Downloaded 709 times
![UPSC
Civil Services - Last year Interviews - 2012
[Type the document subtitle]
Prakash Chaudhary
12/14/2012
Source : http://www.indianofficer.com/forums/11768-compilation-interview-experiences-
3.html#axzz2F0dKd8mV](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/upsc-interviewcompilation-130407182712-phpapp01/85/Upsc-interview-compilation-1-320.jpg)
![2
Contents
INTERVIEW BOARD ROOM......................................................................................................................... 4
DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESENTATION OF UPSC INTERVIEW HALL ............................................................... 5
Interview-Ten Golden Tips To Top In The Interviews: ............................................................................... 6
From the point of view of an Interview Board Member............................................................................ 8
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Ajay Kumar (Sh. IMG Khan Board) .................................. 9
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Kapil Jindal (Purshottam Aggarwal Board) ................... 12
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Prabhasa Bhoi AIR-902 ( K. K. Paul Board) ................... 14
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Ghanshyam Thori (Dr. K. K. Paul Board) ....................... 19
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Shailesh Bansal : AIR 597 (Rajni Rajdan Board), Indian
Administrative Service 2010 .................................................................................................................... 25
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Mamta Gupta : AIR 413 (K. S. Chalam Board) Indian
Administrative Service 2010 .................................................................................................................... 29
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Rajesh Kankipati : AIR 103 (Purushotam Aggarwal
Board), Indian Administrative Service 2010 ............................................................................................ 33
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Rajeshwari B ................................................................. 39
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Nidhi Choudhari (Purushotam Agrawal Board) ............ 44
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Ajay Pal AIR-160 (Dr. K.K. Paul Board) Indian
Administrative Service 2010 .................................................................................................................... 46
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Amit Goyal (Dr. K.K. Paul Board) .................................. 58
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Prince Garg (Prof. K.S. Chalam Board) .......................... 61
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Abhiram G. Sankar (Mrs. Rajni Razdan) [AIR:04].......... 66
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Gokul G R (Shri I. M. G. Khan) [AIR:19] ......................... 71
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh (Dr KK Paul Board) .................. 78
Union Public Service Commission Interview By M. Rohit (Purushottam Agarwal Board) ....................... 82
Rajshree Jassie (AIR 334)..Strategy and Interview (CSE 2010)................................................................. 87
This is one Mr.Vinay's interview.. refer here: .......................................................................................... 94
Re: A compilation of interview experiences ............................................................................................ 99
Interview was on 24th march, chairman was Prof. E. Balagurusamy. ................................................... 103
from Mrunal's earlier thread: ................................................................................................................ 104
Re: A compilation of interview experiences .......................................................................................... 106
Civils Interview of Dr.Bharat Gupta, AP topper and 17th rank ( All India) ............................................ 108
Experience with smt.S. U. Tripathi ......................................................................................................... 117
Experience with Nirbhay Sharma board ................................................................................................ 124
My interview, as it happened on 24th march evening .......................................................................... 128](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/upsc-interviewcompilation-130407182712-phpapp01/85/Upsc-interview-compilation-2-320.jpg)
![66
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Abhiram G. Sankar
(Mrs. Rajni Razdan) [AIR:04]
Name : Abhiram G. Sankar
Time: 25 Minutes
My interview was on the afternoon of 11 April 2011, and I was the second candidate in Ms.Rajni
Razdan's board. The board was cordial, except for the chairperson who appeared to sleep after asking
her quota of questions.
I entered the room, greeted the members & stood till I was offered the seat. Thanked the chairperson
Rajni Razdan (RR) & sat down smiling.
RR: What’s your name?
Me: Answered
RR: Roll No?
Me: Answered
RR: Date of Birth?
Me: Answered
(Initially I was a bit confused why she was asking these things!). Then RR read out aloud from my
summary sheet – optionals, graduation, hobbies, team activities etc. I kept smiling & nodding, with a
‘Yes Mam’ in between.
M2: Born in Tamil Nadu, but staying in Kerala?
Me: yes sir, my family is settled in Kerala.
RR: So, which is the country sharing longest border with India?
Me: Bangladesh.
RR: The shortest?
Me: Afghanistan.
RR: Ok, Tell me about the McMahon Line.
Me: It’s the line dividing India & China, but not accepted by china as such. It was signed in the early
1900s by Treaty of Tibet. (I made a mistake by unintentionally mentioning the year & name of treaty.)
RR: Which treaty & year?
Me: Repeated the same, but doubtfully.
RR: It was in Shimla, in 1913. Who were the parties to the treaty?](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/upsc-interviewcompilation-130407182712-phpapp01/85/Upsc-interview-compilation-66-320.jpg)
![71
Union Public Service Commission Interview By Gokul G R (Shri I. M. G.
Khan) [AIR:19]
Name: Gokul G R
Time : 35 Minutes
My interview was scheduled for the afternoon session on the 4th of April 2011. After the document
verification, by around 14.15 hrs, we were told that we will be interviewed by the board chaired by the
Union Public Service Commission member I.M.G. Khan. I was the last candidate in the list.
I entered the interview room by around 16.50 hrs. This is the transcript of the interview:
Me: May I come in, Sir?
The chairman asked me to come in. The room and the table were quite small. So I had a hard time
distinguishing the chairman from the five members.
I got in wishing the chairman, lady member and the other members Good afternoon. But before I
could finish the niceties, chairman was asking me to sit down. He seemed very cordial and the mood in
the board was surprisingly fresh even at the end of the day. I sat down saying ‘Thank you’
Chairman: So you are Gokul?
Me: Yes sir, Gokul G.R
Ch: I will call you Gokul. Will that be fine? (smiling)
Me: Yes sir that will be fine. ( me too smiling)
Ch: Gokul, you have taken Physics as an optional. Are you going against the trend as we see a lot of
engineers and science graduates taking non-science optional?
Me: Sir, physics is a subject that I have been studying form my school days. It is the most familiar
subject for me and I like it. I wanted to take a subject that I would enjoy studying.
Ch: (going through my bio-data): So you passed out from NITC with first class with distinction. Some
chap came to a place near Calicut some time back no? Who was he?
I was confused and thought for a fraction of a second when I knew he was talking about Vasco Da
Gama…
Me: Vasco Da Gama sir. It was in 1498. He landed at a place called Kappad. It is quite near to my
college.
Ch: The beach has a memorial saying this is where he landed. Have you seen that?
Me: I have been to the beach twice. It is a rocky beach. But I don’t remember seeing the monument.
Ch: It’s a small monument which says ‘this is the spot where….’ (the other members nod at this)](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/upsc-interviewcompilation-130407182712-phpapp01/85/Upsc-interview-compilation-71-320.jpg)
![104
Tell me how will you use your EE background? Tell me how will you use them in police service?
4th member:
As you have mentioned about the power sector, tell me about the situation of our power sector?
What are the problems which we are facing? What can be done about this?
time these T&D losses are called theft & dacoit losses. Do you agree with it? How will you prevent the
theft losses? If a person is paying bribe to the electrician for theft, what can you do then?
Ok, can you tell what percentage of different sources of power is? Percentage of thermal, hydro and
all…
What are problems associated with the coal based plants? What can be done for the ash?Are we
doing this?
Do we need nuclear energy? Do you know the future projection of nuclear energy in terms of
percentage?
CM:
Are we doing something on nuclear energy? Why now, why not earlier?Why we had sanctions? Is
Indo-US nuclear deal good for us? Do we need to be afraid on anything?
Take any card from this and read what is written on it. Explain it.
Ok your interview is over. How do you assess your interview? Were you nervous? Do you want to
change any of your answer now? Now you can ask any question from any one of us. Have a chocolate.
It was over within no time. Questions were thrown without me finishing the answers.
from Mrunal's earlier thread: [Interview Questions] A small List
[Interview Questions] A small List
How do you handle criticism Here the interview is on the look out for your accountability and
professional character.Simply explain a situation that caused a problem and narrate how you faced it
and overcame it.
Tell me about a situation that upset you at work Her the interview is trying to find out how you deal
with pressure. Be diplomatic and objective with your answer. Prepare the answer so that the answer
comes as a smooth reassurance.
How do you handle tension? Answer with ease that in any job and any situation that tension is a part
of it. Relax before putting the fact you are very used to such type of works.
What is your weakness? Turn the question to a positive one. Simply say that you are a perfectionist
and your commitment to output of high quality perfect work. Say this is your weakness.
Describe a professional skill you have developed in you? It will be better if you be specific with your
answer. Narrate some thing you worked for to fulfill your work more efficiently. Describe how you
attended a seminar and brought about the changed in your work.
What can motivate you? The Interview expects an answer to know you better .Keep in tune with your
job and work you have applied for. Do not beat around the bush.
What books you read? Do not ever say you have read a book which you have not. Here your](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/upsc-interviewcompilation-130407182712-phpapp01/85/Upsc-interview-compilation-104-320.jpg)
More Related Content
Similar to Upsc interview compilation
Upsc interview compilation
- 1. UPSC Civil Services - Last year Interviews - 2012 [Type the document subtitle] Prakash Chaudhary 12/14/2012 Source : http://www.indianofficer.com/forums/11768-compilation-interview-experiences- 3.html#axzz2F0dKd8mV
- 2. 2 Contents INTERVIEW BOARD ROOM.........................................................................................................................4 DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESENTATION OF UPSC INTERVIEW HALL ............................................................... 5 Interview-Ten Golden Tips To Top In The Interviews: ............................................................................... 6 From the point of view of an Interview Board Member............................................................................ 8 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Ajay Kumar (Sh. IMG Khan Board) .................................. 9 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Kapil Jindal (Purshottam Aggarwal Board) ................... 12 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Prabhasa Bhoi AIR-902 ( K. K. Paul Board) ................... 14 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Ghanshyam Thori (Dr. K. K. Paul Board) ....................... 19 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Shailesh Bansal : AIR 597 (Rajni Rajdan Board), Indian Administrative Service 2010 .................................................................................................................... 25 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Mamta Gupta : AIR 413 (K. S. Chalam Board) Indian Administrative Service 2010 .................................................................................................................... 29 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Rajesh Kankipati : AIR 103 (Purushotam Aggarwal Board), Indian Administrative Service 2010 ............................................................................................ 33 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Rajeshwari B ................................................................. 39 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Nidhi Choudhari (Purushotam Agrawal Board) ............ 44 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Ajay Pal AIR-160 (Dr. K.K. Paul Board) Indian Administrative Service 2010 .................................................................................................................... 46 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Amit Goyal (Dr. K.K. Paul Board) .................................. 58 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Prince Garg (Prof. K.S. Chalam Board) .......................... 61 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Abhiram G. Sankar (Mrs. Rajni Razdan) [AIR:04].......... 66 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Gokul G R (Shri I. M. G. Khan) [AIR:19] ......................... 71 Union Public Service Commission Interview By Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh (Dr KK Paul Board) .................. 78 Union Public Service Commission Interview By M. Rohit (Purushottam Agarwal Board) ....................... 82 Rajshree Jassie (AIR 334)..Strategy and Interview (CSE 2010)................................................................. 87 This is one Mr.Vinay's interview.. refer here: .......................................................................................... 94 Re: A compilation of interview experiences ............................................................................................ 99 Interview was on 24th march, chairman was Prof. E. Balagurusamy. ................................................... 103 from Mrunal's earlier thread: ................................................................................................................ 104 Re: A compilation of interview experiences .......................................................................................... 106 Civils Interview of Dr.Bharat Gupta, AP topper and 17th rank ( All India) ............................................ 108 Experience with smt.S. U. Tripathi ......................................................................................................... 117 Experience with Nirbhay Sharma board ................................................................................................ 124 My interview, as it happened on 24th march evening .......................................................................... 128
- 3. 3 My interview inChalam Sir Board ......................................................................................................... 134 My interview in detail ............................................................................................................................ 141 My Experience with Shashi UBen Tripathi's Board ................................................................................ 146 My civils interview : Prashant Agrawal .................................................................................................. 150 First Day ,First Show !!! : Abhishek Mishra ............................................................................................ 162 First day, frst show !!! : Sadayappan ..................................................................................................... 166 My First Civils Interview : smarak .......................................................................................................... 168 My Life's First Interview(Civil Services' Interview) : Abhijeet Agrawal .................................................. 174 My Civil Services Interview) : Gangadhar .............................................................................................. 177 The second Union Public Service Commission interview ...................................................................... 181 My UPSC Interview « Kashish Mittal ...................................................................................................... 185 An IAS Officer's Blog: My Interview ....................................................................................................... 188 UPSC Interview By Aravind Menon : AIR -201 (Smt Alka Sirohi's Board), CSE-2011 ............................. 195 UPSC Interview By Rajesh Meena : AIR 316 (Mr. K.K. Paul), IAS 2011 .................................................. 198 UPSC Interview By Kumar Ashish : AIR -363 (Dr. K. K. Paul Sir’s Board), CSE-2011 ............................... 203 UPSC Interview By Gautam Singh Chaudhary : AIR 297 (Alka Sirohi Board), IAS 2011 ......................... 209 UPSC Interview By Vishal Gupta ............................................................................................................ 212 UPSC Interview By Dr. Lalit Kumar (Dr. K.K. Paul Board) ....................................................................... 218 UPSC Interview By Dr. Satyavenkath ..................................................................................................... 223 UPSC Interview By Pawan Kadyan (Sh. I.M.G. Khan Board) .................................................................. 229 Some probable questions that are asked generally in the UPSC Interview: ......................................... 237 Do’s for the IAS Interview ...................................................................................................................... 239 Don’ts for the IAS Interview ................................................................................................................... 240 Objective of UPSC Interview .................................................................................................................. 241 Other Advice .......................................................................................................................................... 242
- 4.
- 5. 5 DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESENTATION OFUPSC INTERVIEW HALL
- 6. 6 Interview-Ten Golden TipsTo Top In The Interviews: Appreciate the wisdom of being clean, neat and tidy when you present yourself before the interview panel Interview Board: See that you have good haircut and that your nails are clean. Comb your hair well. Remove sweat, oil, dirt, etc., from your face and forehead. Make sure that no bad odor or smell emanates from your face. But you can certainly do a lot to improve it. Your appearance should show that you are an orderly person. Therefore, do take care of your grooming. Mind your clothes: You should dress well suited to the occasion. Your clothes should not be gaudy or showy. You must present yourself in a suit, preferably of dark or somber colors. Your collar must be clean, well pressed and starched. Similarly, your shirt handcuffs should also be clean. They should not be frayed in the ends. You must wear socks and shoes. See that the socks are pulled up. Shoes must be well polished. You make the first impression with your clothes and the way you dress yourself up. If your clothes create an initial unfavorable impression you will be hard put to neutralise it during the interview. Similarly, with some care for your clothes you can begin the interview with your right foot forward. It is therefore very essential that you turn up for the interview, smartly dressed. Etiquette, manners and courtesy can help you a great deal in tilting the interview in your favor: Before entering the room, gently knock at the door and announce yourself. You can politely inquire whether. You could go in. You must enter only when you are bid to do so. Enter calmly with confidence. After entering, greet those present according to the time of the day, e.g. 'Good morning, Sir,' 'Good afternoon, Sir', and so on. It would be ideal if you could stand to attention while greeting them. While paying compliments and later while addressing the Chairmen, or the Members. Generally address yourself to the Chairmen as he represents the entire Board. Wait till you are offered a seat. Then thank the person who asks you to sit down before you are offered a seat. Then thank the person who asks you to sit down before you take your seat. If you are not offered a seat, continue to stand and answer the questions from that position. Avoid mannerisms: Sit straight and look up. Do not keep shaking your knees, tapping on the floor and so on. Stop coughing or adjusting your throat every now and then. Atop playing with your tie, collars or coat buttons. Do not lean on the table and rest your elbows there. In fact, you should cur out all unnecessary movements. You can and must be relaxed. Smile and be cheerful: While entering the room, while greeting the Chairman and Members, while thanking them and while listening to them keep your smile on. See that you do not start yawning during the interview. You should look keen, interested, pleasant and enthusiastic. A smile helps you in all these. Speak distinctly and audibly: Do not either shout or mumble. Pronounce your words full and give emphasis to the syllable where required. Speak in such a way that all those present could hear you without straining themselves. Speak with interest and enthusiasm. Your voice must sparkle and vibrate with spirit. Do not drag or sound monotonous. Speak to the Chairman or to the Members and not to the floor, roof, table or wall. In other words, look into their eyes while you speak.
- 7. 7 Be attentive andlook attentive when the Chairman or the Members speaks to you: Listen carefully to what they say and do not ask them to repeat themselves often. Do not close your eyes while you want to concentrate. Also do not interrupt while they talk. Allow them to complete the question or remarks before you give your reply or comments. You must avoid arguments: Do not challenge the opinion of the Board Members or the correctness of their statements. Express your views with tact and consideration. Avoid criticising others. Do not find fault with others. If you are in the wrong, admit it and apologise immediately. Never give excuses. While giving your conclusions, proceed in a logical manner and adduce valid reasons. Do not be self- opinionated. Do not bluff, boast vainly and shoot lions: State the fact accurately and be modest while describing your achievements. When you do not know the answer, be frank and tell them so. Never generalise or make vague guesses. See that you do not waffle. While you speak, you must be able to hold the attention of your listeners with interest. You should never become a bore. Act with confidence, hop and assurance: Be positive and optimistic in your outlook. Remember, it is not so much what you say, but how you say, that mostly determines your success in the interview.
- 8. 8 From the pointof view of an Interview Board Member From the point of view of an Interview Board Member Mrunal's suggestion and my earlier post on my interview have set me thinking: Why not share my experience with you all as a member of an interview board for a state civil service examination. Many years down the line in the Indian Administrative Service, a state government in its wisdom decided to have me as a government nominee on an interview board for PCS examinees (the Chairman was a retired Chief Secretary and the others were academicians), and here is what I felt I expected from the aspirants: 1. Be neat and formal in appearance; even dandruff and dirty nails can be noticed from the other side of the table. 2. If you are nervous, the Board will try to calm you. If you continue to be nervous, you'll fumble with the answers and God help you. 3. Don't you forget to read that particular day's newspaper, whatever be the excuse. 4. Know your subjects, hobbies and be able to explain why you want to be a civil servant. 5. You are not expected to know everything. If you don't know something say so. It saves a lot of grief. 6. Don't lie. Board Members are not fools. 7. If you are asked an argumentative question, don't fall in the trap and argue; be calm and answer reasonably. 8. If you don't know what is happening in the world around you (current affairs), its best you prepare for another attempt at the exam. 9. If you answer a question, you might be required to follow it up with a discussion for or against. 10. After each candidate leaves the interview room, the Board discusses him or her, and awards marks usually by consensus. 11. Board Members have their bad days too (after all they are human!) and a series of bad candidates does make them irritable. 12. And finally for God's sake, don't give the impression of being casual or over-smart!
- 9. 9 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Ajay Kumar (Sh. IMG Khan Board) Interview Writeup : Legends: Chairman-CH; Member 1-M1; Member 2-M2; Member 3-M3; Member 4 (Lady Member)-M4; Ajay Kumar-AK. AK: ...enters the room and wishes the chairman... CH: Please have your seat. AK: Thank you, Sir. CH: So, you are Ajay Kumar AK: Yes Sir. CH: Ajay, (seeing the bio data) you were getting Rs. 25 Lacs per annum in UAE so why do you want to join Civil Service? I think you are more useful for Engineering. AK: Sir, I agree that I am useful for Engineering; but I believe I would be even more useful for Civil Service. This is my childhood dream to join civil services and to work to improve lives of laces of common people. CH: What was your profile in your last job? AK: Pipeline Engineer CH: If a pipeline has to pass through various countries, what technical difficulties you foresee. AK: Crossing hilly areas, rivers, deserts and valleys poses a great challenge. M1: Have you seen today's newspaper? AK: Yes, Sir M1: What is the good news today? AK: India own over Australia and it will meet Pakistan in Semi-finals: This is the good news M1: What is the bad news? AK: Sorry Sir, I am not able to recollect M1: What is humorous news? AK: Sorry Sir, I am not able to recollect M1: Any news about Orissa? AK: Yes Sir, the name has been changed to Odisha by an act of parliament. M1: Can you recall the Constitutional Amendment number AK: Yes Sir, It is 113 th Amendment act M2: There are two cases (1) IC-814 hijack case (2) Vineel Krishna Abduction case; In both cases Govt had to bend. Do you justify govt. stand?
- 10. 10 AK: Yes Sir.Since ours is a democracy and if we allow our people to die in such circumstances, then there will be huge public uproar which is not desirable. M2: What other countries follow in these circumstances. AK: I am not fully aware, Sorry Sir. M3: Do you have any civil servant as your role model? AK: No Sir. M3: Tell 3 most important qualities of a civil servant. AK: Honesty, Integrity & Compassion M4: If a pipeline has to be laid in flood-prone area, in earth-quake prone area, in terrorist afflicted area and in tsunami-prone area, How you will design them? AK: In flood prone area & tsunami prone area: The pipeline will be buried with concrete coating and will have higher wall thickness; In earth-quake prone area: Based on seismic analysis flexibility of pipeline by sand-filling is to be ensured; and in terrorist afflicted area: apart from burrying the pipeline and higher wall thickness, there should be provision of Security buildings at every 30-40 kms. M4: Why you opted Hindi Literature as one of the optional? AK: It was my strong area and based on thorough analysis I concluded it to be a scoring subject for me. CH: What is the government system in Abudhabi? AK: Monarchy, Sir. CH: How people feel there? Are they happy? AK: Yes sir. People are very happy there. Good quality of life is being enjoyed by majority. CH: Can the same system be applied for India? AK: No Sir. CH: Then you are contradicting your previous statement. AK: Sir, It may seem that I am contradicting, but in fact I am not. As I said, People are happy there and it is proved by Human Development Report-2010. UAE got 32nd position. However, I believe democracy is best suited for India. As India is very diverse country and has lot of inequalities. To address these issues democracy is the best model. Moreover, what is happening in Lybia and Egypt these days, the same may be repeated to UAE also, sooner or later. That's why India must continue with its democratic model. CH: Thanks God ! You have an open mind on this issue. AK: Thank you, Sir. CH: Your interview is over. You may leave now. AK: Thank you, Sir ! ....Wishes the chairman and other members....and leaves the interview room.
- 11. 11 Exam Interview Details: Union Public Service Commission-Civil Services Exam 2010 Subjects Taken : Public Administration, Literature of Hindi Language Interview DATE : 25-Mar-2011 Interview Board : Sh. IMG Khan City : New Delhi Read more: http://www.indianofficer.com/forums/11768-compilation-interview- experiences.html#ixzz2ExUN8XBw
- 12. 12 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Kapil Jindal (Purshottam Aggarwal Board) Name : Kapil Jindal Interview Write-up : You have law and philosophy. is there any connection between the two? Me: yes sir both are related. both regulate the conduct of our life, though in different ways. law regulates our conduct externally by providing for the punishment for wrong conduct whereas philosophy regulates internally by providing moral grounds for good behavior. Interviewer: is providing punishment the philosophy of the entire law? Me: No sir, it is basically the philosophy of criminal law. Interviewer: tell something about international criminal law. Me: sir, as such there is no codified international criminal law. Interviewer: Have you heard about the international criminal court? What is the recent controversy regarding its jurisdiction? Me: Sir, i have heard about ICC but i do not have any idea about the controversy regarding its jurisdiction. Interviewer: you are from sirsa. it was earlier a part of hisar. do you have any idea about the kinds of crops present there? Me: Yes sir, cotton, barley, wheat, sarso are the main crops of our area. Interviewer: do you know what is BT cotton? Me: yes sir it is biotechnologically modified version of cotton and it helps in increasing the production. Interviewer: BT stands for? Me: it stands for biotechnology Interviewer: no, it is the name of the gene. Me: sorry sir and thanks for correcting me. Interviewer: tell me the chronology of police administration starting from the hawaldar. Me: sir, i don't exactly know the chronology but i know that after constable there is head constable- SHO-SDM-DSP-SP-SSP-DIG-IG.
- 13. 13 Interviewer: Have uever been to DC office. Me: NO, SIR Interviewer: you have philosophy. is it necessary to believe in god. is there any effect on our moral values if don't believe in god? Me: Sir, it is not necessary to believe in god but still it is good to be a believer of god. a belier in god is generally good at moral values. Interviewer: you mean to say that all the people who don't believe in god are not moral? Me: sorry sir, but i did not mean that. we believe in god only for the purpose of giving some objectivity to our morality otherwise it will become difficult to define morality. Interviewer: there is no need to believe in god as the locus of moral values. who holds the view? Me: sir, Charvaka hold this view . Interviewer: ok kapil u can leave now. Me: thank u sir, good evening. Exam Interview Details : Indian Administrative Service Mains 2007 Interview Subjects Taken : Law and Philosophy Interview Date : 31-Mar-2008 Interview Board : Purshottam Aggarwal Result of Interview : Not Qualified
- 14. 14 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Prabhasa Bhoi AIR-902 ( K. K. Paul Board) Name: Prabhasa Bhoi State: Orissa Work: NTPC as Sr. Engineer Sports: Played cricket during school and college days Hobby: Collecting Indian Coins, swimming I was on Mr. K K Paul's board. I was the fist candidate to be interviewed on that day. I was bit nervous to be interviewed first. Anyway I managed to keep my cool. By 10.30, my interview was started and it lasted for 40 minutes. I could not impress the Chairman but somehow tackled the questions from other Board Members. I am not sure how much will I be getting in the interview. First of all Mr Paul asked me about my Name, Roll No. and Date of birth. Then, as on the previous day World cup semi-final was played he inquired whether I had watched the match. I replied Yes but not fully. Chairman: What was the turning point of the match? Me: Tendulkar was dropped 4 times and almost all Indian bowlers picked up wickets. (He was not convinced) Chairman: Who was the captain of Indian on the first ever match played between India and Pakistan? Me: No idea sir. Chairman: Who was the captain of Pakistan on the first ever match played between India and Pakistan? Me: No idea sir. (Then the Chairman gave the answer and asked whether I know them. I nodded negatively.) Chairman: Why the rainbow is always curved? Me: Rainbows are formed by refraction of light from rain drops. Rain drops are spherical in shape and different colours have different wavelengths which are refracted differently and gave rise to curved shape. (He was not convinced) Chairman: Have u heard of Irom Sharmila? Me: Yes sir. She is a social activist fighting for repeal of AFSPA (Armed forces special power act) from NE areas of our country. Chairman: What is the specialty about her? Me: She is on a continuous fast since last one decade to fight for this great cause.
- 15. 15 Chairman: What isAFSPA? Me: This act empowers armed forces with special powers such as to detain anybody without trial for indefinite period in certain disturbed areas to maintain peace and security of the region. Chairman: What is the specific clause, she wants to repeal? Me: Sorry sir, I don’t remember. Chairman: You are working in NTPC since last 5 years. Then why are you planning to change ur job? Me: Truly speaking NTPC is the inspirational source of mine for preparing for Civil Services. I a working in a generalised Dept., where I have to work with in sync with different Departments such as Engineering, Finance etc. Gradually I felt that if I can contribute in a efficient manner here, why cant I use my talent in a bigger field for the service of the society. Chairman: But, you are also now contributing to the society? Me: Here Sir my scope is limited to only one filed. In civil service I will get a chance to serve in broader spectrum. (He was not convinced. After that he asked a few more questions and then asked other members to ask questions) Member1: You have mentioned that your hobby is collecting coins. What is it called? Me: Numismatism. Member1: What is the oldest coin you possess? Me: It is of the year 1892, 2 Anna, Victoria series. Member1: What is the present installed capacity of our country? Me: around 1,72,000 MW. Member1: What is the share of each sector? Me: Thermal=65%, Hydro=20%, Nuclear=3%, RES=12% Member1: Recently Govt. has launched a new mission for renewable energy. What is the name of that programmer? Me: National Solar Mission to generate 20,000 MW of solar energy by 2022. Member2: What is the installed capacity of NTPC? (As I am working in NTPC) Me: 33,194 MW. Member2: Is it all coal based? Me: No Sir, A major share (say 75%) comes form coal and remaining are gas based projects. Hydro projects are still to be commissioned. NTPC is planning to venture into Nuclear, Solar and Wind energy.
- 16. 16 Member2: What isUMPP? Me: Ultra Mega Power Projects, which are basically taken to bridge the large demand gap in power sector in our country. Member2: What should be the minimum generating capacity of a power plant to be called a UMPP? Me: 3000 MW Member2: How many UMPPs are there in our country? Me: Govt has already placed orders for 4-5 UMPPs such as Susan, Mudra etc. and Govt. is planning more. Member2: How many of them are in operation? Me: None of them have been commissioned. Mmber2: Then, what is the present status of their construction? Me: Sorry sir, I don’t have a detailed idea but some of them may be commissioned early in the next year. Member2: Some of them are facing financial crunch? Do you know them? Me: No idea sir. Member3 (Lady Member): Why Orissa is so backward? Me: There is lack of proper utilization of resources because of the poor level of human development and adoption of the top-down model of planning for development. Member3: So you mean to say Orissa can never be developed? Me: No Mam, these days lot of investments are coming and Orissa is poise to be the biggest investment hub in our country. Furthermore the planning is being with the involvement of the people. (She was not convinced and then the Chairman interrupted) Chairman: What can be done to improve the industrial Sector of your state? Me: The Govt. should take the initiative to investment in a planed manner; Private players must be encouraged to play a greater role, central assistance is needed and wherever possible foreign players must also be given a chance. (Chairman too was not convinced with the answer and asked the member to continue) Member3: What can be done to improve the financial scenario of Orissa? (I don’t remember what I answered) Member4: These days there is a news regarding ‘Cricket Diplomacy’. What is the other sport in which the term Diplomacy is attached? Me: No idea sir.
- 17. 17 (The member askedme to try and I said ‘Hockey’. I think I made a big mistake here by guessing.) Member4: It is ‘Ping-pong’ diplomacy. Have u heard of it? Me: No Sir. Member 4: How many languages are recognized in our constitution? Me: 22 Member 4: Among them, which is the language that is not the state language of any state? (I really had no idea and he asked me to guess. Again I guessed wrongly such as Bodo or Dongri. He denied and said that it is ‘Sanskrit’. However, later I found that Sanskrit is the 2nd state language (after Hindi) of Uttarakhand’ Member 4: Do you know Nitish Kumaar? Me: He is the Chief Minister of Bihar. Member4: Since how long he is acting as CM of Bihar? Me: Since last 4-5 years. (Jokingly he said that “ohh, since last 45 years he is serving as CM. I clarified again and said that it is around 4-5 years) Member4: So you mean to say it is his first term as CM? Me: No sir. May be its his 2nd term but I am not sure. (Later I found that it is his 3rd term) Member4: What has he done for development of Bihar? Me: He has improved the law & order situation and have made significant improvements in the infrastructure and social sector of the state. Member4: What are specific projects and programmes launched by him? Me: No idea sir. Member4: You hell from Puri district of Orissa. Tell me what are the major natural disasters that affect you district? Me: Flood, cyclone etc. Member4: What the Govt. has done after 1999 super-cyclone to minimize the damage? Me: Govt. has built Cyclone shelter centers along the coast and has launched many awareness campaigns to educate the people regarding the use of this. It has strengthened the SDMA (State Disaster Management Authority). Member4: But why the people are not using these cyclone centers? Me: (I could not answer this) Member4: You district is a poor district. What could be done to develop your district? Me: Puri district possess a vast tourism potential with Sun Temple, Konark and Jagannath Temple,
- 18. 18 Puri. Fishing andAgriculture can be encouraged given the irrigation potential of the district. Wind energy can be tapped from the vast coastline. Further, the tourism development of the nearby areas such as Chilka Lake, Similipal Tiger Resrve etc. should be encouraged to attract more foreign tourists. (I think by mentioning Chilka Lake I made the biggest mistake and this attracted the intervention form the Chairman) Chairman: What is the property of the water of what you called Chilka Lake? Me: It is a salt water lake. Chairman: Is it a lake or something else? Me: Sorry sir, It is called Chilka Lagoon. Chairman: What is the difference between a Lake and Lagoon? Me: Lagoon is a water body having a connection to sea. But Lake is a fully enclosed water body. (That was the last question to me. Then the Chairman me thanked me and stated that my interview is over. I thanked them all and left the room while thinking of the mistake made by me by mentioning Chilka Lake) Exam Interview Details: Subjects Taken : Public Administration, Geography Date of Interview: 31.03.2011 Interview Board : K K PAUL Result of Interview : Qualified City : Noida
- 19. 19 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Ghanshyam Thori (Dr. K. K. Paul Board) Hi Everyone. I am Ghanshyam Thori & I've secured AIR-25 in Civil Services Examination, 2009. I'll get Indian Administrative Service & hopefully a cadre of my choice. I did my graduation from Kirori Mal College, Delhi & MBA from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai. I worked with Kotak Life Insurance for 3 years before getting selected into Indian Administrative Service. MEMBER: 1 KK: Your date of birth is 02-December-1984. What disaster occurred on the same date? ME: Sir, it was the Bhopal gas tragedy that occurred in the Union Carbide factory. The reason was the leakage of water into the container holding Methly Isocyanate. This increased the temperature of the tank enormously & there was an explosion leaking the dangerous gas in which thousands of people died. KK: What is the status on the Bhopal gas tragedy now? ME: Sir, now & then the tragedy in news because the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy have not received their due compensation. KK: What should have been done or what was done? ME: Sir, the recommendations of the commission which goes into enquiry should be implemented with full spirit. The commission should identify the entire list of people & those people should get their rightful share of compensation. KK:You are a student of Psychology. From a psychological point of view it is said that the North Indian Males are more aggressive than their south Indian counterparts. He substantiated this by citing more number of eve teasing cases in north Indian cities like Delhi. What reasons do you see behind this. ME: Sir I see low level of literacy levels in North India compared to south India behind this. Both the male & female literacy rates are higher in South India than North India. Higher literacy helps to empower females in South India. Therefore in my opinion the male aggression has got to do with lower literacy rates in North India. KK: What about Urban Areas in north India where there is high literacy rate? Still Urban areas like delhi see a higher number of eve teasing cases? ME: Sir, Delhi has a lot of migrants coming from surrounding states like Haryana, Rajasthan & U.P which have low literacy rates (lower than the national average). This is the reason. Apart from these states are traditionally male dominated. The condition of female is bad as seen from low female literacy rates, high IMR, high MMR. Even you see isolated cases of “Sati” in these states. Therefore in my opinion these are the reasons. KK: You work with Kotak Life Insurance? What is your job profile? Me: Blah blah blah….. KK: What is the turnover of your company? ME: 1000 Crore. KK: Is your company listed on the stock market? ME: Sir, kotak life insurance is not listed but Kotak Mahindra Bank which has 74 % controlling stake in Kotak Life Insurance is listed.
- 20. 20 MEMBER 2 You arean MBA? What is supply chain management? Sir SCM is basically the management of vendors on the raw material side & managing the buyers on the finished products side. An organization typically sources a lot of material from different vendors & supplies the finished goods to various buyers. Therefore it is linked to managing the vendors & the buyers smoothly. How does the organization maintain optimum levels of inventory through supply chain management? Sir, an organization uses various SCM softwares to keep a real time track of inventory. Lets take up the example of Shoppers Stop – Shopper Stop keeps a track of daily sales of various apparels including jeans. At the end of the day it will order Jeans which are low in stock though Levi’s (taking it as an example). Now Levi’s would then order fabric from fabric mill like Arvind Mills. Therefore tracking the stock in real time helps in better inventory management. Why did the Indian Stock markets fell? The Indian stock market fell because of demand crunch following the global financial crisis as well as the huge withdrawal of funds by FIIs. The crisis started with the Subprime housing market going bust. The FII’s had purchased securitized instruments from the banks for higher interest rates but when the default started happening the FIIs were forced to withdraw money from emerging stock markets to make up for their losses in US. Which is better FDI or FII? Sir, FDI is better as it is not volatile like FII. FII is hot money which can move in or out of any country anytime. FDI is more stable. The member intervened as asked but Don’t you think we are commiting a lot by allowing FDI in India? If FII is hot money it is good as there is no commitment by the Govt side? Sir FDI has a lot of benefits as it generates a lot of employment & brings in new technology to the country. Also if see the historical trend since the liberalization of economy since 1990 (the member intervened & said 1991 to which I said Yes sir in 1991) we have seen a surplus on the forex reserve & a booming GDP growth along with increased employment. But China has been growing faster than India? Sir China started the economic reforms way back in 1979 when Den Xiaoping led the country to market reforms. Therefore they have an edge as they started early. India might see double digit growth rate in the coming decade. The member said the starting early was not the early reason as it has also got to do with Chinese policies also? Yes Sir, the Chinese government has laid a lot of emphasis on building up core infrastructure to boost economic production. What is Greenfield Investment & Brownfield Investment? Sir “Greenfield Investment” is investing in a project from starting. It is like building from scratch. Brown Field Investment is adding to an existing project. What is the difference between Merger & Acquisition? Sir, in case of merger two entities join to form a third entity but in case of acquisition the new entity is
- 21. 21 the same asthe acquiring company. Compensation might happen either wholly in cash or in cash plus stock deal. MEMBER 3: You have defined Supply Chain Management for business? What is SCM in education? Sir SCM in education would mean that an institute should try to source better students, train them with the best possible inputs so that the product (which is the student) contributes to the society in the best possible manner. SCM in education by which the Schools act as raw material sources for college & the college students act as raw material or inputs for Higher Institutes? What is the problem with higher education in India? Sir the problem with higher education in India is that we don’t have sufficient number of quality institutes offering higher education. Therefore to tackle this the government has taken the decision to expand the number of IITs, IIMs, NITs etc. But for quality higher education we should also have quality students? Sir, we do have quality students for higher education. The problem basically stems from the large population of India. Because of the large base we have very high number of students who deserve quality higher education. What is the enrollment rate at primary level in India? Sir I don’t know the exact figure. What is the enrollment rate at the higher education level? Sir I don’t know but I have read that for every 100 females enrolled at the primary level only one reaches the post graduation level. What is the National Literacy rate? Sir it is 65 % overall 53.7 % for females & 75 % for males. What is birth rate of India? Sir it is 26 births per 1000 Give %? Sir it is 2.6 %. You have studied at a lot of places. Which place do you consider best for education? Sir I did my schooling till 10th from my Tehsil (Raisinghnagar), XI & XII from my district & graduation from Delhi. I would consider Delhi as best because when I came to Delhi I could not speak English Properly & whatever communications skill I have today I picked up during my graduation at Kirori Mal College. Moreover I stayed in hostel & got to learn a lot of things from my peers while staying at the residential facility. Any problems apart from Communication that you faced in Delhi? Sir I had my own apprehensions at the initial stage but I was accepted well & did not face any problem. What suggestions do you have to improve schooling in your tehsil?
- 22. 22 Sir though myschool was affliated to CBSE & the medium of instruction was English but most of the teachers used to teach in Hindi. Therefore I would like the Education Standard to be improved. Moreover they emphasize only on getting into engineering or medical field as there is lack of awareness about other domains like MBA, Actuaries, Aviation etc. Therefore the awareness part needs to be addressed. I’ll give you the number. The number of people enrolling in higher education is 13 million. Now calculate the percentage. I said it would be approximately 1.3 % (as population is 1027 million). Then he said that it was low as the eligible population for higher education is 11 %. MEMBER 4 What is Micro Finance? Madam Micro Finance is basically lending money to the low income section of the society at liberal interest rates to meet their needs. It is basically a step towards financial inclusion. Have you heard of Mohd Yunus? Yes Madam, he is from Bangladesh & he started the Micro Finance movement there trough grameen banks. For this he also won the Nobel Peace Prize. What Micro – Insurance policy would you recommend for the poorest of the poor? Basically madam, I would recommend a term plan as it is designed for covering the risk only & the premium rate is the lowest. For eg. if today you buy a term plan for Rs. 25 Lakh cover the premium would come close to Rs. 5000. Now if you want to ensure the poorest of the poor with a 2.5 Lakh cover the premium would come down to Rs. 500. If you take out the profit it would further come down to Rs. 400. Now this premium can be borne by the Central Govt & State Govt combined & the policy could be offered to the poor family. Is there any existing scheme which is doing this. Yes madam, the Aaam Aadmi Bima Yojana is covering the poor family under this. What is your view on initiative on Health Insurance Madam the govt has launced “Rasthriya Swasthya Bima Yojana” under which it provides health insurance cover to the poor families. The problem which I see in it is the high claims ratio because of which the premium is high & the government cannot provide high cover. To facilitate further the government has also planned to issue identity cards to the poor families for cashless transaction at the hospitals. MEMBER 5 You are from Sriganganagar which is a border district? What challenges to National Security do you see from border (not just Rajasthan but the entire Indian border)? Sir there are various challenges to National Security because of the long international border of India. The border with Bangladesh is highly porous which leads to a lot of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Many illegal Bangladeshis have also been apprehended by the police in bomb blast cases.There is increase of terrorism originating from Pakistan & Bangladesh in India in the form of increasing bomb blasts as well as recent attacks like the one witnessed in Bombay.
- 23. 23 The problem ofcounterfeit currency. The problem of illicit drug trafficking. What problem does counterfeit currency create? Sir, the presence of counterfeit currency creates a parallel black economy. The black economy does not contribute to the taxes of the government. Moreover counterfeit currency is also being used to finance terrorist activities in India. What step has the government taken to curb this? I started with Money Laundering Act but the member intervened and said “To tackle the overall security situation & not just the problem of counterfeit currency”. Then I said that the government of India is taking various steps like fencing the international border (esp Bangladesh border), it has legislated National Investigation Agency Act, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Your hobby is “Internet Surfing” I presume as you have mentioned “Computers & Internet” in your form? Can you explain. Sir, I’m a bit deeper into my hobby. I wanted to learn how to build a website & therefore started my own portal iasguru.com. Basically it is a knowledge sharing platform where I have posted my own notes for free sharing. I got inspired by wikipedia for taking up this initiative. A couple of my friends have also joined me in this initiative & are helping me in digitizing & posting the notes. Apart from this I suggested the use of file sharing platforms like rapidshare in my company for sending large files (greater than 10 MB as you cannot attach such big files on email) instead of burning CDs & sending it across to the branches. It leads to saving of cost as well as time. I don’t see you having any professional degree in computers. How do you do all this? Sir I don’t have any professional degree. I have learned this totally out of my interest. Do you use You Tube? Yes sir I do use it. It was in news recently….Any idea on that. Yes sir. You tube was in news a couple of days back (the member intervened & said…not a couple of days back…..it is as recent as yesterday…& might be in papers today) I said I don’t know sir. The member explained that China has banned youtube because a video showing police atrocities on Tibetans was posted on it. What is the Tibetan problem? Sir, Tibetans are demanding greater Autonomy which is the Chinese government is unwilling to yield. Moreover the Chinese government has settled ethnic Chinese population in Urban areas of Tibet which the Tibetans are resenting. The Chinese government is unwilling to relocate the ethnic Chinese population from Tibet How do you see the Tibet issue vis-à-vis India? Sir the Tibet issue cropped up between India & China when in 1958 India gave political asylum to Dalai Lama & his followers in Dharmshala. Being a country which cherishes democratic values, India had to give political asylum. But China saw this move as meddling with the internal affairs of the country. The Chinese side went to the extent of thinking that It was a plan by the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru to attack & sieze Tibet with the local support. Inspite of the Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai slogan & the “Panchseel Principle” a war could not be avoided between India & China.
- 24. 24 Now we havemoved four decades since then? Has India recognized Tibet? Yes Sir India has recognized Tibet. What was the “Quid Pro Quo” if you want to term it as one. Sir in return China recognized Sikkim as Indian territory on its official map. Exam Interview Details : Subjects Taken : Psychology Date : 26-March-2011 Interview Board : Dr. K. K. Paul Board
- 25. 25 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Shailesh Bansal : AIR 597 (Rajni Rajdan Board), Indian Administrative Service 2010 Name : Shailesh Bansal As I entered she asked me to sit. She started with asking my roll no. DOB and verified my photo. Then she asked about Libya issues. Que. Do you know about Libya Issue. Is it fair that NATO forces entered into Libyan territory. Ans. Yes mam i know about that and definitely it’s an intervention but it should be looked in the shadow of resolution passed by UN. When we looks it from that point of view it looks justified. As UN is a democratic organization. It has said in its resolution to do whatever possible to restore Human rights there, and it is said in diplomatic language having crude meaning of doing attacks. Que. So it means that use of US not violating Human Rights there. Ans. Yes mam both US and Gaddafi are violating Human rights. Passed to the next member: Que: You have opted for Pali Literature; Do you have any idea of Sangam Literature? Ans: Sorry Sir Que: In a manufacturing concern how I can make balance of payment? Ans: Sir payments are shown in Dr. side Que: I am asking balance of payment, not payment! Ans: Sorry sir, I got it as payments. In that case expenses are shown in Dr. side and incomes are shown in Cr. Side. Que: What are your Hobbies? Ans: Net Surfing, TV Watching Que: What do you do in TV Watching? Which serial do you follow? Ans: Balika Vadhu, Laptagang Que: Is Jagdish (A Character) doing correct in that? Ans: No sir, But it should be looked from other angle also where when someone gets married in his/her childhood then it may be possible to have attraction towards person other than his/her spouse. Que: What do u do in Net Surfing? Ans: Sir I m active on most of social networking sites. Whenever I need some information I search it on web. Beside that I do blogging. Que: What do you do in blogging? Ans: I shares audit and accounts related knowledge
- 26. 26 Que: I wantto upload 50 pic. on Facebook How can I do this? Ans: Sir you can put them on picasa and then set a link on facebook, other way is by doing uploading upfront on facebook. Que: Tell me name of few social network websites Ans: I told 5-6 name Passed to Next Member: Que: So you are a CA, you must be knowing about company law Ans: Yes Sir Que: When I see audit report of CAG given for government concerns I found it very descriptive and detailed in comparison of a CA’s report (Usually given for limited companies). So don’t you think that auditors of a company other than government concern should be appointed by CAG ? Ans: Sir I am not agree with this point. Because auditors are appointed by shareholders (in democratic way) whether it is government concern or other concern. CAG only advices government for appointment of auditors and government appoints auditor in the capacity of shareholder. If we gives power to appoint auditors of private companies to CAG than it will be a sort of discrimination. Further CAG makes its audit with a propriety and efficiency point of view so it’s obvious that his report is long and descriptive. Que: I feels that CAs are influenced by their client while making their audit report! Ans: Sorry sir but I am a CA and signed reports too. There are lot of personal responsibility on a CA while signing a Report so point of influencing doesn’t arise. Then he told me that he is not satisfied. In reply I said sorry sir…. Que: If auditors have personal responsibility than why Satyam like cases happened? Ans: Sir, I agree that in few cases auditors were not at par. But in consequences of that they are facing trial. Que: What happened in Satyam case? Which Auditing company involved in that? Ans: Sir it was Price water house coppers as auditor and ICAI have constituted a committee to investigate that matter report of which is yet to come. Passed to next Member: Que : What are your service preference ? Ans: Indian Administrative Service , Indian Police Service , Indian Foreign Service and then Accounts related services …. Que: You are a chartered accountant so you should have opted for Indian Economic Services! Ans: Sir, I have completed my CA in the age of 22,After that I have worked for 2 and half year in Bulgaria (Europe). During my that tenure I felt that I should do something for society and on the same
- 27. 27 time I canuse my skills that I have learnt during my CA. While looking for an option that suits both condition I found Indian Administrative Service as best choice. So I choosed Indian Administrative Service as first preference. Que: Government is changing its accounting system, do u know about that? Ans: Yes Sir, First it was cash basis of accounting and now it’s going for accrual basis of accounting. Que: What is accrual basis of accounting? Ans: In which income and expenses related with certain year are accounted for ONLY in the year in which they have incurred. Que: There are big infrastructure projects are going on. They finishes in 4-5 years so how I can do accounting for them? Ans: Sir, These type of projects falls in contract accounting and as per institute of chartered accountants of India Accounting standard no. 7 should be used for that accounting. In that AS two methods are prescribed one is proportionate of completion method another one is estimation basis. Que: We have Doctors , engineers with us why should we select you ? Ans : Sir, During my tenure as CA I learnt about policy making, policy implementation, Compliance, Finding variations, reporting etc. and I feels that these tasks resembles with work of a Indian Administrative Service so I feels are I can do that better than other by adding my past experience in that. Que: No I was expecting that you will say I will find out scams for you? Ans: Sir I have told that I can find out variations and variations are nothing but sort of scams. Passed to next member: Que: What are your personal goal on life? Ans: Sir, my personal goal on life is that when after some time I look back people should say about me that yes he is the man with moral and he has done something for society. This is the feeling that boosts my morale. Que: You have power with money, power without money and only money. what would you like to choose? Ans: I asked him to repeat the question and replied power with money. Que: Suppose you won a jackpot of Rs. one crore. What will you do? Ans: Sir at first I will celebrate. Que: No I am asking how you will expense out them? Ans: As amount Is big I won’t be able to plan now. He asked me to take some time and I replied sorry sir I won’t be able to plan now. He asked me that OK, can u tell me your preferences that whether you will give it to family or society or will do something for yourself? I replied that yes sir, First I will give it to family, then society and then something for myself.
- 28. 28 Mrs. Rajdan tookthe question again and asked me that how much will be the tax on it? I replied after some oral calculations as approximately 33% She asked again that you are a CA, can’t you plan BALANCE Rs. 67 Lacs ? I said sorry mam I can’t for now. But I can tell you my preference as family, society and then for myself. She said OK you can go….. I thanked all members and chairman and left the room. Exam Interview Details: Subjects Taken : Commerce & Pali Literature Interview Board : Rajni Rajdan Result of Interview : Qualified City : New Delhi
- 29. 29 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Mamta Gupta : AIR 413 (K. S. Chalam Board) Indian Administrative Service 2010 Name : MAMTA GUPTA I entered after taken permission. M- Good afternoon mam, Good afternoon Sir C- Very good afternoon. Please come and have a seat. (I entered) C- So how did you enter into the room. M- Sir, I came here by walking. C- Ok. So is there any other way to enter into the room? (I started thinking) C- So we can say there is no other way to enter. M- Yes sir. C- You are a Electronics engineer. so you will use your knowledge in administration.( He said while looking at my summary sheet) M- Yes sir. I will use. There is E-governance.( I started elaborating further. He interrupted). C- I did not ask the details. Just yes or no. M- Sorry sir. (he passed on to the other member) O- From your region there are many millionaires / Billionare.What is the reason? (he also gave some data that out of 10000/100000 persons, one is millionaire) (I belong to Shekhawati region.) M- Yes sir. Because people from my reason are intelligent and hard working. (i said with smile. Nothing else came to my mind) O- So people only from your area are intelligent and hard working (everyone was laughing) M- Others are also but people from my area are more intelligent and more hard working. O- do you know if soil of western districts of Rajasthan like Jaisalmer, Badmer etc. is suitable for Olive farming. (i started thinking) O- You know countries in Northern Africa near Mediterranean sea do Olive cultivation. M- yes sir. There it is but I don't know about Rajasthan. O- Any idea how many types of Olives and their qualities. M- Sorry sir O- You should as cooking is your hobbies. M- I have used olive only in Pizza and also olive oil is good for hair.
- 30. 30 (He passed onto the lady member) O- so your college in MNIT. What is it? M- It is Malviya national institute of technology. It is one of the NITs. O- You have such good grades. You must have worked very hard. (She was saying 'very good' after my every answer) O- Have you heard CSR? M- Yes mam. It is Corporate Social Responsibility. O- Very good. What activities companies do as part of this. M- Thinking... O- If you don't know something, say that you don't know (she was a bit strict this time) M- Sorry mam. I am not able to recall. O- What your company does for this, M- My company has collaboration with NGOs like NAYI DISHA in Noida. We give money to them and also sometimes we organize exhibitions for article made by them. So this way they earn some money. O- So you give monetary help. M- Yes mam. O- Why you want to become civil servant. M- I have seen many problems in my village. That made me feel that i should do and will do something for them. O- Ok. So what type of problems are there. M- There is water shortage. ( I started explaining..) O- Please give as 1.. 2 .. 3. M- Education, health facilities etc. (she was not convinced). O- Is there Casteism problem also there? M- No. There are mainly Agarwal community there. (I think i should not had said this) C- (laughing). They have driven everyone else out from there. (everyone laughing now) (She passed on to other member) O- Have you heard about Short Service Commissioning in army. M- No Sir. O- OK. in this after 14 years of service women are given compulsory retirement. Now they are
- 31. 31 demanding full term.Do you know what could be reason for this. M- (thinking..).. Sir, Women have family responsibilities. O- Once they are in service, wo to manage ho hi jata hai. M- Sorry sir, I don't know. O- So Rajasthan is a very famous tourist destination. Tourism has led to many problems there like Social disturbance, drug trafficking. What can be done to solve this. M- for Drug trafficking, police should be more active. ( I could not answer further) O- In western Rajasthan, there are border problems. What Govt. is doing to resolve this. M- Air force, Army, Police all are working together. There is border fencing, Camel patrol. Also there are QRT (quick response team) O- Border security is done by BSF, CRPF or by police and army as you are saying. M- Sir, its done bt all together. O- May be you are right. I will check again. (other member) O- What is the difference between 2G, 3G, 4G and S band. What is their frequency. M- I told the different frequency ranges. O- What is the devas multimedia controversy. M- There was an agreement between ISRO and Devas and ISRO sold them S bank spectrum at much less price than the market price. O- Is that's all or anything else also. M- ISRO also agreed to launch 2 satellite for Devas. O- How much percentage utilization was to be done by Devas. M - 90%. 9 out of 10 transponders. (They discussing whether those satellites wee launched or not and the satellite which failed was same or other) O- What could be done to improve agriculture in Rajasthan. M- Farmers should be told which crop and fertilizer is suitable for soil. This will increase the productivity. (He was not convinced) O- Today every farmer knows all this. what else. M- Bio fuel. This will also increase his income and also suitable for Rajasthan as requires less water. O- No. Bio fuel is only for that soil which is completely barren. It further makes soil unproductive. Which bio fuel crop can be grown. M- Jatropha.
- 32. 32 C- (laughing) Bookishknowledge. O- Jatropha is not at all suitable. O- There should be cattle rearing, agro forestry. social forestry along with agriculture. M- Yes sir( i started recalling as I had read all this). Your interview is over. You can leave now. M- Thank you mam. thank you sir. I came out of the room. Exam Interview Details : Subjects Taken : Public Administration, Geography Interview Board : Prof. K. S. Chalam Result of Interview : Qualified Interview marks- 168/300 City : Noida
- 33. 33 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Rajesh Kankipati : AIR 103 (Purushotam Aggarwal Board), Indian Administrative Service 2010 Name : Rajesh Kankipati Interview Before I may write anything, I take this opportunity to thank 1) Mr. K. Srinivasu Indian Revenue Service (IT) : My Interview Mentor. 2) Mr. R.C. Sinha- New Delhi Indian Administrative Service - He acclimatised me about many issues and made my approach towards interview more pragmatic and realistic. 3) My friends Aravind, Pradeep, Sandeep, Satish, Bindu and my intellectual friend Sai. 4) Mocks of Chanaknya Indian Administrative Service academy and the panel who made me realise my deficiencies and defects. Background: B.Tech (Electrical and Electronics Engineering), Pondicherry central University. Hobbies: Reading Books (Non-Fiction) and Story Telling. Place of Birth: Rajahmundry Place of Residence: Ramagundam (Telangana) Optionals: Public Administration and Sociology CHAIRMAN (CM): Purushottam Aggarwal Time: 4.25 p.m-5.00 p.m Me: Rajesh Kankipati I was the last candidate for the day Bell ring and attendant opened the door Me: May I come in sir? CM: Yes Rajesh come in Went near the table and said "namaste Sir" (Confusion whether to say Good Afternoon or Good evening) CM: Rajesh Take your seat Me: Thank You sir CM: Your hobbies is story telling (in an angry tone with large voice) Me: Yes sir CM: Do you write or imagine stories? Me: I don't write or imagine stories. I have a hobbies of reading books. So, whenever I read something that is worth sharing, I narrate it. CM: Why do you do it? Me: It would help in inculcating and imbibing good values CM: Whom do you narrate to? Me: No reservation against any age group. School going children, room mates, parents, professors, rickshaw puller, any one sir for that matter
- 34. 34 CM: Can yousay a story? Me: A man came from America to deliver a lecture at Hyderabad. After the lecture was over he went to a nearby lake to enjoy the scenic beauty. On the other bank of the lake he saw a woman washing clothes. While she was washing, some of her body parts were exposed. Seeing this, he was tempted towards her. But being ethical and honest he tried to control his temptation. After washing clothes the woman went into the lake to have bath. When she removed her clothes he was not able to control his temptations. So he jumped into the lake. Went near her, hugged and embraced her. Started mindlessly kissing her. She began to shout for help but no one came to her rescue. This man still goes on kissing her mindlessly. After some time of 2 min, he begins to feel some roughness over the surface of her body. To see what this roughness is he opens his eyes. He saw to his amazement that this lady was a blind and leper. And sir at that moment he said a word that really touched my heart, and he said "I never knew how leper my heart was till I touched this leper". Sir the moral of the story is that everybody in life suffers from a leprosy of heart, if addressed I believe, the world would be a better place to live CM: (with a very satisfied look asked me) whose story is this? Me: Malcomm Mug ridge CM: Who is he? Me: I don't know about him sir. I read about him in a book' Chairman passes it to the first member M1: Rajesh do you know what is a apocryphal story? Me: Sir, I never heard about this term. CM: What story you said now is a apocryphal story. Then all the panel members laughed loud. I just gave a smile M1: Rajesh when a story is of a doubtful authenticity but also carrying a prophetic message that is narrated with good dramatics is a apocryphal story. Me: Thank you sir. M1: Do you know India has a rich repository of ancient traditions of story telling. Can you name some of them? Me: Sir Amarchitrakatha CM: Don't talk about all this. what you are saying is a recent phenomenon. We are asking you about ancient traditions (in a very angry tone). Me: Sir, I am extremely sorry. I am not aware about the literary aspects of story telling. But I know that in Andhra we have a tradition of "Harikatha, Burrakatha and Tholubomma" and in north we have stories of Panchatantra.(CM was looking for the same answer.He concurred with me when I said this and to my amazement he knew abot Andhra stories.So I gave command to my brain that I should not bluff to him.come what ever may).
- 35. 35 M1: Ok, Youare from Rajahmundry, why did you go to Pond cherry to study? Me:Sir I appeared for the AIEEE and I got seat at Pondicherry engineering college. And it is a central university. So I believed that my career prospects would be brighter.So I was attarcted. M1: What is your opinion about grading system in schools? Me: Sir It is a good move. That would help in de-stressing of the student because we see many child suicides for marks in schools. M1: I don't think it would make any difference. I was about to defend but he didnt allow me to reply.He wanted to de-motivate me. M1: So you are an engineer, why I A S? Me: Sir, I was inspired by many surrendered naxalaites to become an Indian Administrative Service officer. At a very early age of 12-3 years I came to know what an Indian Administrative Service officer can do. And sir apart from that I also understand that the career progression, prestige and esteem offered by these services are unparalleled. CM: Rajesh What is this naxalism? Me: Sir, naxalism is an extremist thought who believe in the doctrine of maoism CM: what is this Maoism? Me: Sir, they want to overpower and overthrow the state through an armed rebellion to establish a socialist state. They believe that power flows from the barrel of a gun and not the ballot CM: So, do you think what they are doing is right? Me: Sir, I have gone through the Planning commission document on Development challenges in extremist affected areas. And the report rightly acknowledges the good work done by the maosits. CM: Do you feel they are also perpetuating injustice?? Me: Sir when their core interests get affected, they also join the corrupt political-bureaucratic- contractor nexus. CM: U know one collector was abducted? Me: Yes sir, Mr. Vineel Krishna CM: Do you think the government was right in releasing the naxalaites for the release of collector Me: Sir, Definitely the government was right. If he was not released it would be de-motivating for honest and sincere officers that government would not come to my rescue when I am in need CM: But Rajesh, dreaded criminals were released Me: Sir we need to have a anti-hostage policy and train the national disaster response force to deal with theses issues CM: Do you know we have a anti-hijacking policy that says no negotiations. Do you support? Me: Sir policies serve as a deterrent. But any decision should be taken based on the gravity of the situation.
- 36. 36 M2: So, Youare from Rajahmundry? Me: Sir, I was born at rajahmundry, but I am from Ramagundam. M2: So what is this Telangana movement? Me: Sir it is a sub-regional movement, that should be seen in the context of demand for equity, development, empowerment and representation? M2: Do you think Telngana is needed? Me: Sir I strongly and sincerely feel that telangana state is needed? M2: Why? Me: Sir right from 1956 every provision and gaurantee was violated.4 cr people of telangana want it.And more importantly there is lack of representation of telangana leaders. M2: Do you know 117 legislators go to state assembly from telangana? Me: But thier representation in cabinet is very less. M2: why? Me: Sir while legislators are elected by people,cabinet is the prerogative of the CM.And CM is never from Telangana Region. Coastal Andhara and Rayalseema MLAs combined will have more number than Telangana. So representation is limited. M2: Why no CM from Telangana? Me: Sir a CM has to command the respect of the majority of people in the state and the support of the legislators, Which a telangana leader may fail to get because of his regional aspiration. And as Weber says there is a need of charismatic authority which a Telangana leader might fail to get because of the regional aspirations M2: wanted to ask further, But CM intervened and stopped him and passed it on to the third member who was a lady. I felt M2 was from coastal andhra region. He was not agreeing with me. But it is the opinion and demeneaour when we say our opinion matters more than our answer. M3: Rajesh we had the fortune of listening a story from you. Now i will say a story and you should say the moral of the story. A young blind boy is begging on the road with a slate in his neck.The slate reads."I am Blind, Please help me". A man passes by the lane everyday and finds that noone drops any money in his plate ever. SO he rubs the text on the slate and writes, "The day is beautiful, But Sorry, I am not able to see. Please help me". Then everyone starts to give him money. What is the moral of the story? Me: Madam may i use an analogy to explain the moral of the story? M3: Oh Yes! Me: Looked at CM and said, sir may i be allowed to use the pencil and paper.
- 37. 37 CM: Go Ahead Me:I wrote on the paper "GOD IS NO WHERE", and i said sir any number of times we see, we read it GOD IS NO WHERE. But the same sentence can also be read as "GOD IS NOW HERE" if we attach the "W" in Where beside the word "NO" and it becomes "NOW". So in life we need to acknowledge postiveness to grow high .So, the moral of the story is there is a power of positiveness if harnassed man can be successful like the blind boy. CM: I am not convinced with you.It is the power of expression that said "The day is beautiful " but not the power of positiveness. Me: Sir I agree with you. But i feel it is the power of the positiveness of the expression.Expressions are there everywhere.But when positive energy gets augmented, the face of the expression changes. M3: What is social marketing? Me: Sorry madam, i never heard about this. M3: Do you know Amitabh bachchan comes on the TV to advertise for polio. Me: Madam, No TV, Old Rajindernagar is very costly. CM :No rajesh, even in print media we see Sehwag and Bollywood stars promoting social causes? Me: Sir i understand it is Corporate social responsibility. But i am not aware if CSR and social marketing are similar in concept. M4: Rajesh you are from rajahmundry? Me: Sir i was born there, but i am from ramagundam. M4: Do you know in rajahmundry tobacco grows? Me: Yes sir. M4: What is the kind of tobacco grown? Me: Sir it is called Virginia tobacco. M4: So in India the area under tobacco is decreasing. What is the reason? Me: Sir in 2008 India signed the Convention on banning of tobacco substances. There is a mandate under the convention to decrease area cultivated under tobacco. M4: Do you think it is justified? Me: Sir while tobacco is causing many health hazards, it is also supporting livelihoods. So government has to provide altenative skills for livelihood. And the area should be decreased in a phased manner. M4 o you know what ITC is doing? Me: I don't know sir M4: It is doing what you have just said. Me: Thank you sir. I am humbled.
- 38. 38 M4: Ramagundam hasa power plant, do you think thermal energy should be encouraged? Me: Sir thermal energy should be encouraged keeping in view our growth rates, infrastructure needs and keeping in mind the technology and efficiency aspects. M4: Do you know the unit cost of a thermal and hydro power plant? Me: Sir thermal is Rs2-Rs3/KWHr while hydro energy is Rs 1/KWHr M4: So why cant we encourage hydropower? Me: Sir,while there is every need to diversify our energy basket, thermal energy is an imperative to us keeping in view the needs.Apart from that hydropower plants involve lot of tribal displacement, submergence and huge gestation period. CM: Ok, Rajesh, Your interview is over. Me: Sir can i remove the paper i used and throw in the dustbin CM: NO. NO. It is not your job. Me: Thank you sir I walked without showing my back till the door. I bowed again in humility to the board at the door and came out. The lady member smiled. And I came out. My Observations: Interview is not a question and answer session. It is about discussion. Always the question is from biodata and news papers. Interview is not about what you say but about how you say. It is about demeanor. Mark is not for knowledge. Mark is for confidence, honesty, intellectual integrity, knowing ground realities and variety and depth of your understanding. Trust the board. Don't have prejudices. Finally assessment is from what you have answered not from the question that you have not answered. Board cant test your personality from a question you have not answered. So forget the question that you have not answered and answer the question to the best of your ability in a question you know. The easiest question in an interview is the question that you don't know. so feel happy about it. Finally its all about the attitude one displays that pulls or pushes you on the ladder of marks. Exam Interview Details: Interview Marks: 190 marks, 103 rank Subjects Taken: Public Administration and Sociology Date:18-Apr-2011 Interview Board: Purushotam Aggarwal Result of Interview: Qualified City: Hyderabad
- 39. 39 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Rajeshwari B Name: Rajeshwari B Type: Interview Interview: I do not remember the exact answers I gave in my interview so I will only give you the gist of my interview.my board was Rajni Razdan madam's.First thing she said was 'you don't look like you do in your photograph'.. I smiled and said, but ma'am it was only taken a month back. She showed the pic to me and said do you feel you look like this now. Immediately after your interview go and get new photos and give to my assistant. I said ok ma'am I will do the needful. All this time I kept my smile. Finally she asked me my name , roll number which I answered. RR - What do you cook (my hobby)? Me - Ma'am depends on what I feel at that moment. RR - Don't tell me that , tell me what you prepare. Me - Yes ma'am , rice is our staple food so I prepare rice items more, like veg pulav , fried rice , biriyani and some regionally specific dishes like bisi bele baat , vaangi baat. RR - Tell me the recipe of that. Me - Ma'am it is a brinjal based dish with spices. ( I was trying to give an introduction of the recipe before giving the details, like as if this was a written exam.P ). RR - when you see a recipe book is that how you find the recipe, won't there be ingredients and measurements? Now tell us how you will prepare for the five of us (members). Me - I started ma'am I will require 3 cups of rice. somewhere at the end she cut in and said ok, ( may be she din't find it that tasty..!! :P ) RR - You have done MA in Pol Sci & IR, tell me about the situation in Libiya right now. Me - Presently the NATO forces are implementing the UNSC Resolution 1973. But the leader Muammar Gaddafi is not ready to let go of his power and is retaliating to these NATO forces. There is a lot of chaos going on. ( This was the weakest point of my interview. I could have given a much better answer.) Then she gestured the next sir to ask. I was passed on. Sir1 - Have you heard of Self Help Groups ? Me - yes sir I have. S1 - What do they do? Me - Sir , they are a way of generating a regular income among women , especially in the rural areas. Women come together and form various enterprises through which they can gain some profit. Many small and cottage industries are based on this. Crafts and edible items.. etc are marketed by them. S1 - Do they have savings?
- 40. 40 Me - Yessir, they are encouraged to go for savings and they also give out loans to the newcomers to establish their own groups and enterprise. Now a days some banks like SBI (not sure if this is right) also give out loans to these groups. S1 - You are from Karnataka , Recently the arecanut farmers from there visited the PM for some reason. What are their problems? Me - (I forgot the more important reason and gave the general one first). Off late the arecanut yield is suffering due to insufficient irrigation and power cuts..etc. And recently the Kar. gov. has banned gutka and supari due to which the arecanut prices have taken a steep dip. Their demand is to bring some stability to the prices of arecanut. S1 - Don't you think it is good that such a thing which causes oral cancer and all has been banned? Me - Definitely it is a good thing sir. But arecanut itself is not the biggest cause of oral cancer. Tobacco is more hazardous ot heath but it has not been banned. and many people are dependent upon arecanut for their livelihood, so the issue has to be thought about. S1 - Can't we encourage the arecanut farmers to go for alternative crops? Me - We can do that sir, But we must keep in mind that arecanut is an intensive investment sector. A lot of investment goes into buying the plants and fertilizers. It also requires heavy irrigation facilities like drip irrigation which is quite expensive. So it will be difficult to convince them to go for a change now. And even if they do , they must be given adequate returns for their investment. also the soil suitablility has to be researched for alternative craops. So this will need more time and research. S1 - Have you seen any arecanut farms? Me - Yes sir my father comes from an agricultural family . So I have seen arecanut farms. He nodded and said okay. then Sir 2. A really very old and sweet uncle. S2 - You mentioned supari in you answer. Do you know the other meaning of supari? they say supari de dunga no.... Me - Yes sir (big smile). It means something like hired assasins. S2 - said yes you are right, with a smile. And asked you have done your schooling in coorg and then you did it in Mysore. Why? Me - Yes sir , my father was in govt service and we had changed a few schools during my early years in school. To bring some stability my parents thought it would be better to put us in a hostel. S2 - why Coorg? Me - When I was studying in Udipi , we (automatically I included my bro also but luckily he din't realize) were under the guidance of a particular principle who was very good.When he went to coorg to head another school we also shifted there as we wanted to continue to be under his guidance. S2 - Then why Mysore? Me - Sir after staying for so long in hostel , I wanted to be at home so decided to continue my studies in Mysore itself.
- 41. 41 S2 - Smiledand said that explains everything. Looked at my application and asked , Why did you go for distance education for you degree? Me - Sir I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis during the final months of my plus two. And I had some difficulty with walking in the early mornings, but I wanted to continue my studies so decided to go for distance education. S2 - Oh, that's very sad, are you still under medication? Me - No sir, I was for one year but I am better now. He said that's good. And Sir 3, sitting on my left started. S3 - What you know about regional planning? Me - Sir we are already having problems of regionalism in India. This is because of development disparities among regions. So to help in development of a particular region a particular plan is laid out keeping in mind the advantages and disadvantages of the region. India is a vast country with each region having different resources and different needs, so we cannot have a single plan for the whole country. That is why we have regional planning. S3 - What are the benefits? Me - By having regional planning we can give focus to every region and help in faster development of India itself. More importantly the local people will be involved in it. I think that just like grassroot democracy even administration must go to the grass root and regional planning helps in doing this. S3 - People will take part more..? Me - Yes sir. ( he was kind of acknowledging my answer so I did not elaborate). S3 - What is diff between rural planning and urban planning? Me - Sir , through rural planning we are still trying to give our rural areas some of the basic amenities such as electricity , water and schools. Some of our villages do not even have schools yet , so we are focusing on providing them these kind of development through the plans where as in urban area we are focusing on improving the infrastructure , increasing economic output and attracting more FDI..etc . this is the basic difference. He said okay and passed me on to the nest Sir. S4 - We have launched the PSLV recently (it was done just the previous day). Why do we need it , what is the use? Me - Sir we have launched 3 sats through this launch. One is the resources at , the other two with foreign collaboration, one with Indonesia ( It was actually Russia.. :P ) and the other with Singapore. Firstly this will help us gain access to foreign technology which is superior to ours and also we can go for agreements and joint researches in the field of space and science..etc. There will be technology transfer which will have positive effects from india's point of view. And then satellites like resources at help us know about our resources which is helpful in many ways.
- 42. 42 S4 - Howknowing resources will be helpful? Me - Sir India has great resource potential , but we are not bale to capitalize on these resources. By knowing which region has what resources, our planning will be better and when our planning is better, our rate of development will pick up. For example we have floods in one region but droughts in another. Knowing this we can build dams in the most suitable region so that the floods can be diverted and the water used to irrigate lands which face drought. Also knowing about rivers and their flow we can plan our hydel projects..etc. Knowing about our forests we can go for development in a sustainable manner such that forests are used for economic purposes but also conserved at the same time etc S4 - Are you aware of the National Knowledge Network ? Me - Yes sir , it is an initiatative to connect the various universities all over the country. to make a network of it...... S4 - What is the use of this Network? Me - Sir this will help in over all development of higher education in the country. the top universities that have good infrastructure can help other universities to improve their infrastructure. Libraries and information can be shared, so there will be a flow of ideas between the universities. And ideas will lead to innovation and development. Most importantly it will bring together the youth of the nation. Being a big country , it is physically impossible to meet, but through such a cyber network we can get in touch with our peers in various parts of our country. S4 - How many times have you been to Delhi? Me - Sir this is my second visit. I was here in 2007 for my coaching. S4 - Do you see any change? Me - (Was little confused with this q as I din't know what he expected) Not particularly sir. S4 - They say they are using CNG and so pollution has come down etc . Don't you feel that? Me - Sir I come from Mysore which has recently beed judged as the 2nd cleanest city in India. when I come from there to here I see a huge difference. I have not felt any significant change. S4 - What is CNG? Me - It is Compressed Natural Gas. It is a renewable source of energy ( made this mistake in my josh). I am sorry sir not renewable but a clean source of energy that is being used now a days. S4 - why is it compressed? Me - I was so comfortable that I blurted compressed because its compressed sir with a big smile on my face. Then I actually laughed and said I am sorry sir I don't really know why. S4 - What is your dream? Me - I smiled and said my dream sir? (he nodded) I know that India will be one of the most developed society in a matter of few years. My dream is to be a part of India's development process. To make a contribution in such a success.
- 43. 43 S4 - Whycivil services? Me - I would like to quote Socrates here sir. ( he nodded ) . ' An unexamined life is not worth living'. And when I examine my life in the end , it will not be in terms of how much property , wealth and status I have made but it will be in terms of how worth while I have been to the society. This I can do as an NGO or social worker (S3 was kind of repeating my answer when I was at it.), but the confidence I require will be given to me only by civil services. At this point RR said a stern THANK YOU (guess she was still angry that I don't wish her first). I kind of jerked out of my comfort zone after hearing her Thank you, I said thank you ma'am , thank you sirs and walked out confidently. Exam Interview Details : Subjects Taken : Sociology and Political science Date : 21-Apr-2011 Interview Board : Rajni Razdan
- 44. 44 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Nidhi Choudhari (Purushotam Agrawal Board) Name: Nidhi Choudhari Interview Writeup: 1. What is Gargi Prize? (Reason: mentioned in Awards/Achievement in Bio-data) 2. Why Gargi? 3. Wherein this debate mentioned? (only these three questions were asked by the Chairman) 4. Why do you want to join Indian Administrative Service after working for RBI? (Reason: Working as Manager, RBI since 2006) The member didn’t listen to me and stopped me from answering the question and himself suggested some reason 5. What is the talk about public debt management and RBI? 6. What is the conflict of interest in public debt mgt? (Member 1) 7. Where are India’s forex reserves? 8. What is RBI doing with forex reserves? 9. United Nations and some government’s failure? (asked whether middle east but he said no some other government then I said I am not aware about this.) 10. Difference between Public Administration and Management? (Reason: MA in Public Administration from University of Rajasthan, Jaipur 2007) 11. Goal of Public Administration? 12. Are you following what is happening in Delhi at Jantar Mantar, what will happen of Lokpal Bill? (Reason: Working in RBI, New Delhi) 13. What is sex ratio in Rajasthan? (Reason: Born and Brought up in Nagaur District of Rajasthan) 14. What will you do if you are posted in a district where female foeticide is prevalent? (Member 2) 15. Are you aware of Forbes list? 16. Forbes most inspiring women of India? (Reason: Being a woman) I didn’t know it. 17. Two women from contemporary India who have inspired you? (Aruna Roy and Shyamala Gopinath) 18. Why? 19. What is the role of student union? (Reason: Vice President, Student’s Union in Government Bangar College, Didwana) 20. What is your take on their present way of functioning? 21. Political parties’ involvement in Students Union? (Lady Member) 22. What is the difference between gift and dowry? 23. Recently, in a marriage in Delhi expensive gifts were given to guests whether that is dowry? 24. Which Act?
- 45. 45 25. How theact defines dowry? (Not able to recall) 26. Upto what level reservation should be given? 27. When in corporate sector CMDs are not appointed on the basis of reservation why government appoints through reservation? 28. I am in medical field and have seen that no MLA / MP wants to undergo medical treatment by somebody who has been selected through reservation. Then why reservation? (Member 4) The interview ended. Exam Interview Details : Date: April 8, 2011 Subjects Taken : PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIOLOGY Interview Board : PURUSHOTAM AGRAWAL Result of Interview: Qualified City : New Delhi
- 46. 46 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Ajay Pal AIR-160 (Dr. K.K. Paul Board) Indian Administrative Service 2010 K K Paul sir board My interview was on march 26,2011 This year my optionals are public admin and punjabi literature It was my second interview.last year it was with nirbhay sharma board. This year there were some numeric coincidences. 26-last two digits of my roll no. , 26 is my date of birth ,26 is diwali this year and 26 was date of my interview..i was conscious of this numeric thing and did prepare. (but of no use in interview as nothing such was asked). I got up around 5:40 (though didn’t had that sound sleep) i turned on my internet and rapidly went through various major newspapers.(it did help i must say). I went to the venue by 8:30 am there were m1: dressed sincere aspirants,most of them with their parents.as i had experience of last year so was not getting anymore conscious of the toughness of competition. As this time my brother was with me so was relatively cool and calm and enjoying..got into row and entered the building.reached hall..sat on e 4 table.. One of my known female aspirant was in same batch.. On our table there were 6 candidates including me. Then came person for formalities.i looked and relaxed on finding that this time am not last one in my batch to be interviewed (last year i was last in morning batch and my interview went for 12:20 to 1:05)..this time i was third to be interviewed…. Then started thinking the million..rather bilion dollar question….which board? (though had convinced myself not to think bad of any board but human nature) after sometime around 10:04 i must say first candidate was called..and we got to know the soothing news that our board of k k paul i was not worried at that time much because had heard that he is reasonable person. Also female who was known to me earlier shared with us the information that paul sir doesn’t spoil career usualy and he give you more than 140 normally though his range is 140-180….and she said he don’t ask much factual questions(it made me relax but what happened in real is a story now lol ) my optionals(mains written) has went quite m1: so i am expecting that with around 150 marks will get me in atleast..
- 47. 47 Then the interviewof first candidate was over around 10:20 i think..i thought i wil be called around 10:40 as interviews are running for 20 mins.and then i was called around 10:40 and had to sit outside for 6-7 mins.person interviewed before me was a nice person with good personality…i was quiet this time and somewhat sincere or you can say serious while last year i was talking a lot and doing fun. And my turn came………the moments which are going to impact my future in really great manner.. Jai mata di bol ke i entered the interview hall.. Chairman:paul sir three male members one female member:tooooooo nice and smiling and was sitting on right side to candidate chair me: may i come in ,sir )ch:come in and sit down (ab kya darwaaze mein he baith jaun i managed myself and didn’t thought much and eentered with confidence..when i reached near chair.smiling lady member very softly said ”take your seat beta” me: good morning sir,good morning sirs and little more smiling good morning madam i occupied my seat and “thank you sir,thank you madam” ch:your name me: ajay pal ch:roll number me: told ch ate of birth me: told ch: so you are from ludhiana? Me:yes sir ch:what is meaning of ludhiana? Me:sir ludhiana is made of two words lodhi+ana. It was named after ibrahim lodhi who was a mughal ruler, i am sorry sir from delhi sultanat. Its named after him. Ch:when was ludhiana founded? Me: sir i don’t know exact year but earlier it was a village named mir hota. Ch: no no when was it founded?
- 48. 48 Me: sorry siri don’t know the year. Ch:you have done bds me:yes sir ch:what is it? Me:sir its bachelor in dental surgery ch:oh so you are a dentist. Me:yes sir ch:now you are working in lic me:yes sir ch:as a dentist in lic? Me:no sir,i am working as assistant administrative officer. Ch:so you have left dentistry completely me: (jyada kahaniyan na banaate hue) yes sir ch: (smilingly ) ok, every person gets aged and old with time and dental problems start erupting so everyone needs a dentist at a stage of life.so there are many patients and so a good job.anyways ch: ok then u have taken punjabi me:yes sir ch:there is somethng gurmukhi also…soooo whats the difference between punjabi and gurmukhi me:sir gurmukhi is a script in which punjabi is written ch:yes right! Me:thank you sir ch:tell me about treaty of amritsar me:sir treaty of amritsar was signed between maharaja ranjit singh and britishers (interrupted by ch) ch: maharaja ranjit singh?he was died by that time. Me: (damn i was totally taken aback.i had read it in ncert but he said otherway.i could not afford to mess with him) m sorry sir ch:there were two treaties which were signed quite close to each other,treaty of amritsar and treaty
- 49. 49 of lahore.tell mesome treaty which is still relevant.forget about radclife line.. Me:thinking for a while(3-4 seconds) m sorry sir i don’t know. Ch: ok you play cricket? Me :yes sir ch:you play these days too? Me : (may be he wanted me to talk of world cup matches but i had not watched all but he had m sure so played safe) yes sir we friends play whenever we get time. Ch: ok these days world cup is going on me: yes sir ch: tell me whats going on in world cup? Me: india has won in quarterfinals defeating australia and told about pakistan as m1: as some other ch: which team has reached world cup semifinals 5 times? Me: (thinking for two seconds) sir newzealand ch: ( thinking for a while while bending ahead a bit) yes you are right its newzealand. Ch:how many times india has reached semifinal? Me : sir this year we have reached world cup semifinals,2003 as m1: as 1983 world cup.. Ch:no no i am asking how many times? Me :m sorry sir am not able to recall. Chairman now passes to first member…. He was a south indian m sure m1: ajay tell me about world cup match of india now me: sir india will be facing pakistan in semifinal m1: when is the semifinal me: sir 30 april m1: where me: sir mohali
- 50. 50 m1 : ajayour prime minister has sent an invitation to someone for the match me: yes sir m1: to whom? Me :sir our prime minister has sent invitation to pakistan president mr zardari and pakistani prime minister mr gilani m1:yes good ,and this has been termed as cricket diplomacy me:yes sir m1 : are you in favour of it me : yes sir because talks can build the trust and confidence among two nations m1 : so we should invite then to every function or occasion me : sir we can invite them in which they also have an interest m1 : ajay ho will you improve relations between india and pakistan me : sir people to people to people contact can be raised.for example on wagha border there can be opportunity to talk among themselves. M1: you have done literature.how can literature be used to improve the relationship between india and pakistan. Me : (i knew its an opportunity) sir,shiv kumar batalwi (when i took this name he nodded the head in yes and other members too gave positive response) is m1: read in both east and west punjab as m1: as in other regions too.literature connect the people of two nations.we two have shared common history and thus have various bonds connecting us. Sir in recent years pakistani artists have come to india to perform certain plays and indian artists have visited there. M1 : you have read punjabi literature.whats definition of literature? Me : ( seriously felt unning out of words on this ) sir literature is when through various means such as poetary stories novels the situations of society are expressed alongwith other feelings m1 : can we consider novels of sydney sheldon and ( one more name he took ) as part of literature? Me: m sorry sir i have not readf their novels so am not able to comment m1 :what is enlightenment me : (again running short of exact definition,trying to answer) sir the social proceesses are explained……(he interrupted) m1 : ok,which are two novels you liked
- 51. 51 me :sir chittalahu by nanak singh navalkar and ik myaan do talwaaran. M1 : in chitta lahu from liteary aspect what you liked? Me : sir the novelist in this novel has touched various social problems at a time m1: no no from literary aspect me :sir the language as m1: as sir he has romanticised the novel with passion in it m1 : you used two terms romantic and passion.whats the relation between two? Me : sir whn there is romance,passion comes itself m1 : (smiled) ok chairman passed to second member,sardar ji on my left,bluish eyes with specs..he was looking like an intelligent person.. M2 : you are from punjab.in punjab it is said that there is only one culture and thats (i spoke along humbly alongwith) agriculture m2: do you agree with this? Me :sir in punjab agriculture is m1: developed sector and large workforce is in this sector m2 : no no tell me only about culture me : sir culture of punjab is very vibrant and dynamic because history of punjab has been vibrant and dynamic..(he interrupted) m2 : what you like about punjabi culture? Me : sir i like open mindedness of punjabi culture,always helpful.sikhs muslims hindus are there in large number and living in harmony. M2 : ok,punjab has been an important role player in green revolution especially with ludhiana at center from where you belong.there is also punjab agriculture university which has played immense role.but productivity has stagnated in punjab.do you agree? Me: sir punjab has played very important role in green revolution.sir,the productivity is increasing by less amount but its still increasing.for example crop intensity is 196 and…(interrupted) m2 : ok what can be done to increase productivity? Me : sir optiomal funds for research and development.. M2 :what?( he cudnt get what i said) me : sir sufficient funds should be sllocated for research and development in agriculture should be provided…sir i would like to use an example from this year budget.for example for pulses production
- 52. 52 rs 300 crorehave been alotted to 60000 villages aand when we calculate it turns out to be just rs.50000 villages which could be rather more funds for less number of villages (interrupted) m2 : but that’s arithmatic calculation you have done.but its not going to be implemented like this. Me : yes sir but i think it would have been better if it could be implemented with more funds to less number of villages and then could be raplicated. (suddenly something clicked to my mind,moving my head and also giving a look at chairman i said) sir only yesterday in newspaper i read that 30% of fruits and vegetables in punjab go waste because of lacking proper storage facilities and thus we need to work on the storage facilities ,warehouses i think they nodded head on this… chairman passed to third member..a very very nice smiling lady member lm : ok ajay your hobby is blogging me :yes mam lm : do you have you own website? Me :answered lm :narrated a long que..but she felt she messed up and then said ok name two social networking sites me : mam facebook and twitter lm : whats difference between two? Me :mam twitter is microblogging site where we can type only short texts lm : how short?i mean how many letters? Me : (thinking for 3-4 sec)m sorry mam i don’t remember lm : its 140 (then she started confirming from m1) lm o we count the space? Me (don’t know in what flow) no mam lm : we count me :m sorry mam lm : you play carrom me :yes mam lm : do you play it seriously
- 53. 53 me : yesmam lm: there was recently a movie on carrom,(i nodded in yes) can u name that? Me : mam carrom was also played in munnabhai mabbs ( i was not getting name of that movie so tried buying time to recall) lm : no no in munnabhai it was in sideline..but in a movie the game was at centre me : mam i know there was but am not able to recall the name lm : ok it was striker me : (because i knew the movie so unintentionlly came out of my mouth yess mam striker) lm : ok ajay u were discussing cricket diplomacy with sir,there was also one ping pong diplomacy me :yes mam lm : it was between which two countries? Me : (thinking) mam it was between china andddd (lm :yes yes china and yes you are right china and) mam,taiwan (damn i went in flow again) lm :no its usa..between china nd usa me : ok mam thank you mam lm : ( chairman signalled her somethng i feel though m not sure) ok ajay i would ask you one more question,one last question..(she made a long statement and the she realised it got messed and then she broke it into parts.ajay people blog and use sites for so many hours a day and daily.isnt it wastage of time? Me : mam i don’t blog for many hours but for ( interrupted saying no no not just you but many young ones) lm :ok tell me is it necessary to blog? Me : ( making serious facial expression) mam bout necessity i would say we have around 40% population below poverty line who don’t have any account on blogging/social networking sites so it depends upon personal will. Lm : ok ajay can it be dangerous sharing personal info on these sites? Me : mam sharing too much personal info with a stranger can be at times dangerous too she was ok and then chairman passed on to fourth member..he was looking not in very good mood when i even entered..may be some personal matter.he showered questions on me m4 : you were talking about wagha border.have you been there?
- 54. 54 Me : nosir i havnt been there m4 : ok in punjab agriculture has impacted upon the environment..how? Me :sir ground water level has dipped too much and that’s reason punjab gvt has banned sowing of paddy before 10 may sir the same cropping pattern over so many years has depletd soil of nutrients m4 : ok whats happening in libya me : explained m4 :whats happening in neighbouring countries of libya me : i expolained m4: whats no fly zone me : explained m4 : whats sustainable development? Me: sir sustainable development is use of resources in such a manner so that needs of future generations are not compromised m4: what? Me : explained again m4 : so we should stop the using resources? Me : sir we should use them optimally m4 : what is climate change? Me : explained and also talked of climate talks m4 : (dnt know what happened while i was answering above que,he asked is usa developing nation? Me : sir usa is developed nation m4 : climate change is said to be good.russians are saying that more land on arctic will be available and thus more of resources me : sir climate change may cause sea water level rise which will submerge large land are and countries like maldives..moreover climate change can impact cropping pattern thus bringing large scale migration among people which will not be good m4 : ok
- 55. 55 now chairman gotback to him….he was all the time very attentive ch : have you read punjba history? Me : (having no other choice and don’t know from where confidence came) yes sir ch : (again) have you read punjab history? Me : yes sir ch : when maharaja ranjit singh died? Me : sir 1839 ch: when did maharaja ranjit singh signed treaty with britishers? Me : sir in 1839 ch : (looking down to his pages) ok yes there was treaty that both sides wont cross satluj me : yes sir ch : tell me about anglo sikh wars me : sir there have been two anglo sikh wars, first was fought in 1845-46 and second in 1849 and sikhs were defeated by britishers ch : what happened after that? Me : (two three conflictting thoughts started popping in my mind and i found not answering as best option) m sorry sir i don’t remember ch : can u name few places of the wars? Me : sir battle of sabhrawan( i had read it some times in punjabi) ch : bnattle of sabharao me : ok sir thank you sir me : sir samrala ch : ok me : m sorry sir i am not able to recall more names ( this was what i had read so many times but interview time is tough i feel) ch : chilchilyanwala me : ok sir
- 56. 56 ch : areyou sure? Me : m not sure sir ch : ok, ( then he looked at wall clock and then on his wrist watch and said “ ok we have time so we can talk more” (what else i cud say) me : yes sir ch : ok tell me something about union public service commission ( i was delighted that he will ask me opinion based question now but in vain) ch: when was union public service commission founded? Me : sir it was founded in 1926 ch : (thought) yes right,good but then its name was somethng else.what was its name? Me : sir its name was federal public service commission ch : yes right,why was it established? Me : (finding appropriate word for 2 seconds but then went on) sir to sppoint people on posts of high responsibility ch :yes right but why it was founded only then? Me : sir it was founded on recommendation of a commission ch : yes but on recommendation of committee not commission me : ok sir ch : what was name of that committee? Me : m sorry sir i have read but i am not able to recall right now ch: ok tell me origin of river beas me : ( i had prepared satluj yamuna link so m1: that stluj started popping in my mind,i tried suppressing it and finding origin of beas but after 3-4 seconds) m sorry sir am not able to recall ch : have u read it? Me :yes sir ch : then you must be having some idea whether its in punjab haryana himachal,j&k,tibbet)
- 57. 57 me : (tibbat and satluj ghoomne start fir se) sir if i have to make a guess i will say tibet ( the answer was beas kund and when i came out of room it immediately came in mind) ch : ok thank you and moved back from his forward attentive posture. me : (feeling good) got up thank you sir ,thank you sirs ,and again smilingly thank you mam there was a pink file on table..i was lil puzzled because of beas wala answer and could in that puzzled mind pick that file but then i got attentive that yet i have to walk out of room and til i walk out interview is not over..and i walked out without any mistake when i came out same female who was known to me was sitting and my first words were “ he is asking factuals only” my assesment is that may be he will realise i am not student of history but still answere atleast few questions m1:.. Some answers i really felt proud of like that of gurmukhi,do u have your own site,some data related to agriculture, union public service commission year ( that has a story which i will share ) ad optimal use of resources, treaty of 1839 etc. Rest waiting for result.thats it !!!! Courtesy: Ajay Pal, Rank 160 - Union Public Service Commission 2010
- 58. 58 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Amit Goyal (Dr. K.K. Paul Board) Name : Amit Goyal Type: Interview What is your name, DOB, Roll No. etc. Me: Ansered C: Which type of devotional music you listen (It was my hobby to listen devotional music) Me: Sir I listen to songs by Vinod Aggarwal, Krishan bhakti songs. C: Why not other music? Me: Sir I listen other music as well, but mainly I listen devotional one. C: Why you listen devotional music? Me: Sir it gives me peace of mind. C: So you are usually in stress? Me: Yes Sir I do as after long hours of working there is a bit of stress. I prepare tea, coffee etc. listen to devotional songs and my stress is gone. C: What is Trial by Media? Me: Sir when due to reports in media a perception is made in the mind of general public as to who is guilty and who is innocent, without the case being completely tried by the court. C: Then what about journalistic ethics? Me: Sir its clearly a case of violation of these ethics. C: Then why Press Council is not taking any action? Me: Sir First It does not have enough powers to take action and secondly it does not cover electronic media. Member1 (M1): Amit you have got 46th rank in C.A. you was having good opportunities to earn money. Then why are you coming to civil services? Me: Sir first of all money is not every thing, secondly govt. pays a good salary and finally working in corporate would have restricted my scope of work to Accounts, Audit or Tax, but working in civil services is working for a larger cause. M1: What are the problems of women in Haryana? Me: Sir the condition of women in Haryana is really worrisome and is reflected in very low sex ratio of 861 and esp. 617 in literate people. In addition to it are problems of Khap, Honour killing etc.
- 59. 59 M1: What willyou do if you are a DC in an area affected by such problem of low sex ratio? Me: Sir I will go for a two pronged strategy- Implementation of Pre Natal Diagnostics Act and creating awareness among people. M1: How will you use media for this purpose? Me: Sir we can have big sign board along the roads giving message that if girls are not there then with to get marry your sons with? Similarly we can use mass media. M2: Amit do you think that cricket is squeezing out other games in India? Me: Mam, I do not think so as I think that any game is made popular by its achievement as it is in case of cricket. Once we had achievements in Hockey, it was pretty much famous. M2: What achievements we have made after 1983. No 2nd world cup? Me: We have won many important tournaments. Individual records like that of Sachin are almost unachievable. M2: But all sponsors are going to cricket leaving nothing to other games. Me: Mam that has a natural reason as cricket has a scope of advertisement after every six balls while other games does not have such advantage. M2: We are a big nation and got only 3 medals at Olympics. Is not it a shameful thing? Me: Mam, its not a shameful thing but an eye opener for us to go into the reason for such low performance. M2: What are those reasons? Me: One such reason is Infrastructure gap. We do not have playing ground for people to practice. Whatever infrastructure we have is for champions only, for AAM ADMI they are always LOCKED. M2: Is there something like Sporting Culture? Me: Yes, since our childhood days we were told that “kheloge koodoge banoge kharab, padoge likhoge banoge nawab” meaning that the stress was on the studies only. M2: Is it changing now( I said yes), and why? Me: Today parents know that sports and study are not contradictory to each other, there is good career in sports and lot of money and fame for the family. M3: When are IFRS going to be introduced in India? Me: The date is 01 April 2011, but I consider it to be 01 April 2010 as companies prepare comparative accounts for two years and there for figures for 2010-2011 are to be adjusted as per new standards. M3: What problems will Indian companies face? Me: There may be shortage of skilled personnel, more compliance as number of standards in IFRS are higher. M3: Do you think that we will be able to adopt them?
- 60. 60 Me: Sir ICAIhas issues INDAS to be followed. So we are adopting as it is but are modifying them as per our needs. M3: Whats the need for IFRS? Me: Sir today global firms operate in India and India firms operate worldwide, that why we need them to have a common business language. M4: What is PAC? Me: Sir PAC is a parliamentary committee to look into the CAG reports on PSEs. M4: on PSEs? C: Is not there something called COPU?Me: Sorry sir realize that I made a mistake. PAC is a parliamentary committee to look into the reports of CAG on accounts of Central and State Govts. M4: is there any PAC like mechanism at State level? Me: Sir I am not sure but I think that there is. C: ok Amit you can go now. Me: Thank you every one. Exam Interview Details : Subjects Taken : Commerce, Public Administration Date: 23-Mar-2011 Interview Board : Dr. K.K. Paul City : Palwal (HR)
- 61. 61 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Prince Garg (Prof. K.S. Chalam Board) Name: Prince Garg Type: Interview C- Prof. K.S. Chalam O- Other members I entered after taken permission… P- Good afternoon mam, Good afternoon Sir C- So Prince you are from Delhi. P- Yes Sir C- Have you ever visited Noida P- No Sir C- Strange you have not visited Noida ever, Have you ever gone to Gurgaon. P- Yes Sir C- Thank God (I was still standing, they had not asked me to sit yet) C- Oh Prince, have a seat 1st P- Thank you Sir O- Mr. Prince while coming from Laxmi Nagr, You would have seen Red Fort P- No Sir, Autowala brought me from different route. O (1st member)- No problem, so tell me what's written on RED FORT main gate P- Sorry Sir, I do not know. O- So tell me how many times Delhi has been made P- Its seven times. O- Name them chronologically, a nd who built them P- (I could name only 4 times , had 4 gotn chronology) O- What changes you have seen in infrastructure of East Delhi after CWG. P- Sir more number of flyovers, roads have been widened. O- He cut me in b/w and asked how many flyovers to be precise.. P-Sorry sir..
- 62. 62 C- Prince, basicallyyou are from Delhi? P- No Sir, My roots are in HARYANA. C- Have you ever gone to any village? P- Yes Sir, I have gone to my village Khanara many times. C- Ohh Khanara…so tell me what problems you have seen there. P- Sir 1 biggest problem I have seen is that, women are not considered as human beings there C- What? What are you saying prince, No women are not human beings.. ha ha, everybody started laughing like hell, they were killing me P- (I started stammering), Sir I want to request something C- Ya Please say! P- Sir I have stammering problem in English, but I can communicate well in Hindi, Can I use some Hindi in between C- GO Ahead! I have no problem. O- See Prince, We will ask questions only in English but you can answer in Hindi P- Sir I can speak English but some where I’l use Hindi, Thanks, Sir in my village I have seen discrimination of women, they are not supposed to study, only work they have to do is: household chores, bearing children and worshipping their husbands C- ha ha P- Sir UNDP 2010 report places INDIA at 114th rank in GDI, according to ADB’s report even the Pakistani women are in better position than Indian, in whole South Asia only Afghan women are behind than Indian that too because of Taliban C- Then why Indian women is so much discriminated, there is no Taliban in India? P- Sir there are various mini Talibani groups in India C- ha ha (He started talking to other members which I was not able to understand) P- (I cut them in between) Sir, what happened in Manglore two years back C- What happened? Come on tell me (Again he was laughing) P- Sir a group of 30 women was beaten because women wanted to enjoy in a pub, they said women should not go out of home after 7 pm., Is n’t it Talibani attitude? C- Oh come on that was just hyped by media P- Sir 1st it happened only then it came into news ? (At this Chalam Sir became restless) C- Have you ever seen women discrimination? Where tell us. Don’t give us newspaper data. P- sir I have seen it in my home, my sister was always discriminated vis a vis me in many respects.. ( at this Chalam sir became serious and ..) C- It happened in your house and you are telling me here in front of board? P- yes sir! Facts are facts.
- 63. 63 (At this Chalamstopped, and passed on to other member) O- Prince, tell me about the problems of Indian defence system, why we import every and do not make in country? P- Sir we are allowing only 26% FDI, It should be at least 74% as recommended by many committees, We can open sum SEZ for this purpose, less expenditure on R&D and we do not have funds to establish such huge arms and industries.. O- But we have to spend even in importing and my dear DRDO has more than 50 labs across country so hw can you say that we do not spend on R&D, (he was not satisfied), O- (3rd member)- China never imports arms, they build them on their territory, y cant India do that? China exports huge arms to the whole world.. is not it? P- Sir, at least 70% of Chinese exports come from its huge SEZ, we do not have such big SEZ (at this , they he became silent but still he was nt satisfied) C- Prince suppose I give you a land of size of this room, how will you increase your agricultural output there? Can you mention sum problems of farmers? P- Sir Indian farmers are uneducated, they do not understand novel ideas, size of land is too small to use big machines, credit problems, chemical fertilizers have sucked the fertility of land, bio fertilizers should be used C- no no, tell me how will you increase fertility in short run, u r telling long run solutions P- Sir in Punjab, farmers r getting benefited from PPP, a company named PEPSICO hire farmers, company give them credit, fertilizers, irrigation facilities, new methods and farmer just puts its land and labour (Members were quite convinced and I had a smile of victory. lols) Again C- So Prince you have done B.E. from DTU, one of the best technical university of country and still you coming here? P- Sir frankly speaking I wanted to study humanities after school but my family and friends told me that after B.E. you can earn easily but after humanities you can't earn just after graduation and as my financial position wasn’t good so I opted for B.E., Actually I was forced…but I never enjoyed engineering, It wasn’t my aim, I felt it in college.. C- Oh to tum paise kamane aaye ho yahaa.. (he started talk in to other members, Sir I am telling you this boy wants to earn a lot of money etc etc…) P- I interrupted them in b/w, Sir I was offered 6 lacks package in DCE campus but I didn’t accept, many friends of mine are in IIMs today and some have been offered Packages of 15-18 lacks, civil services can never fetch me that money.. (At this Chalam again laughed and again started talking to members like ma’am I m telling you this boy want to give a big shot, ek baar me hi kamana chahta ha hahahaha) O- Prince your hobby is internet surfing, tell me the name of Indian search engine. P- Sorry Sir, I do not know.
- 64. 64 O- Tell meabout PARAM P- Sir its indian supercomputer and was fastest in Asia Two years back now a Chinese has overtaken O- Tell me difference between Indian super computer and American Super Computer. What's the basic difference in their infrastructure P- sir US super computer Are faster than Indian, that's all I know. (He wasn’t satisfied) (Chalam passed on to the last member then) O ( lady member)- It seems you want to say that men are enemy of women, every time you are saying men discriminate women, but women discriminate the women most, do you know this Prince? P- You are right mam but that's because women have already been brain washed, unko bachpan se he bol diya jata ha ke pati is parmeshwar (I used these words there) (At this reply Chalam sir bich me he kood pade) C- You know madam why he is so much talking about women and all because he has read sociology. ha ha.. Madam laughed 1st time P- Sir, in my last attempt I wrote mains with Maths, this time I changed Maths and took Sociology, I have never heard of Sociology before ever.. (at this Chalam passed a smile) (now lady member who seemed to b a Sociologist was determined to screw me) O (lady member)- What steps will you take for women empowerment if you become collector. P- Mam I’ll ensure their education and employment, self help groups can be strengthened, once they will be Economically empowered, they will have a say in household decision making (I quoted Karl Marx) O- No prince, Its not right, even the highly educated, employed women suffer domestic violence.. (I was about to say something but mam stopped me and asked) Tell me the problems of elder people in India and what can be the solutions? (I was about to start but Chalam Sir said, just tell us the solutions) P- Sir parliament made an act in 2007 where elder people can sue their children in court if they do not care them O (lady member)- oh come on its not a practical solution, how come a 70yrs old woman can go to court? P- you are right mam but that act can be made more elder people friendly, also like we have a campaign ie BELL BAJAO CAMPAIGN in Delhi 2 counter domestic violence. (Chalam Sir stopped me and asked) C- why elders are facing problem today, pehle to aisa nahi hota tha P- Sir because of diminishing moral values, norms…Sir in joint families elder used to enjoy much more respect but in todays nuclear families ( Chalam cut me in between) C- oh come on, on one side you want development, industrialization and on the other hand you want
- 65. 65 moral values, aisenahi hota. Hahahahaha Finally lady member said.. Prince you are good, you are on the right track but you need further studies. C- Ok Prince you can go, your interview is over.. P- Thank you very much sir, have a nice day (When I came out of room my body was completely shivering but I was happy anyways.) Exam Interview Details : Subjects Taken: Sociology, Public Administration Date: 24-Mar-2011 Time: 12.20pm to 12.50pm Interview Board : Prof. K.S. Chalam City : Delhi
- 66. 66 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Abhiram G. Sankar (Mrs. Rajni Razdan) [AIR:04] Name : Abhiram G. Sankar Time: 25 Minutes My interview was on the afternoon of 11 April 2011, and I was the second candidate in Ms.Rajni Razdan's board. The board was cordial, except for the chairperson who appeared to sleep after asking her quota of questions. I entered the room, greeted the members & stood till I was offered the seat. Thanked the chairperson Rajni Razdan (RR) & sat down smiling. RR: What’s your name? Me: Answered RR: Roll No? Me: Answered RR: Date of Birth? Me: Answered (Initially I was a bit confused why she was asking these things!). Then RR read out aloud from my summary sheet – optionals, graduation, hobbies, team activities etc. I kept smiling & nodding, with a ‘Yes Mam’ in between. M2: Born in Tamil Nadu, but staying in Kerala? Me: yes sir, my family is settled in Kerala. RR: So, which is the country sharing longest border with India? Me: Bangladesh. RR: The shortest? Me: Afghanistan. RR: Ok, Tell me about the McMahon Line. Me: It’s the line dividing India & China, but not accepted by china as such. It was signed in the early 1900s by Treaty of Tibet. (I made a mistake by unintentionally mentioning the year & name of treaty.) RR: Which treaty & year? Me: Repeated the same, but doubtfully. RR: It was in Shimla, in 1913. Who were the parties to the treaty?
- 67. 67 Me: British India& Tibet. RR: And one more? Me: Don’t know. RR: Myanmar. Me: Thanked her. RR: What is Radcliff line? Me: Line dividing India & Pakistan. RR: Who drew it & when? Me: 1947 by Radcliff RR: What are the issues between India & Pakistan? Me: gave a list – borders, Siachen, sir creek, 26/11, water sharing, fishermen & prisoners etc. RR: Suppose you are SDM of a district, and are traveling. You see an accident on the road. How will you respond? Me: I’ll stop on the spot, and get to know exactly what happened. Then call the ambulance or police station. If the above vehicles are not available, then take the injured in any other available vehicle. RR: What is so special with your car that you will not take the injured in your car first? Why wait for ambulance /police? Is your prestige more important or the person’s life? Me: (I was stunned briefly, as it did not occur to me while answering that an SDM would be traveling in his/her own car. But I quickly recovered & said,). The person’s life is most important. I should have thought of my own car first. I apologise for my mistake. RR sat with the same emotionless expression from beginning till end of her question time. Now she signaled to another member, locked her palms together, placed them to her forehead & slept leaning on the table. M1: You are from Kerala. How is geography advantageous to Kerala? Me: Another list – rich & productive coastal alluvium, water resources, blessed by monsoon, fisheries, plantation sector, forests, ports etc. M1: What about tourism? Me: Yes sir, that too depends on Kerala’s unique geography. M1: Since you are a computer science graduate, tell me what is cyber crime? Me: (Didn’t know the exact definition) It refers to the various illegal activities performed in today’s IT- linked world like phishing, hacking, fraudulent info, theft of data etc. M1: How will you use computer science in development of India? Me: Another list – efficient information dissemination to illiterate poor about health, agriculture etc.
- 68. 68 through audio &video, adult literacy programmes, transparency & lesser corruption. M1: What is MIS? Me: said don’t know after thinking. M2: It is management information system. Don’t you people study in B.Tech.? Me: No sir. That paper belongs to IT branch & not Civil Service. M2: Name some areas which you studied in B.Tech. Me: Some programming langs like C & C++, microprocessors, assemblers & compilers, hardware etc. M2: Name an important temple in Kerala. Me: Padmanabhaswamy temple in Trivandrum. M2: Others? Me: I started with Guruvayurappan temple, but was interrupted mid-way. M2: No, no…which temple brings in most money? Me: Sabarimala temple. He was happy it seemed, because he smiled graciously. M3: What is track-2 diplomacy? Me: Talks between countries conducted by retired officers, NGOs, activists etc. It’s very good for betterment of bilateral ties. More people to people interaction takes place through this route. M3: what is bus diplomacy? Me: Cross LoC bus to improve ties..by Vajpayee Govt… M3: So what is diplomacy? Me: It’s the art of maintaining relations among countries at international level. (Not exactly the same words, but not the exact definition also). M3: What do you think about India’s ‘big brother attitude’ in south Asia? what are the issues with each of the neighbouring countries? Me: India is the largest country in south Asia, and its actions are only perceived as big brotherly by neighbours. It is not true. India’s ties with its neighbors carry historical baggage with it which is the cause of today’s problems. Again a list – partition issue with Pakistan… M3: (Interrupted me) but partition is way back in history. Me: but sir, our relations are based on that event. (continued above answer)… Tamil issue with Sri Lanka… M3: no…don’t speak about all issues…one issue at a time (in fact he had asked me for listing out all
- 69. 69 issues!). let’s talkabout Pakistan. How will you solve Kashmir issue with Pakistan? Me: We need an innovative solution… M3: (Again interrupting me)…you need to talk more… Me: Sir, I’m coming to the point. Realistically looking at the issue, I don’t think Pakistan will hand over its part of J&K to India. Our present borders may not be changeable. It’s better to acknowledge the same without a formal announcement as our maps cannot be changed & territorial integrity can’t be sacrificed. No internationalization of the same can be allowed. At the same time, cross border links & trade have to be improved & people-to-people contacts increased with development of J&K in mind. M3: How should India proceed on Indo-Pak talks? Me: Sir, instead of focusing on just Kashmir, we have talk on several issues like Siachen, sir creek, cultural ties, trade, water sharing etc. M3: We have been doing that for long. But no results have come out. Me: Sir, the issues are not at fault. Talks broke down because of events like 26/11, 2001 parliament attacks & cross border terror. India is not responsible for the breakdowns. So it is better to continue on multiple issues. M4: Can I also continue on Kashmir? Are you confident? (almost laughing!) Me: Yes sir, you can. M4: Why not conduct plebiscite & solve the issue? Me: Sir, there are some preconditions. Complete demilitarization must take place on both borders. Kashmiri Pandits who were chased away must be allowed to return. Only if these happen, plebiscite can be allowed. M4: You say India & Pakistan must talk about Kashmir. But where are the Kahmiris in the scene? Has their voice been neglected? Me: Sir, we definitely need more Kashmiri opinion. It is heard very less. M4: Do you mean they have been ignored completely or given inadequate representation? Me: sir, definitely they were heard. India did talk with separatists like Hurriyat conference. But more needs to be done on this front. (should’ve mentioned the pm’s interlocutors at work now, but forgot). M4: Elections are periodically held in J&K. people vote new Govts to power. can you consider this as a sort of plebiscite? Me: Yes sir, they reaffirm peoples faith in our system. M4: Do you think those elections are proper, free & fair? Me: There have been allegations in the past about rigging. M4: No. I don’t want other’s opinions. What do you think now? Me: Sir, thanks to a strong election commission, I can confidently say that recent elections have been free & fair, not only in J&K, but also in other states of India and I am proud of this fact.
- 70. 70 RR: Thank you.(she smiled for the only time in the whole interview!) Me: Thanks the board & left. The 4 male members were smiling & very attentive, unlike Ms. RR. I too tried to keep up a smiling face through out the interview. The board was cordial on the whole. Interview lasted for about 20-25 minutes. Interview Date : 11-Apr-2011 Interview Board : Ms. Rajni Razdan Place : Thiruvananthapuram Subject : Geography & Political Science & International Relations
- 71. 71 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Gokul G R (Shri I. M. G. Khan) [AIR:19] Name: Gokul G R Time : 35 Minutes My interview was scheduled for the afternoon session on the 4th of April 2011. After the document verification, by around 14.15 hrs, we were told that we will be interviewed by the board chaired by the Union Public Service Commission member I.M.G. Khan. I was the last candidate in the list. I entered the interview room by around 16.50 hrs. This is the transcript of the interview: Me: May I come in, Sir? The chairman asked me to come in. The room and the table were quite small. So I had a hard time distinguishing the chairman from the five members. I got in wishing the chairman, lady member and the other members Good afternoon. But before I could finish the niceties, chairman was asking me to sit down. He seemed very cordial and the mood in the board was surprisingly fresh even at the end of the day. I sat down saying ‘Thank you’ Chairman: So you are Gokul? Me: Yes sir, Gokul G.R Ch: I will call you Gokul. Will that be fine? (smiling) Me: Yes sir that will be fine. ( me too smiling) Ch: Gokul, you have taken Physics as an optional. Are you going against the trend as we see a lot of engineers and science graduates taking non-science optional? Me: Sir, physics is a subject that I have been studying form my school days. It is the most familiar subject for me and I like it. I wanted to take a subject that I would enjoy studying. Ch: (going through my bio-data): So you passed out from NITC with first class with distinction. Some chap came to a place near Calicut some time back no? Who was he? I was confused and thought for a fraction of a second when I knew he was talking about Vasco Da Gama… Me: Vasco Da Gama sir. It was in 1498. He landed at a place called Kappad. It is quite near to my college. Ch: The beach has a memorial saying this is where he landed. Have you seen that? Me: I have been to the beach twice. It is a rocky beach. But I don’t remember seeing the monument. Ch: It’s a small monument which says ‘this is the spot where….’ (the other members nod at this)
- 72. 72 Me: sorry sir.I don’t remember seeing the monument. Ch: Why did he have to find a route through the sea? Me: I don’t exactly remember the details but the land route was blocked by some reason. Ch: No No that’s not possible. They could have found some other route. Me: Sea route is cheaper and it also facilitates large scale trade. Ch: Yes. Besides don’t you think it is safer? Taking the land route they would have to come through hostile territories and through bandits and hooligans. But again they face pirates in the sea route. Me: Yes sir. Ch: Why did the Europeans land in Kerala? Me: They were looking for trade in spices, especially pepper. Ch: Is spices still an important component of your state’s economy? Me: Yes sir. Spices are still a major component of our exports. Ch: Why is that Kerala has not been able to diversify from traditional agricultural commodities? Why is Industrial growth not strong in Kerala? Me: There is a general lethargy within the government and people about inviting capital and setting up an investor friendly climate. We also have a very strong trade unionist culture. It definitely has positives for the society. The wage rates and working conditions are one of the best in India. But various elements have misused it and used it for personal ends at the expense of industrial growth. It was a mindset that was set in the 1970s and 1980s that is still preventing investors from investing in Kerala. But we are definitely changing. We just commissioned the vallarpadam project and signed the agreement for the Smart city project. Ch: So you think that the situation will change? That the future is bright? Me: The change is already happening. It has already started sir (smiling). Ch: Tell me about this smart city. Me: It is a PPP between the Kerala Govt. and Dubai’s Tecom to set up a Technology park which will provide the necessary infrastructure for software and electronics firms to set up office. Ch: Where exactly is it? Me: At Cochin. Kakanad to be exact. The chairman nodded at the first member. Having taken Physics as an optional, his questions were only on the safety of nuclear power and nuclear reactors. M1: In the context of the Japanese disaster, do you think we should continue our expansion plans for nuclear energy or should we stop it? How safe is nuclear energy? Me: Nuclear energy is a dangerous technology and it can never be 100% safe. But nuclear energy is a vital energy source for the future. So stopping it is not an option. But we should put in place better
- 73. 73 safety and securitysystems. Even in the Japanese case, the reactors withstood the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and the tsunami and the reactor stopped working also. But it was the failure of the cooling system due to the damage to the electric grid that led to the current crisis. M1: So what all should be done? Me: We already have better safety systems. Our reactors are PHWRs as opposed to the BWRs of Japan which are inherently safer. Besides, the newer reactors have a Passive heat removal system by which air can be used for cooling in the event of failure of active cooling systems. New reactors will also have Hydrogen capture systems to prevent the kind of explosions that occurred at Fukushima. M1: But still you think it won’t be 100% safe? Me: Achieving a 100% safety line would be impossible but we should put in place mechanisms and safety systems to take the safety level as near to 100% as possible. Besides the safety guidelines should be placed under an independent regulatory body outside DAE. M1: Very recently the former chairman of the AEC said that India should not import foreign reactors. Even he is not so sure about the safety of the rectors. Me: The foreign reactors especially Areva’a EPR 1600 has untested safety features and has been rejected by a number of nations. Also, foreign reactors will have different safety systems and we will have to be experts in each of these. We will also have to depend on foreign know-how to learn their safety features also. But our reactors have been completely designed by us. So we have a better understanding of their dynamics and can better perfect the safety systems for them. Even the former chairman has supported the use of indigenous reactors. M1: The proposed reactor at Jaitapur is coming up in a seismically active zone. What all measures need to be taken to prevent damage due to earthquakes? Me: Building standards need to be strictly applied. Earthquake-resistant technology need to be incorporated which building. The effect of this was seen in the recent earthquake in Japan. The 8.9 magnitude quake, which is one of the largest ever killed only 20,000 people while the 7 point magnitude quake in Haiti last year killed more than 2 lakh people. M1: You said about smart city? What all are the criterion for selecting a place for setting up a project like this? Me: Connectivity to major city centres, road and rail connectivity, presence of good colleges in the vicinity. The chairman interrupted asking me whether human element is also a factor that is considered. Me: Yes sir. Availability of prospective employees is a major factor. If a Keralite is given a choice between a job in Smart city and in Bangalore, he will choose smart city even if the salary is a bit less. Given that about 50,000 engineers pass out from Kerala every year, this will give a competitive edge for the recruiters. The turn was passed to the second member, a lady member. Her questions were about social issues.
- 74. 74 M2 (looking atthe summary sheet): You were selected as the ‘Young Scientist’ at the National Children’s Science Congress and you were second in the Regional Mathematical Olympiad. Why have you chosen civil services after coming from a science background like this? Me: The project that we did for the Science congress has in fact played a very important role in me choosing civil services as a career. It was a social project. It was about the nutritional status of the people in a particular rural area in my district. The project gave me a firsthand exposure to the problems in the rural areas and about the various government departments working on these issues. The results of the project painted a very grim picture about the nutritional status of the people with respect to protein and vitamin deficiency. Besides, my aptitude is in an administrative job. Civil services will offer me the variety and challenges that no other job can give. I chose engineering because of my interest in science and to keep my options open. But civil services have been my dream throughout. It was always there in the back of my mind. That was why I started my preparation at the end of my third year itself. M2: Suppose you are posted as an SDM in your state. What will you do to improve the nutritional level of the people? Are you aware of any schemes in that regard? Me: ICDS, PDS, NRHM etc are the schemes for improving the nutritional and health levels of the people. Most of these projects suffer from poor implementation and leakages. For e.g., in ICDS, the anganawadi workers are ill-paid and their responsibilities are quite heavy. This has led to a lack of morale among them. I will concentrate on proper implementation of such schemes. M2: But as an SDM you cannot make policy decisions. You can’t give them more salary. What will you do in that context? Me: I will look for implementation of the schemes with support from the local bodies and community organisations. Involving of Panchayats can also create the political pressure for change. M2: Kerala is called ‘God’s own country’. In what context is that name used. Me: It is essentially a tagline coined by the tourism department for promoting tourism in Kerala. But otherwise also, Kerala can be called God’s own country (smiling). Everyone laughed at this and the chairman interrupted asking me ‘Why is that Gokul?’ Me: The climate is good throughout the year, people are well educated and friendly, presence of some of the most ecologically diverse areas, greenery all around…… With this, the Third member took charge. He was jovial throughout. M3: You have taken public administration as an optional. Do you think decentralization through Panchayati raj is good? Me: Definitely sir. M3: Then why is it that in spite of being inserted in the constitution, it is not properly implemented in many places? Me: Although they have been inserted in the constitution by the 73rd and 74th amendment, it is still the prerogative of the state governments to delegate powers to these bodies. In the case of Kerala,
- 75. 75 most of thepowers in the 11th and 12th schedule have been delegated. Besides, 25% of the plan expenditure in budget is passed to the local bodies. M3: So what should be done in the other states? Me: People should be politically motivated and should demand more powers. Education can play a very important role in this. The member said ‘Oh, you Keralite have 100% literacy’ and laughed. Everyone joined with him. I smiled and said 94% according to the provisional census figures M3: Tourism is affecting our culture. Should we stop tourism due to that? Me: No sir. We should not close ourselves to anyone. The tour operators act as the interface between the tourists and our people. They should be given training and orientation to properly orient foreign tourists before they land in India. The foreign tourists should be given a basic idea about the culture and society into which they are stepping in. M3: But shouldn’t masses be educated for this to be effective. (He turned to other members and joked ‘our sanskrithi will become apasanskrithi by then) Me: A well educated society is definitely good for developing a service industry like tourism. That should be our long term goal. But in the short term, educating the operators will help us develop tourism sustainably. M3: A DM was recently kidnapped by the Maoists. In such a dangerous environment, do you still want to be an Indian Administrative Service officer? Me: I heard about Mr. Vineel Krishna for the first time after the incident. All the reports in the newspapers were very positive about his work as a DM. In fact, he was kidnapped when he went to check a development work in a remote area without any protection. The people of his district rallied behind him. So if you are upright and do your work, you will have the support of the people and will be perfectly safe. M3: So you think if he is honest and upright, nothing bad will happen? Me: Yes sir. The turn was passed to the fourth member. M4: Did you write CAT, GRE or GATE in between? Me: No sir. I was preparing through my final year and gave the exam right after my final exams. M4: So you were focused. Tell me the advantages and disadvantages of Mobile communication. Advantages first: Economic advantages: Me: Better connectivity, ability to make fast economic decisions, buying and selling goods using mobiles, advertising. M4: Social Me: People and families are always connected. You can call everyone at any distance at very low rates
- 76. 76 at any time. M4:Political Me: Campaigning, Communicating political ideas and schemes… M4: Any disadvantages? When I thought for a while, he said ‘it’s Ok, if you can’t think of any’. M4: What are the uses of space technology for people? Me: It has revolutionized communication. Weather satellites like Metsat help us in better prediction. Remote sensing satellites help us in planning. We have recently put in orbit Oceansat which observes the ocean. The information gathered by it is beneficial for the fishermen. M4: Cyber security is a major issue now. What do you know about it and what is being done by the Indian government? Me: It is a very dynamic area. It is a constant battle between a large number of hackers and security establishments. We need to keep ourselves updated always. DRDO is developing an operating system for use in govt. systems. The operating systems that we use now are available throughout the world and hence are more prone to hacking. We have set up cyber cells in the major police stations. The CERT-In is the body that is responsible for cyber security at the national level. M4: Define ethics. Me: The set of standards that we are supposed to follow in a particular realm. M4: Can you point out some of those that you are supposed to follow. Was there any committee that made recommendations about ethics? Me: It was a committee that was appointed in the U.K (couldn’t remember the name of Nolan committee) that gave detailed guidelines regarding ethics in public life. M4: No Indian committees? Me: A number of committees to look into corruption have also given similar recommendations. M4: Can you list out a few of those standards? Me: Honesty, integrity, leadership by example… M4: Those are general things. Don’t you have any set of professional ethics as an engineer? Is there any Body that sets such standards? Me: IEEE sets the standards for us. But I am not aware of any code of ethics. M4: No Indian bodies? IETE? Me: Sir, do you mean ISTE? M4: No, IETE. Ok, tell me the ethics that you are supposed to follow as a communications engineer. Me: Respect for IPRs, honesty… M4: Ok.
- 77. 77 The chairman tookover. The interview was in its last phase. Ch: Very recently a Bulgarian group was arrested in Delhi for robbery. What does this incident mean for India? Have we become a soft state that people from faraway places are coming for robbery? Me: It may be a random, off the cuff incident. Ch: No no. It was a well organized group with a lot of members. Me: A number of foreign groups are active in a number of nations like the Italian Mafia in USA. As the economy improves… Ch (interrupting): So you think it is a good thing!!!( and laughed…the members also joined him) Ch: So Gokul, what will you do after getting out. Tell me the first thing that you will do on exiting this room. Me: Sir…..I will be removing my tie (It was a spontaneous reply) Everyone burst into laughter at this and the chairman asked me whether candidates think they won’t be selected if they came in half sleeves without tie (Every male member in the room wore half sleeves without tie). I started with the usual answer, ‘Sir, this is one of the most important occasions for us. We respect the occasion’ when the chairman joked once again. Then I said, “Sir, frankly candidates tend to be a bit conservative in this regard” Ch: Ok. Your interview is over. It has been nice talking to you. Thank you. I thanked the chairman, the lady member and other members and left the room. It was 17.20 by then. The interview went for around 30-35 minutes. The session felt more like a candidate discussion rather than a strict interview. Hoping for the best!! Exam Interview Details : CSE 2010 Interview Subjects Taken : Physics, Public Administration Interview Date : 04-Apr-2011 Interview Board : Shri I. M. G. Khan City : Palakkad
- 78. 78 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh (Dr KK Paul Board) Name : Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh Interview Writeup: 31st march 2011, I was the fourth candidate to be interviewed in after noon session. Interview started at 3 45 pm. As soon as I entered even without looking at me KKP Sir told to sit. I was confused as I have not yet greeted them members. However I wished members and took my seat. Chairmen started (KKP Sir) Dr Bhuvnesh: Whats your name? ME: Sir Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh KKP Sir: Your Roll No ME: 48756 KKP Sir: Your Date of Birth ME: 22/7/1983 (by now I was thinking what he is up to taking interview or interrogating me) KKP Sir: Dr you have worked in ONGC FOR 1 YEAR why did you left it ME: Sir, I was on contract there . which got over KKP Sir: SO, you left ONGC or they left you ??or you left it for preparing ME: Sir, As contract period was over so I deciced to leave and I had to prepare also.. KKP Sir: Your hobbies are Teaching, Writing Hindi Poems, Introspection (he read this in one go). You write what sort of poems. ME: Sir, For my friends. KKP Sir: For friends or about friends? You tease your friends in your poems? ME: Sir. I write for my friends. I try to incorporate my emotions in poems. KKP Sir: and this introspection.. it is same as diary writing ME: Yes Sir, I do write diary also. But since I do introspection often so I have written it as my hobby. KKP Sir: What you do ME: Sir I try to evaluate my behaviour. I think about how I think, I review my decisions, also it sets me right when ever I go wrong. It guides my emotion to do better. KKP Sir: You are emotional person? ME: Yes sir KKP Sir: An emotional person cannot be practical person and practical person cannot be emotional also. We don’t need such people ME: Sir, Shall I take an example KKP Sir: OK ME: Sir, Since I am a doctor and when ever my patient comes to me. I show my emotion and my empathy towards him to accommodate him. But while prescribing the drugs I am the most practical person. I prescribe based on scientific tenets. so I think an emotional person can be practical too. KKP Sir: Till now his face was wearing mask. He didn’t showed any facial expression and pointed fingers towards 1st member to ask question ME: member 1 (M1: ) he was sitting left to him M1: So Dr. you are from Agra. ME: Yes sir.
- 79. 79 M1: Dr Icall AGRA as a GUTTER despite it being tourist place it is very dirty. ME: Sir, I beg to defer with you here, Sir you are talking about pre 2008 status now Agra has changed a lot. M1: Really? ME: Yes sir M1: Ok tell me what all we can do to tackle such problems in big metropolis. ME: Sir we need to educate people, We should strengthen municipality corp, allow them to come up with bonds to ensure their financial instability. M1: and in Cities? ME: Sir, I am staying in Delhi from past 1 year and I saw that MCD sends their autos and truck to clean the areas. so I think we can copy this plan in other cities like Agra also. M1: Who is responsible for all this mess ME: Sir, We all! M1: How we? ME: Sir, We are the one who throw our garbage in roads and there is implementation failure also. M1: Government is coming up with courses like BRMS because there is scarcity of doctor and you people instead of working in rural area come and join services. Why are you shifting from your field. ME: Sir, An MBBS is just a beginning or a step in medical field and today's era of multi-specialisation (inter disciplinary) I think we can help more and I being doctor I am more well versed with fellow doctors problems and I think I can tackle that through Civil Services. Sir, Recently there was a news that in Maharashtra only 40 % students of 1st year reach 2nd year and I think I understand this problem better. KKP Sir: Interrupted the M1 and asked M2 (Lady member) to ask. M2: Dr what are your views about traditional medicine, should we discard it. ME: Mam, Ayurvedahas treated our people from past 2000 year and even till today we all rely on Ayurvedatraditional medicines is deep rooted in us take for example we all eat Chawanprash which is an Ayurveda prep. Mam what I believe that Ayurveda in in its lowest ebb now and allopathic medicine in its peak.. so there is need for more research in this field. M2: But we do not have money. ME: True mam. But govt is working in this front we have AYUSH dept. we have Homeopathy, Ayurveda college etc. M2: Dr do you know about HDI ME: Yes mam M2: Who measures health component on HDI ME: And then I kept quiet for sometime and then she prompted that is national family health survey. M2: Do you know what is our ranking in this ME: Sorry mam I don’t know.. but I know we are behind srilanka n Bhutan in this M2: Yes. But why so? ME: Mam may be population pressure. KKP interrupted mam and told member 3 to ask me was sitting right to me mam wanted to ask more question but she stopped and I gave a smile to her. KKP Sir was listening when I was telling Chawanprash stuff how ever till now KKP Sir and other mebers did not gave any expression. M3: Dr you told you are emotional,, what is difference between emotional person and impulsive and who is better ME: sir, impulsive person takes decision instantaneously while emotional thinks and i believe
- 80. 80 emotional is betterthan impulsive M3: asked one more ques relating to emotion which I have never heard, so I stated that I don’t know sir M3: Dr do you take interest in foreign afFairs ME: Yes Sir, I do M3: Who is India's best friend ME: Sir, in long term relations I it is Russia and recently it is USA M3: WHY USA needs us, Big brother attitude of USA ME: Sir for balance of power with china, its strategic interest, its commercial interest. We are largest consumer of US goods blah..blah… M3: What do you think that doctors are going to USA and not serving nation ME: Sir, they do help us gain dollar which we require the most M3: But dollar is no more an international currency ME: True sir, but we import oil which is need of hour and their payment has to be done in dollar terms so dollar is valuable for us M3: Ok , do you know how much is foreign exchange reserve now ME: I was not sure and wanted to play safe so I told Sir I think its more than 250 mn dollars M3: Ok quiet above this value. He points toward member 4. M4: Dr as you rightly pointed out that MBBS is just beginning ,but don’t you think that doctors are not at all going to rural area what about health of rural people ME: Sir I beg to defer with you here,, (he nodded) Sir infact my friends are working in rural area, my seniors are also working in rural area also Sirwhen I was student during my community medicine postings I have seen doctors working in rural area.. Sirhowever I do agree that there is problem of turn over. M4: Dr you are from Agra or Karnataka ME: Sir Agra M4: But you have spent your most of time in Karnataka ME: Yes sir, but I was sent there. M4: Sent? ME: Yes Sir, Since I had my schooling in military school so I was sent there, But Sir later I started liking that place and infact I learned Kannada also and later on did MBBS from there. M4: what was your choice for military school ME: Sir, I don’t remember (that form was filled when I was in 5th and what I remember my father had filled that form) M4: You did MBBS from Bijapur. Bijapur is famous for?? ME: After a pause Sirits Golgumbaz M4: Nodding his head .. What it is? ME: Sir Mausoleum of Adil Shah M4: But why it is famous for? ME: Second largest dome of world. Sir also one sound resonates for 7 time. KKP Sir: Interrupts here and looks toward me and says ok go your interview is over. You can go now. I wished them thank you and good day. When I came out it was 4:15 so my interview went for 30 minutes. Dr Paul kept on giving sarcastic look through out interview. Exam Interview Details : Written
- 81. 81 Subjects Taken: PublicAdministration, Psychology Interview Date: 31, March 2011 Interview Board : Dr KK Paul City: Agra
- 82. 82 Union Public ServiceCommission Interview By M. Rohit (Purushottam Agarwal Board) Name: M. Rohit Type: Interview Me: May I come in Sir. Me: Good Morning Mam. Good Morning Sir. PSA: Please have a seat. Me: Thank You Sir. PSA: Why Madras has been changed to Chennai but the name of these institutions have not been changed. Me: These institutions have been kept of any kind of disturbances or distortions in the society.... (PSA was n' t convinced and interrupted me and moved on to next question) PSA: What do you think about Indian democracy. I have so many of my colleagues which say that Indian democracy it at its worst low and there is a very pessimistic scenario in the country. Me: Sir, there have been some turbulences and disturbances in short term but Indian democracy will eventually become more stronger and mature in future in a long term. PSA: Why do you think so? Me: Sir, India is like an oasis in the Indian subcontinent surrounded by all failed states and it is due to our democracy only. Even TS Krishnamorthy has in his book Miracle of Democracy, India is India because of democracy only. Navin Chawla has also said that if the youth is dynamic, then all the distortions in the system will eventually wither away. PSA: I'm not interested in others quotes, but more interested in your views. Me: Sorry Sir, PSA: So now tell me why do you feel so optimistic. Me: Sir, our Judiciary has been very proactive in the last couple of years and it will become the biggest bulwark of Indian democracy in the future tomorrow. PSA: Yes, that is one...what else Me: Sir, Election commission has been becoming very assertive now and people are also getting empowered and now they know their rights. ( PSA wasn't looking very convinced here...I guess was expecting something better... moves to next question ) PSA: I'm happy that you think optimistically about Indian democracy. PSA: Rohit, you have been in Chennai for last 6 years or so, If I'am not wrong. Have you picked up some Tamil? Me: Sir, I know some words and some numbers but I often forget them.
- 83. 83 PSA: Why, didn'tyou felt the necesssity to learn it in Chennai. Me: Sir, in campus everyone from peon, sweeper, Professor all speak English. Even if one goes out, all autowalas understand English PSA: You never went out of Chennai? Me: Sir, I've been to some places like Madurai, Tirupati, etc but everywhere people understand English. Me: I've a personal feeling that when north Indians go to South India they don't learn south Indian languages but when people come from South India to North India they pick up Hindi very fast. PSA: See, in this board two members are from South India and they know Hindi very well. Don't you think people are very rigid in North India? PSA: Why do people from South India learn Hindi fast? Me: Sir, people in South India are more forward... Me: Sir, I don't think so people are rigid here and people learn it often. PSA: But your case doesn't suggest so Me: Sir, If I get posted in Tamil Nadu tomorrow, I'll learn Tamil very soon. PSA: See, that's it. We learn it when there is necessity and not out of interest. M1: Rohit, You know about Panchtantra? Me: Sir, I remember reading about it in school M1: Ok, so you know about it. M1: Can you try to recollect what you remember> Me: (after a pause for 5 seconds) Sir, its a book written by Vishnu Sharma M1: Can you tell me what is the meaning of the word Panchtantra. Me: Sir, if you give me permission, I can break the word in Hindi and try to explain it. M1: Sure, please go ahead. Me: Sir, Panch means five and tantra means some tactic or tool or technology to get the work done. M1: Rohit, you are telling about Yantra and not tantra. Me: Yes Sir, I'm wrong. I'm confused. M1: Can you tell me about Vedanta? Me: Sir, I know only about Vedanta Mining group M1: (confused). PSA interrupts and says he is talking about Vendanta Industries of Orissa. M1: No I'm talking about the word Vendanta? Me: Sorrry Sir, I know about word Ved-Puran only. M1: What do you know about policies towards informal and formal migrants from developing countries to European countries what policies have been taken towards them?
- 84. 84 Me: Sorry Sir,I don't know about this aspect? M1: What about USA? Me: Sir, post economic recession, USA has taken many protectionist policies and has tightened the visa fees and other terms. It was very relaxed in the Bush regime. This protectionism has harmed countries like India. (He was not convinced...was expecting something else I guess) M2: These days there have been lot of talks about different regulatory bodies in India like MCI, NCHER, etc. What is your take on it. Should they be merged into one integrated body or they should work as different bodies? Me: Sir, they should be merged into one integrated body working under one roof. This will promote lot of cross -cultural research in the country. Technologists, managers, etc willbe able to work together and lot of new creative ideas and innovative solutions will come up. It will also reduce the red-tap in the bodies. M2: Have you heard of IPR. Me: Sir, do you mean I...P... R? Me: Yes Sir, I know about IPR. M2: Can you explain what it is? Me: Sir, it means Intellectual Property Rights. M2: Ok, these days lot of new companies are coming and taking up patents in agriculture...have you heard of anything like this? Me: yes Sir, companies take the patents of seeds, fertilizers, etc and monopolise the market. M2: what effect does it have.. .? Me: Sir, it has led to loss of indigeneous technology of production which the farmers have and production suffers. M2: Can you tell any specific exampple? M2: (after remaining blank for 3-4 seconds) Sir, I remember about Monsanto case. How it mopolised the market. M2: (not very convinced) Can you elaborate. M2: (again not very confident) Sir, It got the patent of Bt Brinjal and there were lot of apprehensioned from people M2: You have lived in Tamil nadu. Andhra pradesh is near to Tamil Nadu. In AP lot of agricultural universities are working and producing creative agri-models but still there are lot of farmer suicides. What is the reason> Me: Sir, there is a gap between the research being done in the universities and the actual implementation in the farms. M2: No, but still there are lot of models being implemented. I want a specific answer why in AP this problem is present.
- 85. 85 Me: Sorry, Sir,I don't know any specific reason for such problem in Andhra Pradesh. M3: Have you heard of Police Act? Me: Yes Sir, It was passed in 2007 M3: (PSA interrupts, that is what Supreme Court has directed, he is asking something else). When was the original Police Act passed? Me: Sir 1861 M3: Yes now you are on track. Now tell me why was it passed by the Britishers? Me: Sir, it was passed to keep the people of India down M3: Not only that, it was also passed to give the SPs enough powers to collect the revenue from the people and SPs use to work directly under the DMs M3: Have you heard of Police Commissionarate System? Me: Yes Sir, it has been started in Jaipur and Jodhpur recently. M3: What system is in Tonk where you were born and what system is in Chennai. Me: Sir, I'm not sure but I guess it is SP only. M3: These days powers of DMs have been diluted and SPs have been granted more powers for law and order. Do you think this relationship be diluted. Me: Sir, police should have some kind of regulatory body over it and DM is the best person. Otherwise there might be some police officers who have go out of the system and use their extra discretion and then people may suffer M3: Yes you are correct (M2 drops in again) M2: (he explained me about secret ballot system in the Parliament for nearly 6 minutes. Even after listening to him hard I could not make a word out of it what he actually meant and what he wanted from me. I had a horrific expression on my face...He had a Bengali accent) Me: Sir, could you...(PSA interrupts and takes over after seeing may facial expressions) PSA: Do you remember when was the no-confidence motion adopted few years back. Me: Sir, in 2007 PSA: for what purpose...? Me: (not very confident) Sir, nuclear deal bill PSA: Yes, in that Congress had 80 MPs and when secret ballot was done no one knew from where extra 18 MPs came out. It remained a mystery. Do you think this system of secret ballot should be removed? Me: Yes Sir, it should be removed and ful transparency should be brought in the system. Opaqueness should be removed. PSA: Don't you think it will create lot of uncertainty in the system.
- 86. 86 Me: May beYes Sir, but people have every right to know what decision their representative has taken on the issue. Is that good or bad? Party is secondary and people come first. M4: Rohit, I'm not from technical background. You have written Robotics as your hobby. Can you explain me what is a Robot? Me: Sir. Sorry Ma'am Robot is a tool or a device which can do the work which man does it from its own hands. M4: Do you know about movie Robot? Me: Yes Ma'am . Rajnikant is working in this movie. M4: What did you like in the movie? Me: Sir, Aishwarya Rai is working in that movie. (PSA interrupts and says yes that is the best thing to watch in that movie and the panel bursts into laughter. PSA again says but I haven't wathced it) M4: I'll tell you what was there in the movie. There was a robot which finally became uncontrollable and than it was difficult to control it. M4: Do you think such intelligence should be given to Robots? Me: Sir, Sorry Ma'am intelligence should be given but not to the extent that they sit over man. M4: You mean man shoud drive the robots and robots shoudl not drive man. Me: Yes ma'am M4: Can you tell how can Robots can be useful to society? Can you give some examples? Me: Ma'am few days back there was nuclear meltdown in Japan and 50 odd workers are fighting there to cool down the reactor. If we can produce 50 robots in their place who can cool the reactor than that will be a wonderful contribution to the humanity. Our soldiers take enemy bullets in the war zones, if we can replace them with robots or in Naxal affected areas if we can produce Unmanned vehicles, Unmanned Ground Vehicles to detect the landmines many lives of police people will be saved. (Interview abruptly ends here) PSA: Thank You Me: I was clueless and was expecting it to go some more long. PSA: Rohit you may go now. Me: Thank You Sir, Thank You Ma'am . Thank You Sir.
- 87. 87 Rajshree Jassie (AIR334)..Strategy and Interview (CSE 2010) Hi friends, recently the Union Public Service Commission Civil Service(M) final results were declared and as a person who did not even expect an interview call , I was pleasantly surprised(shocked rather :P ) to see that I had secured the 334th rank. Since then I have been getting messages regarding the way to prep and the number of hours I studied.. etc. Well , I really didn't know what to tell whom initially. But considering that I did crack the exam even after all the drawbacks in my prep, I will let you know my preparatory method. I will also focus on my mistakes more as I don't want you all to commit them during your own prep. As I said before , ' take inspiration from my success but learn from my mistakes' . Having no one to guide me in the right direction, the earlier attempts were wasted with no proper prep or even an earnest effort to do well. But during November 2009 my brother who had given his main 2009 laid out a time table for me. It was strenuous but required. There was a mix and match of various subjects in a day. Then, we had optionals in our PT so the whole morning was for Sociology, this I managed to do (with regular breaks in between) because I find socio interesting. After lunch half an hour was allotted to rattafy (memorize) the articles in Indian constitution. This I didn't do. then another half an hour for map work, which is another interesting thing so I did to some extent. Then a chapter of geography for an hour or two , followed by the India Year Book...etc. The time after dinner was for the newspaper. I would make notes of the news,so this would take a minimum of 1.30 hours. And finally revision of the previous days news. Once these were completed fully they would be substituted with other subject. So, this was a hectic schedule with deadline for every subject and consistent revision (every day the previous days study was to be looked through). A month and half before pt every subject was to be covered and at least half of them revised. As usual I did not follow the time table. But some how I completed most books , esp NCERT geo, History , India year book and my current affairs was alright too. The time table wished me to study for nearly 12-13 hours, but my proper concentrated prep in a day was around 6-7 hours. The rest were done in a relaxed manner, with music and breaks..etc PT came and everyone fared pathetically in pt in 2009. Except may be for eco students and those aspirants who had prepared really well. Not expecting a call for mains , I spent the two months after pt on upscportal.com (for the first time) and facebook. Some new found friends , esp Sahni sir and James007 thought I have a good chance and must study for the main. But I waited till the result to get my lazy bones up. Result came on Aug 22 and I panicked. Forget books I had not even read the newspaper properly all these days. I had to decide whether I wanted to go for mains coaching and test series etc... I decided that it would be a waste of time to shift base to Del. So, I shifted to Bangalore where my brother would guide me. August 24 I went to Bengaluru and next day my mains prep started. I saw my 2nd optional Political Science syllabus and almost fainted. Having done MA in Pl Sci, I thought it will be a piece of cake, but MA through distance education had given me only superficial knowledge and covered a minute part of the mains syllabus. Tension began. I didn't have a good way to punish myself for having wasted the earlier two months. So the 2 months
- 88. 88 before mains werethe two most hectic months of my life,even took toll on my weight, :P . The target was to complete syllabus at least a week before exam and also do answer writing. Unfortunately I fell short of both the targets. I read eco , history , geo , issues in chronicle..etc. Socio being my 1st opt, I was not too afraid and I also had 11 days gap for it. But GS and Pol Sci were two thorns in my back. Finally I understood it is impossible to complete them both 100% in two months. And the syllabus is so vast you cannot say which is imp and which ain't. So I gave importance to those which are common to all subjects, eg. IR in both GS paper 2 and Pol Sci , Indian constitution , Freedom movement..etc and current affairs. I made a list of burning topics and tried to gather info on them. I must say The Hindu was the best thing during those 2 months. My friend who had attempted mains in 2009 stressed upon flow charts and diagrams. So I tried to make flow chart for every topic and in fact tried to fill in the whole topic in one diagram with short sentences and phrases. I made short notes and revised from them. I did write a few answers too. But it is not the same as writing in the exam hall. To get that exam hall feel , I suggest you go for test series. Also my advice is that you finish both the optionals before you start prep for your pt , so that the time after pt can be devoted only for revision and answer writing. On October 29 written mains started. GS paper 1 was disastrous. Being my first written paper I failed to stick to word limit. I exceeded the word limit which automatically leads to insufficient time to complete the paper. the afternoon Gs paper 2 was okay. I did watch the time and tried to stick to word limit though I did not succeed. Of the total 600 marks I had written for 350-360 marks. I had decided that this mains will only be for experience and not for success. Essay paper was good. I devoted the first hour for a pencil draft at the back, and the next two hours on the final draft with 15 minutes to spare.So I did a diagram at the end.. GS paper had taught me well. I calculated the words & minutes equation and tried to rattafy that too...!! However the mistakes were different. Having kept in mind the pattern of the previous years I failed to see that the 20 markers of the first main had four compulsory questions. I answered only three in both the sections. and due to time constraint I left few other questions too. Also many a times it has happened that questions have had two parts, but while writing the answer, I have forgotten about the second part and answered only the 1st part of it. I think the only way to address these mistakes are through answer writing, and if possible go for test series too... Even with all these mistakes , fact remains that I enjoyed writing my main exam. The questions were brilliant and makes you think a lot. Working out an answer on spot and the effort to complete all questions gives you a kick.. lol ... And it was very thrilling at the end of every exam. Trying to write an answer in full speed... I did use flow charts in my answers but make sure that you practice them too.My paper was also neat. Especially my essay paper.. Once the main was over it was bliss.. I decided to take a break. By March I had to start my prep for 2011 Pt, CSAT. But I kept postponing and finally main result came. It was a shocker for me. But then the general talk is that cut off itself is low, thanks to GS. You all know about my interview prep. the mocks on IOD (Indian Administrative Service OUR DREAM) and also at Vaji made me confident that I can answer any question. But the real time is really real.. All that research on home state and name and what not.. But it was completely different. No big questions were asked. But the whole atmosphere is so tense. Somehow I survived through it, but again I could have done much better.
- 89. 89 My Interview - Ido not remember the exact answers I gave in my interview so I will only give you the gist of my interview. On April 21, I reached Union Public Service Commission quite early. But gate opens at 9 AM sharp. Once inside, we are made to sit on tables allotted for us with two Union Public Service Commission staff. They take our certificates and documents and get it verified at the main table. Then once person came and told me I was the first candidate. At this point I felt lucky coz I wanted to be the first. After knowing that my board is Rajni Razdan madam's I just waited. Before interview I was quite cool. I cracked jokes with other aspirants and exchanged info and read a little bit of the Hindu. Finally one person came to me and told me to follow him. Then little bit nervousness crept it. Finally I was called. In my josh I did not see the time,but a friend who had kept a watch on me told me I went in at 10.35 and came out at 11. I entered and the first mistake was committed in first 5 seconds. The set up of the table and chairs was such that I saw the sirs first. So automatically I wished the sirs first. I had ignored the lady in the room who was also the chairman of the board...!!!!!, Rajni ma'am...!!! But immediately I wished her. May be this was why she was pissed off with me and told harshly you don't look like you do in your photograph. I smiled. and said, but ma'am it was only taken a month back. She showed the pic to me and said do you feel you look like this now. Immediately after your interview go and get new photos and give to my assistant. I said ok ma'am I will do the needful. All this time I kept my smile. Finally she asked me my name , roll number which I answered. I took a few seconds to tell my roll no, I had almost forgotten it due to the hungama my pic had caused. And by this time my nervousness had increased though I maintained my smile.She read out some info like my qualification and hobby. Finally it started - RR - What do you cook? Me - Ma'am depends on what I feel at that moment....... RR - Don't tell me that , tell me what you prepare. Me - Yes ma'am , rice is our staple food so I prepare rice items more, like veg pulav , fried rice , biriyani and some regionally specific dishes like bisi bele baat , vaangi baat..... RR - Tell me the recipe of that. Me - Ma'am it is a brinjal based dish with spices...... (I was trying to give an introduction of the recipe before giving the details,like as if this was a written exam.. :P ). RR - when you see a recipe book is that how you find the recipe, won't there be ingredients and measurements? Now tell us how you will prepare for the five of us (members). Me - I started ma'am I will require 3 cups of rice.......................... ... somewhere at the end she cut in and said ok, ( may be she din't find it that tasty..!! :P ) RR - You have done MA in Pol Sci & IR, tell me about the situation in Libiya right now. Me - Presently the NATO forces are implementing the UNSC Resolution 1973. But the leader
- 90. 90 Muammar Gaddafi isnot ready to let go of his power and is retaliating to these NATO forces. There is a lot of chaos going on. ( This was the weakest point of my interview. I could have given a much better answer.) Then she gestured the next sir to ask. I was passed on... Sir1 - Have you heard of Self Help Groups ? Me - yes sir I have. S1 - What do they do? Me - Sir , they are a way of generating a regular income among women , esp in the rural areas. Women come together and form various enterprises through which they can gain some profit. Many small and cottage industries are based on this. Crafts and edible items..etc are marketed by them. S1 - Do they have savings? Me - Yes sir, they are encouraged to go for savings and they also give out loans to the newcomers to establish their own groups and enterprise. Now a days some banks like SBI (not sure if this is right) also give out loans to these groups. S1 - You are from Karnataka , Recently the arecanut farmers from there visited the PM for some reason. What are their problems? Me - (I forgot the more important reason and gave the general one first). Off late the arecanut yield is suffering due to insufficient irrigation and power cuts..etc. And recently the Kar. gov. has banned gutka and supari due to which the arecanut prices have taken a steep dip. Their demand is to bring some stability to the prices of arecanut. S1 - Don't you think it is good that such a thing which causes oral cancer and all has been banned? Me - Definitely it is a good thing sir. But arecanut itself is not the biggest cause of oral cancer. Tobacco is more hazardous ot heath but it has not been banned. and many people are dependent upon arecanut for their livelihood, so the issue has to be thought about. S1 - Can't we encourage the arecanut farmers to go for alternative crops? Me - We can do that sir, But we must keep in mind that arecanut is an intensive investment sector. A lot of investment goes into buying the plants and fertilizers. It also requires heavy irrigation facilities like drip irrigation which is quite expensive. So it will be difficult to convince them to go for a change now. And even if they do , they must be given adequate returns for their investment. also the soil suitability has to be researched for alternative crops. So this will need more time and research. S1 - Have you seen any arecanut farms? Me - Yes sir my father comes from an agricultural family . So I have seen arecanut farms. He nodded and said okay. then Sir 2. A really very old and sweet uncle. S2 - You mentioned supari in you answer. Do you know the other meaning of supari? they say supari de dunga no....
- 91. 91 Me - Yessir (big smile). It means something like hired assasins. S2 - said yes you are right, with a smile. And asked you have done your schooling in coorg and then you did it in Mysore. Why? Me - Yes sir , my father was in govt service and we had changed a few schools during my early years in school. To bring some stability my parents thought it would be better to put us in a hostel. S2 - why Coorg? Me - When I was studying in Udipi , we (automatically I included my bro also but luckily he din't realize) were under the guidance of a particular principle who was very good.When he went to coorg to head another school we also shifted there as we wanted to continue to be under his guidance. S2 - Then why Mysore? Me - Sir after staying for so long in hostel , I wanted to be at home so decided to continue my studies in Mysore itself. S2 - Smiled and said that explains everything. Looked at my application and asked , Why did you go for distance education for you degree? Me - Sir I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis during the final months of my plus two. And I had some difficulty with walking in the early mornings, but I wanted to continue my studies so decided to go for distance education. S2 - Oh, that's very sad, are you still under medication? Me - No sir, I was for one year but I am better now. He said that's good. And Sir 3, sitting on my left started. S3 - What you know about regional planning? Me - Sir we are already having problems of regionalism in India. This is because of development disparities among regions. So to help in development of a particular region a particular plan is laid out keeping in mind the advantages and disadvantages of the region. India is a vast country with each region having different resources and different needs, so we cannot have a single plan for the whole country. That is why we have regional planning. S3 - What are the benefits? Me - By having regional planning we can give focus to every region and help in faster development of India itself. More importantly the local people will be involved in it. I think that just like grass root democracy even administration must go to the grass root and regional planning helps in doing this. S3 - People will take part more..? Me - Yes sir. ( he was kind of acknowledging my answer so I did not elaborate). S3 - What is diff between rural planning and urban planning? Me - Sir , through rural planning we are still trying to give our rural areas some of the basic amenities such as electricity , water and schools. Some of our villages do not even have schools yet , so we are
- 92. 92 focusing on providingthem these kind of development through the plans where as in urban area we are focusing on improving the infrastructure , increasing economic output and attracting more FDI..etc . this is the basic difference. He said okay and passed me on to the nest Sir. S4 - We have launched the PSLV recently (it was done just the previous day). Why do we need it , what is the use? Me - Sir we have launched 3 sats through this launch. One is the resourcesat , the other two with foreign collaboration, one with Indonesia ( It was actually Russia.. :P ) and the other with Singapore. Firstly this will help us gain access to foreign technology which is superior to ours and also we can go for agreements and joint researches in the field of space and science..etc. There will be technology transfer which will have positive effects from India's point of view. And then satellites like resourcesat help us know about our resources which is helpful in many ways. S4 - How knowing resources will be helpful? Me - Sir India has great resource potential , but we are not bale to capitalize on these resources. By knowing which region has what resources, our planning will be better and when our planning is better, our rate of development will pick up. For example we have floods in one region but droughts in another. Knowing this we can build dams in the most suitable region so that the floods can be diverted and the water used to irrigate lands which face drought. Also knowing about rivers and their flow we can plan our hydel projects..etc. Knowing about our forests we can go for development in a sustainable manner such that forests are used for economic purposes but also conserved at the same time..etc S4 - Are you aware of the National Knowledge Network ? Me - Yes sir , it is an initiatative to connect the various universities all over the country. to make a network of it...... S4 - What is the use of this Network? Me - Sir this will help in over all development of higher education in the country. the top universities that have good infrastructure can help other universities to improve their infrastructure. Libraries and information can be shared, so there will be a flow of ideas between the universites. And ideas will lead to innovation and development. Most importantly it will bring together the youth of the nation. Being a big country , it is physically impossible to meet, but through such a cyber network we can get in touch with our peers in various parts of our country. S4 - How many times have you been to Delhi? Me - Sir this is my second visit. I was here in 2007 for my coaching. S4 - Do you see any change? Me - (Was little confused with this q as I din't know what he expected) Not particularly sir. S4 - They say they are using CNG and so pollution has come down..etc . Don't you feel that? Me - Sir I come from Mysore which has recently beed judged as the 2nd cleanest city in India. when I
- 93. 93 come from thereto here I see a huge difference. I have not felt any significant change. S4 - What is CNG? Me - It is Compressed Natural Gas. It is a renewable sorce of energy ( made this mistake in my josh). I am sorry sir not renewable but a clean source of energy that is being used now a days. S4 - why is it compressed? Me - I was so comfortable that I blurted compressed because its compressed sir with a big smile on my face.....!!!!! Then I actually laughed (suddenly I realized that it is Union Public Service Commission interview and tried to remember why gas is compressed, but it came to me only later on when I was leaving the room) and said I am sorry sir I don't really know why. S4 - What is your dream? Me - I smiled and said my dream sir? (he nodded) I know that India will be one of the most developed society in a matter of few years. My dream is to be a part of India's development process. To make a contribution in such a success. S4 - Why civil services? Me - I would like to quote Socrates here sir. ( he nodded ) . ' An unexamined life is not worth living'. And when I examine my life in the end , it will not be in terms of how much property , wealth and status I have made but it will be in terms of how worth while I have been to the society. This I can do as an NGO or social worker (S3 was kind of repeating my answer when I was at it.), but the confidence I require will be given to me only by civil services. At this point RR said a stern THANK YOU (guess she was still angry that I din't wish her first).... I kind of jerked out of my comfort zone after hearing her Thank you, I said thank you ma'am , thank you sirs with a smile and walked out confidently.
- 94. 94 This is oneMr.Vinay's interview.. refer here: My UPSC Interview « REFLECTIONS The Panel:Mr. I.M.G.Khan (chairman)and 4 other members including a lady member. Name: Vinay Kumar G.B. School: Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Qualification: B.Sc. Genetics, M.Sc.(to be completed – don’t know when!!) Optionals: Geography and Kannada Literature. Hobbies: photography, pencil sketching, blogging, Activities: walking in the countryside Date: 4th April 2011 Time: 4.30 pm Duration: 30 mins Me: May I come in Sir? Chairman: Please come in. I entered the room. Wished the chairman and other members, specially turning towards the lady member. Chairman asked me to sit. Chairman(c): What is this G.B. in your name? Me: I described. I was comfortable, composed and humble before the panel. C: your profile is interesting. You studied in Navodaya Vidyalaya, how different they are from other schools? Me: Sir, they are meant for rural poor where they reserve more than 70% seats for them. In my class we had 27 students, of them 10-12 are doctors now……… C: that’s ok, but how different they are? Me: sir, they provide quality education and teachers are well qualified and are accessible 24 hours for students. And I am here because of Navodaya Sir. C: that’s good. So where did you learn most? in the class or outside of it? Me: Both sir, as they were always available we had opportunity to learn all the time. C: Why can’t we have such schools everywhere so that people get quality education? what is the constraint? Me: (I thought for few seconds) Sir, i think it’s funds………
- 95. 95 C: no nono…..funds are not a problem. Government has huge money. What else do you think? Me: sir Karnataka has started Morarji Desai schools in every Block. But they are not as good as Navodaya schools. C: where do they differ? Me: Sir, i think it is teachers. We are unable to find qualified teachers for such a large number of schools. C: ha, ok. So why do you think teachers are unqualified? Me: it’s poor quality higher education. We are not producing eligible people for the job. C: no that can not be the reason. May be something else… Me: Sir, they are not trained properly. I think better training may give better teachers. C: it’s interesting to note that you studied Genetics. But why did you join Village Panchayat instead of pursuing a career in research? Me: sir, i like to work in villages (this was a spontaneous answer, I had prepared something else) as I am born and brought up in villages, i like to work there. C: still, you could have pursued research and do good to village people. Me: (became blank for a moment) sir, when i wrote Navodaya entrance I could not get proper guidance, i cleared it by studying myself. I want children in villages to get guidance, so I usually convince parents to send their children to good schools and train them for exams. The chairman asked the member sitting left to me to ask questions. M1: You have studied genetics. Do you know the most recent species whose genome has been sequenced? Me: No Sir, sorry I don’t know. M1: Do you know about human genome project? Me: I explained it well. M1: You are from Karnataka, what is Bangalore famous for? Me: sir, IT M1: name some companies headquartered there? Me: Infosys, Wipro.. M1: HCL? Me: no sir, i think it has an office, but it is headquartered somewhere, may be in Tamil Nadu. M1: recently Azim Premji has opened a University in Bangalore. What’s it about? Me: Sir, it is to create future leaders for carrying out developmental works and also for creating good
- 96. 96 teachers for thecountry. M1: yes, it’s basically for creating good teachers. Do you know about BPO? what’s it? Me: sir, business process outsourcing. M1: what do they do? Me:Sir, they outsource their business to some other companies to save money and lighten their burden…. M1: what do people do in call centres? Me: sir, they attend the calls of their clients and resolve their issues on line. M1: what is ‘operation Lotus’? Me: (i didn’t want to answer this question) sir………it’s……..horse trading…….(i dragged on..) M1: (smiling) ok, you don’t want to answer that question….leave it. He signaled he was done. Second member took over. M2: your optional is geography. Why is it called arts-science? Me: Sir Geography is broadly divided into Physical and Human – former is scientific and latter is more humanistic, so geography is called so…. M2: Your optional is Kannada lit., what is Sangam literature? Me: it’s ancient Tamil literature sir. M2: what else? it’s period? what was in it? Me: sorry sir, I don’t know…… Chairman: (he intervened) i think it is not related to Kannada literature, ask him something else.. M2: I think you have read today’s The Hindu editorial…….tell me what is in it? Me I was thinking) sir, about world cup and Japan earthquake M2: No no there was something else…. C: may be he has not read it….. M2: (to chairman) sir, there was something related to discovery of some pre-historic tools.. Me: (suddenly i recalled it) yes sir yes sir….it was found in Tamil Nadu……explained it. Third member(lady) took over. M3: for how long you are working as Panchayat Development Officer? Me: Ma’am for the past one year. M3: do you implement MGNREGA?
- 97. 97 Me: Yes Ma’am,we are the implementing agency. M3: what are the problems you faced during its implementation? Me: Ma’am, first we don’t have enough manpower to do the paper work, computer work and to oversee the work. secondly there is a lot of political interference…..especially contractors, who have a nexus with the members whose election they funded… (Chairman and the member talk between them regarding this) M3: tell me your most satisfying achievement as PDO? Me: (was waiting for this opportunity) Ma’am, I distributed the financial benefits going to the doorsteps of the beneficiaries; Converted village street lights from incandescent to CFL s; have opened a blog on Panchayat where all panchayat related documents will be displayed; helped women open accounts in their names under TSC though the scheme didn’t have the provision………. M3: seems you are concerned with primary education……….what did you do to ensure teachers attended schools? Me: apart from convincing parents I haven’t done anything ma’am. M3: you are having some committee for this right? Me: ( I should have told that, but I had forgotten) Yes ma’am, we have SDMC committee- school development and monitoring committee – it’s its job to oversee the functioning of the schools. (i explained its combination and don’t know why i said – ‘i can’t dictate terms to its members because they are elected and I listen to what they decide in meeting’) M3: you have mentioned you like ‘walking in the countryside’ – what’s it? Me: yes ma’am, i like to walk around villages. I like to capture people in my camera as my hobby is photography too. M3: you don’t like landscape, birds, river…..? Me: I like them ma’am but people are more interesting. M3: you also have a blog. how often you blog and what is the most recent event on which you blogged? Me: Ma’am I blog once in a week or 15 days. My recent post is regarding no-fly zone over Libya (though i had written on something else i couldn’t recall). I explained the post. The final member took over. M4: you have done NCC. what are its objectives? Me: I explained. M4: there is a perception among some section of people that they are neglected and development has not taken place in their region. Is it a perception or reality?
- 98. 98 Me: it’s areality sir. They are being neglected and development has not reached them. If their region is developed they will forget their religion, caste, class and everything sir. They will care only about their families only. For this purpose only i have chosen J&K, Jharkhand as my 2nd and 3ed preference sir. (they didn’t seem to notice this point) Chairman: what is your opinion regarding police reforms? there is lot of complain about them, what should be done to reform our police? Me: Sir, i think we should amend the colonial act first. C: (laughing) ok, but what else? Me: They should be taught humane approach first in their training sir. Even though i haven’t done any wrong i get some sort of fear looking at the policeman. That perception must be removed by making them more humane. C: then? Me: I think they need to be better equipped and trained well sir. C: Ok, then? Me: Sir, police is a state subject and we need a unified force to eliminate conflict of interest between different agencies. Like NIA, we need a central agency for police………..i think it should be made a central subject….( chairman shocked) C: cenrtal subject!! it’s a too drastic measure………will states agree for that? what about politicians? Me: (should have been silent) sir, it’s police and politician nexus that is a big hurdle in development…. C: May be when you become an officer, some years later you can implement it. Let’s see what happens. Anybody wants to ask questions? everyone asked? C: Ok thank you Vinay. You may go now. I thanked everyone and came out without making any noise. (overall I felt it was a good interview. It was more like a casual talk than what I had dreaded.) Note: I got 210 out of 300 marks. I think simplicity and honest answers got me these marks. Though I didn’t get selected(missed by 18 marks), these marks have given me confidence to crack this exam in my next attempt
- 99. 99 Re: A compilationof interview experiences from an earlier thread -- Interview sample This is an actual interview that happened. Very informative example of an interview: AG: Mr. Kumar, you passed out of IIT recently.. oh no, in 2002. This is April 2004. What have you been doing all this time? VK: Ma’am, till November 2003, I had been preparing and appearing for the successive stages of the civil services examination. After that, I joined a telecom software startup started by some of my friends from IIT Bombay here in Delhi. I am there in an.. AG: Wait. Why are you speaking so quickly? Are you nervous? Just relax and take it easy. Speak slowly. VK: Yes ma’am, I am nervous. This is my first, and hopefully the last, interview (smiles, trembles inwardly but doesn’t show it). AG: Good, so proceed. What did you do at this startup? VK: Ma’am, I am there in an informal capacity and do not draw any salary except the expenses and I help them out in any way possible. But by and large I deal with initiating contact with foreign telecom companies who might be interested in buying our software. I find out the companies, look for a key person, initiate contact, see if they would be willing to buy something. Once I get something positive, I hand it over to my Boss. AG: So, you actually talk to these companies.. the foreigners? VK: Yes. AG: Have you succeeded somewhere? Which country? VK: Ma’am I initiated the first deal that we made, in Brunei. AG: Okay. You have given Indian Foreign Service as your first preference, despite your father being in the Police. Why? VK: There are 2 reasons ma’am. Firstly, I have always wanted to represent India. To have that India tag on me. There is this feeling of pride I can’t explain. And secondly, I see more and more challenges ahead for the Indian Foreign Service in an increasingly globalised world. It seems exciting and I want to be where the action is. AG: What is the biggest issue in the US presidential elections? VK: Lots of them actually. Afghanistan, Outsourcing… AG: No, the biggest issue. VK: The Iraq War? AG: Yes. Now, can you update me on the Indo-US relations?
- 100. 100 (VK launches intoan answer explaining things and bringing the Indo-Pak-US triangle into focus). AG: You were talking about pride. But this is the government, you would have to do as your boss tell you to. Right? VK: Yes, ma’am. AG: Now, suppose you are in an Indian Embassy in some capacity below the rank of Ambassador. You get a direct order from Delhi, which you think is contary to our National Interests. Would you still carry it out? VK: As you said ma’am, I probably would have to. AG: (adopts a very nice tone) No! You must never do that. You should try and talk to the Ambassador and get him on your side. Once that is done, you can negotiate with New Delhi. VK: But ma’am I was assuming that all this had been tried before. The order can not come out of the blue. The matter must have been under consideration for some time and I would have discussed it with the Ambassador already. AG: Even then, you must not give up. The only guiding principle for you would be India’s National Interest. Nothing else. If you think something is wrong, refuse to carry out the order. The national interest must never be compromised. VK: Yes ma’am. I’ll try my best to do that. AG: Okay, you mentiom science fiction as your hobby. Name a few writers. (VK names a few) AG: All this fiction is fine, but has any of it ever come to reality? (VK says yes and names a few things) AG: Do you stay updated with science facts as well? VK: Yes. AG: Tell me about the Mars Mission. (VK proceeds to talk about it. Can not name the vehicle. Discussion ensues around the table on the name and ends when Ms. Ghose brings it to an end) AG: Okay, enough. Now the others can ask questions. M1: You say listening to music in one of your hobbies. What kind of music? VK: All kinds, Sir. Depends on my mood. I listen to pretty much everything. M1: Even classical? VK: Yes. M1: Name some kinds of music. (VK names 12-13 genres or so and is interrupted mid-sentence)
- 101. 101 M1: The criminalizationof politics is such a big problem. Why do criminals win elections? VK: Because the elections are never fought on those lines. No matter what the national media says, down in the constituency, the issues are extremely local and mostly based on caste equations and local politics. So, unless there is a big wave, everything national is actually very local. Criminal backgrounds do not decide voters’ choices. Except perhaps the urban few, who do not vote anyway. M1: So, what is the solution? VK: Perhaps to stop them from contesting. Stricter legislation to prevent them from contesting and a more transparent information system. At the same time, efforts need to be continued to educate the people about the importance of these reforms. M2: Mr. Kumar, what is this BPO thing? How does it work? VK: Business Process Outsourcing Sir. (explains the BPO phenomena) M2: Do you thing it will last? VK: For the short-term, yes. But other developing countries will start catching up. Besides, there is the issue of growth of the BPO company and the professional growth of people working there. M2: Meaning? VK: An individual whose only skill is to answer calls would probably find it hard to find another job 5-6 years down the line. Not all of them can become managers. Besides, there are pressures of the lifestyle. M2: You mean the health hazards of people in call centres. Elaborate. VK: Only yesterday, there was a report in newspapers about a study that found the incidence of stress related disorders, drinking and (pauses, looks at Ms. Ghose, who had lit a cigarette a few minutes ago, and smiles)… smoking. AG: (burtsts out laughing).. what did you say? VK: Smoking ma’am. People working in call centres have been found to be more prone to smoking and they obviously expose themselves to the related health hazards. (AG laughs some more and puts the cigarette out in an ash-tray which resembles an agricultural field growing cigarettes) M3: You are a chemical engineer from IIT Bombay. Why did you opt for Philosophy and Public Administration? VK: Philosophy because I have always been interested in the subject matter. My father named me after Swami Vivekanand and I have been reading material on Indian Philosophy ever since I started reading. Public Administration because I thought that if I have to do administration in life, I might as well learn something about it. Plus, the guidance was easily available. M3: If a foreigner, during your posting abroad, asks you about the sociological impact of schools of Indian philosphy on life in India, what would you say?
- 102. 102 VK: I’m sorrySir, but my study has been restricted to the content of these philosphies. I have’t studied their impact. M3: But you are interested in the subject. Would you continue reading more on the subject? VK: Of course Sir. I find the subject fascinating. M4: Mr. Kumar, a little while ago, while discussing Indo-Pak relations, you mentioned that India need not comment on every little thing that happens in the world. I say, we have no need to even talk to Pakistan. Do we have something in common with them. I say nothing. Nothing at all. Do you think there is anything we have in common with them? VK: At least 2 things Sir. Firstly, the common history we share. We were practically one country barely 50 years ago. And… (interrupted by M4) M4: No. We have no need to talk to them.. (repeats the same question again after a long monologue) (VK starts answering again, and is interrupted again, M4 starts the same monologue) AG: (sounds very angry and upset with M4) Enough M4! This is his interview. Why don’t you shut up and let him speak? Vivek, you answer the same question to me and ignore him completely. VK: As I was saying ma’am, firstly there is the shared history and heritage. And secondly, both countries have claims on Kashmir. And no matter what we say, it keeps coming up again and again everywhere. It is an issue that we do share, though uncomfortably. AG: You have held several positions at IITB.. Election Officer, Placement Representative etc. You have also won a few awards from your hostel for “organisation”. What is all this? (VK explains the positions held at IITB and the awards from Hostel-3). AG: Any last questions (looks around at all members)? M4: May I ask one last question? AG: Sure. Go ahead. M4: You played hockey for your hostel for a while. What is the future of India hockey. VK: Looks reasonably bright to me, Sir. At least the prospects are good. Youngsters are coming up, sponsors are also pitching in. Coaching seems to have improved. M4: Do you think Dhanraj Pillay is good enough for the Indian team. Should he play? VK: Well Sir, he is the most experienced and he is absolutely fit. He is the best player we have… M4: No no.. just say Yes or No. Should he be in the team? VK: Yes. AG: Okay. The interview is over. You may leave Mr. Kumar. Thank you. I got 225 in the interview.
- 103. 103 Interview was on24th march, chairman was Prof. E. Balagurusamy. CM: You had the tea? You had the water? Tell us something about yourself. You graduated from the IIT; you must have got good campus placement, so then why you want to enter civil services? Can you tell us how your education will help you in this career? Your 1st preference is Indian Administrative Service, and your 3rd preference is Indian Police Service. Suppose you do not get the Indian Administrative Service, which I wish do not happen, then you may have to join the Indian Police Service. Tell me what are the qualities that a police officer should have? 1st member: Your 1st preference is Indian Administrative Service, 2nd is Indian Foreign Service and 3rd is Indian Police Service. How do you justify these choices? Tell me what are the main crops grown in your home district? you know what the importance of cumin seeds(from the answer) is in our national economy? where it is used? Do you know about the green revolution? Have you heard of it?Tell me what is it? Tell me how it happened? Ok when did it happen? Ok what is the status of our food production now? Are we self sufficient? Have you heard of any other revolutions in agriculture other than green revolution, anything in pulses?Ok you were telling about self sufficiency, is it that we are not self sufficient or people do not have money to buy? 2nd member: We hear that inflation rate is going down. Recently it has dropped from 2.43% to around 0.4%. Is it good or bad for our economy? How is it good? Will it be good if have negative inflation rate? We have lot of black money in the economy. Suppose you are the Finance Minister of the country, how will eliminate this? Tell me 4 policies for this? (I could not give a convincing answer to this..discussion went on this question for 2-3 mins) 3rd member: What is sustainable development?Ok, suppose you are DM of certain area, how will you ensure sustainable development of multipurpose river project? But the people are mentally disturbed when thrown out of their land, what will you do for this? Tell me what are qualities you have for which you should be selected? Ok tell me how will you use your education background in civil services?
- 104. 104 Tell me howwill you use your EE background? Tell me how will you use them in police service? 4th member: As you have mentioned about the power sector, tell me about the situation of our power sector? What are the problems which we are facing? What can be done about this? time these T&D losses are called theft & dacoit losses. Do you agree with it? How will you prevent the theft losses? If a person is paying bribe to the electrician for theft, what can you do then? Ok, can you tell what percentage of different sources of power is? Percentage of thermal, hydro and all… What are problems associated with the coal based plants? What can be done for the ash?Are we doing this? Do we need nuclear energy? Do you know the future projection of nuclear energy in terms of percentage? CM: Are we doing something on nuclear energy? Why now, why not earlier?Why we had sanctions? Is Indo-US nuclear deal good for us? Do we need to be afraid on anything? Take any card from this and read what is written on it. Explain it. Ok your interview is over. How do you assess your interview? Were you nervous? Do you want to change any of your answer now? Now you can ask any question from any one of us. Have a chocolate. It was over within no time. Questions were thrown without me finishing the answers. from Mrunal's earlier thread: [Interview Questions] A small List [Interview Questions] A small List How do you handle criticism Here the interview is on the look out for your accountability and professional character.Simply explain a situation that caused a problem and narrate how you faced it and overcame it. Tell me about a situation that upset you at work Her the interview is trying to find out how you deal with pressure. Be diplomatic and objective with your answer. Prepare the answer so that the answer comes as a smooth reassurance. How do you handle tension? Answer with ease that in any job and any situation that tension is a part of it. Relax before putting the fact you are very used to such type of works. What is your weakness? Turn the question to a positive one. Simply say that you are a perfectionist and your commitment to output of high quality perfect work. Say this is your weakness. Describe a professional skill you have developed in you? It will be better if you be specific with your answer. Narrate some thing you worked for to fulfill your work more efficiently. Describe how you attended a seminar and brought about the changed in your work. What can motivate you? The Interview expects an answer to know you better .Keep in tune with your job and work you have applied for. Do not beat around the bush. What books you read? Do not ever say you have read a book which you have not. Here your
- 105. 105 suggestion can leadthe interviewer to know your taste and interest. It can also hint on how you take your profession. If you have unlimited time and financial resources how would you spend them Even though it is tempting to discuss thing you would do for fun, answer these questions with strict coherence with the job you have applied for. How could you enrich your current job? Design your answer to show that you are still interested in the job and you point out a few instances where improvements can be made. Convince the person that you can be relied on and you will not get bored with what you do with time. What is your dream job? Make the question a chance to display your aptitude that fits the job you have applied for. Display how your skills can be put into suite the challenges and modern trends. Why should we take you? This is often the concluding Question Tell me something about yourself Do not just repeat what you have given in your resume. Be ready with the answer, a talent or something you did out of the ordinary. You can sound it as unique or give it a touch of your personality. Don't you think that you are over qualified for this job? (This question is put to you to puzzle a candidate. Be calm and answer the question with a positive and confident approach)Answer in the negative My experience and qualification will just help me to do the job better. Moreover I am at establishing a long term relationship which my qualification will favor me to handle more responsibilities and help me to rise to your expectations. Do you have any questions? Be prepared to answer this question in advance. List out a few questions you wish to know more about. After you have faced the interview your logic will guide you to ask the question you really want to know more about.
- 106. 106 Re: A compilationof interview experiences My Interview Mrunal has suggested that I write about my interview. With apologies to him as I have forgotten the details (it was a long time ago!), here it is: The interview is the last major hurdle for anyone to be through the Civil Service Exams. It was my first and only attempt at the CSE, and my date of interview was in early May. The Union Public Service Commission reception area at Dholpur House had all of us waiting (after getting our documents verified), and my turn came in the early afternoon. It was hot in Delhi so I wore a plain full sleeve shirt (and no tie, no suit). The interview board I had to face had five members including the Chairman, who was a retired Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force. One lady member was, I think, a professor from JNU while the others seemed retired civil servants. I walked in, wished the Board and was asked to sit down. The Chairman began by asking me about my family’s business background (petroleum products and audio visual equipment), and asked why I did not want to be part of that business. He also asked me why I thought I was suitable for the Indian Administrative Service, and commented on the fact that I was only 22 and just out of college. My answers seemed to satisfy him. I told him that I was not cut out for business, and that I thought I had the qualities of compassion, intelligence and hard work which would hold me in good stead in the Indian Administrative Service. The Chairman then looked towards the Member sitting next to him. This gentleman took me through questions I was not very comfortable with. Taking up the discussion from my business background (petroleum products and audio visual equipment), he began by asking me the difference between a petrol engine and a diesel engine; the difference between stereophonic and quadraphonic sound and the meaning of stereoscopic vision. I had no science background, and had little knowledge of what he had asked so I had to rely on my memory of what I had studied for GS to answer these questions. My answers were very basic, and I admitted that my knowledge was sketchy at best. The Member himself then briefly explained the areas where I had floundered, and told the next Member to take over. This Member asked my questions on my subject Political Science: could I explain the difference between the Indian and British parliamentary systems; did I think that the US presidential system was more suited for India; did I think a multi-party political system was a waste of resources in a country like India, and whether a two-party system would suit India better. He also asked whether I agreed
- 107. 107 that Mahatma Gandhi’sviews on women were not progressive, and whether if the British had not ruled India, we would still be floundering in medieval darkness. I was on reasonably sure ground here, and I think my answers were quite satisfactory. The same Member then remarked that one of my hobbies was reading. What did I read? Could I name my favourite authors? I told him I enjoyed reading Herman Hesse and Albert Camus, and I was then asked to describe their philosophies and writing styles. During the discussion I also mentioned Kafka, so I was asked about the nature of his books, and why I was drawn to his writings. Here again, I was rather sure of myself so the answers went well. The next Member did not ask questions, but asked me to stand up and turn around. Confused, I did as I was told, and came face to face with a huge world map on the wall behind me. He asked me to very quickly point out the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the Yellow Sea on the map, which I did. He then asked me to point out the Bermuda Triangle, the Golden Triangle and the Red Triangle. I pointed out the first two and told him that the Red Triangle is not on the map, and that it is the symbol of family planning in India. He smiled, nodded and asked me to sit down. The Lady Member then took over and asked me questions on my other optional Sociology: what is the effect of television on the family; whether the Ideal Type construct of Max Weber actually described the bureaucracy, and to explain the suicide theories of Durkheim. I think I answered the last two pretty well, except that I fumbled on the TV and family question, and the Member told me she was not satisfied with the answer. She then asked me what inducements a civil servant can be offered. I said money and alcohol. She then asked me if sex was not an inducement for civil servants. I said it was, and I think I must have turned red in the face because all the Members laughed and wished me a good day. I said my thanks and left. I think that the interview went reasonably ok, though I should not have floundered on the TV question. It lasted about half an hour, and I felt that the Board was pretty nice and made me feel comfortable. All said and done, I did join the Indian Administrative Service!
- 108. 108 Civils Interview ofDr.Bharat Gupta, AP topper and 17th rank ( All India) Civils Interview of Dr.Bharat Gupta, AP topper and 17th rank ( All India) As appeared in Eenadu ( Telugu daily Paper) Interview of Dr.Bharat Gupta, Civil’s AP topper and 17th rank( All India) Panel chairman: Nirbhay Sharma Four other members m1, m2, m3, m4 (Entering into the room after all the wishing and seating...) NS: Okay Narayana Bharath Gupta... So you are a first division candidate. And you completed your MBBS from Kurnool Medical college. How is your entry into this college? Do you pay money or get selected through a common entrance test? BG: Its through a common entrance test sir. How much you have to pay? Only ten thousand per annum sir. So you have kept your hobbies as cooking Andhra and Karnataka food. What food do you cook? Something special? Pesarattu and Bisiblebath. Sound interesting. I never heard of such things over here. Why won't you start an eatery in Delhi? Sorry sir. But here there is a lot of competition and its difficult to overcome that sir. Are you afraid of competition? Its not like that sir. Its more a hobby rather than a profession. What did you do after finishing your Degree? Sir, got my degree in february only sir. I had no time after that sir. Ok, being a doctor and having a good prospects of joining a post graduate seat and earning cool money. Why did you join this field. Can you explain and convince me? (I fumble a little. I ask permission to drink water. They console me tell me to drink water. Joke a little.) After completing my final year I was left with three choices sir.
- 109. 109 1. To joinpost graduate course and start a clinic of my own in an urban area and services limited to a particular section of people. 2. Be satisfied with my MBBS and join a PHC where there are no facilities. No gloves, no syringes, no medicines . 3. Join civil services. (My answer is interrupted in the middle without completing.) What changes have been taken place in the district administration and tell them briefly. Panchayati raj system in India has been implemented after the 73 and 74 amendment act sir. It facilitates a three tier administration in the district level. Gram sabha, Panchayat samiti and the Zilla parishad. What do you mean by Gram sabha? Its a term used for all the elgible voters in the village. What are their functions? They elect the members of the panchayati and the sarpanch. What about the next level? Panchayat samiti is the next level sir. It covers for approximately 15-20 villages. What about the next one? Zilla parishad sir. Who is the head? Zilla parishad chairman sir, he is an elected member sir. How is administration carried out? The district collector is head of the executive part of the ZP. How is the functioning done? The executive prepares the plan. Submits it to the ZP and then does the work sir. So you like cooking... your old CM NTR told that he loved Ulava charu. Can you tell me how to cook it? (I tell a little about it.) How much time does it take to cook.. Approximately half an hour sir. I think it takes 7-8 hrs. May be sir. Now a days all the instant items are available sir. They may done within a short span of time. (small laugh)
- 110. 110 Can you nameone chief minister who rose from the level of an industrial worker? Madhu koda. From Andhra Pradesh? No idea sir. Its Anjaiah. Have you heard of him? Yes sir. What's your opinion about your indian budget this year.. It's a very good budget sir. In the current view of global recession and keeping the inflation under control all the measures have been taken. What is india GDP? 1.4 trillion dollars sir. How much does one trillion dollar mean? Approximately fifty lakh crores sir. What's the share of india in the foreign trade? 1.5 percent sir. Yes, you are little near. But it does not matter. Have you heard about European Union? Tell me about it. It's a union of 27 countries. They form a custom union and offer free movement of people across the boundaries. What is the duration of 11th five year plan? Upto 2012 sir. Do you know the allocation for various sectors? No sir... (Now member 2 takes over) Dr. Bharath Gupta. Is it possible for someone to have a title doctor even without completing MBBS? Yes sir, anyone who has completed Ph.D can have a doctorate sir. Even they may be conferred honorarily. (I put a small joke) Someone told me a small difference between the MBBS doctor and the
- 111. 111 other one sir.MBBS one is Dr. While the Phd one is DR. (All of them laugh...) No no... nothing is like that. Why do Andhra people consume more curds rather than West Bengal? May there are lot of buffaloes in Andhra. Other than that I cant find any relation sir. Are 73rd and 74th amendment act same? No sir, they are different. One related to the panchayat and the other to the municipality. Tell me about the women reservation in panchayati raj. There is one third reservation for women in the system sir, which has been recently increased to fifty percent. What about SC and ST? There is representation in proportion to the population for the SC and ST sir. Tell me about the total reservation . Approximately 20 percent for SC and ST combined and female reservation is reservation within reservation. Don't you play any games? Sorry sir. I don't. But I used to play kabaddi. Don't you think they are necessary? But in view of the current intermediate education.... ( answer is interrupted) (Member 2 takes over!) So you like cooking... your old CM NTR told that he loved Ulava charu. Can you tell me how to cook it? (I tell a little about it.) How much time does it take to cook.. Approximately half an hour sir. I think it takes 7-8 hrs. May be sir. Now a days all the instant items are available sir. They may done within a short span of time. (small laugh)
- 112. 112 Can you nameone chief minister who rose from the level of an industrial worker? Madhu koda. From Andhra Pradesh? No idea sir. Its Anjaiah. Have you heard of him? Yes sir. What's your opinion about your indian budget this year.. It's a very good budget sir. In the current view of global recession and keeping the inflation under control all the measures have been taken. (More...) The social sector spending has been doubled sir. Whats the current social sector spending? 9 percent sir. No, I think your number is far from the real one.... Sorry sir, I have no idea then. What is india GDP? 1.4 trillion dollars sir. How much does one trillion dollar mean? Approximately fifty lakh crores sir. What's the share of india in the foreign trade? 1.5 percent sir. Yes, you are little near. But it does not matter. Have you heard about European Union? Tell me about it. It's a union of 27 countries. They form a custom union and offer free movement of people across the boundaries.
- 113. 113 Are you talkingabout schengen visa? Yes sir. But UK does not come under it. Yes sir. But most of the countries come under it sir. What about Euro? It's a common currency for most of the EU countries. Its touted to emerge as a competetor for the dollar sir. Approximately 40 percent of the world trade is carried out in the Euro sir. What is the duration of 11th five year plan? Upto 2012 sir. Do you know the allocation for various sectors? No sir... (Now member 2 takes over) Dr. Bharath Gupta. Is it possible for someone to have a title doctor even without completing MBBS? Yes sir, anyone who has completed Ph.D can have a doctorate sir. Even they may be conferred honorarily. (I put a small joke) Someone told me a small difference between the MBBS doctor and the other one sir. MBBS one is Dr. While the Phd one is DR. (All of them laugh...) No no... nothing is like that. Dr. NTR was given.. Was he a doctor? No sir. He was conferred honorary doctorate by the Andhra University sir. Are doctorates recognised. Yes sir. I think no. Then I don't know correctly sir. Suppose a patient comes to the emergency room with chest pain and your junior doctor suspects it as cardiac pain even though its gastric pain. What will you do? I tell all the treatment strategy of angina and MI. Suppose your junior has done the mistake of diagnosing the Gastric problem as MI. What will you do? He has done no mistake to condemn sir. Its basic dictum that anyone with severe symptoms of chest
- 114. 114 pain has tobe looked for the anginal pain and all the other possibilities next sir. Suppose he has done another mistake? I wil train him sir. And if its a grave mistake putting danger to the lives of another. I will take the matter to the higher ups and see that he is reprimanded for the same. Is there any Supreme court ruling in this regard? Yes sir. Francis D souza from Nanavati hospital case regarding this. NTR from your state. He does not act very well. Why you think was very hit? Sir, he has a charisma and requried charm sir. Whenever he donned the role of Lord krishna or Rama people took him to be a God sir. Hence he was a very big hit sir. Had Rajanikanth been similarly hit in your state? No sir. I say food is culture specific.. what do you say.. (I give him explanation regarding the culture, cuisine, local availability and give sufficient examples.) Do you say cuisine and climate are related? Yes sir. Indirectly they may be related due to the food production affected by the climate. And secondly people living in different climates may be having different food needs. Why do Andhra people consume more curds rather than West Bengal? Do you give any explanation? May there are lot of buffaloes in Andhra. Other than that I cant find any relation sir. Are 73rd and 74th amendment act same? No sir, they are different. One related to the panchayat and the other to the municipality. What is the one distinct feature of municipality plan? (He gives me a clue regarding the planning. I tell DPC. He then positively corrects my mistake) (Member 3) What do you know about green revolution? (I explain him). What are the components of green revolution? Tell me other types of revolutions. Which decade was this implemented?
- 115. 115 (I answer allof them). Name the scientist connected with this revolution from India. Swaminathan. Where is he now? He is currently in Tamil nadu. Having his own research institue and developed a salt resistant variety of rice sir. Do you know about north India? Yes sir. Capital of Jammu and Kashmir, capital of Punjab, capital of Haryana, status of Chadigarh? (All answered). Why is it called Punjab? Because five rivers flow sir. What are they? (I tell all of them). Does Jhelum flow through Punjab? I think Yes sir. No. Sorry sir. Suppose you become health secretary and what will you do break the nexus between the doctors pharmaceutical companies ? I tell about the unethical act of doctors and tell them that the onus of administering the medicine resets on the pharma graduate holders and the dispensaries. (Member 4 takes over. To tell about him he is an old person whose language is barely understandable). Tell me about bare foot doctors. (I tell about the history, its value to the China health system. Is it relevant in India?
- 116. 116 (I tell aboutthe rural MBBS and its use. Few stats also quoted). Tell me about CBI. (I tell him). Can CBI intervene without state government permission? Yes, if there is significant central government interest in it. Are you aware of the recent supreme court amendment regarding that? No sir. Tell me about Muhammad bin Tuglaq. (I tell about him as a ruler of misdirected energies. His miscalculated numismatic experiment and the transfer of capital from Delhi to Devagiri fired back very badly.) Tell me about Tenzing Norgay. (Answered). Tell me about the dowry system and methods needed in this direction. (I tell about the relevant law. Further say that women empowerment, awareness generation, education are required to bring the number of cases under it). Finally... All are good and do in great.
- 117. 117 Experience with smt.S.U. Tripathi Hi, I was interviewed on 25th. The board was very friendly. I am giving the details. Duration-30-35 mins Chairperson (CP) (with big smiles)- Welcomed me and asked me to have a seat. CP: So you are an engineering graduate? Me- yes Mam CP: Which is your branch? Me: Electronics and Instrumentation Mam. CP: So you are MBA as well in rural management from Xaviers, this would be interesting. Where are you presently working? What is your role? Me- Mam I am working with Mother Dairy Fruits and vegetable Pvt ltd. I am in sales and marketing of Dhara oil, presently located in Chandigarh. CP- So who all are your competitors? Me- Mam in urban markets its Adani and in rural markets it Ruchi.... (she interrupted) CP- Okies its good that you have the first gyan of marketing, you have idea of your competitors. So Dhara must be doing good? Is it? Me- Mam its not doing very good in terms of market share but we are now trying to capture the market share through aggressive marketing. CP- So what are you doing for that? Me- Mam we are working on 4 parameters. Price, Quality, Services and Trust. Since I am the part of the sales and marketing team the former two parameters are beyond my control. So me and my team generally works on the Services and Trust. CP- What makes you different? Me- Mam our business model is very interesting. Unlike the other players who just try to capture up- to the distributors, we try to liquidate the stocks upto the retailers as the part of our moral duty. Our sales personnel per ton volume is also higher than other players.
- 118. 118 CP- You talkabout the trust. These days we are talking about the trust deficit in governance. (Pointed to first board member) M1- Why do you think we have trust deficit in governance? Me- Sir we have replicated the institutions and structures from the west, thinking that they would deliver the same way but there is lack of social contract in the system which is resulting in this. M1- What do you mean by social contract? Me- Explained the term. M1- What can be done to improve this? Me- Sir we need to involve the communities. We need to talk about mechanisms like social audits, jan sunwai, people’s participation. M1- But all this is happening, then why it’s not changing? You know that in Rajasthan people are not allowing the audit team to enter the villages? Any way what do you think can be done in short and long run? Me- Sir in short term technology can be the best tool to mitigate trust deficit. (I asked him that can I quote an example) I gave the example of Lokvani (a e-governance program in Sitapur district of UP spoke for about 1 min...) M1- What else can be done? Me- Sir people’s participation, changing the form of democracy from representative to participative. Empowering the communities, and institutional pluralism and enhancing the choices. M1- Don’t you think these are just pompous words? We have Panchayat to deliver all these.. Why they are failing? Me- Sir Funds, Functions and Functionaries are not been properly devolved. Non of the state is allowing them to legislate in the 29 subjects allotted to them through 73rd and 74th amendment. M1- The schemes like NREGA is also not functioning? Why? Me- There is lack of planning at micro level as a result the people’s aspiration are not given importance. Gave the example of Khunti District in Jharkhand, that how a thumb rule by the District Collector for providing 2 wells and 1 pond for land and water treatment was unwelcomed by some villages which already had those. M1- But the management is also the core issue, dont you think? Me- Yes it is also one of the core issue. (Meanwhile Chairperson interrupted she pointed the other member to ask questions)
- 119. 119 M2- What’s thedifference between a manager and an entrepreneur? Me- I explained the definition first. Then told him that there are few attributes that an entrepreneur must have like being innovative, more risk taking and innovative. M2- Do you think the civil servants these days are near to manager or entrepreneur? Me- Sir presently they are near to the role of manager; however the country would love them to adopt the role of entrepreneur. M2- Is there any entrepreneur whom you admire? Me: Yes sir, I m highly inspired by Mr Narayan Murthy, the cofounder of Infosys. M2- What inspires you in him? Me- Sir his philosophy is very inspiring. He says that he is a capitalist by mind and a socialist by heart, this is what India needs today. There was a time when profit use to be a dirty word in social sector while people use to be redundant for the market forces. But now we need to mix all these, that is what he is doing. Also sir his style of leadership is amazing, he has two paradoxical qualities i.e. the will and the humility this also inspires me. M2- There are two terms which are correlated i.e accountability and autonomy. Do you think civil servants are given full autonomy? Me- There is nothing called absolute autonomy in democracy. But still I think that civil servants are not given the kind of autonomy that they deserve. M2- How? Me- I gave the example of police department and its politicisation. I also gave the reference of a recent study conducted in UP, it states that the average tenure of a Collector in UP in the year 2005- 2006 was less then 6 months in a district. M2- So do you think they should be accountable if they are not given autonomy? Me- Sir Bureaucracy is a key post. A civil servant must be accountable at all cost. (He pointed to the third member) M3- So you handled a project with Aircel in your MBA tell me something about it? Me- Sir we have a flagship program called Gramaotsava for that Aircel was a principal sponsor, so there was a team of about 15 which I was handling and we conducted the fair activities and a research for them. M3- What was the research all about? Me- Sir, in-spite of spending the huge amount of money on advertisements and taking brand ambassadors like Dhoni they were not able to do well in rural markets. So we were given the research
- 120. 120 work to findthe reasons for the same. M3- What were the key findings? Me- Sir we advised them to convert their services to make mobile phones into a voice based search engine. We also told them that unlike the urban customers which is easy to be targeted as an individual because of high level of individualism in the urban areas, it’s not the same case in the rural markets. So we advised them to target them in groups. Also for rapport building we asked them to do something when there is a disaster or calamity in the rural areas. M3- What about the FDI in the retail sector and organised retail? Do you think it should be there? Me- Sir presently the way our economic policy is directed its not important to answer that if there should be organised retail or FDI, what is more important would be to talk about the time frame. Also I would like to answer this question on the basis of my experience as I deal with distributors and retailers. I think that the consumer behaviour of the rural customer is very different from what is required for the big organised retail. His cash inflows are erratic, small and spread over the whole month. So he buys in small quantity. But what organised retail requires is exactly opposite. Also for the organised retail time should be a constraint for the buyers so that they can shop under one umbrella. This is also not the case for a rural buyer. So I think that fear that with coming of organised retail 40 million moms and pops store in local areas would be shut down and 40*4=160 million people would be affected is wrong. So FDI and organised retail should be invited. M3- I also think on the similar lines and as per the estimates its capturing only 1% of the market. So what problem woman in facing in rural areas? Me- I said that that whole system of patriarchy and the socialisation process is against her. During her upbringing she is made to believe that she is inferior to her male counterpart. This needs to be changed. M3- Why in-spite of so many schemes and programmes we don’t have woman empowerment? Me- Sir the approach become very important in this case. The way we have looked at women in these schemes need to be change. Right after independence we have looked at woman as if she has some problem, the woman is looked at as a passive recipient of jobs, grants etc. This needs to be changed. We need to adopt a right based approach and must accept that problem is not with the woman but within the society and bring her out of the clutches of patriarchy by inculcating a critical thinking. He pointed to member 4 M4- You are talking a lot about rural areas I am keenly interested in knowing where you were born? Me- Delhi sir. M4- No no. Tell me the exact place in Delhi. Delhi also has large number of villages and rural areas. So where were you born exactly? Me- Sir Holy Family Hospital in Okhla. Sir it’s a big Hospital.
- 121. 121 (Everybody started laughingon “big hospital”) CP intervened saying that it’s a suburb. M4- And where are you brought up? Me-Sir in Ghaziabad. M4- So you were born in Delhi and reborn in Ghaziabad again. (Everybody started laughing again) M4- So what do you think about Ghaziabad? Me- Sir it’s an urban area. M4- Your college XIM had business management course as well? Me- Yes sir. XIM is the only B-School in India where business management and rural management runs parallel. M4- So you choose Rural Management. Me-Yes sir. M4- Why did you not join Air Force as flying officer even after getting recommended? Me- Sir I wanted to be a fighter pilot. But during medical examination I was told that my eyes are not fit for a fighter pilot. M4- With Caution—Colour Blind to nahee ho na? Me- Not at all sir. I dont even use spects. M4- So air force grounded you... (he told this as if he is provoking me) Me- With huge smiles... Yes sir. M4- So from sky now you are in mud. (by mud he was referring Rural management) Me- Yes Sir! M4- Do you think because of recession the capitalism as a system has failed? Me- Sir we live in a postmodern world, no system is fully perfect, so is capitalism. Recession occurred because of the overleveraging on sub-prime borrowers and lack of regulations on the financial institutions.
- 122. 122 M4- That Iknow, do you know abow Das Kapital? Me- Yes sir. M4- Do you know in how many volumes it is? Me- No sir i just know about its core idea. M4- Marx wrote a very important book apart from it, do you know? Me- Not able to recall sir M4- Where was Marx born? Me- Germany M4- Where did he do his research? Me- No idea M4- Okie, when did capitalism begin? Me- With the writings of Adam Smith. M4- In which year? Me- No idea sir. M4- Okie you still have to answer that has the model of capitalism failed? Me- Sir when USSR disintegrated in 1991 there was a view given by various scholars that its the end of history. Now capitalism would homogeneously prevail over the world. But after the recession at least people have started taking Marx seriously. Now critics are talking about the governmental spending so it take them near to socialism. We need a model which contain the good elements of both. M4- So working out in Gym is your only hobby? Do you have 6 pack abs like Shahrukh Khan? Me- No sir. M4- Why dont you have it? When he can have them at an age of 44? (everybody started laughing) Me- Sir the context is different. He has to leverage on his body, I just want to remain fit. M4- You read anything? Apart from these? Me- Not much sir. M4- Arey desh kaise chalaogey? CP intervened with smiles.
- 123. 123 I told CPthat mam “I am not a voracious reader”... She repeated with smiles “oh so you are not a voracious reader”... I told that I read on internet. CP- What are you reading these days? Me- Mam Postmoderninsm. CP- Postmodernism in literature? Me- No mam in general. CP-Thats good. Me- Mam from last two years I was doing my MBA and from last few months I am in job, apart from that preparing for Civils, so hardly get time to read anything else. CP- (she knew that it’s just an excuse and with very big smile)... where there is a will, there is a way!!! Me- Yes Mam absolutely true!!!!! I too smiled............... She thanked me and asked me to leave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- 124. 124 Experience with NirbhaySharma board Hey guys, I'll try to keep it short, 'coz there was nothing spectacular about the interview. Secondly, sorry if I skipped writing my complete answers here. I skipped them where I thought it's of no consequence. It's only a guide to the questioning pattern. Approx. time : I'm not sure. I was time warped. Q1: Hello Subhash, What do you think are the most important constitutional amendments that we have had of date? A: Sir, the 73rd and 74th, I believe are the most important yet. Next perhaps comes the 42nd CAA. I explain both. Q2: Don't you remember any recent ones? A: (Think for a few seconds) Sir, I know but I am unable to recollect. I'm sorry. Q3: Do you think the media is over reaching its boundaries? A: Sir, media is important for a country like India, however yes, there have been instances where the media has sensationalized a few issues. I explain a bit more. Q4: So what do you think has to be done A: Sir, self regulation is the ideal mode of regulation. Q5: So what is the present status, are they self regulated? A: Sir, they are mostly self regulated today. THere are no specific laws except rules of the Press Council of India Q6: Have you heard of the term "manufacture consent"? A: No sir, I have not heard of it. Q7: Think again, its related to media. A: Sir, I wouldn't hazard a guess. I have not heard of the term yet. Q8: Have you heard of Noam Chomsky? A: Yes Sir. Mr. Nirbhay passes to second member Q9: Do you know about Abraham Maslow? (Pub Ad is my optional) A: Yes sir, I have read about his motivation theories. Q10: What is his needs hierarchy? A: I explain
- 125. 125 Q11: What isself actualization? A: I explain Q12: How many levels are there in the theory? A: Sir, there are 5. Baton is passed on. Q13: What do you think are the problems in the PDS system in India? A: I explain. Q14: What do you suggest are the remedies A: Example of TN, technology, policing, accountability. (I came out and kicked myself for not having told about FDI in retail.) Q15: How is Black Money created? A: I explain. Declining morality, Election funding, lax regulations. Q16: Ok, I have some notes with me, how will you tell if it is black money? A: I explain, about the money that is accounted in the system and that which is not accounted by giving an example. Q17: You say elections create black money. So shall we ban elections? A: Sir no, what I meant was that elections are an important source for the creation and proliferation of black money. PASSES ON Q18: You have won best design prize in robotics in IIT Madras. What is the robot about? A: I explain. It is a mine sweeper. Q19: What were the colleges that participated? A: I explain. Q20: You are a national level gold medalist in skating. What is speed skating? A: I explain. Q21: What was the surface on which you skated? A: I explain Q22: Ok, what was the length of the track? A: (I laugh within). Sir, I won the gold medal in 1991 that was two decades back when I was in first grade. I donot remember now. Everyone smile. Q23: What are your views about the Sri Krishna Commission report? ( I am from Andhra)
- 126. 126 A: I explain. Q40:Good, so you have read the report completely? A: Yes sir. Q25: So what is the status now? A: Sir, the status is that there are no riots now. There are no arrests. People have seemed to slowly recognise the truth in the report that it is infact Rayalaseema that is most underdeveloped and not Telangana. So, now th demand has shifted from a core demand of under development to that of cultural identity. Q26: What do you think should be done to Telangana? A: I explain. The recommendation of the SKC report are unbiased an comprehensive. As he has said, constitutional provisions should be instituted. We should then wait and watch. A separation now would create a bad precedent in the country. The people of Telangana need justice and this should be done soon. PASSES ON TO THE LADY. Q27: What is the difference in the cuisine of Coastal Andhra and Central Andhra A: I explain Q28: You have excellent credentials. Why do you want to jump to Indian Administrative Service? A: Ma'am, for me in life, happiness is an important construct. I move towards happiness in life. And for me, the happiness I derive internally is long lasting and requires less replenishment. This endo genetic happiness, I derive from 3 things, one giving back to the society, two pursuing my hobbies and three spending time with my family. And as far as I know, the Administrative services give me the widest possible opportunity, the largest possible resources and a chance to pull out the most disadvantaged out of their suffering. And I am sure no other job gives me this. Q29: I am sure the first two reasons are true but I am not sure if the third one is. (Everyone laugh. I don't know why. So I give a grin). Anyways, but tell me, you have this hobby of photography. WHat is this, a simple pastime or what? A: Ma'am, I pursue photography professionally. If you give me a chance, I can show you my work. Q30: What? You carry your work with you? Please go ahead. Please show us your work. ( My " say cheeeez" moment) A: I give them a calendar that I made in 2009. The lady offers it to the chairman. He says he doesn't want to see. (Mr. Nirbhay gives me a smirk that perhaps said, " Oh you little brat, you are trying to show off, eh?") Q31: SO what kind of photographer are you? Landcape? Potrait? A: Ma'am I'm a street photographer. I capture life on the streets. This gave an exploratory dimension to my personality. I met migrants in Hyderabad, orphans in Medak and even got a chance to visit the Qutub SHahi tombs in Golconda. All this I attribute to my hobby
- 127. 127 Q32: What arethe architectural differences between the Qutb Shahi tombs from other muslim pieces of work? A: I explain Mr. Nirbhay takes over. Q33: Subhash, when did you leave infosys? A: Sir, 2009 Q34: Subhash, you left Infosys in 2009. It was the time of recession. Now, I arrive at a conclusion that you were afraid that you will lose your job and become unemployed. You also thought that in these times a government job is best becuase no one remove you once you get through. What do you think. (Again a grin which would have almost killed all living things in the room except me and the board) A: Sir, Infosys rates employees on the basis of performance and 2% of the employees every year are rated in the upper brakcet. I got a rating of 1 which meant that the chances of removing me were very low at that time. So that was not a reason why I left Infosys. Q 35: One of the US army regiments has a slogan, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going". What do you mean by this? A: Sir, for every human being, the strongest emotion, is the will to survive. They would be ready to go to any length for this. I think this is best exemplified by the statement. ( I think I screwed up things big time here. I should have gone for a straight forward explanation) Q36: Look, there are two things, when the conditions are hard, the people who are strong withstand. The second thing is when the conditions are tough, the strong people just escape. Which is true? First or second? A: Sir, the first. Q36: People also believe that government jobs are for mediocre people. Considering your credentials, don't you think you are over qualified for this job? A: Sir, I have a dream for this country and I wish to be in the Administrative Services to fulfill it. Q37: Ok, thanks a lot, you may go! I am not expecting extra ordinary marks. Nirbhay SHarma board, I have heard is not very liberal in awarding marks too. So, let's see!!
- 128. 128 My interview, asit happened on 24th march evening It was board of Shashi Uban Tripathi. I was second last candidate to be called on date. It went on for around 35 minutes me: may i come in ma'am cp: please come in (I walk in) me: good afternoon ma'am, good afternoon sirs cp: good afternoon, have a seat me: thank you ma'am cp: so you are a m.tech. from IIT Delhi me: yes ma'am cp: what was your branch? me: instrument tech. cp: when did you completed? me: 2010 cp: oh, so no work experience? me: no ma'am cp: you are also a debater and blogger? me: yes ma'am. cp: how much traffic your blog get? me: it varies, as I am a politico-socio blogger, so at the time of last general election it was at 5000 per day. Now after my UPSC Preliminary Examination I am not writing regularly, so it has declined to 200- 300 per day. cp: thats very impressive m1 (laughs): so your chamchas left you me (smile): one has to be regular in blogging to get a good number of visitors.
- 129. 129 cp: you blogeveryday? me: once a week generally ma'am. cp: what is the last topic you wrote? me: I wrote about this years budget. cp: what about budget? me: it was a link post and I collected views of many important thinkers on budget and analyses that. As there are many good expert opinions available on net, I wanted to have a discussion with my readers on budget. cp: what do you follow regularly in economics? me: I read newspapers and editorials. Then there is lot of material available on net. cp: yes thats true, why you didn't join the DU? they have a very good debating team? me: ma'am I met with them in many competitions and yes, they are very impressive. But I chose IIT Kanpur for career prospects. cp: IIT Kanpur? you are from IITDelhi. me: I did my B.tech. from IITK and M.tech. from IITD. I was a part of IITK debating team. cp: your hobbies are very helpful in your future work, you know that? me: yes ma'am, it is a major positive out of it. cp: good. (points to m1) now answer something on economics. m1: what are the main problems with indian economy these days? me: sir, inflation is the most worrying problem. Then there is need of fiscal consolidation, increasing tax to GDP ratio, problem of proper implementation of social sector schemes, trade imbalance etc. m1: what do you know about medium, small, micro enterprises? me: MSM enterprises are defined as enterprises with small core capital. Official definition defines it at 10 crores, 5 crores and I dont remember the limit for micro enterprise. Basically these enterprises are labour intensive and run by small group of people. m1: government defines two types of MSM, what are those? me: I dont recall sir.
- 130. 130 m1: they aremanufacturing and service sector MSM, what is the difference in their limits. me: I do not know exactly sir, but service sector limit is more than manufacturing. m1: it is () for medium. me: yes sir. m1: it is () for small me: yes sir. m1: what yes sir? i am telling them, not you. me: that's right sir. m1: (smiles) do you think india has capability of being best global economy some day? me: yes sir, if we keep on improving our infrastructure and human resources, we will definitely become best some day. m1. thats all right. (transfer to next) m2: it says here that you stayed 2 month in Italy for your internship. what is the italians are best known for in engineering field? me: their beautiful cars, sir. (everybody laughs) m2: yes, thats true, but more general? me: sir, they are hard working and have closed type of organization in companies. m2: no no, its design of products. cp: thats what he meant by beautiful cars. m2 (laughs): ok ok, in 1987 nintendo became the most sold item in world, leaving behind GM's cars, what does that represented? me: it represented that japan is becoming new power in world economy. m2: what else, dont worry, i will get it out of you only, do you understand what is dematerialization? me: sir, it is the move of engineering from hardware to software and after 1980s software have emerged as new arena of engineering by IT revolution.
- 131. 131 m2: why itis called dematerialization? me: as softwares are not made of any physical material, we can not touch and feel it, still they are there in our lives. that is why dematerialization term. m2: very good, do you think India has advantage in this area? me: yes sir, Indians are supposed to be better at soft skills, that is why software and service industry is booming in india. m2: very good (points to next person) m3: you pub ad as optional, what are the component of a state? me: defined territory, a constitution, people of country and a government. m3: what is constitution? me: sir, it is the supreme law of any land that defines the structure and powers of government and provide basic laws for society. m3: but UK doesn't have a constitution, is it not a state? me: sir, they do not have a written constitution, but there are laws by parliament and conventions that are followed, so it is an unwritten constitution. m3: do you think population of India, largest young population is an asset or liability? me: sir, in short term it is an asset, but in long run we have to control the population as natural resources are not going to increase with increase in population. m3: but as you said we have advantage in service sector, so why not have ever increasing skilled man power? me: sir, as I said resources, food etc are not going to increase exponentially, so we have to keep a limit to population. there is also issue of sustainability of environment and I am talking about hundred years frame of reference. m3: ok, you have written socio blogging, what is that? me: I have written politico-socio blogging sir, I blog on issues related to politics and social problems. m3: what social issues you discussed recently on your blog other than budget? me: women empowerment ..
- 132. 132 m3: what isthe best way of achieving women empowerment. me: sir, most basic thing is the attitude of society towards women, it starts from family, neighborhood, government. The attitude can be generated by proper education. So we should focus on imparting values of women equality by our education. Then there is other methods such as women reservation, health care for women, employment, nrega etc. m3: do you think nrega has empowered women? me: yes sir, to an extent, it has put money in hands of rural women specially poorer section of society. m3: in one word, nrega is successful or not? me: successful, sir. m3: ok, (pass to m4) m4: how can your technical education will be of any use in civil services? me: sir, as one of my proff used to say that at IITs the most important thing is not content of engineering but the attitude, scientific temperament, rational mind and I think that I will go with those qualities in civil services. Nitty gritty is always learnt in training. m4: ok, coming back to MSM enterprises, why government in andhra trying to restrict them? me: there is a problem of loan given to MSMs and people are not able to pay it back on time. so gov wants to reduce the bad money of banks and wants to impose a limit on security below which loans will not be given. m4: loans are given to individuals or some other entity? me: sir, SHGs are involved in most cases. m4: right, but why specifically in AP. me: sir, this problem is in other states also, AP is first to bring a bill. m4: why problem overall? me: sir, i am not aware of actual ground situation. m4: make a guess? me: may be due to alcohol problem of men of family. cp, m4: (laughs loudly) no, i have worked 20 years in AP for SHGs, it is not that
- 133. 133 cp: (smiles) no,no, men are drunkard everywhere. me: (smile) yes ma'am. cp: ok, chakresh, why Afghanistan important in India's foreign policy? me: ma'am, it is a neighboring country and Pakistan uses it as training ground for terrorists. There is also issue of economic cooperation in gas pipeline. cp: Pakistan trains terrorist in Pakistan itself. me: also in Afghanistan ma'am. cp: yeah, thats sadly true, but you know Afghanistan is extended neighborhood of India, have been a part of India. me: yes ma'am, it comes in cultural sphere of India and we have very good people to people relations. cp: we say that Afghanistan is on our side. Do you think afghan think of us as friend? me: afghans throughout the history take anyone attacking second as friends ma'am, so yes right now there is a goodwill for India. cp: (laughs) oh thats true, wait wait, not always true. So, sum up what should be India's afghan policy me: yes ma'am, it is a very important state in Indian foreign policy and a gateway to central asia. we should promote democratic government there. cp: ok, chakresh, good, you can go now. me: thank you ma'am.
- 134. 134 My interview inChalam Sir Board My interview in Chalam Sir Board I am Usha, 26 year old, from Jind district in Haryana. I had my interview on 30th March in Chalam sir's board in the forenoon session. I am a BAMS doctor, and completed my internship in April, 2008. This is my first attempt. I wore a South Indian cotton ruby colour saree in the interview. In the interview, besides CP (Chairperson), there were 3 other male members, and 1 female member (FM). FM was on the right and M3 was on the left of CP;M1 was second to the right and M2 was second to the left of CP. There was a round table, a perfect 360 degree, me and CP facing each other. The room was well lit, white light coming through some curtains. The interview went like this- Me- May I come in sir? CP- Yes yes. Fast fast. Have a seat. Me- Good morning sir, good morning mam, good morning sirs. FM- Ohhh! Have a seat. Me- Thank you mam. (CP was wearing a half sleeve white shirt with thin black strips. He was looking like S.Y. Kureshi (CEC) but a little thinner. He was very active throughout the interview moving his hand and chair. He grabbed every chance where he could laugh, and I also joined him as well, but not as loud as he was.) CP: So Dr Usha, which subjects did you study in Ayurveda? Me- (recalled the subjects and told) CP: What is the difference between Ayurveda and Siddha? Me- Sir, Siddha is famous only in South India and Ayurveda is used all over India. Otherwise, formulations in Siddha are few but are similar to formulations in Ayurveda. CP: (laughed and said) Haryana! Medicine! Is there any Haryanavi school of medicine? Me- Sorry sir, I dont know any. M1: I saw your biodata. It is like a flower. I do not find any topic that I can discuss with you. Can you suggest any topic of your choice that we can discuss? (M1 was wearing plain synthethic, full sleeve white shirt. He was a medium built man with a white complexion. He looked 50 plus.) Me- Thank you sir. Sir, can we discuss meditation? M1: Laughed. I never got time to meditate in my life. I beg your pardon we can not discuss it. Can we discuss social issues like government schemes in social sector?
- 135. 135 Me- Sure sir.Why not. M1: Tell me about food security bill. Are you aware of that? Me- Yes sir. M1- What is the basic idea? Me- Sir.. M1 interrupted and said. What is your opinion why we are bringing such a bill? Me- Sir, I think no person in our country should go to sleep empty stomach. CP and FM laughed discussing with each other empty stomach. FM to CP Ayurveda must be having something for this. CP to FM, yes Ayurveda must be having some drug. Me- Excuse me sir. Can I? CP- Yes yes please. Me- Sir in history of Ayurveda there are some instances where soldiers used to fight for long without having food, but even at that time that knowledge of those drugs was available to Rishis and Munnis. So we can say that such thing has happened. But we are not aware at this time. Maybe in future we come to know. M1: Do you know about MNREGA? Me- Yes sir. M1- Ok, tell me is this for poverty alleviation or employment generation? Me- Sir, I think it is working both ways. M1- Is there any criteria in this? Me- Yes sir. Men and women in rural areas who belong to BPL families and are willing to work are given work for 100 days in a year. M1- See when Haryana was created the basis was language. Earstwhile Punjab was a bilingual state. Tell us about this. Me- Sir, I think Haryana was created on the basis of development. M1- Yes. Now tell me about Telangana issue. Why people are demanding for Telangana? Me- (Tried to answer but could not frame the answer). Sorry sir, I am unable to frame it properly. Can I take some time? M1- Yes, you can take time. Me- Thank you sir. Sir, there is disparity in the living standards between Telangana and rest of Andhra Pradesh. The coastal Andhra is more prosperous while people in Telangana are not having economic opportunities and there is lack of development. This I think is the reason for the demand of Telangana.
- 136. 136 M1- Ok, youknow about right to education? Me- Yes sir. M1- Is this meant for a special group? Me- Yes sir. For 6 to 14 age group. M1- See corruption is so prevalant in our country. Tell me what government is doing? Are there any institutions to curb corruption? Me- sir CVC. M1- Yes it is one among such institutions. Is this working? Me- Sir, it may be working efficiently but the results are not visible before us. M1- Are you satisfied with CVC? Me- No sir, I am not satisfied. M2- How will you define Ayurveda to a lay man? (M2 wore a khadi white full sleeve shirt. He wore thick frame spectacles. He looked like a very harsh personality.) Me- Sir, the science that deals with longevity of life. Ayur means aayu, and Veda means to know. M2- Are you satisfied with this definition? Me- No sir. But if I were to define before a lay man then I can say this much only. M2: Tell me about Vagabhatta? Where did you study it? (I mentioned it while telling subjects of Ayurveda.) Me- Sir, in Charak Samhita in Vimarsh. M2- How can you study Vagabhatta in Charak Samhita? Me- Sir, the author first translates sanskrit shlokas in hindi and thereafter explains in his own way to discuss all the things available on that matter. M2- So you mean to say you have read Vagabhatta in compilation form, not in original? Me- Yes sir. M2- Which is older Vagabhatta or Charak? Me- Charak. M2- Then how Vagabhatta can come in Charak Samhita. Me- Yes sir, but we study commentry on Charak and the writer has written it recently. So he can use referrence of Vagabhatta. M2- So you did not study Vagabhatta? Me- Sir, the students who wish to do MD study it in original, but we study it in commentry form or compilation form.
- 137. 137 M2- So whereyou study Vagabhatta. Better you should have said in compilation form. Me- Yes sir. M2- We see in advertisements 'herbal ayurvedic medicines'. Is this term correct? Me- Sir, there are many sources of Ayurvedic medicines. If the source is herb then advertisement can indicate the source of medicines, otherwise it is not required. M2- Tell me about single drug formulations in Ayurveda. Are there any? Me- Yes sir, there are many. M2- Name a few. Me- Yes sir like amla, haritaki, and Bahera. M2- Ok, can you tell me single drug formulations are a modern concept or a traditional practice, and since when these are in use? Me- Sorry sir, I do not know. M2- What are the sources of Ayurvedic medicines? Me- Sir, there are many sources like plants, herbs, rock salts and metals. M2- Tell me about metal in Ayurveda? Me- (could not hear properly) Sorry sir I did not get it. M2- (In anger) In Ayurveda, we have to manufacture drugs. What are the metals used? Me- Sir, there are many like paarad that is Mercury, gold, silver, copper and iron. M3- What is the difference between Ayurveda and Unani? (M3 wearing a coffee colour shirt with very thin shining red strips. He was the youngest, 40 or so, of all the members. He always had a suspecious smile on his face. He wore specs similar to that of Harry Potter's.) Me- Sir, Unani came to India from Persia.....(interrupted) M3- Is that so? Me- Sir I have read this only. Further Unani emphasizes on 3 humors only, but Ayurveda talks of Panch Mahabhutas. M3- Name 3 Arab scholars who got fame out of Ayurveda. Me- Sorry sir, I do not know. M3- But you said you have studied history of Ayurveda. Me- Yes sir. I have studied but I am unable to recall at this moment.
- 138. 138 M2- Listening Musicis your hobby? Me- Yes sir. M2- You listen hindi movie songs or you listen something else also? Me- Yes sir, I listen hindi movie songs, ghazals, bhajans, haryanavi folk songs, and raaganis. M2- Ok, tell me the meaning of ghazals. Me- Sir, it is style of mannerism. M2- It may be but I want to know the scientific meaning. Dont you think there has to have some scientific meaning? Me- Yes sir. There should be but I know that much only. M2- Ok, which ghazals you listen? Me- Sir, Ghalib's ghazals sung by Jagjit Singh, and some ghazals of Gulam Ali. Everybody laughed. M2- One thing is ghazal and one thing is nazm. So you know the difference? Me- Sorry sir, I do not know. M2- Tell me about 2 poets in hindi music. Me- Sir poets? M2- Poets poets ok Lyricists. Me- Sir Ghulzar and Javed Akhtar. M2- Which is better? Me- Sir I like both. M2- Liking and comparisons are 2 different things. Me- Sir, I think both are good and I like both. CP- laughed and said ''she is highly diplomatic.'' M2- Again I say you have to choose one. Me- Sir, if I were to choose then it is Ghulzar. M2- Ok, tell me the problems faced by women. Me- Sir, lack of exposure, lack of opportunities, and above all security. M2- Not caste. Me- I think sir it is for both man and woman. CP- Laughed and said yes caste is universal in India.
- 139. 139 Me- Yes sir. CP-Looking at my summary sheet ''ohhh! This girl is from Haryana, siiting alive before us. How she is alive? (Laughed) FM to CP- You mean to say she is a survivor. Then both laughed. CP (not asking but just commenting)- What is this honour killing. I dont understand why media has named it so, and what is honour in this, and the khap panchayats. M2- Yes, caste, haryana and khap panchayats. Ok, you tell us about this. Me- Sir, khap panchayats are caste based institutions and are unconstitutional, and these should be curbed as soon as possible. Me to chairman- Sir can I tell my personal experience? CP moved his chair forward and said yes sure, why not, please. Me- Thank you sir. And I told about my inter caste marriage, and the problems I faced. M3- Is meditation your hobby? Me- Yes sir. M3- Is it your hobby or you do it regularly? Me- Sir sometimes I do it regularly, otherwise it is my hobby. M3- What do you get? What is your motivation? Me- Sir, peace and joy. M3- Name another Usha who is famous. Me- Sir, P.T. Usha. M1 to FM- Payoli Express!! And they laughed. M2- There are pathies like homeopathy, allopathy. How is Ayurveda different? Me- Sir, Ayurveda first targets the cause not the symptoms, and Ayurveda intends to provide physical, mental and spiritual health. There is Daivavyapashrya Chikitsa and Satvavjaya Chikitsa. These are for spiritual upliftment. FM- Ok, why you want to become an Indian Administrative Service officer. (FM was very healthy, wheatish female, and always in jovial mood, wearing a grey saree with a black border. She was wearing a chain made of stone beads which she kept pulling except when she was asking questions.)
- 140. 140 Me- Mam, Iderive inspiration from the experiences I have had in my life, and from Ayurveda also. I explained Sadvrit in Ayurveda. FM- Ok, if you become DM of your district what you will do? Me- Mam, I will work on woman security and for improvement of primary education in Government schools. FM- Woman security is very easy thing to say. How you will do it? Do you have any idea or plan? Me- Yes mam, we already have police patrolling in public places except hospitals and colleges. We can have electronic equipments such as CCTV cameras in all these places to avoid eveteasing. We can install telephones from where with the help of free help line number, women can complain and we can make redressal of grieviences in such cases faster sothat women have solutions very early. Further, we can establish some schools or organizations which will teach marshal arts to women free of cost sothat they can protect themselves. FM- Self protection. Me- Yes mam. CP looked all members. Then members thanked the chairman. CP- Thank you Usha. Your interview is over. Me- Thank you sir, thank you mam, thank you sirs. The whole interview went for 25 to 30 minutes.
- 141. 141 My interview indetail Bit late in the day but here goes story from my side of encounter with Mr. Cool (Vijay Singh). First a little bit bout me. Over 5 years of work ex (MTNL+MoD+FINO). BE+MBA(MDI,Gurgaon). It was 25 march forenoon session. After taking my seat CM fired first salvo though a begnin one CM: What is FINO ME: it stands for Financial inclusion network and operations. It is a pvt firm based in mumbai cm: what is financial inclusion me: it is bout providing banking services like savings and credit facilities to underserved or not served. so it is bout taking unserved or under served into financial services fold. cm: what is ur role me: I have set up company operations in Puri orissa and am responsible for entire operations there. I am working with a team of over 150 operators and technical staff. these ppl go village to village providing atm like smart cards based on biometric tech to villagers. I am responsible for overall operations there and try to maximize no. of enrollments in the day. cm: what other companies are there in rural mkt me: sir in FMCG HUL has revolutionazied the rural mkt CM(Latching on to the answer): what it has done me: with its strategy to sell sachets in rural mkt it has penetrated it quite deep cm(Nodding his head): yes yes, we are hearing bout it for long, what else me: apart from this it has created SHGs for women in rural areas under its CSR activities and created lot of employment cm: ok, would u like to go in HUL if given a chance me: sir it depends upon type of opportunity coming my way. if scope is good and there is chance to increase my knowledge and apply my current strengths i will definately go. cmk Baton passed over to next member turn of m1 m1: r u ppl also in micro finance field
- 142. 142 me: we rbasically a technology platform company providing our services to banks like ICICI, HDFC, AXIS etc these banks are given mandate by govt. for financial inclusion which they carry out with our help. So Micro finance is not out main business line but yes it is one of the off shoot though a small one. m1 (Nodding): ok, still u ppl disburse some loans me: yes m1: what is the rate is it 0% or 5% or higher (I thought this one was like a carrot. He not only asked question but gave me options too which were way off the mark. If i had taken the bait it was THE END) me: no it is not 0 or 5% it is around 22% m1: do u not think it is too high me: it looks like but there are two factors here: 1. loans we disburse are very low generally around 10k or at max 30k...... 2. frequency of repayment whicvh is generally weekly or fornightly. when these two factors combine absolute amount they are paying per installlment is very low. hence customers are more then happy to take loans m1: how do u insure they pay back me: our micro finance scheme is based on SHG model as propagated by Muhammad yunus of grameen bank(Most of the members were nodding)..here it is not the individual capacity to pay back but rahter capacity of group to pay back. If one member falters then others come to its rescue. m1: how u gauge pay back capacity of customers me: it depends upon their interest in what r they doing, their physical and vocational capability to do it and market condition for the product they are manufacturing. We look into all these things while giving loans. m1: Do u know how many SHGs are working in india me: I am sorry sir i m not aware bout that (this i said with ear to ear grin on my face as though i was delighted in not knowing it)........Thank god he smiled back it was turn of lady member lm: so u were overall coordinator of engg college fest me: yes lm: what exactly was ur role me: i with the help of team decided what kind of events would be there, who will conduct what,
- 143. 143 timings, prizes etc lm:ok, so what was ur stress in designing these events me: we tried to make these events relevant to future professional career of all involved. We tried to get events such that new ideas can be generated and can be implemented. lm: ne particular model u liked there me: as far as i can remember there was a model based on radio frequencies in which one of our professors was also involved. I like it very much. It was mainly to uplod and download signals from satellite. It had great practical utility. But i DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED to the model afterwards lm: ok that was the end of her. such a sweet lady. not a single one to bother or stress my mind. Or she thought "U stupid.........ur level is this much only" baton was now in hands of 2nd lady member lm2: what is difference between leader and manager thank god at least one from my optional me: manager is more a technical concept. it isa bout managing resources both man and material. there are certain techniques involved and jargon as well. while a leader is more a humane concept(I looked at mr. cool.....bending on arm's rest with one hand on mouth he was epitome of attention) Leader tries not only to manage situation but he goes beyond it. He tries to affect the group and motivate it so that they can gear up for the job at hand. hence leader as a concept has much wider connotation. lm2: name one person for two categories gandhi was one the greatest leader of last century as he motivated ppl so much that they were ready to lay their life for him. Nandan nilkeni is really a good manager as he has shown during his stint in Infosys and now doing tremendous job in UID under brand name AADHAR lm2: what do u want to be: a leader or manager (mummy like smile she had.......so cute) me: first a good manager then will graduate to be a good leader lm2: name first festivals of haryana me: festivals in haryana are mainly based on agricultural cycle. We recently celebrated Phaag, then there is baishakhi which basucally is from punjab but adopted in haryana. then in rohtak there are local melas (I stressed only on those which are exclusive to haryana) (and yes mr cool in first round also asked one more question: if given a chance what will i sell in rural;
- 144. 144 mkt. a sachetof shampoo or biscuit. first i did not get what he was trying. should i answer from marketing angle so i asked him to repeat the question then it clicked to me "IT is CSE so hold on the social thread" I gave lot of air on nutrition andn hence will sell biscuit. he nodded approvingly and said yes it is better to have full stomachs) turn of last member he took the thread from oner my answer m4: so u have seen real india while in FINO. what r the problems they r facing me: working in fino and among rural poor was quite a revelation to me. earlier was of the view why rural poor migrate to cities and congest already overwhelmed infrastructure here. Being a civil service student i thought that through books i know quite a lot bout problems they r facing. But going there and living among them was a revelation. There are no industries at all. they have nothing to fall back upon. poverty is so severe that it is unbelievable. I saw an ocean of destitution there and realizesd that kind of civic amenities we are enjoying in cities are not even in their dreams. hence they have no option left but to leave the villages. m4: u r talking bout industrial development only me: agriculture is second part of the answer. After talking to local villagers i came to know that they have just one crop per year or at max two. but due to any reason idf crops fail then they have no plan b. it is starvation for them. Starvation is stark reality there. there are no proper irrigation facilities, no post harvest mgt like cold stores, no mkt. faci;lities etc. hence these poor ppl cannot stick to the villages and move to cities. I looked at the lady member whop was nodding. m4: what are advantages of corporate farming me: 1. better management of agri 2. more capital 3. better tech m4: so shuld we introduce it widely me: blanket application will lead to loss of employment due to mechanization so strict monitoring is required. Now it was turn of Mr. cool again cool: u were in MTNL also me: yes sir from 2003 to 2005
- 145. 145 cool: ok, urpost me: I was junior telecom officer cool: ur role me: i was fortunate enough to be part of team which implemented broadband for MTNL in delhi cool: ok (Now he became informal.......stated narrating his problems with broadband companies) MTNL has been unable to penetrate mkt me: yes sir. Even i had mtnl broadnband connection six months back but switched over to tata data card cool: is it good me: yes sir, it is giving me seamless connectivity and connectivity is uninturuppted as well cool: ok, what is issue with mtnl me: main issue with mtnl broadband is the basic infrastructure on which they r relying. MTNL is using ADSL i.e asymmetric digital subscribers line technology. In it they r provinding net on copper cables of telephones. but these copper cables are in very bad shape. they r unable to support required bandwidth. hence mtnl is unable to provide good services. That was the end of it. lasted for around 30 minutes.
- 146. 146 My Experience withShashi UBen Tripathi's Board I was slotted for the afternoon session on 6 April.I was alloted SUT ma'am's board.The board began late and the first person called in was interviewed for 50 minutes (i was second in line).That is probably why my interview resembled a highlight package of a t-20 match,and got over in 12-13 minutes. Five member board including the chairperson asked me the following questions.. m1-If you look at the indian peninsula,it juts out into the ocean (makes a gesture of jutting out) What limit would you then point out as the area of interest for India? (i answer) m1-so you mean the civilizational imprint form middle east to south east asia? m1-what perspectives on the indian interests can you highlight? (my answer-dependence,security,economic,s cientific) m1-what country do you think will threaten our nation in the indian ocean? m1-But China is so far away from the indian ocean,unlike the south china sea,how can it threaten us from that far away?(i list the string of pearls) m1-what economic perspective drives our interests in this region? m1-What dangers or threats can you foresee to our island territories?? passes on to member 2 m2-lets move on to development and administration. what are the reasons for naxal movement?(i give a passionate extempore) m2-ok i agree with you,but how does the NE insurgency differ then??(extempore round 2) m2-and what are the gorkhas doing?are they running around?are they fighting? (i explain the statehood demand) in all three i purposely brought in a historical perspective,that being my optional,and more comfortable ground,i also kept dropping liberal hints like 'vidharbha problem' hoping to direct the flow elsewhere but the member absolutely ignored all the very very obvious invitations. passes on to member 3-
- 147. 147 (background-he was aspecial member to ask three hindi medium candidates hindi questions.his english is as good as my swahili.and it was accented to an extent that it made laloo prasad resemble a BBC broadcaster!!i couldnt get a word of what he tried to ask at most times, and he surely understood none of my answers.) m3-whaat iit iss?Iit iss whaaat?(smiles at me encouragingly) (i look back with a completely confounded expression,and obviously dont answer) m3-Univesal declaration of human rights.what?(i have stopped trying to get his accent out,its impossible) M3-so they natural?rights natural? m3-Where Indian Constitution Universal rights? m3-Right to know is Fundamental?what is fundamental right? m3-SC declare na but?(i explain how SC imports meaning to law) m3-What constitution is law? m3-no no law constitution what? m3-no.Constitution ammendment what law?(i answer 368 article,that he does not want) m3-how is president impeached?why is he impeached?(i answer shakily-because he keeps saying i should quote constitution and not recall in my words-a thing i manage with limited success) m3-ok,what constitution article,constitution law? (i was seriously exasperated,not only did i make a fool of myself,i actually gave up trying to explain to him,but he was not accepting my i dont know sir and kept saying no no no) finally he got the idea that i would not utter a word more,so he passed on the baton with a half smiling look at me as if i was a stinking fish or some skunk.. M4-what is carbon credit?how is it traded?
- 148. 148 M4-but this attitudeof the developed countries is wrong na? m4-Except for military and energy uses,where else is nuclear technology used? (i answer medicine,science and industry) m4-example of each M4-but uses of nuclear trace to check for cracks is nuclear pollution na? (i kept telling him its radioactivity level is minimal so harmless but he refused to buy it.so i said in a way yes,but it is done to prevent further damage) m4-where in agriculture is it used? m4-two specific questions: Was india right in going for the nuclear option? are we right in continuing the nuclear option? (i answer yes on both counts) (passionate extempore round 3 and 4) m4-tell me,if i have a knife and you get a knife,does it mean i will not stab you?thats the logic of nuclear deterrence? passes on the baton to SUT SUT-i will not waste much time,you just answer two questions and then go.(i smile) SUT-what is strategic depth?(extempore 5) SUT-(smiling as if shes about to stumpt me) What is clash of civilizations concept?(i just name the author,she was pleasantly surprised i knew and asked if i had read him,i said only excerpts) she assumed i knew the concept (correctly) and asked if i believed in it. then i was shown the door. all the places where i have written extempore,i spoke for aroung 45 seconds to a minute.most of member 3 questions i tried my best understanding and answering but failed to do so,so his turn got over very quickly indeed.and all the other answers were like rapid fire,and question were asked even faster than my answers were. i came out with a feeling that i had the chairperson happy,and m3 totally unhappy.M1,M2,M4 mostly bought my answers so there was no sticky moment with them. went in at 03 57 pm,came out and checked my watch it was 4.10 pm.
- 149. 149 so a monthseffort,and a hundred headaches for 12 minutes! PS-the board was very very cordial and encouraging,i was allowed my time to be expressive though the question were rapid,and anyone getting SUT board is lucky for getting one of the more warm members as the chair. no questions on my form,none on my option or service preferences,none whatsoever on why i want to join,and nothing of what we usually expect,but this may be because of the paucity of time..
- 150. 150 My civils interview: Prashant Agrawal My interview was on 5th of April, afternoon session. After registration and other formalities, I was sitting with 4 other candidates. We were 2 engineers and 3 doctors. It was first civils interview for all the candidates. Initially we tried, but later decided not to discuss anything important. I was the second candidate to be interviewed. When first candidate was called for interview, we came to know that its K K Paul's board. I tried to recall any impression about that board, but cudn't. Later came to know that his board was sitting for the first time. I grabbed a cup of tea, sat peacefully and talked to other 3 candidates while waiting for my turn. A peon came and took me to Paul's room. I was asked to wait outside. I cudn't believe I wasn't afraid of the interview. A bell rang and peon opened the door for me. I asked for permission to enter. The room was not as big as coaching institutes used to tell. I walked to the chair. Besides K K Paul, there was a lady member and 3 other members. Members were sitting closer to my chair than K K Paul's. Paul asked me to take seat. I wished ma'am first and then to all sirs and took my seat. (My background: Hail from a village in Surguja district of Chhattisgarh. Schooling: Navodaya Vidyalaya. Graduation: Dual Degree in Electrical Engg from IIT Kharagpur. Passed out in 2006. Optionals: Physics and Chemistry. Attempt: 2nd, cudn't clear Mains in first attempt. No job. Stayed in Delhi all this time at Old Rajendra Nagar.) KKP: Tell me your name. Me: Sir, Prashant Kumar Agrawal. KKP: Your roll number. Me: 001924 KKP: Your date of birth. Me: Sir, 12th of August, 1983. (Thinking why is he asking all these, its already there in my biodata) KKP: So, you are from Chhattisgarh. Me: Yes Sir. KKP: Ok, you have done engineering from IIT Kharagpur. Me: Yes Sir. KKP: You have taken physics and chemistry as your optionals. Me: Yes Sir.
- 151. 151 KKP: Prashant, youplay cricket or watch cricket. Me: Sir, I play cricket. KKP: You have played for any team? Me: Sir, I used to play in college, but I haven't played for college team or any other team. KKP: (With a sarcastic smile) Do you know anything about cricket? Me: (With full confidence) Sir, I know everything about cricket. (Definitely an overstatement) I used to play in college. (I was expecting his swingers now, but with God on my side he changed the topic.) KKP: Where have you done NCC? Me: Sir, in first year of my college, as a part of curriculum. KKP: Okay, tell me something about LCD tv, plasma tv and **** tv (I cudnt get tht one but was sure tht i never heard tht before. It wasnt hdtv also). Me: Sir, LCD tv uses liquid crystals which are liquids with some anisotropic properies like crystals do. (He was asking abt LCD tv, not liquid crystals, anyway) KKP: And what is plasma? Me: Sir, its a fourth state of matter where gases are fully ionised. KKP: So which tv is better and why? (The big man might be planning to buy one but he was asking the wrong guy.) Me: Sir, Plasma is said to be better. I dont know much about them. KKP: Okay Prashant, recently there has been much talk about a tribal welfare bill. What is your opinion about that? Me: Sir, are you referring to Forest Dwellers Rights Act? KKP: Yes, yes that only. Me: Sir, I think this is a very good Act and will come a long way in addressing the grievances of tribals. Their rights will be recognised and there exploitation can be addressed. KKP: But there is also a view that there is nexus with mafia. And the exploitation will be continued, rather legitimised. Me: Sir, such cases has to be looked into and solved separately, but still the Act is very much needed to solve the problems of tribals. It will recognize their rights over land. Their livelihood issues will be addressed. They will able to sell minor forest produce at the correct prices. It is also going to be a big
- 152. 152 help in solvingthe problem of naxalism. KKP: What are the causes of naxalism in Chhattisgarh? Me: Sir, the root cause is the genuine grievances of tribals. In Chhattisgarh, two areas Northern Chhattisgarh and Southern Chhattisgarh are heavily forested areas and inhabited by tribals. They have been considered as encrochers upon the land. They have not been able to sell forest produce at the desired prices. They have been exploited by forest officials also. Mining rights have been given to companies in these areas which led to tribals' displacement without being given proper compensation. KKP: Do you know how other countries have dealt with such problems of tribals like red indians, and ....(gives two three names) ? Me: I'm sorry Sir. I'm not aware of that. KKP: Doesnt matter. Asks the next member to ask questions, a lady member. She was smiling a lot. Dont know for what. I also smiled throughtout interaction with her even though I didnt answered her questions well. Smiling Lady: Prashant, Mahatma Gandhi was known as the Father of the Nation. Sarojini Naidu was known as the Nightingale of India. Me: Yes Ma'am. SL: Have you read Gandhiji? Me: Yes ma'am. I have read about Gandhiji. SL: Ok, I'm not going to ask about him. (Picks out a paper with some things written on it haphazardly. Asks looking at it and smiling) Tell me what do you know about Sardar Patel, Rabindranath Tagore, Vinoba Bhave and Captain Laxmi. Me: Ma'am, Sardar Patel was known as the Iron man of India. (It took me few seconds to translate from Lauh Purush.) SL: What for? Me: Ma'am, he was able to take quick decisions, tough decisions. SL: Like? Me: He took quick decisions while consolidating more than 500 princely states.
- 153. 153 SL: Consolidating ?? Me:I mean, to bring the princely states into Indian Union. (I was looking for the word 'integration'.) SL: Anything else. Me: No Ma'am. SL: Ok now tell me about Sarojini Naidu. Me: Ma'am, she was known as Nightingale of India because she used to sing well. She participated in freedom movement. She was the first governer of Uttar Pradesh. SL: Anything more about her? Me: No ma'am. SL: Ok about Vinoba bhave. Me: Ma'am he was called Acharya Vinoba Bhave. He worked for the lower sections of the society. SL: Anything specific? Me: I'm not able to recall ma'am. SL: Aren't you forgetting something? Bhoodan movement ?? Me: Yes ma'am. Bhoodan movement. I missed that. (How could I forget that? I had read abt the movement few days back.) SL: About Rabindranath Tagore? Me: Ma'am I not able to recall what was he known as. (Guruji) SL: Thats okay. Tell me what was he known for. Me: Ma'am, he was known for literature. For Gitanjali, for which he won Nobel prize also. SL: Anything else? Me: Ma'am, I'm not able to recall anything more. (Jan gan man, Shantiniketan, had renounced knighthood) SL: Tell me about Jaiprakash Narain. (Now this person was not on the agenda.) Member 2: What was he known as? Me: (Minutes before I was handed over the letter for Medical tests to be taken at LNJP hospital) He was known as Loknayak. He worked for the lower sections of the society.
- 154. 154 SL: Anything more? Me:No. ma'am. SL: Okay Prashant. You have done this physics, chemistry (my optionals), electrical engg (background). How are these going to help you in administration? Means in place of history, political science etc. Tell me, how are these physics, chemistry and electrical going to help you in administration. (Almost repeated the question.) Me: (well rehearsed answer) Ma'am, technical knowledge is only a part of my learning at IIT. IIT education has inculcated in me the ability to perform under stress, habit of hard work, working in a team etc. Such things are definitely going to help in administration. And as far as knowledge is concerned... SL: Knowledge I wasnt asking. Achcha, ok tell me about that also. Me: Ma'am knowledge of electrical engg is going to help me if I get to work with Power Ministry. Otherwise also, electricity being one of the most basic services to be provided to the common man, the public, my knowledge can come to use. SL: (Looking at her paper) Suppose you are posted as DM in an earthquake prone area. What steps you are going to take? Me: Ma'am, since there is no warning system for earthquake. I have to keep emergency services ready. SL: What emergency services? (Quickly picks up a pencil and starts noting down.) Me: Ma'am first of all, medical services, ambulance etc. SL: Ok. And? Me: And Police. For security and transport. SL: What else? Me: (I wasn't getting anything really) Ma'am, in case calamity occurs, I have to be ready about from where I have to source food etc. SL: Okay, what else? Something more you would like to do? Me: Ma'am general instructions have to be given regarding buildings, construction. SL: Are you going to check houses and all ? Me: No ma'am, but instructions are to be given regarding precautions to be taken while building new houses and other construction.
- 155. 155 SL: Like? Me: Like,how much cement is to be mixed. How much should be the window area, door area etc. Such instructions are to be widely publicised. SL: Have you heard of building code? Me: Yes ma'am. I was talking about that only. (Gives a big nod, a big smile and asks the next member (Member 2) to take charge. He was sitting right beside me. I had to keep my head turned at around 70 to 80 degrees to talk to him.) M2: You are from Surguja. I have come to know that there are no naxalite activities in Surguja. Isnt it? Me: Sir, Surguja is a naxalite affected district. But since last 3 yrs, there have been no major law and order problem there. M2: Yes, yes. I meant that only. No activities now, that threat will remain. Now tell me, Bastar is also in Chhattisgarh. Me: Yes Sir. M2: Surguja and Bastar both are tribal areas. Me: Yes Sir. M2: Both are in the same state. Me: Yes Sir. M2: So, how come naxalism has been contained in Surguja, but not in Bastar ? Why so? Me: Sir, Bastar is in Southern Chhattisgarh, contiguous with Andhra and Orissa. It is in heavily forested Dandakaranya region. Naxalites find it easy to launch operations from there, have been able to set up training camps. M2: But that goes for Surguja also. It is also contiguous with Jharkhand, a naxalite affected state. Me: Yes Sir, that is true, but Bastar is contiguous with Andhra where naxalites have been more strong. Also because of action taken by Andhra's police, they have been flushed to Bastar region. M2: Tell me some reason other than this contiguity. Me: Sir, 3-4 yrs back, when there used to be major law and order problem related to naxalism in Surguja, one Indian Police Service officer was posted who did a commendable job. M2: (Raising his voice a bit) Dont you think these are the institutions which bring change? Can one two officers make such a difference?
- 156. 156 Me: Sir, ofcoursethese are the institutions which bring the change, but if the officers are good, (gave a look towards K K Paul) if the leader is good, he can also make a considerable difference. The officer I am talking about, used to go to jungles on his bike for operations, and seeing his courage subordinate policemen also used to feel motivated, and the operations were successful. And once the law and order problem was contained, civil administration took the development activities at accelerated pace. M2: (Not so convinced still.) Ok tell me the hierarchy of Indian Police Service officers, starting from district level. Me: Sir, SP. M2: Yes, that at district level. Above that? Me: Sir, DIG, then IG, then ADG and DGP. M2: Hierarchy of Indian Administrative Service officers. Okay, just tell me whom DM reports to? Me: (Got a bit confused here on this basic question. No commissionaries in my state.) Sir, DM reports to Chief Secretary. M2: There are no people in between? Me: Sir, there are in between, but they are departmental secretaries who rank above DM, but DM reports to Chief Secretary. M2: What about revenue commissioners then? Me: (Got more confused. Gave up) Sorry Sir, I do not know. M2: Okay, tell me how are the judges appointed? Judges of High Court. Me: Sir, they are selected by a collegium of Supreme Court judges, involving Chief Justice of High Court concerned. M2: How are they chosen? Who is to be made, who is not to be made? Me: Sir, based on the elegibility for High Court judges, the collegium decides. I do not know the exact procedure. M2: Okay, how is lower judiciary appointed? Me: Sir, lower judiciary functions under the High Court of the state. Judges are appointed through a competitive exam.
- 157. 157 M2: Who exactlyappoints them? Me: Sir, I do not know. M2: Okay, there was so much talk about RTI Act. Has it helped in any way? Me: Yes Sir, its a very good Act. It has helped in bringing transparency and fixing accountability in the administration. M2: Can you tell me how exactly it has helped? Me: For example, it has helped in speeding up the development projects. M2: (Raising his voice a bit) How can it speed up the development projects? Me: Sir, when some development projects had been sanctioned and were not being taken, people have filed RTI applications, asking for the information regarding status of the project. Officials started realizing that they are accountable to the people, and it really has speeded up the projects. M2: Is there any time limit to give the information? Me: Yes sir, its 30 days. M2: What if he doen't provide the information? Me: Then appeal can be filed to the information commissioner. M2: Do you know about CIC and SIC? Me: Yes Sir, Central Information Commissioner and State Information Commissioner. M2: So, does the SIC functions below the CIC? Me: I'm not sure Sir. ( Points to the next member to ask questions. For him, I had to keep my head turned to 70 -80 degrees, now on my right.) M3: Do you know about Comptroller and Auditor General ? Me: Yes Sir. M3: What does he do? Me: Sir, his function is to ensure that all the expenditure done by the government is as per the law, no diversion is made.
- 158. 158 M3: What aboutdiversion? Me: Sir, if any diversion is made, expenditure is not according to the law, then he includes it in the report. M3: To whom he gives the report? Me: Sir, report is submitted to the parliament. M3: Why was Union Public Service Commission provided for in the Constitution itself ? What does it do? Me: Sir, it recruits personnel for the administration. M3: But that could have been done by it being under executive itself. What was the need for it to be made autonomous, an independent body? Me: Sir, it also gives reports and suggestions to the Parliament to enhance efficiency of the administrative machinery. (Didnt handle this question well.) M3: Have you heard of Srikrishna report? Me: (Tried to recall but cudn't) Sir, I'm not able to recall. M3: Okay, tell me what is your opinion about legalisation of prostitution. Me: Sir, I think it should not be legalised. M3: Why so? Me: Sir, its not in consonant with Indian social values. M3: But many social activists are demanding for its legalisation. Prostitutes are harassed. Their rights are not protected. Me: Sir, that can be done if some changes in present laws are made. At present, they are treated as criminals. They should be treated as victims and we should try to prevent human trafficking in this area. M3: Under what act this is done? Me: Sir, under Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act. (Looks towards K K Paul. He asks the fourth member to ask questions.) M4: You have been to Singapore? Me: Yes Sir.
- 159. 159 M4: What for? Me:Sir, to present a technical paper in a conference. It was based on my BTech project, as a part of curriculum at IIT Kharagpur. M4: So, what did you like most about Singapore? Me: Sir, attitude of people there, that was very cordial. M4: Do you know how big is Singapore? Me: Sir, its a city state. I do not know the exact area. M4: How much is the population? Me: Sir, its around 4 million. M4: Its a developed country, isn't it? Me: Yes Sir, it is a developed country. M4: Do you know at what rate it is growing? Me: Sir, I do not know the exact rate. M4: Okay tell me, its more than India's or less? Me: Sir, I think its less than India's rate of growth. Its base is high, per capita income is high, so it cannot be 8-9%. M4: Are you sure? Me: No sir, I'm not sure. M4: Okay, tell me why is it so developed? Me: Sir its a small city state, small population. Its economy has been able to take care of everybody. M4: But it doesn't have resources too. Me: Sir, it has framed liberal laws, has attracted foreign companies to set up offices here. Its a financial hub. Also, it has been able to tap full potential of tourism. M4: (Not convinced.) Cant we develop like that? Me: Sir, we can but that will take time. We have a large population. M4: Okay, cant we develop some small place, say a district in Kerala, like Singapore? Me: Sir, we can, if we make a different set of laws for that place. But that will create disparity. We do
- 160. 160 not want thatkind of development. M4: What kind of political system is there? Is democracy there in Singapore? Me: Yes Sir. Democracy is there in Singapore. M4: What is the difference between India's democracy and Singapore's democracy? Me: I'm sorry Sir. I do not know. M4: Okay, you have done electrical engg. Tell me about the situation of India's power sector. Me: Sir, demand for power is increasing at a fast pace, because of economic growth. But power generation has lagged behind. M4: (Interrupts) From what sources we generate power? Me: Sir, majority of power comes from thermal, around 60%. Then, around 30% comes from hydel. 6- 7% from wind energy and a small chunk of around 3% from muclear. M4: It is said that we have a large potential of hydel power. Why haven't we tapped that? Me: Sir, because of problems associated with hydel projects like displacement of people. Also, most of potential lies in North-East. We havent been able to tap that. M4: Which power is cheaper? Me: Sir, it depends. Hydel will be cheaper if its a multipupose project, used for irrigation etc. Thermal will be cheaper if coal is sourced from a nearby mine. Sir, per unit cost actually varies a lot. M4: Okay, more about power sector. Me: Sir, our transmission and distribution losses are very high. M4: How much is the transmission loss? Me: Sir, its around 15%. M4: 15 only?? Me: Sir, only transmission loss is 15%. If we take total losses i.e aggregate technical and commercial losses, it goes above 40%. M4: So, we lose half our power that way? Me: Yes Sir.
- 161. 161 M4: Why so? Me:Sir, our focus has always been on more and more generation. Transmission and distribution sector have been neglected. M4: What should be done? As an administrator what will you do? Me: Sir, to reduce T&D losses, we have to invest in this sector. Transformers and lines need to be replaced or upgraded. Then we have to prevent theft also. Installing digital meters is good step in that direction. M4: What is your view about privatisation of distribution? Me: Sir, thats a good step. M4: They will take care that there is no theft. Isn't it? Me: Yes sir, that is true. But we (like I'm in the government already) need to ensure that consumers get electricity at the right prices. M4 looks towards K K Paul. KKP: Your interview is over. You can go now. Me: Thank you, Sir. Thank you Ma'am. Made an exit thinking why they are sending me back so early. Didn't realize that 30 minutes had passed by that time. Now keeping fingers crossed for the final results.
- 162. 162 First Day ,FirstShow !!! : Abhishek Mishra On 17th march the civil services (main) 2007 result came out.I was surfing the net when a friend of mine informed me about the results.I thought that as usual the Union Public Service Commission website would not open as is the case usually once results are announced.But to my surprise it opened and very soon i found myself going through the list of roll numbers and was elated to find my roll number(after having twice missed the interview bus).But the joy soon turned into horror when on 19th afternoon i got a speedpost from Union Public Service Commission informing me that my interview was on 31st march at 9 am ,i.e., first day first show.Panic set in and i prepared myself for running against time.Some suggested be your natural self ,and some others told me to fake it ,leaving me totally confused.Then there were mock(ing) interviews which were useful as well as counterproductive.In fact ,my confidence took a nosedive on 27th after a late night mock session.Next day i met Ravindran Sir(vajiram) and his words boosted my confidence.On 29th ,i went for my final mock at Chanakya which went off well. On 31st i got up at 6 am (very early by my sleeping standards)and by 8:20 i was on my way to Dholpur House.I reached the Union Public Service Commission main gate at 8:45 am and found a crowd of fellow 'sufferers' impeccably dressed and in high spirits. I met Sudhir(orissa),Pushkar(CISF,Bi har),Rohit(BSF) and few others and we asked each other about the number of attempts and optionals.A sense of camaraderie develops when you have the same optionals and more so if you have made the same number of attempts.There were lot of third attempt 'veterans' ,so i felt at home.At 9 am sharp we were allowed inside the hallowed portals.After signing the register we were asked to wait in a big hall.There were 7 round tables,everybody had been alloted a particular round table. In my group, there were Harkamal(Chandigarh),Aastha(JN U,Patna),myself and Lalit Kumar(Delhi).Since of the four i was the first one to arrive ,i assumed(wrongly)that there were three guys and one girl in our group.But Harkamal turned out to be female(later on i told her about my misperception and we shared a laugh).Very soon i was joined by the other three candidates and we started talking ,sharing our fears and apprehensions and about various national and international issues which had the potential of troubling us if asked by the Interview Board.We were served tea and biscuits and i thought that having tea outside would be a good defence if panel offers me tea inside as i could always say that "Sir/Madam i have just had tea outside".Soon after we came to know that we were in Ms Parveen Talha's board and felt relieved as the adjacent board was of Prof.D.P.Agarwal. Anyway i was scheduled to go third after Harkamal and Aastha. I was called at 12:30 pm and was asked to wait outside.Just as i was waiting for the bell to ring (at which point i had to go inside),instead the door opened and two people came out of the room,the staff outside told me that they were Board members and were taking a toilet break.Soon after the 'bell tolled' for me and i opened the door and went inside.As soon as i entered Chairperson(Madam Parveen Talha)was reading my name, i wished her good afternoon and also wished other members(all male,M1 M2 M3 M4). Madam: Abhishek ,have you lived in Mahoba (my hometown) ? Me: Maam ,I was born there but have since lived in Northeast. Madam: Ok ,but do you know what Mahoba is famous for ? (after a pause she answered herself)Paan ,have u seen paan growing ? Me: Maam , I have not seen paan growing in Mahoba but i have seen it growing in my home in Itanagar,sorry Tezu where my dad was posted .
- 163. 163 Madam:Have u eatenpaan ? Me: Yes maam ,i have eaten raw paan. Madam o you know what all is put inside a paan ? Me: (I had no clue how shud i say katha ,chuna etc)I m sorry maam ,i m not very sure. Madam:fine,do u know what is facebook ?what can we do in it ? Me: Maam,facebook is a social networking site ,used to make new friends,write about one's likes ,dislikes etc.Though orkut is more popular in India. Madam:Since you have lived in northeast ,what do you think is the problem there? Me:Maam,northeast is somewhat cut-off from rest of India and the pace of development has suffered on that count as compared to rest of India. Madam:what can be done about it ? Me: Maam,we should try for emotional integration of northeast with rest of India by making them feel cared for and looked after.People of northeast should be involved in development planning for northeast. Madam pointed to next member)Aap poonchiye M1:Which newspaper do u read regularly and why ? Me:Sir, I read 'The Hindu' regularly and i like it because it gives due respect to its readers and i have written letters to it and have got them published. M1 o you read editorials ,what is the difference between editorial and rest of the newspaper ? Me: Sir,i have been reading editorials regularly but for the last few days i have not gone through it.Editorial contains the views of the newspaper on any particular issue and rest of the newspaper contains news about various events. M1:Have u played cricket(my hobby) and at what level? Me:Sir,I have played the game but not at a competitive level and yes I do follow the game. M1:Why the test match was drawn yesterday(Chennai Test,Sehwag's 319)? Me: Sir,the pitch was very docile,the batsmen dominated completely and so there was no result. M1:What about the other two test matches,what is going to happen ,do u know where the matches will be played ? Me:I am not sure sir. M1:Well the next two matches are going to be hosted at Ahmedabad and Kanpur.what will happen there? Me:sir,kanpur is again known for its docile wicket so there may not be a result there ,but at ahmedabad there may be turn for the spinners and result may be possible.
- 164. 164 M1:Sachin has gotinjured and selection committee has recalled Kaif ,do u support it ? Me was totally unaware of kaif's recall)Sir,sachin is an irreplaceable kind of player. M2 cuts me angrily)you mean to say he should be played even if he is injured? Me: No sir,if he is injured he should not be played. M1:What about Kaif ? Me: sir,Kaif is a very good player in his own right and if he has been included in the team he should be played. M1 k (gestures to next member) M2:You are from a technical background,can u tell me that with the rapid advancement in information technology and also in biotechnology ,what are the ethical issues that have cropped up ?(question was very vague) Me:Sir,can u please clarify M2 again said something about IT,Biotech and ethics,made me still more confused) Me:Sir,due to IT revolution,there is lot of information being exchanged on the internet and there are e-crimes (at this point he cut me off and told that no you are not understanding the question i m specifically asking about the ethical issues) Me:Sir,there are some websites which are putting up false propaganda on the internet which they may feel is right but may be offensive to others(M2 nods)so there is a question of ethics involved there.And Sir,in case of bio-tech there is the issue of cloning.while reproductive cloning is unethical,therapeutic cloning is ethical. M2:Is there consensus on therapeutic cloning? Me:Sir,consensus is emerging on the issue.Even Indian govt. allows therapeutic cloning. M2:should therapeutic cloning be used to create humans? Me:No sir,it should be used only for creating organs. M2 gestures to next member) M3:You have talked about northeast problem ,and about emotional integration,how will you do it ? Me:Sir,the people of northeast will have to be made stakeholders in development process.Planning should not be done at the centre ,but at the grassroots and based on the needs of the people.
- 165. 165 M3:Northeast is disasterprone area ,how u will use technology to solve the problems? Me:Sir,i will make use of GIS to map out disaster prone areas and create awareness among the people living in those areas about the steps they should take if disaster strikes and use networking to take help of central agencies.I will do all this to mitigate impact of disaster. M3 gestures to next member) M4:Mr.Mishra since u have done your engineering from Jorhat ,can u tell me the name of two famous saints of Assam ? Me:Sir,Sri Sankar Dev and second i m not sure but may be his disciple Sri Madhab Dev. M4:good.You have been talking about alienation in northeast but i do not think so,students of northeast are studying in Bangalore ,Delhi and other places ,so there is no alienation. Me: Yes sir ,but there is a sense of alienation among the people of northeast. M4:No,the insurgency problem is because of Bangladesh's support,top leadership of ULFA is operating from there. Me:Yes sir,these factors are also there,illegal migration from B'desh has created social disharmony. M4:The govt. is hand in glove with the insurgents,there is no alienation ,all is being done for money,dont u know about Sibsagar Supt.of Police from whose house two militants were caught? Me:sir ,one or two stray incidents should not make us think that .We should try to remove the root cause of the problem. M4:You are taking a soft stand (and he continued with his tirade against the system,i tried my best to remain normal and smiling)(At this point Madam said"next question please",to which he said no more questions) Madam smilingly)Ok Abhishek,now do you have any question ? Me:No,Thank you Maam. Madam:Ok,but let me tell you about what all goes inside a paan .See first of all a paste of 'kattha' ,then some 'chunaa',then 'supari' and if the person so desires some tobacco .(smilingly)And when you go outside,you eat a paan .You can go now. Me:Thank you maam,thank you sirs. I came out of the room in a positive frame of mind.Now i dont know whether it was good or bad ,but the experience was great and madam was very cordial.Now hoping for a positive outcome ...
- 166. 166 First day, frstshow !!! : Sadayappan My friend Sadayappan (BITS-Pilani, Dual degree - Chemistry/CompSci Engg) had his interview today. This was his first mains, second attempt. He had worked with an IT firm for some time before taking the exams. This is what happened inside Mr.E.Balaguruswamy's chamber today for about 40 mins, in Sadayappan's own words. "Chairperson: Did you have anything outside? How was the tea? Tell me about your district (for 1 min). You should have got a good placement in campus? Then why did you leave the job? What is dual degree? Which is the by-product? Chemistry or computer science? What are your hobbies? 1st member: Tell me about food adulteration. How it can be controlled? How did coco cola give different test results in the span of one week? What are the methods done in for testing these kind of beverages? How would you stop food adulteration as a bureaucrat? Tell me some of the problems caused by computers. What is impression finding? How well it is developed in India? 2nd member: What is governance? (I had already mentioned about 'governance' in one of my earlier answers) What is good governance? 'The government which governs the least is the best government'. Comment. What is literacy rate in your State? How often it is calculated? Do you find any pattern of literacy in your district? What is the burning issue 'today' ? (inflation) What is the government doing today to tackle this issue ? (cabinet committee) Tell me where who have come close to the government. Do you know that your financial benefits (w.r.t fifth pay commission not sixth) will be less here when compared to software job? 3rd member: Tell me about Tanjore painting. What was the issue of badminton and bird flu? Which badminton event was stopped because of that? What is your opinion about the coming up of malls? Explain character, integrity and honesty. 4th member: How is chemistry going to help computers?
- 167. 167 Tell me aboutC 60 and its applications. How computer is going to help chemistry? If you become collector in your district which issue you would address which today's collector is not able to solve? How will you tackle political pressures? Will you resign your job when you are harassed and will you go back to software sector? Chairperson: What Sadayappan is the interview over? Do you have anything to ask us? Be frank..Do you think we five (referring to the interview board) can solve any burning issues? ..thats how it ended. Many technical questions I flunked. Overall it was cordial. The board helped me to keep myself cool."
- 168. 168 My First CivilsInterview : smarak 2nd April 2008. I gave my first civil service interview just two days back...i say 'first' because I am quite optimistic that Union Public Service Commission will again make the mistake that it made this year. I can't, in any case, say the last -because I am not one of those who give up that easy. I My interview was scheduled for the forenoon; i reached Union Public Service Commission well in time before 9 AM and had a chance to meet some other candidates I knew. We were let in sharp at 9. What I found surprising about the reception was that it was extremely cordial and student friendly. I had expected a long line in which I would have to stand before my certificates are checked, other formalities done etc. We were escorted into a huge circular hall in which some nine table-chair configurations had been made. We were total thirty five in number, divided into seven boards. Mine was the seventh board. We were seated into seven of the table-chair configurations as per our board. Though the ambience was good, the atmosphere was tense. I got to meet other four of my board- mates and had a healthy chat. That partly reduced the tension. Part of the tension was reduced by the presence of a cool chick in the sixth board. Unlike the other girls, her dressing sense was cool (all girls had come in saris -something I think was dumb; a salwar could have been as suitable but more comfortable for the situation). She had, it seems, invested heavily on a beauty parlour and looked exceedingly gorgeous. Seriously, I rarely find girls look so yexy in sari. I did, of course, decide not to hit on her... but what occurred to me was that she may get some 20-30 marks more than we guys just by her looks. Lucky her! Old men, though low on libido, appreciate beauty as much as we guys do. (You may find my views on this pretty irrational, but many others will agree) Soon, the call for first candidates to appear before the boards came. It turned out that the chick-in- sari's board would be chaired by Miss. Parveen Tahla (he he he!). But my pleasure didn't last long. Board 7, that is mine, was to be chaired by D.P. Agarwal. DP! DP? DPPPppp... The dreaded ganglord from IIT Delhi with supposedly cannibal instincts. That DP? His name brought back to my mind flashback of cruel times... of those days in laboratories of department of electrical engineering, IIT Kharagpur -instrumentation lab, high voltage lab, power engg lab et al -when I was subjected to third grade torture by a panel of ruthless professors. The memory of such sends a shock down my spine till date. In deed, these aren't memories but nightmares (ok a little exaggerated) that came back to my mind then. Is DP Agarwal like them? I could have consoled myself with the false reasoning that IIT Delhi is a better, more humane place than IIT Kgp. Unfortunately, deeds of DP have already reached far and wide. According to legends, he asks only factual questions, wants only objective answers, conducts stress interviews, can grill you on any point you have made, can ask you out of the room in the middle of an interview...and the list continues. II DP was unusually cool. Cool doesn't mean he was happy or cheerful etc. He was just neutral in
- 169. 169 expressions and didn'tseem to be ready to pounce upon me. His room was smaller than I had expected it to be, due to which the other four members were sitting very close to me. DP was sitting right in front of me at the other end of the table. To my left was sitting a lady at very close distance. Henceforth, lets call her lady because she deserves the title. By her side and to DP's right was sitting (rather sleeping over the table) a gentleman who looked like PV Narasimha Rao but slept like HD Deve Gowda. Lets call him PV Deve Gowda. To my right was a smart, chill looking gentleman in his early fifties. He was smiling mysteriously, the way P. Chidambaram used to before presenting his budgets. Lets call him Chidumbaram. By his side and to DP's left was sitting a South Indian gentleman who spoke not so clearly (in fact the chairman had to translate his words and communicate to me more than once) but nevertheless a kind, pleasant guy. Lets call him Speaking Dravid. I found DP's strategy of taking interview very maverick. He didn't seem to look at my biodata... nor did he ask any of the traditional questions. "So your name is Smarak Swain. What does Swain mean?" "It is an Oriya title sir" "Its a very popular oriya title" the lady observed "What does Smarak mean?" "Ma'am it means a memorial" "But you know, your title is very similar to an english word...have you heard of something spelling S- W-I-N..." DP observed. Before he could complete, I said "S-W-I-N-E sir. It is a slang for pig" "You know, this may create problems..." DP observed. I was looking at him right in the eyes and it was he who wasn't maintaining the eye contact. I was playing offensive. "DP if u r really interested, then listen. There is a school of thought that believes that my name is an insult to pigs. Usually the good-for-nothing animal lovers have this view. Another school of thought pertains to the fact that I am not so bad as to be called a pig. There is still a third school of thought members of which call me just smarak" I did NOT say this. I simply looked attentively at him and he dropped the issue. "So, when did you decide to come for the services?" "In my final year sir" "What are you doing?" "Sir I worked in Tata Steel for a year. I left it last year and am preparing solely for civils" "Why?" "I didn't get much time for studies plus I wanted to come to Delhi" "Why Delhi" "I could get better interaction with other students, library facilities and coaching" "What coaching did you join?" "Ramaswamy for Sociology and Vajiram for current affairs" (Actually I didn't get much time for doing the full course in Vajiram, so somehow managed to get into the current affairs that was meant only for ex-students) "Since you want to do civils, you must be having an idea about the hierarchy of it. Brief me on any one department's hierarchy" I hadn't prepared this. But I had read Kishan Rana's Inside Diplomacy and so had good idea of foreign ministry. "Sir I can tell you about the hierarchy of foreign ministry" I said.
- 170. 170 "Is that yourfirst preference?" "Yes sir" "Ok. Go on" I tell him about FSI, then first foreign posting as third secretary, learning new languages etc. He doesn't seem to be interested and passes on to the lady. "Which language would you want to learn if given a choice" she asked "Ma'am I would prefer Spanish" "Why?" "It is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world" "Do you know Spanish? Anything about it?" "Ma'am, I just know senor and senorita...nothing much" "DO you find it a beautiful language?" "Is it a sweet language?" "Have you read any Spanish novel? Or seen Spanish movies?" (I have read Paulo Coelho -who hasn't? -but that doesn't strike me. I mumble something about the movie Spanglish... "Any Spanish painter or musician you know?" (I couldn't say Picasso bcoz I got no idea of what kind of painting he drew...in deed i didn't know if he was spanish) "Ma'am, I want to learn Spanish bcoz of the flexibility in posting it will give me; bcoz of the exotic carnival I could participate in; bcoz of the Havana cigars I fantasize myself smoking after cheating on a latin girl. What do you mean by sweet language? Is there any bitter language also? It is just a way to communicate" I did NOT say this. "Do you know which is Spain's capital?" "Madrid ma'am" "Is Spanish only followed in Latin America?" I tell her about Portuguese in Brazil. I forget to mention that Hindustani is followed in Suriname and Guyana...that would have been a plus... Then she asks me about SAARC. I tell her all that I knew about SAARC, though see didn't seem to find what she wanted. As she was a real lady, she wanted to give me a chance. She asked me what all countries India shares boundary with. I tell all the names, including Afghanistan theoretically. "Does Afghanistan share a boundary with India?" "It has a boundary with a part of Jammu and Kashmir under Pakistani occupation" Here I was trying to direct the interview into Paki, kashmir issue. But the panelists were too damn smart. She asked me some other things before passing on to the chairman. DP: What will be your responsibilities once you become an Indian Foreign Service officer? "Sir, in the country that I am posted I will look into bilateral relations, better people-to-people contact, cultural diplomacy, see the market prospects for Indian industries in the said country, do research and analysis of economic and strategic relations..." Before I could finish, DP asked "How will you do research and analysis?" "Sir, I will collect data from various sources...like ASSOCHAM...they must be having such a body in their country, then there is the economic survey and statistical reports. In cases where data is not available, I will employ market analysts to get me the data"
- 171. 171 Now guys, Ididn't say as fluently as you may feel. The problem in the board room was that it was extremely difficult to form sentences. Secondly, I was surprised that no one was asking questions like: 'why do you want to do civils?', 'why civils after engg?', 'don't you think we will be losing a power engineer' stuff on which I had invested lots of my limited literary talentin past few days -stuff that I had mugged by heart and prepared in front of a mirror. What the pock is happening??? "Can you give any specific example of how you will increase trade between India and any south American country? Answer only if you know something concrete" DP says "I ain't doing no course in international trade ..." I did NOT say this "Sorry Sir, I don't know". This is what I said. Then he passes on to Speaking Dravid. Speaking Dravid asks me many questions in one go. "When was UN formed? In what conditions? What is its organization?" and some more questions I don't remember. "Ach Cho0l, this is a personality test. Why are you asking me questions that I was very good at answering when I was in school?" I did NOT say this. I explain him some stuff about UN but am unable to say anything about the UN Charter. He then asks me about the trusteeship council and its function. At times, DP had to interfere and repeat his questions because he wasn't clear. Then he asked me about criminology (sociological theories etc)...then about clemency. I tell him about President's power to pardon etc. Though my answer isn't structured, nor am I fluent, he doesn't mind. Then I am passed on to Chidumbaram. He is a smart fellow and knows a lot. Chidu: "Recently there has been a debate between social justice ministry and supreme court. SC says that if a father is non-Dalit and mother Dalit, son can't be. But Social Justice ministry says he can be. Considering yourself a member of social justice ministry, give your arguments" The news had come just a day back. Even though I hadn't thought over it, I managed to say a few points about patriarchal families, about manusmriti etc. He gets excited about Manusmriti and asks me about the type of marriages -anuloma, pratiloma etc - mentioned in there. I give satisfactory replies but he starts an argument on whether hypergamy is allowed between sub-castes within a caste or between castes. My stand point was that it is allowed only between sub-castes -if a Brahmin marries a Shudra, the child is a Chandal. He becomes insistent and I finally give up... He then asks about matriarchal families etc...I give satisfactory answer. PV Deve Gowda wasn't really in a mood to talk when DP encouraged him to do so. He looked at me with dreamy eyes as if accusing me of forcing him to ask questions. "Let me ask some questions on some different topic" he said slowly "Do you know Vikram Sarabhai" "Sir, he was a pioneer in space research in India" I say. I know nothing more about him. He keeps looking at me (or may be lost!) with out giving a response. Sensing that I may have to say something more, I say "he was a founding member of ISRO" After an instant he asks me "Who was Homi Jehangir Bhabha?" "He was a pioneer of atomic research in India"
- 172. 172 "Damn you! Whyask me such dumb questions I can't answer in more than one lines?" I did NOT say that. "Please name me some sources of power?" Am I a kid? Or do I look like the dumbest graduate in electrical engineering? A Professor at Kharagpur had once asked me "What's the difference between choke and starter in tube light?" Everyone in the lab had laughed at him for this but as it turned out, he was smart. I couldn't tell him the difference. At that time he had called me the dumbest of electrical under-grads...anyways, this question was too simple for the son of one of the few power plant commissioning specialists in India. I started off and listed the various sources. Then he asked me questions like "Which is the cheapest source of power?" "What is multipurpose project?" "Why is india power deficient if we have so much potential?" etc. I give quite satisfactory answers but nothing extra-ordinary. PV Deve Gowda falls back to his sleepy posture. Getting the cue, DP started off again. "There are some people who believe Delhi Metro isn't the best option for Indian cities. What are your views?" I start with some broken sentences and give some arbitrary answers. Not satisfied, he says "Now-a- days many IIT professors are complaining about Metro. One of them gives a new statement to the press daily. I guess being from IIT yourself, you must be aware of the technicality" I knew nothing about it...so I pass on. The lady member tries to give some hints by talking about the metro loudly with Deve Gowda (who I am sure didn't care, even though I was maintaining eye contact with DP). "How will you go from Cuttack to the western Ghats?" DP asks. "Sir, I will take a train to Mumbai and hire a jeep from there" DP looks perplexed at my answer. "Can you name some places on western ghats" Guys, its ok if you think me dumb...I just blacked out. Not even a single name came to my mind. "Sorry sir. I am unable to recall" "You don't have to. Just visualize the map of India" "Visualize a pocking map while five pairs of hungry eyes ogle at me? How do you think that's possible DP?" I did NOT say this. I simply stayed quiet, trying to visualize the map of India which sometimes looked round, sometimes like a square etc. "OK. Thank you. Your interview is over" When I was about to heave a sigh of relief, Chidumbaram requested DP to let him ask me some questions. DP complied. Chidu: India has a national emblem. Do you know? I can't remember the word 'ashoka stambha'. So I say "there is a pillar in Sarnath constructed by King Ashoka. The structure atop that is our emblem" Chidu: India also has a national animal. Do you know that? I: Sir, royal bengal tiger CHidu: Is it royal bengal tiger or only tiger? I: "I am not sure sir" I say, smiling.
- 173. 173 (I said thisbecause my strategy was to remain on the safe side and not to say any answer wrong) Chidu: India also has a national bird. DO you know? I: Peacock sir Then he lets me off the hook. The chairman thanks me etc. 35 minutes all in all III While leaving Union Public Service Commission, my assessment was that if not very good, my interview was 'above average'. Then I came back to my room, had my lunch etc. After seeing a movie in my room, I went off to Siri Fort Auditorium for the last movie of Chinese FIlm festival. While on my way, all those silly questions I couldn't answer came back to my mind. I concluded that my interview went just 'average'. Average score, according to people, is 150 and that is what I should expect. After seeing the chinese movie, I was coming back when something suddenly dawned on me. Why did Chidumbaram ask me those silly questions in the end? It could be only because he considered me silly. My appraisal of my performance fell down to 'below average'. The next day i.e. yesterday, I had gone for my medical check. I got a chance to interact with others who had given the interview. Everyone agreed that 'average' for DP is 130. And I am 'below average'. So now you know why I have called this topic My First Civils Interview.
- 174. 174 My Life's FirstInterview(Civil Services' Interview) : Abhijeet Agrawal My interview was on 5th of April, morning session I was the fourth candidate to be interviewed by K.K.Paul Board.....First candidate was my junior from IITK ....second was an engineer from NIT Trichy(also my friend) and third was a lady from Bombay (already selected in group B services)... fifth Candidate to be interviewed, was a lady from Rajasthan... My profile: Abhijeet Agrawal Home state: Jharkhand B.Tech in Materials and Metallurgical Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 2005 Optionals: Physics and Chemistry 2nd Attempt (missed the interview call last time by a few marks) Hobby: Cooking Post held: Mess Secretary at IIT Kanpur Now Lets start the interview K.K Paul: What is your Roll No.? K.K Paul: What is your date of Birth? K.K Paul: What is Buckminster? --- Is it a molecule or allotrope of carbon? K.K Paul: What is Fullerene? What are its uses? K.K Paul: What are conducting Polymers ? ---- I replied Sorry Sir I don't know then He said “You must be knowing this as you are a material science Engineer" K.K Paul: What you have been doing since two and half year after your graduation (Well ,the same question was also asked from my engineering friends who were in the same board on that session ) K.K Paul: How did you developed cooking as your Hobby Passed on to Member1 (Lady Member) Member1: What do you understand by the term “Gender Disparity" Member1: What is the level of Male and Female literacy rate of Jharkhand?
- 175. 175 Member1: What doyou understand by “Adverse Sex Ratio" Member1: Is female infanticide a Crime? Member1: are there any law regarding Female infanticide and female feticide Member1: What do you mean by communally sensitive areas and as a DM how will you handle such areas Member1: What you generally cook...What is your favourite dish... Member1: As the mess secretary whose interest you will protect: the person who are making food or the person who are eating the food..( I said that I will try to protect the interest of both of Them) Member1: and if there is a clash of interest then? ------ Member2: Right from district to State to the centre, how will you remove corruption from the system and what steps have already been taken. Member2: Which agency tackles with the charges of corruption? Member2: What are the constitutional provisions for S.T.s and S.C.s Member2: Is there any right to prevent the atrocities of S.T.s and S.C.s Member2: Do you know about Administrative reforms Commission? Member2: Have you gone through any of the report of Second ARC ( I said “ No Sir―) Member2: What do you know about Sachhar Committee? ----------- Member3: Who chairs Rajya Sabha? Member3: How the Vice President is Elected? Member3: What is our national bird Member3: Who wrote “My Experiments with Truth― Member3: Who wrote― Good Earth―
- 176. 176 Member3: Can Iask you something from Chemistry ( I said with confidence “ yes Sir―) Then he asked me “What is Avogadro’s principle― I said “sir can I make a guess― he said No. Member3: What are the constitutional rights of arrested persons Member3: Do you know about Sri Krishna Commission. Member3: What are the laws to protect the Environment? Member3: What are the functions of U.G.C? ---------- Member4: It is said that India is a good and vibrant democracy so you tell me that apart from India which other democracies in the world are good and vibrant? Member4: What is the Difference between Indian Democracy and U.S. Democracy Member4: Which one would be more suitable for India (Parliamentary form or Presidential form of government) Member4: Do you know Obama and Mccain Member4: Who is Hillary Clinton?
- 177. 177 My Civil ServicesInterview) : Gangadhar my interview (full version) my interview was on 8th. i got tripathi madams board.i knew this will be her first time experience of interviewing for Indian Administrative Service before this she has take for Indian Foreign Service. i had no idea about this board but knew that its very cordial. introduction... optionals ; commerce and economics qual ; b.com hobbies ; cycling, body building, volleyball preference ; Indian Police Service,Indian Administrative Service,Indian Revenue Service,Indian Foreign Service =0 begining..... as soon as i entered madam and all panel member addressed me and permitted me to sit with a charming smile, i was really happy to see the mood. madam : what do ur freinds call u. me:ganga and sometimes gangadhar also madam:tell me ur roll no and date of birth me:025507 and 9th march 1985 madam:why have u given Indian Police Service as ur first option. me i knew this question will be there, i answered straight away.) 1st member:u does not look like going for body building, todays body building is more about 6 packs and all is not it... they laughed.(i also smiled) me; i think body building is not only about muscel building its more about mental and physical fitness. Q: do u go for jogging me: sir i do cycling Q: do u know there is one champ called ntini who runs for 10 km.how many hours u do cyclin me ne hour on regular basis and also use it as means of transport, rather than bike of car. Q:how will u use ur knowledge of commerce and economics in civil services?
- 178. 178 me:i said sir,whatever knowledge i have gained is only by reading books within four walls so my exposure to practical life is very far.with my understanding i can use commerce for dealing with funds and i also said about my plans of using economics in policing and policing through economics... Q:stop.. stop.. what is that idea of economics in policing. me:i explained it Q:are we following the system of accrual or cash management me:i said accrual Q:accraul! me:no.. no.. cash management Q:yes.. tel me what will be problem if we follow accrual system me:i said, probably the problem of recognition and tracing. Q:have u given a thought to it me:yes,, but i could find only this reason 2 member Q:tel me what is preamble of india; me:i was fumbling democratic, socialis, secular and Q:he interupted and said is not india that is bharat.. me:yes... but sir dont remember exactly Q:what is the difference between bharat and india me:bharat is orginated from our country and emotionally close to us.. i think this is the reson Q:tel me the meaning of secular and socialist me:i answered Q:tel me which part of directive principle u like me:i said about gandhian philosphy Q:tel me about fundamental duties and name some of them me:i mentioned about 4 of them and said cannot recall.. 3 member
- 179. 179 Q: what wouldu sugest for indias development, agriculture or induatrialisation me:i said mix of it Q:what do u feel about bringing common petroleum pricing me:i answered in vague terms 4th member Q:tel me is there any noble prize for economics me:yes sir 1967 Q:who has won from india me:amartya sen 1997 Q:tel me about amartya sen me:i told about p index and his writing on bengal famine Q:name any four economist from india me:bhagwati, amartya sen, our prime minister, y v reddy and ..... Q:who is y v reddy.. me:rbi governor Q:do u know samuleson me:is he an economist Q:i dont know u must tell me me:i know only one samuleson who plays for west indies cricket team.. Q:everyone laughed... me:i also joined Q:tel me another economist name.. me:a...... ... cant recall Q:do u know about means and ends chain, tell me about that and what was gandhijis view on that me:i knew it very well and was able to answer calmly Q:do u know brahmananda.. me:sir i dont know Q:he is an economist from kanataka, u check it on google me:i said certainly madam
- 180. 180 Q:tel me aboutcapitalism me: i answered it comfortably Q:what do u mean about decentralisation me:i answered it. madam: ok thank u very much. madam: ok thank u very much. my response: the board was very co operative, the vibes given by them were worth appreciating.they kept smiling without giving any stress.even when i was fumbling the gave me time to rethink.throught the interview madam was smiling and everyone else was cordial.i wish everyone get such kind of environment where the candidate is able to communicate what he feels. wish u all very best. Courtesy: Gangadhar Patil
- 181. 181 The second UnionPublic Service Commission interview Same city. Same place. Same time of the day. Separated by a year. Exactly a year after my first Union Public Service Commission interview, I was standing again in front of Dholpur house. A host of other aspirants, in smart formals and charming sarees, were roaming around in front of the front gate. Many were reading newspapers, a few deep in discussions, almost all tense, and those not tense trying real hard to suppress their anxiety. The date was 28th of March 2009. Nothing had changed. It is fondly said that nothing changes in the bureaucracy, and being the cradle to the bureaucracy Union Public Service Commission is least expected to change. Well then, something has changed about me since my first interview (click here). Due to sheer luck I managed to get an interview call in my very first attempt, and the interview board was generous enough to give me 210. It all seemed to happen by a master strategy to some benevolent divine being, considering the fact that none other than Prof. DP Agrawal had presided over my board last year. As a result of the multiple twists of fate today I am in the Indian Revenue Service, and confused as usual. I didn't have any specific hunger, or zeal to strive for a good performance this year. Am not desperate to get into the Indian Administrative Service. This had brought in me the nothing to lose airs in me. Yes, this year the interview happened in a much different than it was last year. I was cool, free of anxiety, and confident: in deed slightly reckless. This time around my primary motivation of giving an interview was to have the experience... to feel the thrill of being interviewed by an Union Public Service Commission panel. I was there to enjoy every moment of it. **** I got Mr. Nirbhay Sharma's board. I wasn't especially pleased about it. I was hoping to get Purushottam Agrawal or Parveen Tahla who are known to take stress interviews, or Prof. Balaguruswamy who makes you do some weird activities (and gives a chocolate as consolation in case he decides to give you 75 out of 300). You see, I was searching for excitement. Anyways, a retired lieutenant-general from the indian army will be no less fun. So with an AK-47 in hand, I was fully prepared to dash in and shoot all board members down. Well, that may be an exaggeration. I walked in with style and poise, as a class 1 gazetted officer is expected to do. I had a confident gait, and had put on a bold attire. I was in my best suit, a slimfit reid & taylor black made specially for me, and a cool red tie to contrast over my white shirt. To speak in brief, I was nirbhay (meaning fearless) when I walked in. "Why have you come in a suit in this heat?" that was the first question Nirbhay Sharma asked me. "Because sir, I feel good when I look smart" Oops! Did I cross the line in the very first minute of mu interview? All other board members laughed out at this, but Nirbhay boss didn't seem to be impressed. May be he saw through my act and understood that I had anticipated the question and had come prepared.
- 182. 182 After this theinterview went on predictable lines. I was grilled on many issues. Most questions were opinion based, and the panel members touched on wide-ranging issues ranging from India's Myanmar policy to underdevelopment in Kalahandi. I would like to narrate one googly thrown at me that I couldn't defend against. To the question why Indian Administrative Service over other services, I said that it is because of the kind of managerial responsibility one gets at a very young age that motivates to go for it. A DM heads some 40-50 departments in a district and gets to experience lot of diversity (and this wasn't untrue. My first preference last year was Indian Foreign Service and I had changed over to Indian Administrative Service this year as much because of convictions as because of parents' preferences). Nirbhay sir is a smart man. Immediately he catches the word 'young age' and asks me: "Giving so much responsibility to a young man is akin to giving lots of power also. Don't you think a person with much experience, expertise, and specializations will do better in the role?" This was the googly. And this is where I flunked. Promptly and fluently I replied "Sir, a young person is full of energy. The kind of creative and innovative solutions he can bring in an older person can not. The youth have greater power of lateral thinking. Besides, it has been seen that the scope of entrepreneurship and taking initiatives is always greater in people of younger age group" It is only after I end this passionate speech that I realize all the members in the board were old. Nirbhay sir seemed to be the youngest of them all, having just retired from the army. All others seemed to be octogenerians. The lady member looked as if she may die any moment (no dissrespect intended, just an honest appraisal). The gentleman sitting to my right seemed to be weak in the heart, and I feared any inflammatory remark from me may lead him to a heart attack. After having a closer look at the interviewers I wished I had taken my words back. But like an arrow that has left the bow, I couldn't take back my words. Nirbhay sir felt a little piqued by my eloquent defence of the youth. But you see, he was smarter than me. He said, "I totally agree whith whatever you said about the youth. See, there are certain problems that are bugging me for a long time now. Being a young man -you passed out from IIT Kharagpur in 2006 -I guess you can give me some innovative solutions" This is where I was trapped. Now I had to perform! Show my creativity. And I failed. But failed in style. He asked me to give an innovative solution to the Indo-Pak problem. Oof! After beating around the bush for a long time, I accepted that I really don't have any innovative solution. After this, he looked triumphant, and passed on to other members. I answered most of the questions posed by other panel members. Since most of the questions were opinion based, I talked a lot (they were surprisingly good listeners: guess some trait people pick up at old age!) and explained many things at greater details. On issues that I had little knowledge, I said "I don't have sufficient knowledge on the issue to form an opinion" Questions asked
- 183. 183 A few issuesthat I was grilled about were: What is India's Myanmar policy? Is it right? What all missiles have been inducted into the army? Do you think democracy is bad for us? Why do people choose so inefficient people as members of parliament? then I brought the issue to caste based politics, role of middle class etc Is coalition politics good or bad for our country? At which places seccessionist movements are taking place in India Give a history of the Naga Movement? (I couldn't answer this) Of what use is your engineering skills in administration? (I explained this with a situational example) What about the grid connectivity to various parts of India? What are the problems in Kalahandi? (the way I listed out the problems the member must have thought that I had mugged up the whole thing, even though it was spontaneous) What solutions do you propose for the Kalahandi problem? Explain the root cause of communalism in Orissa... recent riots Do you think religious conversions have to be stopped? (I say forced conversion is bad but because of that genuine conversions can't be barred because it will violate fundamental rights) Is conversion a fundamental right? Tell me something about the temple in Puri (how dumb! and how dumb of me for taking a long time to answer it) Outsiders know Orissa for all the wrong reasons. Do you think the media is responsible for it? Is the media always right? (here I take example of Aarushi case to highlight the psychological wound that news reports inflict) What should be done to restrict the media from crossing the line? What should be done to stop tax evasion? Should taxing income be replaced by taxing expenditure? Was Voluntary disclosure of income scheme good? Is it good now? Then back to Nirbhay Sharma. He asks a very interesting question: "We find that the middle class in India is very self-centred. It is concerned only about rising above and not about larger issues. It only pays lip service to issues of common interests. Even voters' turnout is low for the middle class. How do you think their behaviour can be changed?" This was a profound question involving both psychology of human and group behaviour and sociology (incidentally both my mains subjects). I couldn't think of any answer to this. He asks me to think over it and informs me that my interview is over. How did my interview go? I have been bugged an umpteen times regarding how my interview go. The point is no one can say how his/her interview went. Only results speak. I got 210 after a bitter interview last year. Many people landed with 75 or 80 marks after so called 'good interviews'. What they see in you, what they infer from that, and what insights into your personality they get no one can say.
- 184. 184 All that Ican say for sure is that what answers you give to factual questions doesn't make a difference. 'I don't know' is perhaps the best answer when you aren't sure about the answer. Be honest about your ignorance. Don't be ashamed of your ignorance. Your reaction to ignorance reveals a lot about your personality. Be true to as much extent as possible; it is appreciated. In my case, I had gone into the board with the primary aim of getting the feel. So I talked in an uninhibited manner. I talked a lot (which may backfire... only results will tell) and had a slightly casual body language. But I don't recommend the same for you.
- 185. 185 My UPSC Interview« Kashish Mittal My Union Public Service Commission Interview June 24, 2011 by Kashish Mittal I was allotted Prof. Chalam’s (written below as CM) board for the Union Public Service Commission Interview, in the afternoon session. There were four other members in the board (written below as M1, M2, M3, M4, where M3 and M4 were ladies). CM: - Why did you opt for civil services after leaving your professional line? - What is more important – public services or improving public services? - What was your degree all about? - What is the difference between a mobile phone and a computer? - What is the difference between IT and ICT? - Which Indian invented the chip? - Why do Indian engineers/IT professional mostly go abroad in the Silicon Valley? - Why is India not doing well in Hardware?- What do you know about e-governance in Punjab? M1: - The UNSC recently passed a resolution to impose a no-fly zone on Libya. What is India’s reaction to this, and what is you say on this matter? - Tomorrow they may do the same in Kashmir at the pretext of misgovernance, or violence by the Govt. So is the UNSC resolution right? Or is it wrong? - Is India only worried/concerned only because of the civilian casualties in Libya? - Have you heard about the ongoing piracy by Somalian people? - Even after so much military and naval power in the world, why is this Somalian piracy still continuing as a global menace?
- 186. 186 - Have youheard of a country called Myanmar? - Why is India not concerned about democracy in Myanmar? - Suppose you are on a train, rushing for your Union Public Service Commission interview, but you do not have a ticket. You give the Ticket-checker some money to let you ride the train (w/o ticket). Do you support this action? What is your say? What would you do? M2: - You have an interesting name. What is the meaning of your name?- What does the word ‘Punjab’ mean? What are those five rivers? - How many Indians have won Nobel Prizes so far? How many categories are the Nobel Prizes awarded for? What are these categories? Which Indians won in these categories? - Why don’t many Indians win Nobel Prizes? Why wasn’t Mahatma Gandhi awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? M3: - What work was CV Raman awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for? What is Raman Effect? What apparatus is used in Raman Effect? How does spectroscopy work? - What is Archimedes’ Principle? - What work was V. Ramakrishnan awarded his Nobel Prize for? Which molecule did he work on? - What is Proteomics? M4: - You have filled Hindustani Classical Music (HCM) as your hobby. Do you just listen to it or have you been learning sometime as well? From whom? Have you performed somewhere? - What is your view on the status of Hindustani Classical Music today? As an artiste yourself, how much do you feel that the young generation is absorbing/being influenced by HCM? - How did you manage Classical Music practice with studies at IIT?
- 187. 187 - Who is/areyour favourite Classical Music exponent(s)? CM: Thank you, you may go now.
- 188. 188 An IAS Officer'sBlog: My Interview My Interview Now coming to my interview: 27th March, 2009, 2nd half I reached Union Public Service Commission by 12:15 pm. I kept waiting till we were allowed to go in. It was about 1:30 pm when I went in. I reached inside and saw the other candidates who were also there for their interviews. There were 7 tables around which 5 candidates were seated. The table decides which board you are going to be in. At around 2 pm, the candidates started going to their respective interview boards. We still didn't know our board. There were 4 other candidates with me who were going to be interviewed by the same board. There were 2 ladies, one from Maharashtra and one from Rajasthan, and there were 2 guys, one from IIT Chennai and the other I can't recall. We kept waiting, meanwhile other boards had interviewed around 2 candidates. We were getting impatient and hungry too. The lady from Rajasthan opened her bag and got out a packet of biscuits. I thanked god and started eating them. we were speculating as to which board we would get. Finally someone came and told us that we were going to be interviewed by Mr. P K Mishra. I was so disheartened. Last year, I had been interviewed by a new board member, Mr Purushottam Aggarwal. I was the 1st one to go in on the 1st day last year. In spite of having a wonderful interview, I got just 180. So, I was a little apprehensive as Mr P K Mishra was also a new member of Union Public Service Commission. Now, coming back to the table. Everyone was nervous. We were reading all the newspapers there, in case a question comes from any of the newspapers. Then we started talking and finally we were all relaxed. I was the 3rd one to go in. So when finally the 1st guy was called to the interview, we heaved a sigh of relief. I was assuming that since the board had started late, they would not give us adequate time. I had been suffering from throat infection just before the interview, so was taking a vicks/strepsil all the time. When the 2nd guy from IIT Chennai went in, I started anticipating the interview. Finally at 4 o clock, someone came to lead me to the board. Suddenly to my horror I realised that my mouth was so dry due to vicks/ strepsils. I didn't have water with me. I reached there and asked someone for water, but even after drinking water, my throat won't be better. I had about 3 glasses of water, that didn't help. I was cursing vicks/strepsils. I was thinking that a heavy throat was better than a dry one. What if I needed to drink water during the interview if my mouth dried again. Anyway, after 10 mins or so, the gentleman from IIT Chennai came out and told me that they were very cool. But that he had had just 15 mins with them. Then they called for me. I composed myself, tried to forget my dry mouth and asked for their permission to enter the room. When I entered, I saw two lady members to the left of CM and 2 gentlemen to his right. I wished the ladies first and then the gentlemen. I stood next to the chair and waited for the CM's permission to sit down. He said "please be seated". I thanked him and sat down.
- 189. 189 Now the interviewstarts: CM: What's your name? Me: Sir, My name is Shubhra Saxena CM:Tell us about yourself Me: I told them about my education, prof background, my family and so on. CM:Can you tell us the immunisation schedule of children (Now let me tell you v frankly that I was shocked and thrown off guard. Maybe he wanted to destabilise me to see if I maintained my cool.) Me:Sir, I am not aware of the immunisation schedule of children. But I do know some vaccines for children. CM: Fine, go ahead. Me: There is DPT, that prevents Diptheria, Pertussis and Tetanus. And there is OPV, Oral polio vaccine. CM: Can't you recall any more? Me:Sorry Sir, I can't recall any more. CM:Isn't there a vaccine for Hepatitis B? Me:Sir there is, But I think it can be taken as an adult because I had this vaccine when I was in college. CM: (Smiled) Yes but it is now given to children. Me:I said, Thank you sir. CM: Your hobbies include teaching. Can you tell us about that? Me:Sir, I have liked teaching since childhood. I used to teach my younger siblings and the children of my colony. Now I teach some children of my maid servants. CM:Tell us, who is a good teacher? (I didn't understand the question but I nevertheless tried to answer.) Me: A good teacher is the one who can conceptually explain topics to students. Someone who can motivate students to do better. Someone who can be a friend, philosopher and guide to students. ( He was apparently not satisfied with my answer.) CM: No, tell me if you are teaching students in a class, how would you make sure that they followed what you were teaching? Me: Sir, I would first try to understand the level of cognitive maturity of students. Then I would try to adjust the speed of teaching to suit most of the students because at any level of teaching not all students would be satisfied. I would include practical examples to make them understand the concepts better. The students who have somehow not grasped the things I taught them, I would give them time other than the class to make sure they understood it.
- 190. 190 (he apparently wassatisfied. So he let it go. He gestured to the 1st lady member on his left) M1: Your hobby is teaching. So can you tell me about a few education schemes of GOI Me: I told her about SSA. She inturrepted me. M1: Can you tell us about SSA? Me: I told her about a few provisions under SSA as I did not know all. M1:Can you tell me if there are any provisions for handicapped children under SSA. Me:Ma'm I am not sure if there are any. But there mustbe. M1 Looks at other members) aren' there? (Others nod) Tell me about other education schemes? Me: I told about MSA, MDM, KGBV , scholarship schemes for disadvantaged and backward students. M1: (Interrupts)..That's fine. Your extra curricular activity said Debating. I will give you a topic. Can you debate on that. Me: Yes ma'm. M1: The topic is "Women should empower themselves" Me: Ma'm should I debate in favour or against the topic? M1: Whichever way you want Me: May I speak both in favour and against the topic? (I was a little apprehensive if this gamble would pay off. But it did. She didn't look offended.) M1: Yes, go ahead. Me:Argued first against the topic. Then later in favour of the topic. M1 looking very happy) Excellent Shubhra. You have argued well in both directions. But you forgot to mention the role of husbands. Me I smiled) yes Ma'm. Thank you. She now passed the charge to the next lady member.. M2: So Shubhra, you have stayed in many states. Which state have you stayed maximum in? Me: Ma'm I have stayed for 16 years in Jharkhand and 12 years in UP and 2 years in AP. M2: So can you please compare Jharkhand and UP? Me: Yes Ma'm. Jharkhand and UP are topographically very diffrent states. Whereas JH has a hilly and forested terrain, UP is part of the Gangetic plain and very sparsely forested. UP is densely populated whereas JH has a low population density. JH has a sizeable tribal population mainly consisting of tribes like Santhal and Munda whereas UP has a low tribal population. Both the states primarily speak Hindi. In terms of HDI, both perform poorly.
- 191. 191 M2: No, tellme what diff did you find on a personal level? Me: Ma'm both states are culturally complex and offer a variety of ways of life. While I was growing up in Jharkhand I used to stay in isolated forested lands where sometimes wild animals like tiger would come into our colony. This is something I have never come across in UP. The food of these 2 states is more or less the same with a few regional variations. The people in both the states are very tolerant and loving and make one feel at home. (Everyone smiled at the tiger comment) She nods then asks. M2: Tell me what is India's equation with Nepal? Me: Ma'm Nepal has traditionally been a good friend of India's and India has always supported Nepal in many ways. But with the coming of Maoist government in Nepal, the equations are changing as Maoists are more sympathetic towards China. And therefore the hegemony of India in Nepal is weakening. (She draws her eyebrows together as if frowning at me. I am telling you it was a scary moment) M2: Do you think we should be using words like hegemony in context of international relations. India is a big country and shouldn't it allow her neighbour countries autonomy rather than dominating them? Me: Ma'm, (how to redefine the meaning of hegemony???) , I didn't mean hegemony in the sense of controlling a smaller country for one's vested interests. I meant primacy in international relations. India is a very big country and that is the reason most of her neighbours are insecure about India's intentions. But India is a very peaceful country and instead of dominating its neighbours she extends whatever support it can to her neighbours. (again frowning....I am so scared now...) M2: It is you who are saying that India is a peaceful country.But other countries don't think so. Me: Ma'm, I have had the fortune to work abroad in many countries and everywhere I meet people they always say that India is perhaps the most peace loving country in the world. (She looks satisfied now...I heave a sigh of relief) M2: Tell me about India's relations with Myanmar. Me: Relations between India and Myanmar haven't been very positive ever since the military junta took over control of that country since India had never supported the junta's rule in Myanmar. But lately, the contours of relations are changing for the better because India needs Myanmar for access to ASEAN route, for development of NE and to curb insurgency in NE. But even despite many efforts, Myanmar is more inclined towards China, that is using Myanmar territory for its naval base as a part of its String Of Pearls strategy to encircle india in the Indian Ocean. This is a concern in Indo Myanmar relations. (She looks much happier now....Passes the charge to 3rd member.
- 192. 192 M3: So, youhave been a student of IIT Roorkee. Can you tell me the history of IIT Roorkee? Me:Yes Sir. IIT Roorkee initialy known as Thomason College of civil Engg.It was named after Lt Governor of Agra Province whose name was Thomason. It was created in 1847 after a famine in British times led to large revenue losses. The British decided to construct a canal from Haridwar to western UP to irrigate these lands. Therefore a need was felt for Civil engineers. And therefore under Lord Hardinge, this instn was created. After independence it was renamed University of Roorkee. In 2000, after Uttarakhand was separated from UP, it was named IIT Roorkee. M3: Can you tell me what is this structure in Roorkee where there is a canal over river? Me: Sir, it's called aqueduct. M3: Tell me about Ganga Canal. Me:I told him about the famine of 1837-38. The canal consists of an upper ganga canal from Har-Ki- Pauri in Haridwar to Aligarh and Lower Ganga Canal from Aligarh to Kanpur. Told them the distance of Canal and which governor general started its construction(now I can't recall) M3:What is the river over which the canal is passing? Me:Sir it's known as Solani. Similar to the aqueduct structure there are structures like superpassage wherein river flows over canal and a structure called siphon. (He is looking visibly impressed..am glad all the research paid off) M3: So you are an engg in Paper technology? Me:Yes sir. M3:Can we make paper out of weeds? Me: Yes sir, if the weeds have vascular structure that will yield fibres. M3: That would solve the problem of weeding then.(smiles to himself ) Me: I smile back. M3:So where was paper first made. Me:Sir, it was first made in Egypt from a plant called Papyrus, that's why the name paper. M3:But people say it's China. Me:Yes sir China later followed this practice and made it more sophisticated so that paper came in daily use. M3: When was this? Me: Sir it was around 2nd or 3rd century BC. M3: Tell me something, who invented printing? Me AAAAAAAAARRRGH) Sir I don't know. But I know that the person who invented the prniting press was Gutenberg.
- 193. 193 M3:No, you tellme one thing. Why did it take printing to travel from China to Europe 400 years? Me I am thinking...what?.. what is this question. The CM i slooking impatient as well) Sir,I am not aware of the reason. (Thankfully the CM interrupts and said it's ok.) M3:Tell me your hobby is teaching. Why does ragging take place ? there was a committee created for tackling ragging.Me:I told him it was Raghavan committe. I told them the psychological and sociological reasons for ragging.M3: Since your hobby is teaching,Tell me, what was the committe recently created for higher education reforms? (I am wondering why they are all fixated on my hobby only) Me: Sir I am not very sure. But I think it was Yashpal committee. (Everyone murmurs..yes yes) M3: What were it's rcommendations? Me: I told him about improving UGC affiliations, Deemed univ and so on. CM interrupted- Enough. He gestured to the last member to start. Somewhere I was getting apprehensive why the CM was getting impatient. Did he think I was no good and wanted to end the interview? But I found the answer in the end. You will also see that) M4: Your extra curricular activities include athletics. What all did you participate in? Me: I told them the activities I had participated in. M4: Can you tell me some type of athletic events in which more than 2 types of athletic events are there. Me: I told them 2. M4: What are the special features of Indian Democracy? Me: Parliamentary democracy, quasi federal structure, Independednt judiciary, Written constitution, supremacy of constitution etc etc.( I explained these also) M4: Can you tell me the independent agencies under Indian Constitution? Me: Told him SC, HC, EC, CAG, Union Public Service Commission(along with the articles) CM interrupted and said " enough". He apparently wanted to ask more questions. CM: So you are from UP. Tell me the districts in Bundelkhand. Me: (I remembered only 3) Sir, they are Jhansi, Mahoba and Banda. There are 2 3 more But I can't recall them.
- 194. 194 CM: There are4 more. Can you recall them? Me: Sorry Sir, I can't. CM: Do you know Hamirpur? Me: Yes sir, its in Bundelkhand ( He then told me 3 more distts) Me:Thank you sir. CM: So, UP has been bifurcated . Most of the forest cover has gone to Uttarakhand. How would you go about reforestation in UP? Me: Since the land-man ratio in UP is very low, we will need to find fallow land that can't be used for agricultural purposes. Also, we can promote social forestry. Agricultural land can be bordered with trees. That would not just reduce soil erosion but also improve the water table. In addition, the local populace can benefit from Minor forest produce and timber. CM: No Shubhra. These are conventional measures. I am looking for an innovative solution. An out-of - the-box solution. If you give me an innovative solution, you will make my day. (To be honest, I had not felt this much pressure in the entire interview. My entire performance would be gauged by this last answer. I tried to think of a novel and innovative solution. But nothing worthwhile came to my mind. I took about 2 min to think but they seemd like hours as the board was waiting for my answer) Me: Sir, i think we can make planting and maintaining trees an incentive scheme from the govt side. For eg, if one planted and maintained a tree, they can get subsidies on land, property, govt. schemes. There could be monetary incentives for people who took ownership for planting and maintaining trees. (I was nervous if this solution clicked. To me, it was a very mediocre solution. In fact on my way back home, I thought of much more innovative solutions for this problem. But under that pressure, that was the best I could do. ) He smiled and said. "Thank you. Your interview is over." I thanked them, got up and left. The interview lasted 35 mins. I got 210 out of 300.
- 195. 195 UPSC Interview ByAravind Menon : AIR -201 (Smt Alka Sirohi's Board), CSE-2011 Name : Aravind Menon Interview Date: 16/04/2012 Interview Board: Smt Alka Sirohi Place: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Attempt No.: 2nd Attempt Rank (CSE 2011): AIR 201 Interview Marks: 183 marks Optional Subjects : Public Administration, Malayalam Language Details of Graduation: B.Tech in Electronics & Communication from College of Engineering,Trivandrum Extracurricular activities, hobbies, achievements etc. : Cricket , Photography My interview was on 16th in the afternoon session. There were only 6 boards for our session , so each board had to interview 7 candidates each. As a result , each interview lasted for 20-25 minutes. My interview was no different. I was the third person to be interviewed by the board chaired by Smt Alka Sirohi (CM) . When I was asked by the attender to enter the room, I asked permission to do so from the board . I was granted that and I went in. All the 4 members (M1,M2,M3 & M4) other than the chairman were male members. So didnt had any confusion regarding how to wish. But even before I could wish them , CM asked me to be seated . Anyway , I wished them and took my seat. Everyone was busy doing something and was not giving much attention to me. That informal nature eased my tension . CM started the proceedings by asking me to list out 2-3 things that occurred in the past decade which suited the description “Much ado about nothing” . My mind went blank and even after she explained the question, I was not able to recollect any such events. Later she told me that what she intended was Y2K and WMD. M1 asked me about Chinmayananda Swami of Chinmaya Mission and his contributions to the society(I had my schooling in a Chinmaya Vidyalaya). I mentioned about his Jnana yajnas- spiritual knowledge to common man, opening of schools, social activities of its volunteers etc. then he asked about the essence of gita. Me: man should do his duties(karma) without the expectation of any result as it will lead to disappointment. He was expecting Aham brahmasmi and it was his next Qn. Me: Each soul is part of the universal soul. He was not completely satisfied.
- 196. 196 Question: Bertrand Russel'sstatement that all human beings are rational but he is yet to find such a person. Me: most of the people I met were rational. Question: then why world is like this Me: a minority of people may be irrational causing hardships , but since majority are rational world is still existing Question: Current political situation in Arab Spring countries M2 Question : Is there any conflict of interest b/n india and china in indian ocean as both are energy hungry nations. I did not understand it completely. When he explained it , I thought it was regarding string of pearls and replied accordingly. I told about protecting our economic & security interests while maintaining a good relation with them. He kept on repeating the same Qn and CM intervened and asked M3 to start. M3 Question: Current status of the 'treasure' in SreePadmanabhaswamy temple and how to use it ( I am from kerala) Answer: need to use modern techniques to open the vault B w/o destroying anything else . It cannot be used for developmental purposes as it is part of our culture and history. Question: in case of bop crisis? Me: in that case it can be used for pledging but has to recovered when situation improves. Question: will a 1991 type crisis recur in india Me: No. diversity of trade, 300bn$ forex etc M4 : Asked about the details of the recent SC judgement on RTE which I answered. CM Question: satellites in india and their uses. Me: didnt remember much . Told abt insat, metsat, risat. Question: remote sensing and its uses. Me: replied but not satisfactorily. Question: rocket launching centre? Me: sriharikkota
- 197. 197 Question: why? Me: earth'srotation aids the launch when it is launched in the easterly direction Question: Any security aspects? Me: in case of failure it will fall in ocean. She smiled and said thank you. I took a few seconds to understand that interview was over. Then I thanked everybody and got out. Though some members were not satisfied , I am happy that too much technical Question were not asked. "
- 198. 198 UPSC Interview ByRajesh Meena : AIR 316 (Mr. K.K. Paul), IAS 2011 Name of Examiner : Rajesh Meena IAS Interview Board : Mr. K.K. Paul Your Native City : Dausa (Rajasthan) Attempt No. : 2nd Attempt "Hi, I am Rajesh Meena. I got AIR 316. My interview was on 23 April 2012, morning half. The interview panel was that of Mr. K.K. Paul. I have tried to keep it as original as possible so that the aspirants can get a clear idea. CH Chairman (Mr. K.K.Paul). Members - M1, M2, M3, M4 (lady). CH sir was more serous of them all, rarely giving a smile. CH: What is your roll number? Me: Sir, 303441. CH: Date of Birth? Me: Sir, 15 August 1987. CH: (Smiling) so you were born on a very great day? Me: (Smiling) yes sir (other members were also sporting smile on their faces) CH: So, your hobby is stamp collection. What stamp collection is known as? Me: Sir, Philately. CH: What is the oldest stamp that you have? Me: (After long thinking) Sir, it is a 10 paise stamp which was released many decades back....emm...after independence (I was not confident in this answer as I was not able to recall the year, but when I came back home I saw that those stamp at that time didn’t bear year of release, hence I was foxed.) CH: After 1957? Me: (Puzzled)..emm,,,yes sir, I think it was after 1957. CH: Why 1957 is famous in philately.....? Me: (Thinking) Sir, I don’t know. CH: .........or for that matter any reason? Me: (Thinking) Sir, I am unable to recall. (I was beginning to lose confidence by now as the starting was not that good. :( )
- 199. 199 CH: OK..(He wasnot looking very satisfied). In 1957 government of India shifted from the ana system to decimal system. Me: (Nodding) thankyou sir. CH: Do you know what is the happiness index? Me: Sir, it the index which measures the happiness level of the people of a country. CH: So how it is calculated? Me: I don’t know exactly sir. CH: If you leave this interview hall with very good feelings, what will be your happiness index? Me: (Smiling) sir, it will be very high. CH: How HDI is calculated? Me: Sir, it is calculated by taking an average of three components like literacy level.....emm education.... CH: ...(interrupting) Why then we haven’t adopted happiness index instead of HDI? Me: Sir, I think HDI is a much broad index and it include happiness index in itself. Hence it is also a reflective of happiness level of the people. CH: Which country has adopted happiness index? Me: Sir, Bhutan. CH: (Nodding.....now he was looking little satisfied and passes it to the M1) M1 was more friendly than the CH. M1: Recently a bill is in the parliament...the Pensions Bill...can you tell what are its provisions? Me- (Thinking) I m sorry sir, I don’t know. M1: Do you know what is a Param computer? Me: Sir, It is a super computer, which can perform very fast calculations, hence can be used in many places like defence, research etc...........like SAGA 220 which was developed by DRDO..(Actaully it was developed by ISRO :( ) M1: Can they be used in remote sensing? Me: Yes sir, they can be used, because in remote sensing huge amount of data has to be processed and analysed. M1: OK..how can it be used in the Agriculture?
- 200. 200 Me: Sir, inAgriculture, they can be used for weather monitoring, crops monitoring, giving warnings etc, so that farmers can be provided early and timely information. Hence they can play a great role in increasing agriculture production. M1: OK....(and passes the baton to M2. He looked satisfied with my answers.) M2 was also a little bit extra serious, but his questions were simple. M2: What is the difference between DRDO and ISRO? Me: Sir, they are the two most important institutes in the field of Defence and Space research. DRDO looks after the defence of the country while ISRO manages the department of Space.... M2- (Interrupting)...so why do we need two bodies for them....can’t a single body do it? Me: Sir, both the departments are very large and critical for our country, hence if one institute looks after one department, they can give specific attention. (he looks satisfied now) M2: You are from Allahabad, so what places are there near Allahabad? Me: Sir, there is the most famous Sangam...other places are Anand Bhavan, Alfred park etc.....in the vicinity of Allahabad there is chitrakoot at the border of uttar Pradesh and madhaya Pradesh. M: Hmm (and passes on to M3) M3 was more happy with himself and was enjoying in imparting knowledge not only to me but to the entire panel. M3: As we were discussing about Allahabad.....what is the name of your college? Me: Sir, it is NIT Allahabad. M3: So it seems that its name has been changed? When did it was changed? Me: Sir, earlier it was a Regional Engineering College....and in 2002 it was made a National Institute of Technology... M3: .....(interrupts)what is this MNNIT then? Me: Sir, It stands for Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology. Earler it was called Motilal Nehru regional engg college and now it is called motilal Nehru national institute of technology. M3: So this motilal name was from earlier time? Me: Yes sir, actually it was the name given to it by Jawaharlal Nehru after Motilal Nehru who lived in Allahabad for a long time and made it his home. M3: What are other educational institutes in Allahabad? Me: Sir, IIIT, Medical college, Allahabad University etc. M3: ok...so why IIIT is famous for?
- 201. 201 Me: (Thinking) Sir,it is also a very good technical college of India, but it gives degree only in computer science and IT. M3: (With a victorious smile) no no it is something to do with nobel prizes. Me: (After mechanical thinking) Sorry sir, I don’t know. M3: (Highly delighted)...it is the only college of the city ...infact one of the few colleges in the entire country which attracts nobel laureates......there is somethings special about it (and kept on imparting this knowledge to the entire panel) Me: Thank you sir. M3: Recently some person from allahabad was in news...who was it? Me: (after thinking) sir very recently? M3: Yes, very recently (smiling) Me: (Again thinking) sorry sir, I am unable to recall. M3: (Highly delighted again).there is a girl from Allahabad who has won this years pantaloons famina miss India. Me: Oh..thank you sir. M3 satisfied with himself...and passes the baton to the lady member. She was very cheerful and always had an encouraging smile on her face which helped me in my interview. M4: Rajesh what are these 2G, 3G, LTE etc, which are so famous nowadays? Me: Mam they are the generations of telecommunications which are being used recently. For example 2G means second generation of telecommunications, 3G means third generation of telecommunications. 4G has also been launched in India very recently. M4: What are the advantages of 4G over 3G? Me: Mam, the most important is the speed of operation, in 4G it will be about 20mpbs where as in 3G it was only 2mbps. Hence it means that downloading, video chatting, video conferencing etc will be much faster in 4G. M4: You mean data streaming will be very fast..... Me: Yes mam...(actually this was the term I slipped and used ‘speed of operation’ instead....she did notice it) M4: What is so special about the 2G? which was also in the news for so long? Me: Mam in 2G, there was a significant amount of spectrum which was sold by the government at very low prices, hence it resulted in to huge loss of revenue to the government.
- 202. 202 M4: No no...what is the special thing about 2G...you know..which was in the media for quite a long time? Me: (Thinking), I don’t know mam. M4: It was that it helped in transmission of voice and data...(bla bla bla.....i was not getting what she was saying....she was actually trying to know the technical speciality of 2G, but maybe I misunderstood the question...but still she looked satisfied with my answers) M4: Rajesh what do you do in your leisure time? Me: Mam I do read novels, I also read and write poems. M4: You also write poems? Me: Yes mam...(with a broad smile) M4: What type of poem you generally write? Me: Mam I write poems which are rich in Veer ras and Karunya ras. M4: (Delighted and admiringly)..Karunya ras!!! Good!! (She happily handed it over to CH, I was more happy then her by now.) CH: (With a little smile)There are increasing news about eve teasing in the northern states in comparison to the southern states...what do you think is the reason? Me: Sir, I think the level of education has to do a lot with this. The literacy rate in northern states is less in comparison with the southern states.... CH: ....but even the well educated people are also indulging in these activities? Me: (Thinking) Sir, I think administration has not taken sufficient steps towards this direction..... CH: (Interrupts...seems little annoyed) .......do you think we should deploy a policeman with every female members on the road? Me: (In a damage controlling mode) no sir, what I feel is that if strong punishment is given to somebody involved in this act, then it will act as reminder to the other people, hence it may play a great role. CH: (Nodding)...OK rajesh....(he looks towards other members)...your interview is over you can go. Me: Thank you sir.
- 203. 203 UPSC Interview ByKumar Ashish : AIR -363 (Dr. K. K. Paul Sir’s Board), CSE-2011 Name: KUMAR ASHISH Interview Date: 19th March 2012 AIR 363 CSE-2011 Dr. K. K. Paul Sir’s Board KKP: What’s your name? Is it Ashish Kumar or Kumar Ashish? Me: Sir, my name is Kumar Ashish… KKP: Why it is Kumar Ashish? Are you also inspired by Saas-Bahu Serials having a fascination about “K” letter? Me: No Sir, it isn’t inspired by any serial. Please allow me to quote that my Father is a big fan of Rajendra Kumar, yesteryears Hero of Bollywood. He is having a son named “Kumar Gaurav” and the year when I was born, a new film of his was in the market “Love-story”. So, I think taking inspiration from his name, my Father put my name as “Kumar” first, then “Ashish” (Everybody laughed at this juncture except KKP sir) KKP: your optional are Geography and French Literature, right? Me: Yes Sir, but I have read them only for UPSC preparation, while I have read French Lit., culture, civilization, history in my Graduation years. KKP: Ok, do you know Siachen? Which are the two rivers who get melted water from Siachen glacier? Me: Sir, I am not very sure about them. KKP: which is the biggest river in that area? Me: Sir, its Indus. KKP: and what are the two major tributaries of Indus in that region? Me: Sir, they are Shyok and Nubra. KKP: So they are those two rivers. Have you heard about Ganga? Name its tributaries from North, sequence wise from west to east. Me: thank you Sir. Yes sir, I have heard about Ganga River. Her tributaries from west to east are: Ramganga, Rapti, Sharda, Kali, Gomati, Gandak, Baghmati, Kosi…. KKP: Ghaghra is there? Me: yes Sir, Ghaghra is also there. KKP: one more is there…. Me: Sir, I am unable to recall it now. KKP: what is Fault Line+ Double trap+ 2-3 more topics..? Me: I do not remember it now sir…
- 204. 204 KKP: what areL-waves? Me: Sir, this is the third wave-type generated during a seismic activity. It runs through the surface and causes huge destruction. KKP: what are other waves? What are the characteristics of these waves? Me: Sir, they are P-wave, S-wave and then L-wave. P-wave (Primary wave) originates at the focus and travels with a speed more than 7-8km. While S-wave (Secondary wave) comes later at almost half speed of that of P-wave. It can’t cross any liquid or molten area. The main destructive activities are caused by L-wave (Love wave) on the surface. KKP: why L-wave causes destruction on surface? Any particular reasons? Me: hmmm… I don’t know Sir… KKP: How an earth quake is measured? Me: sir, on Richter scale and Mercailli Scale. KKP: Do you know the difference between them? Me: Yes Sir. One measures the magnitude while the other measures the intensity of an Earth-quake. KKP: you are from Bihar. Tell me what is the reason behind high Floods occurring in North Bihar? Me: Sir, its high rain in Himalayas, siltation in rivers… (Cut short by interruption…) KKP: What’s being done for that? Me: Process of siltation removing is being done. Besides we have Hanumannagar Barrage to prevent the Floods… KKP: what is difference between a Dam and a Barrage? Me: Hmm, Sir, I don’t know… KKP: name the tributaries of Brahmputra River. Me: Sir, they are Lohit, Sankosh, Tista……hmm… (I was not ready to make any guess) KKP: There are some more. Ok. You have written “Travelling” as your Hobby. Which places have you visited so far? Me: Sir, I have visited India and abroad also. I went to France and adjoining western European Countries… (Cut short by interruption…) KKP: tell me about places in India. Me: Ok sir, in India, I have gone to Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand... (Cut short by interruption…) KKP: Which places in Himachal? Me: SHimla, Kullu, Manali, Rohtang Pass… KKP: What is the height of Rohtang Pass? Me: to the best of my knowledge, Sir, it is 4250M. KKP: No! It’s not so. It is lesser than that. Me: Sir, I am not sure about it…
- 205. 205 KKP: how didu go there? Me: we hired a cab from Manali, Sir. KKP: Ok, tell me the names of villages that come in the way from Manali to Rohtang Pass. Me: Sir, I am unable to recall them now… KKP: normally when you visit a place, you tend to know about the local village names, local food and local specialty. Me: Sorry Sir… (Then, he passes on to a lady sitting just right to him). Lady1: you have French Lit. as optional. Do you know who Jean Paul Sartre is? What was his philosophy? Can you explain that? Me: Yes M’am. His philosophy is known as Existentialism. In this, he argues that it is our existence which precedes essence, i.e. any type of moral-social values. It’s our existence which decides how we are going to lead our life. Nothing is pre-determined and everything can be changed according to existence. There are no moral-social values which can define a life. It is our sole discretion to decide what to do and what not to do in our life… Lady 1: any other work by Sartre Me: Nausea, les mots, the Dirty hands …. (cut short by interruption…) Lady1: tell me about the basic idea of the Nausea. Me: Nausea is a story about a person called “Rotenger” who thinks life is absurd. He is aghast to any positive thinking and so fed up with life that he even gets the feeling of nausea at seeing a stone. He picks up a stone, perceives it and got the nausea. Basically it talks about the idea of Existentialism- no reason of being; one is condemned to live a life. Lady1: was that his original philosophy? Me: No M’aam! He borrowed that Idea from Soren Kierkegaard and elaborated that up to new height. Lady1: Do you know any other French author who wrote in the same line? Me: Sir, it was Camus, Albert Camus. Lady1: but he was not French? Me: yes m’am, he was a born Algerian but later naturalized in France and became French… Lady 1: Name some of his works. Me: The Stranger, Man, Caligula…… Lady1: tell me about the dilemma through which the protagonist of “the Stranger” was going through. Me: M’aam, the dilemma which is faced by the protagonist was that he is totally neutral to any feeling, idea or anything. He is quite emotionless when he hears about the death of his mother. He….. (Cut short by lady 1) Lady1: what was his feeling at the end? Was he sad? Happy? Why? Me: M’am, he was neither sad nor happy. He was not remorseful for whatever he has done. He refuses to meet the priest as he doesn’t believe in religious affairs. He did not apologize for his act…
- 206. 206 Lady1: Have youseen some French Cinema? What is the main difference between French and Indian Cinema? Me: Yes M’aam. The main difference between them is that French Cinema started Shooting in outdoor in 1960s on a greater canvas. The concept of closed door shooting and film making was broken by French cinema and…(cut short by interruption…) Lady1: can you name some prominent French Movie Directors of that time? Me: Yes M’aam. They are Francois Truffaut, Godard, Alain Resnais…. Lady1: Good… (Then, she passes on to a Member sitting just left to me) M1: can you tell what is going in Afghanistan? Me: Sir, in Afghanistan, pro-talebani forces are on rise and they are trying to capture the power with the help of anguished local people who are now coming to confront the US soldiers. Just we have seen recently that 16 US soldiers were killed. Afghani people are now fed up with US occupation and they are trying to overcome of this problem as soon as possible. Earlier, it was US who created some terrorist outfits there for its own sake and now these “Bhasmasurs” are against the US. They want to establish their Talebani regime. M1: Ok, what is going on in Pakistan? How it is going to affect the US interests in that region? Me: Sir, Pakistan is facing the some sort of internal war in which the pro-talibani forces like Tahrik-e- Taliban et al are trying to capture a good hold in Pakistan. They are against the presence of US soldiers in Pakistan and want them to leave their land immediately. US has a lot of interests in this region as Pakistan provides them with a Military Base which quite essential for the US to keep its stronghold in the Middle-east region from where it can have a vigil on India, Iran and China as well. (Then, he passes on to a lady sitting just right to me) Lady 2: You have done BA, MA, Mphil. You must be continuing your Ph.D? Me: Yes M’aam. L2: I would ask from where Sir (KK Paul) has left you in geography. What do you know about Interlinking of Rivers? Why this project was being delayed so far? What are their implications? (Till now, I started sweating and was obliged to take permission from KK Paul to wipe out my sweats. He was kind enough to put on the AC which he had switched off when I have entered in the room…) Me: (after wiping out my sweats with my hanky), M’aam, it is project regarding linking all the major rivers of India in order to make the water resources available to the drought prone areas especially where rainfall is very less. For this purpose, some projects of linking are being dealt upon. It will provide us with potable water, increased irrigation facility, better transportation and hydro-power generation as well. As far as the delay is concerned, mainly it was delayed due to States objection, ecological problems which may arise by linking different river-valleys and a huge sum of investment was required…
- 207. 207 L2: one lastquestion from my side, which site from India was recently recommended for World Heritage site? What is the current status? Me: M’aam, it was Western Ghats Mountains. But it got rejected to get that… L2: good… (Then, she passes on to a Member 2 sitting just right to her and left to KK Paul sir). M2: How many world Heritage sites are there in India? Who recognizes that status to any site? Me: Hmm…I don’t know about the exact no. of world heritage sites in India Sir. It’s … UNESCO who recognizes that status to any sites. M2: Ok… how many world heritage sites you have visited in India? Me: Sir, Taj-Mahal…recently sir I have visited the Mahabalipuram Group of temples. (Cut short by interruption…) M2: but that is not a world heritage site…is it? Me: yes sir, it is one of the very first World heritage site recognized in India in 1983 with Taj-Mahal. M2: Ok Mr. Ashish. You have written in your Form that you were Hostel President in JNU. Tell me who was the Provost at that time in JNU? Me: (surprised a bit), Pardon me Sir, are you asking about the Dean of Students at that time? M2: No no, tell me who was the Provost at that time? Can you name the person? Me: hmm, sir, it was Sachchidanand Sinha Sir… M2: ok, if your provost tells you that you are a man of Integrity and your fellow students call you as a man of credibility, what does that mean? What is difference between these two? Can you explain? Me: Yes Sir. According to me, a Man of Integrity is person who fulfills whatever he promises or says. While in the other case, a person who fulfills his duties enjoys the trust of his fellow students, is a Man of credibility. He is entrusted by his peers… M2: ok. Then KK Paul again took the charge. KKP: Elections have been finished recently in some states. Tell me how the election symbols are allotted to political parties? And what are the criteria for being qualified as a National Political Party? Me: Sir, symbols are allotted by the Election Commission of India. And to the best of my knowledge Sir, in order to qualify as a National Political Party, a party needs to secure at least 6% vote in 4 states during national elections or at least 4 seats in 4 states legislative assemblies… KKP: in India, there are only two west flowing rivers… who are they? Me: Sir Narmada and Tapti… KKP: ok, tell what is that phenomenon under which they flow westward? Me: Sir, they flow in rift valleys. KKP: only rift-valleys? Is there any other thing related? Why they flow westward? Me: Sorry sir, I don’t know…
- 208. 208 KKP: Ok, That’sall. (Wondering it happened so fast… I was about to get up then at once KKP again strikes…) KKP: By the way, can you name the girlfriend of Jean Paul Sartre? (Everybody started smiling at this question) Me: (Smiling) Sir, it was Simone de Beauvoir… KKP: and what was the name of the Café where he used to write his philosophy? Me: Sorry Sir, I am unable to recall it now… KKP: Ok. Me: Thank you sirs, m’aam. Exam Interview Details: Date:19-Mar-2012 Interview Board: Dr. K. K. Paul Sir’s Board Result of Interview: Qualified
- 209. 209 UPSC Interview ByGautam Singh Chaudhary : AIR 297 (Alka Sirohi Board), IAS 2011 Name of Examiner : Gautam Singh Chaudhary Attempt: 1st Attempt "Board consisted of 5 members including Alka Sirohi, 4 male members.( 2 on my left side may have been proffs and the 2 on right hand side were from administrative side because of there dressing and question asking. style). As I entered the room the board greeted me and asked me to sit. straight away they started asking questions. Question : 1. Do you know about financial meltdown that happened in the world? Answer: I told about the current meltdown that happened in usa. Question : 2. What was the underlying cause? Answer : Sub Prime crisis told.... but they asked another question. Question : 3. Tell us earliers meltdown you remember? Answer: Asian, us 1930's meltdown told. Question : 4. What is the difference between the come back of 1930's meltdown and today's meltdown. Answer : Abut India and China being the growth stories. Question : 5. What is the difference between Indian and Chinese economy? Answer: About Chinese being export led economy whilst India being much of self consuming economy. Question: 6. Do you really think India Does not export much? Answer: It Does Specially in IT, gems and stones, textiles and Parma, but not in manufacturing industry. Question: 7. why india is lagging behind in this sector? Answer: Labour laws (asked later Q 15 ), electricity crunch, economies of scale, govt support, exchange rates control. ma'am passes to another member Question : 8. Gautam Singh you have lived in border districts, specially in bikaner (skooling), barmer ( working cairn energy), what are the problems related to communication?
- 210. 210 Answer : Jammingof mobile networks, and TV relays of other countries channels being aired.( Did 'nt understand the question much) Question: 9. Your Birthplace is Pali, Rajasthan. Tell us about the famous Temple there? Answer : Ranakpur Temple. Question : 10. How many pillars are there? Answer : 1444 member 1 (professor type) Question : You have been involved in blood donation camps? tell us universal donors and acceptors? why you cant give just any blood? antigens and everything answered. member 2 (proffesor lyk) Question : has private players coming into oil exploration helpd india? what developments specially in barmer are going on... after this discovery? local empowerment - 25% -- to barmer citizens. 25%-- to rajasthan ppl 25% -- to indians 25%-- world the hiring policy of the company justified?? yes as highly skilled labour from anywhere in the world. local residents get unskilled job... but in few years with education can change the scenario. Question : Cairn energy stakes right now? is vedanta deal beneficial? Question : India-iran pipeline status? what is TAPI? member 3 Question : Labours laws in India should be there or not? Question : In india lots of iron ore is extracted, why then the chinese import of steel costs less compared to indian counterparts? Question : what is personal marketing?- Amway and all Question : What is ponzi scheme? member 4 ( senior official types). Question : sam dam dandh bhed--- explain? Question : willl you use dem all after you become an ias? Question : in todays scenario is indian democracy liberal? had no clue..... waited and asked ma'am to repeat... Question : (reframed) right to dissent ... is being missused? argue
- 211. 211 Question : doyou know about argumentative Indian ? yes... told about the book. Exam Interview Details: Interview Marks: 225 Qualified Rank: 297 Total Marks : 1130 Interview Board: Alka Sirohi Board Date:29th March 2012 Place: Rajni Razdan (Jaipur)
- 212. 212 UPSC Interview ByVishal Gupta It has been an extremely gruelling phase with as yet uncertain outcome. It was taxing – physically, mentally and emotionally. For a few days before the interview, I had been a nervous wreck. The most I have ever been in my life. Till the final minute, I was trying to make sure that nothing, absolutely nothing goes wrong with my preparation and things seemed to be falling in place until I entered the interview room. Surprisingly, while I was waiting outside the room, I was not nervous at all. I was confident and cheerful. When I entered the room, the setting seemed a little too dominating. The lavish furniture, neat arrangements, immaculately dressed officers and suave chairperson. I was in awe. The chairperson seemed a serious, no-nonsense personality. The other member looked highly experienced and learned. Brief introduction for strangers: Profile: B.E.(Hons) Computer Science, BITS, Pilani. State: Rajasthan Optional Subjects: Psychology, Public Administration. Board: Rajni Razdan (RR). And here is what happened inside: ————————————————————————————————————————————- V: May I Come in, Ma’am, Sirs? RR: Please come in. Have a seat. V: Good Morning ma’am, Sirs. (They didn’t seem to care at all. I carefully pulled my chair, got settled and thanked them.) RR: Your Name? RR: Your Roll Number? RR: Your DoB? RR: (Showing me my photo) Is this you? V: (Smiling) Yes Ma’am. RR: What is scrapbooking? (My hobby. Explained.) RR: Why do you want to shift from engineering to civil services?
- 213. 213 (Responded but gavean impression that I quit because I was bored with my job. Another member would later tear me apart on this issue.) RR: You chose Psychology. Give me examples of Neurosis. V: Ma’am, Cyber neurosis is one. RR: This is very new. Anything else? V: Ma’am, neuroticism. I can not recollect others. RR: (Moving on) Who authored ‘A theory of conditioning’? V: Ma’am, Pavlov, But I am not sure. (A google search, later on, did not give an answer either. There seemed to be no such book.) RR: What was the medium of his research? V: Ma’am, he conducted his research on dogs. RR: Ok. (Passes on to the next member.) ——————————————————————- M1: What is the difference between Psychosis and Neurosis? V: (Blabbered something.) M1: Which is more amenable to behavioural therapy? V: Neurosis. (M1 gave me a puzzled look. ) M1: What are your strengths? V: 1. Dedicated towards the goal. 2. Adequate experience of both rural and urban conditions. (The second point dictated the rest of my interview.) M1: How can we develop rural areas? V: Sir, while we focus on urbanisation and rural development, we should also try to reduce migration by providing more amenities and services in rural areas by running schemes like PURA. (M1 did not press on. But another member would later pick on this thread.) M1: Do you not think honesty and integrity are important in a civil servant? V: They are paramount, sir. M1: But you did not mention these in your strengths? V: Sir, these are general traits. All people usually claim to possess them. M1: If that were so, why would there be so much corruption? V: Sir that is because, some of these people, later on, try to take short cuts for personal gains.
- 214. 214 (M1 did notlook happy with the answer. I could have used my words in a better way.) M1: You have been a treasurer and a secretary in your college. Did your position offer challenges to your integrity? V: (I explained about my role as a treasurer) I did not give anyone any opportunity to question my honesty or integrity. (M1 looked somewhat satisfied with my conviction and even said ‘good’, only time that happened during my interview!) M1: Okay. How do you see India’s position evolving towards international water issues? Take three examples. V: Sir, we have a well-functioning Indus Water treaty with Pakistan. While lack of adequate framework, still hampers resolution of issues with Bangladesh and Nepal. Moreover, We also need to resolve our domestic political issues to solve these international problems. M1: What do you mean by domestic political issues? Give me an example. V: Sir, while we wanted to sign the Teesta water sharing agreement, our domestic political environment did not allow that. M1: Any water issues with China? V: Yes sir. There have been reports that China is trying to divert the water of Brahmputra river but both the countries have denied this and China claims that they are constructing only run of the river projects. M1: Are they diverting waters from Tibetan rivers? V: Sir, there have been reports that China is diverting water of its southern rivers towards the water- deprived northern areas. (M1 looked satisfied and passed on to M2.) M2: Regarding water, what do you think is the fundamental hurdle behind inter-linking of rivers? V: Sir, we are yet to resolve various inter-state river disputes. The inter-linking project may not be technically feasible..(interrupted.) M2: I am sure we have brilliant engineers who will figure all this out. You discuss the main issue. I will give you a hint, why would somebody share water..
- 215. 215 V: (Emphatically agreeing)Yes sir indeed. (Though I had already mentioned it in form of inter-state disputes) Surplus water states would not be willing to share water with the deficit states. (M2 now looked satisfied.) M2: What are the challenges before Rajasthan? V: Sir, there is desertification. Then there is, lack of water resources…(interrupted) M2: What are the causes of desertification? V: Sir the main causes are: one, indiscriminate mining, two deforestation, and three, lack of irrigation. (M2 passes on to M3.) ———————————————— M3: You said, you want to prevent migration? V: No sir, what I meant was that we need to follow both the strategies: reduce migration as well as promote urbanisation. M3: Can you give me an example of a society which has a higher share of rural population, yet is called developed? V: (After thinking for a few seconds) Sorry sir, I cannot recollect any. M3: That is because, there is none. So isn’t urbanisation important? V: Yes sir, as I have said, it is as important as providing services to rural areas. M3: What is the competitiveness problem that the big urban-rural divide is presenting India with? V: (I wasn’t able to appreciate the question much yet decided to respond) Sir, I think the rural talent is not being utilised effectively. The rural youth and energy could be better used by training them. M3: So you want to link them to towns? V: Probably yes sir. (He seemed satisfied.) M3: Okay you have two options to develop rural areas. Either connect them with internet or spread highways. What will you choose? V: Sir, in fact, we need both of them. M3: There is no right answer here. Do not answer diplomatically. I want you to think and then reply. V: (Paused) Sir, in that case, I would choose internet over highways. M3: Why? V: Sir, highways take a long time to develop. It may be too late by then. (M3 looked satisfied.)
- 216. 216 M3: Okay. Youtold ma’am, that you left your job after 19 months because it was boring. That way, you will also leave civil services. V: (Smiling) No sir, I wanted to convey that I did not find my job content as impressive as I had imagined it to be. I was not bored with it. Civil services match my aptitude. M3: What do you understand civil servants do? V: Sir, they handle the entire functioning of the country. M3: What did your computer science education teach you? V: Sir, computer sciences teaches us to test, implement, evaluate and modify our programs, this methodology is also applicable to governmental projects. M3: How do you think your education can be used in administration? V: Sir, governments at various levels are increasingly using technology. At national, state and even district level, we are implementing various e-governance initiatives. Most departments use technology. We also have dedicated departments for IT etc. M3: What is our flagship initiative in e-governance? V: Sir, it is National e-Governance Plan, under which we run 27 mission mode projects. M3: Any examples of such initiatives, at national, state or district level? V: Yes sir. e-Sanchar and e-Mitra projects of Rajasthan government. (Explained both.) M3: Okay, can you identify any two areas where we could implement e-governance but are not already doing it? V: (Paused and thought) Sir, we can deliver basic services like birth and death certificates in digital form which can be printed by the customers/clients. M3: But some states are already doing it? V: Yes sir. We can have such initiatives at national level. (I also proposed another initiative which I can’t recollect now. However, M3 did not look adequately satisfied with this answer.) M3: Okay. Tell me one social and one economic challenge our country is facing today. V: Sir, in social area: Malnutrition (I had the twelfth plan in mind). M3: Social…malnutrition…okay… (I continue now.) V: In economic area: I see inflation as a challenge. (Chairperson seemed flabbergasted and even suggested poverty and unemployment. I was trying to present an answer thinking of ‘current’ challenge. I may have miscalculated here and I did not get an opportunity to defend it.) ———————————————————————
- 217. 217 M4: So youare a product of Birla institute.. (I replied affirmatively and smiled, drew no response)..what have they taught you. (I blabbered about the virtues of college education.) M4: What is the structure of a district. V: District. Block. Villages. M4: What is the role of DC? (I replied but did not include PRIs.) M4: What about PRIs? Is DC above Zila Panchayats? V: (It seemed to be an incorrectly framed question, yet I responded.) Sir, the structure varies state by state. (M4 did not seem pleased and said thank you.) RR: Thank you. (I thanked them and strolled out.)
- 218. 218 UPSC Interview ByDr. Lalit Kumar (Dr. K.K. Paul Board) my UPSC Interview my interview is with KK PAUL board. my biodata optional 1. animal husbandary and veterinary science 2. anthropology state- bihar studied in Indian veterinary research institute IVRI, Bareilly hobbies- newspaper article collection, blogging, farm animal care sports- playing chess CH. What is your name? CH. Your roll number? CH. Date of birth? A. 15 jan 1982. CH. then what is on 15 th jan, any thing A. sir, army day CH. why so. A. sir I don’t know. Ch. It is K M kariyapas birth day Ch. News paper article collection is your hobby. A. yes sir Ch. Which type of article you collect? A. issue related with environment and article related with animal husbandary and veterinary science Ch. You have also given horse riding? A. Yes sir Ch. You ride it frequently or not? A. sir, now a days I m not riding ch. What are different types of horse pace?
- 219. 219 A. sir itis walk, trot, cantor and gallop Ch. What are different types of trot? A. sir I don’t know Ch. What is after trot is? A. cantor Ch. What is speed of gallop? A. sir it is 40 – 50 km per hour Ch 40-50 miles or km A. km per hour Ch. Ya it is right, but little more (he opined) Ch. Do you know shompan A. tribe of Africa (actually I misunderstood with similar tribe with African) Ch. No it is andmans and nicobars tribe This is of my mistake, I disappointed little bit, perhaps he misunderstood that I was bluffing. Ch. Do you know hammendrof A yes sir, he was anthropologist Ch what is his contribution A. he done work in india, study on tribles, written many monographs of tribes, many case studies, Q. tell me some specific contribution A. sir I don’t know Ch. He worked on Madhya Pradesh a. yes sir ch. Do you know verrier elvin A. sir, he was anthropologist, worked in Madhya Pradesh, helped Nehru to prepare tribal panchsheel, Ch. Yes yes, he was very close to Nehru Ch. What was his approach A. sir, he favoured tribals to protected from out side, he suggested some short of tribal sanctuary to protect them
- 220. 220 Ch. Did indiafollowed his advice A. no sir, after 1960, india followed policy of tribal development, gave the modern and western education, and road rails etc created Ch. Yes yes Passed to first member M1. Have you heard of iim A. yes sir, it is Indian institute of management M1. Why they are charging more fees, govt is providing subsidy to them… A. pardon sir I am not getting your point Explains in detail.. A. sir they are hiring good faculty of foreign, good infrastructure, other things as well like more operating cost…(interrupts) M1. No no, they are getting subsidy by government A. I again told same thing, added that subsidy of govt may less than they require M1. Govt should curb this practice, (talks with chair man) after coming out student getting 10- 12 lakh package I was helpless only nodding. All was unexpected and I was unable to understand what is going on means chairman asking very specific in anthropology and M1 irrelevant question to me Passed to next member, he was Dr MP Yadav (ex director of IVRI). I later known about him from Ravi sir M2. I have heard human right, what is animal right A. sir, it is some basic rights to animals.. like not beating excessively, mutilating.. Just a human treatment on certain principles…(interrupts) M2. Yes yes.. what government is doing A. sire govent done legislation and (intruppts) M2. What is A. prevention to cruelty to animals act 1060-61 M2. Yes yes.. any organization working for this not of govt A. society for prevention of animal M2. What is water born disease?
- 221. 221 A. sir diseasesthat are transmitted by water M2. Name some of disease? A. cholera, diphtheria, diarrhea… (I did not remembered more) M2 other A. sir not able to recall M2 hepetitis A yes sir M2 what is cause of antibiotic resistance A due to indiscriminate use of AB what govt is doing to prevent i told about clinical establishment bill Chairman then asked other member ask.. a lady member.. M3. She talked me lot about bihar itself finally asked about the agriculture in bihar. What govt is doing. A. Prepared answer I tell in details with confidence.. told all things.. cabinet committee on agr, agr road map, organic farming, increase in productivity, rainbow revolution M3 what is rainbow revolution A. sir, increase in agriculture production with help of organic farming, sustainable agriculture so that not comprising productivity in past. Like use of dhaicha.. M3. yes yes..migration in bihar cause? A. in bihar 85-90 % people dependent on agriculture and it is marred by various disasters like flood, drought, and dependence on monsoon Q. bihar having so many learnt personality, what is status of the literacy or education A. bihar is among bottom of all the states. (Chair man said some thing regarding) literacy of bihar is only 63-64 percent and women is still low only 53 percent Chairman passes to next male member M4. You talked about disasters tell me what are the disasters of the Bihar. A. sir flood, draught, hailstorm, fire in villages in summer, and sir earthquack. M4. Can you classify A. (I did not understand how to classify but I told) flood and drought are related to monsoon and river, earthquack to geological activity..
- 222. 222 M4. No nosomething different, tell difference between dought and earth quack A. sir draught occur due to less precepation..(interrupts) M4. Tell me on preparance point of view A. sir earthquack affect a large area in quick time, drought occurs progressively and limited area.. (chairman nods and said more devastation in fraction of second in earthquack) I said--- yes M4. Yes what strategy for disaster A. long term short term medium term… (interrupts) M4. Tell me what govt is doing A. sir, govt estb dept of disaster mgt, state disaster mgt authority, NDRF near patna, SNDRF, formulating standard operating procedures for drought flood earthquack etc M4 what for flood A. treaty with Nepal, evacuation of people, boats and equipments, food packets, shelters, planting of tree in encatchment area, embackments..(interrupts) M4. Yes yes, tell what is the demerits of embackment A. sir, it causes water logging, if broken causes more devastation, (interrupts) M4 tell me specific regarding silting A sir, causes more accumulation of the silt and further adds in the flood CHAIRMAN said ok, you may go now.
- 223. 223 UPSC Interview ByDr. Satyavenkath Once in a Century -IAS Interview My IAS Interview 2010 It was the culmination of 5 yrs of sustained , dedicated , hard-work and many sacrifices .I started this endeavor from scratch only to bring good name to my guru Patriji. Only to prove that The Master is Guiding millions of souls towards proper path ... My wife has been a rock pillar support through out , we withstood many pressures and made many sacrifices towards achieving this goal... I thank my mentor and my good friend Hari Kiran (rank 16 2009) for his good efforts in polishing the diamond ...and giving valuable inputs ..without which I wouldn't have crossed the Toughest Mains Exam of all times (2010) with ease ! I'm putting my interview experience only to make my many well wishers know what exactly happened and for posterity. Actual Interview Day After getting through one of the toughest papers in mains in the recent years , obviously my confidence was enhanced -- and I was aiming to get into service to give No-Nonsense Governance to the People(even if I'm eliminated after brief duration) ; there was no fear of the present nor the future , nor of death in the service to the Lord ; only One Vision -- Vision of Best Governance stood in front of me ! Thoughts maketh man ...and my very intrepid ideas Radiated a Powerful Energy and Glow around me .. this energy on that day was so Peaceful yet so Powerful that my batch mates, staff, support staff, every employee who was lucky enough to be present there in UPSC ..were in awe looking at me ....!!! This in fact started from the entrance gate ! The security guards gave me very warm alert salute -- they thought that I was an infact an Officer ! I went inside , my own batch-mates thought that I was an Officer and in fact after a while I got used to these reactions .And when the supervisory staff for the interviews each one saluted me as though I was top official from Govt. of India , on duty for the interviews -I started enjoying it !
- 224. 224 Deep in mymind I know there are 2 possibilities from here -that I can lose if God hasn't willed to take the risk of joining the services or if I cross this last hurdle , then I decided for myself then and there that no force in future can stop me until I improve the system..,.. With this idea in my mind , and with a volcano of tension inside me , I knocked the door , but was happy that My head was still cool above my shoulders...There was no panic nor fright , but just a flow with the moments ....It all happened very quick from then on one by one ... First word from my mouth ---" Good Morning Madame... Good morning Sir". they all look at me ...and are in awe for certain . Chairman replies -- Please take your seat. I thank him profusely and drag the chair , careful not to make any noise and sit quietly ..I wait for them to ask ... Bur they all are taken back by my Energy , Gait , steady head and CONFIDENCE ! They all shuffle in their seats , I noticed it .. They pause for few seconds ...again they shuffle in their seats ... They are shell shocked ! Seconds fly ....No voice still ( I can understand their dilemma ... A dove has entered into the area of the thugs ! Finally one more empty second , I thought the Interview was mine , just then Chairman recoups all his strength and just barely blurts weakly --" tell me about yourself"? Me ;Pause for a while .." Sir I'm an Mbbs Doctor, 5 yrs ago from scratch I aspired to be the top most Administrator for India , and so I'm here at the threshold of achieving my Life time goal , and this itself speaks about myself more than my words do ! Madam nods her head with happiness, 2 other gentlemen also feel the same , I Notice this from my corner of my eyes...! Chairman - He gets all the joy in the world (sarcastic joy )-- jumps in his seat and with more energy shouts with joy ---" Oh So you are a medical man ! Me - I nod my head -- yes sir ! Chairman-So do you know anything about another medical man --that appeared in today morning newspaper... Me - yes sir ..the MCI chief was arrested for taking bribes in granting permissions to private medical colleges !
- 225. 225 chairman- was hearrested or chargesheeted ! Me-(Pause ) arrested sir .. Suddenly Chairman becomes more aggressive , shouts with top of his voice , comes forward aggressively unto my face ...and shouts " why you want to come to the services --- are you not wasting money that Govt has spend on you for your medical degree... I was about to respond -- He stops me , mocks at me , laughs with all the other members - tries to insult me , says" if you and your family decisicon see is costing the govt many lakhs ?!! I was about to respond again --- he interrupts me again ..sarastically laughs ...turns to other memebers , as though they are having a group discussion, leaving me all alone ! Here I do the Unthinkable ! really unthinkable ! he might not have seen such cool reaction in all his career ! I take stock of the whole situation , here is a guy , mean looking , corrupt looking , deriving sadistic pleasure of not giving the opp to reply -- Is the interview fixed ? is there no single seat for real merit ? Should I leave the room , as there is no point sitting there without the right to reply ? I thought of my wife , my future ,is it gone? ...My gut feeling was its Gone ! having felt so i thought i would be going out with a good fight ... Thinking it the last day in my office ! I politely and my heart in my mouth ask him in the midst of his outbursts " Can I reply Sir " He is shocked , stops! didn't expect such guts to stop him in between and poise a cool question ...he knows that If he gets more angry than this , I would surely walk away and that to morally victoriously... so he has no other choice -- hence hesitatingly says " yes go ahead" , "go ahead"---leans forward unto the table and says " go ahead" Me - Sir 2ARC, 6 th PAY commission recommends specialization of generalist IAS officer and recommends Training in domain fields. I being already a specialist would fit more aptly into these roles...As far as wasting of money is concerned , I saved infact lot of it by not being part of the BRAIN DRAIN . I would still be serving the people of my country and the benefits i would bring for the next 25-30 yrs would far outweigh the costs borne by the Govt on my medical education. Moreover Govt of India doesn't think in the first place its waste of money , as they want to tap talent from all fields or else they wouldn't have sought applications from us , and therefore I have every right to be here ! madame and one more gentleman laughs loud with happiness, chairman and other 2 are stunned by this gentle but laser precise rebuke ! Chairman is forced to agree ---" yes you are right , you have every right , you have right to be here !he sincerely appreciates my bold answer ... cools his head off , and tries to see the highest merit in me !
- 226. 226 From now onthe tone mellows down drastically , it becomes soft , and pleading , they know that the person sitting opposite to them doesn't not come daily in their career but is a rare talent ! Chairman hands over to the member ...he wants to recoup his thoughts I suppose !' Ist member..." If you become an IAS officer in what 3 fields will you do outstandingly best . Me -- pause for a while , want to get off the tension , I ask for a glass of water ... they offer me paper and pen also ... I reply after a deep pause ..." Sir , as I would be in-charge of many departments , and I would be doing justice if not outstandingly best in all the fields assigned to me - namely law and order , implement policies , coordinate different departments etc. says very good ... 2nd member -- Do you know whats happening in Myanmar... me - pause for a while -- yes sir . 2nd member go ahead. me - (pauses) - sir in Myanmar pro Democratic forces led by Ms Suy ki is bringing in silent support for her cause in the international community and this is making the Military Junta rulers to think of releasing her from her house arrest , just to gain credibility . 2nd member -- very good thank you. 3rd member Lady- You said your hobbies are Meditation -- what is meditation .. me - According to Pathanjali -- meditation is Ashtanga raja yoga -- ie 8 step path -- lady member- can you name them .. me - yes madam-- very quickly 1- 8 names asna, pratyahara, dharna, dhyana, samadhi lady member- very good lady member- how will you motivate your employees- me - quick answer with minute pause--- " Integrated holistic approach " systems approach to motivation--- hold out carrots like pay , perks , allowances and also sticks like punishments, censors, reprimands , and also personally set an example and have personal interaction and easy accessibility with them ! lady member -- personal interaction ---?! how much time will you take for this ?
- 227. 227 me - bewilderedby this cross - question ! take a deep breath and say madam I will take " reasonable" amount of time to meet the representatives of my staff depending on the size , nature of the organisation. lady member -- feels happy ... tones down her voice -- asks what books did I follow for Public administration ? I though this question is for her personal purpose -- maybe to guide her own kids! Me - madam its Nicolas Henry , mohit bhatachrya , mainly and all other std text books. 4th member- tell me about telengana ... sir it comprises of 10 districts , ruled by the nizam for 200 yrs and therefore were excluded from any devp that was seen in the British ruled neighboring areas of Andhra and rayalseema. 4th member- what do you think Smaller states should be formed. me - pause Sir Sri Krishna Sir and his commission is going exactly into this issue holistically . 4th member -- do you think telengana must be given. me- if the grievance is that of lack of devp. we must ensure that this is rectified in time bound manner . devp projects should be instituted on war- footing basis. if it is for seeking power-- I'm against it --as then every district in India would be seeking a separate state , but having said this the voice of the people of telengana should be listened to and channelized in the right direction Sir. 4th member and chairman--- yes you are right ...India will then be broken into district size states...you are right ! Interview handed over to Chairman... Chairman---- do you get angry ? Me - I act angry but to get really angry would take lot of effort from my side Sir ! Chairman--no , we daily see on roads , everybody gets angry with everybody ...do you get angry --- Me -- no sir ...its not civilized behavior.. Chairman-- do you get angry with your employees... Me-- no Sir ... Chairman--but if someone doesn't do the work , We all get angry do you ? Me- No sir , there are still better ways to make the work completed and anger may be the least resort Sir ...
- 228. 228 Chairman---again becomes hisoriginal self- spins my answer --- Anger doesn't work in India ...you have got it wrong ! Me -- I pause /stunned I haven't said anger must be encouraged at any time ! he goes to the next question... Chairman why you preferred Irs over Ips .. Me - Sir every service is a service to the nation , there is no higher or lower service , but just its an individual preference -- And my aptitude is more for the administrative service -- as I want to give An India --- Hunger Free, Corruption Free, Disease Free, Illiteracy ,Underemployment , poverty free above all a Developed nation to the next generation. Chairman--- softly with cajoling voice --dont want IPS aa? Me-- As I said Sir Every Service is a service to the nation ...but my preference is more for IAS. Chairman--what if you dont get.. me- I'm sure I will get it Sir and I'm confident about it or else can still poke syringes all my life ! Chairman--the interview is over ! now whatever is asked or said will not be used for evaluation. Chairman- do you have any questions for me ? me- pause -Sir Can we Discuss Ideas instead? Chairman--raises tone---if you have qsts you ask or else say sorry sir i dont have any qsts ! Sorry Sir I have Ideas to discuss can we ! your interview is over you can leave now. me - Sorry Sir , you said interview was over few mts ago ! So as the interview was over how does it matter if I ask a question or discuss an idea? you can leave now Reluctantly say thank you sir , thank you madam.( Stereotyped Board expecting stereotyped answers within 4 closed walls , door locked from inside , with no cameras....just remembering My Father of Public Administration Woodrow Wilson's -" Corruption thrives in secret places"- I walk away far, very far, very very far away thanking God that I did not work with these thugs and mafia all my life ! I excelled in my academic performance -got 30 more marks than the topper of my batch in theory but got 120 marks less than him in the interview.
- 229. 229 UPSC Interview ByPawan Kadyan (Sh. I.M.G. Khan Board) Interview/Personality Test Date: 22nd March, 2012. Slot: Afternoon; Reporting Time 1315 hours. Interview order: Last of the 6 persons to be interviewed by that board in that slot. The Board was known at 1445 hours when the first candidate to face the board from our group (name: Vivek Chaudhary) was told about it. Our board was that of Sh. I.M.G. Khan. Time passed...after Vivek it was Rupak, then Hari, then Nidhi, then Jackson...and then my turn. By the time Jackson went it was 1640 hours. In a few minutes all other candidates left in the waiting hall had also gone for their interviews in their respective boards. Mine was the last interview of the day across all boards. I was called to come and sit outside the Board's Room after about 15 minutes from when I was the only one left in the Waiting room. The guards by then, one male and the other a lady, had become acquaintances. We had even shared a joke or two and laughed with the Voice-repeating-cat application on the mobile. They wished me luck and smiled. The guy who came to call me for the interview too by then had seen enough of me to share a smile and good wishes, and he too wished me good luck. He had a squint and big glasses, and was a nice man to talk to. I thanked him and asked him what time it was. He replied, “5 baj gaye hain.” I asked whether it'd be better if I greeted the board with a 'Good Evening' rather than a 'Good Afternoon' to which he nodded in the affirmative and with a smile said, “Aap chinta mat keejiye, Khan Sahab achhe se interview lete hain”. (I wondered how he reached the inference that he drew from my question, but his reply did help me :)) We reached the Board room and he asked me to sit on a chair outside it. I realized Jackson was still inside and I asked how long had the previous candidate (Jackson) been in? He said it had been 15 minutes. Tea was being prepared for Mr. Khan while I sat on the chair. The guy who was preparing tea offered me some kajus and biscuits. I picked one and said, “Thank you. Candidate ko to chai nahin di jaati hai na”. He said, “Kya aap chai lenge?”. I said, “Nahin nahin, main nahin loonga”, and smiled. “Khan Sir ki chai mere andar jaane se pehle de dijiyega.” And he nodded with a smile, “Theek hai”, and in a few moments went inside the Board room with the tray. I practiced sitting into and standing off the chair a few times (by the way I was wearing a deep blue suit), focused my attention and thoughts for a few minutes, asked myself why I was here, and thanked God for the opportunity and felt happy for it. In a few minutes Jackson came out of the Board room. I mimed to ask about how was it. He looked at me looking a little nervous but happy, and nodded positively as he walked away. The time had arrived and I asked the big glasses guy who had escorted me there about the time. He showed me his watch which read 1710 hours. The chimes of the bell rang. It was my turn. He opened one of the two planks of the door and I stepped forward.... (A note: The demeanor of the conversation was very cordial and conversational and I was most of the while smiling as if talking to friends.)
- 230. 230 Me: May Icome in Sir. (while I noticed that the table was to the right of the door with the Chairperson, Mr. Khan, facing away from the wall having the door; that I had to walk a circular arc of 90 degrees to face them, and that there was a lady member in the board.) Mr. Khan: Come in, come in. Me: Good Evening Ma'am. Good Evening Sir. Good Evening to you Sirs. Mr. Khan: Take a seat. Me: Thank You Sir. (I jovially sat down and acknowledged all the members and the Chair by eye contact) Mr. Khan: (he was turning over my summary sheet at that time and had reached the last section having job details). Oh! You worked somewhere (and started reading the address) PP Service..where was this Nagothane? Me: Sir it is in the Raigad district of Maharashtra. Mr. Khan: What does it manufacture? (he would have read the words 'Manufacturing Division' in the address) Me: Sir, it manufactures low and high density polymers. Mr. Khan: So why did you leave the job? Didn't you like it? Me: No Sir (happily), it was immensely satisfying and I liked it. But while I was there I used to go to a school nearby to help students. Slowly I started feeling more inclined towards that, so I decided to pursue a career that is more challenging and where I can connect directly with people. Mr. Khan: So Pawan, (smiling) what have you been doing since then? Me: Sir, I've been preparing for the civil services. Mr. Khan: You left the job in 2009. Its more than two and a half years, close to 3 years now. You could have done so much at a school by now! Me: Yes Sir, (emphatically & empathetically) I feel that pain too and want to start contributing as soon as possible. Mr. Khan: (smiles) But some countries do not have a Civil Service. Like the US (a member intervened to add that a few services do exist in the US but not a civil service) and some other countries like (he told a few names that I don't remember) do not have a permanent civil service. Shouldn't India also abolish the civil services? Me: Sir, every country has its own parameters to judge that. India has evolved in a manner that we need a civil service. The US has had a long history and time to develop (Mr. Khan interrupts: But we've had a longer history.) Sir, I mean since independence. We need more time before we can do away with the civil service if that is indeed needed. Civil services are the drivers of the car the country is. We
- 231. 231 play a criticalrole, perhaps the most critical role in taking the country forward. (M4 interrupts while looking at Mr. Khan: Sir, he is identifying with the services.) Me: (in an embarrassed, humble, jovial & conversational tone with a smile) Sir, I didn't mean that. I am extremely sorry (and a big smile). Mr. Khan: I never thought of this analogy before (looks excited and inquisitive). So, if the civil services is driving the car (smiled) then what are the politicians doing? Me: Sir, they along with many others are sitting in the back of the car. Civil services decide how well and at what speed the country moves forward. Mr. Khan: Hmm...(and acknowledges with a bigger smile. And asks inquisitively..) So, when did the civil services start in India? Me: Sir, they started in the British era. The Office of the District Collector came up in the 1770s. Mr. Khan: But the names Tehsil, Taluka, Zilla, Mansabdari still exist. What are they then if the services started in the British era? Me: Sir, the names exist to mark a continuity in the governance system. So that people feel connected to it. There were administrative systems before too, but the present day professional civil services started in the British era. Mr. Khan: So we have them because of the British legacy? Me: No Sir. We have them because we need them...(He interrupts me here, smiles and says: OK..OK..you are sticking to your point. Good. He now looks at Member 1 as if to tell him that he can ask questions now) M1: What is the Indo-US Strategic partnership? Me: Sir, if my memory is serving me right it started in 2004. I might be incorrect. It is a partnership covering many areas from defence, science & technology, education, trade, civil nuclear energy and many more. M1:What benefit is India getting out of it? Me: Sir, the US is the world leader in technology, defence equipment and many other areas. We can learn from them in these fields. M1: So, what benefit is the US driving from it? Me: Sir, every country has its own experience and share of successes & failures. India too can offer the US such knowledge, and this knowledge sharing can create a new synergy and a higher level of progress for both the countries. India is also an emerging world leader and the US would benefit from this engagement. M1: Wasn't it because the US wanted to use India against a particular country? Me: No Sir. No one can use India for its interests. We entered the partnership on our own terms.
- 232. 232 M1: What isAFSPA? What are the controversies related with it? Me: Sir its the Armed Forces Special Powers Act which came into force in the late 1950s. Its applied in disturbed areas, declared so by the Governor of the State. It was applied initially to regions in the North-East and extended to J&K in the 1990s. It gives the Army the power to take suo moto action in matters of national security, countering terrorism and other such activities which include searching premises, opening fire etc. The recent controversies relate to the human rights violations in J&K by the Army and the decade long fast by a lady (I intentionally didn't name Irom Sharmila to avoid questions on her or Manipur) in the North-East. M1: What are the problems in the civil aviation sector? Me: Sir, the individual operators in the sector have different problems and business models, but their business models are not the ones that are best suited to make profit. In case of Air India it being the national carrier, it has to operate flights between less profitable or liability creating routes and airports. Kingfisher's Mr. Mallya is funding his airlines from his other avenues. His model was never profitable and required him to pump money from his other avenues. The operators in the sector are more than what India requires in terms of demand. The induced competitiveness has led to very low fares but the losses have begun to show. (I could feel the answer was getting long and the Member was losing attention). M1: So in short what is the problem? Me: Sir, its the improper business models of the different operators. (M1 acknowledges that positively and looked at Member 2 to hand it over to him. M2 had a stern look to begin with but that changed soon) M2: Pawan, you are a sportsperson. You come from a sports school. You have been doing sports regularly. Tell us, what according to you are the problems in Sports in India? Me: Sir, the biggest problem is in the way we perceive sports. Its seen as a hindrance to academics. Sports is not seen as an economically viable career. Then the Govt incentives and focus on sports has been low. Sports infrastructure is lacking. Private investment in sports is also low. But Sir, the past few years our sportspersons have performed very well in various international competitions and have shown us the way ahead. M2: What can be done to tackle these problems? Me: Sir, the first thing we need is a strong & balanced Sports Policy and Sports Law. Also academics should integrate sports in it for the overall development of children. The government spending should increase and infrastructure be built using existing schemes and new schemes. And the private sector should promote sports persons as role models through advertisements and sponsorships. Talent hunting and improvement in coaching facilities should also be important focus areas. M2: What about hockey?
- 233. 233 Me: Sir, inhockey we did not adapt with the changes that happened with the coming of the Astroturf. Our physical fitness also didn't meet up to other teams. But after Micheal Nobbs has become the hockey coach, this is improving and we've recently qualified for the Olympics too. M2: Do sports keep us fit? Me: (almost sounding obvious and smiling) Yes Sir, both mentally and physically fit. M2: But in our country so many people are malnourished. How can sports keep us fit when we don't have food? Me: Sir, nutrition is a critical necessity. Without it not just sports but every activity we undertake suffers. But sports is not a competing factor. In fact sports can help give the confidence that can translate to all other activities, like to take more risk in economic ventures, wage & self employment etc to earn a better living and nutrition levels. Sports will also find a way for itself if we can provide better nutrition. (M2 looked at Member 3, who was also the lady member. She started looking at what was written in her diary. I could see a lot of scribblings in it as if it were a rough work diary) M3: Pawan, you seem to be a talented young man. What in your opinion are the three big problems of India? How can they be tackled? Me: Ma'am, in my opinion the biggest challenge before India right now is of how to ensure that we reap our demographic dividend. The second is that we still haven't achieved inclusive growth. And the third is (I am thinking...) that the status of women is still not at par with men. M3: What is corruption? (She might have been expecting I would say corruption, but somehow it didn't come to my mind then!) Me: Ma'am, any activity done with malafide interest is corruption in my opinion. If there is an illicit purpose involved and loss to the public at large. M3: Doesn't it have to be monetary? Me: No Ma'am. Not necessarily, in my opinion. M3: Give an example where it is not monetary. Me: (affirmatively) Ma'am say someone connives with someone else to accrue power or favours. That too would be corruption in my opinion. M3: What is demographic dividend? Me: Ma'am more than 50% of our population is young and less than 30 years of age. They have a lot of energy and creativity to offer. That is demographic dividend. Being able to tap that energy and channelize that in a positive direction is the challenge. M3: What were the other problems you told.
- 234. 234 Me: Ma'am, lackof inclusive growth and the status of women. M3: What is the status of employment in India? How can we address it? Me: Ma'am 60% of the people are employed in Agriculture. Roughly 20% are in the Services sector, and the rest in MSMEs (she looks as if wanting to ask what that is. I continue..) ie Micro, Small and Medium scale industries and Manufacturing. I do not recall the figures exactly.(to which Mr. Khan says:No..no. We don't need figures. We want to know what you think.) (I acknowledged him and smiled) (Now I am addressing both Mr. Khan and M3)We need to divert people from agriculture. 40% of farmers don't want to be in agriculture. We can provide them skills & training so that they get employment in small scale industries and agro-based industries that can be setup in and around where they live. (Mr. Khan was nodding positively and smiling while I said this). M3: What model has China adopted for this? (I understood that she was hinting at what can be done in the Manufacturing Sector in India) Me: Ma'am, they have invested in building large scale infrastructure like roads and SEZs and these have created large scale employment. M3: So what is India doing on that front? Me: Ma'am India has formulated a new National Manufacturing Policy which will create around 10 crore job in the next 10-15 years. We also have plans to set up National Manufacturing Investment Zones and various SEZs. We have launched schemes like NRLM and National Skill Development Mission. M3: So, is NREGA a solution? Me: Ma'am, its a solution but only in the short term, not in the long term because it does not impart skills or create productive & permanent assets. M3: Yes, (nods affirmatively) NREGA is only a transient solution. (looks into her diary and looks back at me from between her eyebrows and her glasses) Are our policies a failure then? Me: No Ma'am, (smile) our policies aren't a failure. It is their implementation and the awareness about them that is still lacking. Mr. Khan: It is easier said then done. Me: Yes Sir, I agree, (empathetically) and therefore we need conviction and commitment in the civil services. (She looked at Member 4, who looked indifferently towards me while he was laid back in his chair) M4: You mentioned Agro based and MSMEs. What are the Food Processing related incentives in the Budget? You must be following the Budget? Me: Sorry Sir, I did follow the Budget but I do not recall these provisions right now.
- 235. 235 M4: But thisseems to be your interest as you mentioned them. There seems to be a discrepancy in your knowledge and your interests. Me: Sir, I remember the essence of what was said, but not the details. Should I tell that? M4: OK. Me: Sir, the Finance Minister in his Budget speech gave incentives for attracting investment and generating employment in the Food Processing industry.(He looked satisfied now) M4: The entrepreneurs and businessmen are responsible for creating a lot of jobs but they don't seem to get the respect as the civil servants and politicians do. Why is that? Me: Sir, people respect entrepreneurs and businessmen too. I don't feel that they are not respected. M4: I am not talking about the downtrodden. They respect everyone. I am talking about those who matter. Who among those sections respects these entrepreneurs and businessman? Me: Sir, in my opinion the downtrodden matter too, but the other sections like civil servants and politicians, and the middle class also respect the businessmen. Especially since the advent of Indicative Planning they have been given even more respect. They are now called to help with plan formulation and preparation of the budget too. M4: (looks satisfied and smiles). Suppose you are the District Magistrate of a district. Two politicians, an MLA and a MP, are tossing you around for political gains. What will you do? Me: (almost jokingly) Sir, I can't imagine something like this happening. I believe politicians are rational people. (M4 starts to grow a humorous smile on his face) And even if this happens, I will follow what the law suggests me to do. I will also consult my seniors and colleagues if the need arises. M4: Law is always the last resort. (Everyone started laughing, including me) M4: (from what I felt) (Gave a long speech on relations between politicians and civil servants and stopped without asking a question). Me: Yes Sir. Mr. Khan: You didn't seem to have got the question. (looked at M4 and said) Be more specific. Me: (looking at M4) Sir, I am extremely sorry. I didn't get the question. M4: (in a smiling and relaxed tone) How is the RTI a boon for civil servants? Or is it not a boon? Me: Yes Sir, it is a big boon. Now the civil servant can demand things in written from the politician if he feels the need for it. RTI also streamlines office procedures, interdepartmental communications and coordination. It helps record keeping and improves efficiency in implementation also. Mr. Khan: (Gave a monologue on RTI and its positives for politicians too). Me: I intermittently affirmed and subscribed to his view and thanked him.
- 236. 236 Mr. Khan: Anew reform of Performance Review of Civil Servants has been proposed. You must be knowing about it. (I nod affirmatively). Suppose I suggest that there should be a 10 year contract for the civil servants and then a compulsory performance review, and if not found meeting the standards set the civil servant will be thrown out. What would you suggest? Me: Sir, the reform you suggested is similar to the one being proposed. (Mr. Khan interrupts: No..no. The civil servant will be thrown out!) Me: In that case Sir, I prefer your suggestion. That will create positive performance pressure, increase healthy competition and efficiency in the service. Mr. Khan: But do you want to be thrown out directly? Me: Sir,(emphatically) if I don't perform, I don't deserve to be in the service. Mr. Khan: Thank you. (smiled). Your interview is over. You may go. Me: Thank you Sir. (I get up from the seat). Thank you Ma'am. Thank you Sirs. (while looking at the respective members, and move towards the exit briskly. At the door, turn back for the final eye contact and see that Ma'am is still looking at me. I acknowledge her with a smile & a nod and exit the room.) I left the room. Went and collected my belongings and came out of the UPSC Building, the last candidate to appear out of the gate. PS: I have intentionally not written the various facial expressions & gestures the Board members had or I made, as that didn't seem to be needed. The overall atmosphere and the mood everyone had was cordial and I was smiling most of the time which was not a forced one. I have tried to write what transpired in the fashion that it did. Some words or instances may have changed, but I 've tried to stick as much as I could to what happened in the interview.
- 237. 237 Some probable questionsthat are asked generally in the UPSC Interview: • Some initial questions are generally asked based on your bio-data; about your career choices and why exactly you want to opt for the civil services. • To start the interaction, the in IAS interview board generally ask a candidate to briefly describe about himself/herself. • Some questions are asked relating to your name. You might be asked some questions about the meaning of your name, surname, the reason for carrying a long surname or surnames if anybody has. • You should also prepare some important events on the year or the date of your birth. A big portion of the UPSC Interview questions are mainly from what you have filled in your form including your subjects, hobbies, service preferences etc. Thus you are supposed to put more emphasis on the interview as a test of logic and presentation and awareness rather than a pure subject knowledge. • You need to reasearch well on your hobby that you mention on your biodata. Questions are asked on the reason for your pursuing such a hobby. • You are supposed to be aware of the hot topics of the present world. You will be asked on some burning issues and you will be judged your opinions regarding the same. Thus you need to have a fair base on the current topics as well as an analytical mind to answer the interview board. • Questions are asked on your profession/professions also if you have had any. If you are a doctor, than you might be asked questions on any ongoing health issues. If you have an economy background, than you might be asked questions on the current economic scenario. The board may also ask you about the applicability of your current profession in the civil services. So, you are supposed to prepare well on all the possible questions relating your past and present careers. • Some situational questions may also crop up in the interview. As for example, the interviewers may ask you a question throwing a situation in front of you and they would ask you how you would be dealing with the particular situation. The question might be something like if you were the Collector/SP of Ajmer, Rajasthan, what would you do after the bomb blast in the city? So, you are supposed to develop an analytical and foreseen thinker mind to face the IAS interview. • UPSC Interview questions range from the questions about your choice of subjects to why you want to join the civil services. Thus, a thorough and overall polish up of your career and personality as a whole are to be considered when you prepare for the IAS Interview. Some initial questions are generally asked based on your bio-data; about your career choices and why exactly you want to opt for the civil services. • To start the interaction, the in IAS interview board generally ask a candidate to briefly describe about himself/herself.
- 238. 238 • Some questionsare asked relating to your name. You might be asked some questions about the meaning of your name, surname, the reason for carrying a long surname or surnames if anybody has. • You should also prepare some important events on the year or the date of your birth. A big portion of the UPSC Interview questions are mainly from what you have filled in your form including your subjects, hobbies, service preferences etc. Thus you are supposed to put more emphasis on the interview as a test of logic and presentation and awareness rather than a pure subject knowledge. • You need to reasearch well on your hobby that you mention on your biodata. Questions are asked on the reason for your pursuing such a hobby. • You are supposed to be aware of the hot topics of the present world. You will be asked on some burning issues and you will be judged your opinions regarding the same. Thus you need to have a fair base on the current topics as well as an analytical mind to answer the interview board. • Questions are asked on your profession/professions also if you have had any. If you are a doctor, than you might be asked questions on any ongoing health issues. If you have an economy background, than you might be asked questions on the current economic scenario. The board may also ask you about the applicability of your current profession in the civil services. So, you are supposed to prepare well on all the possible questions relating your past and present careers. • Some situational questions may also crop up in the interview. As for example, the interviewers may ask you a question throwing a situation in front of you and they would ask you how you would be dealing with the particular situation. The question might be something like if you were the Collector/SP of Ajmer, Rajasthan, what would you do after the bomb blast in the city? So, you are supposed to develop an analytical and foreseen thinker mind to face the IAS interview. • UPSC Interview questions range from the questions about your choice of subjects to why you want to join the civil services. Thus, a thorough and overall polish up of your career and personality as a whole are to be considered when you prepare for the IAS Interview.
- 239. 239 Do’s for theIAS Interview • In the UPSC Interview board, generally there are five members with the Chairperson seated at the centre. Enter confidently and greet the Chairperson, and pleasantly nod at other members. However, if there is any female member in the interview board, greet her first to show your politeness. • Wait till you are asked to sit. Take your seat calmly after you are asked to sit, saying thank you to the board members as a whole. • Have an eye contact with the person you are interacting with. This will help you to be attentive. Moreover, having an eye contact will show your confidence also. • In answering any question, judge the required patience shown by the member/members talking to you and cut short your answer according to the demand of the situation. Listen carefully and think for a few seconds before you start answering the question. This will show that you are organising your thoughts in mind before starting to speak. • If you do not know any of the answers to any question, say politely and firmly that you do not know the answer. This will show that your approach is clear and straight forward. • If the interview board gives complements on any of your answers, do express thanks. • A pleasant look and a pleasing smile certainly help to make a good first impression. Formal clothing is preferred in the interview. Do have trials at home with the same pair of clothes that you wear on the day of the interview so that from any angle you don’t look uncomfortable or first time user of such clothing. • Leave some room for difference in opinions. Do take a stand, but don’t be or at least don’t look adamant or unwilling to appreciate the board's opinion if you feel that the board’s opinion is nicer.
- 240. 240 Don’ts for theIAS Interview • Do not make unnecessary movements of your hands, head and your body. But at the same time keep in your mind that you are not sitting unnaturally stiff. Your posture should be attentive and relaxed. Do not crouch or bend forward toward the table. • Do not make wild guesses or speculations. First listen carefully and then come to the central issue of the enquiry immediately. Moving around the bush will irritate the interviewer. • Do not go for an argument deliberately with the interview board. In case an argument arises, argue logically and generalise correctly. • Do not try to read too much between the lines. • Say less to convey more. Answer with right expressions and right body language. • Never try to bluff the interview board. The board members are senior and experience holder. It is always better to be honest in front of the interviewers. • Do not show over confidence or arrogance in replying to anything even when you are sure that you are 100% right and you are very much comfortable in dealing with the issue on which you have been asked. • Avoid wearing anything shiny, glossy or extra bright in the interview session. Wear decent and modest attire. • Do not relate unnecessary jokes just to be friendly with the interviewers. However, a situational light joke is fine if at all you can relate it sensibly. • Do not leave the interview hall till you are asked to do so. After you are asked to leave the hall do express thanks with a nice smile on your face.
- 241. 241 Objective of UPSCInterview The objective of Union Public Service Commission interviews is to assess the personal suitability of a candidate for the service he has applied for. The candidate is interviewed by an interview board. The interview is intended to judge the mental caliber of a candidate of not only his intellectual qualities, but also his social traits and interests in current affairs. The technique of the interview is a natural one. It consists of a direct and purposive conversation, which is intended to reveal the mental qualities of the candidate. The Interview preparation process is continuous. All knowledge a candidate has acquired during his academic as well as his personal life contribute in the preparation of the interview. This involves a wide reading of books, journals, magazines and newspapers etc. The interview test is not meant for judging the candidates academic knowledge only, rather it is a test of the candidate’s overall personality. That is why appropriately it is called a personality test rather than an interview. In addition to the academic preparation, the candidate should also put emphasis on how to improve his/her conversational skills with right body language and expressions. Candidates can hold group discussions with friends and seniors to point out each other’ mistakes and thus can work on them to improve and present themselves in front of the interview board. The candidates fill the examination form with the required columns of his/her interests and hobbies. During the interview, the interview board keeps the information provided by the candidate with them and they do ask a number of questions based on the candidate’s bio- data. So, a candidate should be prepared to answer questions which could arise from their bio- data. In addition to that the interview board tests the candidate his knowledge and grasp on the optional subjects on which he/she has passed the mains examination. Thus an overall preparation of the candidate’s academic as well as personal front is needed to face the IAS interview.
- 242. 242 Other Advice In theIAS interview, a candidate’s confidence, personality and understanding of the things and happenings all around the society and the world as a whole are judged. The interview round is quite subjective in nature rather than objective. Questions asked to a candidate by the interview board are well framed to judge the candidate’s overall personality. Thus, answers to the questions should be provided taking into consideration all possible views. A candidate should make a balanced approach while answering any question. • The UPSC interview board is highly experienced and knowledgeable. In case, a candidate is not aware of something about which he/she was asked, it is always better to admit the non-awareness with politeness. • A candidate should proceed answering only after understanding properly about the question he/she is asked. If the question put in front of him/her is not clear enough the candidate should politely ask for clarification. It is not the factual knowledge; but the interviewee’s views which are on test in the interview. • Interview etiquette should be maintained. One should be honest, polite, convincing and modest. The candidate’s focus on the issue on which he/she has been asked is immensely given importance. So, arrogance, rigidity, flicking round the issue should be avoided. • A candidate’s confidence and honesty are also judged along with his/her general awareness about the world. It is better to say no if the candidate is not aware of something, than to bluff around. • In the process of preparation for the interview, group discussion is a must. Though, Personality is a life time asset, yet, efforts can be made to overcome major deficiencies and polishing of views and opinions of the candidate. • One can take part in the mock interviews held by friends, seniors and teachers. One can also approach some IAS coaching institutes where they are guided by experienced teachers. In the institutes, candidates can also polish up their views and opinions regarding various topics with the help of group discussions.