While I was in Delhi, closely observing the IAS preparation ecosystem, one reality stood out to me again and again. Every year, thousands of young aspirants from South India left their homes, their city (mainly Bengaluru, which is the hub for civil service preparation for south India), their comfort, and their support systems to come to Delhi. This is not because they wanted to, but because they had no other choice as the quality guidance existed only far away from home, in Delhi.
I always appreciated and amazed by their courage but also noticed their struggle in Delhi. Many of these students arrived in Delhi with full of hope but met with an unfamiliar, often hostile environment such as language barriers, cultural differences, isolation, and immense pressure in general and other real problems like pollution, food culture and high cost of living in particular. Despite their hope and sincerity, a large number of aspirants returned home halfway through their preparation, not because they lacked ability, but because the system failed to nurture them. This realization stayed with me and was troubling me deeply for past 15 years.