Topper Tells It All

KOCHI: Engineer turns civil servantWith good academic credentials in mathematics and physics, there was no second thought for H Krishnanunni when he opted for electrical and electronics engineering for graduation. On completing the course in 2009 from College of Engineering in T'puram, he served as business administrator in Mu Sigma, Bangalore. “It was in 2010 that I decided to give Indian civil services a real shot. I resigned from my six-month-old job and zeroed my attention on preparing for civil services.” For two-years his entire attention and energies were focused upon cracking the examination and he could achieve the goal in the first attempt itself.Choosing Public Administration and Malayalam as optional subjects“I am going to perform the role of a public administrator in my job and therefore the optional subject had a practical purpose. The experience from the previous job also supplemented the studies. Malayalam is the language I love and thus took this as a chance to study it. I was confident that I could effectively write it too. Once we enjoy learning a subject of our interest, then it is sure to pay off,” he says. He is grateful to the faculty of Pala Civil Service Academy where he sought coaching for Malayalam.Preparation for ICS examination“The crucial factor in preparing for civil service examination lies in differentiating what we want and what we do not. Only then can your preparation be streamlined,” he says. Krishnanunni underwent coaching for civil service examination in Kerala and New Delhi. In New Delhi, he received coaching at Alternative Learning Systems and Synergy. After getting the call for the interview, he joined the Kerala State Civil Service Academy here. He says that coaching centres can help students find focus in their studies. He says he never stuck to a particular number of hours a day for studying. “Each person knows what they are comfortable with. My policy was to learn well while at it. If you chalk out a clear plan for studies, the goal is attainable, even if you study for a limited time.” His major references were two English dailies and three magazines - Frontline, Yojna and Kurukshetra. While preparing for studies, he took time off to travel and watch movies. He finds pleasure in reading, and is an avid reader of Malayalam literature.Before the interview board“The interview lasted for 18 to 20 minutes. Situational, personal and opinion-based questions were there.” As he mentioned learning music as his hobby, one question was on whether he would continue learning it throughout his life. “Like veteran musicians who say that they learn new things  in music every day, I too gave a similar response”Tips for future aspirantsThe civil service topper advices aspirants to avoid unwanted fear and tension while preparing for the examination . “By choosing subjects of your interest as options and systematically studying them, the target is definitely attainable.”Support from familyThe only son of businessman K Harikumar and homemaker T Usha from Karakulam, he says that the support from his family was tremendous during the preparatory phase. “As the examination process is of ong duration, we have to maintain immense perseverance till the end and need support during this time. It was my family that protected me from all unwanted stress.”Krishnanunni opts for Indian Administrative Service (IAS) with next options as Indian Police Service and Indian Foreign Service. Willing to serve anywhere in India, he does not hide his ambition to serve in his home state.