And finally here is our long promised Mapping module for history optional.

https://youtu.be/mnoMZJLYYF8

With Rangan Datta sir, IAS 1966 batch, Assam cadre.

He was trained in LBSNAA by the legendary MG Pimputkar, the last ICS officer to head LBSNAA. Then served in northeast India during the times of Indira Gandhi and knows the whole tribal history and NE history by heart. Moving to Delhi he served for extended duration in the Ministry of Defence. Here he knew another legend K Subramanium personally. It was the time when India's nuclear doctrine was being created for the first time. He also had some external stints in Afghanistan (before USSR invasion) as well as World Bank.

More importantly, he belongs to that dwindling species of IAS officers who are called as scholar-administrators. Widely read, interested in World history, follower of Economist and lover of Oxford dictionary, this 2 hours discussion was indeed a rare opportunity to peek into the past World of mid 20th century.

With so many anecdotes, aise laga jaise India that had just come out of British rule stood in front of us, spoke to us.

Nikhil

It's today at 5 pm 🔴 AIR 3, Archit Dongre (UPSC CSE 2024 Topper) will share an effective, practical and workable strategy to crack UPSC CSE in just ONE attempt.

Zoom Link will be shared over Email and Whatsapp
Archit sir will also share his notes, studyplan and mindset. Don't miss this one.

👉Limited entry | Register FREE to book your spot and get Zoom link: https://forms.gle/x9V8qeDwfvdPZ2qN9

27th May | 5 pm | Online

✅ Strategy & timeline to crack UPSC CSE 2026 in this attempt
✅ Answer writing, notes-making & mindset plan
✅ How to avoid 90% of mistakes most aspirants make
✅ Real talk on pressure, consistency & building habits
✅ Live Q&A - ask anything

⚠️ No replays. No recordings promised.

This is LIVE. This is exclusive.

This will be the session that changes everything.

What is the difference between Sunday Live and HOT500? Which course you should be joining? Here is a very short video that discusses the essential difference.

https://youtu.be/sL-XJhVTx0w

This is our History Optional Mapping Book.

https://youtu.be/R2D-6Jw8Syc?si=fGwVyGyFvKERrPTW

I am not a supporter of Kamal Hassan's politics by any margin. He has habit of creating unnecessary controversies. In the past he has made many illogical comments.

However, Kannada is indeed a language that emerged from Dravidian family of languages, in which Tamil is the oldest. We do study Indo-Aryan language family, Dravidian language family etc in History, Geography and also Anthropology. This is basic ABCD of India's linguistic landscape.

What's insulting in this?

The word 'memsahib' conjures up visions of silly aristocrats, well-staffed bungalows, and languorous days at the club. Yet, these young Englishwomen had sought out the uncertainties of life in Britain's largest, busiest colony-stepping off the steamer, the sights and sounds of colonial India were like nothing they'd ever experienced. For many, this was the ultimate destination to find a perfect civil servant husband. For others, however, it was a chance to fling off the shackles of Victorian social mores.

Memsahibs introduces readers to women accompanying their husbands on expeditions, journeying solo across dangerous terrain, engaging with political questions, and recording their experiences.

Yet, Raj was not all adventure. There was extreme climate, disease, and great personal risk to young women travelling alone; for colonial wives in far-flung outposts, there was little access to 'society'; cut off from modernity and the Western world, many women suffered terrible trauma and depression.

#bookreview

This book immediately reminded me of Mangal Pandey, Lagaan, RRR and innumerable such Indian movies in which british women were shown as kind and gentle.

Unlike their male counterparts who are generally depicted as tyrannical despotic rulers engaged in ruthless exploitation.

I really don't know to what extent to believe in this stereotype of contrast.

Can it really be that all British women in India were so loving and gentle? Is it really true that all British men were blood sucking tyrants?

Is Coaching really about education? Or its only business?

There is nothing wrong or illegal about it. Whether it is ethical or not, I don't know.

What is for sure is the recent infusion of Private Equity (PE) money into Coaching industry is shaking things up.

Byju's fell first. Then Unacademy follows. As per this news, it posted 840 crore ka revenue and still 630 crore ka loss last year!! Physics Wallah also has PE investors with pressure to show numbers. Once its shares are listed, the partners and investors would make massive money. StudyIQ is also trying to imitate PW in future.

So, PE money has changed a lot of things in upsc coaching. Students are sometimes treated as customers, there are sales targets...

I only hope that with time, some better win-win model emerges that balances such commercial interests with students' real needs.

https://m.economictimes.com/tech/newsletters/morning-dispatch/unacademy-founders-exit-stage-ola-electrics-freefall/articleshow/121451772.cms

I think we have some Gandhians here. They are disliking the above post about saluting the revolutionaries. In last 1 hour, about 70 people have left the channel... We have all become good at social media protests. 😂😂

But remember, even Gandhiji praised the bravery and valour of Revolutionaries. We may think that their path of violence was right/wrong, but that is a policy decision about methods to pursue. It doesn't diminish their patriotism. It doesn't diminish the reality of the torture.

Kalapani at Andaman was a British forefather of the USA's Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib. The places of extreme torture.

I really don't understand what is there to dislike about the post. I also will not turn this into a pretext to gain subscribers by asking the supporters to compensate.

Padhai karo bhai.

It was a long expected reform. Already many state PCS do this. It took entire Pooja Khedkar scam to get the UPSC moving in this direction.

Better late than never. A welcome move indeed.

Hello all,

We are currently facing a very high volume of calls. This amount of rush was totally unanticipated.

Please note that if you find our lines busy right now, it doesn't mean we are not working. Our entire team is working full time to handle all the inquires. We will surely call you back as quickly as possible.

We really really apologise for the inconvenience.

Thank you,
Team LevelUp IAS

The Nattukottai Chettiars were the most prominent traditional business community from the Tamil region. Their enterprising spirit led many of them to seek their fortunes overseas, facing many setbacks and successes along the way, conditioned by contemporary historical circumstances.

Trust, alongside risk and courage, was central to the entire saga of the Chettiar wealth generation. The lynchpin of their overseas business was the unique intra-community banking structure they developed. Over time, the breakdown of the old business and social networks led to a great deal of transformation and diversification within the community.

In a sense, their story is a thread that connects south India, Burma and Southeast Asia across the Bay of Bengal. It is equally one that spans the British imperial era and that of the modern nation state.

#bookreview

History Optional? Let’s Crack It in the Next 80 Days.

Join us for HISTORY DURBAR 2.0 - an open session for UPSC 2025 aspirants.

📌 What’s inside:
• 80-Day Strategy for History Optional - UPSC Mains 2025
• Meet India’s top History faculty: Nikhil Sir & Vishal Sir
• Learn the craft of high-scoring answer writing
• Strategy to score 300+ marks
• Understand what UPSC really expects

Mode:Online-Offline
🗓️ 30th May 2025 | 6 PM
🎯 Registration is FREE
🔗 https://forms.gle/xpc2NTqEJ9mSYNrg8

Hello students,

These are the solutions to Mapping questions asked by UPSC earlier in History Optional. Since 2013 till 2024.

We have used the official upsc maps of each year directly to give the feeling.

The site identification we believe is largely correct. In case where we are not sure (about 2 or 3 places in 220 sites asked in 11 years), we have said 'possibly'.

Along with the release of our Mapping book and Mapping Modular course, we think this would add a great value to students preparation.

https://www.levelupias.com/upsc-cse-history-optional-mapping-pyqs-solution/

After PMP and MMP, here we come with LMP...!! It was long in the making. Finally it is here... we are not hopeful but sure that it will be extremely helpful to students who have done their GS Foundation already or trying to do self study and need targeted help and discipline.

(I think ab hame GS Foundation ka bhi naamkaran GMP kar dena chahiye, for the sake of consistency. What do you think?)

https://youtu.be/MlDW9QqVyww?si=f3NAArRNYP1xSunN