OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
In the 1986–87 Civil Service examinations, around 94,000 candidates from across the country appeared in the preliminary test. Out of these, only ten thousand qualified for the main examination. After this stage, 1,700 candidates were selected for interviews. Finally, 855 candidates were declared successful for the highest national services.
The final result was published in newspapers on 8 June 1987, along with the list of successful candidates. People noticed that after such a long process of testing and selection, the very first name on the list of those chosen for the civil services was “Aamir Subhani (b. 1964)”. He had secured the top rank in this prestigious national examination. This single incident is enough to prove that Muslims in this country have open opportunities for the highest levels of success. No prejudice or bias blocks their path to progress.
Muslims make up about 12 percent of India’s total population. By this ratio, at least one hundred Muslims should have appeared in the list of 855 successful candidates. But in reality, only eleven Muslims were included. Many Muslims generally believe this is due to prejudice. But if we look closely at how the civil service examinations are conducted, this claim appears to be without basis.
In the written civil service examinations, candidates’ names are not written on the answer sheets—only code numbers are used. In such a system, it is impossible for an examiner to know a candidate’s community. The second stage is the interview, which is conducted by a board of five to seven members. Each member is an expert in his field. If the members were truly biased and narrow-minded, no Muslim would ever be selected for the IAS, let alone secure the top rank. Even if we assume some degree of prejudice, it still cannot be decisive.
The reason lies in the structure of the exams. The written papers carry a total of 1,800 marks, while the interview carries only 250. So even if a candidate were treated unfairly in the interview, this alone would not disqualify him—provided he had scored well in the written exams. This is because the final list of successful candidates is prepared by combining marks from both the written and the interview stages. Decisions are never based solely on interview scores.
An instructive example is that Mr. Aamir Subhani scored 64 percent overall in the written exams, while in the interview he secured 74 percent—10 percent higher. When asked how he had prepared for the civil services, he explained that for six months he studied 12 to 14 hours daily. Even before that, he had the habit of studying late into the night. Alongside his textbooks, he regularly read Indian and Foreign Review—a government magazine on India’s policies and international affairs, Yojana—a government journal on development and public policy—and India Today, a weekly Indian English news magazine. He also made it a point to read several English newspapers from Delhi thoroughly every day.
The truth is that Mr. Amir Subhani’s remarkable success is the result of exceptional hard work. Owing to his dedication, he consistently passed every examination from matriculation to M.A. with distinction. When asked what advice he would give, based on his experience, to young people preparing for the IAS examination, he replied, work and total dedication to your goal.
(This report was published not only in the English newspapers of June 8, 1987, but also in Nai Dunya on June 30, 1987, and in Blitz on August 15, 1987)
In India, Muslims have two fields of action. One is the field of demands and protests. The other is the field of hard work and effort. Our leaders have been symbols of the first. People like Aamir Subhani are symbols of the second. For the past half-century, our leaders have walked the path of confrontation. By blaming others, they have carried on endless campaigns of protest. On the other hand, individuals like Aamir Subhani turned their attention away from others, relied on their own efforts, and focused on developing their personal abilities.
If we look at practical results, the leaders’ approach has proved entirely fruitless for the Muslim community. Not even one percent of positive benefit has come from this path. In contrast, those who followed the path of Aamir Subhani have always succeeded. Their efforts have always brought positive results.
These two examples make it clear what Muslims in this country should do. They must completely give up the path shown by their leaders and fully adopt the path of “Aamir Subhani.” This is the only way by which Muslims can reach success.
