Sasaram Railway Junction in Bihar is a coaching hub for civil services aspirants!

Sasaram Railway junction in Bihar is more than a railway station for some people. Since 2002, it has been a place where young civil service aspirants come for their preparations for competitive exams.

They say necessity is the mother of all inventions, and it is 100% true. Though in this piece, we are not talking about a new robot, a unique machine, or any new technology, rather, we are here to tell you about a very clever Jugaad by civil aspirants in Sasaram, Bihar. Every morning, and evening many students reach out to this place with their books and turn the Sasaram railway junction into a self-study place. You will see young civil service aspirants sitting on the platforms, writing, discussing, and studying sincerely. But, if you are thinking, this is something unique and new, then, let us tell you, it is not a recent thing. Sasaram junction has been a coaching center since 2002 or 2003.

The credit goes to a small group of students who started visiting Sasaram railway station for an uninterrupted study session. A 24x7 electricity connection and a company of like-minded people made this junction a place to study well. Since then, every morning and evening for two hours, platforms 1 and 2 of the railway station gets transformed into a legit coaching center. As many cities in the country have severe power cuts, studying here is a viable and smart option.

Around 1,200 students gather and study!

Recently IAS Awanish Sharan also posted a tweet to talk about this initiative. He mentioned the history and how this coaching hub functions in his tweet. "Now the Sasaram railway station study groups have become an institution. Senior students — both those who have been successful and those who have not — come to the station to coach younger boys in what has become a ritual over the years.", he added.

Though most of the aspirants are from Rohtas, a district in Bihar, many students are preparing for the Indian Administrative Service, bank examinations, and even IITs and IIMs. According to The Telegraph, almost 1,200 students assemble on the platform every evening from far-flung areas of Rohtas. Helping each other out, many senior students even give coaching to the juniors. 

Quizzing their way forward!

It is definitely an inspiring sight to see these youngsters gather in such a huge number and prepare for competitive and entrance exams in a study group which has a fun name Quiz!. Speaking to a news portal, Sandip Kumar Srivastava mentioned that he pays a nominal Rs.3 for a set of 100 questions. He also said that if a student misses the sessions for even two days a week, he is ousted from the group unless he has a genuine reason for it.

There are also a few teachers who help these passionate learners by coaching them voluntarily. Seeing the dedication and hard work of these students, the railways also came forward to help them. In 2017, it provided identity cards to over 500 regulars of the Quiz to enable them to come and sit without worrying.

Also Read: Here’s why West Delhi’s Rajendra Nagar is a home to all UPSC aspirants!

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