Shubham Bhosale says that hearing stories of the Latur earthquake of 1993 made him realise the ground reality of rural Maharashtra. He was inspired to take up a profession that would help marginalised communities and work towards development in rural areas of the country
Shubham Bhosale
Latur-based Shubham Bhosale from Killar village bagged the 149th rank in the prestigious civil services examinations, the results for which were announced this week. Bhosale (25), is the son of a zilla parishad primary school teacher.
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Bhosale said hearing stories of the devastation the 1993 Latur earthquake had wrought made him realise the ground reality of rural Maharashtra, inspiring him to seek a profession that would help marginalised communities and work towards development in rural areas of the country.
"In 1993, my village was the epicentre of the earthquake. Around 10,000 villagers died in Latur from the earthquake. We were badly hit, but government officials and the villagers undertook a lot of efforts to rebuild our villages. Hearing stories about that tragedy left a lasting impact on my mind. I always wanted a career that would help citizens and be a model of good governance," said Bhosale.
On September 30, 1993, an earthquake of 6.2 magnitude had struck the Latur-Osmanabad region and killed around 10,000 people; thousands more were injured. Around 52 villages in the region were destroyed in the disaster.
Bhosale completed his primary education at zilla parishad schools in Sirsal and Borphal villages and later shifted to Mumbai for further education. According to the B.Tech graduate, it was difficult for him to understand the syllabus and study in Mumbai as he had only studied in Marathi-medium schools before that, but the medium of education in college was English.
"At the beginning of my college years, I faced a lot of difficulty in understanding the subjects. Later, I started learning and speaking English with the help of my friends. I was determined to learn the language fluently. By the third year of my college, I was a part of the student council," he said.
After completing his education, Bhosale went back to his village and started preparing for the UPSC exams. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, he realised that the students in his village were getting left behind when teaching switched to online mode.
“Many students in my village do not have digital equipment like smartphones and laptops. There is hardly any access to the internet either. During the pandemic, I helped a few students from my village by teaching them in a community learning atmosphere so that they didn't miss out on an education," he said.
Bhosale added that he never wanted to take up a corporate-sector job. "Even if it is a high-paying job, according to me, working in the corporate world will not give me the same satisfaction which I will get by working on the ground for my people."
Bhosale was able to crack the UPSC examination on the second attempt. In his first attempt, while he made it to the interview round, he had missed making the cut by just four marks. Speaking about his exam preparations, he said, "The Covid-19 pandemic helped me study in a peaceful environment. I was able to concentrate on my studies and also be with my family."
What does he aim to achieve by working within government? "As a government officer, I want to help build a good administration which will be citizen-friendly," Bhosale said.
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