From ICU to IFS: Mentorship programme helps aspirants beat the odds

The Hindu

22-05-2025

In April 2021, as the second wave of COVID-19 disrupted lives across India, Devanand Telgote, aspiring for the civil services, found himself at a critical juncture. He had been preparing for the UPSC Civil Services interview in Delhi when the Union Public Service Commission postponed the schedule due to the worsening pandemic situation. Devanand left the capital for his hometown in Akola, Maharashtra. During that journey, he contracted the virus, a turn that would soon push him to the brink of death.
What began as a moderate case soon turned into a life-threatening condition. 'My chest severity score was initially around 10, and doctors were hopeful that medication would work. But my RT-PCR tests kept returning negative even as my condition deteriorated,' he recalled. His chest severity score rose to 20, indicating nearly 80% lung damage. Placed on a ventilator, his health rapidly worsened.
At this juncture, Devanand's friends and Telangana's Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Mahesh M. Bhagwat, stepped in. Bhagwat arranged for Devanand to be airlifted from Akola to KIMS Hospital in Hyderabad. 'I spent four months in the ICU, much of it on ECMO support, not once, but twice,' said Mr. Devanand.
Against all odds, he recovered and returned to his dream. He wrote the Indian Forest Service (IFS) mains examination and went on to secure an All India Rank 112 in his first interview attempt. Throughout this period, Mahesh Bhagwat continued to check in. 'He would call regularly and ask, 'Are you preparing? How is your health?' His support was unwavering,' Mr. Devanand said.
He is one of many beneficiaries of a mentorship initiative led by Mahesh Bhagwat. The programme, run over WhatsApp and through personal calls, offers support to aspirants preparing for the Civil Services Examination (CSE), Indian Forest Service, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) exams. 'Each candidate gets personal attention. I speak to each one of them for at least 45 minutes to an hour. In this year's Civil Services results, of the 1,009 selected candidates, 220 were mentored through his programme. For the IFS, out of 143 selections, over 80 were from his mentorship circle,' he said.
Several candidates from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have also secured top ranks after going through the mentorship programme. Among them is AIR 11 is Chadha Nikhil Reddy from Nalgonda and AIR 40 is Cheruku Avinash Reddy of Karimnagar. Among them is Kanika Anabh, who topped the Indian Forest Service exam this year with an All India Rank of 1. 'I started preparing in 2021, focusing on both Civil Services and Forest Services. The syllabus is similar until the prelims stage, so I didn't draw a strict line between the two,' she said.
She further added that in her first attempt, she couldn't clear the Forest Services prelims. 'I reached the Civil Services interview stage but didn't make the final list. My second attempt came just five days after the first result, I couldn't clear either exam. In the third attempt, I cleared both prelims and mains, and though I missed the Civil Services final list again, I got through the Forest Service. Thankfully, it worked out.'
She was introduced to Mahesh Bhagwat's programme by a friend. 'He would do one-on-one sessions with each of us. That kind of attention made a big difference,' she said.