Its still is inspiring and heartening to find people and incidents so warm and ready to stand up for themselves as well as set an example…..
Nagaon :When Dinchengfa Borua, 26, sat for the Assam Public Service Commission exam in 2013, she was least prepared for it. A post graduate from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Kolkata, she had quit her job as a journalist to become an entrepreneur and then a civil servant, assistant commissioner and executive magistrate, Kaliabor sub-division, Nagaon district.
A few months later,In July 2014, she was writing the APSC main examination with nearly 50,000 candidates of which only 90 people would make the final cut.
Dinchengfa, an academically bright student, had a privilege she could use any time. She belonged to the Ahom community in Assam who were allotted 27 per cent reservation in state government jobs.But Dinchengfa chose to apply in the open category and she got through.
This is the story of Dinchengfa Borua, who gave up her reservation and instead chose to take the battle head on.
Brief stint as a journalist-
Inspired by P. Sainath writings, Baruah too wanted to write about social issues. She says , “I thought that no one is writing about farmers and I joined an agriculture magazine. I worked for a few months, but did not enjoy the stories I was asked to cover. Between 2010 and 2013, I worked with a news agency and a leading television channel, but the kind of features and reporting I was doing, it wasn’t what I had in mind about journalism. I quit in 2013 to go back to Assam and become an entrepreneur. I wanted to create more jobs for my people.”
The APSC (Assam Public Service Commission)-
“I had never thought of appearing for the UPSC, but somehow when I saw the notification for the APSC in the newspaper I felt I should apply.” Unlike the UPSC, which is held every year, the APSC is held once in four or five years, so the competition is higher. I was good in psychology, but my knowledge in political science was weak. The next five months, I worked really hard. I cleared the Mains and secured second rank in the finals.”
Choice not to apply in the reservation category-
“In my form, I had applied in the general/open category. In the interview round, the panelists found out that I belong to the OBC category which has 27 per cent reservation. I wouldn’t have told them, but everyone could guess that from my surname.”
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