How a Childhood Encounter in a Maoist-Hit Village Drove an IAS Officer to Crack UPSC Without Coaching

On a humid afternoon in Domkal, Murshidabad, the Sub-Divisional Officer’s (SDO) office fills with the murmurs of residents waiting to be heard. Files are stacked high, ceiling fans push the heavy air around, and people shuffle from one desk to another in search of answers.

Behind one of those desks sits Subhankar Bala, a 2021 batch IAS officer. For him, this is more than just a posting — it is the realisation of a dream that began years ago, when he was a Class 7 student in Jhargram, West Bengal.

In the late 2000s, the region was in the grip of Maoist unrest. Subhankar still remembers watching the Sub-Divisional Officer then, moving from village to village, working tirelessly to bring back peace and development. “That was my first glimpse of how one person’s work could change lives,” he recalls.

At the time, he didn’t even know what UPSC [Union Public Service Commission] was. “But I understood that even one person could make a huge difference,” he says.

In that moment, a seed was planted.

From circuits to civil services

After schooling, Subhankar pursued Electronics and Communication Engineering at NIT Warangal. By 2017, he was designing integrated circuits for Texas Instruments in Bengaluru. But in 2018, the memory of that SDO resurfaced and made him question the path he was on. Could he also make a difference through public service? 

That’s when he turned towards the UPSC exam. 

Armed with just standard books and online lectures, Subhankar began studying three to four hours a day after work. “I didn’t join a regular coaching programme. I wanted to first understand the syllabus and test myself.”

To his own surprise, he cleared prelims in his very first attempt. “That gave me confidence that self-study could work for me.”

But the mains exam was a different story altogether. And a challenging one at that. He fell short. “I felt like I didn’t study enough for the mains. Also, I scored very less in my optional paper, Electrical Engineering. It’s 500 marks. I realised I can’t afford to treat it casually.”

The setback at the mains weighed on him. By mid-2019, Subhankar made a big decision — he quit his job and shifted to Delhi for six months to give full-time preparation a try. This time, he went all in on his optional, using NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning) lectures, Engineering Services material (the UPSC exam for engineers), and countless practice questions.

In the months between attempts, he also built a personal study routine: mornings for General Studies, afternoons for his optional, and evenings for current affairs and revision. He joined a Delhi institute’s mock test series for answer writing practice, something he had neglected earlier.

Most importantly, he learned to slow down. “In the first attempt, I rushed through topics. This time, I made sure I understood concepts deeply, revised twice before the exam, and tested myself under timed conditions.”

By early 2020, his optional marks had jumped from 170 to 290 — a leap of more than 120 marks that turned a near-miss into an All India Rank of 79. He joined the IAS in the 2021 batch and is now posted as the Sub-Divisional Officer in Domkal, Murshidabad.

Tips to clear UPSC CSE without coaching

Based on his experience, Subhankar shares five essential tips to show that aspirants do not necessarily need coaching to clear the civil services examination.

1. Test yourself before you commit
Don’t jump blindly into expensive, long-term coaching. Start with the UPSC syllabus, past year papers, and free topper strategies. See if the process excites you before making major life changes.

2. Build a digital university
You can access top-quality teaching for free, from NPTEL and YouTube to open-source notes. The key is consistency and filtering credible sources from noise. Often, the quality is as good as, if not better than, physical coaching.

3. Attack your weakest link
UPSC is a game of cumulative marks. Find your lowest-scoring area and give it disproportionate attention until it becomes your strength.

4. The marathon mindset
UPSC preparation tested more than just Subhankar’s knowledge. “Motivation was the biggest challenge,” he admits. “It’s a marathon. The cycle is long, results are delayed, and you’ll face self-doubt.”

He recommends breaking study hours into manageable sessions. His own flexible but disciplined routine included 10 to 11 hours of study split into three to four chunks, never more than two and a half hours without a break. “For me, daily newspaper reading, note-making, and 30 to 45 minutes of exercise were non-negotiable,” he says.

He suggests tracking your progress each month, and stresses that physical fitness is crucial as the stamina of the body supports stamina of the mind.

5. Build your own Old Rajinder Nagar
If you’re not in a coaching hub, recreate its environment at home. Dedicate a distraction-free space to studying. Keep your phone away, limit social obligations, and surround yourself, even virtually, with serious aspirants. Motivation is contagious.

From a small village once caught in conflict to the corridors of administration, Subhankar’s journey shows that clearing UPSC without coaching is possible — but it calls for clarity of purpose, resourcefulness, and a relentless routine.

For aspirants from small towns, his advice is straightforward: “Online resources have levelled the playing field. So, you don’t need a classroom to clear UPSC. But you need an environment, a plan, perseverance, and the discipline to keep going when no one is watching. Create your own study bubble for at least a year.”

All images courtesy: Subhankar Bala.