How "SHE" became an IAS officer | Surabhi Gautam | TEDxRGPV
Summary
TLDRZsuzsa Viola's inspiring TED Talk narrates her journey from a small village in Madhya Pradesh to becoming a top achiever in India's prestigious exams. Despite early struggles with health and education, her determination led her to excel academically and professionally. Viola's story underscores the power of perseverance, as she overcame language barriers and societal expectations to become a nuclear scientist and later, a civil servant, proving that hard work and resilience are the keys to success.
Takeaways
- 🌟 The speaker emphasizes the importance of perseverance and determination in the face of failure and rejection, rather than just focusing on success.
- 🏘️ Born in a small village, the speaker's initial life was unremarkable, but her later achievements brought her recognition and respect from her community.
- 🎓 A pivotal moment in the speaker's academic life was scoring full marks in mathematics during a board exam, which instilled a belief in her academic potential.
- 🎨 Despite her academic focus, the speaker had a diverse range of interests, including painting, sketching, and participating in cultural events.
- 🤒 The speaker faced a serious health challenge with rheumatic fever, which required consistent medical treatment and affected her daily life.
- 🏆 Achieving top marks in her 10th standard exams led to local fame and a pivotal moment where she declared her aspiration to become a 'collector', influencing her future path.
- 📚 The speaker's educational journey was marked by significant achievements, including topping her college and university, and winning scholarships.
- 🚀 After moving to the city for higher education, the speaker faced cultural and linguistic barriers but overcame them through dedication and hard work.
- 🔬 The speaker became a nuclear scientist at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, showcasing her ability to excel in a highly competitive field.
- 🏛️ Despite achieving a secure and respected position, the speaker felt unfulfilled and decided to pursue the challenging Civil Services Examination.
- 🏆 With hard work and resilience, the speaker achieved All India Rank 50 in the Civil Services Examination, underscoring the value of hard work and the absence of shortcuts to success.
Q & A
What is the significance of the speaker's early life in a small village in Madhya Pradesh?
-The speaker's early life in a small village is significant as it sets the stage for her journey of overcoming challenges and achieving success against the odds, highlighting her determination and willpower.
What was the turning point in the speaker's academic life?
-The turning point in the speaker's academic life was when she scored 100 out of 100 in her mathematics paper in the 5th class, which led to her teacher recognizing her potential and motivating her to focus more on studies.
How did the speaker's health condition impact her life?
-The speaker was diagnosed with rheumatic fever, which caused her severe joint pain and even led to her being bedridden. This health condition was a significant challenge she had to overcome, and it required regular treatment with penicillin.
What role did the lack of resources and infrastructure play in the speaker's education?
-The lack of resources and infrastructure, such as electricity and proper schooling, posed significant obstacles to the speaker's education. She had to study by kerosene lamp and faced difficulties in accessing quality education and tuition.
What was the impact of the speaker's 10th class result on her village and family?
-The speaker's 10th class result, where she scored 100 out of 100 in both mathematics and science, brought her recognition and placed her on the state merit list. This achievement transformed her into a pseudo-celebrity in her village and changed the perspectives of her family and community towards her.
What was the speaker's initial career aspiration as reported in a newspaper interview?
-In a newspaper interview, the speaker, not knowing what a career was, spontaneously said that she wanted to be a collector, which became a headline and influenced people's perceptions of her future.
How did the speaker's move to Bhopal for higher education represent a significant step for her village?
-The speaker's move to Bhopal for higher education was significant as she was the first girl from her village to go out for studies. Her success or failure would impact the opportunities for other girls in the village.
What challenges did the speaker face when she first started college?
-The speaker faced several challenges when she started college, including a lack of understanding of lab procedures, not knowing English well enough to communicate effectively, and feeling out of place among her peers.
How did the speaker overcome her initial struggles with English?
-The speaker overcame her struggles with English by committing herself to learning the language. She covered her walls with vocabulary from her engineering books, constantly revising and immersing herself in the language until she became fluent.
What was the speaker's achievement in the Engineering Services Exam?
-The speaker topped the Engineering Services Exam, becoming the first lady in India to achieve this feat, and her marks were the highest in the history of UPSC at that time.
What motivated the speaker to prepare for the Civil Services Examination despite already having a successful career?
-The speaker was motivated to prepare for the Civil Services Examination by her desire to fulfill her promise to herself and to make a difference for her village and society, as she felt that her previous achievements were not the end goal.
Outlines
🌱 Overcoming Adversity to Achieve Success
Zsuzsa Viola shares her journey from a small village in Madhya Pradesh to becoming a symbol of success. Born into an orthodox Brahmin family, her birth was unremarkable, but her academic achievements later brought her fame. Despite facing rheumatic fever and the challenges of studying by kerosene lamp, she excelled in her 10th class exams, scoring full marks in mathematics and science. Her story emphasizes the importance of determination and willpower in the face of rejections and failures.
📰 From Village Pupil to Pseudo-Celebrity
After scoring exceptionally in her exams, Surabhi became a local celebrity in her village. A newspaper interview led to her declaring a career aspiration to become a collector, a statement that garnered significant attention and expectations from her community. Despite her initial lack of clarity about her career path, her academic achievements continued to open doors, leading her to receive the APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship and eventually moving to Bhopal for higher education in engineering. Her transition to the city was challenging, as she faced language barriers and cultural differences.
🔬 Triumph in Academics and the Journey to a Nuclear Scientist
Surabhi's determination led her to overcome language barriers and excel academically, even becoming fluent in English within a semester. Her academic prowess resulted in her topping her university and winning the Chancellor's scholarship. She went on to clear several competitive exams, including the GATE, ISRO, BARC, SAIL, and PPSC exams, and eventually topped the IES exam. Surabhi's success story culminated in her becoming a nuclear scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai and later achieving the highest rank in the Engineering Services Exam.
🎓 The Pursuit of a Greater Purpose Beyond Success
Despite achieving professional success and financial stability as a nuclear scientist and later as a top-ranked civil servant, Surabhi felt unfulfilled. A conversation with her mother reminded her of her initial aspirations to contribute to her village and society. This realization prompted her to prepare for the Civil Services Examination, one of the world's toughest exams, while working as a Railway officer. Her mother's mentorship and her own resilience helped her to convert struggles into strengths, ultimately leading to her ranking 50th in the Civil Services Examination 2016. Surabhi's story concludes with the message that hard work and perseverance are the keys to success.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Success
💡Rejections
💡Determination
💡Willpower
💡Rheumatic Fever
💡Merit List
💡Penicillin
💡Collector
💡Scholarship
💡Engineering Services Exam (IES)
💡Civil Services Examination
Highlights
Zsuzsa Viola shares her journey from a small village to becoming a top achiever in India, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and willpower.
Born in an orthodox Brahmin family, Viola's birth was not celebrated, but her parents were her first supporters.
Viola's academic success began in the 5th grade when she scored full marks in mathematics, sparking her love for studies and recognition.
Despite being in a joint family where individual attention was scarce, Viola's academic achievements started to change family and village perspectives.
Viola's health challenges with rheumatic fever and the difficulties in receiving penicillin treatment highlighted her resilience.
Studying under poor conditions like kerosene lamps and without tuition did not deter Viola's determination to excel.
Achieving a perfect score in 10th grade and being placed on the state merit list transformed Viola into a local celebrity and inspired her village.
A newspaper interview where Viola declared her aspiration to become a collector without fully understanding the role influenced her future path.
Viola's educational journey included securing the APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship for excelling in the science stream.
The decision to send Viola to Bhopal for higher education was a significant step for her and her village, as she was the first girl to study outside.
Cultural and language barriers faced by Viola in college, including not knowing English and lab practices, were overcome through determination.
Viola's strategy to learn English involved constant exposure and practice, which led to her dreaming in English and achieving academic success.
Qualifying multiple competitive exams, including GATE, ISRO, BARC, SAIL, and PPSC, demonstrated Viola's intellectual prowess.
Becoming a nuclear scientist at BARC after overcoming skepticism and performing well in a challenging interview was a significant milestone.
Topping the IES exam and making history with the highest marks in UPSC, despite not being from an IIT or NIT, showcased Viola's exceptional capabilities.
Viola's transition from BARC to Indian Railways and her struggle with finding happiness and purpose post-success is a poignant reflection on personal fulfillment.
The decision to prepare for the Civil Services Examination while working full-time with Indian Railways exemplifies her relentless pursuit of goals.
Viola's mother played a crucial role as a mentor, providing perspective and motivation during her challenging preparation for the civil services exam.
Achieving All India Rank 50 in the Civil Services Examination 2016, despite limited study time, is a testament to Viola's dedication and hard work.
Viola concludes with a powerful message on the irreplaceability of hard work and the absence of shortcuts to success, sharing her own poem that encapsulates her journey.
Transcripts
Reviewer: Zsuzsa Viola
Namaste!
Today, as you see me as a package of success,
when my bio says that I have cleared all the top prestigious exams
and interviews of India.
My friends, let me tell you not more about my successes
but more about my rejections, my failures, and my determination, my willpower
that made me get those successes.
So my story starts from a small sleepy village of Madhya Pradesh
with a population of barely a thousand people.
On the month of a rainy August,
a small girl was born in an orthodox Brahmin family -
a family that was giant and joint with 30 plus members -
it was not an event for them.
There was nothing that worth celebrating happened that day when I was born,
only two souls on Earth were happy,
obviously, they were my parents,
for the rest of them, it was a normal affair.
25 years down the line, same girl, same village,
and the whole family was welcoming her with garlands,
bang bang slogans like,
(Hindi) "What should a girl look like? Like Surabhi Gautam! Why not?"
What made things to become so different for her?
(Applause)
My dear friends, let me tell you how things changed
not only for me but also for my parents,
how all the perspectives got changed slowly, slowly, steadily, steadily.
I was in a joint family.
In a joint family, you know, no child gets separate attention.
So we all were treated equally.
Life was OK. We were happy.
I got admission in my village school.
That was Hindi medium:
Madhya Pradesh Board School.
In 5th class,
something good happened with me that I remember till date.
I got 100 out of 100 in my mathematics paper.
5th class was a board class.
So my teacher called me, and she said,
"See, I have never seen anybody scoring full marks,
that in mathematics, that in board exam.
You have done this,
so I think you are going to do something good in your studies."
That was the day
when I felt appreciated and recognized,
and I had given this clear message to the Universe
that in future, all I'm going to do is to be a studious girl
because with studies comes recognition,
with studies will come appreciation for me.
Otherwise, in this family, I'm not going to get this at all.
So I started to focus more on studies.
But my heart - it always wanted to diversify.
I wanted to do everything.
I started to try my hand at painting, sketching, drawing.
I started to do embroidery also.
I was busy with my village priest,
and all the pujas,
and on all the Ramayan (Hindi) events (English) and everything.
And I was not noticing the pain that was creeping in my body.
I started to feel the pain in my joints and my elbow
and every joint of my body,
and after some time, I was bedridden.
My parents took this decision with their meager resources
to take me there.
We went there to a place called Jabalpur.
And the doctor said, "Your daughter has this rheumatic fever."
What happens in this disease is -
there are viruses always present in the air.
Now and then, they attack the body of children,
and they create pain.
And when it becomes serious, what happens, they attack your heart
and they disturb the semilunar valve.
And in some cases, it leads to death also.
It was a shock for them.
But then they asked, "What can be the possible treatment?"
As a treatment, the doctor suggested
that she should be given the dose of antibiotic,
and that antibiotic was penicillin.
There is some problem with penicillin. What happens?
As soon as it enters the body, it gets solidified
when it comes in contact with air.
So it was again a problem
because I had to be injected with penicillin in every 15 days.
And not every MBBS doctor was ready to do this
because it can also lead to death in some cases.
So in the village, in every 15 days,
it was also difficult to get a skilled doctor
to inject me with the confidence that I will not die.
Well, life was going OK, OK.
There was a problem of electricity in my village.
So I had to study by the kerosene lamp.
I had other problems.
There was no tuition.
School situation was also very bad.
Then the second best thing of my life happened.
It was the 10th class result.
My 10th results came,
and I again scored 100 out of 100 -
this time not only in mathematics but also in science.
(Applause)
And my percentage was good enough to place me on the state merit list.
Well, I became
a pseudo-celebrity of my village.
I was in the news for quite a week, and the newspaper interviewer came to me,
and he started to ask me questions,
"How did you do this?" you know?
"This is a great achievement and all."
And at last, he asked one question,
"Surabhi, what do you want to become when you grow up?
You know, what is your career choice?"
Well, I was not knowing what a career is.
All I was knowing that,
"OK, I'm good at dancing, so I can be a dancer.
I can be a singer, too.
I can paint also. But a career?"
I told him, "Sir, I cannot recall anything.
I cannot answer this question to you."
He said, "Come on, you have to answer this.
You have got a place in the merit list."
Suddenly, a word flashed in my mind out of nowhere,
and I said, "I want to be a collector."
Well, he got the headline for the next day,
and I was damned.
Next day, the news came.
(Hindi) "Surabhi wants to become a collector."
(Applause)
This news changed, you know,
the course of everything for me after that.
Everyone was coming to my home with the sweets, to my parents,
and they were saying that,
(Hindi) "Mr. Gautam, your girl will achieve something great."
I was enjoying all that limelight,
but I was not knowing how to be a collector,
what a collector is, and how important he is for society.
I went into 11th; I took mathematics,
and I forgot about all these things.
Yeah, I wanted to correct something that was wrong in my village,
that was wrong with my education,
that was wrong with the situation of my village,
that there was no electricity, there was no proper hospital.
So I wanted those things to be on right place,
but through collector or not through it,
I was not clear.
Well, I passed 12th,
and I got APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship
for securing maximum marks in science stream.
So again, one more pseudo-celebrity status.
And with all this status, I came to this big city of Bhopal,
in this very college
and took admission for Bachelor of Engineering.
(Applause)
This decision of my parents to send me
from the village to a big city for higher education
was a big decision
because I was the first girl from my village to go out and study.
So it was not only I who was studying here;
it was the whole village along with me.
If I [didn't] come back,
the hopes of all other girls, the door for all other girls
will close automatically.
So I had to perform here anyhow.
Well, the first day of my college was the worst day of my college,
to be frank, because what happened,
when I entered the college,
there was chemistry lab that was going on.
I entered the class, and the ma'am was taking the lab.
She asked me, "OK, you go and do titration."
Titration.
In my village, there was no lab.
I do not know the meaning of titration in Hindi.
So I was standing there blank.
Again, I looked at ma'am.
She asked me, "Go there and pick up the test tube."
First time in my life I'd seen the test tube,
and I took that, and it broke.
And I was like, "Oh my God, what I have done!"
Anyhow, I was hiding behind something so that ma'am should not notice me.
And I passed one hour.
Then the next class: engineering physics.
Introductions were going on, and everyone was standing
and fluently answering, giving their introduction in English,
and I was freezing in my seat,
that when my turn will come, what am I supposed to do?
What will I say?
I do not know English at all.
I'm from a Hindi medium school; how will I introduce myself?
I was stealing words from everyone's introduction,
and anyhow I jotted down the words and gave my introduction.
And I thought, "OK, this has passed."
But the sir was not patient enough.
He asked me one more question.
He asked me: "OK. Tell me the definition of potential."
OK, the basic question of physics.
I have got APJ Abdul Kalam scholarship for scoring maximum marks in physics, PCM.
But I had to answer this in English.
And I cannot frame a sentence -
a single sentence in English.
So I just stood there and I kept mum.
Teacher came to me and he said,
"Have you really completed your 12th?
Have you really passed it?
You cannot answer this very basic question of physics."
Only I knew how much I loved physics.
I'm not answering this not because I do not know physics,
it is because I do not know English.
But this all was going on in my mind only.
I was not able to speak anything.
Well, I came back to my room, and I wept, you know, I cried.
I just wanted to pack my bag and go back to my village,
no more higher education, nothing else.
This city is not meant for me.
This college is not meant for me.
These people are not meant for me.
I called my parents.
That day they played the role of Jambavan -
the role that Jambavan played for Hanuman,
reminding him all of his great past
that "No, you can fight. No, you can fly."
They told me that, "OK, you come back, but see,
you are closing the door of all other girls of your village.
So you had to take up a decision."
Well, I picked the point,
and I decided to fight,
and I decided that by the end of this semester
I'm going to be fluent in English.
Well, I took my engineering books,
I jotted down all the spellings and everything,
I pasted them on my wall,
and all my walls were colored with the spellings,
and I was always on the revision mode.
And it went deep inside my subconscious mind
that, you know, that my dreams also were in English after that,
with all the characters speech ...
(Applause)
And in the first semester, I topped -
I topped not only my college,
but I topped the whole university,
and I got Chancellor's scholarship for that.
That day - that day I had this belief
that if you really want to achieve something anyhow, you know,
you do not have any means,
because when I wanted to improve my English,
I was not able to take coaching,
and I was not having any English medium friend,
so I was totally unarmed.
But I do not know how the universe conspired,
and I finally was able to give a TED Talk even on this platform.
Well, the college passed,
and I completed my college when I was twenty and a half,
so you need 21 years as the minimum age for UPSC exam.
So meanwhile, I wrote GATE exam, ISRO exam, BARC exam,
SAIL exam, and PPSC exam,
and after six months, I wrote IES exam.
And my dear friends, I qualified all of them.
(Applause)
Then the first call letter that I got,
that was from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre,
Department of Atomic Energy, Mumbai.
So I was very excited.
OK, I'm going to give this highly -
you know, touted as one of the most, the first interview of India.
So I was about to appear in that interview.
I consulted some of my seniors about how it can be,
how should I prepare for it?
All I got was negative feedback:
See, Surabhi, in whole of our life,
we have never seen anybody qualifying that interview.
OK, you want to go to Mumbai for fun, then go,
but don't have this expectation that you're going to do anything there.
Well, this - all this negativity, I appeared in interview,
and I was the first scientist
to whom I was known as a scientist in my life.
So, I qualified that interview and I shifted to Mumbai,
and I became a nuclear scientist.
Well, I wrote IES exam meanwhile,
and it takes one year for the results to come.
After one year, the result came.
And I was AIR 1, not from any IIT, not from any NIT,
I was from UIT, and I topped the exam.
(Applause) (Cheering)
I was the first lady in India to top Engineering Services Exam,
and my marks were maximum in the history of UPSC till date.
(Applause)
So finally, after becoming a Sarkari officer, I resigned from BARC,
and I joined Indian Railways through Engineering Service,
and I went to Secunderabad for Railways training.
I was getting a salary;
there is no financial problem.
You know, I was getting respect from society.
So I didn't want to study anymore,
no hard work,
so all party was waiting for me.
And I was very excited,
"OK, life is now going to be a smooth ride,
no more hard work, no more sacrifices and all;
I have done enough."
Well, I joined Railways, and I was thinking to enjoy.
I was trying hard to enjoy and be happy.
But I was not happy.
And I was not knowing what is wrong with all these things.
So I called my mother, and I asked her,
"Why is it happening with me? Why I am not enjoying all this?"
She said, "Do you remember your 10th class interview?
Have you ever read that piece of paper again
that you said you want to be something or you want to do something
for your village and all those things?
Was this struggle was only for a Sarkari job or a good salary,
or was this for something else also?"
Well, I really recalled, and I read this interview again.
And I don't know how many times in my life I've read it.
And I decided to prepare for civil service examination.
Well, this examination, I want to say,
is one of the toughest exams, in not only India but in the world.
Eleven like aspirants appear for this,
and mostly it takes four, five attempts for them to clear.
Students in Delhi, if you will go there and see,
they are giving their 24 hours every day
and preparing for this exam.
And I was doing the job of Railways, was deciding to prepare for this exam.
I was hardly getting three or four hours from my training to prepare for this exam.
I could not take leave in training also.
So the decision was going to be a very tough decision for me,
but with all those things, I decided to go ahead,
and I started my preparation.
I was mostly on train roaming for Railway training, so I got a tab,
and I downloaded all the things,
so I started reading online.
I read on mobile, I read in my tab,
and I was mostly on, you know, stealing mode.
I was stealing minutes from hours.
And sometimes I felt frustrated; I felt like giving up.
Again, I called my mom.
She was a continuous mentor for me.
So I called her, I said,
"See, even after becoming a Sarkari officer,
I have to do again all these things, life is so miserable for me.
I was never enjoying when I was a child,
and today, also when I'm an officer,
I'm not enjoying.
I'm only doing studies,
and I don't know where it is going to lead.
Am I going to qualify it or not?
I'm not sure, but still I am again studying,
studying all the time.
She said me one thing,
"See, you are 23. When I was 23, I had three children.
The youngest of them was 10 months old.
I had a family of 30-plus members to whom I had to cook meal.
Then I had a job 10 kilometers away from our village to another village,
so I had to go and do that also,
and then I had allergic skin, so for that, I had to visit doctor,
and I have to cover my body all the time.
So I had all these problems, but I never complained.
You, on the other hand,
do not have any social responsibility, family responsibility,
all you have is your dream.
All you want is to prove for yourself
because for others, you have already proved.
This is your task. You have to do.
And you are saying life is difficult for you.
You need to change your lenses better."
That day I stopped complaining mostly, at least with her,
and I was totally on a mission mode.
All my scarcities, I converted them into my luxuries.
The more I struggled, the more strong I became.
And finally, I got All India Rank 50 in this coveted exam -
Civil Services Examination 2016.
(Applause)
To summarize:
At last, I believed in these words.
These words truly tell my story.
And I also want to convey these words to you also,
"There is no substitute for hard work, and there is no shortcut to success."
And my own four lines that I wrote -
I want to say (Hindi),
"Had I mourned for what I had not got - Had I mourned for what I had not got
I wouldn't have been able to improve in the opportunities I got.
It is stubbornness to fight with fate and achieve something.
These things would not have arisen in me like this.
But it was my promise to myself to keep on moving
I also mourned about getting nothing.
But it was my promise to myself to keep on moving.
Whatever my steps measured is less.
Whatever my steps measured is less.
This is the secret to reach your destination.
This is the secret to reach your destination."
(Applause)
Thanks for being such a patient and such a good audience.
Thanks TED and thanks to everyone.
(Applause) (Cheering)
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