The motivated Thinker

Imagine suffering from polio at the age of 2. Your own mother cannot see the world, your father is a subsistence farmer, and you are married at the young age of 18. You are beaten, stripped on the road over dowry, and assaulted again for giving birth to two daughters instead of a son. Anybody would start blaming luck or become depressed. But guess what? One woman said no. She started training for shot put at the age of 34. At 40, she won a gold medal and became India's first-ever gold medallist in para-athletics at the Commonwealth Games. This is what becomes possible when you refuse to surrender to your circumstances and stop making excuses. Women like her scare our patriarchal society—a truly hypocritical society that gets deeply offended when someone chooses a life partner from another caste or religion, but stays silent when a woman is raped, murdered, or killed for dowry. She has given a tight slap to all those people. If you too have suffered at the hands of this brutal society, look at her, champ. You can do it. It won't be easy, but then again, you were never made for easy things.

Nothing is impossible 🥹 When a child lives in one room with a family who dreamt to do bigger things in life it was not just a dream ,it was a conviction. I will not stop here 🥹 Thanks for the 1.5 lakh family ❤️ Love you all ❤️❤️

एक लम्हे में सीमा आया है सड़कों का सफार जिंदगी तेज बहुत तेज चली हो जैसे

In 2019, arthritis robbed Soumita Basu of nearly 80% of her mobility, making simple tasks like dressing painful and hospital visits stressful due to unsuitable clothing. She discovered mainstream fashion ignored millions with arthritis, chronic pain, spinal injuries, disabilities, or age-related stiffness—hurting their independence and confidence. Refusing to accept this, Soumita and her daughter Amita designed stylish, easy-to-wear clothes. With Rs 21,000 and local tailors, they refined prototypes through many setbacks and launched Zyenika in 2020—an adaptive clothing brand that helps people dress independently with comfort and dignity.

Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing

My Parents always taught me never to tolerate nonsense. The world can be brutal these days. Too often, people who have nothing will bite the hand that helps them when they finally get even a small thing. It’s a sad, common reality now—but I still believe that the hand that rocks the cradle can change the world.

We’ve had many governments over the years, and people have always argued about who’s right. Lately, though, I notice how quickly conversations turn angry when someone criticises the current government. That worries me. Democracy only works when people can speak up without being shouted down. But our public life sometimes feels like a fan club: we make athletes, actors, and politicians into untouchable heroes. When that happens, questioning becomes disloyal instead of useful. That has hurts real people. When protesters are called “terrorists,” or entire communities are painted as “anti‑national,” it destroys trust and makes honest debate impossible. Families get hurt, young people grow up scared to ask questions, and small acts of dissent are met with fear instead of conversation. We can do better—and it starts with everyday choices. Don’t accept sensational headlines without checking them. Listen to people you disagree with as human beings, not labels. Teach students and friends how to cross‑check facts and how to speak calmly in public spaces. Questioning those in power isn’t unpatriotic; it’s how democracy survives. People sacrificed everything for that right. Let’s honor them by standing for reason, kindness, and courage to disagree respectfully.

The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;— Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon; The winds that will be howling at all hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; For this, for everything, we are out of tune; It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn; Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea; Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.

True nationalism is never about symbols and slogans. It is about what you do for the nation. Can you safeguard citizens? Can you provide them with good health and education? Can you improve the system? An ideology based on “us versus them” can never be a nationalist ideology. First we are human, grappling with a climate catastrophe; then we can hold any belief. Accountability cannot be masked by religion. Religion is man-made; religion did not make man.

Phool khilate hain, log miilate hain Magar pattajhad men jo phool murajha jaate hain Vo bahaaron ke aane se khilate nahin Kuchh log ik roz jo bichhad jaate hain Vo hazaaron ke aane se milate nahin Umr bhar chaahe koi pukaara kare unakaa naam Vo phir nahin aate, vo phir nahin aate Zindagi ke safar men guzar jaate hain jo makaam Vo phir nahin aate, vo phir nahin aate

कभी-कभी मैं ये सोचता हूँ कि चलती गाड़ी से पेड़ देखो— तो ऐसा लगता है दूसरी ओर जा रहे हैं। मगर हक़ीक़त में पेड़ अपनी जगह खड़े हैं। तो क्या ये संभव है सारी सदियाँ— कतार के भीतर कतार अपनी जगह खड़ी हों, यह समय साक़त हो, और हम ही गुजर रहे हों इस एक लम्हे में। सारे लम्हे, तमाम सदियाँ छिपी हुई हों। न कोई आने वाला, न गुज़रा हुआ। जो हो चुका है, जो हो रहा है, जो होने वाला है— हो रहा है। मैं सोचता हूँ कि क्या ये संभव है, सच यह हो कि सफर में हम हैं; गुज़रते हम हैं— जिसे समझते हैं हम, गुज़रता है, वो ठहरा हुआ है। गुज़रता है या ठहरा हुआ है, इकाई है या बँटा हुआ; क्या यह मँज़मّد है या पिघल रहा है। किसे खबर है, किसे पता है— यह समय क्या है?

कह ना पायें, जो उनके लब वो आँखें, कह देती हैं सब पहले तो सबका इक ही था अब सबका अपना अपना रब हालत तो देखो इन्‍सां की खुद ही से डरता है वो अब तनहा काटो तब पूछेंगे होती है कितनी लम्‍बी शब खुद को भी मुजरिम पाओगे अपने भीतर, झांकोगे जब हरदम आंसू, मत छलकाओ मन मर्ज़ी का, होता है कब

I am also a crazy movie lover. I have watched thousands of Hollywood movies, especially thrillers and real life based movies. I was also an ardent cricket fan who used to watch even Test matches ball by ball — until Virat Kohli announced his retirement.  Stories of perseverance, passion, purpose and sacrifice have always inspired me. They shaped the way I look at life. Today, I feel very happy to see so many of my batchmates taking initiatives to help aspirants and society in different ways. I am confident that together, we can do great things for society, for the nation and for the people. I am deeply grateful to God, my parents, my teachers, my friends, my mentors ( so many Gauri bhaiyas ) and every single person who supported me in this journey. Thank you. https://www.instagram.com/captain_magnus_ips/

STORY OF MANOJ G S ( AIR 389 UPSC CSE 2025 ) Hello everyone, I am Manoj G S (Captain MaGnuS) I have secured All India Rank 389 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination this year, and I am expecting to join the Indian Police Service. For me, my journey is a living example of the power of education — how education can transform not just an individual, but an entire family. I come from Sakleshpur, a beautiful part of the core Western Ghats in Karnataka. When I was just four years old, my mother sent me and my sister away from home so that we could get better education. Even today, in many villages like mine, basic facilities like roads, electricity, internet connectivity and access to quality education remain a challenge. My mother had studied only till Class 10, but she understood the value of education more deeply than anyone else. From childhood, she made us read stories from the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Panchatantra and many other books. She gave us values, purpose and courage. She passed away when I was only seven years old. But the values she left behind have stayed with me forever. Maybe I was the most relieved person after seeing this year’s result, because for me, this was not just an examination. It was a promise I had made to my mother — that I would enter the civil services and make her proud. Throughout my journey, I consider myself extremely blessed. Coming from a very humble background where my father didn't have even ₹500 to take me to the college for admission, I received some of the best education possible in India — first at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, and later at NITK Surathkal completely on scholarship.  After that, when I came to Bengaluru soon after my graduation for UPSC preparation, I had almost nothing with me except hope, determination and the dream to clear this examination. I had worked hard to clear UPSC prelims 2023 but didn't have a single mentor to guide till then.  But at every stage, strangers became my support system. Some gave a part of their salary every month to support me. Some people paid my room rent. Some helped me with library fees. Some supported me with flight tickets. Some even helped me with what I wore on the day of my interview. I always felt that my maa always came through those people to guide me, inspire me and support me.  When people say that I achieved this because of hard work , I genuinely feel that without these support systems, I would not be standing here today. My mind goes to a thought that there are thousands of young Manoj like me who can achieve great things in life if they get the right support, guidance and encouragement. That is why I feel I was blessed to find guiding lights in my life. And that is also why I love mentoring children, students and aspirants in whatever way possible. Because sometimes, all we need is one person who believes in us and tells us, “You are capable of doing something great.” Whatever good I do in my life will be the legacy of my mother. The blessings I received in my journey are not meant to end with me. My mission and purpose in life is to share those blessings with others. I'm glad to have found my Ikigai so early in life.  Coming to my UPSC journey, I have given three attempts, written three Mains and appeared for two interviews. I am someone who prepared almost completely on my own, carved my own path, and learnt through trial and error. I'm someone who can move mountains if the need arises. This journey has strengthened my belief in the power of hard work. Irrespective of one’s background, resources or starting point, dedication, consistency and sincere effort remain the greatest equalizers in this examination. Now, many of you may be wondering — what does “CAPTAIN MAGNUS" mean? “Captain” comes from my deep admiration for Captain America. For me, Captain America represents sacrifice, courage, perseverance and the spirit of “I can do this all day.” And “MAGNUS” comes from my name — Manoj G S, or MGS, which became Magnus. It also means GREAT, CONQUERER AND RESILIENT which defines my personality. 

"The 11th Day — When I Decided to Fight Back" It was September 24, 2021. I was clicking on the UPSC website since morning for an endless amount of time. From morning till evening, fake insiders were saying the result is coming, making me more and more anxious. I was waiting for the verdict of my life. The results came. I started searching my name manually in the first two pages — no name. Now I was anxious. Since I belong to the unreserved category, there is no point searching from the last page. I searched my roll number, and there was no result found. I searched again — no result found. And then it was like there was no blood in my veins. Life seemed gloomy. All the hard work was now gone like a pack of cards blown away by the wind. And except for my parents, people around me were claiming that I lacked something, and were sending me Group B and C forms. I was more shattered. I had left a Master's seat in the USA and a seat in IIM for this. When the marksheet came, I saw good marks in everything — and just one paper, Optional Paper 2, showed a reduction of 50 marks from the previous year. It was something I can never digest even until now. And an interview mark of 162. I tried reaching out to people about how to challenge these marks. I did my best, but to no avail. The next 10 days were the toughest days of my life. I could not sleep. I could not eat. On the 11th day, something unexpected happened. I said — I will fight. And that 11th day shaped me into who I am today. Today, institutes themselves call me for work. I do not need to apply anywhere. I consider that a success. Coming from a middle-class background, with only my father as the sole breadwinner — a government teacher living in a big city like Delhi — was no less of a challenge. Your life in such a big city on such an income is like that of an insect. Yesterday, the Silver Button was a result of the hard work I put in to showcase that UPSC results are not the end of life. If you have fire in your belly, nobody can stop a river — not even mountains. I am ending with my favourite lines of a shayar — Charagon ko aankhon mein mahfooz rakhna, Badi dur tak raat hi raat hogi, Musaafir hain hum, musaafir ho tum bhi, Kisi mod par phir mulaqaat hogi.

If you want to do this, if you want to play big, if you want to really impact lives, you’ve got to face yourself. You’ve got to be courageous and willing to go all in and address everything about you that is uncomfortable. You have to remember You are there Tomorrow to cross the swamp, not to fight all the alligators. Wait for your moment ,duck when it's a bouncer and defend when it's a Yorker ,your choice of delivery will come. Failure I can live with. Not trying is what I can’t handle, so try your level best ❤️ And victory will be yours Your Captain ❤️ Aditya

Wahh kya scene hai

I shall keep walking with your grace like a free bird in the Sky .Neither attached to honor, nor afraid of insults. Har Har mahadev ❤️☺️

Feeling nervous? Everybody does. See Sruthi’s message just after the Prelims exam. She’s nervous and not feeling satisfied. This is one exam where you can never prepare for everything. It's a test of nerves. It's a test of mettle. One of my students, who is now an IAS officer — Jayant Charan — once said, "I will not appear in Prelims; I am not prepared." I told him, "You are prepared and you will clear it." And he became an IAS officer on that attempt. Trust me, champs: you’ve done the preparation. Now just stay calm. ❤️

“Parth, why do you let this sadness take over when you are needed most? This weakness does not suit a soul like yours.” The Gita starts with Arjuna completely broken, his heart full of pain, questioning if any of this is even worth it. Krishna doesn’t tell him to ‘just get over it.’ He doesn’t ignore the pain. Instead, he helps Arjuna see through it. The lesson for us is simple: it is okay to feel lost. It is okay to cry. Let yourself feel the emotion, but don’t build a house there. Don’t let your sadness become your permanent address. Use that moment of total breakdown as the spark to change your life. Even the strongest of us must fall apart before we can put ourselves back together, stronger than ever.