Besan Ka Halwa

Dear Friend, newspapers are beautiful things. They can be used to cover slabs, cupboards, book shelves and what not. They are instrumental in packaging and cleaning. They can act as book covers. They can be used in 'best out of waste' and origami competitions. They can also be read to gain knowledge or simply to act busy and pass the time. Some people also use them to clear UPSC exams. * *If you are interested in this, keep in mind the following basic things. 1. Read 'The Hindu' newspaper daily, for sure. 2. Don't cut out articles for future reference. We know you'll never read them. 3. Don't waste paper. Maintain a small notepad for note-making, not a huge register or diary. 4. Only write the keywords- not useless stories. 5. Don't write down ultra-dynamic things (that are bound to change before the exam). 6. Write only static facts that make sense. For eg. policy decisions, schemes, events, agencies, govt. bodies, India's ranking in i...

These notes were made by me for Value addition to Mains answer-writing. They are arranged in the order of 'factual nuggets' or 'keywords' that can be sprinkled in your answer to either fight the mental block that we usually face while writing GS answers or just basically enhance the quality and uniqueness of the answers. Some parts like Cases, Laws, Vocab are such that they can fit anywhere in answers related to various themes. I hope you find these useful. Best wishes, V.G. List: 1. Important Political Thinkers (Page 2) 2. Some Sociologists (Page 12) 3. Greek Thinkers (Page 15) 4. ETHICS (Page 18)     ...Issues     ...Dilemmas     ...Keywords     ...Examples 5. QUOTES (Page 26) 6. Ethics Case Study Format (Page 36) 7. Law Comm. Reports (Page 38) 8. COMMITTEE REPORTS (Page 39) 9. Facts and Stats (Page 42) 10. Rights of the Vulnerable sections (Page 53) 11. 2nd ARC REPORT (Page 56) 12. Economic Survey 2017-18 (Page 61) 1...

Here I present to you the result of my efforts at making notes for Mains 2018. They are quite crisp and laden with Keywords. I have treated all GS papers as one comprehensive paper. Also, I have adopted a strictly 'One issue, One page' policy to enhance the effectiveness of answer writing. Apologies in advance if you find them unorganized or don't like my handwriting (or both). But well, that's how dynamic things are nowadays. What to do, dear friend? What to do!  Best wishes, V.G. There is an INDEX attached below- to scroll to specific topics. INDEX (Page no. ---- Topic) 3...Office of Governor 4...National Food Security Act (2013) 5...Solid Waste Management 6...List of National Policies      ...Double Burden of Nutrition 7...IBC amendments 8...Payment of Gratuity Amendments      ...Caste 9...Violence Against Women 10...Social Media Menace     ...Plastic Pollution 11...Lateral Entry in Bureaucracy 12...Problem ...

Days Underground  #11 August 2017 I've chalked out a concrete plan to cover my upsc syllabus. A daily routine has been made after consultation with my parents. According to them, my day was supposed to start at 5 with yoga and fresh juice. But I vetoed the proposal and hence, for the next one year it starts at 6 with a cup of Black Coffee, the Hindu Newspaper and Lucky Ali songs.  Creating the right incentives to wake up helps.  Days Underground  #12 August 2017 I have started from scratch. It's like I am back at school. And the best thing is I don't have to attend classes. I have given myself 7 weeks to finish NCERTs 6th to 12th. I have always loved them. Their genius lies in the small nuggets that are embedded in them through cartoons, boxes, fact files etc. Such insights went unappreciated by us students who just read these books for marks in school. That being said, Boojho and Paheli are sometimes damn irritating.  Sigh. It's...

Days Underground  #1   Circa May 2017. I have quit social media after watching Black Mirror (more or less). I do have a fair idea of what's next for me.  I know I am going to miss college. But that's the point of leaving. Days Underground  #2 26th May 2017 The last (biryani) supper in the college mess. It took me 3 years, eventhough just one bite was good enough, to realize why the mess was/is called 'mess'. I never wanted to have any memory of the food here. This picture was forced upon me. I'm guilty of being such a waste of space here. Look at Uzma who's way back- but is still managing to pull off a smiling face. Maybe coz she didn't come here so often. :P  Also present: The Inglorious Custards. Days Underground  #3 3rd June 2017 Champions' League Final. The Waywards of Stephens have come home. I haven't met the bunch since. Real beats Juve 4-1. But no one really cares; everyone'...