Hello, and welcome to the Forensics Digest Q & A Session. Monthly, we will interview students and experts of forensic science on a host of topics ranging from technical aspects to career soft skills.
Today I have with me, Mr. Ajay Saha, who is an alumnus of Jamia Hamdard and has cleared National Forensic Science University (NFSU) entrance exam this year and has been allotted NFSU, Tripura campus for Master’s in Forensic Science.
Q1. Tell us about yourself and how, when, and what got you interested in Forensic Science? Tell us about your schooling and childhood.
A1. Hello ma’am, I am Ajay Saha. I completed my Bachelor’s in Pharmacy from Jamia Hamdard. I am a 25-year-old individual with a curious nature, always wanting to know the how and why of things, which is why I chose the science stream. I specifically chose biology because I love studying organisms (and I’m also interested in dissection). Let’s go back to 2017—Pharmacy was never my first choice. I wanted to be a sports injury specialist because it offered a lot of income, but I also considered options like microbiology, biotechnology, molecular biology, and MLT (medical lab technology). More or less, I had this concept of helping others in one way or another. I qualified for NEET but didn’t get a great rank, so there was no chance of getting into MBBS at a government college, and I never wanted to pursue MBBS from a private college, though I don’t know why.
My interest in forensic science began in 12th standard, but at first, I didn’t know much about it. My initial impression of forensic science was that it dealt with dead bodies (cadavers), poisons, and murders—a very limited perspective. After not securing a great rank in NEET, I searched for different courses, and one of them was forensic science. I searched for colleges that offered this course, but my search engine betrayed me and showed very few colleges, most of which were private. When I checked the eligibility for one of them, I was disappointed to learn that to study forensic science, you needed math in 11th and 12th grade. I felt disheartened and left the thought of becoming a forensic science student.
After completing my B.Pharm in 2021, I got admission to a Master’s program in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology but dropped out after the first semester for some reasons. In 2023, I was out with my mother, and she noticed a banner near Jamia Hamdard’s gate about a certificate course in forensic science, with the eligibility being a 12th pass. My mother suggested, “You wanted to do forensic science, so why not start with this certificate course?” and I agreed. Even the joining process wasn’t easy. When I first contacted the course, I was too late for admission, and someone suggested I visit Lloyd for an M.Sc. in Forensic Science instead of this certificate course. At Lloyd, I learned about NFAT and NFSU properly, and I decided to take NFAT for the 2024 admission to the NFSU campus. Later on, I got in contact with you during the admission process for the forensic science certificate course.
As per my parents, I was a shy and quiet kid with very unusual interests (due to my fascination with dissection). As a child, I was afraid of many things, but over time, those fears faded (law of progressive change). I was average in studies and above average in sports in school, according to my teachers. The most common and constant remark I got in school was, “He can do it, but he doesn’t do it.” I was good at co-curricular activities and some specific subjects like science and math. My worst enemy was social studies: history was okay, geography was good, but political science… no comment. I remember getting 33/100 in social studies during the 10th mid-term exams. No regrets in the end. I was also lucky and fortunate when it came to the teachers who taught me. They played a major role in me being in science and developing my curiosity and desire to learn more about things.
Q2. What was your All India Rank score/marks in the NFSU entrance exam?
A2. My AIR was 100 in M.Sc. Forensic Science (UR-category), with a merit rank of 50. As for my score, I received 45 marks, but 4.50 marks were deducted due to 18 wrong answers. My only regret is marking answers when I wasn’t sure. My advice to others: don’t mark answers if you have even a 0.1% doubt; trust me, it will affect your rank because it did affect mine.
Q3. What made you think that forensic science is the career you want to pursue? Which other entrance exams did you appear for, and which ones did you qualify for?
A3. I chose forensic science as a career because, ma’am, I’m a practical kind of guy. I prefer to be in the laboratory or out in the field, using what I’ve learned to solve problems, aid someone, or just satisfy my curiosity. I appeared for NEET in 2017, where I qualified but didn’t score much; I scored around 250 marks. I also appeared for GPAT in 2021 but didn’t qualify; my score was 101, and the cutoff was 181.
Q4. How much time did you prepare for the exam?
A4. Ma’am, I knew the syllabus, but I didn’t have access to mock papers, or any guidance related to the exam, so I didn’t know where to start. Although the foundation of forensic science, which you and the course provided, helped a lot and secured some marks, for the rest of the subjects, I solely depended on my knowledge, and because of that, I made silly mistakes.
Q5. Moving forward, tell us the challenges/difficulties you had to face during your preparation and in life during that period.
A5. Life challenges? I don’t know, but the challenges and difficulties I faced during preparation were mostly due to confusion. I didn’t know what to do because the 11th and 12th-grade syllabus was there, and I didn’t know where to start, what to study, what was important, and what wasn’t—it was very confusing.
Q6. How should one prepare for the NFSU entrance exam, and what should be the preparation strategy for self-study?
A6. Study the concepts for every subject properly; it will really help you. There’s this e-Parthshala where you can get papers on specific concepts like viscera preservation, fingerprinting, and many more. Another thing is to Google your concepts and read research papers; you’ll find a lot of useful information.
Q7. Tell us the complete selection procedure for NFSU. Mention the stages of the exam, interview, documentation verification, etc.
A7. First, the merit list is released, and then there’s counseling, where they call you based on your merit and rank. You have to show them one valid ID proof, and they will ask you which NFSU campus you want. In my case, the seats at NFSU Gandhinagar, Delhi, and Goa were full, so I chose the Tripura campus. After selecting your campus, you’ll receive a provisional admission letter via email, which will include your GNR/enrollment number, admission fee, and date of document verification. You get 24 hours to submit the fee. After all the online procedures, you have to visit your respective campus for physical document verification on the assigned date.
Q8. Can you suggest some good books with author names that you referred to during your preparation?
A8. Ma’am, I don’t know about specific books because I Googled all my concepts, and you also guided me well through the concepts. I read a lot of research papers, which gave me a good understanding of the methodology and concepts. For example, for the preliminary test of a blood stain, I read three papers on it, and you also taught me the same. Now I’m confident with my knowledge about these tests.
Q9. Any online test series you suggest?
A9. No suggestions, ma’am, as I didn’t use one, so I can’t recommend any.
Q10. What are your future plans? What do you plan to do after NFSU?
A10. My future plan is to work in an FSL and solve mysteries or aid the system as much as possible. Ma’am, I don’t want any innocent person to be falsely charged. After NFSU, I want to stay in contact with you and serve in any way I can, whether it’s the nation or the people.
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