the Lockdown period. I used to study in the morning and work
at night. When you gain enough knowledge and constantly work for
it, you eventually achieve it. Success doesn’t come to you overnight;
you have to make a lot of sacrifices.”

4. You have an experience of working in the educational field and

now civil services. What is a major difference that you have
experienced while working in these fields?
“Every field has its differences in terms of operations and work
culture. Before joining, while working in corporate, I was
simultaneously an assistant professor at Vishwakarma Institute of
Technology. So, we can say I have been in recent touch with the
education sector as well. And what I feel is a significant factor there
is, is the lack of updates. The syllabus isn’t getting updated as fast as
the changes in the industry. Moreover, there are infrastructural
issues along with many other problems. There is a scope in every
field, it just depends from person to person. I have come across
many people who are doing a great job in the education sector. I,
personally, have always wanted to work practically, but I didn’t get
that sort of opportunity in the educational field. Whereas in the
corporate sector, you need to have a different mindset. You are
bound by certain responsibilities, where you cannot bring in much
innovation. Be it MNCs or other companies, they all have their set of
rules that they work by. I preferred to not become a slave to a job, a
salary, so I left it and started a company in Amravati. But in the back
of my mind, I always had this thought of joining civil services.
Initially, I didn’t have enough confidence so I went for the other
sectors, but when I gained confidence, I went for Civil Services
preparation.”

5. Why have you chosen civil services, is there any goal or special
interest behind this choice?
“My initial goal was to become an engineer. I was fascinated by the
idea of having a job as a part of a world full of technological
advancements. But later on, I realized that this isn’t the job that I am
meant to do, I realized that my passion lies somewhere else. I have
set my goals through my experiences.
I graduated in 2008 and started preparing for UPSC in 2017. It took
me 9 years to gain different experiences and realize what I actually
wanted to do. When you aspire to get into Civil Services, it isn’t
always assured that you will succeed, so I created my background so
that if I don’t succeed, I will have no problem working in another
field. But I strongly felt like I should go for it as it is something that I
want to do wholeheartedly.”

6. What is the most challenging part of your job?

“Being a Civil servant, a group A officer, you have a lot of things in
your hands. One decision of yours can make it or break it.
Government jobs hold a lot of responsibility since many people’s
careers are in my hands, so I cannot be ignorant. A small mistake can
create a big blunder. If I commit a mistake, how can I expect my
subordinates to perfectly carry out their work? One must be proper
with their attire, and language, one must think before they speak
when in a position like this.
I am in the Railway Protection Force, and being a commander, my
rank is similar to ASP rank. If any crime or accidents happen in the
case of railways, I need to be there, at any hour. The challenging part
is, that I need to be prepared to fulfill my duty 24x7. It is a very
critical job, where negligence can cause great damage. When you are
a part of a force, be it an armed force, police force, or such, you have
to be prepared all the time.”

7. We all have heard that a person needs to develop certain habits

that they need for their work environment. Have you gained any
such habits that you have gained while training?
“While preparing for UPSC, there are certain habits that you
absolutely need to develop. Without them, you can never become a
civil servant. There is a Sanskrit quote I would like to recite which
explains the habits that a good student needs to have:
काक चे ष्टा, बको ध्यानं,
स्वान निद्रा तथै व च ।
अल्पहारी, गृहत्यागी,
विद्यार्थी पंच लक्षणं ॥

To elaborate, a student must have these five qualities:

Kaag chesta: Perseverance of a crow,
Bako dhyaanam: Concentration of a Swan,
Shwaan Nidra: Light sleeper like a dog,
Alpahari: Light-Eater,
Grih Tyaagi: Less involvement in unnecessary matters.

8. What message would you like to give to those students who are
interested to prepare for UPSC/MPSC?
“I would like to give some tips for those who aspire to clear the
MPSC or UPSC examinations:
You should figure out your goal early and start preparing at the age
of around 22 years or in the Third or Final Year of your UG course.
You should assess yourself and figure out if your interest actually lies
in Civil Services or not. You should be devoted and dedicated to
chasing your dream and achieving success.
You don’t need any sort of coaching classes. If you are consistent
enough, you can clear the exam even with self-study. UPSC is a tough
examination, so always have a backup or alternative career choice.
You should avoid using social media, it can lure in a lot of toxicity.
You should watch channels like Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha and read
newspapers as well. You should be highly disciplined and punctual to
achieve success in not just MPSC/UPSC, but life overall.”