Gorakhpur local in J&K helps prepare Kashmiris for IAS exam

Khairul Bashar, 42, of Gorakhpur, moved to Kashmir a decade ago, for a cause only a few would dare to take up in a terror-hit region.

A 1994 Geography graduate from AMU, Aligarh, Bashar started The Civil IAS Academy first at Gandhi Nagar, in Jammu, in 2009, and then at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. The latter was launched with the help of Shah Faisal, the Kashmiri doctor who made headlines for topping the IAS exams in 2012. Through the academy, he has tried to guide local aspirants to sit for IAS as well as State Commission Services examinations and come out with flying colours.

Bashar, who earlier also taught civil service aspirants at the Career and Coaching Guidance Centre at AMU, came up with the idea to start civil service coaching in Kashmir after his interaction with the students of Sher-e-Kashmir University, which he visited as a guest faculty at its coaching and guidance centre. He had felt that like other youth in India, Kahsmiris too have potential to crack the prestigious exam.

“The coaching was set up with the purpose of bringing Kashmiris into the mainstream by guiding them to sit for the IAS and state administration exam. Initially, it appeared that they were a little misguided and lacked the required exposure. Today, when a large number of Kashmiris are making it to country’s top level services and are even among toppers, including Shah Faisal, critics who branded the people of the valley as terrorists are astounded,” Bashar said, adding that Shah Faisal’s success inspired other Kashmiri youths to prepare and sit for the IAS and Kashmir State services’ exam.

“By making them join the civil and administrative services and serving different parts of the country, I want them to mix with the Indian culture, traditions and become part of policy-making in the country. I think such educational advancement among Kashmiri youth can be a solution to the valley’s problems,” said Bashar.

He claims to have helped over 700 local youth crack the IAS and Kashmir state service exam in the last 10 years with 20 - 25% students making it to the state services every year and two or three toppers figuring in the IAS list every year.