Forwarded from Level Up IAS (Official Channel)
Ever caught yourself saying "bas thodi der reels dekhleta hu" and then realizing an hour is gone?
That one hour could have been the difference between one more NCERT chapter done... or one more mock test revised.
In this competitive race, the truth is simple, your biggest distraction is also in your pocket. And every scroll is silently costing you marks.
Can you really afford to let your phone decide your UPSC rank?
Join the Digital Detox Workshop on 5th Oct | 2 PM Online and learn practical ways to study with focus, without getting trapped by your phone.
Register now: https://shorturl.at/ubGhU
That one hour could have been the difference between one more NCERT chapter done... or one more mock test revised.
In this competitive race, the truth is simple, your biggest distraction is also in your pocket. And every scroll is silently costing you marks.
Can you really afford to let your phone decide your UPSC rank?
Join the Digital Detox Workshop on 5th Oct | 2 PM Online and learn practical ways to study with focus, without getting trapped by your phone.
Register now: https://shorturl.at/ubGhU
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Forwarded from Nikhil Sheth - History and Culture
Can you imagine this?
This is a story of the Queen Mother of Bijapur in the mid-17th century. She was called Badi Begum and her son was a powerful sultan of Deccan... and when she went to Macca for hajj, she had to undergo this...!!!
When I read this, I couldn't stop laughing....
(Source: a contemporary book named Storia do Mogor by Manucci, Volume 2, page 300-301)
This is a story of the Queen Mother of Bijapur in the mid-17th century. She was called Badi Begum and her son was a powerful sultan of Deccan... and when she went to Macca for hajj, she had to undergo this...!!!
When I read this, I couldn't stop laughing....
(Source: a contemporary book named Storia do Mogor by Manucci, Volume 2, page 300-301)
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To history students, this plan of Trump for Gaza, which is supported by both Israel and Arab countries, looks exactly like Mandate system that had emerged after the World War 1.
Palestine had became a mandate of British in 1920s. In 2020s, it might become a mandate of US-Israel combine. History repeats itself.
(Note - we study Mandate system in our World history syllabus. This topic is relevant for the impact of World War I, also when we study what happened to Ottoman region after its demise, in various stages of colonialism, and obviously the origin of Israel-Palestine conflict and trajectory Arab nationalism)
Palestine had became a mandate of British in 1920s. In 2020s, it might become a mandate of US-Israel combine. History repeats itself.
(Note - we study Mandate system in our World history syllabus. This topic is relevant for the impact of World War I, also when we study what happened to Ottoman region after its demise, in various stages of colonialism, and obviously the origin of Israel-Palestine conflict and trajectory Arab nationalism)
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Forwarded from Nikhil Sheth - History and Culture
What an interesting story...
Gandhiji and Savarkar direct debate took place in London and it was on the day of Dasara in 1909...!
Sharing that story as we recently celebrated Gandhi Jayanti and Dasara on the same day in 2025...!
https://youtu.be/H8ZXsN4LVd4
Gandhiji and Savarkar direct debate took place in London and it was on the day of Dasara in 1909...!
Sharing that story as we recently celebrated Gandhi Jayanti and Dasara on the same day in 2025...!
https://youtu.be/H8ZXsN4LVd4
YouTube
When Gandhi Met Savarkar for the 1st Time | Clash of Ideologies #dussehra
In this video, Nikhil sir revisits the legendary 1909 debate in London between Gandhi and Savarkar, held on Dussehra, where two contrasting visions for India’s freedom clashed. Through the lens of Ramayana and philosophy, they debated violence vs non-violence…
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Forwarded from Nikhil Sheth - History and Culture
Today, LevelUp IAS completes 5 years of existence. It has been a very intense and rewarding journey.
In these 5 years, we may have grown older, but we’ve also grown stronger. Our student community has expanded, and we’ve had the privilege of being part of the journey of nearly 400 rankers and the lives of over 20,000 students. We’ve assembled an excellent team of teachers and made it a point to deliver our courses timely and professionally.
But numbers and milestones are only part of the story. What matters most is that we’ve remained true to our values — ethical, student-centric, and teacher-centric. This, I believe, is rare today. In many institutes, teachers are only the face while management and marketing drive everything. At LevelUp, we consciously chose a different path. We promise to keep teachers and students at the core of what we do.
🙏 Thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s to the next chapter together.
Nikhil
In these 5 years, we may have grown older, but we’ve also grown stronger. Our student community has expanded, and we’ve had the privilege of being part of the journey of nearly 400 rankers and the lives of over 20,000 students. We’ve assembled an excellent team of teachers and made it a point to deliver our courses timely and professionally.
But numbers and milestones are only part of the story. What matters most is that we’ve remained true to our values — ethical, student-centric, and teacher-centric. This, I believe, is rare today. In many institutes, teachers are only the face while management and marketing drive everything. At LevelUp, we consciously chose a different path. We promise to keep teachers and students at the core of what we do.
🙏 Thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s to the next chapter together.
Nikhil
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/opinions/2025/Oct/06/the-great-retelling-of-indian-history
"History, as a telling, has been relativised. One voice finds grandeur in Ashoka’s remorse, another finds only the bloodshed in Kalinga.
It’s not what happened, but how you remember it, said Gabriel García Márquez.
The ruins don’t move. But historians circle it, shifting the light, casting new shadows, telling us new stories about the same, silent stones."
"History, as a telling, has been relativised. One voice finds grandeur in Ashoka’s remorse, another finds only the bloodshed in Kalinga.
It’s not what happened, but how you remember it, said Gabriel García Márquez.
The ruins don’t move. But historians circle it, shifting the light, casting new shadows, telling us new stories about the same, silent stones."
The New Indian Express
The great retelling of Indian history
History is fiction in retrospect. The fact of India’s independence struggle is indisputable. But there are many readings—and they vary. As years go by, the vers
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I am sure this will be an excellent book.
The author has earlier written a book on India's first election. And it was a marvelous book.
This book also offers an interesting perspective. It shows that the Indian Constitution was not solely an elite exercise. We discovered that Indians from across the subcontinent were deeply engaged with Constitution-making and debated it.
Read a review here:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/imprint-of-the-people-in-shaping-the-constitution-101759595150953.html
The author has earlier written a book on India's first election. And it was a marvelous book.
This book also offers an interesting perspective. It shows that the Indian Constitution was not solely an elite exercise. We discovered that Indians from across the subcontinent were deeply engaged with Constitution-making and debated it.
Read a review here:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/imprint-of-the-people-in-shaping-the-constitution-101759595150953.html
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Forwarded from Level Up IAS (Official Channel)
Scoring in History Optional isn’t about how much you’ve read; it’s about how well you can write.
You’ve studied the books, revised the timelines, and memorized the facts… yet the marks don’t rise.
That’s because toppers don’t just read, they practice.
HOT 500 (2.0) History Optional Through 500 Questions
An advanced program designed to help you think, structure, and express like a topper through 500+ UPSC-level questions.
🎯 Starts 13th Oct 2025
Enroll Now: https://shorturl.at/Yvl4u
📞 8826496658
You’ve studied the books, revised the timelines, and memorized the facts… yet the marks don’t rise.
That’s because toppers don’t just read, they practice.
HOT 500 (2.0) History Optional Through 500 Questions
An advanced program designed to help you think, structure, and express like a topper through 500+ UPSC-level questions.
🎯 Starts 13th Oct 2025
Enroll Now: https://shorturl.at/Yvl4u
📞 8826496658
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Forwarded from Nikhil Sheth - History and Culture
UPSC launches ‘My UPSC Interview’ portal to mark its centenary year.
The portal has been created to document and preserve the personal experiences of officers who appeared for the UPSC Personality Test
https://share.google/nHztHfE26h6Cy7W0n
The portal has been created to document and preserve the personal experiences of officers who appeared for the UPSC Personality Test
https://share.google/nHztHfE26h6Cy7W0n
Bureaucrats India
UPSC launches ‘My UPSC Interview’ portal to mark its centenary year
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has launched a new digital initiative titled ‘My UPSC Interview: From Dream to Reality’ as part of its Centenary Year celebrations (1925–2025).
The portal has been created to document and preserve the personal…
The portal has been created to document and preserve the personal…
Forwarded from Nikhil Sheth - History and Culture
Today we celebrated Mental Health Day.
Central government's model guidelines for coaching institutes make it mandatory for us to provide professional mental health services to the aspirants. These are totally ignored by most institutes.
LevelUp IAS is the first one who took it seriously. Back in early 2024, we started offering professional mental health services to all aspirants.
It has been more than 1.5 years of our journey now. And its extremely rewarding.
It is done through various topical workshops (sleep cycle, memory enhancement, concentration, screen time, anxiety etc.), one-to-one counselling sessions with mental health professionals, movie screening and mental health campaigns.
It is free, it is for all aspirants.
Here is the video summary. Do watch it...
https://youtu.be/XGPKKrEyA-A
Follow us here for regular updates. Do join us:
https://www.tg-me.com/rebtwithsonali
Nikhil
Central government's model guidelines for coaching institutes make it mandatory for us to provide professional mental health services to the aspirants. These are totally ignored by most institutes.
LevelUp IAS is the first one who took it seriously. Back in early 2024, we started offering professional mental health services to all aspirants.
It has been more than 1.5 years of our journey now. And its extremely rewarding.
It is done through various topical workshops (sleep cycle, memory enhancement, concentration, screen time, anxiety etc.), one-to-one counselling sessions with mental health professionals, movie screening and mental health campaigns.
It is free, it is for all aspirants.
Here is the video summary. Do watch it...
https://youtu.be/XGPKKrEyA-A
Follow us here for regular updates. Do join us:
https://www.tg-me.com/rebtwithsonali
Nikhil
YouTube
UPSC Prep & Mental Health: The Side No One Talks About | World Mental Health Day #levelupias
Preparing for UPSC is not just an academic journey, it’s an emotional one too. Long hours, uncertainty, and self-pressure often take a quiet toll on mental health. At LevelUp IAS, we take mental well-being extremely seriously, we are also the India’s first…
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Forwarded from Nikhil Sheth - History and Culture
When Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya after twelve years of exile, having vanquished Ravana and rescued Sita, the entire city erupted in joy. It was a moment of boundless celebration — the first Diwali.
However, there were no firecrackers in ancient India, for gunpowder had not yet been invented. The people of Ayodhya celebrated by lighting diyas and sharing sweets, filling the city with warmth and light.
Firecrackers came much later, after the invention of gunpowder. They came to India only in the medieval period — not in the age of the Ramayana.
Had such noisy and polluting fireworks existed then, perhaps even the monkeys, eagles, bears, and squirrels who helped Lord Ram would have been terrified. Surely, Lord Ram himself would never have permitted anything that disturbed the peace of nature.
Would you agree?
- Nikhil
However, there were no firecrackers in ancient India, for gunpowder had not yet been invented. The people of Ayodhya celebrated by lighting diyas and sharing sweets, filling the city with warmth and light.
Firecrackers came much later, after the invention of gunpowder. They came to India only in the medieval period — not in the age of the Ramayana.
Had such noisy and polluting fireworks existed then, perhaps even the monkeys, eagles, bears, and squirrels who helped Lord Ram would have been terrified. Surely, Lord Ram himself would never have permitted anything that disturbed the peace of nature.
Would you agree?
- Nikhil
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