Ans. Sibling love and attachment is so powerful and of significance in your life. It is absolutely natural for you to miss your loving brother, who must be like a good friend or a mentor to you. But as life progresses, you eventually have to leave your family to pursue your dreams and become independent. I am sure you know this but the logical explanation does not work. This dependency on your brother's presence will decrease with time. But you will have to make some conscious efforts to realise the strength of your own energy and utilise it to create happiness through meaningful engagements. Your brother's absence can never be filled up but getting involved with a serious hobby or sports or an activity of choice would help you feel better. If you cannot help yourself, come for a few sessions of counselling so that we can help you. SK

 

Ans. You can always find time for physical activity at home if you cannot give a lot of time playing sports or going to a gym. You can decide a set of exercises with the help of an instructor or a friend and start doing them at home. Yoga is another good option that you could try at home. It is crucial to include movement in your routine as it makes a lot of difference and it'll help you prepare better for your exam too. You have to find a balance for yourself. Take weekly one day off for sports /games/ physical activities if you cannot do it daily. You can exercise right next to your study table in the same room, spread a yoga mat and do yoga; keep a skipping rope and skip for 5 minutes; take a ball and bounce it for 5 minutes; do brain gym exercises; or even breathing exercises (pranayama) to destress and calm down the mind; play a calming music and lie down on a mat for 5 minutes! There are hundred ways to destress and balance the fatigue with relaxation. MSK

 

Ans. Since you mentioned that it is your ultimate goal to become an IAS officer, you could start preparing for UPSC right away. You don't need a post graduate degree in engineering for the purpose of UPSC. A back up plan is fine but do decide your second line of choice too. Would you prefer a job in the government sector or in the private sector- for which then an MBA would be preferable. The choice is between MBA or MTech. An MBA course would be more helpful for UPSC as it is about management. Decide first and then act.