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Horrific incident became outrage news across the country after a 24-year-old law student was allegedly gang-raped on her law college campus in Kolkata. The suspected campus crime at a country's top legal colleges' campus has come under intense scrutiny over campus security and whether law and order is still intact in West Bengal or not.

The victim is said to have been attacked at the late hours of the evening and the problem was reported to the authorities only after she could get her friend's help. She is receiving treatment, and police investigations are already underway. Despite protests by some of the suspects that they were arrested for questioning, there was no mention of arrest or any further update of the case.

The report has created a nation-wide outrage, and people, activists, and students have taken to the streets to protest against the atrocity of the attack. Social media has also been filled with calls to action as #JusticeForKolkataStudent trends on social media.

Political responses have been uneven in coming. Opposition parties had held the Mamata Banerjee state government responsible for not even having basic security arrangements for students. "It is not a crime against a woman, but a failure of the system," is what a senior BJP leader was quoted to have remarked. Congress and CPI(M) leaders also demanded an inquiry by resignation.

Although Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has signaled the desire for high-level inquiry on an oath of "no one involved will be spared," the skeptics are cautiously cynical, remembering previous examples of hanging fire or watered-down justice.

School student communities have conducted candlelight marches and demonstrations calling for greater security within the school campus. Most of them are on the list asking to be informed how this disgusting crime can be committed on the study ground which must also remain a secure ground.

As the probe unfolds, the nation waits with bated breath—hopes to see justice run its course in a case that has re-affirmed women's safety in India yet again.

"Pada pada pada pada paravakal paari." (The birds flew with a fluttering sound). That is how the very first chapter of the updated Class I Malayalam textbook of state syllabus schools starts. But how will a teacher communicate it in an effective manner to a hearing impaired student?

Such challenges have prompted the development of special textbooks and workbooks for hearing impaired students through Class IV. Dozens of such books, developed by the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) following consultation with specialists and various workshops with teachers, are now available for distribution.

There are almost 800 hearing impaired students in Classes I to IV in 32 special schools in the state. But preparing special textbooks for them is a challenging task considering the different levels of hearing impairment. While some have slight hearing disabilities, there are others who cannot hear at all, making it challenging to introduce textbooks that would be appropriate for all of them.

"Though the conventional Class I textbooks acquaint children with different senses, a student who is hearing impaired has a handicap in knowing them. Moreover, they have limited vocabulary. We have tried to emphasize more pictorial and visual aspects in special textbooks that are supplemented by workbooks," said Anil Kumar A K, Research Officer (Special Education), SCERT.

Unlike regular textbooks that take four to five workshops, special textbooks have already been released following up to 15 workshops with teachers and subject matter specialists. This year, work on the special textbooks for Class IV will start in harmony with the revised textbooks for general schools.

Special textbooks from tomorrow

As per Sam John M, who taught in the primary section of the Government VHSS for the Deaf, Jagathy, Thiruvananthapuram, for almost three decades, special texts for hearing impaired students were a byproduct of the regular feedback provided by teachers from their own experiences in classrooms.

From Class 5, the hearing impaired students in special schools make use of the same textbooks that are adopted in regular schools. The special books of lower classes will prove beneficial in preventing any gaps in learning when the student is introduced to the regular ones in the UP section," he stated.

Minister V Sivankutty is scheduled to launch 12 special textbooks and workbooks for students of Classes 1 to 3 in the state capital on June 30.

In order to oversee caste violence and discrimination among school-going children, the Tamil Nadu School Education Department has ordered the setting up of monitoring committees in every district.

About The Committees

As per new directions issued by the Directorate of School Education, the committees will be headed by Chief Education Officers (CEOs) and will comprise deputy superintendents of police, educationists, and student protection officers.

The committees have been assigned to oversee cases of caste prejudice, caste violence, and sexual harassment in schools.

They are also mandated to receive a monthly report from school headmasters and take necessary action immediately.

According to the new guidelines, such students can approach the government's toll-free numbers 14416 and 104.

Teachers have also been told to sensitise students to the risks posed by propaganda on social media sites, specifically rumors and false news which can lead to caste-related incidents.

The Department of School Education also said that there must be awareness programmes at the school level so that the students may be sensitized against spreading unsubstantiated facts that create unwarranted tension.

The department also categorically mentioned that there need not be usage of the institution's properties for functions or programmes other than academic activities by the school authorities.

The officials added that the decision comes at a time when there is increasing alarm over caste tensions spilling over on school campuses and social media propagating fake news. By establishing these district-level committees and tougher regulations, the government wants to establish a safe and welcoming learning environment in the state.

UPSC main 2025 is scheduled from August 22nd, 2025. If you are a UPSC aspirant with determination to crack UPSC Mains 2025 then knowing the Exam Date, Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Schedule, and latest UPSC Mains Strategy will help you a lot. 

The Mains 2025 will be held for 5 days starting from August 22nd to 26th, 2025 in which a total of nine papers would be covered. The official Timetable UPSC Mains 2025 will be published on the official site, the site of change of Mains of UPSC-‘ upsc.gov.in ’. It is also recommended that candidates go through the schedule to be able to plan adequately in preparation of their times instead of getting confused at the last minute.

UPSC Mains 2025 begins with an Essay paper on 22nd August, 2025, followed by general studies and optional subjects papers on eventually occurring days. The elaborate time-table has specific dates and timings of every paper so that the candidates have it all in advance.

UPSC Exam Date 2025

• Application Deadline: 22 nd January, 2025 to 11 th February, 2025
• Date of UPSC Prelims: 25 th May 2025
• UPSC Mains Examination Day: 22nd August 2025
• Number of Vacancies (2025): 1129 (979 for CSE, 150 for IFoS)
• Three stages of UPSC Selection Process
• Preliminary Examination (Prelims)
• Main Examination (Mains)
• Personality Test (Interview)

UPSC Mains exam date 2025

• Start Date: 22nd August 2025
• Schedule: Timetable will be time-tabled out after Prelims result
• Exam Centres: Major India cities, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, and so on.

UPSC Mains Exam Pattern

• Qualifying Papers: Paper-A (Indian Language) & Paper-B (English); need 25% marks in each to qualify.
• Merit Papers: Papers I-VII (total 1750 marks) count for final ranking.

UPSC Mains Syllabus 2025 (Overview)

• Paper-A: One Indian language (from Eighth Schedule of Constitution)
• Paper-B: English (comprehension, essay, précis, grammar)
• Essay: Write various essays, pay attention on the organization and clarity
• General Studies I: Indian Heritage and Culture, History, Geography of the World and society
• General Studies II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, International Relations
• General Studies III: Technology, Economic development, Biodiversity, environment, security, disaster management
• General Studies IV: Ethics, Integrity and aptitude
• Optional Papers: Topic of candidates based on the list approved by UPSC

UPSC Mains 2025 How to Apply

Step 1: Prelims clearance.

Step 2: Fill Detailed Application Form (DAF) on UPSC website.

Step 3: Upload required documents (certificates, photo, signature).

Step 4: Pay exam fees online.

Step 5: Hand in and print the application of records.

Exam Centres & Admit Card

Admit Card: It will be released on upsc.gov.in or upsconline.nic.in to download. Fine print offence.

Exams centres: Preference and availability allocation. Indian Mega-cities.

UPSC Mains Strategy

Active Recall and Spaced Repetition

The usual approach of most aspirants is to merely read and read again, but the study indicates that active recall, or a testing of yourself on what you have just read, is what builds a stronger pathway of memories. As an example, when you have read a topic, close your book, and attempt to write down everything that you can recall, or what you perceive that you can teach someone. This approach is much more effective as compared to passive reading.

Pair this with spaced repetition, where you revise topics at increasing intervals (like after 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, etc.). It is a method shown by cognitive science and assists you in defeating the forgetting curve and memorizing more things over a more extended period of time and most importantly in the UPSC syllabus, it is enormous.

Interleaved Learning: Confuse Your Topics

Instead of studying one subject for long hours (called “blocking”), try interleaved learning. Combine varying subjects or topics during one study session e.g. one hour study of Geography then move to Ethics then Polity. This will force your brain to dig deeper to retrieve and utilize information and therefore it will learn deeper and will be more adaptive in the exam.

Mind Mapping and Chunking: Create a picture and make it simple

To make revision more efficient, it is easier to create mind maps regarding every topic you want to revise, and it allows you to see the links between concepts in the question. To give such an example, a mind map of the Indian Economy could be divided in agriculture, industry, and services with sub-divisions of relevant schemes and statistics.

Another effective strategy is to divide topics into small chunks that are easy to handle. This prevents overwhelming and makes one memorize complicated material easier, which neurological studies of the process of memory consolidation confirm.

NLP Strategies: Rearrange The Way You Think

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) can help you manage exam stress and boost confidence. Simple practices like reframing negative thoughts (“I can’t do this” to “I’m learning and improving”) and using physical anchors (like pressing your thumb and finger together while studying, then repeating it in the exam hall to trigger focus) can actually rewire your brain for better performance. Visualization (seeing yourself writing great answers) is also helpful to confidence and to decrease anxiety.

Growth Mindset and Psychological Strength

Having a growth mindset, which means holding a belief that intelligence and abilities can be cultivated, can be connected to productive achievement as well as improved management of stress. When you make a setback do not think of it as a failure but as an opportunity to learn. Practicing positive self-talk and setting realistic, achievable goals (daily or weekly targets) keeps you motivated and resilient throughout your UPSC journey.

Pomodoro Technique and Mindfulness

The Pomodoro Technique is to study for 25 minutes and take a 5 minute break. The cycle which is enabled by studies on attention span helps avoid fatigue and keeps your mind alert. Add this to mindfulness meditation- even a little bit of practising, i.e. you can focus on the breaths every day, can make you more concentrated and less anxious (which is crucial during such high stake exams as UPSC).

Realistic Mock Tests

Most of the candidates are prepared through mock tests that lack real exam conditions. Every time I go through mock papers with tight constraints in time and without disturbances, as in the real UPSC Main. This helps your brain learn how to work under pressure and manage time and going through your errors after every test will be able to prevent you making the same mistake twice.

Map Practice

A unique but effective tip—practice drawing quick, labelled maps of India for relevant General Studies answers (like river systems, insurgency areas, or economic zones). The images can make your answers to be one of the distinct ones. It reaps you some additional marks, and many aspirants fail to use this trick.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will UPSC Mains 2025 be postponed? 

No official update on postponement; the exam is scheduled as per the latest calendar.

How many vacancies in UPSC 2025? 

1129 (979 for CSE, 150 for IFoS).

What is the UPSC exam pattern? Three stages: Prelims (objective), Mains (descriptive), Interview. 

For the most accurate and up-to-date information, always check the official UPSC website (upsc.gov.in). Good luck with your preparation!

Junior college admission cutoffs were announced for the first time on Saturday and took everyone by surprise: the govt released separate cutoffs for girls' quota seats across streams for the first time. Their percentages in the majority of institutes were 1-2%, or even more, above the general lists.

Overall, cut-offs in the city, however, did not show much variation from last year, writes Hemali Chhapia. Commerce and arts hardly shifted from last year's levels, while science saw a slight rise.

The school education department, following a series of delays, released the allotment list - originally due Monday, providing relief to an anxious batch of students. This year, more than 2.4 lakh science hopefuls in Maharashtra were admitted to their dream colleges. Commerce also experienced 82,594 students getting their desired seat, with 1.4 lakh humanities students finding themselves where they wished.

Seats are usually reserved for girls in each category - general, SC, ST, or whatever - but the cutoffs under this reservation have seldom been apparent. This reservation exists in the creases of larger quotas, going unnoticed in the final merit lists. But never before has the system allowed those figures to speak for themselves.

With the initial cutoffs for first-year junior college on Saturday, admissions this year could come with more than fidgety nervousness and could witness an increase in rejections as well, experts said. Students were requested to self-certify their papers while applying, which raised some officers' eyebrows.

"Engaging schools in the verification of documents uploaded or establishing facilitation centres is important," a senior education official cautioned. "If equity is to be ensured, the govt will have to intervene."

Even as the system prepares to face scrutiny, another revolution occurred in silence — on the merit lists. Girl students of the city colleges surprised college principals with a new set of figures moving up the list:. For girls this year, the cut-offs were announced separately, and in most cases, they not only equaled the overall cut-offs, they exceeded them. "This time, we have announced the marks of all those students who got in through horizontal reservation as well," said Mahesh Palkar, director, secondary and higher secondary education.

"The state has, for the first time, reserved a list for 30% quota for women," NM College principal Parag Ajgaonkar stated, quoting a May 6 govt resolution.

"And the figures reflect that they're beating expectations. Our cut-off for girls is 95.2%, whereas the overall stood at 93.8%." At RA Podar, the difference was similarly illustrative: 96% among girls compared with 94.6% in total. At Mithibai College, principal Krutika Desai welcomed the trend: "It's wonderful to observe that girls are not only taking their seats — they're raising the bar."

At her university, the trend was the same across streams. In humanities, the cut-off for girls was 91.6%, just ahead of the general list at 88%. In commerce, the difference was narrower — 93% for girls against 92.4% overall. And even in science, the trend was the same: 93% for girls, ahead of the general cut-off of 91.6%.

For humanities, St Xavier's overall cut-off remained at 93.4%, unchanged from last year, but for girls it is 95.8%.

"Humanities is no longer an option of last resort. Several are opting for it consciously, to create something innovative and long-term," noted Himanshu Dawda, Principal, R Jhunjhunwala College. At HR College, principal Pooja Ramchandani credited the minor increase in cut-offs to improved performance of the batch of Class X students.

"There is increased competition in science and commerce," said principal of KJ Somaiya College of Commerce and Science Pradnya Prabhu.

"With students getting exceptionally good marks in the SSC exam, there is pressure." But she requested them to analyze their strengths before pursuing a seat. In Maharashtra as a whole, 10.7 lakh students had applied for a seat under the Centralised Admission Process (CAP), but only 6.9 lakh were given a seat.

Years ago in Rajasthan, a baby girl called Dhanvantari was buried alive by the females of her community, because she was the 7th girl born to her mother. They all desired a boy, and without letting the mother know, those women took that little soul to the jungle and buried her in a pit! Hours later when the mother didn’t find her child, she asked, pleaded, and cried. 

The little girl laid covered beneath the earth, breathing only hope, until her mother and aunt threw the shackles of generations-old traditions aside, to dig her out and hold her until she arose. The very same child who was criticised, was reborn as Gulabo Sapera, and ended up being an epitome of pride! She became the worldwide ambassador of Indian folk dance, and a living example of how to be as strong.

Who is Gulabo Sapera?

Gulabo was born in the 1973 snake charmer clan of Kalbaliya in Ajmer, Rajasthan. The memories started at an early age relating to the seductive music of the “been” and the smooth movement of snakes. Her father, ostracized for saving his daughter, took little Gulabo everywhere in a straw basket. She was fed with milk meant for snakes and was always under the shadow of danger. But it was in these moments, as she watched and mimicked the serpents’ graceful movements, that the seeds of her legendary dance were sown. The girl then became a sensational figure for all. 

At the age of eight, Gulabo already gave performances at local fairs. Her fate changed at the Pushkar Mela, where she was noticed by the tourism officials at the Rajasthan tourism department after being overwhelmed by her boneless, liquid dance which resembled snakes her community worshipped. Shortly Gulabo was playing on big stages, and at only 13 years old her life was changed when she gave a performance in Washington DC.

Award and Honors: Dancing Against the Odds

The path of Gulabo Sapera is also the history of novelties and successes. She did not merely popularise the Kalbelia dance, she formed the worldwide identity of it, designing its now legendary costumes and teaching the rhythms to generations of girls. Her shows have thrilled people of more than 165 countries and her academy of dance in Pushkar and Denmark keeps producing new talents.

She has received numerous awards, the most noteworthy being the Padma Shri in 2016 in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the Indian folk arts. In addition, she has been recognized with the Bharat Gaurav Award(2021) and the Genius Indian Achiever (2025). But her most crowning success is a cultural one: she made sure that in her society female infanticide was no longer practiced and urged thousands of endangered girls to take the stage and pursue their own dreams.

Gulabo Sapera Is An Inspiration 

The story of Gulabo is not simply about surviving but a well learned lesson of how to transform pain into power. Years before the ‘malkin trend’, she demonstrated her ‘malkin core.’ Today, as headlines are filled with stories of student suicides, depression, and the crushing weight of expectations, her life offers a vital lesson. Not everyone is born with Gulabo’s strength or finds a hand to pull them from the darkness. But knowing her story can plant a seed of hope giving the youth and students the path (though foggy) towards a life they can create. 

If a girl who was once considered a burden, buried and forgotten, can rise to become a Padma Shri awardee, a global icon, and an inspiring lady, then every student struggling with failure, rejection, or self-doubt can rewrite their story. Just as Gulabo, you can find your unique side and pave your way out of a gloomy life. 

Gulabo Sapera’s journey is an anthem of all Indian students who are struggling with stress, doubt, and hopelessness. The lessons we learn from her are how strong a person can be, despite the lack of any light. Determination can indeed illuminate your world. So, don’t give up on yourself just because others gave up on you. Have faith in yourself, turn to those that can help you when you need it and never forget your future can be as bright as you are willing to believe it can be.  

Think big, because you have the potential to achieve it!