The efforts of the State government to improve infrastructure in the All India Civil Services Coaching Centre have paid dividends. 49 successful candidates were on the rolls in 2012 at the government-run institute. One of them, T. Prabhushankar secured an all-India rank of 7 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2012.
A new building of the centre was constructed recently on Greenways Road and has a number of facilities for students from the weaker sections of society. The success of 29-year-old Dr. Prabhushankar, a post-graduate in Community Medicine, has reiterated the significant role played by the institute in shaping bureaucrats from the State. 47 candidates had emerged successful from the centre last year but only 2 were in the top hundred as opposed to the six this year.
A. Arun Thamburaj, who bagged the sixth rank, too had received training at the institute a few years ago.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I studied only six hours a day. But I enjoyed my preparation here. My optional papers were geography and political Science,” said Dr. Prabhushankar, who completed his MBBS from Madurai Medical College. “As doctors, we see diseases. But I realised I could do lesser and lesser as a doctor. Social determinants of health such as poverty could be tackled only by the bureaucracy,” he added.
In addition to the coaching centre, he listed his father B. Thankaraj Gunalan, his mother Vasanthi, his school teacher Nandakumar and civil services examination trainers such as Sathya in Chennai as the factors behind his success.
“My father taught me that honesty and a corruption-free life is possible even in periods of financial difficulty. My parents and my wife are my pillars of strength. They had a lot of faith in me.”
ADVERTISEMENT
“He would search for perfection in all he did. His determination made him successful. He has now become a role model for aspirants,” said Premkala Rani, principal of All India Civil Services Coaching Centre.