Kota District Collector Ravindra Goswami once came to the city known as the education hub of the country with the hopes of cracking the Pre-Medical Test (now known as NEET UG) and making it big in life. However, after spending less than a week in the city, he decided it was not a place for him. But like they say, never judge a book by its cover; he now not only represents the city but even finds it one of the most beautiful places in the country.
Q. You came to Kota to prepare for the PMT. Was MBBS always your plan, or were you forced into it?
Ravindra Goswami: I come from Asalpur, a small village near Jaipur, and before going to Kota, I had never lived alone and away from home. I cleared my Class 10 with 84 per cent and while it doesn’t sound like much now, it was a good score in 1999. So much so that people from nearby villages came to meet and congratulate me. Seeing my result, everyone suggested that I choose either biology or mathematics. I was confused so I did a coin toss, and because it came heads, I chose biology.
Kota Collector’s old ID card from his preparation days when he went to Kota for three days. (Special arrangement)
Then in Class 12, I got a good score in biology so I chose to pursue the PMT. I decided to go to Kota to prepare for the entrance exam. My parents were against it, but since I was determined, my father agreed and took me to Kota. However, I returned home after three days.
Q. Why was that, and how has your relationship changed with the city?
Goswami: Kota was my first experience of living alone, so when I came to this city and saw so many students around me, I got a little scared. But it was something else that made me believe that I would not be able to fit in this city, and on the second day, I called my father to take me back. But my father told me that much was spent in sending me to Kota and asked me to stay on for a few more days and give the city a chance. While I gave in that day, I called my mother the next day with the same plea, and since my mother is more emotional, she asked me to come back for a few days and then go to Kota.
Once I reached my village, I made my case again and even though things were a little tense for a few days, I never went back to Kota till 2008, when I got married to my wife who is from Kota. I assumed the post of district collector here on January 6, 2024.
Q. How has the city changed over the years?
Goswami: Things have changed tremendously since 2001. First, there weren’t these many coaching institutes here back then. While the competition existed even then, what was missing was the support that the students get today. There were unfortunate cases taking place even back then but there was not a lot of awareness about them. Things have changed now, the administration is here to help students now in the form of counselling, checkups, meetups, academic support from teachers, and much more.
(Graphics by Abhishek Mitra)
The coaching industry has also been organised in a much better way now, there are rules for coaching classes and even the hostels and PGs where students stay. We reach out to students on a regular basis, sometimes even on a personal level to let them know that we are here to support them.
Q. The city has grown, but so has the number of suicide cases.
Goswami: Kota is a beautiful city, but also a very misrepresented one. Lakhs of students come here every year to prepare for competitive exams and fulfill their dreams.
(Graphics by Abhishek Mitra)
Surely, there are unfortunate incidents but those are not always due to the pressure of studies. We interact with students on a personal level and have seen that sometimes the reasons behind their stress are personal such as family problems, monetary issues, love relationships, friendship, and so on. We should also remember that students come here at an age in which they are still developing and learning to be at peace with their body, mind, and emotions. That can also add to their problems. Sadly, these days, every case is seen with the same lens and people just assume that these unfortunate incidents happen just because of academic pressure.
(Graphics by Abhishek Mitra)
Q. To help students, you started an initiative called ‘Dinner with Collector’. How has the experience been?
Goswami: Every week, I sit and have dinner with one group of students who live in hostels and PGs, and it is one of the best times of the week for me. This initiative is taken to assure them that the whole administration is always there to support them.
During these dinners, I get to listen to their experiences and problems. I tell them about my failures — how I failed to crack PMT on the first try, and then I even failed to crack the PG entrance exam on the first try. Not only this, when I started preparing for the UPSC in 2014, I did not clear the exam on the first try in 2015 and had to go for a second attempt in 2016. Telling them that it has taken me several attempts and failures to reach this stage, gives them hope and it makes them believe that not everyone needs to be a topper to be successful and happy in life. Also, I tell them that every time I failed, I knew that nothing worse could happen so I tried again. It teaches them the importance of determination and the spirit of never giving up.
Believe it or not, on these dinners, students ask me for tips on how they can study more and increase their productivity and efficiency. They want to study more and make their dreams true, and these dinners and other initiatives being conducted by my colleagues act as the right guidance for them.
Q. What other initiatives is the Kota administration conducting to help students?
Goswami: Our administration is conducting a lot of initiatives right now to help students such as:
Q. Do students really need coaching to prepare for competitive exams?
Goswami: There are two kinds of students, one who understands things better when they read it on their own, and the second kind understands it better when someone else (like a teacher) explains it to them. So, coaching is important for the second group of students who need help from someone else.
Students study all over the country and world, but being in an environment where they can find peers who are preparing for the same thing and going through the same schedule, process, and ups and downs helps students maintain that balance.
Having said that, it is also the responsibility of parents to identify the potential and interests of their kids. If your child is a fish then send them to swim, and if he/she is a bird then send them to fly; you don’t ask a fish to fly and a bird to swim. Parents must consider what their children are telling them and not force them to do something they don’t wish to pursue.
Q. With the entrance exam season coming up, what is your advice to students?
Goswami: The spirit of never giving up and determination is important, but another thing that a lot of us forget these days is that a little bit of stress, anxiety, and fear is normal and it is important to succeed. These days we think that there should be no stress at all, but it is a very wrong thought process that we, as a society, have adopted. It is natural to have some fear and it helps you in moving forward. It is, however, important to remember that there’s always a next attempt, and there are always more opportunities.
In an interview with indianexpress.com, Kota's District Collector talks about the ‘misrepresentation’ of Kota, the student community, his journey, and much more. (Graphics by Abhishek Mitra) 
Kota Collector’s old ID card from his preparation days when he went to Kota for three days. (Special arrangement)
(Graphics by Abhishek Mitra)
(Graphics by Abhishek Mitra)
(Graphics by Abhishek Mitra)
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