1. Brief us about the potential journey of Lucent IAS for the development of youth in the state's development interest.

Civil Services Examination centric knowledge Dissemination and capacity building among the youth of North Eastern India have always been at the core of the ethos of Lucent IAS. The Lucent Institute of Advanced Studies was founded and is managed by a group of youthful individuals hailing from different parts of Assam. As such, our goal has always been to ensure the betterment of the region’s young demographic. In our journey, we chose education as our focus area, and we have followed a policy that creates an enabling environment for the thousands of aspirants who, through their merit and hard work, aspire to be part of the developmental journey of the economic and cultural powerhouse that is Assam. The intellectual capital of Lucent IAS is driven by a group of professionals from the state with multifarious domain experience.

Mr. Mridul Barman, with extensive experience in Civil Service Preparation (who has competed in UPSC CSE Mains and APSC CCE Interview Levels in the past), imprints the core, focused, and strategic value of the Civil Services examination in the academic curriculum of Lucent IAS. Mr. Mukesh Kalita, a scholar in history, NET qualified and an alumnus of the University of Delhi manages the complete academic experience of the institution as an Academic In-charge. Mr. Uddipta Ranjan Boruah, who is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in SAARC University with a Specialization in Political Science and International Relations (PSIR), heads the Academic Delivery and Test Series department of Lucent IAS. Mr. Jyotirmoy  Barman, a management professional with an MBA from IMT and a Post-Grad & Graduation Degree from the University of Delhi, heads the Operations and Content Development of the Institution. Mr. Gautam Das, an alumnus of XLRI and Assam Engineering College (AEC), spearheads the technical aspect of Lucent IAS.

Collaboratively, these professionals drive the academic excellence of Lucent IAS in coordination with several guest faculties and scholars from various domains of civil service examinations. Established in November 2019, just within a year, Lucent IAS was able to guide 18 successful candidates to succeed in the APSC CCE 2018 examination. Since then, several students of Lucent IAS have been selected in various government examinations of Assam, including the Forest Ranger Examination, Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) examination, etc.

2. With changing technology, the education sector has been changing as well. How is your institution complying with the current changes?

Lucent IAS is fundamentally a coaching institute for the civil and allied services of the Government of India, and much like our compatriots in this field, the recent worldwide pandemic has been an eye-opener. It brought us face to face with the need for technological integration into our operational structure. We dare say that we have splendidly risen to the challenge, and today our online courses are much more popular among the youth of the state. Today, web-based technology has advanced to the point that there is hardly any lacuna between the classroom and video streaming-based lessons. The Online Masterclasses organized by Lucent IAS through internet-based applications have reached out to thousands of students across the state in the past year. The Lucent IAS app and the virtual classroom-based solution used by Lucent IAS offer enriching learning and knowledge-sharing experience to its students.

In fact, the ability to use the myriad of IT tools has created a better learning experience for our students. Thus, it is no more a question of compliance. The internet has truly democratized access to knowledge, and we consider ourselves an agent of this change for good. The effort of Lucent IAS has been to leverage the power of technology to deliver the finest learning experience to students of Assam, including those from the remotest corners of the state.

3. As one of the leading civil service preparation hubs, how is your organization helping to create potential leaders, and innovators for society?

The nature of coaching institutions is changing with time. We are much more sensitized today about the future roles our students will play in society as members of the governmental structure. Therefore, our courses are not limited to examination syllabus. Our Foundation Course for UPSC/APSC gives access to a number of leading publications (including The Indian Express, The Hindu, Frontline, Kurukshetra, Yojana, The Assam Tribune, and প্ৰান্তিক/Prantik) which are meant to keep our students at the cutting edge of national, regional, and global affairs.

In fact, Lucent IAS prides itself on being the first coaching institute to provide these publications as a part of its study materials. The objective behind this innovative effort is to inculcate newspaper reading as a daily habit among the students. These newspapers and magazines now form an indispensable part of the regular classes at Lucent IAS. We also conduct regular personality development sessions presided over by retired and serving members of the bureaucracy, academicians, and intellectuals. These exercises focus on holistic individual development and also create a sense of social responsibility that is essential for self-actualization.

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The widely popular “Online Masterclasses” that are frequently organized by Lucent IAS have already empowered thousands of aspirants in various parts of the state. While preparing the curriculum for various exams under APSC and specifically for Assam- centric knowledge, the team at Lucent IAS gives special emphasis to the Assamese books, newspapers, and magazines authored/edited by eminent intellectuals of the state. It has been an unwritten policy at Lucent IAS to avoid any internet-based unverified sources as knowledge sources. The library at the Lucent IAS office at Bamunimaidam, Guwahati, accommodates hundreds of scholarly books and magazines in both English and Assamese. In fact, a compilation of 400+ editions of the multi-topic Assamese language magazine “প্ৰান্তিক” in the library of Lucent IAS offers a matchless and erudite learning experience.

For any student of Lucent IAS, the library plays an integral role in their efforts to explore and learn about lesser-known Assam-centric facts that are available only in Assamese books or in books written by Assamese intellectuals. This is especially pivotal to appreciate and prepare for the growing importance of Assam-centric knowledge in the APSC CCE examination. Overall, the effort is to instill among the students a sense of dedication, passion, and courage that goes a long way in shaping their future as leaders in the cutting edge of civil service and social innovation.

4. Meritorious students keen to acquire quality education, but lagging behind due to lack of finances. Does your Institution provide any special packages for students belonging to the marginalized communities?

One needs only to look at our past success record to find that a number of our students from economically weaker backgrounds have registered great successes in a wide variety of competitive examinations. We have diligently followed the principle of affordable access to useful knowledge, and it goes without saying that scholarships (full and partial) to meritorious students have always been part of our admission process. We have also conducted talent hunts in the past to induct scholarship students into our course and plan to do the same in the future. Above all, a number of our courses are deliberately priced low to attract talent that lacks economic means.

5. The market scenario in the current period is very competitive. What are the strategies followed by your academy to sustain itself in the evolving market?

Competition is a reality in any entrepreneurial venture, and we give due cognizance to this axiom. However, what stands us apart in this regard is our code of ethics, instilled by the society in which we grew up. We believe in truly putting the student first in all our internal discussions and giving primacy to the student's demands under all circumstances. Ultimately, our clientele, which is a word we truly loathe using, is hungry for knowledge, and in that, we never hold back. Our classes are seven days a week. There are mock, tests every week, answer writing sessions, leadership lectures, subject specialists and experienced faculty; and curated notes on every subject. These are our core strengths. We maintain a human touch in our outreach to our student base and this is something that is vanishing at an alarming rate.

6. Is Lucent IAS coming up with any new packages for students willing to enroll themselves in your institution?

In the post-pandemic world, the future holds a lot of potential. We will be trying to continue putting forward quality education through our existing course structure, but that is not to say that there is no room for innovation. Ultimately, it is the demand of our students that forges our future path, and their wishes and aspirations in the near future shall be our guiding principle.

7. What are the future prospects for further developing your institute?

As already stated, our students are also our guides, and if they continue to stand with us, we shall continue to hold an optimistic outlook for the future. However, in a more pragmatic vein, currently, we are working on our social media reach and creating a strong web-based content pool that shall be available for all to learn from and share. We will continue to develop our potential for excellence and, in that way, forge a path of success for our students.

8. What message would you like to give to aspiring youth?

There is no shortcut to success. There are no simple “notes” or “study materials” that can help you become a civil servant. There is no “test series” that can ensure your success on the actual test. What matters the most is a blend of determination, conviction, hard work, and keen observation that can help you in any type of civil services examination, be it UPSC or APSC. We, at Lucent IAS, can help you navigate the path to success in the most effective way, but you are the one who has to push yourself hard to reach the destination.

Paraphrasing an excerpt from Revered Ambikagiri Raichoudhury’s poem:

“কামেই ধৰ্ম্ম, কামেই জীৱন,
কামেই কৱিতা,শিল্প,কলা,
কাম বিহনে জীৱন-জেউতি
ৰস-ৰূপ-গোন্ধ-শূন্য়,-সোলা”
অসম কেশৰী অম্বিকাগিৰী ৰায়চৌধুৰী

No other words can express our message as eloquently.