Top 10 unsolved Mysteries of the WORLD

The Heist, Jump and Disappearance of Dan Cooper

Between 1967 and 1972, 147 skyjackers took
flight: Dan Cooper (an officer described him to the press as "D.B.") paid $20
for a one-way flight from Portland to Seattle aboard Northwest Orient Flight 305
on Thanksgiving Eve in 1971. Aboard, he handed the flight attendant a note that
said, "I have a bomb," and demanded $200,000 and 4 parachutes. His demands were
met; the plane was emptied and took off again. Flying at 10,000 feet, wings
flapped at 15 degrees and in virtual landing mode, the plane was low enough for
an easy jump.

At around 8:05 p.m., the captain asked, "Is everything okay back there?
Anything we can do for you?" Cooper yelled, "No!" Jumping into a storm, he was
never heard from or seen again. No one saw Cooper jump, whether his chute opened
or whether he got his money. Some wonder why he did not ask to fly a precise
route, request warm clothing or at least a helmet. To this day, Cooper pulled an
anti-establishment move in an era of Vietnam, remaining, according to some, the
one man who beat the established order, slipping past the feds and managing not
to physically hurt anyone, although others would claim he ultimately hurt
himself. 

Number 9

The Black Dahlia's murder

Imagine finding the naked body of a woman who had been
cut in half at the waist, lying on her back with her arms raised over her
shoulders, her legs spread eagle, her face and body slashed viciously, rope
marks on her ankles, wrists and neck, suggesting a very nasty scene before she
died. The victim of this brutal murder was a 22-year-old woman named Elizabeth
Short a.k.a. The Black Dahlia -- an aspiring actress who often dressed
completely in black. Like most pretty faces in her day, she was trying to break
into the movie business, which meant that she had to get her break by meeting
the right person at the right time.

The murder of the Black Dahlia was about as high-profile a crime as you
could get at the time. Considered a sex crime, the cops rounded up the usual
perverts. The detectives failed to capture tire tracks and shoe prints, thus
further hindering the investigation. While some suspect that the Dahlia's fate
was related to that of socialite Georgette Bauerdorf a few years back --
claiming that both were murdered by Jack Anderson Wilson a.k.a. Arnold Smith --
this was never proven, thus leaving the mystery of the Black Dahlia unsolved.

Number 8

The Bermuda Triangle

The 20th century saw dozens of ships and aircrafts
fade into oblivion in Devil's Triangle a.k.a. the Bermuda Triangle, a.k.a. the
Hoodoo Sea. Most disappeared without a trace, without even a distress call or
any sign of debris left over. Vincent Gaddis put the triangle on the map in his
1964 Argosy feature. Sizes of the areas described ranged from 500,000 to 1.5
million square miles. They say size does not matter after all: some inexplicable
force within it causes ships and planes to vanish.

Man's knowledge of magnetism is not as profound as it could be, making a
conclusive analysis difficult. Others attribute this to extraterrestrial
activity. Many blame it on human error. The absence of bodies might be explained
by the fact that the waters are infested with sharks.
Historically, man has explained odd incidents thanks to mythology, demons,
monsters, or extraterrestrial invaders. When mankind is willing to set aside its
preconceived notions, look at facts and draw up a conclusion, then answers will
rise to the (water's) surface. But, before you think conspiracy, the area is
notorious for unpredictable weather, so extreme, in fact, that it could
annihilate any mass in the area.

Number 7

Loch Ness

Loch Ness is the largest of three lochs located in the Great Glen, dividing the North
of Scotland along a line from Fort William to Inverness. Its depth is about 750
feet. Now the juicy part: for over a century, man has been fascinated by
reported sightings of the Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie. Much has been written on
the matter, and while proof of Nessie's existence or supposed sightings have not
to date been proven conclusively, the mystery remains: does Nessie really exist?

In October 1987, 20 cruisers swept the loch with sonar equipment bouncing
sound waves from the surface down to the bottom, electronically recording all
contacts. While the cruisers caught enough salmon to feed an army, there was no
sign of Nessie. And while most scientists would bet that there is no monster,
they do seem to hedge themselves and keep an open mind: they are awaiting
conclusive proof in the form of skeletal evidence or the capture of the monster
(they wish).

Number 6

John Fitzgerald Kennedy's Assassination

One of the most glamorous, scandalous and
riveting unsolved mysteries of all-time must be JFK's assassination. Most
Americans accept that more than one man killed the President. Yet not a single
journalist, historian or government investigator has come up with the killers.
Was it really the "Military Industrial Complex?" Or was it the Mob that was
trying to get back at Kennedy for his involvement with the glorious Marilyn?
Perhaps, it was Cuban assassins that were upset about the Bay of Pigs incident?

Many lost faith in the Government, never accepting that Lee Harvey Oswald
acted alone, and ranking this conspiracy as the biggest piece of hogwash ever
served to the public. Others add that Oswald could not have had the time
necessary: the fact that the rifle's scope was badly misaligned and that Ruby
must have killed him for a reason. This mystery remains the greatest shame on
American intelligence and democracy, or lack thereof, as it suggests that the
President may have been killed for going up against the powers that be.
If JFK is number 6, what on earth could 1 to 5 be?

Number 5

Stonehenge

On the vast and open down land of Salisbury Plain, you
will find the Megalithic ruin known to mankind as Stonehenge. Standing two miles
west of the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire, in Southern England, Stonehenge is not
a single structure, rather, the magnificent mystery unites a series of earth,
timber and stone structures that were revised and remodeled over a period
spanning 1,400 years.

More than 4,000 years ago, the people of the Neolithic period decided, for
some reason, to construct a massive monument; exactly why anyone would be driven to build such a monument is as great a mystery. Some theories range from religion, others to astronomy. Remnants of what was Stonehenge stand today: still beautiful, breathtaking, mysterious, and most definitely sacred. Stonehenge has been the subject of many pieces of literature, capturing the imagination of children and adults alike.

Number 4

Shroud of Turin

A linen cloth dating back centuries bears the image and
profile of a crucified man. One crucified man that has gotten much press is none
other than Jesus Christ. See the issue? The unsolved mystery involved whether or
not this crucified man is Jesus of Nazareth, and whether this cloth is the same
one that wrapped his crucified body. Cynics disregard this claim, calling it a
medieval forgery or a clever hoax perpetrated by an artist.
Thanks to modern science, the Shroud has become the single most studied
artifact in human history, with over hundreds of thousands of hours of study and
intense research. Despite all of this, no set answer. Imagine the confusion and
doubts about Jesus Christ's own existence, role and figure -- multiply these and
you get the confusion that surrounds the world famous Shroud of Turin.

Number 3

The Lost City of Atlantis

Plato was always great at stirring
up trouble. Two of his dialogues: Timaeus and Critias have served as the basis
for the theory behind the Lost City of Atlantis. While many critics attribute
this story to the creation of a philosopher' s imagination to illustrate an
argument, proponents claim that it was the other way around; his dialogues were
inspired by catastrophic events, leading to the destruction of the Minoan
civilization on Crete and Thera.

So, did Plato have too much wine? Is Atlantis an exaggeration based on the
ancient cities of Thera in the Mediterranean? Or could it be real? Is it
possible for an advanced and rich civilization to have existed in the Atlantic
Ocean circa 9,000 BC? By most accounts, the only written records of Atlantis are
found in Timaeus and Critias. Another possible destination is around the Azores
Islands, a group of islands belonging to Portugal, 900 miles west of the
Portuguese coast. Some actually argue that these islands are the mountaintops of
the sunken continent of Atlantis.

Number 2

Life Away from Earth

Another finalist from the top conspiracy theories list,
some have been busy trying to convince one another that Man is the only being
inhabiting the universe. Hmm, who said egocentrism was dead? To pretend that no
life form can exist anywhere in the world is close-minded, archaic, selfish,
unrealistic, and ridiculous. Admittedly, expecting aliens to land on
Independence Day to blow us into oblivion is also slightly inane.

Various specific events stand out, such as the Roswell incident, but they
all belong to the greater potential of life abroad. To argue that life can exist
elsewhere is reasonable. Clearly man as we know it cannot subsist in colder or
hotter climates, but there is more than meets the eye. Didn't you see E.T. after
all?

All jokes aside, the universe is too vast and Earth too small for us to be
alone. When we learn to accept human beings from our planet as our peers and
equals, only then will we be able to accept other forms of life beyond Earth's
atmosphere that will surely not look like us.

Number 1

For the Love of God

Undoubtedly, God's existence is the greatest
unsolved mystery. Over the course of history, people used religion and God more
as an explanation for matters they could not understand, and answers to
questions that they could not answer. With time, science and research showed
that things had other reasons behind them. Others have pointed to religion as a
spiritual recluse, and a relationship between the individual and whom one
perceives to be his Lord.

A look at ancient civilization points to a recurring cycle: people assume a
certain social phenomenon to be God's will, convinced there is no other way than
His. Plato wrote about virtue, and then the Bible told men how to live. As
various people throughout history have claimed different things, it was possible
that these were His words, but there was no guarantee.
Today, brother kills brother because of what God says, yet they are all
following the same God, theoretically. The important factor was that it was the
prophets' relationships with God that was important and influential. Today, most
will agree that human beings are an extension of God just as much as God is an
extension of the human mind, body and soul. We make God to be what we want Him,
Her, or It to be. As we move onto the 21st Century, God still seems to retain
his impact; it is his staff that is having difficulty standing.

 

[Coaching classes review] Bhawani Singh (NIAS),Mohanti (Synergy) & Sunil Gupta of Public Administration

[Coaching classes review] Bhawani Singh (NIAS),Mohanti (Synergy) & Sunil Gupta of Public Administration

This is not my post. I'm only copy pasting from a thread in IOForum

Floyd Rose said,

Some observations about Mr. Bhawani Singh:

• 1. He speaks in a regional accent. I could nt understand him.
• 2. His notes are not easy to understand, esp for a beginner just because the same regional accent is seen in them. There is no logical flow in the sentences. Plz check them and try to understand them and then believe me.
• 3. His notes are all painted red, just out of the fear that someone doesnt get them xeroxed but they are easily avalbl in the shops.
• 4. He teaches with the help of a projector. So he wont write anything on the board cuz there is no board at all in the class.
• 5. Don't know about his conceptual clarity as i was new to the subject at that time.
• 6. If you enter late in his class, you would get a seat where there will be only a projector screen in front of you and sir would be at the other end of the class - so no eye to eye contact. Just listen and enjoy the screen. I was unsuited to this method cuz all the 20 yrs or so, iv not been accustomed to this method.

 

About mohanty (i didnt join but this is what my friends tell):

• 1. Doesnt teach all the topics. concentrates mainly on paper1. confirm from him before joining.
• 2. Some of the topics are taught by the other teacher and he is not that good.
• 3. about his test series. there is no process to evaluate the ans sheets. you go, take the test, get the sol and come back and evaluate yourself. No ranking.
• 4. Test discussions done by some other guy.
• 5. Test papers are more factual, questions framed from data collected form so many books. As a student you can't get afford to go through all the books. less emphasis on concepts. Test is framed to check how wide knowledge of facts you have. Just see few papers and then believe.
• 6. he has no time to discuss your doubts. may entertain you initially but not at all afterwards. I think even Shubhra Saxena was critical about this fact.

See, the crux is that there is hardly any teacher who can provide you with everything. It is your own effort that 'll put you ahead. All these are just hell bent on making money. But when this is the only avlble way out, you don't have other ways to think.

Best way out is to go and check and inquire about the teachers and if psbl directly talk to them cuz no fool must pay 20- 30k without interacting with the teacher. See their notes and ask them about their approach and whether they will cover the complete syllabus and who will infact do it.

Don't go by my obs. Verify my observations to be able to believe them. I know many of their students will try to curse me for what iv written but don't blve anyone before you see it frm your eyes. May be i am also wrong.

Regards.

Epandit's opinion on Mohanti

I attended Mohanty last summer, let me share the experience

• 1. He teaches mostly paper I, because he believes there isn't much to be taught for paper II. But he devotes about 1 month of classes to paper II.
• 2. His test series is not that bad either, but its more suitable for a person attending his classes. Initially the papers are more fact based, and marking is easy. But gradually they become more analysis based, and marking gets tougher.
• 3. His test series papers are evaluated by previous students, not by him.
• 4. He doesn't provide any solutions to test series papers, only discusses it after some class.
• 5. His concepts are more or less clear, excepting a few really difficult ones.

Also, don't read much before you attend his classes, you'll be bored, because he repeats the basic concepts many a times.

He doesn't have much time, and is after making a lot of money(and successfully so). So will always be in a hurry, you may not be able to catch him after the class.

But the worst part was his coaching venue, and the inhumane conditions prevailing in the classroom. If electricity goes out, he'll continue teaching, and your only concern will be how not to die of suffocation in a class of > 300. Also for initial 2 months, you'll have to get there at least 1:30 hrs before the class, to get a seat. otherwise you'll get seats where you can't sit even uncomfortably, can make no notes, or you sit outside the class at 45 centigrade, or maybe just stand. This is the case with Karol Bagh center. Things were a little better at mukherjee nagar.

Sunil Gupta's Classes

Floyd's review

sunil gupta, iv heard s also not good. don't know abt his conceptual clarity. talk to his ex-students. see as far as my knowledge is concerned all hell bent on making money. the 3 best are mohanty, bhawani singh and vajiram. but do talk to the teachers before joining to know about everything reg pa. every detail and i mean it. Trust me even the best are not 'the best'.

BMalik's review

Well Sunil Gupta's conceptual clarity is not good...i have joined his mains test series...bt his level of discussion and evaluation is pathetic........nd moreover as a proof wen u talk 2 him, jst try to ask any of the recent questions of this year paper and you will find out everything through his naswers.............nd moreover about mohanty and bhawana singh, i also share the same views as floyd..........But jst to ask doesb anyone has any idea abt Mr. Manoj of Rau ias (someone mentioned in one of the posts) about his teaching style, batch strength,etc...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Review] Sunil Gupta of Inspiration IAS academy for Public Administration is waste of money

[Review] Sunil Gupta of Inspiration IAS academy for Public Administration is waste of money

For whatever it's worth, I'd like to give my feedback on Mr. Sunil Gupta of Inspiration IAS academy. I joined their test series, gave one test and then sat for the discussion after. In fact, I couldnt sit through the whole lecture because I thought he was really bad. I wonder how/why people go to him and how come his extreme level of "badness" has not been highlighted here on this forum yet.
His bland attempts at humour aside, I really thought that attending his sessions is a total waste of time...the answers that he "dictated" in class were straightforward lift-offs from Laxmikanth or some other book, without actually going into the analysis of the question (even though he insisted that students are not to do "CP"..when asked what CP is, he said "copy paste", another attempt at humour).
I've joined their sociology test series too, and in comparison I've suddenly started regarding the other guy (Mr. Praveen Kishore) in high esteem.
My clear reccomendation would be to avoid. I've already wasted my Rs.7500

 

[Coaching Classes Review] Vajiram and Ravi in Delhi - Eye Opener article LOL

[Coaching Classes Review] Vajiram and Ravi in Delhi - Eye Opener article LOL

Again this is not written by me, I'm only copy pasting it from another blogger Mr. Karthiga 

Vajiram's GS - is it worth is?

Long Queues for admission in October for GS PCM batch….
A huge crowd gathering around Vajiram and Ravi…..
Astronomical fees, but still people willing to join as it's considered the best institute for GS…

As a student, I encountered the same things two years back when I came from Chennai to Delhi. Though the fees was too high compared to institutes at other places, I joined as everyone said it is the best. But the reality that I faced was totally different what I call as the height of economic, educational and social corruption.
I list down the facts for all the three and leave it to you to decide whether you should join or not. 

 

Economic Corruption:

I wanted to pay by cheque from my salary account of Chennai. Throughout my education, I have paid my fees through cheque. But here, Mr Ravindran, Director refused to accept even a local cheque!!! They accepted only draft or cash. It's very obvious that no one would pay draft as for a figure of around Rs 55000 (GS + Optional), the commission is enormous. So everyone would prefer to pay by cash…. And here is where the corruption starts.

After paying cash, they give you a manual receipt (and not a computerized or printed..). And, they take back this receipt after the commencement of the class in lieu of the identity card that they issue. Thus, students have no proof of any cash payment and clearly, it is the fuelling of black money economy. There is every reason to believe that the money they receive is possibly unaccounted.

The infrastructural facilities there are so bad that it looks like a madhouse. The classes take place in the basement of a building that has been declared unsafe from MCD in view of the building by- laws. That means, it can crumble any time. If it happens, it could be the greatest mishap as there is only one small exit from the class room and no emergency exit there. Plus, being in the basement, there is no ventilation and the situation becomes horrible when the light goes (which normally happens in Delhi) and the AC is switched off. Just imagine… 300 students sitting in a hotch- potch conditions with no ventilation and immense humidity and heat….. Yes,. this is the condition that we faced during almost whole six months. But we tolerated all just with a belief that whatever we were taught was going to be useful. But this too was utter false

Educational Corruption

Now coming to what they teach.. just a minute. Do they really teach? If you think dictating or making you write the material is teaching then yes, they teach. They only make you write and write like a donkey and nothing else, just piling up and making your life difficult. Secondly, in polity, Mr Ravindran dictates at such a fast speed that you end up with a bad hand- writing and not able to read what u wrote finally. And what a stupid reason Ravindran gives… Listen. "Instead of me walking along with you, you start running with me. By the end of the class you will develop speed for mains.". Disgusting. Mains Exam requires a speed of just 16- 18 words per minute. But here, they make you write at a speed of 40 wpm. My goodness…, a good portion of his lectures are often missed by the students.

In almost all the subjects, the material is out of focus. Ravindran teaches polity like Political Science. You just can't figure out what you should write out of his material when a question appears. Finally, he flatly blames the students for not having been able to do so. 

 

Geography coaching in Vajiram and Ravi

Geography starts with Physical Geography. With due respect to Mr Manocha, you can easily figure out after a few class what kind of character he has. He teaches so much of irrelevant physical geography from either mains or prelims point of view that students start getting frustrated after seeing the actual UPSC paper. I bet if you can answer any of the UPSC questions after attending his lectures. The last portions are taken very hurriedly mainly by giving photocopied material.

History Coaching in Vajiram and Ravi

In history, situation is equally worse. They teach you the entire history without telling you how to tackle the questions. The Modern history teacher reads out the questions in the class but never explains how to answer. He also only makes you write the entire history. But the most dismal issue is- there is no time management in history. The modern History teacher started with Ancient History. When he reached Medieval, another Ancient History Professor started coming. After a few days, a Medieval History teacher started coming and believe me, those were focusless boring lecture. As a result, Modern History teacher took the medieval portions hurriedly and started Modern History. But by that time, it was too late, and he could not cover even upto 1942 properly before the Prelims. He took the rest of the classes after prelims, but what was the use???
In Economy, Kathuria Sir was good in teaching, Historybut I could not find any of his material or questions coming in the Prelims. So what was the use? There was a young teacher called Gangadhar, a highly egoist person who claimed to be an IFS and was taking the agriculture and external sector in Indian economy. It was hopeless beyond even expectations.

There was not even a single current affairs class before prelims . How pathetic!! when the area covers 50% of the GS prelim paper.

It is my objective assessment that in no subject of GS, there is any outstanding teaching . I simply wasted my money but the more precious things that I wasted were my time and energy which I can never recover back.

 

Social Corruption in Vajiram

Now a question arises, why at all the students take admission in Vajiram inspite of poor infrastructural facilities and astronomical fees? The place is situated in a crowded market and there is no reading room either.

Plus, the local population there is the migrants from North East frontier who came here during partition. Needless to say, in the absence of the institute providing any accommodation facilities, we have to stay as renters in the local people's premises at their mercy Needless to say, they charge exorbitant rents and their behaviour towards outsiders especially south Indians is very exploiting and discriminatory.
Inspite of that, I chose to stay there for six terrible months with a hope that I am doing a good job for my career.

I mugged up each and every word that I wrote in the class notes and the questions they had given. But to my utter discontent , not even a single direct question came from their notes. I am not exaggerating. It's a fact. The result was, I, along with many, could not clear PT- 2006. There was hopelessness and despair all around.
Now let me bluntly raise a point. Most of the students go there with a hope that the questions they give are 'important' from prelims point of view and the questions asked in UPSC are based on what they teach. THIS IS TOTALLY FALSE BEYOND ANY DOUBT.

 

Staff of Vajiram

And finally, the behaviour of their staff is too indifferent, insensitive and pathetic. there is no direct number where you can call and get Mr Ravindran and the staff is normally reluctant to transfer line to him In these two years, I could never get Mr Ravindran on telephone. Just the way you have to meet a bureaucrat, you have to wait in a long queue of students to meet him and yes, his attitude is also truly bureaucratic in nature
So friends, you all must be thinking who I am and why I am doing this negative publicity of an institute. Well folks, I am an unsuccessful 2006 candidate who cleared prelims this year and writing mains this October- November. I do not intend to create any negative publicity of Vajiram. I just want to warn the students of the consequences I faced.

I am also not an agent of any other coaching institute. Otherwise, I'd have made some positive publicity of that institute as well. I am just a simple individual, who treats IAS aspirants a community. And if you can spend some time and energy in writing this blog without any monetary cost, what's the harm? I have anyways wasted thousands of hrs in hopeless classes and millions of Joules of energy already.

So folks, if you have a lot of money, time and energy to waste and you are not serious in clearing prelims in one attempt, then
Please Join Vajiram

N Karthiga

karthiga07@gmail.com 

Sociology coaching by Vajiram 

First of all, let me thank you all for giving me an opportunity to share my IAS coaching experience with you. I am not here for doing a social service, nor I feel I have anything superior and special to share compared to rest of my batchmates. I am not here to prove my point either. I am here just to tell you all some empirical realities of IAS coaching in Delhi. Please don't feel I am here to settle any personal score. In fact, writing this blog is not going to affect any of the bourgeoisie shareholders of these institutes. But my mail is certainly going to benefit hundreds and thousands of students who are blindly following the mirage of competence and effectivenes of these institutes. . This blog is quite long, but your patience to read this is definitely going to make you wiser at the end, so that you can take your own independent decisions.

I am a student of M/S Vajiran and Ravi, and took coaching of GS and Sociology during 2005- 06. My name is N Karthiga and I come from a middle class family. I spent Rs 55000 in cash taking from my salary account out of some bare minimum savings that I earned hard during 2 years of my service immediately after completing my degree in Engineering. This is the highest amount we ever paid for our academics. I dreamt of becoming an IAS from the guidance we'd get from your institute, but today I feel I am tremendously betrayed and victimized by what the institute has given me in return.

We are a group of five students and consider it to be entirely unjust on our part to keep you all ignorant about what is happening to the students, and so we have put our foot down today. I am talking about our experience with the Institute's sociology Tutor, Dr. Mahapatra, for whom, we had great respect and esteem while joining the institute. We expected a level of integrity and honesty from a person of his statute, but we are surprisingly horrified to find that as a University Professor, he is corrupt and as a tutor he is dishonest and lacks complete integrity. We know we are harsh with words, may be a kind of misbehaviour as per your standards, but our observation has passed the test of around one and three quarter years, and we have now come to some concrete conclusions that we are going to share with you..

Dr Mahapatra has been bluffing most of the times in the class. As a tutor of sociology for last so many years, we expected him to be at least aware of the pattern of questions asked by UPSC and the subject matter, but neither he is having any idea of the same nor anything worth has ever been asked by UPSC from what he normally teaches in the class. Adding feather on cap of his dishonesty, he claims every year that at least 110 ( !!) out of 120 questions would be asked from what he teaches and 60% of the questions would be from his test papers. However, we just did not find any truth in his hollow claims last year and this year as well. He further claims that 50% of his students have cleared PT. My goodness!!! Out of the students we know, hardly 2 or 3 have really cleared and they have done so on their merit. Rests of them are simply bluffing. That's a fact. We leave it to you whether you believe or not. The absence of any factual data pertaining to how many students have really cleared is of great help to Dr Mahapatra for making false claims. ( Neither the institute nor Dr Mahapatra has the students' roll numbers to find out how many have cleared). We were tolerant to this extent, but then we found, his train of bluffing and bragging doesn't have any end. Before mains, during the classes he took, he claimed that the same questions asked in his test papers would be word to word repeated in the UPSC mains, but leave apart words, not even the content of those questions was matching the questions which were asked in the UPSC exam. One of our friends, who took coaching this year has told me that he has made the same false claims again in the first class. My goodness!!! This is the height of deceiving the students.

We really wonder what moral authority he has to continue as a University Professor? During one of the years, he probably got a chance to set UPSC PT questions. He brings that confidential letter from UPSC every year in the class to show his pride, but in reality, this shows nothing but his lack of commitment and integrity to both the institutions he is serving, the University as well as the Institute.

Now we would like to give you some empirical evidences to substantiate our charges. We know, you are not from Sociology background, so some of the facts you may not appreciate, but these are very vital and important and show how students at large are deceived:

Dr Mahapatra asks each and every student to buy Dictionary of Sociology, by Duncan and Mitchell and a Dictionary of Anthropology. However, our analysis of last 13 years q. papers suggests that these dictionaries are really not required to be read as the questions asked in UPSC are application oriented and not based on any of the nitty- gritties that are asked in his test papers prepares for the student from these dictionaries.

Further, they have more biased towards political science, which is not of much help. There is one another dictionary that pertains more to UPSC kind of concepts on which Dr. Mahapatra has hardly emphasized.

The test papers he gave at the end of the class last year had no questions which could be potentially asked in the UPSC. None of the questions were discussed in the class and the answers had lot many mistakes. Further, he claimed that 60% of those questions would be asked from those questions. Therefore, we spent a lot of time in preparing those question and getting confused. During such a crucial point, Dr Mahapatra was not available to solve our queries as he was busy earning money from the mock interview sessions (and helping us would not fetch him any further money, of course.)

Most of the time, in the class, he wasted our time by telling unnecessary stories from his family, talking about his children's achievements etc which did not have any relevance with the subject matter. To site few examples like his wife has 11 siblings, what his mother in law does when he visits their place etc, and boasting about his family and children.

Dr Mahapatra suffers from tremendous ideological bias. He is biased towards political science and his questions and notes are heavy with political thinkers which are though asked, but rarely in actual UPSC paper. On the other hand, his repulsion from Economics (due to personal or professional reasons) is clearly visible in his lectures and notes on Economic System. Further, his knowledge of applied sociology is very poor, and nowadays, UPSC is asking more and more questions pertaining to the same. Ignorance of the applied portion of sociology costed very dearly to us both in PT and Mains.

Dr Mahapatra has bias towards functionalism. To site an example, he has repeatedly emphasized that Durkheim is a pure functionalist, but reliable sources and texts reveal that he has used and developed the concept of social structure as well, after Herbert Spencer.

Dr Mahaptra didn't cover many vital topics in the class on which 60 mark questions are frequently asked. Some of these topics are population policy, Stratification theory of Wilbert and Moore and its contradiction by Tumin etc. He covered Science and Technology portion of Mains as well as PT in a very unorganized manner and covered a very important topic "Ethos of Science" on which a 60 marker was asked, very hurriedly. The entire chapter of Population Dynamics was willfully ignored on which a 60 mark question was asked. The same happened with the chapter of Social Policy as well, on which again a 60 marker was asked. Thus, we all were very poor in tackling questions of Applied sociology.

Dr Mahapatra seems to have a lot of anthropological bias as well. In the PT classes, he has digressed to a large extent to various anthropological details in the unit "marriage, family and kinship", which are really not in the syllabus and questions hardly asked from them. This bias is mainly because he has studied social anthropology in his alma mater and now is forcibly making us read that as well.

He even suggested such books to study which are not much relevant from examination point of view. For example, he refers a book "Sachadeva and Vidyabhushan" for definitions. Now UPSC has stopped asking questions on definition of common sociological terms like society, community association etc, which this books amply gives and Dr Mahapatra frequently asks in his test papers. However, this book largely misses the applied definitions and viewpoint type questions which UPSC is normally asking. Similar is the case of another book called Shankar & Rao, published by S Chand & Co. We suspect some spurious tie up with the publishers of these books and Dr Mahapatra based on some monetary gains.

Dr Mahapatra utters a lot many cheap jokes and shows gestures while teaching like speaking flawed Hindi etc just to make students laugh. The problem is that he does this frequently as a result of which a lot of time wastage is caused and thus, imp topics like Science and Technology, Indian Population Policy etc on which 60 markers are asked, normally get left out.

The style of question papers he asked in the regular tests is largely different from that of UPSC. Even from the test series he gave this year, we didn't find any question useful.

Now, this was a height of an extreme misguidance, which cannot be expected even from a commoner with some sense of moral values, leave apart an educated professor like Dr Mahapatra. He told the entire class that it is possible to bribe the UPSC clerks to clear PT. After hearing this, who would have faith on the polemics of hard work and rely on one's merit to qualify for this coveted exam? This is clearly spreading of the seeds of corruption.
Friends, in almost all the coaching institutes like that of yours, poor students like we are on the receiving end. We pay hefty sums of money to ultimately get what is really not beneficial for us. But in this case, the teacher himself is taking students for a ride taking advantage of their ignorance and being fresh and first timers. We can always be contacted on our e- mail id karthiga07@gmail.com

Yours Truly,
N Karthiga and Friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Sure shot Strategy for Success in Public Administration Prelim 2010

My Sure shot Strategy for Success in Public Administration Prelim 2010

In my previous threads

I talked about how to prepare General studies & current Affairs. And how to make notes from it.

Now the third and last nail in the coffin-

How to prepare Public Administration for 2010 prelims for UPSC civil service IAS IPS Exam.

there is already some threads made about how to prepare Public Administration prelims. My strategy is not much different from them. But still, I want to add my experience.
 

MYTHS REGARDING Public Administration

 

1. Very short syllabus & very easy to understand.
   

True , but its short and easy to understand for everyone – not just only for you. so it requires perfect preparation. Because any tom, dick and harry can get at least 70M /120 in Public Administration , & competition is very high, so to be successful in prelims you've to score high + be very good in General Studies as well.

Like I explained ago, Don't neglect General studies.




2. I thought Laxmikanth was bible and hence Ignored the rest of the reference books i.e.

• Stephen Robbins
  
• nicholas
  
• Mohit.
  

(i read them only once, and did not revise.- on the night before prelims, since i had to cover both Public Administration And G/S ,i only glanced over to them one more time, and that didnot help.)

3. I did not make any notes.

4. I was poor in G/S.

how to prepare Public Administration Prelims.

First is you get all of your weapons ready.

that's buy following books or get them xerox. (or photocopy them , to be grammatically correct.) don't go like you buy one book now and once you finish reading it then you go buy another book

(cause you'll waste time going to market buying every time. ) + this strategy requires that you've all your books @ hand cause you'll have to finish each topic from multiple books @ once. all your tools have to be on your table no matter when you want to use it.

buy them all at once and then lock yourself in the room. and start preparing (I'll tell you how.)

Book List

1. Mohit Bhattacharya- (New Horizons Of Public Administration )
   
2. M.Laxmikanth <-- don't go xerox here - buy original.
   
3. Nicholas Henry (Public Affairs and Public Administration ) <-- only some chapters are imp so you can go xeroxing.
   
4. 
   
   
   Stephen Robins : Essentials in Organizational Behavior (Low Price Edition)
   1. There are two Stephen Robbin books in the market, one is thick like encyclopedia but you've to buy the thinner book –which is only 300 pages.
      
5. Prasad & Prasad (Administrative thinkers) OR TMH/S.R.Maheshwari (most people use Prasad & Prasad.)
   
6. Avasthi & Avasthi (Indian Administration)<- MUST, because this covers entire Paper-2 syllabus. OR Arora & Goyal (not recommended cause its not updated)
   
7. Wizard Indian Polity .
   
8. 
   
   
   Solved prelim Paper set of Public Administration Prelim
   1. (Arihant / Wizard) –
      

don't buy the yearwise paperset (i.e. 2001,2002,...)

but buy Topic wise arranged papersets (like Arihant / Wizard etc) which gives you answers + detailed explaination as well, so you can see what UPSC asks from each topics and why is the given answer the correct answer.

Optionally

1. Avasthi & Maheshwari (you'll notice that some chapters of it are copy paste of Avasthi & Avasthi.)
   

Don't buy Sharma Sadana (its just one thick boring book– but if you do A& M then no need to go for S& S )

Instead of A&M, you use Fadia And Fadia (same things, but I like A&M. for no rational reason.)

If you've been reading list of books from other websites / coaching classes.

Then you'll see that they've recommended

1. LM Prasad
   
2. OG Glen Stahl
   
3. Terry & Franklin
   
4. Nigro & Nigro
   
5. IIPA Journals.
   

All these are good books but I did not use them cause

1. Lack of time
   
2. I can't find them in the book stores where I live.
   
3. They're more about MBA and less about Public Administration
   
4. I did not see many questions in UPSC that my books did not cover and these books did. i.e. you might get 1 or 2 questions from them, but for that you've to read and revise 1000+ pages. Its not worth it with respect to, Cost benefit ratio. (at least it isn't for a lazy person like me.)
   

However if you read these books - its well and good but if you can't due to lack of time, then don't worry much.

Apart from that – most importantly,

don't even waste your time glancing over coaching classes etc stuff or even listening to people who talk about it. because more you listen - more your brain starts doubting about your method of preparation. read my thread on notes making for further explanation on why shouldn't you use coaching classes readymade notes.

Bad things about coaching classes books are,

1. Many of them cover only easy to understand topics so when you read- you feel happy "oh yes my syllabus finished so quick and I learned everything" but that won't help any in the prelims. Your reading has to be broad and of a PG student level.
   
2. Mostly they consolidated everything from the reference books written above, and wrote it in their own words, along with some copy paste website articles, some tables, chart etc.
   
3. Some of them overburden you with unnecessary facts and data & statements
   

(I DON'T have any commercial interest in criticizing any books, classes, but I'm writing what I felt reading them.)

There are many 'guides' available for paper 1 & paper 2. Like Unique/ Jawahar etc. but they're good for M.A. like college Exam, for UPSC – its completely different approach about understanding the basic concepts and then their practical application + current affairs related to it. so don't waste time on such guides.

Its better to read the standard books instead and make your own notes- that way you won't skip what he might have. And when you write it in your own words, you'll remember it permanently. It's the best way in my opinion. Since Public Administration is short- making notes doesn't take huge time.

e.g. the readymade notes will talk ornamentally about what are Max Weber's ideas on bureaucracy etc. but it won't go in your long term memory (nor will you understand the basic concept) UNLESS you write it with your own hand , in your own language about what you understood. Otherwise the moment UPSC asks any twisted question on Max Weber , you'll feel like its outside of the syllabus. (not just Max Weber, this applies to everything.)

Now

how to start reading.

Click me to see Public Administration's syllabus in UPSC.

Public Administration syllabus is divided into two parts.

1. Theories – principles
   
2. Indian Administration (for convenience in this article, I also include Financial/Accountability –control / Administrative system in it : everything that has only fact and data to remember or practical application of part 1- then its part 2)
   

(and keep making NOTES- refer to this page of mine to see how to make notes, and why its imp to make notes.)

Now pick up Laxmikanth

Don't Read 1st Chapter right now,

Instead of that - read

Chapter #2 Basic Concepts.

once done, open

Stephen Robbins, & Read Chapter #13 - it gives you elaborate practical examples- advantages and

disadvantages of those Basic Concepts.

Thinkers

Laxmikanth Chapter #3 : Theories of Administration

once you are done

Open Prasad & Prasad and read about the thinkers that you saw in Laxmikanth's Chapter#3. Do make a good comparative note, along with positive contribution, and criticism of the thinkers. If you don't then you'll end up answering criticism of Follet into Bernard's and contribution of Fayol into Urwick's etc. UPSC ask very tricky questions ,so you'll feel like all of the given statements are correct (in those questions)- don't let them confuse so ,for even a second during the prelims- so its essential that you make the note in your own words and keep revising it as much as you can.

Administrative Behavior

Laxmikanth Chapter #4

refer following books for topics related to it

Prasad (Simon, Argy, Maslow etc)

Nicholas Henry (leadership etc.)

Stephen (Decision Making, motivation etc)

WARNING- DON't GO LAZY.- KEEP MAKING NOTES AS You GO, if you think that "ok i'll make the notes once I'm done covering entire syllabus "- then you'll have to re-read everything again for making the notes, cause by the time

you reach the last chapter - you'd have forgotten what you read in 1st Chapter."

Especially in this topic make a really good note- otherwise you'll make lot mistakes in answers related to Thinkers especially- Argyris – Likert , Leadership Models, motivational theory etc. (prepare them well from Stephen.)

Accountability & control

Laxmi #5

Avasthi

Polity (SC/HC/ parliament )

Read newspapers/ editorials for latest happening in this area (RTI, Suo moto, Judicial Activism, Judges' inquiry bill etc)

Administrative System

Laxmi

They rarely ask anything out side what's given in Laxmi.

Keep an eye on newspaper to see how Govt. works in America etc.

This topic can evaporate quickly from you mind because its only facts and data, and you'll make mistakes like US 's answer in UK 's question etc, so do revise it a lot.

Few years ago, in syllabus Russian administrative system was also included, so when you are solving old papers- don't get confused if you see it.

Personnel administration

Laxmi #7

and then

Avasthi & Avasthi's chapter on same topic

Stephen,

finally

Mohit's Chapter on Personnel administration

Financial Administration

 

Laxmi #8

Wizard Polity 's chapter on budget discussion

Nicholas – various types of budget

Mohit – same topic

(always read Mohit @ Last- otherwise you'll not understand what the old man is trying to say, Cause he doesn't give any data, facts but only a philosophical review so you need to learn the facts and data first before you want to understand him.)

Additional – read the budget /economy special PT issue in Chronicle/Wizard when the budget comes.

Union Govt. & Administration in India

The lengthiest and most imp of all topics

Laxmi # 9

Avasthi's first few chapters dealing with Evolution of Indian administration since Maurya times. And what are the functions of Each dept / Ministry.

(you'll have plenty of time till December – so it'd not hurt you if you prepare some mains topics as well like this Evolution part. Or administrative adjudication / delegated legislation.

+ this thing might help you in G/S-History Topic in prelims as well.

+ you'll understand the current administration better if you learn how it evolved.)

Constitution of India also comes in this section so Finish the Wizard Polity .

Indian Polity is also worth 110 M in Mains G/S and 15-17 Marks in Prelims G/S so prepare it PERFECTLY.

Do make a good note cause lot facts and data coming here. And it all obvious, common sense like things, nothing hard to understand, so you must not lose any marks here.

Civil Service in India

Laxmi # 10

Avasthi's chapter  

State & District Administration

Same as above.

Local Administration

Same as above.

Chapter #1 :Introduction

Now go back and read the 1^st Chapter of Laxmikanth

Nicholas : Phases of Public Administration , PCA, NPA,NPM

And then finish Mohit – entirely – each and every chapter.

You'll understand everything, and see the 'big picture.'

Alternatively you can do this thing , once your part-1 is over.

How important is Laxmikanth?

It covers your basic syllabus of Public Administration prelim,

But gone are the days when UPSC asked every question from it

Nowadays you'll not find more than 60-70 questions from it (the fact –data based questions from part-2). UPSC instead has shifted its focus on reference books, current affairs, tricky questions in part-1. So never take Laxmikanth as final solution. Don't work lazy- you've to read as many reference books as you can (it'll be better if you read even more books than given in the list.)

Avoid Bluffing

so when I sat in the prelims 2008- many questions went above my head. I managed to answer 90 questions /120 (with taking completing gambler's risk in some questions - i didnot know their answers, but my seniors had told me if you don't attend 90+ in Public Administration you can never clear the prelims. and since i was new, I got scarred during the exam and did that foolish mistake, result= failed.)

that's very important Never Attend wrong questions, - Never do Bluff/blind Guess

UPSC questions are tricky, many times you feel like "oh yes this must be the answer" BUT if you've not read it earlier in some book/newspaper or magazines then its most likely you'll be wrong in it. even if you get only 50 or 40 correct answers in the paper- never ever take blind risk of attending the answers you don't know cause you're going to lose marks. (0.33 per wrong answer)

if you feel that the question paper is hard- then its hard for the rest of the India as well,

so if you can't answer something - chances are a lot others won't be able to answer it either. (provided that you really have prepared good.) so don't get scarred during prelims. its all about walking in with confidence and walking out with confidence

bluffing & guessing ain't gonna help.

if you don't believe it then take any test paper- answer it @ home and take complete risk- and once you are done, check it. and you'll see- you were wrong in most of your 'guesses.' (the test paper has to be of UPSC standard though. :) )

DO READ THE QUESTIONs carefully

Consider following questions

Q.1 Consider following statements and chose the incorrect statement
i. Gandhi was a lawyer
ii. Gandhi is preached truth and non-violence.
Ans
a.Only 1
b.Only 2
c.Both 1 & 2
d.Neither 1 or 2.

So the correct answer is D.
BUT many people are under stress and haste so when they see statement I and 2 – they think oh yes both are true, so they'll tick 'C' as true answer, with out seeing what's being asked. Don't you make that mistake- read it carefully what they've asked. (correct statement or incorrect statement) That's why I said practice test papers- they'll give you more accuracy and speed dealing with such questions.

And in Public Administration you're going to encounter a lot of questions like this (2 statements and which is correct) so do it carefully.

A friend Asked

how much time should I give to each subject of pubad. First 4 chapters
take too much time.

break it down. move in topic to topic & thinkers to thinker format,
don't put pressure as 'finishing the chapters.'

these 4 are the most important chapters in the book.

because the rest part i.e. Indian administration etc are nothing but
fact and data- so you'll finish it quite quick.
but in this part it requires thorough reading and understanding.
part 2 (Indian Administration, etc) - any tom dick and harry
around can get all correct answers in that portion, hence the real
'cut-off' competition starts and ends in these First 4 chapters only, so  let
it consume as much time as it wants.
______________
*update*
please read this article as well

 

 

 

 

 

[Q] OBC certificate, should I get latest or 10 year old certificate will do?

[Q] OBC certificate, should I get latest or 10 year old certificate will do?

I belong to the OBC category and I have the certificate which was issued 10 years back, which I feel it's not valid and I need to renew it...but I have a doubt, Sir, Is it compulsory in the case of UPSC Civil Service for the OBC certificate to be issued before the last date of Prelims application form fill-up (some exams like SSC mentioned it should be before last date of any exam) or we can get it issued anytime as long as we can provide it in the time of Mains application form fill-up?

OBC list gets revised at regular interval.
10 year is kinda way too old, you should get a new one (and in English.)
And non-creamy layer certificate has validity of only one year.
So yes you should get both of them, latest.

You don't have to send any documents with your prelims form, but with your mains form You will be required to attach a photocopy of your category certificate, marksheets etc.

 

[CSAT App Q] Didnot get online application confirmation email, don't worry

[CSAT App Q] Didnot get online application confirmation email, don't worry

I have sent my UPSC application through online.
and received the following reply, after that i did not receive any mail, does it mean that i am yet to receive confirmation from them.

Lot of people are having same issue. The answer is,
if you can see your finished registration on following page

http://www.upsconline.nic.in/viewapplication.php

Then you have nothing to worry about, no matter whether you got the email or not.
By the way, check your spam or junk-folder in email account, it may be there.