Reading the Hindu effectively for Civil Services examination will go a long way in ensuring your success. You have got to make it your holy medicine.
The Hindu is a CSE aspirant’s most genuine source for current affairs. Nobody can possibly crack Civil Services without reading the Hindu regularly. Most of the aspirants realize it’s importance but feel perplexed when they first start reading it.
In the current post, I’ll elucidate the importance of the Hindu and define ways of reading it so as to gain maximum benefit.
Why is Reading the Hindu effectively for Civil Services Important ?
Reading the Hindu effectively for Civil Services is extremely important. I will go the extent of saying that you will never be able to have a firm grip on current affairs without going through it carefully.
The Hindu is not just comprehensive as a resource but also expansive in nature. Any aspirant who indulges in reading the Hindu effectively for Civil Services will surely have an edge over others.
How is the Hindu Different from other Indian Newspapers ?
| The Hindu covers ‘news’ and not ‘paparazzi’ |
| Some of the finest individuals publish their editorials in the Hindu. |
| Some of the finest individuals publish their editorials in the Hindu. |
| The coverage of Current Affairs across disciplines is quite good. |
Proper Section Wise Time Management for Reading the Hindu Effectively
A lot of aspirants struggle with time while reading the Hindu. So here’s my recommendation for various time slots dedicated for different pages of the Hindu.
| Portion of the Hindu | Expected time to read |
| Front page | 5 to 7 minutes |
| State pages | 2 minutes |
| National pages | 10 to 20 minutes |
| Editorial pages | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Op-Ed pages | 2 to 4 minutes |
| International pages | 5 to 10 minutes |
| Business pages | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Science and Technology (Thursday special) | 20 minutes |
| Sports pages | 2 minutes |
| Last page | 2 minutes |
| Supplement pages | 2 to 4 minutes |
How to Gain the Most out of Reading the Hindu ?
I’m elucidating certain points that will assist you in deriving maximum benefits from the Hindu.
READ DAILY
Reading Hindu should be a daily activity. Invest around 1.5 hours on it daily (at least). Fix daily time for it. You can either read it in the morning or during mid day or even night. (I used to read the Hindu during evenings)
FOCUS ON ASPECTS OF NEWS RELATED TO THE GS SYLLABUS
UPSC will test you on your knowledge of current affairs in relation with the world around and not in isolation. You will have to master the craft of relating news items to your General Studies (GS) syllabus.
For instance, if there is a coverage on , let’s say – drought in South India. Relate it to Geography
OR
If there is news about “Wanna Cry” malware, relate it to technology. Focus on hacking, cyber attacks, cyber crimes, cyber laws.
NEVER IGNORE EDITORIALS
No matter how boring you find the editorials (you will at first), don’t avoid them. You will be interested over a matter of time. Nobel Laureates like Paul Krugman contribute to the Hindu weekly. Follow their posts and derive benefit out of them.
PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
While reading the Hindu effectively for Civil Services, make sure to always invest time on any headline pertaining to Government schemes. In fact, take any flagship programme by the Government seriously. Missing out on Government schemes will cost you in the exam dearly.
FOCUS ON ‘UNIQUE DAY’ EDITIONS
The Hindu comes up with unique editions. One day of the week is fixed for the Environment and Wildlife, another for Technology so on and so forth. Make sure your read them well. In the past few years, UPSC has picked up questions from there directly. Also, buy the special editions that the Hindu publishes yearly – Hindu’s Survey on Indian Agriculture, Hindu’s Survey on Indian Industries so on and so forth
MAKE NOTES
Lastly, and most importantly – make notes from the Hindu. What you read today will be forgotten by you in three days time if you don’t revise. Notes will serve the purpose of a good compilation especially when the exam gets closer.
Note making is especially important from the Thursay edition of the Hindu i.e from the Science and Technology page. It is extremely important and should not be missed.
I had maintained a notes (discipline wise). You can do the same. These notes will be useful for Prelims and Mains both. In fact for Mains, they will one of your most handy resource.
While Reading the Hindu effectively what are the Most Important Aspects ?
| Polity |
| International Relations |
| World Economy |
| Agriculture |
| Environment |
| Wildlife |
| Science and Technology |
| Latest Research |
While Reading the Hindu effectively for Civil Services, What all to Skip ?
| Bollywood snippets |
| Articles on religious philosophy |
| Rowdy political statements |
Start reading the Hindu effectively for Civil Services examination from today itself and help scale up your preparation. There will not be a better resource for current affairs than the Hindu.
All the very best.
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