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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: Whats 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: Its 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?
Me: British India & Tibet.
RR: And one more?
Me: Dont 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: Ill stop on the spot, and get to know exactly what happened. Then call the ambulance

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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 persons 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 persons 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 Keralas unique geography.
M1: Since you are a computer science graduate, tell me what is cyber crime?
Me: (Didnt know the exact definition) It refers to the various illegal activities performed in
todays 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. through audio & video, adult literacy programmes, transparency & lesser
corruption.
M1: What is MIS?
Me: said dont know after thinking.
M2: It is management information system. Dont you people study in B.Tech.?
Me: No sir. That paper belongs to IT branch & not CS.
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, nowhich 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. Its 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

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M3: So what is diplomacy?
Me: Its 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 Indias 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. Indias ties with its neighbors carry historical
baggage with it which is the cause of todays 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: nodont speak about all issuesone issue at a time (in fact he had asked me for
listing out all issues!). lets talk about 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, Im coming to the point. Realistically looking at the issue, I dont think Pakistan will
hand over its part of J&K to India. Our present borders may not be changeable. Its better
to acknowledge the same without a formal announcement as our maps cannot be changed
& territorial integrity cant 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. (shouldve mentioned the pms interlocutors at
work now, but forgot).

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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 dont want others 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.
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

ABHISHEK
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 UPSC 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 UPSC
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 UPSC 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,Bihar),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(JNU,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

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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 .

Madam:Have u eaten paan ?
Me: Yes maam ,i have eaten raw paan.

Madam:Do 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.


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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:Do 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 ?

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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.

M1:Sachin has got injured 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:ok (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?

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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.
M3:Northeast is disaster prone 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.

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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 ...

Postscript: I got 180/300 , a decent score but i was hovering near the cut-off in mains score ,so missed
out from being in the final list :(
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

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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?
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.

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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.
Exam Interview Details : UPSC-Civil Services Exam 2010
Subjects Taken : Public Administration, Literature of Hindi Language
Interview DATE : 25-Mar-2011
Interview Board : Sh. IMG Khan

Ajay Pal AIR-160
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 DIDNT 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

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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 DOESNT SPOIL CAREER USUALY AND HE GIVE YOU MORE THAN 140
NORMALLY THOUGH HIS RANGE IS 140-180.AND SHE SAID HE DONT 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..

THEN THE INTERVIEW OF 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
PERSONALITYI 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 CAMETHE 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 DIDNT 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


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I OCCUPIED MY SEAT AND THANK YOU SIR,THANK YOU MADAM

CH:YOUR NAME

ME: AJAY PAL

CH:ROLL NUMBER

ME: TOLD
CH:DATE 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 DONT KNOW EXACT YEAR BUT EARLIER IT WAS A VILLAGE NAMED MIR HOTA.

CH: NO NO WHEN WAS IT FOUNDED?

ME: SORRY SIR I DONT 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


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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 ALSOSOOOO 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 OF LAHORE.TELL ME SOME TREATY WHICH IS
STILL RELEVANT.FORGET ABOUT RADCLIFE LINE..

ME:THINKING FOR A WHILE(3-4 SECONDS) M SORRY SIR I DONT KNOW.

CH: OK YOU PLAY CRICKET?

15


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


16

ME: SIR 30 APRIL

M1: WHERE

ME: SIR MOHALI

M1 : AJAY OUR 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 ASM1: 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.


17

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

ME :SIR CHITTA LAHU 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?

18


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 PROVIDEDSIR I WOULD LIKE TO USE AN EXAMPLE FROM THIS
YEAR BUDGET.FOR EXAMPLE FOR PULSES PRODUCTION RS 300 CRORE HAVE 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 THATS 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

19

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 DONT REMEMBER

LM : ITS 140 (THEN SHE STARTED CONFIRMING FROM M1)

LM :DO WE COUNT THE SPACE?

ME (DONT 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


20

ME : YES MAM

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 DONT 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 DONT HAVE ANY ACCOUNT

21

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?

ME : NO SIR 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 THATS 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


22

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

NOW CHAIRMAN GOT BACK TO HIM.HE WAS ALL THE TIME VERY ATTENTIVE

CH : HAVE YOU READ PUNJBA HISTORY?

ME : (HAVING NO OTHER CHOICE AND DONT 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

23


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 DONT 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

CH : ARE YOU 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 UPSC ( I WAS DELIGHTED THAT HE WILL ASK ME

24

OPINION BASED QUESTION NOW BUT IN VAIN)

CH: WHEN WAS UPSC 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)

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)

25


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, UPSC YEAR ( THAT HAS A STORY WHICH I
WILL SHARE ) AD OPTIMAL USE OF RESOURCES, TREATY OF 1839 ETC.

Akil Bakhshi
Attempt : 2nd
Qualification: Mass Communication
From : Himachal Pradesh
As I begin to write this, I wonder how much and how far would I be able to do justice to what actually
happened. There was so much to digest, so much to understand and so much to decipher, that a
word-by-word recall becomes improbable. However, I will try to reproduce the interview to the best of
my ability so that those, who reach this stage at some point in their lives, can read, derive their own
conclusions and thus, benefit.
At the outset, let me do away with the details of how we were directed into the waiting hall and asked
to produce our certificates for verification. Let me also not talk about how anxious everyone else
looked and how most pretended to either read a newspaper or indulge in light talk. Within, we were all
jittery. We just didn't want it to show on our faces. I was 23rd in line to be interviewed. The wait for
my turn to come was more ethereal than eternal. Finally, the time came. The clock struck 4 and I was
ushered into the board room. Quite unlike my expectations, the room was well-lit and the board
members looked amicable and welcoming. They were seated in a semi-circle and each one of them
held a paper in their hands, which I presumed was my bio-data.
""Good afternoon Sir"", I said with a cheerful nod to the Chairman. His name was Mr.Purushottam
Aggarwal.
""Good afternoon, Akil. Sit"", he said, motioning towards the chair.
While I took the chair, I wished the other members too who responded cordially.

26

""So you have done your Post-graduation in Mass Communication"", the Chairman began.
"" Yes Sir"", I said.
"" Media is such a thrilling field. Everybody wants to be seen on the camera these days. Why do you
want to join a service as boring as the administrative service?"", he asked.
Me- ""Administrative service has always been a dream, Sir. I have always wanted to be of service to
this nation and its people. Working on-camera, does not give me the same level of satisfaction as
working off-camera does.""
Chairman- ""Then why waste 2 years doing Mass communication? You could have appeared for the
civil service exams right after your graduation.""
Me- ""I could have Sir. But I did not. And I had two lines of thinking behind it. One, I come from
Himachal Pradesh and I needed some exposure to see and understand the working of the system.
Two, despite the prestige associated with civil services, I wanted to have an alternative to rely on"".
Chairman- ""If that was the case, you could have chosen any field. Why this one in specific?""
Me- "" If you cast a look at my hobbies, Sir, you'd see that I am a little inclined towards the creative
side. Mass communication was the obvious choice to help me capitalize on my hobbies. Plus,
experiencing the field of journalism only strengthened my resolve to get in the services. ""
Chairman- ""Hmm. I see you have done your graduation from Dharamshala. Can you name a
personality who has passed out from the same college as yours?""
Me- ""Mr. Dev Anand, Sir""
Chairman- ""Waah, Waah!"". He said and everyone gave a broad smile. I don't know if it was
sarcasm or they were really expecting me to name someone else. But he is the only one that I knew
about. With this, the Chairman passed the baton to Member 2.
M2- "" So Akil, You say Mass communication strengthened your resolve to be in the services. What
made you think about getting into the services, in the first place?""
Me- "" With your permission, I'd like to narrate an anecdote to answer this, Sir.
M2- ""Go ahead.""
Me- ""It was somewhere in 2006 Sir, when I was having a discussion with a friend of mine. He blamed
all ills of our society on the government and administration. His words left an indelible impression on
my mind and I realized that criticizing a system from the warmth of our cosy homes is an easy task.
What is difficult is to get in there, and be a part of the change you wish to see. This is when I decided
that I wanted to be a part of the administrative service so that I could contribute towards national
growth and development.""
M2- ""So you want to work for the growth of this nation?""
Me- ""The nation and its people"".
M2- ""Okay. Tell me, do you know who Dalai Lama is?""
Me- "" Yes Sir. He is the religious head of a certain sect of Tibetan Buddhism"".
M2- ""You stay near Dharamshala. Have you met him?""
Me- No Sir. I have seen him in public appearances but have ever had the opportunity to personally
meet him"".
M2- ""Is it possible for laymen to personally meet him?"" (He genuinely appeared to show interest)
Me- ""Yes Sir. You have to write to his Secretary and seek an appointment. Sometimes it takes years!
If you are lucky, it might as well take a few weeks only"".
M2- ""Why did he come to Dharamshala?""
Me- "" The immediate reason was the threat of his arrest. A religious function was due and it was

27

rumored, that the Chinese authorities would take him to Beijing. Otherwise, there was a larger picture
behind it"".
M2- "" Tell me what the larger picture was?""
Me- ""Sir, essentially the friction began in 1912. The Chinese Qing dynasty was dethroned and Tibet
gained independence. It retained that status till 1951 when the PLA took over. A 17 point agreement
was signed between Tibet and China which made Tibet an autonomous region within China. However,
Tibet claims that this agreement was signed under duress. A revolution brewed for a good period of 9
years and its culmination saw Dalai Lama crossing over to India in 1959"".
M2- ""1959?"", he asked with raised eyebrows, ""Are you sure?""
Me- "" Yes Sir, I am"".
M2- ""What was the status of Tibet before 1912?""
Me- ""It was under Chinese domination"".
M2- ""Has it always been under Chinese domination?""
Me- ""No Sir. But it has always been a part of some larger empire. There were periods when Tibet was
completely autonomous. At other times, it was subjugated. However, they have always maintained a
distinct culture and lifestyle"". (I don't know how right this answer was, but this was the only neutral
wording I could afford to use).
M2- "" When did India accept Tibet to be a part of China?""
Me- "" In 2003, Sir. During Prime Minister Vajpayee's regime"".
M2- ""Are you sure about that?""
Me- ""That is what I am aware of Sir. Prime Minister Nehru, in his lifetime, had not accepted Chinese
suzerainty over Tibet"".
Here the Chairman interrupted- ""It was in 1956 actually"", he said, "" That is when India accepted
Tibet to be a part of China"".
I had been specifically asked not to contradict. Though this went against the common knowledge, I
only nodded, smiled and said that I was not aware of this fact.
M2- ""What do you think should India do in the Tibet-China dispute?""
Me- ""India follows a foreign policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. The
dispute between Tibet and China is for them to resolve. India can only provide conditions conducive to
such resolution. In fact, we have formally stated that despite the asylum granted to the Tibetan
administration, we would not permit any anti-China activities to take place on our soil"".
M2- ""Okay. What do you think about the current government?"" (The change of topic was quite
abrupt and random)
Me- ""Each government has its flaws, Sir. This one has had its share too. It has created certain
policies with lacunae. However, from what I have read and seen around me, it has also taken a
number of appreciable steps. While it is not possible to create perfect institutions in the first go,
measures have been still taken. I believe if the implementation and supervisory mechanisms are
bettered, the government will be in a position to achieve much more"" - ( I purposely did not name
any schemes or programs as it would have lead to a discussion on that subject. Don't know if that was
the right thing to do or if I could have used some names to enrich my answer).
When I finished with this though, I heard a little 'Good' from M2. Or maybe I am imagining
it now. Anyway, he pointed me to Member 3 after this.
M3- ""So you write stories?""
Me- "" I do, Sir"",

28

M3- ""What kind of stories?""
Me- ""Short stories, Sir. Both realist and non-realist fiction"".
M3- ""Okay. One of your hobbies is also Oratory"".
Me- ""Yes Sir""
M3- ""I'll give you a topic. Think about it for 2 minutes and then give me an extempore speech. Can
you?""
Me- ""I'll try my level best Sir""- ( This actually excited me because it was pretty much within my
sphere of competence.)
M3- ""Your topic is- Should India have a Presidential form of Government? You are free to choose
sides- For or against. Take your time to think"".
While I gave myself a minute to ponder over my points I realized that while I was conversing with M3,
the Chairman had gone to the washroom. He came back just then, saw me sitting without uttering a
word and casually asked, ""What happened?""
Before I could answer, M3 explained the situation to him and they sat quietly. After about 45 seconds,
I began. The following is what I can loosely recollect. It explains the line I towed. I don't recall my
exact words. It was extempore, remember?
""The founding fathers of India have blessed this nation with a democratic set-up. This decision was
arrived at after thorough consultation and debate. The primary reason why India adopted a
parliamentary form of government was to ensure that representation was provided to even the lowest
rungs of the society. Considering the diversity, in terms of religion, culture and tradition, of India,
transferring the power to the hands of a single person does not seem feasible. Not only would that
hinder true empowerment but there would also be a worry of the man turning into a dictator"".- I
spoke for around a minute and I am not too sure what else I added in there, but yes, by and large,
this was it.
M3 responded with an 'Okay', wrote something on a paper and referred me to M4.
M4- ""How many deserts are there in India, Akil?""
Me- ""There is the Thar Desert in Rajasthan and the Cold deserts of Himalayas"" - (I believe this is
what he wanted to check. If I knew about the deserts in the upper reaches of my state)
M4- Right.
While he sat looking at the paper in his hand, I added- ""Also, the Runn of Kutch in Gujarat, Sir"".
M4- ""Oh Yes. I'd forgotten that""- And everybody shared a laugh. On what, I have no clue. However,
I kept my smile on.
M4- ""Do you know what is the minimum temperature in the cold deserts of Spiti?""
Me- ""I can't be too sure Sir, but I believe it ranges between -10 to -20 degree Celsius.""
M4- "" You're right. Its. -15"". He paused for a bit and then went again, ""What is the minimum
temperature in Antarctica?""
Me- "" I can't be precise again Sir, but it should be somewhere between -60 to -80"".
M4- ""It is -129!"". The Chairman interrupts, ""Really?"", he looks at M4. M4 nods.
Me- (With a look of genuine surprise on my face- or at least that is what I hope it was)- ""Oh. I didn't
know that, Sir"".
M4- Smiles and continues with his tirade- "" If you are posted as a DC in Lahaul-Spiti, what kind of
statistics would you like to collect?""
Me- "" Should these be in terms of physical or human statistics, Sir?""

29

M4- ""Any. That's up to you.""
Me- ""Sir, the first thing I would do is to collect data on soil fertility. Agriculture has been a constant
issue with these areas and a lot of land can be reclaimed for other income-generating purposes""
M4- ""Like growing orchids and orchards?""
Me- ""Yes Sir. Flori-culture and horticulture have a lot of scope in these areas""
M4- ""Go on""
Me- ""Secondly, I would come to the health and education parameters. If the populace is healthy and
well educated, the technological interventions are well received. This would mean that economic and
social inclusion would be easy. Finally, I would pay my attention to the infrastructural facilities and
collect data about their presence and functioning"".
M4- A sudden change of topic again- "" If you are posted as a DC in Shimla, how would you handle
the 'theft of' electricity?""
Call it a bad stroke of luck or the stupidity of my auditory mechanism, what I heard was ""tapped up
electricity"". Or Maybe it was simply his pronunciation. Nevertheless, I asked- ""I am sorry, Sir. Did
you say tapped up electricity?""
M4- ""Thaaaft"", he clarified- It was his pronunciation after all. This may have irked him.
Me- "" The first thing I would do is to try and find out the reasons for this theft.....""
M4- ""Are there reasons for electricity theft?"", he cut me short, ""What are they?""
Me- ""Sir, they may range from unequal distribution to diversion for other purposes. Even over-
consumption is a reason""
M4- ""People simply put a hook over the wire which runs in front of their house and steal electricity.
What reasons do you want to find? Don't you think you'll encourage corruption this way?""- He uttered
this sentence in an extremely sarcastic manner, or so I presumed. He looked at other members and
they shared a laugh. I felt a little embarrassed here but showing that publicly would have been
disastrous. My damage-control mode got activated.
Me- "" My apologies if I seemed to convey that message, Sir. I suppose my articulation was incorrect.
When I said 'reasons', I meant, the 'how', 'when' and 'where' of the theft taking place. Once that has
been determined, I would take a two-pronged action. One, the lapses on the part of the authorities
would be accounted for. Those who are responsible for overlooking would be brought to book. Two, I
would conduct household checks to ensure that they are not misusing electricity.""
M4- ""Okay"",
he simply said and motioned to Member 5. - I somehow feel I messed up with Member 4.
My answer was probably not good enough.
M5- ""Since you have studied Mass communication, you must have studied advertising?""
Me- ""Yes Sir.""
M5- ""Then tell me, what is the difference between Advertising and Publicity?""
Me- ""Advertising focuses its approach on 3 things- There must be a product, There must be a
sponsor and the sponsor and the product must share a 'paid' relationship. Publicity, on the other hand
is usually not about products. It relates selling an idea or opinion...""
M5- Interrupted me in the middle of the sentence, ""Does Publicity have anything to do with being
paid in comparison to Advertising?""
Me- ""Sir, Advertising must be necessarily paid while Publicity may be either paid or unpaid.""

30

M5- ""Okay. Do you know about Oglivy's contribution to advertising?""
Me- ""I am sorry Sir. Advertising was not my branch of specialization"". - I realized the blunder later.
I should have at least mentioned that Oglivy was the father of Advertising.
M5- ""No problem. So, you have done your post-graduation from Amritsar.""
Before I could say No, the Chairman corrected him, ""No. He has done it from Delhi. Their University
has a campus in Amritsar"".
The he turned to me, ""Am I right?""
I smiled politely, ""You are, Sir"".
M5- ""Where in Delhi was your college located?""
Me- ""At the Dwarka Institutional area"".
With this M5 nodded. The Chairman picked up a paper, smiled and said, ""Thank you, Akil"".
I uttered the well-rehearsed Thank you's and walked out. Strangely, I neither felt anxious, nor
nervous. There was just a subtle exhilaration at the interview being over. Since this was a once-in-a-
lifetime experience, I had to write it down. If you are reading this, please don't judge the
conversation. I haven't got my results as yet. When I do, I'll know whether I am still in the frying pan
or I have jumped into the fire.

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.

31

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.
M1: What will you 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?
Me: Sir ICAI has issues INDAS to be followed. So we are adopting as it is but are modifying
them as per our needs.

32

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)

1. Are you doing Ph.D.?
2. When are you completing Ph.D.?
3. Whats your research topic?
4. So you are working on tomato breeding. In Europe they grow
tomatoes in polyhouse and transport from Spain to UK n all. We
produce large quantity of tomato, why cant we export to Europe?
5. Is there any GM variety in Tomato in India?
6. Relation between GM crop and organic farming?
7. Are we producing tomatoes organically?
8. Do you recommend organic farming in India?
9. You have mentioned your mother tongue as Tulu. Where it is
spoken?
10. Whether tulu has script?
11. India has huge diversity in languages? What needs to be
done to promote regional and neglected languages?
12. There was news about a language which is spoken by only
one person. Do you know the region where that language is
spoken?

33

13. Which schedule of the constitution has provision for
languages?
Member 1:
1. Name some of the recent varieties released by UAS, Dharwad
(Univ. where I graduated from)?
2. You know red chillies. Do you know long chilli variety introduced
from Brazil?
3. Why Kisan Mela is required? Dont you think its a waste?
Member 2:
1. (He read some statistics from a survey made by India Today
regarding corruption in India) So, how to control corruption? Tell
me in points.
2. Tell me what is the basic thing in controlling corruption?
3. In 1960s Secretary for John F. Kennedy has told China is the
biggest threat to the World? Though Russia was the biggest threat
to USA at that time, what may be the reason that made him to say
that?
4. Tell me why many are against Israel? Tell me in historical
perspective?
5. Why China is ahead of India in grabbing opportunities around the
world? E.g. In Srilanka, Maldives, Africa. Why are we lagging
behind?
Member 3:
1. (He read some statistics regarding income disparity explaining
percentage of millionaires and poor in India) Why this income
disparity exists in India?
2. Which country has highest population?
3. So China does not have such disparity despite having highest
population. Why India has such income disparity?
Member 4:
1. What is lacking in sports administration?
2. (Based on my answer) So you are saying we are not doing well?

34

3. Which sports you play?
4. You know recently IOC has decided to drop wrestling from
Olympics. What do you think about that?
5. Do you know about housing problem in police service?
6. Have you ever had an encounter with Karnataka police?
(Everybody laughs at the use of word encounter)
Q. Was your interview on the expected lines of what you had
prepared?
Did they ask you totally unexpected questions?
Most of the questions were unexpected, but from expected areas. I
managed to answer majority of the questions though not in a perfect
way.

Anurima Sharma (Interview Marks 205)
hi allthis was my civil services interview on 27 March 2010,fore noon session. I went in and greeted
the members. Chairman(cm) asked me to sit
*CM :* So, you are from Miss Hill school,gwalior?
*ME :* yes sir..
*CM :* oh! i am also from the same school
*ME :* I smiled. Great sir.
*CM :* So,now tell me, why its known as miss hill?
*ME :* Sir,named on miss Agnes Hill,the founder who established it in 1900.
*CM :* ok.what did she do before that?
*ME :* Sorry sir! I am not aware.
*CM :* Kamaal hai!!
*ME :* (smile)
*CM :* She used to teach the kids of royal dynasty.
*ME :* Thank you sir.
*CM :* Can u guess,wich maharajas time she worked?
*ME :* Madhav Rao Scindia IInd
*CM and all Members: *Arey!
*ME :* Sorry sir,slip of tongue..its Madhav Rao Scindia Ist

35

*CM :* Now, lets come out of Gwalior.
*CM :* What is your opinion about foreign universitys bill?
*ME :* Sir,i feel it will help in raising the benchmarks and providing more options..but some checks
and balances are required.
*CM :* Is it a competition betwen equals or unequals?
*ME :* Sir,as of now its competition between unequals. And thats why it should be monitored and
regulated.
*CM :* What kind of checks?
*ME :* Sir,curriculum must be the same as they offer abroad. Then, exorbitant fee should not be
charged. It should be in national interest and in tandem with Indian culture.
*CM :* You have used a very interesting termIndian Culture. I have never understood it. Now tell
me, wat do you mean by it?
*ME :* Sir, its the existing socio- economic- political conditions. The way of living life in india. For
example, IIT and IIM should teach managemnt and technology, which caters to our needs.
*CM :* No..indian culturetell me..you are dressed in a sari, so a girl dressed in skirt should not be
imparted education?
*ME :* No sir, definitely not, thats not wat i mean..
*CM :* Then?
*ME :* Sir,i meant that it should be sensitive to the indian society.
*CM :* When i go to Gurudwara, i cover my head.
*ME :* Thats what my point is sir.
cm n all members: You are a science student, be concrete. Dont be abstract.
*ME :* Right sir.
*CM :* Ok, so..my son who is born in America, stands nowhere infront of these youngsters who eat
pizzas, use slangs and swirl to the tunes of shalika?
*Another Member Corrected CM :* sir Shakira??
*CM :* Yes, yesMexican singer..Shakira.
*ME :* sir.
*CM :* So? what is Indian culture?
*ME :* Sir, the socio-political conditions of India are different from rest of the world. We are emotional
peoplereligious beliefs(cm interrupted)
*CM :* So, you mean, some other religions should be barred from education?
*ME :* Absolutely not sir. Thats what I am sayingIndian Secularism. We are different!!
*CM :* Aap apne ko fasaa rahey ho
*ME :* I smiled

36

*CM :* Ok ok. Forget it. Now, you come from GwaliorThere was a news recently where a political
leader was given 101 salutes of rounds. Stupid people (laughs loudly)
*ME :* Yes sir.
*CM :* As a DM , what you would have done?
*ME :* Sir, i wouldnt have allowed it.
*CM :* Ok, you wouldnt have allowed it. Which section of IPC prohibits it?
*ME :* Sorry sir,i am not aware .
*CM :* Ok..so, you would have done what?
*ME :* Sir,i am sure, had i been the DM, i had known, what to do. But,as of nowi would say, i have
take legal expertise and taken an action in legal framework.
m4: Oh..but you dont know IPC section?
*ME :* Yes sir, i dont know that. But I know that firing in public is an offence.
*CM :* Anurima, your common sense is at its right place. And for a public offence, you can lodge an
FIR.
*ME :* Thank you sir. Right sir, I would have done the same.
m 4: And you can seize the arms, cancel their licences also.
*ME :* Thank you sir. I would have done this also.
*CM :* Ok..now tell me who are Sahariyas?
*ME :* Sir, Sahariyas are the tribals who inhabit Gwalior, Morena, Raisen.
*CM :* Ok, tell me whats their economic condition?
*ME :* Sir, they are weavers..kabirpanthis.
*CM :* No, no..economic condition?
*ME :* Sir, its not very good.
*CM :* Which area is having hunger and starvation more than Ethiopia and Sudan?
*ME :* Sorry sir, I am not aware.
*CM :* Its Sahariya belt.
*ME :* Thank u sir, i will take a note of it.
*CM :* Suppose, you are DM at Morena..what would you do to tackle it?
*ME :* Sir,effective implementation of PDS and TPDs. Bringing them under MGREGA, generating
employmentby using food coupons, various subsidies and making sure they reach the needy.
*CM :* Ok. Now have you heard of honour killings?
*ME :* Yes sir.
*CM :* In your area also, there are honour killings.

37

*ME :* Yes sir.
*CM :* Suppose you are DM or IPS officer of Morena, a couple is being set to fire by a panchayat,
what would you do?
*ME :* Sir,i would be flanked by many people, well armed and immediately i shall provide security
cover to the couple. Nextly, i shall try to strike a conversation with people.
*CM :* Ok..scene changed..they dont listen to you. They are just going to murder the couple..your
reaction?
*ME :* Sir,i wud take massive number of staff and somehow try to snatch the couple from their
hands.
*CM :* Hav you been to any village there?
*ME :* Yes sir!
*CM :* Then, you think those people listen to anybody?(laughs)
*ME :* Sir, thats why, i said..i will take a large number of people.
*CM :* Ok, and if in that case, a few people are to be killed..what would you do?
*ME :* Sir, violence wouldnt be my first priority.
*M4 :* Then? You will allow the couple to die?
*ME :* No sir.
*M4 :* But you said, you wont resort to violence?
*ME :* Sir, i said..violence wont be the first priority..but if i am left with no optionsi will.
*CM :* Ok..if that means 7 people killed..who happen to be from the home ministers partyand then
your job??
*ME :* Sir,i would resort to violent methods if i am left with nothing else.
*CM :* Tell me,u will shoot or you wont?
*ME :* I will go ahead sir.
*CM :* Think again.
*ME :* Sir, i am joining the services after lot of thinking. If this step helps in making a mark..i will go
ahead.
*CM :* I wish that, wen you join services, you stick to your word.
*ME :* I shall never disappoint you, sir.
*CM :* Ok, can you trace Indias Foreign Policy over the last 60 years.
*ME :* Yes sir.
*CM :* Do that.
*ME :* NAM, Panchsheel, Rationalism, Pragmatism now I answered in detail.
*CM :* Is it a success?

38

*ME :* Yes sir.
*CM :* After 26/11,we are still talking with Pakistan, whos not doing anything. USA giving aid to
Pakistan. We are building relations with it also. How is it successful?
*ME :* Sir,we have followed madhyam marga (Middle Path) always.
*M4 :* Another abstract! (all smile)
*CM :* You say, IFP is successful. I say, its a failure. Defend yourself.
*ME :* Sir, we have always believed in talking and sorting out the issues. We have favoured sharing a
common platform and exchanging notes. A terrible stand of violence would lead to bad consequences.
*CM :* Ok.
*M1 :* You come from gwalior. A Baarat in your area is considered to be good, when usmein bahut
wardi aur bandookein ho?
*ME :* Smile
*M1 :* Do you appreciate this?
*ME :* Yes sir.
*M1 :* Why is it so?
*ME :* Sir, law and order is a problem there. Criminals are many. Hence, uniform is associated with
power and dignity.
*M1 :* And such baarats have higher dowries?
*ME :* Smileyes sir.
*M1 :* She is smiling!!
*M1 :* What is the meaning of your name?
*ME :* Sir, modified form of arunima.
*M1 :* Ravines are a problem in your area.any schemes?
*ME :* Yes sir. (I provide all details)
*M1 :* Tell me various welfare schemes by your state govt for females.
*ME :* Janani suraksha, Gaaon ki beti..( in detail)
*M2 :* Bhopal gas tragedy, poison, has the compensation been paid.then?
*M3 :* (lady member): Sarva shiksha abhiyaan.if its successful. Mid day mealsits pros and cons
*M4* asked me to differentiate between cellular biology, microbiology and biotech. Then,he asked me
to give examples of contribution of biotech to food and health, then asked me what are antibiotics? Is
attaining them a biological process or chemical? Then, i was told my interview is over.
I thanked all. All wished me best of luck for future. I thanked all again. *M2 *laughed and said,
Anurima! I wished i could understand your name better. All laughed. I also joined in.and got back!


39

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.
Question: Bertrand Russel's statement 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.

40

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
Question: why?
Me: earth's rotation 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. "

. Arun Sundar Thayalan IAS
Qualification: B.com
Optional: First: Commerce, Second: Pub.Ad.
Hobbies: Listening to music, reading books,
visiting orphanage
Board: Smt. Shashi Uben Tripathi
Total Mark: 1298
Interview Mark: 165
Rank: 22

Me : Good morning Madam, Good morning Sirs
Chairperson: (with cordial and pleasant smile) Good Morning

C.P: Take your seat..
CP: What is ACS
Me: i explained
Me: mainly film music now also some classical music

CP: what is the classical music of India?

41

Me: Carnatic and Hindustani

CP: what is the difference between our classical music and western?
Me: (I murmured Ragas but did't tell..) sorry i don't know

M1: you finished graduation in 2005 and for the last 4 years what are you doing.?
Me: i repeated the same answer. he too doesn't know about ACS

M1: did you work after graduation
Me: no sir

M1: he continued you studied management and accounting in ACS, recently there was a controversy
about an accounting standard. Do you know that? what is the controversy? what will be the best in public
interest?
Me: I talked elaborately on accounting standard 11 (and purposefully I said I oppose the governments
decision and told my reason for that)

M1: your opinion ok.. what is the accounting body says?
Me: I told the ICAI's opinion which was similar to my opinion

M1: Arun you are from Tuticorin. Tell us something about the exports and imports from Tuticorin Port
Trust
Me: I said coal coal primary import and marine primary export

M1: Is there Fish processing industries in Tuticorin?
Me: Yes sir there is two leading private companies

M1: what will be the impact of Sethu Samudram Shipping Canal Project on Tuticorin? Port Trust?
Me: I said the merits like foreign exchange benefits and up gradation of tuticorin port into a hub port etc..

M1: (interrupted abruptly) No, i'm asking about the impact on the port, you are saying the benifit of SSCP
(and he uttered something else too, which i can not hear)
Me: (since i can not understand him) sorry sir, i couldn't understand you

M1: what are the ports that will benefit from SSCP?
Me: Tuticorin, Chennai, Ennore major ports & Nagappatnam minor ports

M2: (intervened) ...you said Primary export of TPT is marine goods. What wll be the impact of SSCP on
the fisheries?
Me: Less if not zero impact. NEERI report-Govt. precautionary 60 crore project on Rameshwaram sea
shore.

M2: What fisherman say?
Me: Apprehension of coral reef, biosphere reserve, planktons damaged, iol spill and wastages of ships

M2: What the Govt. says?
Me: ( i started once again NEERI etc, he stopped)


42

M2: Govt. says once SSCP gets activated new fishes may come.. what do you think
Me: Sorry sir i don't know

M2: Okay, Recently NDTV has declared 7 wonders of India.. What are the seven wonders? What will be
the seven wonders you would choose?
Me: I asked them i have to tell my seven wonders or NDTV's ?

(M2 started before that Chairperson intervened and told say your seven wonders)
Me: I sayed upto 5 wonders and said sorry
: your name is Arun Sundar.. is arun your name? (i said 'yes' Ma'm and befoi continuing.. She moved
on)

M2: You finished your graduation on 2005 and now almost 3 years (i said 4 years) what did you do in this
mean while?
Me: After graduation IAS as career- started preparing for it and ACS

CP: your hobby is listeningto music. what kind of music you listen?
CP: RAGAS based on which our classical singers sing (she pointed out to the members sitting to her left)
M3: You studied B.com (Computer Application), How will your computer application will work in rural
areas?
Me: It could help for farmers, students, common man

M3: Tell us some computer application which has substantially affected the common man
(i was thinking for few seconds)
Chairperson: Quick tell Three application
Me: I told E-governance application

M4: You are from Tuticorin, your farmers are earning crores of crores in Jatropha cultivation. I hope you
know that. what is the agro-climatic conditions required for the cultivation of Jatropha plant?
Me: Jatropha is a all weather crop but in Tuticorin dry land is best suitable.. no other crops are
conomically viable ( M4 found I was making an intelligent reasoning since Tuticorin is a dry climate... so
as expected, he intervened)

M4: If i plant Jatropha in Jaisalmar, in which during day time 41 degree C night temperature fall below
zero, can Jatropha grow there?
Me: I don't know sir..

M4: okay no problem. Recently supreme court has advised Urban Local Bodies to go for double entry
book keeping. What will be the impact?
Me: Sir, it is a better accounting practice...

M4: (once again intervened) We know that. What will be the impact on the local bodies which even can
not give salaries to its employees?
Me: ( i couldn't understand his perspective, i thought positive aspect only) I don't know sir
then he explained the negative implication..

CP: Your hobby is reading books. what kind of book you are reading.
Me: usually fictions navel of Tamil and English

43


CP: of?
Me: on

CP: in
Me: ( I begged sorry and laughed. she too smiled)

CP: What is the last book you read?
Me: Jeffrey Archer's Kane and AbelCP: is it? ( she gave a warm smile) Did Jeffrey Archer come any time
to India?
Me: I don't know

CP: last year he came to India and there was some hue and cry in New Delhi.. okay
CP: Visiting Orphanage.. What is the name of he orphanage
Me: Nesa Karangal (before continuing chairperson interrupted}

CP: You just visit or do any other work
Me: Ma'm we don't just visit

CP: Last Question ( both of us stopped at the same, ma'm got little bit angry. I immediately apolozised
and asked her to go for the next Qs.)
CP: 50% of our population is youth. Is it an boon or a Disability to India?
Me: I listed Demographic Dividend, availability of labour force, productivity, production, competitive
advantage but for all skill improvement, utilization mechanism needed, health and education problem.
unless skills improved and utilized, it is a disability

CP: (She gave me a confused smile) unless skills were there it will be a liability
Me: Yes ma'm

CP: (once again a warm smile) okay Arun you may go now..
Me: i thanked the chair person and members and walked slowly towards that

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

44

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 dont 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 didnt 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.
M1: Dr I call 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?

45

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 dont 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 emotional is better than impulsive
M3: asked one more ques relating to emotion which I have never heard, so I stated that I
dont 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

46

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 dont 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 dont 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
Subjects Taken: Public Administration, Psychology
Interview Date: 31, March 2011
Interview Board : Dr KK Paul
City: Agra


47

CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION 2010
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (March 22, 2011)
Name of the candidate Dr. Vagheesh Tiwari
Board Prashant Mishra
Duration 30 minutes
1. Why Railway budget is separated from the General Budget? In your view, should this
division be continued?
(Dr. Vagheesh in his first attempt got selected for the Railway Accounts Services)
2. What is the meaning of his name and to which God is it related?
3. What is JE (Japanese Encephalitis) ? How it can be treated? Where all it was spread?
(There have been some incidents of JE in the eastern Uttar Pradesh and Vagheesh is from
Varanasi)
4. Name the corruption controlling agencies in India ? Compare C.B.I and C.V.C.
(Public Administration was one of the subjects for the ci vil services examination of
Dr. Vagheesh)
5. Explain defining features of caste system. One Indian and one foreign thinker on caste
system.
(Sociology was the other subject of Dr. Vagheesh)
6. What is Blood Money?
7. a) What is Endometrium ?
b) Questions about Insulin.
c) Questions on Glands and its functioning.
(Dr. Vagheesh is an M.B.B.S Doctor)
8. Tell us your experience as a Finance Manager?
(Vagheesh is presently serving in Railway Account Services of India)

48

9. Which Singer is your favorite and why?
(Listening to old Hindi songs is Dr. Vagheeshs hobby)
10. Tell us about Meenakshi Temple and Palace Tirumallai.
(Vagheesh completed his Graduation from a college in Madurai)
Name of the candidate Arunita
Board Professor K . S . Chalan
Duration 25 -30 minutes
Question asked :
1. Explain ULFA problem.
2. Role of Autonomous Development Council in Meghalaya.
3. Problems of North East.
(Arunita is from Meghalaya)
4. Ways to reduce maternal mortality rate (MMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR).
5. Your favourite character from Mahabharat.
(Arunitas hobby is reading mythologies)
6. Obama is stepping into Bushs Shoes. Comment.
Name of Candidate Atul Pandey
Board Shashi Uben Tripathi
Duration 25 -30 minutes
Question asked :
1. Questions related to Banking Sector. (Nationalization of Indian Banks, Terms related to
Banking and finance)
(Mr. Atul is presently serving as a P.O in Allahabad Bank)
2. What is social Audit? What are the problems in the Implementation of MGNREGA?
(Pu blic Administration was one of his subjects for the civil services examination)

49

3. Relevance of Fundamental Rights and Preamble.
4. As a District Magistrate, how would you tackle corruption in your district?
5. India vs China growth path. Comment.
6. India as a Super Power. Comment.
Name of the candidate Ravi Dhawan
Board Lt. Gen. Nirbhay Singh
Duration 30 minutes
Question asked :
1. About Naxalism, Communalism and Terrorism
(Ravi is presently undergoing training at the Police Acad emy at Hyderabad)
2 Most of the interview focused on the problems in India (mentioned above) and there were
no questions on optional subjects.
Name of the candidate Nisha Shekhar
Board Lt.Gen. Nirbhay singh.
Duration 30 min
Question asked :
1. Your strength and weaknesses as a women.
2. What is caste system and its relevance at present?
(Sociology was one of her subjects for the examination)
3. What is Policy Analysis?
(Political Science was her other subject)
4. Explain Libyan Issue.
5. What are the Problems of North -East?
6. What is the use and purpose of studying history?
Name of the candidate Gyanveer

50

Board K. K. Paul
Duration 30 minutes
Questions asked :
1. What places have you gone for Rafting and tracking?
(Gyanveer had qu oted Rafting and tracking as his hobbies)
2. What is the difference between FM & AM?
(Gyanveer had quoted listening to FM as his hobby)
3. Work experience at Samsung.
(Gyanveer is presently working with Samsung)
4. Explain use of IT in Agriculture.
5. Why do you want to be an IAS officer?
6. As a DM, how will improve education in your district?
Name of the candidate Mohan Bhuvan
Board K. K. Paul
Duration 25-30 minutes
Question asked :
1. What is your Date of Birth and Roll No.?
2. You have an engineering background, so have you grasped or just mugged Philosophy?
(Philosophy was one of his subjects for the examination)
3. What are unique features of Indian Culture?
4. In the present scenario social values are degrading fast; as a D.M,what all can you do?
5. Blast in Nuclear reactor (Japan) took place in which province?
6. What are the problems of Rajasthan?
(Mohan is from Rajasthan)
7. Suggest ways to improve women literacy in Rajasthan.

51

Name of the candidate Harveer
Board Usha Uben
Duration 25 minutes
Question asked :
1. Name the U.N agencies working in India and which one is your favourite?
2. If WHO is effective, then why Poliovirus has not been eradicated from India?
3. In the budget 201112, what all new Schemes ar e started?
4. If UIDAI is not cost effective then what is its relevance?
5. Suggest ways to improve education status in Haryana.
(Harveer is from Haryana)
6. Why so many lawyers framed Constitution?
(Law was one of his subjects for the examination)
7. Comment on corruption in judiciary.
Name of the candidate Aditi
Board Shashi uban Tripathi
Duration 15 -20 minutes
Questions asked :
1. Compare anthem of Commonwealth Games and that of Cricket World Cup 2011.
(Aditi had mentioned music a s her hobby)
2. Which singer do you like and why ?
3. What is Good Governance?
(Public Administration was one of her subjects for the examination)
4. What is Biodegradation?
(Aditi is Science graduate)
5. What is D.M S.P Conflict?

52

Name of the ca ndidate Amit Singh
Board Vijay Singh
Duration 15 minutes
Questions asked :
1. Why do you want to be an IAS officer? Why are you not going for research?
(Amit is an Engineering Graduate)
2. What is PPP ? Its merits and demerits?
3. What are the Problems of our country?
4. How Poverty (Both Urben and Rural specify) can be tackled?
5. Which film won the Oscar award for the best film this year?
6. What will be your stand in the case of Ministerial Pressure on certain issues ?
7. Question on Solar cell development.
(Amit is from Engineering background)
8. Development or Environment, what will be your stand?
(No direct questions from optional Public Administration and Geography)
During the interviews, various boards had also asked following issues from the
candidates:
1. Fisherman Issue
2. Growth vs Development
3. Biodata Name, Place Of Birth related questions.
4. Health Education
5. Current affairs -Awards
6. Feminism
7. Price rise
8. Nuclear Energy

53

9. Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor
10. Expenditure on defence in budget 2011-12. Compare it with Pakistan and China.
11. Capital budget
12. Urban Problems
13. Farmer Suicide
14. Any three Problems of India
15. Had you joined any coaching Institute?
16. Jat agitation destruction of Public Property.
Dhaivat Dhruv
My UPSC interview was on 18th of april 2013. i reached delhi on morning of 17th and later on
repented on my travel schedule as i was not able to get good sleep the previous night - that ruined
my entire day. nevertheless i was committed to do my best in interview. As always happens with me-
the night before the battle is always full of nervousness and tension. i was able to catch some sleep at
Gujarat Bhavan in chanakyapuri - New delhi. I could see Arunachal pradesh bhavan from my balcony
and i also relished the sights of some embassies of the countries like vatican, Australia and UK on my
way.
The interview day:
I was half awake through the entire night, i had set the alarm for 7 AM, as my reporting time to
dholpur house was at 9 AM - but i woke up at 6 AM :). After conducting all necessities i put on myself
a crisp white linen shirt and black trousers. I was advised by some of my mentors to put on a blazer
and tie as that would hide any casualness i might have, but the only thing on my mind then was to be
as comfortable as possible also i considered suits and tie as colonial heritage which we have accepted
without considering its utility, so i ignored those suggestions. i checked and double checked all my
documents and letters that were required. i was also told to read the headlines of newspaper before
interview but i was in no mood of reading anything. I reached dholpur house at 8:15, slowly the
candidates started arriving. Some were in impeccable suits while some were just contented with sober
tie and yet few were dressed like me. they were all from different parts of india. Sadly there were only
2 candidates from gujarat that day - myself and a IRS officer who is commissioner of ahmedabad
airport. the guy wanted the coveted title of IAS so was still trying his luck. i also noticed that there
were only 2 girls in total which sadly reflects the position of women in our country and their dwindling
absence at the leadership positions in government.
We entered the gates at 9 sharp and were stripped of all our belongings at the entry doors. we were
only allowed to carry our documents - they even took my watch and pen. the next thing i saw was the
long open corridor which took us to the waiting room. there was a beautiful dome and round tables.
each of us were allocated to a table. After checking our documents we were given a paper which said
that we would be interviewed by rajni razdan panel. on hearing this an IPS probationer who was
sitting right opposite to me lamented that she gives very eccentric marks. I was unfazed and wanted

54

to see it bravely right through the end. My turn was 3rd on our table. after about an hour or so a
gentleman came calling me and said its my turn next and escorted me to the doors of panel room.
after a while i was told by him to go in.
I knocked gently on doors and said "may i come in mam". rajni mam just nodded in affirmative -
there were other 4 members too in the panel, and i greeted them all individually and then i was told to
sit down.
Rajni madam : you have worked somewhere??
Me: Yes madam i worked in the capacity of Assistant Manager in Adani Group.
Rajni Madam smiled and passed the buck to the member on her right.
M1: You have studied political science. could you tell me what are the problems in south asia.
Me: Sir the major problems lies in political fragility of nations also they all face common problems like
poverty, infrastructure deficit, low HDI and population explosion.
M1: No No, i intend to know about regional co-operation. (here another member interrupted and said
he means SAARC).
Me: Sir, The SAARC as regional grouping is not able to work efficiently as the 2 largest member of
SAARC that is India and Pakistan have political differences, moreover other SAARC nations are wary
about big brotherly attitude of India and its huge industrial base.
M1: you have heard about SCO?
Me:: shanghai co-operation organisation.
M1: why china is not facing similar issues there?
Me: Sir, china has resolved its border disputes with russia and moreover it does not have major
political differences with other SCO members. Moreover other members wants to benefit out of china's
huge economy.
M1: what is difference between computer engineering and IT?
Me: (i didn't knew the answer but still tried ) Sir IT is more focused on software development and CE
is more focused on computer architecture and machine level languages.
M1: what's is information systems?
Me: Sir its application of IT in business organisations. like say ERP and MIS.
M1: why there is more innovation in western countries compared to india. companies like Facebook
are created overnight there.
Me: Sir. firstly they have well funded universities and government intervention in functioning of
universities is absent. they also work as breeding ground of innovation. You mentioned FB, now FB
was invented in harvard university (M1 shouts - NO NO FB was not invented in harvard) - i said- Sir
Mark Zukkerberg was student of harvard when he created FB.(M1 was unconvinced and asked me
where is Harvard). I did the BIGGEST MISTAKE of my interview here and said : sir there are many
campuses of harvard (i confused it with NYU). M1 shouts again: NO NO harvard does not have
multiple campus. tell me where it is?. I said I dont know sir.
then he passed the buck to M2.
M2: what is SEZ?
Me: Sir its foreign delimited territory where general economic laws of country does no apply.
moreover the industries there are also provided tax relief in income tax, sales tax, VAT and CENVAT.
No custom duties for importing raw material that would be used to make products for export.
M2: what are drawbacks of SEZ?
Me:: displacement of people, environment degradation, hoarding of lands, and smuggling too.

55

M2: name some industries in Mundra SEZ?
Me: tata umpp, sanghi cement, jindal saw pipes, DP world...
M2: what is umpp?
Me: sir central govt came up with this scheme to create 5 umpp at different location in country and
one of them is in mundra.
M2: No No..why it is called UMPP.
Me: sir because of its significantly large power generation capacity of 5000 mega watt.
M2: what is migratory pattern of Gujaratis?
Me: sir first they migrated to countries like uganda and south africa. after iddi amin's persecution in
uganda some of them went to UK, nowadays the trend is towards US and australia. many patels of
charotar are owners of motels in USA.
M2: what are the changes in gujarati society due to this western contacts?
Me: (started bullshitting) - sir, the predominantly vegetarian society has now becoming tolerant to
non vegetarians , moreover the trading instincts has given way to vision based industrialism.
M2: what is gujarat model of development?
Me: Sir it is private sector lead model of growth where govt primarily plays role of facilitator,
moreover the projects are done on mission based targets where all the officers from cross-
departments whether it be IAS, IPS, education officers etc are brought on same platform to complete
the task. beti bachao abhiyan is classic example of that. again- it also about strong leadership, for
example the approval to tata nano project was completed within 3 days.
M2: but HDI indicators of gujarat does not pose this rosy picture.
Me: yes sir the statistics says we have not achieved inclusive development.
M2: so do you consider it development?
Me: No sir, we need to amend the model to get inclusive development- and state govt is aware about
this fact- the recent state budget has allocated maximum resources for social development sectors.
he was satisfied and passed the buck to M3.
M3: Mr dhruv. what are your ideas on issues we are facing on citizens right of freedom of expression?
Me: Sir, are you asking specifically about section 66a of IT act?
M3: No No, in general
Me: sir the constitution gives every citizen the right of freedom of expression under article 19 of COI,
there are however some limitations to that, the right must be exercised subject to morality, decency,
national security and foreign relation. however certain laws like sec 66a which empowers the authority
to prosecute people for insulting somebody are not in line with our democratic principles.
M3: if you were the collector of some district and this type of case comes to you, what will you do?
Me: Sir, i would try to figure out if its genuine case of harrassment, whether the act has infringed any
fundamental or civil rights of petitioner - if so then i shall first take preventive steps and in case the
accused is note deterred by it and continues with his illegal act then i would have no option but to
order his arrest and present him in front of judicial magistrate.
M3:: what if his act is going to disturb public order?
Me: Sir if his act is in congruence with art 19, i would not be unfazed by public order and would order
police to maintain PO but shall not try to gag the person exercising his right of FOE,
M3: (gave a shrewd smile) - easier said than done.
i remained stone faced and did not smiled.
M3: should media regulations be done in india?

56

Me: No sir, media is the fourth pillar of democracy, when all the 3 pillars(i.e. executive, judiciary and
legislative) fails its the media as the fourth pillar that protects democracy. we saw that in pakistan
when Mr musharaff was dictator, pakistani media did wonderful job in reviving democracy.
all members chorus : No No, in pakistan too nowadays there is issues of media trials, wht should we
do about media trials.
me: Mam, media trials may b possible in jury system, we have learned judges adjudicating the cases
who cannot be swayed by public opinion. moreover judges has to act according to laws of land.
rajni mam was not convinced,
M4: Mr dhruv, it is generally believed that western society is disciplined and organised on the contrary
its is believed that indian society is unorganised and undisciplined. can we harness this unorganised
skills to create something in field of IT?
Me: Sir, with all due respect. i don't agree that western society is organised and disciplined and Indian
society is undisciplined and unorganised. its the wrong perception.a generalisation without any
scientific evidence.
M4: ok, let me rephrase, can we use fuzzy logic in field of IT.
Me: (gave it some thought) sir we can create national knowledge network, where teachers, students,
professors can upload randomly whatever data they create that could be used for academic purpose
and then we could sort it and deliver it to students using cloud computing through akash tablets.( M4
hushed my stupid answer and waved his hand to shut me up).
M4: you have studied sociology?
Me: (smiled) yes sir.
M4: what is the name of tribe that migrated to gujarat from africa?
Me: siddi sir.
M4: where are they located?
Me: junagadh sir.
M4: its sasan.
Me: yes sir, jungles of sasan. they have distinctive negrito features.
M4: which country they came from?
Me: dont know sir.
M4: you worked in navrangpura. the place is famous for its educational institutes, can you name
some?
Me: (blank) sir gujarat law society..ummmmmm...
M4: there are many cept, guj university, hl commerce college.
Me: yes sir, many famous institutes in ahmedabad sir, like iim,,,,
M4: i asked about navrangpura not ahmedabad.
Me: (embrassed and quite).
M4: travelling is your hobby. which placed you liked the most?
Me: sir srinagar.
M4: Ok, your interview is over.
I got up from my chair and greeted them all. walked nervously towards door, tried to open the door
but it didnt opened, M1 said pull the left door. it opened and i said "thank you" to him. walked out and
i realized that i was shaking.


57

Frank Noble (AIR-157 /CSE-2012) Working Professional
(TCS): Public Administration, Geography
Q. How did you prepare for the interview?marks 186
For my profile, I jotted down all the possible questions that could be
asked and tried preparing proper reply for the same.
For current affairs, whenever I read any article in the newspaper, I used
to generate a precise content of the same and try to talk out in my room
as if I was in the real interview.
Q. Who was the chairman of you interview board?
Prof. David R. Syiemlieh
Q. How long was the interview?
30-35 mins
Q. Provide the list of questions asked (and if possible answers
also)
1. A IAS in his initial career will never get the salary that you are getting
now. Can you please justify why you still have opted for the services.
2. If you were to go a camera shop, which kind of camera would you buy
? ( My hobby: Amateur photography)
3. Do you know anything about a feature in camera which automatically
takes photo when the subject gives a smile. (Smile recognition in Nikon
P&S cameras)
4. What is meant by Dumb Charades?
5. Is it being used by special people?
Member 1
1. In case the power and authority from IAS are removed, will you still
be willing to take up IAS.

58

2. How will you as an administrator improve the services for the
people?
3. Why dont you start/join NGO instead of opting for IAS.
Member 2
1. What is the difference between the service being provided by a
product making company ( say soap ) and the service provided by
you as an administrator.
2. Give me an example of the issue in providing service to the people
and use of Information technology to solve the same.
3. Since my answer to the previous question was on improving the
communication between people and the govt, the next question
was , Give me a innovative idea of improving the communication
between Govt and People ( both ways).
Member 3
1. Dont you think you are disloyal to your company.
2. What is/are your qualities that should impress us to take you into
civil services.
3. Difference between smart working and hard working.
Member 4
1. Since most of your answers are based on data collection, analysis
and use of information technology, give me a solution for improving
the communication without the use of Information technology.
2. You are very interested in IT, however, your successor may not
have the knowledge of IT, then wont the system that you created
become redundant?
3. What are the activities did you do as an Events Organizer in
college days.
Q. Was your interview on the expected lines of what you had
prepared or
Did they ask you totally unexpected questions? If yes, how did you
handle it?

59

Mostly all the questions were in expected lines, though their degree
might vary. Questions like being disloyal to the organizations were
unexpected, however, my preparation and work experience helped me
to handle it without exhibiting any stress.

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?
Answer : Jamming of 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)

60

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
Question : do you 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)

Gayathri PG
Chairman of your Interview Board
P.K. Mishra
List of questions asked

61

Lets start with your name. So whos Gayathri?
Do you know how she became Veda matha?
What is the sociological school of law?
Does law cover ethics and morality?
Indians would rather live with guilt than with shame, Americans
tend to do the opposite. Why?
How do you reconcile law and justice?
Can we limit the number of adjournments allowed in a particular
case?
Why only the rich get away scot free?
Do you think rising crime graph is because our social values are
eroding?
How would you attain a no-governance society?
What is Shashi Tharoor doing for Trivandrum?
Should we open up legal profession to the world?
What are family courts for?
Have you participated in any seminars conducted by the National
Commission for Women?
Kant said: Morality is not the doctrine of how we may make
ourselves happy, but how we may make ourselves worthy of
happiness. What is your comment on it?
Cicero said: .. Well I forgot that quote! All I remember is it was
a very deeply philosophical one.

Ghanshyam Thori & I've secured AIR-25 in Civil Services Examination, 2009. I'll get IAS &
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 IAS.
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.

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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.

MEMBER 2
You are an 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

63

apparels including jeans. At the end of the day it will order Jeans which are low in stock
though Levis (taking it as an example). Now Levis 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 FIIs 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 Dont 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 the same as the acquiring company. Compensation might happen either
wholly in cash or in cash plus stock deal.


64

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 dont 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 dont know the exact figure.

What is the enrollment rate at the higher education level?
Sir I dont 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.


65

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?
Sir though my school 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.

Ill 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

66

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.

The problem of counterfeit 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, Im a bit deeper into my hobby. I wanted to learn how to build a website & therefore
started my own portal http://www.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 dont see you having any professional degree in computers. How do you do all this?
Sir I dont have any professional degree. I have learned this totally out of my interest.

67


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 & saidnot a
couple of days back..it is as recent as yesterday& might be in papers today)

I said I dont 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--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.

Now we have moved 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

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 UPSC 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:

68

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 dont remember seeing the
monument.
Ch: Its a small monument which says this is the spot where. (the other members nod at
this)
Me: sorry sir. I dont remember seeing the monument.
Ch: Why did he have to find a route through the sea?
Me: I dont exactly remember the details but the land route was blocked by some reason.
Ch: No No thats not possible. They could have found some other route.
Me: Sea route is cheaper and it also facilitates large scale trade.
Ch: Yes. Besides dont 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 states 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

69

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 Dubais 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 safety and security systems. 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 wont 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 Arevaa 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?

70

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.
M2 (looking at the summary sheet): You were selected as the Young Scientist at the
National Childrens 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 cant 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.

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M2: Kerala is called Gods 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 Gods 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, most of the powers 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 shouldnt 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 IAS 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.

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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 at any time.
M4: Political
Me: Campaigning, Communicating political ideas and schemes
M4: Any disadvantages?
When I thought for a while, he said its Ok, if you cant 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 (couldnt 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. Dont 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.

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The chairman took over. 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 laughedthe 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 wont 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

Himanshu Jain
Afternoon session. I was the last candidate to be interviewed and it seems to be fatal in my case .
Interview started with bouncers and ended with the same. Felt like I forgot to bring my helmet there
.Here are the questions which i am able to recall right now will update the blog in case I am able to
recollect more::
CM(Chairman):: So your name?






Me: Sir Himanshu Jain.

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CM: Your Roll Number?






Me: Told him.






CM: your date of birth?






Me: Told him.






CM: whats the significance of it?






Me: Sir its the summer solstice. Sun is overhead of tropic of cancer and its the longest day of the year.

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CM:( started bowling bouncers): So are you aware of any other longest day?






Me: No sir.






CM: In World War II there was a longest day. Heard of it?






Me: No sir. I am not aware of it.






CM:Are you not aware of World War II?






Me: Sir I am aware of World War II but I am not aware of longest day related to WW II.

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CM: Okai. There was a longest day there too. There was a movie also named THe Longest day. Have you
watched it?






Me: No sir I have not seen the movie.






CM: What is kindle?






ME: told him about kindle. A e-book reader from amazon where one can read books as well as
newspaper on the demand electronically.






CM: what are pros and cons of it over a normal book.






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Me: Sir first of all the collection is big and one can buy any book on the fly.one can browse the book and
if ones likes it can bought it online and there is no need to carry these books physically which many times
a problem in case of a normal book. moreover kindle is using a font and look which is pretty similar to
normal hard copy feel of a newspaper and gives a feel one is reading a hard copy version of normal
book/newspaper only.






CM: what are disadvantages of it?






Me: Sir some people like the aesthetic feel of keeping a book with them. many are not very comfortable
with reading them electronically. Moreover many people like to highlight and mark and write many
things on the book itself, which may not usually happen with a e-book reader. (should have mentioned
that adobe provides even this facility ).






CM:Llast year there was 150th birth anniversary of a famous scientist. who was he?






Me: (thought for a second or two) Sir it is Jagdish Chandra Bose.






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CM: No. There was one more famous scientist.






Me: Sir it was Charles Darwin( sigh of relief ).






CM: yeah it was Charles Darwin. He gave theory of evolution. What the name of his ship?






Me: (is it a quiz going on here ?) Thought for a second. Sir it was Beagle.






CM: yeah it was HMS Beagle. Now name me the place where he got this idea.






Me:( although I knew this place but that time I got blanked out( ). Sorry sir I am not able to recall it sir.






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CM: Okai. Your hobby is reading detective fiction. which authors do you read?






Me: sit its Byomkesh Bakhshi by Saradindu Bandhopadhyaya. Feluda by Satyjeet ray and Agatha
Christie.






CM: Okai. what was the original name of Agatha?






Me:( Again a blunder. I should have known this). Sir I think here original name was agatha.






CM: No her name was different.






Me: Sorry sir then I am not aware of it.





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CM: Okai. One of the detective that featured in her novels was Hercule Poirot. Name the other one.






Me: Sir it was Miss Marple.






CM: Yeah it was. Okai you are born in lalitpur. why Laliptur is famous for?






Me: Sir there is Chanderi in Laitpur district which is famous for its silk and cotton sari. moreover there is a
place name Devgarh which is famous for Hindus and Jains temples.






CM: Okai. Tell me why rani kii jahnsi did not go to lalitpur?






Me: SIr she got support from Gwalior and she went there to fight against Britishers.




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CM: why not Lalitpur?






ME: Sir I am not aware of it.






CM: Tel me the distance between Lalitpur and Gwalior?






ME: Sir I am not sure about exact distance but sir its approx 200 km.






CM: Okay Like there are Hindu pilgrimages .Tell me some Jain Pilgrimages.






ME: Sir one is Sikharji its in Rajasthan(Actually its in Bihar), Tijara jii near Delhi, Vehalna near
Muzzafarnagar, Mount abu in Rajasthan, Srwanabel Gola in Karnataka.



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CM: Okai. gave indication to the First member.






M1: okai you told about jain pilgrimages. ever heard of nagore related to jainism in rajasthan?






Me: Sorry sir i am not aware of it.






M1: Okai. What are seven sisters?






Me: Sir they are tripura, mizoram,meghalaya,manipur,nagaland,assam and arunachal pradesh.






M1: okai. Give me the names of the capitals



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Me: sir its agartala,kohima,imphal,dispur,itanagar and shilong. i was not able to recall the seventh one .






M1: one is missing.






Me: yes sir but i am not able to recall it.






M1 okai what is administration.
Me: sir its conscious activity of 2 or more people to achieve pre decided goal.( again a blunder, very
basic definition)
M1: not very convincing.lets suppsoe if two students preparing for civil services and their aim is to get
selected in the exam. do we also call it adminsitration?
Me: Sir in a way yes. (at the same time broadened my definition). sir if we go for broader definition
administration sets the goals of an organisation and at the same time provides the broader policies
under which organisation has to achieve its goals.M1: okai what is public administration?
Me: Sir public here is the government. so it means government providing services to its citizens be it
tangible like providing roads transport etc or intangible in the form of health and education.
M1: have you heard of dead sea?
Me: yes sir.
M1: where iis it? its between 2 countries.
Me: Yes sir. Its between Israel and Jordan.
m1: why is it called Dead Sea?
Me: sir actually the salinity of the water is so high that plants and others cannot survive there hence the
name dead sea.

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Passes on to second member
From here on i was screwed badly in my interview
M2: you told about highlighting facts in e book reader. but you have worked also in adobe systems. here
we can easily do it. Highlight it and mark it. so thats not a problem isnt? so that is a wrong point.
Me: yeah sir Adobe PDF has these features.(i should have also added that not all e book readers are
adobe pdf based but i thought not to enter into an argument).
M2: okai tell me about digital libraries?
Me: answered it.m2: Give me the pros and cons of it.
me: answered it but not a very sophisticated one. he was not convinced with cons
M2: hmmmmm tell me more cons.
me: Sorry sir i am not able to recall it.
M2: Told his point (which i think not a con anymore these days. but he was very happy after telling this
point and was showing to other members too that he knew a damn lot about digital fundas. So i decided
not to intervene and to boost his ego ).
M2: okai. name me some digital libraries.
me: sir Its google books .moreover like ieee also have it.
M2: no some other name? you must have used it.
Me: Sorry Sir I am not able to recall it.
m2: its ACM.
Me: Thanks a lot sir.
M2: okai a computer scientist got nobel prize in 1980s. his book name was **** architecture(forgot the
name now).name him?
Me: Thought for a second.Sir is it John Nash.
M2; no , no not John nash
Me: ohh yeah sir. he got for game theory in economics. sorry sir i am not aware of it sir.
M2: told me the name.
M2: what is the difference between theory and thesis?
Me: sorry sir I am not aware of the exact difference.
And he felt very happy that he was able to pinned down a computer science engineer
Passes on to member 3
M3: Okai what is a computer?
me: explained her.
M3: Have you worked on a shop floor?
Me: no madam.
m3: okai. So have you worked on a control systems ** **?
me: Madam i have heard the name but i am not aware of the exact nitty gritties.
m3: then you must not be aware of fluid cells ** , ** ,** (she gave some 6-7 terms) related to electrical it
seemed and not at all related to computer science.
Me: No madam. sorry but I am not aware of these terms.
M3: what is an outcome budget?
Me: here due to nervousness or god knows what i became totally blanked. i thought for 3-4 seconds but
was not able to bring it back from my memory.

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Me: sorry madam i know it but i am not able to recall it.
m3: okai tell me about Hdi and GDI?
Me Told her.
M3; what are the factors here ?
Me: again a blunder. madam its PPP, literacy and age( what the hell age ?)
M3 : No No it;s not age its life expectancy not age. there is a big difference. life expectancy is at birth.
Me: yes madam.sure sorry madam.
M3: have you visited a slum?
Me: No madam
M3: what is imbalanced development in cities?
Me : explained her. but I could have handled it in a much better way .
M3: okai. what are the problems of slum?
Me: madam its sanitation, house, water problems.
M3: where do they live.
Me: there are no permanent house as such.
m3: what do we call them?
Me: madam its kachaa houses.
M3: what the sanitation problem. where do they defecate?
me: madam majorly either its in open or in drains(i saw daily in Noida this practice as they used to do it
in front of my adobe office ).
m3: Have you not heard of community toilets?
Me: yes madam, if it is available then they go there too.
M3: what are the charges of community toilets?
Me: madam its 1 rs per person.
m3: what is CSR?
Me: explained her about giving back to the society and blah blah.
M3: okai what do these companies do there?
Me: madam planting saplings, take charge of slums and give foods,clothes, going to schools and teach
them(like adobe does )
M3: What is gender budgeting?Me: Answered her.
M3: okai, In the todays newspaper there was a news item related to Narmada Dam.
Me: yes madam.
M3: what was it
Me: madam serious questions were raised regarding the rehabilitation and resettlement problems of the
residents of that area.
M3: Yes but there were other things too. very strong adjectives were used too. tell me the otheadjectives.
Me:( beside this news clip all was there in my mind but seems a bad luck again here ). Sorry madam i am
not able to recollect the other adjectives right now.
Passes on to Fourth member.
at this time it seemed that k.k. paul sir was not interested as he made a sound which felt like he wanted
to wrap up the interview.
M4: okai tell me the exact difference between NHDP1 & NHDP2?

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Me: sorry sir I am not aware of exact difference?
m4 : you know NHDP?
Me yes sir told him.
M4: okai they are for what?
Me: sir national highways?
M4: what are other type of road?
Me: told him state roads, district roads,village roads.
M4: tell me the exact length of National Highways?
Me: sorry sir i am not aware of the exact length.
M4: okai tell me the speed of rajdhani?
( Is it bcoz i am the last one to be interviewed and they have legitimate right to throw bouncers??)
Me: sir i am not aware of exact speed but i can make a guess( again a blunder )
M4: yeah you can
Me: sir 80 km/hr(what a pathetic guess. Bravo Mr Jain, you are determined to screw your interview)
k.K. paul started here:
CM:But not all rajdhani speeds are same. Tell me the fastest one?
Me: (Smiling, the only shield to save one self from bouncers )Sorry sir but as far as i know all rajdhanis
speed are equal :).
M4: no there is a difference between their speeds.
Me: sorry sir i am not aware of it.Fourth member started again.
m4: okai okai. Tell me the new train that started from lalitpur in this budget?
Me: sir i a m not aware of it.
M4: have you not read the railway budget?
me: sir I have read it but i am not able to recollect this information.
m4: do we have similar project like NHDP in railways?
Me: sorry sir i am not aware of it.
M4: tell me about Prdhan Mantri Sadak Yojana?
Me: Again a blunder. I was a bit nervous till now and told him about the scheme to create better
connectivity and 1000 fro urban and 500 for rural(actually it was 1000 for rural and 500 for hilly areas).
M4: urban? i think number is different. what are the urban areas?
Me: i answered his doubts.
M4: okai okai. and then he explained things related to it.
k.k paul asked why do you know a little about lalitpur? are you not living there?
Me: Sir actually i was just born there as my maternal grandfather was posted at that place. i was there
for a month and then my grand father was transferred from there.
CM: okai okai thats the reason you told me the wrong distance between lalitpur and jhansi? its much
lesser than 200km.
This was a googly. he initially asked me about distance between Lalitpur and Gwalior.
Me:(trying my best not to offend him at the same type to present my point too) smiling . Yes sir you are
correct. but yes initially i was asked distance between Gwalior and Laitpur which i told 200 km and as

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you correctly said sir distance between jhansi and lalitpur is less which is around 72 km.
(Now this may again be a blunder to correct CM . But otherwise i was thought to be a man of flukes. So
took the risk. Result will tell whether this was blunder or a brave move).
CM: then he moved his desktop to my side in which sir he had already opened a Agatha Christie
webpage.
CM: see her sirname was different before marriage. she was married and after marriage it became
Christie.
Me: thanks a lot sir. I will keep it in my mind.
CM: you can go now. your interview is over.
I wished them and came out of the room.
Crux of the interview: Not satisfied with my performance. did 3-4 big blunders. moreover somehow feel
that my personality was not judged as it was fact oriented interview. so expecting average to below
average marks.

Jaya Priya IRS
Qualification : B.P.T Board: Nibhay Sharma
Hobbies :
Option : 1. Sociology
2. Psychology

Chairman:
1. What is your date of birth?
2. What did you do till your degree completion?
3. Work experience as Junior physiotherapy? Still working?
4. Bharatnatyam? (not asked any question about it)
5. The year of USSR split and why?
6. How effective the Acupressure magneto therapy, Hydrotherapy? and it relevance in combination with
physiotherapy?

Member 1:
1. Percentage of female agricultural labourers
2. Gender sensitivity and mainstreaming of women.
(For this I gave opinion based elaborate answer)
3. Women empowerment
4. Medical camps attended by me as a physiotherapist.
5. Recent around in Neurological condition management
6. Global recession and inflation.

Member 2:
As I put as HINDI-completed Praveen poorvardh)
The question was all about Hindi. Also, in between I answered in Hindi itself.
1. What are procedure and what is the method you completed Hindi and what it is equialant for
2. Dakshim Bharath Hindi Prachar Sabha.
3. Poets and authors in Hindi

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4. Bhagavath gita and its main source
5. Who wrote Ramcharitmanas?
6. Difference between Ramacharithmanas and Ramayana?
7. What is clinical psychology?
8. What Neurological conditions as a physiotherapist you often deal with?
Member 1:
Money appreciation and its effect on exports and imports and how?

Member 3:
1. Kanchipuram famous for Silk Sarees?
2. What threads are now faced by silk weavers
3. Child labour in silk weaving
4. Government action to protect them
5. T.N former female chief minister and her women centric programmes.
6. Cradle baby scheme
7. Usilampatti female infanticide? Why even now?

Member 4:
1. Naxalism why it is expanding instead of action from Govt.
2. Indo-China relations
3. Indo-Pakistan relations
4. What are the schemes or opportunities by government
or steps taken by government in the development of physiotherapy and employment in India.
Joyanta
Nirbhay Sharma Sirs board
Interview experience in Lt.Gen Sir Nirbhay Sharmas Board
My interview was today on 15th April in the forenoon session.I was the
third candidate to be interviewed.There were two ladies from UP(4th)
and Vizag(2nd).There were three other gentlemen from TN(1st) and UP.At
11.05 hrs,I was called to enter the board.Before that the gentleman
who was calling the names asked me to wait for 10 mins .I was a bit
nervous but ultimately it was cool and I made up my mind to enter the
board confidently.I saluted Thakur,Ma and Swamiji and went in.There
was one lady member other than 4 gentlemen including Chairman Sir.
Me: Good morning sir.Good morning Mam and Good morning to u all
sirs.(with bowing).

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CH offered me sit and I told Thank you and sat comfortably and was
looking at other members who were gazing at my biodata.
CH:What is your name?
Me: Sir my name is Joyanta Chakraborty
CH: Humm u are a technocrat and done B.E(Elect) and M.Tech..
Me: Sir I did not complete my M.Tech.
CH: Why didnt u complete/what is the reason?
Me: Sir my family was undergoing a financial crunch and my parents
wanted to take up some job.My mother underwent a surgery and they
thought I shall take up a job and it will give them mental
satisfaction.I too thought of supporting my family rather than
pursuing higher degree sir.
CH: Ok.Then you are in Railways,where?
Me: Sir I am Senior Electrical Engineer/Design in CLW
CH:Through which service?when?
Me:Sir Indian Engineering Services 2005 batch
CH: So u entered last year?
Me: No sir,I have entered the services in 2006 and right now am in job in CLW
CH:So in Railways u will be having good saloon cars and bunglaows.
Me: Sir now I am not entitled for that .DRMs ,GMs and Members of Board
are entitled.
CH: When will u become DRM?
Me: Sir normally it takes 25 years down the line in present scenario
to become DRM but there are attributes like performance,ACR,age for
that.

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CH: Dont u think that these saloons and big bunglaows should be
provided in the initial years as in th
these cannot be used as a means of entertainment as u will be very busy?
Me:Yes sir these are lot of benefits available to railways officers and these are tantalising at young age
and many of us are desirious of that but we have to see that these are not luxurious to them at that age
as those are necessities and are required as to shorten their travel time for busier activities and now
these will be mere show-offs and are not required at all.
CH: Dont u think that GMs have big bungalows and big cars and those are not necessary?We can think
of some still less ostentatious arrangements?
Me:Sir it is anice idea and I am one with you Sir.The senior officers in Railways will be having very small
families,there children will be away from them and they will be very busy.We can think of some
furnished flats type of accomodation in cities or HQs and we can utilise the unused lands to create
houses for the poor where many of tem dont have roofs over their head and we can serve a socio-
economic cause.
CH: What is your idea of privatisation of Indian Railways?Why shouldnt we privatise?
Me: Sir Railways is used by the general masses and the high classes alos but for the masses ,privatisation
will rob their only means of transport.Again it is used to transport raw materials and food,fertiliser
which are all realted to the common peoples livelihood. In Railways we have to take some social
projects which are economically unviable but socially feasible and privatisation will stop it.
CH:No we can do the privatisation to earn more money
Me:Sir money earning is a motive for a commercial organisation like Railways but we should have some
social commitment.Lots of people are employed as it being the largest PSU employer.
CH:No we can think of privatising some parts like Chenia-kolkata,Delhi routes..
Me: Sir we are thinking of DFC and PP models.And also about multimodal transportation and linkage of
Railways with Golden Quadrilateral and ports through eco-cities.This will earn revenue for us but these
are on PPP model
CH: No I am talking of complete privatisation as it.
Me: yes Sir it may lead to efficiency enhancement,more productivity and more revenues for Railways
but the common mans interest will be at stake and it may lead to inflation and unemployment.
CH: But what about some special routes?

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Me: Sir with PPP model we can entrust the arrangement of infrastructure with the private parties with
operation in our control with a profit sharing but still some routes have to be kept keeping into mind the
general passengers.
CH: OK(may be not very convinced).Gives batton to the first member.
M1: So can we have some model so that we have GMT+6:30 for North eastern and the rest unchanged?
Me: Yes we can do that and it will have many advantages as this is done in other developed countries.
M1:What advantages are you talking of?Can u define it?
Me: yes Sir by doing that we can reschedule the demand of power in these two regions as we dont have
surplus adequate power in NER.It will help industrialisation and office working smoother.
M1:How?
Me: Sir somewhere the job schedule will be starting and somewhere it will be ending. The demand will
be reshuffled and we can wheel power from surplus to deficit region.
M1: which time it will be of great use?Me: Sir daytime or office time between 10 am to 6 pm.
M1: which loads?
Me: Sir industrial and commercial loads.
M1: How will it be done?what is that will be affected?
Me:Sir the total demand can be made even as per the schedule and
M1: No is there a term cal peak?
Me:Yes sir,(smilingly),the entire peak demand will not be raised together and with the limited installed
generation capacity we can utilise it efficiently.
M1:Ok.So how will u wheel power from west to east or say NE?
Me: sir through HVDC i.e High Voltage Double Circuit.
M1: Why?
Me: Sir we have read in electrical engineering that above 800 kms HVDC is technically and economically
feasible and will serve the purpose.
M1:Ok.so how much space is required for that?Any idea?
Me: Sir very narrow but long length space as the return path is through ground.So it will not require
much space but the distance it will cover will be large.

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M1: Do u know some separatist movement is going on in the northern part of West bengal and north
east to where u want to wheel power from western side.So can u name them?
Me: yes Sir.It is Gorkhaland movement in the north bengal for demands of separate gorkha land for the
nepalis,sherpas and bhutiyas.
M1:no no .it is close to Assam region
Me: Sir Bodoland.
M1: No ,it is north of west bengal and close to Assam
Me: Oh Sir it is KLO i.e Kamtapuri Liberation Organisation and Greater Koochbihar Movement.
M1: So who are spearheading?
Me:Sir I am not sure but if u allow me to guess..
M1:Yahh.carry on.
Me:It is Kamtapuris and Koochbiharis(actually I should have said Rajbanshis)
M1:what is ur take on small state vs big state:what is ur opinion?there are more talks and more violent
protest going on
Me:Sir there cannot be a direct yes or no answer to these demsnda.But we have to keep into mind
administrative efficiency,economic and financial viability and genuine peoples aspirations to be
addressed by the government and should be dealt with in case to case basis.
M1: Ok
Ch moves batton to Lady member(M2)
M2: Ok what is the present relations with Bangladesh with India?
Me:Mam after Awami league came to power under Seikh Hasina ,the relationship is better as they are
pro-Indian.But there are some outstanding issue..
M2:What are the issritants?what issues are there between us?
Me:For India it is undemarcated boundaries,water sharing issues and dams like Ganges,Teesta and
Tipaimukh,illegal infiltration,human traficcking etc.From Bangladesh it is trade deficit.Also natural
gas.(stops here)
M2:What is this Tipaimukh issue?where is it?

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Me: Mam India is planning to build a dam on Barak river and Bangladesh is saying that it will affect their
agriculture on the downstream.Mam I am not exactly sure of the location but if u allow me to guess I
can try it.
M2:Ok try it out,speak out
Me:Mam it is I think in the borders of Manipur annd Mizoram on Barak river.
M2: so what is the Ganga water sharing issue?
Me:Mam I am exactly not sure but if u allow me to say..
M2: Ok tell me
Me: Ma when i was working as an executive engineer in Farakka in NTPC I came to know that in 1996
there eas an agreement between Seikh Hasina and India Govt to share a certain volume of water to
Bangladesh in april and certain volume of water to India during summers
M2: Where is Farakka?what is so famous for?
Me: Mam it is in murshidabad and it is famous for linking north and south bengal through a bridge on
river Ganges that flows as Hooghly to South Bengal from Dhulian.mam it has an economic importance of
linking the two sides of bengal and the only link.It also connects NER to the rest of India through
bengal.Hilsa fish is available in the waters and a tradeable item between us and Bangladesh.There is
1600 MW NTPC power plant superthermal and a hydel plant was planned but I dont know whether it
has been made now.
M2:so why was this dam built?Any idea?
Me: Mam I am not sure of this
M2:Ok try I shall help u
Me:(thinking)
M1 tells me about whether for flood control or something.
Me:(smilingly) Yes Sir I think for flood control and desiltation
M2: Actually it was to save the kolkata port to increase navigability(She confirms me to some extent)
Me: Thank you mam.
Ch moves baton to M3.I think he was from South India by his content of questions and accent.
M3:so from Jadhavpur to erode..A long distance and u had stayed for 4 years..

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Me:Sir I was first posted in erode under Saelam division in Southern Railways.I stayed there for 6
months only.
M3:so u have travelled form howrah to erode many times I assume.
Me: yes Sir 3-4 times.
M3:so how did u feel a s a passenger as general public not as an officer?
Me: sir yes sir.the cleanliness was an issue.The toilets and coaches are not that much clean as it should
be.Sometimes the catering services are poor.The food is not tasty and nutritous and people have
complaints about the food and linens which are dirty.There is an issue of punctuality and trains become
late sometimes.The availability of berth is problem even if we have so many trains
M3: yes still peeple are not getting enough seats.(convinced)
Me:yes sir.Still according to the passengers ,there is dearth of trains and the routes are supersaturated.
M3:Humm.So as airports do,we can give passes to the passengers when they are boarding.This system
of card tickets in papers is very olr process and does not work well.
Me: sir we can think of such measures .we can thin k of hand held ticket vending machines which we
introduced in Central Railway s for suburban services where u are given tickets thru GPS based system
once u board.But there are practical difficulties in long distance trains as we have infrastructure and
technological bottleneck as as many passengers would like to concurrently go to the same place,an
unplanned on the spot booking may deprive many genuine passengers as there are dearth of trains in
the same route compared to passengers.(convinced)
M3: So u know about something of Erode district where some separate statehood demand was going
on?
(I did not know about separate statehood but separatate municipal corporation)
Me:sir I am not aware of this incident.May be I have not followed it that time.
M3:So in bengal the congress is not powerful now.When did they become to degrade?
Me: sir I think they were in power till 1977 after that and to be precise after 1982 probably
M3: so what is ur opinion about there coming back or reviving?
Me: sir sorry sir,I dont have any idea ,I dont know sir.
CH:Ok u need not answer that question, dont answer it now.I shall again ask u some questions later as
my questions are not finished.Moves to M4.
M4: so u are now in CLW.What are they doing about technology import?Whne did and from where we
imported initially?

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Me: Sir we are importing technology for locomotives,coaches and traction motors.Initually in 1950s we
imported from UK and now in 1996 we imported from Sweden and Switzerland from M/s ABB 3 phase
loco technology and in 2003 from LHB/Germany for coaches
M3: So why are we not importing now?
Me:Sir it is costly and a drain on exchequer and dependence on foreign technology and obsolescence
can hit us
M3: so whether are we doing some new technology?
CH also told yes we are now capable enough here in India,dont we?
Me: yes sir we also at CLW and RDSO as well other PUs like RCF,ICF are doing work on new
technologies.I talked on Loco trol,remote coupling,described,Vigilance control device in which I am
involved,Vehicle control electronics,MU coupling of locos,Microporocessor control system
modification,AC fitting in locos and some other technologies like TPWS and ATWS.
M3:So what bare we doing for coaches like Shatabdi rajdhani rakes?
Me: sir we have imported the design of lighter crushproof anti telescopic design of LHB coaches.they
have better riding index and payload to tare ratio is more
M3:are we doing something here?
Me:sir we are modifying and upgrading it continuously.We are trying to make it with composite material
with lesser weight and more with aluminium.It is of green toilets and zero
In wagons too we are also trying.RCF and ICF may be doing more and I dont know more about that.
M3: so any time frame
Me:Sir I dont know about that as RCF and ICF may be doing it so I canot say anything about that.
Then there was talks of import substitution,formation of new sources,new developments etc.
Next CH took the baton himself
CH: So you are going to be the in charge of administration of some district.You will be involved in some
socio economic developmental projects.There are so many social problems.say for westBengal ,the
health is a crisis.Is not it?
Me:yes sir,it is a serious problem area and we need to do a lot.
CH:yes .so what are the programmes?
me;Sir NRHM i.e National Rural health Mission.This scheme has to be run successfully and properly
implemented.

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CH:So the scheme is not running well.There are many problems.What do you think will be done to
address that?
Me:Sir I have to first see whether the provisions of the scheme are there ,means
infra,doctors,medicines,Health centers and then its monitoring(stopped)
CH:No those things are not implemented and then say in point form what will you do,say I say Doctors
not in..
Me Time,not punctual,involved in private practice,not very sensitive and sincere about delivery of health
care to the poor
CH: yes then medicines
Me: yes they may be of poor quality,medicines for snake bites,maleria which are common in West
bengal not available in plenty.health care centers are far away,transportation is a problem,good
operation theatres,labour wards,diagnostic centers are not there
CH:So what should be done when u have identified the problems
MeSir initially I should see whether the doctors are doing there duty and I will personally monitor that
whether they are there as they are supposed to be,attending patients,any scarcity in doctors has to be
filled in,then regarding medicines the quality should be checked thru expiry dates and independent
organisations and quality of docs
CH:No the docs may not listen to u ,they will tell they want to pursue higher degree and so
Me:Sir I have to convince them and tell rightaway that they have come by their professional choice and
as part of there MBBS cours eor by job and they have to serve the people,regarding further studies that
they have to do parallely,and I can arrange for good journals or infra
CH: but they will say their career prospects are getting disturbed.
Me: Sir I have to say that they are dutibound to serve in the rural centers and that is a priority of the
government for which they are recruited and being paid and as they are in the job it is a noble cause for
which they are here
Ch:But your cousin who may be in those doctors that he wants to pursue higher studies and cant give
so much time
Me:Sir whether he or she is my cousin or not ,irrespective of any relation with him,I have to tell him or
them rules are same for all and serving the people is a noble cause and being a doctor apart form
pursuing higher studies it is their duty so long a sthey are in the service to treat the patients in rural
areas as they dont have others to be looked after
CH:but your cousin may say that some Chakraborty,mukherjee or ganguly have got degree certificates
and I too need them and may be they have got them fake

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Me: Sir I have to first check and investigate the allegation but not believe in the face of it.And if really
found so,I have to take strict actions like sacking them who have come through such certificates
CH:No they will say their certificates are fair
Me:Sir I have to check it out and if found after verification they are achieved thru unfair means ,I have to
be rule-bound and retain quality doctors only and take stern measures agaist them who have fake
certificates and who are delinquent in duties
CH:so u said that Railways need not be privatised,It is ok but there are some crucical reasons for that.tell
me the most important one
Me:Sir I think Railways are the lifeline of nation.The connect remotest parts of country and
carry raw materials,finished goods,food and fertliser which are of most concern to the lives and
livelihoods of the common ma,(I should have told strategic word here).There are some areas where we
have to take up railways projects which are commercially unviable but socially feasible and a social
commitment aspect is there.Besides it is under union list as a means of communications which is of prior
necessity.
Ch:But there are some other reasons too.Anyways.Thank u and your interview is over.
Me: Thanks u Sir.Thank u madam and to all of you sirs.
I left the board with a feeling that I could answer many but also could not answer all.It went for around
35 mins.I am not sure how he will assess me and hope Gods grace is with me.Best of luck to all fellow
candidates too

K. Kannan IPS
Qualification : BVsc Board: Dr. K.K. Paul
Hobbies :
Option : 1. Zoology
2. Vet. Science

Chairman:
1. Why you have not joined Indian Forest Service?
2. Climate change and Non-vegetarian diets?
3. Why Gobar Gas plants not used now and measures to control methane production.

Member 1:
1. What do you learn from Bird watching?
2. Have you publish any article on Bird watching?
3. Where are you working now? (Madurai)
4. Famous places in Madurai district?
5. Growth states of own Theni district?
6. Rural Development programmes in your district?

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7. About SHG & performance
8. Contribution of commercial takes in state?

Member 2:
1. What you know about Mad low Disease?
2. Economic importance of Avian Flu?
3. Actions taken by state government?
4. Incidence of corruption in commercial takes department?
5. Department Modernisation? (e-governance)
6. Vaccination schedule for dogs?
7. Public health programmes in India?

Member 3:
1. Life span of butterfly?
2. Service preference (IAS, IPS, IFS)
3. Triangle formation possibility between Indian-China-Pakistan.
4. Control of corruption?
5. Have you ban frog dissection/Birds dissection in schools since you are bird watcher.
6. How will you improve 15% Revenue in your Jurisdiction? In commercial taxes department.

Member 4:
1. Changes made in higher education? Why?
2. Communal violence bill?
3. By what mode reached Delhi?
4. What are all the states you come across?
5. Amrytasen Development is freedom? Why?
6. Reasons for inequality in India
Chairman: Interview is over
Thank you sir.
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.

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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.
Interviewer: Have u ever 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 : IAS Mains 2007 Interview
Subjects Taken : Law and Philosophy
Interview Date : 31-Mar-2008
Interview Board : Purshottam Aggarwal
Result of Interview : Not Qualified
City : Sirsa, Haryana

Karthikeyan IRS
Qualification: MBBS
Hobbies: Reading Magazine, Blogging
Optionals: Geography, Psychology
Board: Smt. Shashi Uben Tripathi
Total Mark: 1197
Int. Mark: 198
Rank: 361 (2008), 127(2007) allotted to IFS in 2007 did not joined

I was the last candidate for the morning session and was called in around 1pm. I wished the members
good afternoon and they wished me back, then I was asked to sit down by the chairperson.

CHAIR PERSON: Dr. Karthikeyan, what are you doing now?
Me: Mam now I am working as a duty doctors in a private hospital in Chennai.


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CP: What kind of hospital it is?
Me: Mam its a multi-specialty hospital and they concentrate in OG and pediatrics.

CP: When did you work as a tutor?
Me: Mam, I was working as a tutor in pharmacology in manakula vinayakagar medical
college, pondicherry last year.

M1: Your hobbies are reading magazine and blogging right?
Me: Yes, sir

M1: I suppose you read newspapers too.
Me: Yes sir, I do read newspapers.

M1: What newspapers you read?
Me: Sir, I read The Hindu, Economics Times and at times Indian Express and Times of India too.

M1: ok. Hindu, Times of India etc. Who is the editor of hindu?
Me: Mr. Ram, sir.

M1: Hindu has become famous in south India in recent times but it was not the case 30 years before ago,
why?
Me: (I started to answer but he interrupted me and said that it was not due to standard of news reporting
as it was almost the same in all English papers of that times but still only a elite few were reading hindu at
that time)

Me: Sir, has always been in a higher standard of English compared to newspapers like Indian Express.
30 years back, only few people had such high standard of English and were able to comprehend fully.
Whereas the other newspapers like Indian Express use simple English and people find them easier to
read, but now since the literacy levels have gone up and peoples command over English being high
especially in urban areas, the readership of hindu risen.

M1: (nodded his head) ok, what are the magazines of hindu?
Me: Sir, The Frontline and a sports magazine called Sports Star.
M2: You are a doctor, right?
Me: Yes, sir.

M2: Why do you medicos come into civil services, I think you can be better of as a Doctor than coming
into civil services. Any way, its just a suggestion and you have anyway chosen to be a civil servant. So
you need not explain it. Now explain me anti Brahmin movements in Tamilnadu?
Me: Sorry sir, it was not a movement against Brahmin but Brahmanism. E.V. Ramasamy otherwise called
the Periyar headed the anti Brahmanism movement and it was directed against caste oppression,
superstitious beliefs and rituals and anti women practices. So it was directed against such customs and
not against individuals. It has led to the upliftment of lower castes as such.

M2: is the movement still there in Tamilnadu?
Me: Yes sir, his organization still continues under the name Dravidar kazhagam headed by Mr.
Veeramani.

M3: Is it truly ethical for a doctor to come into civil service especially in a country like India where the
doctor population ratio is quite less compared to developed countries?
Me: I wont let my medicine knowledge to go for a waste and would make sure I use it wherever
applicable and moreover (he interrupted at this point and asked can you do more to the society as a
administrator? Is it still ethical?)

Me: Sir, wherever it is ethical depends on the individual as an administrator I will be able to address the
multi faceted problems of the downtrodden rather than focusing on health alone as a doctor. I want to

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widen my reach too and I assure you that I would contribute to my society more as an administrator to the
fullest of my abilities.

M3: ok, how will you address those problems if you dont become an IAS and suppose you become an
IPS officers? (I had not given any preference to IPS, and initially I thought of telling him that, but later
chose to give him an answer)

Me: The problem with downtrodden and low class people is that they have in inherent fear to approach
the government being it any departments, this arises due to their low level of literacy and ignorance about
their rights and benefits extended to them by the government as an IPS officers, I would make sure the
administration, that is the police, under me becomes truly people friendly and make people comfortable in
approaching my department. Moreover I will make sure that nobody is victimized based on their low
privilege status in society.

M3: Ok, you said something about class, is it possible to root out Varnashram system from our society?
Me: ( I couldnt get his pronunciation, and so I asked him to pronounce it again) he then asked, What is
Varnashram again (now I got it) sir, it is system of division of the society into four major classes.

M3: Do you think it is possible to make a class less society?
Me: It is quite difficult, bit we have to strive for it

M3: Ok, you mentioned about multi faceted problems? What are they?
Me: Sir, there are many and the important ones among them are illiteracy, poverty, under nourishment,
political under empowerment, low awareness, fear.

M3: Ok. fear, awareness about what?
Me: sir, fear to approach the government and claim their rights, they are basically unaware of the various
government programs and benefits extended to them.
(I realised that this member was putting me under stress, so I tried to remain cool)

M4: Dr. Who is the first president of India?
Me: Sir, Mr. Rajendra Prasad.

M4: How is the president elected?
Me: Sir, he is elected by an electoral college comprising of the elected members of the parliament, both
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and the elected members of the state legislative assemblies of the state.

M4: Then how is vice-president elected?
Me: Sir, he is elected by an electoral college comprising of the members of the pariliament only.

M4: What is the other difference between the two elections?
Me: Sir, in president election only the elected members votes whereas in the vice presidents election
both elected and nominated members vote.

M4: Do you know about bicameral legislature?
Me: Yes sir, its present in few states where doth legislative assembly and legislative council exist.

M4: How many states have it?
Me: Sir, I am not sure, can I make guess?

M4: Yeah, tell me
Me: I think it is six states
M4: Yes, right. What are the states?
Me: Sir, it is in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and others I dont know sir.
And again M3 took over.


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M3: Why did you teach pharmocology instead of practising as a doctor in that medical college?
Me: Sir, I liked pharmocology a lot even during my college days and I also like teaching thats why I took
up the job of a tutor.

M3: But dont you think a doctor teaching pharmocology is actully wasting his medical talent in an area
which can be handled by teachers from non medical background like those from Msc well?
Me: I would like to differ from you sir. A doctor with a practtical knowledge of using nedicines to treat
patients will be in a more favourable position to teach the practical aspects of pharmacology in a more
detailed manner than a non-medical teacher, thats why even the medical ouncil of India has made it
mandatory for the heads of the departments in a medical college to be from medical background only?

M3: But all pharmacy colleges are run with non medical heads very efficiently
Me: Pharmacy colleges generally teach only the theoritical aspects of pharmacy, whereas in a medical
college there is a need to teach the practical aspects as well, thats why I think doctors are needed there
sir.
Then M4 interrupted.

M4: Did the management force you to take up tutor job?
Me: No sir, its actually the reverse they wanted me to work in the clinial side and I had to convince them
to give me the tutor job.
Atlast the chairperson again took over.

CP: (looking through my bio-data) I think you are alloted a service last year. Ok first what are your
preference last year?
Me: Mam, last year my first preference was IAS and I couldnt get it to my rank, my second one was IPS
and I was rejected on medical grounds and so I was allotted IFS.

CP: On what medical reason?
Me: Mam they rejected me on the account of flat feet.

CP: ok. Why dint you take IFS?
Me: Mam, IAS has always been my dream job, though I like IFS too for the kind of job profile it offers, I
interestingly felt that my heart always lies with IAS. I always wanted to be a part of the job system which
has direct impact on the everyday life of a common man, moreover (she interrupted saying its ok and put
the next question)

CP: As a bureaucrat how will you maintain neutrality in your work?
Me: Mam, as a bureaucrat I will make sure that I take decision after comprehensively analysing the
problem with the rational mindset and also make sure that such decision are not altered due to external
pressure in short my decision will be based on rationality and justice and will be unbiased.

CP: What you specifically mean by political neutrality?
Me: Mam, for me political neutrallity means working on behalf of the government and not on behalf of
any political party, its about working in the interest of people alone.

Then she said good luck. And thus my interview ended.
(Overall the board was very cordial, around 20 to 25 minutes, since I was the last canditate to be
interviewed in that session, it couldnt have lasted longer)

KORA KAAGAZ

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UPSC INTERVIEW 2011
Me: Good Morning, Madam. Good Morning Sirs.
Shashi Uban Tripathi (SUT) : Good Morning, Vikram. So, are you doing training?
Me: Yes, Madam.
SUT: Where?
Me: NADT. National Academy of Direct Taxes, Nagpur.
SUT: Oh..Nagpur (as if it was something new to her). So, Vikram, tell me, in very brief, about your
academic and professional life?
Me: Madam, I completed my B.Tech in Biological Sciences and Bioengineering. Then, I worked in a start-
up company working in the field of intellectual property and then I am here, in the IRS.
SUT: But, what did you do at Vellore?
Me: Madam, I had enrolled for a Ph.D program in Biomedical Devices and Technology. This program was
good in the sense that I could enroll without having to do my masters. This program is an integrated Ph.D
program among IIT Madras, Shri Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology,
Trivandrum essentially a blend between medical science and technology.
SUT: So, you were there for how many months?
Me: Four months.
SUT: So, why did you leave?
Me: Madam, I wanted to do research on tuberculosis but there were not many professors working in this
area. In fact, none in the IIT Madras was working in this field. This program required that one has to
necessarily have a guide from IIT Madras and one from either of CMC or SCTIMST. They were suggesting
me to change the problem but I was not interested. Fortunately, I got into the services. But, still I would
like to work on TB in future.
SUT: But, thats not possible given that you are into service and would have to do justice to your current
job. Ok, so you read non-fiction. Which books have you read?
Me: Madam, Ive read the Google Story by David Vice, Ideas and Opinion by Albert Einstein, The
Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama, India Unbound by Gurcharan Das, Imagining India by Nandan
Nilekani..
SUT: So, can you tell me in very brief one of these books which you liked the most and why?
Me: Madam, the book which had the maximum impact on me is The Audacity of Hope by Barack
Obama; the main reason being the way in which he has written as to how he got the idea of bringing
change in the world. In one of his stories, he mentioned that his daughter had to be hospitalized and
during this time, he saw the reality of healthcare in the US. He mentioned as to how healthcare reforms

104

were the need of the hour. Similar is the case with his views on foreign policy.
SUT: But, if that is the case, then why is Obamas popularity dropping by?
Me: Madam, I agree with you that his popularity is decreasing but I think the reason is the political
constraints and compulsions in which he works.
SUT: But, compulsions are everywhere.
Me: Yes Madam, you are right. I know he hasnt delivered but I sincerely hope that he does in the
remaining period of his tenure.
M1: Ok Vikram. You have been running from pillar to post from Kanpur to Bangalore to Vellore. During
this time, have you done anything for the society? Can you elaborate one incident which shows that you
did something for the society?
Me: Sir, I worked with an NGO named Jagriti during my college days. Jagriti works in the field of
education for the children of migrant workers. They have set up around 22 centers at various brick-kilns
in Kanpur. We used to go there and teach. At one of the center, there was a girl named Sarita who had
Rheumatic Heart Disease and needed a heart-valve replacement. The operation was to cost around Rs. 1.8
lakh. We, in our college, could manage to raise the amount and got her operated at Bangalore.
M1: But, that must have been a team effort. What was your role in this activity?
Me: Sir, I went along with Sarita and her father to Lucknow to get all the medical check-ups done. I
collected all her medical reports, scanned them and mailed them to various charitable hospitals
throughout the country. In the fund-raising, I had to coordinate with each hostel representative.
M1: Mr. Vikram, you appear to be so soft. Do you get angry? Have you ever beaten somebody? (laughs all
around) I mean, physically or verbally.
Me : (I smiled for a second or two). There was one incident which I can recollect in which in our college,
there was use of plastic glasses for drinking water, milk and tea. Inspite of repeated urges to the Mess
Committee, when there was no action, I got very angry.
M1: So, it was a verbal fight.
Me: Yes Sir.
M1: So, have you ever beaten somebody.. I mean physically?
Me: No Sir, that I used to do in school..not any more.
M1: Vikram, what according to you is your best quality?
Me: Sir, my sir told me that although I am not very talented
M1 (interrupts): I am not asking about your weaknesses but your strengths.
Me: I think that would be my being dedicated to my work.
M1: You are a student of psychology. How do you measure motivation?

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Me: Sir, measuring motivation is something very difficult, the main reason being that it is something
which is very subjective. The only way one can measure is through ones actions. If somebody does
something with full commitment and to the best of his/her capabilities, I think he/she is very motivated.
He/she has found a purpose of life.
M1: So, can you give an example which shows your dedication?
Me: Sir, recently, I along with my friend were given the charge of making identity cards for all 152 of our
batch. It was done because although it is the responsibility of the administration but since they had not
done it well, our institute purchased a new identity card printer and we were supposed to design the card
from scratch. We managed to do the task from designing till taking the final print outs one by one.
M1: So, did you work for long?
Me: Yes sir. Sometimes, it used to become 10 oclock 11o- clock and one day, I could sleep only at 4:30 in
the morning.
M2: You have worked in the field of intellectual property. Can you tell me about your opinion on whether
we should go ahead with GM food-crops or not?
Me: Sir, I think that we should not go ahead until we are absolutely sure about the safety of these crops.
We, in India, do not have an independent regulatory body, that can testify that Yes, everything is fine.
M2: But, ICAR approved of the GM study?
Me: Sir, but as Jairam Ramesh, Mr. Jairam Ramesh has pointed out there are contradictory studies as
well. Some studies have been done by Monsanto, which itself is a corporation and hence there is an
underlying conflict of interest. Until we have a clear-cut conclusion that green signal can be given to GM
crops, we should not go ahead with them.
M2: Tell me, what is gene-erosion?
Me: looking thoroughly confusedI asked him to repeat the same.
M2: Gene-Erosion i.e. the same as terminal technology
Me: Sir, the terminal technology is the brain-child of Monsanto. It essentially means that a farmer can
grow the crop using the GM seeds purchased from Monsanto only once. The next time, he has to sow the
seeds; he would have to purchase the same from Monsanto again. This technology has been widely
criticized as it is detrimental to the interests of the poor farmers of our country and the world.
M2: What are the different types of Intellectual Property in India?
Me: Patents, Trademark, Copyright, Trade-secrets, Service-Mark
M2: Anything else..
Me: thinking.
M2: GI

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Me: Yes Sir, Geographical Indications. In Goa, there is (i was forgetting Phenny here)
M2( started giving his inputs..i felt relieved because I was not able to recollect any other example of GI):
They are very important e.g. Darjeeling Tea, ..(he gave one more example but I am not able to recollect
that).
M2: Tell me about the importance of intellectual property. I mean, why do we have IPRs in the first place?
Me: Sir, the main intention behind IPRs is to foster innovation. It is basically a reward for the inventor for
the efforts he/she has put in to come upto that invention. For example, a pharma company has invested so
much in R&D to design a miniscule drug, we need to make sure that after the drug is invented, nobody
else is allowed to freely manufacture the drug and sell in the market. A time-period of 20 years, in the case
of patents is given to a company to sell that drug exclusively.
M3: What is Neemuch famous for? (Neemuch is in MP and is my place of birth)
Me: Sir, it is the eye-donation capital of india. The number of eye-donations from this district is the
maximum in India.
M3: What type of donations are these?
Me: Sir, they are cadaveric eye-donations.
M3: Ok..but this could also be due to the population of Neemuch. Do you know the population of
Neemuch?
Me: Sorry Sir, I am not aware of this fact.
M3: How long did you stay in Neemuch?
Me: Sir, till my 7th standard i.e. around 13 years.
M3: And you still dont know the population of Neemuch. Ok, what else is Neemuch famous for?
Me: Sir, Neemuch is famous for opium-production.
M3: What are other places in India very opium is produced?
Me: Sir, Chittorgarh and Kota in Rajasthan..
M3: Any other place
Me: (Did not answerI was thinking..may be, I think pretending to think would be a better phrase here.)
M3 : In MP
Me: (did not answer..genuinely thought this time but it didnt help)
M3: Are you aware of any war that was fought on the issue of opium?
Me: No Sir, I am not aware.
M3: Something in which East India Company was involved. It relates to an important event in history.
Me: Sorry Sir, I am not aware of the opium-war.
M3: What is law of attraction?

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Me: Sorry Sir, I do not know.
M3: Do you not go to the bookshops? You have interests in reading non-fiction books.
Me: Sir, I do visit bookshops. I go to Crosswords..
M3 (interrupts) : This is a very famous book. The exact title is The Law of Attraction The Secret? It
was a best-seller for a long time on the stands.
Me: Yes Sir, Secret I have heard that book. Is it that book which is a kind of self-help book?
M3: Yes, it is a sort of self-help book.
Me: Sir, my friend had recommended this book to me
M3: But you havent read it, did you?
Me: No Sir, I havent read it.
M3: Ok, in the book Imagining India by Nandan Nilekani, what has he mentioned specifically about the
English language?
Me: Sir, Nandan Sir says that English is responsible for the IT revolution in India. Since we knew English
and we could couple it along with our computing skills, we were able to successfully market ourselves to
the developed countries and the entire outsourcing boom came. Also, English is a major unification force
in the country. Since the South-Indians could not speak Hindi and the Hindi-speaking people in the North
India have trouble learning the languages of South-India, both can interact in English. Hence, English
brings us together.
M3: Inspite of the fact that English is a colonial language and not our own.
Me: Sir, Nandan Sir has said that the IT revolution occurred in India and not in China because Indians
could communicate readily in English with the companies of the West. Hence, English was crucial in
bringing the IT revolution.
M4: Vikram, have you heard of black swans in the context of public administration (I dont know why he
asked me this question..public administration was never my optional)
Me: No Sir.Does it mean something bad.
M4: No, it means that something unexpected. Do you think that unexpected events are a hindrance in
public administration?
Me: Yes Sir. For example, the Japan earthquake. Nobody knew that it is going to come but it
M4 (interrupts): Can you take an example from India?
Me: Sir, 2-3 days back, a police officer was burnt alive by a group of miscreants in Sawai-Madhopur
district. There was fire in IOC godown in Jaipur. Suddenly, we had the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. So,
something that comes without anticipation creates new hurdles in the already challenging life of the
administrators.

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M4: So, is there a strategy where in one can anticipate these events?
Me: Sir, it is possible. Through disaster management, we can create systems so that we can anticipate if an
earthquake/flood/drought comes and what should be our strategy to tackle them. If we see the case of the
Japan earthquake, authorities in Japan could disseminate the information to every Japanese citizen that a
Tsunami is going to come within an hour.
SUT: Who are opium-eaters?
Me: Sorry Madam, I do not know.
SUT: Ok, your interview is over.
Me: Thank you madam.
As I stood up, Madam told me that opium-eaters are the Chinese and one board-member who was
mentioning about opium-wars was actually fought between the Chinese and the East-India company. I
thanked them once again and moved out.

My Civil Services Personality Test - 22/03/2012
It was PK Mishra Sir's Board.
My background - B.Tech, Mechanical Engineering, M.Tech - Thermal Energy and Environmental
Engineering
Currently working as a Scientist in Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
The interview lasted for about half an hour. The board was extremely cordial and supportive. Here is a
brief description. (I've only detailed the shorter answers that I remember with reasonable accuracy. It
would neither be desirable nor useful to reproduce the answers given extempore, as there would be a
significant room for bias to set in.)
PKM - What is your name?
Sir, my name is Kshitij Tyagi
PKM - You are from Delhi?
Yes Sir
(PKM - sifting through the pages of my summary sheet, talking to
himselfDelhi..IIT.Kharagpur..stops at my job description) Oh you are a scientist?
Yes Sir
PKM - Ok tell me, What is Bernoulli's Theorem?
I fumbled a bit but in the end the words started coming out smoothly Sir, Bernoullis theorem uses
conservation of kinetic, potential and pressure heads of energy across an airfoil/object placed in a fluid
flow. Using this equation we can calculate the lift and drag experienced by the airfoil. This is one of the
applications of BT.
PKM - Ok, so you mean it has to do with conservation of energy (duh!)
Yes Sir
PKM - Hmm, where are you currently working?
Sir, I am working in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (board members looked surprised at the
fact that an entire Ministry by that name existed :D)
PKM - Ok Kshitij, so what is "new" in new and renewable energy?

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Sir, the word new is used to differentiate it from traditional renewable energy which also has hydropower
plants above 25 MW in its ambit. We on the other hand deal with hydropower projects below 25 MW and
other sources of renewable energy such as solar, wind, etc.
(PKM repeats what I said..thoughtfully.while his gaze is transfixed at me.)
PKM - What are the different parliamentary committees?
A minute of extempore there are so many of themnamed some standing committees.DRSCs.ad-
hoc committees..named a few and PKM himself pitched in with a few before I could finish
PKM - What are the different ways in which parliament can hold the executive responsible?
I talked about starred and unstarred questions, responsibility of Ministers..in the heat of the moment, I
couldnt recall other methods and said so to the Chair. He said there are other methods as well like
adjournment motion .etc. etcI thanked him.
PKM - What is "cut motion"?
I talked about the three types of cut motions. They however were convinced that there are only two kinds
of cut motions. PKM confirmed it with M1 and she nodded. I thanked them for correcting me (though I
knew I was right)
M1 (who had an accent of a Londoner, with the proverbial tight upper lip of the british)- What is traditional
medicine and what policy steps do you envisage so as to promote and strengthen this sector?
2 minutes of extempore talked about AYUSH, TKDL, IPR related issues, accessibility, etc.
M1 - How can traditional medicine be of economic importance?
Talked about medical tourism and exports. M1 looked satisfied.
M1 - IP related issues with traditional medicine? What do you propose?
Talked about recent moves by India to preempt moves by foreign entities to get patents on certain
traditional cures gave example of the attempt by a company to patent the use of turmeric in curing
vitiligo which weve known through ayurveda for ages. I concluded by saying that a policy architecture to
enable such protection should be established.
M2 - Why has solar energy not picked up in India and Africa in all these years?
This was my territory talked about the challenges we faced before National solar mission was initiated
and how these challenges are universal when it comes to solar power (PKM nodded and repeated what I
was saying), and how were now progressing exceedingly well after having overcome them. I concluded
by saying that the future for solar is very bright (M2 smiled. I am sure he got the pun )
M2 - What is the money required for setting up solar plants?
Answered
M2 - What is the area requirement for setting up solar plants?
Answered
M2 What do you know about airline cess of EU?
Answered
M2 - what do you know about BRICS ?
Answered.
M2 - When and where is the BRICS summit scheduled to be held?
Answered.
At this juncture, PKM asked M3 to begin.
M3 - What interdependence do you see in the process of automobile and textile industry?
The question wasnt framed properly and hence my answer wasnt in line with what she wanted. PKM
elaborated it but what they were looking for was sequential and parallel interdependence. I wasnt able to
crack this one since I am not very familiar with the working of textile industry. I thanked M3 for this
information, after she described both the terms.
M3 - What do you understand by culture?
Answered (sociology qn.)

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M3 - what is wider culture?
Sorry maam I do not know the answer. She explained it to me and I thanked her. (At this juncture I was a
bit tense since I hadnt answered two of her questions, and though I had been smiling all along, she
looked like she meant business )
M3 - What do you know about M.N. Srinivas?
Answered
M3 - What do you understand by westernization and sanskritization?
Answered
M4 - Which states have a high wind power potential?
My territory again
M4 - What are the problems faced while connecting wind power to grid?
Answered
M4 - Why are solar pumps not being used for pumping underground water in rural areas?
I had quite a discussion with him on this. He wanted to prove a point about solar pumps having not made
sufficient inroads in rural areas. I sensed this and yielded, more so because I wasnt too sure. Both of us
smiled.
M4 - What is fuel cell technology? What are the by products?
Answered
M4 - What are the efficiencies of solar plants and how do you envisage the future scenario to be?
My territory again
PKM Ok Kshitij, Ill ask you one last question. It is a situational question - there is a sincere and erudite
CEO who is very hard working but is unable to avoid the failure of the company. There is a cunning CEO
who is corrupt and practical and brings success for the company and himself. The first is fired and second
is rewarded - Do you agree with the management's decision? What would you do?
Sir, I am of the opinion that the management made a very shortsighteda very myopic move by firing the
first CEO. A business based on strong foundations is resilient and successful in the long term. I gave the
example of Steve Jobs getting fired from Apple, going on to PIXAR and then coming back to Apple to
take it to the zenith (PKM gave the best nod and smile of the interview at this juncture). I continued a
business based on skewed foundations never lasts.
PKM (interrupting me) so what would you do with the second CEO?
Sir, I would constitute and inquiry and if he is found guilty, Id fire him.
PKM - Thank you Kshitij, your interview is over.
Thank you Sir.

KUMAR ASHISH
Interview Date: 19th March 2012
AIR 363 CSE-2011
Dr. K. K. Paul Sirs Board
KKP: Whats 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 isnt 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

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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
KKP: what are L-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 cant 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 dont 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: Whats 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 dont know
KKP: name the tributaries of Brahmputra River.
Me: Sir, they are Lohit, Sankosh, Tistahmm (I was not ready to make any guess)

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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! Its not so. It is lesser than that.
Me: Sir, I am not sure about it
KKP: how did u 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 Mam. 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. Its 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 Maam! 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 mam, 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.

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Me: Maam, 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: Mam, he was neither sad nor happy. He was not remorseful for whatever he has done. He
refuses to meet the priest as he doesnt believe in religious affairs. He did not apologize for his act
Lady1: Have you seen some French Cinema? What is the main difference between French and Indian
Cinema?
Me: Yes Maam. 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 Maam. 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 Maam.
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), Maam, 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

114

L2: one last question from my side, which site from India was recently recommended for World
Heritage site? What is the current status?
Me: Maam, 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: HmmI dont know about the exact no. of world heritage sites in India Sir. Its UNESCO who
recognizes that status to any sites.
M2: Ok how many world heritage sites you have visited in India?
Me: Sir, Taj-Mahalrecently sir I have visited the Mahabalipuram Group of temples. (Cut short by
interruption)
M2: but that is not a world heritage siteis 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 dont know
KKP: Ok, Thats all. (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 Caf where he used to write his philosophy?
Me: Sorry Sir, I am unable to recall it now

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KKP: Ok.
Me: Thank you sirs, maam.
Exam Interview Details:
Date:19-Mar-2012
Interview Board: Dr. K. K. Paul Sirs Board
Result of Interview: Qualified

Lalit Kumar (Dr. K.K. Paul Board)
in
Interview

IAS Interview

IAS - INDIAN ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

Dr. K. K. Paul Board

IAS INTERVIEW Discussion
UPSC Interview By Dr. K.K. 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 15th january, any thing
A. sir, army day
CH. why so.

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A. sir I dont 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?
A. sir it is walk, trot, cantor and gallop
Ch. What are different types of trot?
A. sir I dont 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 dont 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
Ch. Did india followed 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

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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?
A. sir diseases that are transmitted by water
M2. Name some of disease?
A. cholera, diphtheria, diarrhea (I did not remembered more)

Lalitha IAS
Qualification : BE Civil Engg. Board: SHRI. K.K PAUL
Hobbies : Reading books, Badminton
Option : 1. History
2. Public Admin

CHAIRMAN: What is your name and roll number?
Me: I answered.
CHAIRMAN: So, you were working for 2 years with Airports Authority of India. What was your job profile
and duties?

Me: I was Junior Executive (Engg.- Civil). I was posted as officer on special duty to General Manager
(Southern Region) and was responsible for preparing the weekly progress report to be sent to Central
Head Quarter, Delhi. I was also responsible for the monitoring and compilation of expenditures in
southern region.


118

CHAIRMAN: What is your opinion on the allegation that PSUs are a burden on the exchequer? How far
do you support the privitisation of PSUs?

Me: Sir, I am not in favour of irrational privitisation. First, we have to look at the reason why any
organisation is not performing. Then only we can decide what steps have to be taken. PSUs have been
the backbone of development in past. In the era of liberalisation they have been instrumental in avoiding
cartel formation by private companies and ensuring aim of social welfare.

CHAIRMAN: What is the difference between Tender and Quotation?

Me: Tenders are openly published where any company fulfilling the basic qualification can compete
whereas in quotation the oragnisation selects a few companies based on various criterias and asks the
rates of the work.

CHAIRMAN: Your hobby is reading books. What types of books do you read and what is the last book
you read?

Me: I read fiction novels. The last book i read was Anita Desais In Custody which focused on the story
of perusal of an young professor to interview his favourite old Urdu poet.

CHAIRMAN: What is the relation between Kiran Desai and Anita Desai?

Me: Kiran Desai is Anita Desais daughter.

CHAIRMAN: So daughter has accomplished more than mother?

Me: Kiran Desai has won Booker prize but Anita Desai has also accomplished a lot. Though she has not
won booker prize but she was shortlisted 3 times. In addition she has won Sahitya academy award and
various other awards. Moreover, i found her books to be too much rooted in Indian scenarios especially
women issues and their pathetic condition which make her my favourite.

MEMBER 1: Where all you have done your schooling?

Me: Sir, I have done my schooling all over India. Ive studied in J&K, Assam, Nagaland, Delhi, Pune and
Trichy.
MEMBER 1: It seems you have travelled a lot! What is the difference between the present problem in
Nagaland and Kashmir?

Me: The problem in Nagaland is basically ethenic where the tribes dont like being rules by others ands
thats why they demand a greater Nagaland. Whereas in Kashmir the problem is largely on religious lines
and fostered entirely by foreign forces.

MEMBER 3 (Lady): What is your favourite area in public administration and why?

Me: My favourite area is welfare administration where we study the effective implementation of any
scheme. It shows the change in the mindsets of govt. which has changed from direct disbursement of
needs to make the people skilled to fulfill their needs.


119

MEMBER 3 (Lady): You are giving a heavily loaded statement! Can you justify?
Me: Madam, for example if we take the problem of unemployment and poverty earlier we used to simply
supply money to unemployed and food. Now in addition to traditional steps we mainly concentrate on skill
development through centres like DIC, encourage them to form SHGs and make entrepreneurs.

MEMBER 3 (Lady): You seem to be too much interested in solving the problem from grass root level..
thats good! For further knowledge on North East you can read the Vision document 2020.

MEMBER 4: What are Ecologically Sustainable buildings?
Me: Ecologically Sustainable buildings are the buildings which use less material, consume less water, use
energy efficiently, produce less waste and provide a healthy environment for its occupants. In such
buildings recycled materials are used for construction, energy is minimised by techniques like increasing
the window area, using grey water for gardens and indoor air quality is improved by using green plants
etc.

MEMBER 4: Are such buildings capable of withstanding emergencies such as earthquake or tsunami?

Me: Sir, these buildings are not constructed differently but only natural aspects are encorporated more.
These building are structurally strong and special provisions of earthquake resistance can be ensured by
structural design or methods like base isolation. These buildings are strong but in addition are also
healthy and sustainable.

MEMBER 4: How is a Runway different from Highway?

Me: Runway is a high class runway. An aircraft can land even on a mud road but a smooth ride requires a
smooth landing strip and thats what a runway provides. A runway is a highway with high strength and
standards.

MEMBER 4: How is the corruption scenario in AAI and what mechanisms are there to control it?

Me: Sir, corruption level in AAI is very low. The organisation has a sound vigilance mechanism in place.
The department has a strong vigilance department in addition to regular internal and external audits and
in extreme cases CVC do step in.

Observations:
Most of the questions are asked from bio-data or leads to the questions are taken from the bio-data.
Members generally have the summary sheet and chairman has the full application form. Boards are very
cordial and try to make the candidate speak and express himself/herself. Attending mock interviews is
essential to gain confidence.

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.

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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.
(He passed on to 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.

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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
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)

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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.
C- (laughing) Bookish knowledge.
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

Manigandasamy
Int. Date : 22.04.2010
Qualification: BE (Mech)
Board : Nirbhay Sharma
Optional: 1. Geography
2. Tamil Lit.

Chairman:
1. What is your name?
2. What is your Roll No?
3. What is the meaning your name?
4. Where are you working?

Member 1:
1. What is national in legration?
2. What is the status of national integration now?
3. What s the problem is northern-eastern states?
4. Why they are isolated from mainstream?
5. What are all the Terrorist organisaiton which are working in northern eastern states?
6. Who are all the leaders?
7. Why its under developed?

Member 2:
1. How geography helps you in administration?
2. How north eastern stats differ from other states in terms of

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- Society
- Culture
- Economy
- Development
3. Why human rights violation in police force?
4. Tell me about new legislation related to police department?
5. How national integration evolving?
6. How national integration related to culture, social values?

Member 3:
1. Law and order comes which subject in the constitution?
2. Tell me about law and order and its related subjects in constitution
3. Difference between state, central and concurrent list
4. Status of internal security in India
5. Difference between state police, central paramilitary force and military?
6. Where its Latin America?
7. Name of countries is South America?
8. Which country is oil producing about South America?

Member 4:
1. In which part of Arunachal Pradesh, China is claiming? Why? And Indias stand?
2. Name of north-eastern states?
3. What are all the geographic reason in which northern eastern states are under developed?
4. Whats happening in Megalaya is last two days?
5. What are all government steps to improve northern states status?
6. Tell me about Loot-east policy?

Chairman:
1. Whats happening is Nepal now?
2. What are all the internal problems prevailing in Nepal
3. Any link between Nepal militant and China?
4. Why monarchy abolished in Nepal?
5. Any problem in the family of king (Nepal)
Board : Shashi Uban Tripathi
Duration : 30 min (5:15pm 5:45pm)
Date : 29th March 2011

Chairman (Ch) : You have done MA (Sociology) from ?

Me : Lucknow University, Mam.

Ch : You did it in 2005. Since then, what have you been doing ?

Me : Mam, since then, I have been preparing for the civil services examination. This is my
4
th
and the last UPSC interview.

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Ch : So, do you have any job ex ?

Me : Mam, I got selected last year in to IRS (Income Tax).

Ch : So, its been some 3 months into the service.

Me : Yes Mam, approximately 3 months.

Ch : Are you happy with Income Tax ?

Me : I consider myself very fortunate to be in Income Tax. Infact, last Friday, we had a video
conferencing with our Chairman, CBDT. He addressed not only the probationers from NADT
but also the CCITs from across the country. In his address, he repeatedly emphasized upon
the camaraderie of the entire cadre. Mam, who would not love to work in such kind of a
department where the camaraderie of the cadre is being emphasized upon..

Ch : But you have written the exam again for improvement ?

Me : Yes mam, the most important factor in the administrative and the police services which
fascinates me the most is the diversity of job(then Chairman came up with another question
and did not let me complete).

Ch : You have studied Sociology. Tell me how can we improve the parochial mindset of the
people like that in the case of Khap Panchayat.. ?

Me : Mam, I believe that Law and administration have a major role to play here. But, more
than that, major changes have to come from within. Lets say, if a particular person from a
community adheres the law and abide by it in all capacity, hell be respected by the
administration and will become a role model for others to follow, if his deeds are appreciated
in society, others will love to follow him.

Ch : But, today we see that even the educated people are abiding with the parochial laws of
khap panchayat. We have the instances of Army Generals.

Me : In that case, Law will have to take its own course. Anybody found commiting a heinous
crime should be punished. And, that will act as a deterrent for others.

Ch : In Delhi, on the Police vans, its written With you , For you, Always. People say, that
this in itself is the problem. What do you have to say. ?


125

Me : Mam, I believe that its only the atrocious picture of the police which comes to the
forefront. People have started associating the Police with atrocities. The good work done by
the police goes unnoticed.

Board Member : There was a lathi charge yesterday by the police on a mob at mohali, which
was standing in queue for the tickets. Why such kind of acts take place ? Why to beat the
cricket fans ? What will you do if you are the SP ?

Me : Sir, the peaceful sale of the tickets should be ensured. If people try to barge in and
disturb the peace, action will have to be taken. In such kind of a situation, I will also support
lathi charge, because it is very much needed at times.

Chairman : Yes, I agree, lathi charge is needed at times.

Me : I will try to increase the number of policemen handing this kind of a situation. On top of
all, I will direct every single policeman to have a humane understanding of the situation. If
someone still disobeys, I will take action against him.

BM : Recently, an engineer was arrested by the police on the ground that he bought many
match tickets in advance and later he was found selling them at higher prices. What is the
harm in such kind of an act ? You see in London, people buy the tickets in advance and sell
them at higher prices for the Premier League. Whats wrong in it ? I have 1 lakh rupees. I am
ready to pay, you are ready to sell.

Me : Sir, thats like hoarding the foodgrains. In such cases, Government has to intervene. We
just cant support black marketing. Govt. has to establish some kind of an equity. If people
involved in these activities are not punished, then it will lay a very bad precedence before
others and will have a negligible deterrence value.

BM : There is so much of corruption in Uttar Pradesh. People in your income tax department
also are found taking bribes every now and then. What will you do if your
subordinate does his work only after taking bribe ?

Me : I will give him the warning. Still, if he doesnt mend his ways, I will stop delegating work
to him and will infact, take his work upon myself.

BM : Thats very good. What if your subordinate takes money on your behalf, by taking your
name ?

Me : Sir, that would tantamount to disrespecting me and my integrity. I will warn him first,
and then will take action under the Conduct Rules.

126


BM : I am a depressed man. Arent you a depressed man, Manpreet ?

Me : No Sir.

BM : You are a sportsman, you look like a sportsman. Still you not depressed ? I am very
depressed.

Me : Sir, I will energise you.

BM : You take a look at the condition of sports in India. Its full of scams. What is the primary
loophole that you see in the system ?

Me : Sir, the most primary loophole that I feel hinders the smooth sports administration
in Indiais that the Sports bodies and federations in the country are headed by the Politicians
and the retired bureaucrats. Why cant we have eminent sports personalities heading the
sports federations ? Why cant we have Prakash Padukone heading the Badminton federation,
Why cant we have Dhanraj Pillay heading the Hockey federation ? It is the vested interests of
few people which spoils the entire pond. If these people are brought in, theyll put their
heart out in the work they will do. Having been associated with the similar sport, theyll not
tolerate any kind of corruption in the system.

BM : Thats very correct. Ok, lets say, a very enthusiast Sports Minister is appointed. What all
suggestions would you give to him with regard to the sports administration ? Tell me in
bullets.

Me : Focus on infrastructure, diet and nutrition of the players, have the best of the coaches
be it Indian, be it foreign, Make use of technology in Sports

BM : I think the main focus should be on infrastructure.

Me : Yes Sir, infact, that was the first point I mentioned. I will give you a very small instance.
Last year, we had the Hockey World Cup in New Delhi. The performance of the Indian team
was very dismal. If we compare the hockey infrastructure of India with Spain, well find
that Spainhas so many astroturfs, which India desparately lacks. This is the prime
infrastructure issue.

BM : But, in cities like Pune, we have very developed infrastructure but nobody makes use of
it . Whats the reason ?


127

Me : In my opinion, the prime reason is that the parents do not support their children to take
up sports as their career. They dont see any future in sports. Even my parents never
encouraged me to become the best athlete in the country. They dont find it lucrative.

BM : If you are asked to imitate any of your neighbouring countries with regards to sports
administration, which country would you imitate and emulate ?

Me : Undoubtedly China, Sir.

BM : Do you think that Chinese sportsmen play to earn money ?

Me : I do not have much idea about that Sir. But yes, they start it very early and we often see
that in 5-6 years of age, they start training, and become the masters over a period of time,
for e.g. in Gymnastics.

BM : Tommorrow, we have India_Pakistan match. Where ?

Me : At Mohali, Sir.

BM : Lets say, you are a District Magistrate of Mohali. A bomb blast takes place during the
match. What will you do ? Tell me step by step.

Me : Sir, the very first thing I will do would be to ensure the security of the masses along with
the VIPs. The security of the Pakistani PM Mr Gilani is also very vital. I will ensure the quick
evacuation of the stadium. For this, I will make open all the exit points. Thereafter, I will
totally cordon off the place where the blast has taken place and nobody shall be allowed to
enter that place.

BM : But Manpreet, what about the casualities ? You are evacuating the place first, what will
happen to the casualities ? Evacuation may lead to stampede.

Me : Yes Sir, That is the reason I will go for safe evacuation first to avoid the stampede.
Because, if stampede happens, it will lead to further casualities. Perhaps, both the things
have to be done simultaneously.

Chairman : Why do you think SAARC is not picking up, unlike ASEAN ? any particular reason ?

Me : The reason which I consider the most important is the hostility
between India and Pakistan. (The Chairman suddenly made a furious face). I think, conflict of
interests is the most appropriate word to be used here instead of hostility. Even if we
compare SAARC with European Union, we have not been able to bring about the long proposed

128

common currency like Euro. Apart from this , within SAARC, we see many positive events also
happening. Like the kind of financial assistance which India gives to Bhutan is phenomenal.
Infact, we have set up various thermal power stations there.

Ch : But, that is at the bilateral level.

Me : Yes Mam, I think the conflict of interest between Indian and Pakistan is holding the
SAARC behind.


Ok Manpreet, you can go.




My SCORE : 219/300

Mayank Agrawal
How did you prepare for the interview?
I used to discuss regularly questions regarding current affairs and
biodata with one of my friend.
Q. Who was the chairman of you interview board?
IMG Khan
Q. How long was the interview?
20-30 min
Q. Provide the list of questions asked (and if possible answers
also)
I dont remember exact questions but will try to give broad outline:
1. How do look for personally while making decisions.
2. Reasons for terrorisms in india and outside india
3. how useful is watching tv nowdays
4. asked about my hobby

129

5. unhrc voting on srilanka
6. why dense planets are nearer to sun
7. legacy of british rule in india
8. sivasamudram project
9. tidal change behaviour

Naga Sathish
Board : Alka Sirohi mam
Optionals : Geography and Public Administration
Hobbies : Watching movies and Cricket, Internet browsing, Reading Newspaper
Attempt : 1
Qualification: MTech CSE IIT Roorkee
From : Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
CP : So you watch cricket.. Tell 5 Cricketers who became members of Parliament?
CP: Told 3.. But Gimme one more name pleaseClue: his Father is a former CM (I was clueless even
then)
CP: Kirti Azad. Heard of him?
Passed on to M1
M1 : Sathish People say Justice delayed is Justice Denied. Do you agree with it? Whats your opinion
on it?
M1: What can be done to speed up our justice delivery system?
M1: There are lots of Adjournments of court cases How to reduce them?
CP: There is no provision of Only 3 Adjournments anywhere. It is a recommendation of some
committee. (as in my answer I said there is some provision somewhere)
M1: How the judge of high court appointed? (I blundered here, I forgot answer for this infact but
finally gave it)
M1: Is there any collegium system?
M1: What changes govt. is trying to bring now to this system?
M1: You Studied in IIT Roorkee. It had some other name in the past. Do you know it?
M1 : Who is James Thomason?
M1: When is IITR established and what is the purpose of establishing it only in Roorkee and not in
Allahabad or somewhere else?
M1 : You watch cricket. Can you tell me the weight of a cricket ball? (No Way i can ! :D )
M1: which newspaper do you read?
M1: Who is the editor of Hindu?
Passes on to M2.
M2: Guntur is very closer to Vijayawada. Are they twin cities?
M2: You are from Vijayawada. There are so many coaching centers for +2 in Vijayawada. Why is it
so?
M2: Dont you think syllabus in Govt colleges is good enough to crack IIT-JEE? Isnt the syllabus same

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for +2 and JEE?
M2 : If JEE questions are tough and if they are asking something that is beyond the syllabus of +2,
then there is something wrong with the curriculum/syllabus of JEE? Dont you think so?
M2: Andhra Pradesh has lot of problems with Naxals. What is naxalism
M2: If you are saying this to be Socio-Economic problem then, Why this problem is not there in
Karnataka or somewhere else(As here also many socio-economic problems are there ) and only
present in Andhra Orissa etc?
M2: Dont you think Govt needs to do more here? (Before he completed this question, CP passed it to
next member)
Passes on to M3.
He hampered my confidence by asking many memory based ones
M3: Have you heard of K-G basin? What is it?
M3: Why is nanotechnology getting so much prominence?
M3: Do you think with nano size experiments, we can change the fundamental properties of the
materials? (He was going indepth into this, i had to say couple of I donno's here )
M3: Have you heard of Visakha Case ? (yes, sexual harassment one)
M3: Can you tell specific guidelines given in that judgement ? ( I donno)
M3: What is IISER? (Donno :( )
M3: So many memory based questions here.I never heard them before also around 4 or 5 of
them.. for all I said I Donno
From here again i could answer few satisfactorily.
M3: Have you heard of Kuchipudi village? Where is it?
M3: Can you name some of the dancers of kuchipudi?
M3: There is a specific character which they depict for which these are famous. Do you know that
character?
M3: Is there any award or something associated with kuchipudi?
M3: I was expecting if something like PadmaBhushan or PadmaVibhushan is awarded to any of these
dancers. Do you know?
M3: Who is the best fielder in present cricket team?
M3: Is jadeja not a good fielder?
M3: Do you know where Suresh Raina is from? (Again forgot :( )
Was feeling bit low after M3's grilling.. but M4 kinda rescued before Alka mam drowned my ship again
!
Passes on to M4
M4: Why IIT Roorkee was established in roorkee only (Yes repeated same question)
M4: What is the year of establishment of IIT Roorkee?
M4: Do you know that when upper ganga canal was built, people refused to drink/irrigate land with
that water? (Ooh.. i donno this)
M4: So, you are from Vijayawada which is in Guntur district right?
M4: Then what is the hq of Krishna district?
M4: This area is very close to Telangana region. Can you tell me about the Geography of the region?
(I dint understand what he was trying to ask me )

131

M4: What are the major products of Krishna District? (I told agricultural products, he said something
something about krishna district, hez very old, and after telling whole story he said do you know? :-o i
thot WHAT !!! Apparently he was asking question, but i felt it to be like a story ! ).
M4: It is said that Krishna District provides food to all southern states like Tamilnadu, Karnataka and
even to Maharashtra. Do you know why?
M4: Tell about your district geography first, then Andhra Pradesh geography. (Before i answer this
question fully, moved on to next question)
M4: You also watch movies. According to you who is the best hero in Telugu movie at present?
M4: What is his latest movie?
M4: What does the word Dookudu mean?
CP Tookover from here
CP: Can you tell me what is ISDN? (Donno :( )
CP: Can you tell me the names of TCP/IP Layers?
CP: There is no Session/Presentation layer in TCP/IP Sathish (I corrected myself here, tcp/ip has only
5-layers).
CP: Your interview is over.. ohh wait wait.. last question for you before you go Gave 1 puzzle to
solve. 9 dots in 3x3 matrix. Have to join all of them with 4 lines without lifting the pen. (My mind was
already blank.. cudn't think of any logics here)
CP: Ok. Dont worry. Try after you go back.
CP: Your Interview Over ! Thanks !

NameRAMDHAN DAGARRoll number035222Rank (CSE
2012)500Optional Subjects
1. Public Admin
2. Commerce
Number of Attempts2Medium for Mains ExamEnglishSchooling
(Medium)EnglishCentre for Prelim examChandigarhCentre for Mains
examDelhiName of home town/cityRohtak, Haryana
CM- Why do you want to leave your present job at RBI?
Ans- Although RBI offers a great opportunity for me to work for the
country but it does so only in a particular field i.e. Central Banking
whereas in the civil services I would be able to contribute in a much
larger way to the society and touch upon the lives of the people directly.
CM- ok ok. Do you think theres corruption in banking?
Ans- yes sir theres corruption in commercial banking ( on this the CM
interrupted and said not in central banking.) I replied no sir theres no

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corruption in central banking in India and this can be corroborated from
the fact that there have been no allegations regarding the same and
even a person of the integrity levels of Shri Narayan Murthy has praised
RBI and said that if we can have more institutions like RBI we can very
well have a corruption free system in a short span of time.
CM- Why are the industrial houses able to get loans easily and the
poor people just seem to be running around for even small credit
needs?
Ans- It is because the industrial houses have the financial muscle and
the negotiating power and they directly deal with the top management of
the bank whereas the small borrower i.e the poor are not even able to
approach the lower management. The poor are considered as an
unwanted commodity who would never return the money. Then quoted a
axiom that is used in RBI if you give loan to a poor guy it becomes the
headache of the guy but if you lend to a corporate then it becomes the
headache of the bank ( on this one of the members said as is
happening now-a-days, probably referring to loans given by banks to
Kingfisher Airlines)
M1- so you have worked with the CAG also( I nodded my head and
said yes) how was your experience and what kind of audit did you
do there?
Ans- told about my experience of auditing the electricity companies of
Rajasthan and the problems associated with them like why are facing
losses and what can be done to improve the same( M1 had asked me to
specify the problems faced by those companies)
CM- Recently our PM made a statement that the CAG is interfering
with the policy making function of the govt. What is your opinion
regarding the same?
Ans- According to the CAG( Duties, Powers and Conditions of service)
Act,1971 the CAG has every right to conduct a performance audit and
comment on the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of a program or
scheme and while doing so if it is inferred that it is interfering with the
policy making than sorry but the CAG cannot help it.

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M2- What is social audit?
Ans- It is a technique to understand, measure, verify, report on and to
improve the social performance of the organization.
M2-ok ok suppose Mr. Dagar you are made the District collector
then how would you use social audit for the betterment of your
district.
Ans- sir,as social audit includes people from all the levels including the
marginalized sections of the society it can be effectively used to root out
corruption. It ensures transparency, accountability and thus has a impact
on local governance. Moreover I would make sure that theres adequate
representation of women, SCs, STs in the social audit teams to ensure
participation of all sections more effective.
M3(female)- you like playing cricket ramdhan(I had mentioned it as
my hobby) so, do you think cricket deserves the front page
headlines that it gets?
Ans- mam, certainly there are much more important social and economic
issues in our country and they deserve more attention than cricket but I
think cricket is one sport which binds the people of our country and in a
way it acts as a bonding factor for us ( the chairman interrupted)
CM- so it means IPL leads to global bonding.
Ans- no sir it doesnt.
CM- but dear they play like brothers in IPL.
Ans- sir they are getting a lot of money for that( at this the chairman
smiled and pointed towards the 3
rd
member)
M3- have you heard about naxalism?
Ans- yes sir.
M3- what all areas are affected by it?
Ans gave a detailed list of areas like the districts of chattisgarh, West
Bengal etc.

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M3- suppose the govt. decides to fix some 50 mobile towers in a
naxal affected area, whether it is going to be beneficial or harmful.
Ans- sir it is a two edged sword on the one hand it can be used to by the
security agencies for intelligence sharing and foiling the attacks by the
naxals but at the same time it can be used by the naxals to perpetrate
further attacks and coordinate more effectively. So it depends on how
well our agencies are able to make use of it.
M4-tell me what can be done to develop India in 5 years.
Ans-(with a smile) to be very candid sir it is just not possible to develop
India in a span of 5 years.
M4-(smiled) accepted, so what could be the time in which we can
develop and tell me what steps do we need to take in that direction.
Ans-atleast 15-20 years. Taking a cue from our neighbor China we also
need to invest in infrastructure (M4 interrupts)
M4- why infrastructure.
Ans- because it creates both permanent and non-permanent
employment. Non-permanent when the infrastructure is actually being
set up and permanent after it has been set up, a perfect example of this
is the DMRC. Plus we get the utility. Also compared China and India in
terms of Railway expansion after both countries had attained
independence. Gave the example from John Knight and Sai Dings book
titled Chinas remarkable growth.
M4- what more?
Ans- we need to shift our surplus labour from agriculture to
manufacturing.
M4- why not services sector?
Ans- because services sector requires more educated and skilled
manpower as compared to manufacturing sector. Manufacturing sector
requires semi-skilled labour and as such it is easier to shift people from
agriculture to manufacturing.

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Note- there were two three more questions but I dont exactly remember
them.
Q. Was your interview on the expected lines of what you had prepared?
I think it went on expected lines.

Neelabh Rohan
Interview Date: 21-03-2013
Interview Board: Vijay Singh board
Attempt No.: 2nd Attempt
Rank (CSE 2012): AIR 322
Interview Marks: 195 marks
IAS interview (2nd attempt) on 21 March 2013 in the afternoon session. My interview was in Vijay
Singh board. The board was very cooperative but I heard from one of the candidates on my table that
he does not give good marks. I thought to face it and show my worth without thinking how many
marks he is giving. I had already faced several interviews earlier for various jobs (including one of K K
Paul Board in UPSC for Indian Statistical Services) so I did not have any interview fear.
I was the only candidate in that interview room who was in a semi- formal dress. My shirt was of dark
greenish colour with red lines (not sober as all the other candidates were wearing, but I was looking
good in that shirt), I was the only person who was not wearing a tie and was wearing a semi- formal
shoe. I am telling all these because candidates fear this interview a lot and wear formal dresses, tie
(some even suits in the summer) in the hope that this will make an impression on the board. My
experience says that it does not matter at all (But it does not mean that you wear jeans and T-shirt).
I was the second candidate to be called in. A girl came out of the interview room smiling and told me
that the board is very nice. I was not scared but this relaxed me completely. Before I proceed with the
interview, I should inform you that I am a Ph.D. in Statistics, had my optional subjects as Statistics
and Philosophy and my hobbies are mountain trekking in Sahyadri and playing bridge.
This is how it went.
The bell rang, I said ""May I come in sir?""
CH (Chairman): Please come in.
I said ""Good afternoon to all of you."" (I felt no need to wish separately to the lady member).
CH: Please take your seat. (I was not thinking anything at that time and was looking at the
chairman).
CH: What is your current status?
Me: Sir, currently I am working as a visiting scientist at Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), North East
Centre in Tezpur, Assam.
CH: When did you join there?
Me: Sir I joined on 15th Jan this year.
CH: Is this North East Centre governed by ISI Kolkata?
Me: Yes sir.
CH: What course is going on there?

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Me: Currently a PG diploma course is going on in Statistics, but next year they are going to start a
course which will be exclusively for the north east students. It is aimed at benefiting the students from
the North East
CH: Are you getting good students there?
Me: Sir we are not getting very good students but yes they are doing reasonably well.
CH: What is the status of Assam?
Me: Sir it really needs development. The ISI is located in a village in Tezpur, which is far away from
the town. When I walk in that village, I notice that people are deprived even of the basic facilities like
food, health, education and transport. There is no transport facility available in the night time. There is
a basic need to improve the governance in especially in the rural areas.
CH: How is the place? Are there tea gardens near your place?
Me: Yes sir tea gardens are there and are very beautiful. Not only this, Kaziranga national park is very
near to Tezpur, Tawang is also near.
CH: Oh yes Tawang is there. Have you been there?
Me: No sir I have not yet been there, but I have plans in future.
CH: You have a hobby of trekking in Sahyadri. Which place did you like the most in Sahyadri?
Me: Sir I have gone trekking several places in Maharashtra like Bhimashankar, Ratan gad, Raj Gad,
Purandar, Harishchandra gad etc, but Out of these I like Ratan gad in Ahmednagar district the most
beacuse of its natural beauty and the close cooperation that one feels with the nature.
CH: There are some Mughal forts in MP which are also famous trekking spots. Have you been there
any time?
Me: No sir, I have not gone trekking in MP anywhere.
CH: Are you involved in any other activity, other than your job at ISI?
Me: Sir, as I have mentioned, I do trekking whenever I get time. I also play Bridge and I have played
in some national level tournaments in Pune. Apart from this every day in the evening at tea time I
take a walk in the village where ISI is located and try to notice their problems, interact with the
people there. Sir, this was also one of the reasons that I came to assam. I was also getting an offer
from University of Pune, where I studied, but I chose to go to assam as it was a unique opportunity
for me to see the conditions of the people of north east. I had been to many places in India but had
never seen north east and I went there.
He passed the baton to his right.
M1: What do you think about ""lies, damn lies and statistics"" (in taunting tone (statistics is my
optional)).
Me: Sir I do not agree with this. The whole world is based on statistics, how it can be a lie. We are the
only science which allows the possibility of an error. We never say that we are perfect like
mathematics. In this way we are closer to reality. But at the same time we say with confidence, with
95% or 99% confidence that the conclusion we have drawn is correct. Apart from this, there are some
technical factors like sample size, or the error may creep in from the wrong data collection method.
But it is just a misperception of statistics which has branded it as a lie. (Chairman nodding in
affirmative, everyone seems to be impressed)
M1: How can statistics be used in quality management. (For two seconds it did not click me, he
explained the question further).

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Me: Sir in any manufacturing industry or production process, statistics plays a very important role in
minizing the number of defects to almost zero. Use of 3-sigma and 6-sigma limits is very famous in
this context. (Satisfied)
M1: You have studied at Pune. What are the institutes of National importance in Pune?
Me: Sir, there is C-DAC, Centre for development of advanced computing(M1 interrupted)
M1: What does it do?
Me: Sir it is playing a very important role in the National Knowledge Network development where
various institutes are being linked with broadband connection.. .(again interrupted)
M1: CDAC has nothing to do with National Knowledge Network.
Me: (I was confident about it) Sir, the Garuda network in National Knowledge Network is built by
CDAC. (Chairman stepped in)
CH: Is there a supercomputer..?
Me: Yes sir the Param supercomputer is there in my university there.
Passed to Member 2.
M2: You also studied in Lucknow. What changes do you see in Lucknow?
Me: Sir, I studied in Lucknow from 2003-2006. Today when I go there, I do not see several changes
except some new industrial developments. One thing that I notice is that at the time I was studying
there, there were several people who used to lie down on the bridges of Gomti, drining, smoking etc
which posed threats to people in the night time. I see that it has been removed now. Otherwise, the
encroachments are still there, the governance needs to be improved, law and order needs to be
improved. (Chairman nodding in affirmative).
M2: Do you see some parks?
Me: Sir parks were there even earlier, like globe park..
M2: Recently some parks were broken and new parks were built. What do you think about it.
Me: Ok sir you mean Ambedkar park..Yes those areas have indeed become very beautiful. I think
beauty is also necessary, but the extravagance should not be allowed. Had that money been used for
the benefit of the common man, for improving the governance, for improving the law and order
situation, or to build the infrastructure, it would have much better impact.
M2: Asked something about the cleanliness of Gomti river.
Me: Sir Gomti has indeed become very polluted and needs to be cleaned. The waste treatment
technology needs to be employed. The effluents that pass into the river need to be treated. JNNURM
needs to be implemented properly.
M3 (lady): You have the other optional as philosophy. What prompted you to take philosophy?
Me: Maam, being in mathematics, I was always fascinated by the names like Descartes and Leibnitz
and it attracted me towards the subject.
M3: What have you read in Philosophy?
Me: In western philosophy, I have studied several philosophers from Plato to Kant. I have also learnt
about the six schools of Indian Philosophy. In paper 2, I have thoroughly studied the concepts like
Equality, Justice, Liberty etc which are the essential parts of the life of a common man. I have also
read the philosophy of religion.
M3: Which philosopher you like the most.
Me: Maam, In Western philosophy, I like Kant and in Indian I like Jainism (Surprised at Jainism).
M3: Is it? Why so?

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Me: Maam Jainism talks about the equality of souls. It says all souls are equal. It gives me a solution
to the problems of untouchability and gender inequality which are still prevailing in our society. Then it
says that there are several ways to know the reality. All are correct. It gives me an inspiration to live
peacefully in this multicultural society. Also, its triratnas and panchmahavratas are the sources of
ethics and morality. Its teachings are the solutions to the problems of corruption and immorality.
M3: What do you think about Multiculturalism in India (derived from my answer).
Me: We have been living in a multicultural society peacefully for more than 60 years after
independence. There were some problems recently for example in Assam, a conflict between Bodos
and Muslims or in Godhara, but still we are an example of the peaceful coexistence. There are some
problems but they can be tackled in future and I am very much hopeful about it.
M3: What was the conflict in Assam?
Me: Maam due to the illegal migration of muslims from Bangladesh near Assam Bangladesh border,
the conflict had arisen. But the situation is quite in control now and the area is quite peaceful. Even
Naxalism is also in control now a days and area is peaceful (I wanted her to ask on Naxalism, but she
didnt).
M4: You have completed your schooling in UP board in Hindi medium. Hmm. You were talking about
the possibility of error in Statistics. There is a subject Econometrics with similar concept.
Me: Yes sir I know, in fact my research is based on Econometrics. It is about modelling the variation
in the financial market data in the event of financial turbulences.
M4: Ok, so you know about Econometrics. (Looking at summary form) It seems you have completed
your overall schooling in Hindi medium in UP board, good (Perhaps he was impressed that I was
speaking very good English even after studying in Hindi medium till 12th standard). Have you heard
about C R Rao?
Me: Sir, he is one of the greatest statisticians of the presently. He has won several awards including
the Padma awards. In fact I met him in a conference in Vizag, met him in the sense that he had come
there in the conference and I listened to him talking. (M3 interrupted)
M3: Oh, is he still alive? How old is he?
Me: Maam, In June 2010 was his 90th birthday.
M4: You are working in ISI. Who established it?
Me: Sir, it was established by Prof P C Mahalanobis.
M4: He has a very significant contribution at national level.
Me: Sir, he was a planning commission member in the second five year plan which focused at the
industrial developments in our country. (Nodding in affirmative).
M4: There are two types of errors in Statistics. What are they?
"Before I say anything, I want to extend my deep sense of gratitude to Dinesh Pandey sir for the
guidance that he provided me for the interview."
It was a technical question, but at this time chairman seemed to be satisfied with my interview and he
was in a mood to finish it. I started explaining the answer in as layman terms as I could but still
technicalities came and chairman started feeling restless and looked at M4. The M4 then interrupted
me and asked which error is more important. I explained it and he was satisfied. Chairman picked up
his pen, said thank you and started writing something (I think filling up the marks). I wished thanks to
everyone and walked out happily. Overall, everyone seemed to be impressed, all of them were
agreeing and smiling on many of my answers.

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I think the interview was very general, and all the questions were from my biodata. But the answers I
gave were very effective and I was fully confident, did not stagger at any point and I must agree that
I had very good practice. More than half the questions I had already faced in mock interviews that I
used to have with my friends every day. It helped me a lot.

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 IAS after working for RBI? (Reason: Working as Manager, RBI
since 2006)
The member didnt listen to me and stopped me from answering the question andhimself
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 Indias forex reserves?
8. What is RBI doing with forex reserves?
9. United Nations and some governments 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 didnt 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, Students 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?

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23. Recently, in a marriage in Delhi expensive gifts were given to guests whether that is
dowry?
24. Which Act?
25. How the act 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

Nikhil Pavan Kalyan
, after my interview, I wrote in detail about the minute happenings in those important minutes. Well before my third
interview, I thought to continue that custom. But slowly through my preparation for the interview, in the last two days
before the interview, and well, after the interview, I have been increasingly believing that writing down the questions I
was asked and how I adjusted my chair in the interview room, will not give a true picture, may be , it gives a
thoroughly wrong impression of the whole story. Questions are indeed not the interview is all about. It is a personality
test (PT ) !
So, instead of just jotting down the questions asked in my third interview, I would rather try and give the essentials
that are expected out of the person facing the interview also , along with the questions . Of course that is what I
wanted to do by writing the questions asked, to help the next candidate.
Panel : Rajini Razdan
Personality Test time : 15-20 minutes.
I wanted to give a highly emphatic impression right from the first second. The moment I was told to go inside, before I
turn the knob of the door, I told to myself, loud and clear so that I can hear, that I am an IAS officer and I have
nothing to lose .
This initial step is very important , for many reasons, for me and for everyone else. Since this is the most important
moment , we try to give extreme weight for the moment, increasing the pressure automatically. The more serious we
are with the interview , and more concerned about our performance inside, the more tougher it becomes. This I learnt
through the hardest way, with two interviews faced. My preparation this time, I allowed myself to be flexible for all the

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suggestions that come my side, and I took some of them very seriously. My senior, said to me that How many ever
question and answers we prepare, they are not going to be asked, at all. The preparation for these questions is
only to give us confidence , to answer even those questions which we dont know. I guess most of you reading this
might not totally appreciate the weight of the above statement, but this is the single most important factor, that
changed my approach to the preparation for it. I am no more afraid of any questions. I am no more in that state to
expect only the questions that I prepared should be asked. I am , instead, eager for questions, eager to answer any
question with the same kind of confidence and agility. I prepared little in this direction, and when I was asked about
Justice, Lawyers (my first set of questions), I was rather unmoved in my outlook. I maintained a cheerful face, full of
confidence and ideas. At least that is what I feel.
The interview started with explain , Justice delayed is justice denied , Questions in Judiciary , delays, how can we
improve the situation, what did the govt do, any new laws created , how to regulate lawyers, honor killings and a
series of inter related questions.
The chairperson started the question without me adjusting so much, but within few seconds, I am fine and started
taking the questions one by one. At one point, I gave only two suggestions and stopped, where they were expecting
more and they started giving me ideas. I quickly understood that I have answer more, and gave my set of
suggestions. I didnt do this mistake again for the rest of the interview.
My batch-mate, gave me some very important suggestions how to make my answers practical and sounding nice,
with the easiest of modifications. I prepared the most obvious of the question to be asked (from my profile) and was
ready. His suggestion is to be as much prepared for the interview. They are looking for well prepared persons.
After some of these prepared questions were asked (why I am leaving my software job and coming to civils , and
whether i would be having a satisfaction in civils) , I am really in a mood to answer any question. Such was my
confidence.
They asked my job profile, what i do, why im leaving, whats driving me for civils etc.
My senior also gave me this suggestion to have the newspaper read out loud (at least the editorial section) till the
interview time, so that the words and flow is with you. I did it , as he said. I took the suggestion (like the rest of the
ones) to my heart.
The beauty is that, sometimes, questions that you are prepared do come your way. Its an awesome time, your
confidence just doubles up. The words just flow from your mouth. That is what just happened to me when they went
on to Water security. A series of questions on how to solve this problem, at the domestic household level, district
state and national level. Suggestions were given and there were counter questions.

Third time is a charm
I gave two mocks before the interview, and the feedback I got is that (only the negative ones I am mentioning here,
keeping the positives to myself ) I am not flexible and not enthusiastic. I am rather solid and no-stress. But in
doing that, I am being indifferent. I am not inviting more questions to be asked. I really understood the difference it
can make by putting a cheerful face. I made sure that my mind is awesome cool, and that I am not really going to an
interview, rather for a discussion. I also gave a feeling to myself that I am already an officer (for three days before the
interview) and carried that feel till the last minute. This really allowed me to discuss the ideas the way we discuss
with any of our friends or when prepared.

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I was listening to music till the last possible time.
My additions to the above suggestions is to have a really working brain. I made this sure by working out for two
weeks before the interview, and especially , a good workout on the day of the interview.This is indeed , my
preparation. And it is planned!
Next topic is media, wikileaks, privacy concerns and my stand on these topics. I am really not bothered about the
topics by this time. I am sure of my answers, and I am well aware of the limitations while answering. I am sure of my
knowledge and facts, the ideals of constitution, democracy, foreign policy, secularism, war on global terror, climate
change, human rights and etc etc.
Then its systems engineering (my job) and systems administration, hobbies (marathon) and few related questions on
how to improve district administration.
This set of questions I really enjoyed, because the way they took the systems word was from a minute detail in my
resume, my first job title Assistant Systems Administrator ! I was happy for their improvisation, I did well in
explaining the details and to mix that with the public administration of a district.
If you see, I have mentioned all through, that i enjoyed the questions ! This is what a mind set can make. Last time
my interview went good, not bad . I got 165. I was happy with my performance and marks. But I was not confident
during the interview and I was really not enjoying it. I was just expecting to do good. Not this time. I enjoyed it
thoroughly, and I have nothing to lose in it. I already got my part of the job done. Whether this confidence and
enjoyment turns into score, I am not really bothered. Not anymore. It should.
And all this is my side of the story. I am not sure whether this confidence and the spark in my eyes is conveyed to
them or not. If I believe in what I prepared and what I said, It did.
Thats all ! Interview went well, im very much satisfied. Though we cannot say whether this satisfaction converts to
score, but it indeed is a better show than my last time.

Nithya IRS
Qualification : BSc Micro-biology Board: Mr. Shasi Tripati
Option : 1. History
2. Tamil Lit.

MEMBER 1:
1. Why do you opt for civil service, as microbiology has a wide scope and u become an accountant
(working as Treasury Accountant?)
2. Whats your hobby?
3. How do you spend time with kids?
4. What are the current issues related to children?
5. Views about RTE
6. As a collector what will you do for the dropouts who again join the school?

MEMBER 2:
1. Have you did any course in First aid?( I m a RED CROSS CLUB SECRETARY)
2. If there is a head injury, he has no breathed how could you do first aid?
3. how would you do the heart pumping(DEMO)
4. At what rate you will pump the heart?
5. How would you give the air?
6. How do you know about the First aid?

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MEMBER 3:
1. If you are an IFS officer, how will you market Tamil nadu (tourism) in your place of posting?
2. What is the distance between the Chidambaram and muthupettai
3. What is the nature of your job
4. how would you know about the letters sent to the sub treasuries?(regarding grievances)
5. How often would you look at your PERSONAL REGISTER?
6. If a letter sent to you as CONFIDENTIAL and the information of the letter are asked through RTI will
you disclose the information.

MEMBER 4:
1. Who is the tamilian got the Nobel Prize, what field?
2. What are ribosomes?
3. Why Tamil nadu (GENERALLY south India) is being very hot when compared to DELHI?
4. Can we stop the computerization of government systems as most of the employees are misusing
(playing cards and using Google during the office hours)

MEMBER 5:
1. What is tsunami? What is the exact location of 2004 tsunamis cause?
2. What are the rehabitation works
3. What is your participation as a Red Cross member?
4. What are the government measures to treat the affected people (PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA)
5. Name of the Tamil nadu government schemes to adopt the new born girl child to control female
infanticide?
6. What is the difference between SAARC AND ASEAN?
7. How will you develop SAARC/
Nivas DSP
Int. Date : 23.04.10
Qualification:
Board : Sashi Uban Tripathi
Optional: 1. Geography
2. Tamil Lit.

I asked may i come in , chairman nodded , went inside , wished good evening madam and all the other
members. i was offered a seat i said thank u madam n sat .
CM : Your name is NIvas, sounds very different is it .
ME : yes madam it was originally srinivas , it was entered nivas in my school certificates and it continues.
CM : i will call u nivas - me - ok madam .
CM : nivas , r u working anywhere
me :Yes madam currently working as deputy superintendent of police in tamilnadu police department .
CM : when did u join .
me - i joined in november 2009 madam .
cm - u r under training ?
me - yes madam .
cm - what training u are provided there
me - madam we are trained to strengthen our body and also we are trained in the varoius laws .
CM:tell me what is the reason for this shift from engineering to police .

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me- in police we are able offer instant solutions to aggrieved people madam we are able to serve more
people whereas in industry our we are limited in developing engineering skills .
CM - see u were working as aproject engineer in water treatment plant as an engineer and u were serving
many people . yes madam but it was more of self, personality development there madam
CM - police sometimes are not serving the people what do u say about this
me - yes madam i agree sometimes they do not hear to people , itis because , a robbery or theft becomes
a daily routine to police , whereas it is once in alife time incident for the people .we have to give
behavioural training to the police .

CM - is it being given in ur academy , yes madam - we are given the training and even we learn sign
language also . now she passes on to other member .

no1 : so u are in trainining , what laws are u being taught .
me - in IPC upto generalexceptions sec76 to 96 , Indian evidence act till sec 32 dying declaration , crpc
upto security proceedings - sec 107 to 110 .
no1 - now tell me why confession b4 police is not accepted - me - sir it is because -police can obtain the
confession which they want thru using torture .but confession b4 police is admitted in certain cases , shall
i elaborate sir .

no1 - not required , tell me U r a DSP nad the govt doesnt beleive in ur statement - don u want this to
change .me - sir why confession b4 police is not admitted is because only magistrate can determine the
truth .
no1 - ok fine , will u support change in law that confession b4 police can be admitted .
me - yes sir .

no 1 - tellme in tamilnadu the police are siding on any of the two parties aiadmk or dmk , why is this
interference .
me - sir i admit there is some amount of political interference but our higher authorities are taking
necessary action over the persons concerned.

no2 - tell me wthter u have read any book on period between 2 world wars .me - no sir - but i know what
happened at that time - no2 - have u read any book . me - honestly no sir .
no2 - ok now carefully listen to this statement " the britishers treated India like cows and the french
treated india like their mistress " what can u infer .

me -sir from a cow we are sucking everydrop of milk . like wise the britishers have sucked every drop of
wealth from us sir . every one want their mistress to be good looking sir , likewise the french have
developed pondicherry a planned beautiful city .
no2 - no u didnt understand the meaning of mistress - me - sorry sir i told u what came to my mind when
u told the statement .

no2 - u ve to grow up to understand the meaning of mistress . by the way half ur answer was right .
me - thank u sir - i will find out the remaining answer after interview
no2 - good .
no3 - so u r from VIT - a deemed university .
me - yes sir . no3 - tell me this deemed universities are good or bad .
me - ( this is where i made the mistake ) i said these deeemd universities - i donot welocme - i will explain
why with my own example . I got a govt quota seat i paid only rs 15000 per year , if i had to study in

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deemed univeristy i would have never studied in VIT .also the yashpal committed also recommended for
stopping this process since after 1990 many uinversities have come .
n03 - so no govt seats in deemed yniversities - me - they conduct only common entrance test sir .
n03 - tell me any 3 famous deemed universities .
me- (i told only VIT as i can only think of it )
n03 - thats fine . dont u know of IISC , BITS pilani . me sir ithought of BITS sir , n03 - u should have told
no .
n03 - ok do u think IITs are serving the purpose ?
me - yes sir definitely they have provided some of the good engineers to india , but the no of IITs are very
less sir .
no3 - how many are ther now . iam not sure but it is defintely over 10 .
no3 earlier it was 7 , now it is 15. do u think this no is enough ? - me - no sir -no3 - so what is the
optimum no - can we have one in every state - me - yes sir sure .
no3 - though the IITs are good , many of the iitians go abroad and brain drain happens .
me - sir though brain drain happens many iitians are contributing to india from abroad sir . n03 - thats
after 1990 only - me - yes sir - no3 - do u think they have achieved their purpose . me - yes sir they are
conducting good research - n03 - then whats the problem - {member was helping me allthrough and
finally when i said reserach is not made practicable he and chairman gave a nod }

no4 - (this person was from north east - he was very emotional - i never was able to satisfy him in fact i
escaped from his question saying im now in training once i ve field exprience ican tell better)
this person asked abt insurgency , he said in north east there are more security personnel per person
.what u will do to incerase morale of police .
me - i told abt performance based incentive to police , inservice promotion and even the problm of leave
to boost the morale of police .

CM - ok this is the final question - is a unipolar world possible now ?what is multi polar world
me -( this is where i made the second mistake)- i said UN can help for a unipolar world by integrating all
countries .multipolar isaid - it is where the regional powers play a big role .
cm- tell me some regional players .
me - china india , latin american countries .

CM - i asked u abt unipolar and ur answer is different - (saying this she closed my file )
me - i asked madam have i misunderstood u madam - hearing this she felt bit annoyedthen no3 came to
my rescue he explained b4 coldwar situation and present situation .
now CM also told regarding multipolar u r answer is right .
me- i said thank u then i came out...

Pankaj Kumawat
Q. How did you prepare for the interview?
Prepared my bio-date well in advance in anticipation of an
interview call, rather than waiting till mains result.
In bio-data

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o Home state Rajasthan culturally, economically, politically,
socially, problems and potential solutions in all ares
o Home district Jaipur in above areas
o Home town problems and solutions
o Graduation focused on application side of it. I was
technically strong anyway as I didnt ignore my academics.
o Hobby teaching all possible questions which I could think
on and answers therein.
o About my current job profile, company profile etc.
o Content was taken from internet. Govt. websites, several
articles on internet, Wikipedia, govt reports.
Current affairs
Mental make up for interview
Using courteous language more often than not
Showing humility while talking to anyone ( believe me, it
doesnt come by itself)
Q. Who was the chairman of you interview board?
Prof. Venkatarami Reddy Y
Q. How long was the interview?
30 min.
Q. Provide the list of questions asked (and if possible answers also)
It was on 12
th
march, afternoon session. I was 4
th
to go.
CP you are coming for the second time ? (asked this even before I
reached my chair)
CP what are you doing these days ?
CP what is your salary ?
CP that is higher than what an IAS earns. Justify how would you be
satisfied with pay cut ?
CP you are not counting perquisites and privileges of IAS. If we count
that, your salary would be smaller. Now ?

147

CP what would you do if your wife demands large amounts of jewellery
?
M1 what should be indias foreign policy on pak ?
M1 what are 5 concrete steps on the ground that you would take which
satisfies 3 conditions ( which I enumerated in answer to first ones)
No war
Continue talking
Prevent Pak from becoming a security thread to India
M1 countered all my suggestions as impractical and unimplementable.
M1 you havent given me any practical solution to prevent infiltration.
M1 what is one line response to cyber crime ?
M1 how would you use your engineering knowledge in administration ?
M2 how would you reform indias technical education so as to boost
our manufacturing especially aeronautics and automobile sector?
M2 Indias higher education is unbalanced and uneven due to IT sector
which is also low technology based. No good tech products from India.
your response for balancing higher education so that engineering grads
join different sectors ( not just IT)
M2 for high tech products from Indian IT industry ?
M2 practical steps to contain the problem of adulteration especially
food adulteration.
M3 Hyderabad blast issue reasons, problems in prevention and
potential solutions ?
M3 north-east insurgency solutions ?
M3 we are already doing many of the things that you are suggesting
but they have failed. Now ? is all out offensive not a solution now ?

148

M4 what is this whole 2G issue from beginning to end. Tell me why at
all did it happen ?
M4 tell me one biggest policy failure in any sector of any time in India ?
M4 what do you like in Jaipur ?
CP ok your interview is over.
CP, M1, M2 grilled me like CBI cops. All my answers were countered.
Moreover, CP didnt give me enough time to give my answers on salary
questions. That must have created a doubt on my integrity and hence
low marks.
Many questions required some thinking but members didnt allow me
some time to think. E.g. biggest policy failure ( though there are many, I
thought he wanted some specific. 3-4 seconds later he said food policy. I
accepted that.)
I didnt agree with some things that M2 had to say over Indian IT
industry. He also rejected such sound ideas as industry-academia
collaboration to create interest among engineering students in their
subjects which put me off.
Thus it was sort of stressful because innovative solutions were sought
on the spot.
Reason my apparently good academic background. M1 pointed that
out too. Their expectations were high. I disappointed them. Integrity
questions were not allowed to be answered well due to interruptions by
CP. I expected very low marks. But 164 isnt very low.
My conclusion > no matter how much prepared you are for interview,
they may still shatter your chances.
Q. Was your interview on the expected lines of what you had
prepared or Did they ask you totally unexpected questions? If yes,
how did you handle it?
Though many questions were offshoot from my profile, they were not
easy to answer especially in the face of members expecting innovative

149

and different answers other than those which are prevailing state of
action and thinking.
Naturally, I did struggle to answer and couldnt meet their expectations
on some questions and little time was given to me to ponder upon. M3
and M4 looked more or less satisfied. M2 looked highly dissatisfied and
M1 reluctantly content. CP was doubting my integrity all along. ( I dont
know why)

Name Pankaj Kumawat
Roll number 8505
Rank (CSE 2012) 371 intv 164
Optional Subjects
1. Public Administration
2. Sociology
it was on 12
th
march, afternoon session. I was 4
th
to go.
CP you are coming for the second time ? (asked this even before I
reached my chair)
CP what are you doing these days ?
CP what is your salary ?
CP that is higher than what an IAS earns. Justify how would you be
satisfied with pay cut ?
CP you are not counting perquisites and privileges of IAS. If we count
that, your salary would be smaller. Now ?
CP what would you do if your wife demands large amounts of jewellery
?
M1 what should be indias foreign policy on pak ?

150

M1 what are 5 concrete steps on the ground that you would take which
satisfies 3 conditions ( which I enumerated in answer to first ones)
No war
Continue talking
Prevent Pak from becoming a security thread to India
M1 countered all my suggestions as impractical and unimplementable.
M1 you havent given me any practical solution to prevent infiltration.
M1 what is one line response to cyber crime ?
M1 how would you use your engineering knowledge in administration ?
M2 how would you reform indias technical education so as to boost
our manufacturing especially aeronautics and automobile sector?
M2 Indias higher education is unbalanced and uneven due to IT sector
which is also low technology based. No good tech products from India.
your response for balancing higher education so that engineering grads
join different sectors ( not just IT)
M2 for high tech products from Indian IT industry ?
M2 practical steps to contain the problem of adulteration especially
food adulteration.
M3 Hyderabad blast issue reasons, problems in prevention and
potential solutions ?
M3 north-east insurgency solutions ?
M3 we are already doing many of the things that you are suggesting
but they have failed. Now ? is all out offensive not a solution now ?
M4 what is this whole 2G issue from beginning to end. Tell me why at
all did it happen ?
M4 tell me one biggest policy failure in any sector of any time in India ?
M4 what do you like in Jaipur ?

151

CP ok your interview is over.
CP, M1, M2 grilled me like CBI cops. All my answers were countered.
Moreover, CP didnt give me enough time to give my answers on salary
questions. That must have created a doubt on my integrity and hence
low marks.
Many questions required some thinking but members didnt allow me
some time to think. E.g. biggest policy failure ( though there are many, I
thought he wanted some specific. 3-4 seconds later he said food policy. I
accepted that.)
I didnt agree with some things that M2 had to say over Indian IT
industry. He also rejected such sound ideas as industry-academia
collaboration to create interest among engineering students in their
subjects which put me off.
Thus it was sort of stressful because innovative solutions were sought
on the spot.
Reason my apparently good academic background. M1 pointed that
out too. Their expectations were high. I disappointed them. Integrity
questions were not allowed to be answered well due to interruptions by
CP. I expected very low marks. But 164 isnt very low.
My conclusion > no matter how much prepared you are for interview,
they may still shatter your chances.
Q. Was your interview on the expected lines of what you had
prepared or Did they ask you totally unexpected questions? If yes,
how did you handle it?
Though many questions were offshoot from my profile, they were not
easy to answer especially in the face of members expecting innovative
and different answers other than those which are prevailing state of
action and thinking.
Naturally, I did struggle to answer and couldnt meet their expectations
on some questions and little time was given to me to ponder upon. M3
and M4 looked more or less satisfied. M2 looked highly dissatisfied and

152

M1 reluctantly content. CP was doubting my integrity all along. ( I dont
know why)

Pawan Kadyan.
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.)

Me: May I come 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)

153

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 play a critical role, 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.
M1: What is AFSPA? 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

154

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?
Me: Sir, in hockey 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.

155

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.
Me: Ma'am, lack of 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.
M4: But this seems 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.

156

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.
Mr. Khan: A new 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.

Prabhasa Bhoi
Sate: Odisha
Hobbies: Swimming and Collecting Indian Coins.
Degree: Electrical Engineering
Work Experience:
Sr Enginner @ NTPC (from 2005 to 2011)
Asst. Works Manager / Indian Ordnance Factory Service (continuing from 2010)

157

I was the second candidate to be interviewed in the Board of Manbir Singh in the afternoon session of
22-04-2013. As this was my third interview I was quite under pressure to perform well this time. I
was called around 14.50 Hrs to proceed to face the Board. I was made to sit on the chair near the
entry door of Boards room. Then the first candidate left the room. He was sweating badly. I got more
nervous. However, I was able to keep my cool. Then after 5 minutes the bell rang. I knocked the door
and stepped inside.
Me May I come in Sir.
Ch yes, come in.
Me Good afternoon Sir... good afternoon Mam .... Good afternoon Sirs.
Ch Please be seated.
Me Thank you Sir
Ch So, you are working in Ordnance Factories.
Me Yes sir
Ch These days there are lot of complains regarding DRDO and Ordnance Factories (OFs) not meeting
the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces. Is it right?
Me As far as DRDO s concerned they have many success stories however because of political and
budget constraints we spend very little % of our GDP on Defence Research leading to failures in cases
like Arjun MBT, LCA etc. If we have a look on the performance of Ordnance Factories they are meeting
60-70 % requirements of the Indian Army. We have limited capacities and absence of technology to
meet the requirements of Navy or Air Force. Further, these days the equipments and technology are
being out dated at a faster face. Thats why the criticism is there.
Ch how to set this deficiency of OFs right?
Me There has been a consensus regarding rapid modernisation of the OFs to improve the
performance the OFs. Govt has planned to spend INR 15,000 Cr during the 12th Five year plan.
Moreover internal R&D has to be strengthened.
Ch We have completed already 60 years of independence. Still we are lagging the developed
countries in this regard. Why so?
Me The countries like USA, UK has a long history of development. They have a strong base to built
upon. We had to start everything from the scratch. Thats why it is taking time. In time ahead we will
be a strong state too.
Ch Why should we go for indigenisation keeping in view that we require the best product and they
are readily available outside.
Me Indigenisation is necessary always. During the time of conflicts / war, the outsiders may not side
on our side and they can refuse to supply. In that case we will be in a bigger problem. Further,
indigenisation will give rise to employment generation and GDP growth.
After this he passed the button to M-2
M2: So, you are from Odisha?
Me: Yes Sir
M2: What is recent judgement of Supreme Court on Vedanta issues?
Me: For Vedanta projects, level-1 clearance has already been granted. There was protests regarding
the location of projects near the location of NiyamRaja the tribal God of Kotia and Dongria Kondha
tribes residing there. SC in its judgment has asked M/s Vedanta to submit its project plans to Gram
Sabha which will consider it. After that MoEF will grant level-2 clearance if accepted by Gram Sabha.

158

M2: Dont you think this judgment is detrimental to the development process.
Me: absolutely not sir. Blind development without being sensitive to the religious sentiments of local
tribal communities will attract bigger problems.
M2: Suppose clearance is not given, then what will be its repercussions?
Me: First of all it will affect the investor sentiments and industries will not come forward with
investment proposals. This will affect the developmental process, employment opportunities will
diminish etc.
M2: What is the problem in POSCO project on Odisha.
Me: Its basically Land Acquisition problem.
M2: What are the salient points of the Land Acquisition Bill as approved by Cabinet recently?
Me: compensation amount is 4 times in Rural Areas and twice in urban areas. Consensus of 70% of
local people in case of PPP projects and 80% consensus in case of Private Projects. Forcible acquisition
in respect of Road, port, power projects etc. To Prevent Land hoarding 5-11-2011 is the cut off date to
share compensation between the previous land owner and current owner.
M2: Is there political stability in Odisha ?
Me: Yes Sir.
M2: What is the GDP growth rate of Odisha?
Me: In the 11th plan it was around 9.2%
After this he passed the button to M-3)
M3: Though efforts are being made for women empowerment, still the result is not as per the
expectations. Why so?
Me: Women empowerment has been proceeding in half-hearted manner. Say, we reserve 33% seats
for women in PRIs. However, it is often found that their husband or other senior male members are
participating in the meetings keeping them aloof as usual.
M3: So what is the solution from your point of view?
Me: The solution lies in change in attitude and behaviour which is possible through education and
generating awareness that women can also lead.
M3: Brief about the status of Black Money in India.
Me: According to NIPF&P around INR 40,000 cr black money is there in the foreign banks. These are
the moneys not reported to tax authorities. They are mostly derived from illegal activities and used for
illegal activities too.
M3: Why are we unable to solve this problem?
Me: Most of the big politicians cutting across party lines are having black moneys. They are
obstructing the efforts of Government to tackle Black Money menace.
M3: What should be done by Govt?
Me: Sir, Govt is trying hard and considering various options to solve this issue like granting relief from
prosecution in case of voluntary disclosure, asking the foreign banks to give details of persons holding
account in their banks etc. However no consensus is there. And it will take time to solve the issue.
(After this he passed the button to M-4-Lady Member)*
M4: You are staying at Nagpur?
Me: Yes Mam.
M4: Tell me some name of Public Sector Units (PSUs) whose headquarter is at Nagpur.

159

Me: Sorry mam.
(Then she said it is Western Coal Fields Limited and some other names too)
M4: Many PSUs are having loss. Should not we disband or privatise them.
Me: Mam, there are many PSUs such as Maharatana, Navrtna and Miniratna companies which are
making profit. If they can function profitably why not others. Solution lies in identifying the problem
and making them run successfully.
M4: These days we are talking a lot about political reforms. From your point of view what should be
the biggest agenda of electoral reforms.
Me: Mam, these days more than 30% MPS and MLAs are having criminal background even some of
them are having ministerial berths. This is affecting the smooth working of the legislature. Thats why
main agenda should be how to keep the people having criminal background away from such positions.
M4: What is a Presidential Form of Government?
Me: In the Presidential Form of Government, President is directly elected by the people. He appoints
the Cabinet Ministers and they need not be the part of Congress or the Parliament by whatever name
it is called. USA Govt is ideal representation of such form.
M4: Should India go for Presidential Form of Government to improve the working of govt?
Me: there is no question of any form of Govt good or bad. Its us who make it good or bad by our
working. In India we cant keep on switching from one form of gove to another. Instead we should
focus on how to improve the functioning of our parliamentary form of govt which our constituent
makers have adopted after a deliberation of more than 2 years.
M4: how to improve the functioning of our parliamentary form of govt?
Me: first of all it is imperative to elect qualified members to the Parliament, as I have already said, by
suitable electoral reforms. Then there should be focus on increasing use of Technologies, using Policy
Cells, modernising budget etc.
(After this he passed the button to M-5)
M5: Your optional is Geography.
Me: Yes Sir
M5: Then tell me How to represent height in a 2-D plane?
Me: Sorry Sir.(Then he said that it is contour)
M5: These days the engineers of all streams are either opting for IT Sector jobs or Civil Services. Why
so?
Me: As far as IT sector is concerned, the recruitment process consists of tests of only quantitative
aptitude and English Test. So students from all the streams finding it easy to qualify for IT Sector
jobs. Further, IT sector provides fair amount of salary, postings mostly in cities and high chance to
visit foreign countries. So far as Civil Service is concerned the prime motive is contributing to the
development of society at the grass root level and designing suitable policies at the later period of job.
M5: Railways are manufacturing most of the items in India, But why OFs have not been able to do so?
Me: (I said something regarding Defence being a sensitive matter and ToT is not there from outside
sources)
M5: He was not satisfied and said I am not talking about ToT, I am talking about indigenous
production.
Me: Nothing came into my mind and I said Sorry Sir, I dont have any clue how to answer this.
(After this he passed the button to Chairman)

160

Ch: Your interview is over.
Me: Thank You Sir.

Prasanna Ramaswamy IAS
Qualification : B.Tech
Board: Mr. Vijay Singh
Option : 1. Public Admin.
2. Geography

Me: May I come in sir?
Chairman: Yes please come in.
Me: Good afternoon mam , good afternoon sirs.

Chairman: (Immediately) Good afternoon, please be seated.
Me: Thank you sir.

Chairman: So Mr. Prasanna , when did you finish your degree course?
Me: Sir I finished it in 2008.

Chairman: Biotechnology is an emerging & promising field , why did you choose a career in civil service
instead?
Me: Sir, I was always inclined towards civil service as a career, after finishing my 12th std I initially
thought of joining an arts and science college but since I was the only son in my family my parents
persuaded me to get an engineering degree, but in retrospect I fell it was a good decision as I got to learn
a lot from my course in biotechnology.

Chairman: So engineering is the right choice for intelligent students? (This question was not very clear to
me but I failed to get it clarified)
Me: Yes sir.

Member: So Mr. Prasanna , you have a degree in biotechnology , do you know what is protein technology
?
Me: (after pondering over it for some time) I am sorry sir , I am unaware of this technology.

Member: (he persisted) You know ? Protein and all that.
Me: Sir I cannot recollect it right now, I am not very sure of what exactly it constitutes.

Chairman: So Mr. prasanna you have a degree in biotechnology , what is it about biotechnology that you
like the most?
Me: (after taking some time, say 6 secs) Sir the most striking thing about biotechnology is the possibilities
it offers. It is a very promising field with huge potential. It can give us a solution to almost any problem in
any field like agriculture, medicine, environmental degradation etc.

Member: But do you think it has any limitations?
Me: (after taking some time) Limitations, yes sir the biggest limitation is that we have to be very careful
while handling genes in biotechnology as it can grave implications on the environment and human beings.

161


Member: Tell me prasanna, you say that biotechnology offers many possibilities, so can you create using
biotechnology, a plant can bear both a tomato and a potato in the same branch?
Me: Yes sir it is very much possible. You only have to genetically modify any one of the two concerned
plants by inserting the gene of the other into the first plant.

Member: Does biotechnology have any application for humans in terms of production of proteins for
human use?
Me: Yes sir, I will give you an example , insulin is an example of a protein hitherto we used to produce
insulin from cattle and pigs, but now using Recombinant DNA Technology, we can induce E.Coli , a
bacterium to produce human insulin by genetically modifying it.

Member: And where do we get the gene from?
Me: Sir we can get it from our body.

Member 2: Mr. Prasanna are you aware of the problem of development induceddisplacements. If you are
given a situation, how will you handle it?
Me: (As I started to explain he interrupted me and asked me to tell him about the different types of
displacements) Sir there are displacements due to infrastructure projects like building roads, sezs and
most importantly sir, dams (he seemed to be expecting this) . And sir if I am given a situation to handle
the first thing that I will do is I will make it a point to take the people concerned into confidence
by explaining the pros and cons of the project and how it will benefit them and sir I believe that if we
sincerely try to do that the people will cooperate with us.

Member 2: But if the people who are mostly tribals say that we dont want electricity and all and that you
just go away what will you do? Moreover you must be aware that according to the tribal rights act the
forestland legally belongs to the tribals?

Me: Sir in that case I will still try to persuade them. I will make sure that they are given a fair deal, a
resettlement package which will relocate them to a place of their choice nearby because sir ultimately we
have to strike a compromise between development and tribal welfare.

Chairman: So prasanna your optional are pub ad and geography , what made you choose
them?
Me: Sir I chose them because I felt they were scoring subjects. But then the other reason was that I found
them more relevant as pub ad is what I will be doing once I get into the service.

Chairman: So scoring marks was your primary motive?
Me: Yes sir, my topmost priority was to clear the exams, but I also chose them because of their
relevance.

Member 3: Prasanna which country is foremost in biotechnology?
Me: Sir I think it is the United States of America.

Member 3: (immediately) No, no it is Hungary. They are the foremost.
Me: Thank you sir I didnt know it.


162

Chairman: Prasanna do you think that the people of our country are increasingly becoming intolerant. For
example the recent hyderabad episode and the maharashtra one preceding that?
Me: Sir I believe that if the people are left alone then they will coexist peacefully despite their differences
but the problem arises when the political parties try to divide the people to gain politically from it. Sir this
was the case in hyderabad and also in maharashtra.

Chairman: But dont you think there are other problems also?
Me: Yes sir the other problem is that most of the people are illiterate and unemployed and it is these
people who tend to get carried away by the propaganda of the political parties as they fail to look at an
issue rationally.

Member 4: So prasanna cricket happens to be your hobby?
Me: Yes sir.

Member 4: Do you watch tennis?
Me: Sir I do occasionally watch tennis matches but I am not a regular watcher.

Member 4: Do you know what is deuce and other rules of the game?
Me: No sir I dont know the rules of the game.

Member e: Prasanna you are from Sastra University, tell me something about it.
Me: Sir sastra is the abbreviation for shanmuga arts science technology and research academy. It
attained the deemed university status in 2001.

Member 3: Recently a lot of deemed universities were in trouble, so do you think we should do away with
the system?
Me: (after taking some time) Sir I believe the true intent of the ugc act regarding deemed universities was
to have quality educational institutions which is relevant even today, the problem is however with the
implementation of the act. so we must correct that instead of doing away with the system as such
because there are many deemed universities which are doing really well.

Chairman: How about your university?
Me: Sir my university has very good infrastructure and the lab facilities are also good but the main
problem is regarding the faculty, they dont have quality faculty .Most of the lecturers do not have a phd
but only a post graduate degree.

Chairman: And I also think they are not paid very well.
Me: Yes sir that also is a problem.

Lady mem: So prasanna pencil sketching is your hobby, and you are from thanjavur , do you know about
the different forms of paintings in thanjavur?
Me: (after some thought) Yes mam the temple paintings of thanjavur are very famous they are a good
example of frescoes wherein they paint on wet plaster which after drying gives it a separate quality. Mam
I am not very sure of the other forms of painting.

Lady mem: Yes you are right , the temple paintings are very famous and the other form is glass paintings
which are also very famous.
Me: Thank you mam.

163


Member 4: Geography is one of your optionals, are you aware of the concept of man made disasters? For
example recently a sea was in news which it seems has been affected by human activity.( they were
talking about aral sea sea which was in news that day in TOI).

Me: Yes sir it is the Aral sea which is a landlocked sea in central asia . the problem started in 1970s when
Russia or the erstwhile soviet union diverted the rivers draining into the sea to cultivate lands and this led
to the drying up of the sea because of its landlocked nature and it having a serious impact on the human
population in the vicinity.

Lady mem: Also the fauna and flora are also being affected.
Me: Yes mam, a sea has a lot of bearing on the local climate and drying up of the sea would have
adverse effects on the flora and fauna.

Chairman: So prasanna do you have any other interests apart from your hobbies?
Me: Yes sir I read books.

Chairman: What kind of books?
Me: Sir non-fiction.

Chairman: So are you reading any book now?
Me: Yes sir currently I read or am reading a book by the name India after Gandhi by.

Chairman: (he interrupted) Yes its by ramachandra guha and it is a very good book.
Me: Yes sir it is ,all along I had been reading about the history of pre independence India but this book
gives a very good account of the history of post independent India and it helped me to clarify many of my
doubts.

Chairman: Its a good habit and continue with it.
Me: thank you sir , I will.

Chairman: So prasanna what are your service preferences?
Me: Sir they are IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS(IT),IRS(CUS).

Chairman: So why did you not opt for IFS?
Me: (after taking some time) Sir I am more interested in serving in my country among my own people. I
have no other reasons.
Chairman: Thats a good reason. Ok prasanna thank you, you can go now.

Me: (I was a bit surprised because I expected it to continue) Thank you sir, thank you everyone (I am not
sure if I thanked looking at everybody because of my surprise and then I left).

Time I came out 3:25
So my interview lasted about 20 minutes or even less and on the whole it was all very cordial and I
believe I was never very tensed up and answered quite confidently. I would say it was a very pleasant
experience but cant guess anything about the marks that I may get as of now.


164

Prashant Patil (Dr. Purushottam Agarwal)
in
IAS Interview

IAS - INDIAN ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
Dr. Purushottam Agarwal

IAS INTERVIEW Discussion

IAS Interview
UPSC Interview By Dr. Purushottam Agarwal

My interview was on 28 April 2011 in morning session at Dholpur House, UPSC. I appeared
before the panel with Dr. Purushottam Agarwal as Chairman. I was 4
th
in line for appearing
before board. Here I would like to share with you interesting thing. When I entered the
Historic dome ceiling waiting hall for interview candidates I was assigned the same round
table no. 13 that I was assigned in 2009 interview. So I got strange feeling that this
interview also I will perform fairly and may miss selection narrowly like last year. But I
remembered almighty and prayed for the bestcheered myself.. and started rushing
through newspapers..
Interviews started at around 10.20 am.. when 3
rd
candidate went in after some time I was
taken to corridors and asked to sit on chair outside interview room. I was feeling my
impounding heartbeats and finally candidate came out of room. I saw towards his face.. he
was normal..n he smiled little. I felt confidant and got up from chair it was 11.45
am...attendant opened the door and I entered the room and wished good morning sir ,
good morning madam..( chairman was at center and 2 members on each side including 1
lady member.)
Dr. Purushottam Agarwal ( chairman):
Yes prashant and he nodded his head and raised his hand towards chair . I sat down.
Q1) prashant where are you working as tehsildar?
(A) Sir I am working as tehsildar of vikramgad taluqa of Thane district in Maharashtra( chairman
asked for how long?) I said , I am working as tehsildar since November 2009.( again he asked where
is Thane district). I said, sir Thane is located in northern konkan coastal belt bordering Gujarat.

165

Q2) what are problems of your tehsil?
(A) Sir since my tehsil is having predominant tribal population malnutrition , unemployment and
inaccessibility are major problems
Q3) Do you know the name of adjoining district in Gujrat?
(A) ( I took few seconds to recollect..) sir Vapi district is adjoining Thane
Q4) Who is the District Collector of Vapi?
(A) ( again I gave confused looks..) sorry sir I dont know
( chairman laughed and said to me how you will coordinate relief operations in disaster if you dont
know even name of collectors.?)
( I felt little low but I smiled ..i wanted to say something but next question came.)
Q5) what new activity you have undertaken in your tehsil for development? And please dont tell
those government programs
(A) Sir my collector has started program of increasing area under floriculture so as to provide
employment round the year to underemployed tribal farmers and I have worked on this program.
I along with taluqa agriculture officer gave government subsidy for one to two acre plot for plantation
of exotic varieties of flowers like Carnesium and Jalbera in green houses. Sir each flower is sold for
eight to twelve rupees in markets of Mumbai..so each day tribal farmer gets income of rs. 1000. sir
this scheme has helped to increase income and standard of living of about 35 beneficiary farmers
Q6) Does scheme help floriculture farmers in marketing?
(A) No sir, flower vendors in Mumbai arrange for transportation and pay farmers cash on there fields.
Q7) You are an engineer. So isnt your knowledge wasted in non technical service?
(A) No sir. I think as a civil engineer I can monitor civil infrastructure projects like road, water supply,
sewage treatment in a better manner. Since major public expenditure is on civil works like in
Jawaharlal Nehru urban renewal mission my technical knowledge will help me to execute projects in
time bound way with good quality control.
Q8) Why do you want to join IAS because you will have to leave your state, when you are serving as
S.D.M. in our own state and serving your own people?
(A) Sir working as District Collector offers opportunity and more autonomy of decision making to
implement developmental schemes for benefit of larger population than as a S.D.M. sir IAS offers
opportunity to work with different departments of Government with rich job profile and exposure that
is not available for state services.
Sir and although I may have to go outside my state anywhere in India , ultimately I will serve the
people of my country
MEMBER 2:
Q1) What is meant by G.E.R?
(A) Sir G.E.R. means gross enrollment ratio.( member and all other members laughmember said
that I mean define it?) Sorry sir I dont know definition of GER
Q2) can you tell me how much percent of students that are enrolled at primary school complete
graduation?
(A) Sir I am not aware of this figure. Sir with your permission I can guess it..( member immediately
nodded his head) I said sir around 15 percent students that are enrolled at primary school complete
degree .
( and I was looking at members face for his reaction whether it is right or wrongand I simply
member didnt react..now I deciced not to take chances by disastrous guessing.)

166

MEMBER 3:
Q1) What do you know of I.N.A.?
(A) Sir , Indian National Army was formed in singapore under leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose
during second world war, with aim to liberate India from British Raj with the help of Japenese forces.
Q2) Who called M.K.Gandhi as Mahatma?
(A) I thought for many seconds..and said..) Sorry sir I am not able to recollect it. ( member answered
it as Subhas Chandra Bose). I smiled slightly an said thank you sir
Q3) Do you support demand for separate Vidarbha state? If yes or no explain it?
(A) Sir, I dont support demand Vidarbha statehood. Although there is little discontent among the
people of Vidharbha majority of population want development under the statehood of Maharashtra
Q4) Do you support the creation of small states Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Uttarakhand?
(A) Sir creation of new states should be based local conditions, prospects of growth and financial
feasibility of the new state. Since Chattisgarh has unique problem of interior location, predominant
tribal population with underdevelopment and naxalism. And Jharkhand with rich mineral base has
good prospects of economic growth and uttarakhand having problem of mountainous terrain.,
separate statehood will give impetus to the development of these states. Hence I support formation of
these states.

Pratibha Singh
How did you prepare for the interview?
Actually my real preparation for interview started only after my interview
date was announced i.e from around 1
st
april..I was preparing,but at a
slow pace before that..+ I was not getting leave from the office ,it was
only for 15 days before my interview I got leaveI relied on
newspaper(Dainik jagran:rastriya sanskaran+the hindu) for interview,
read interviews of selected candidates to develop confidence+ my
brother helped me a lot in preparing..he analysed my answers and
corrected me at almost every sentence..:)
Q. Who was the chairman of you interview board?
Mr. P.K. Mishra
Q. How long was the interview?
Approx. 30-35 min(watches are not allowed inside interview hall)
Q. Provide the list of questions asked (and if possible answers also)

167

Mostly questions were from Job profile,State i.e UP,problems of women
in UP and how it can be effectively solved, few questions from geog
like what are public goods, difference between public goods and
common goods(I didnt answer dis), Many ques were from my
hobby,intrest section- Badminton: procedure,what is wall of china in
badminton, name of few female players,how you manage ur job and ur
interestetc.i answered all thisJ
Name of the personality matching ur name, name of the minister of ur
ministry,how many members of UP in Parliament, If you are selected
how would u improve the sondition of UP etc.
The board was very cordial and I was more or less satisfied with my
interview
Q. Was your interview on the expected lines of what you had
prepared or
Did they ask you totally unexpected questions? If yes, how did you
handle it?
One thing ,to be frank, before entering the examination hall, my mind
was completely blank..
What matters the most inside the hall is to be yourself. You have been
tested what u have learnt in mains..interview is your personality
test..what you think, in which way you think etc is analysed here so just
be yourself

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

168

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..
C- Prince, basically you 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 Khanaraso 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 Il 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 ADBs 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

169

(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 nt 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. Dont 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.
(At this Chalam stopped, 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 wasnt good so I opted for B.E., Actually I was
forcedbut I never enjoyed engineering, It wasnt my aim, I felt it in college..

170

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 didnt
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 maam 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.
O- Tell me about 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 wasnt 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 Ill 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.

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(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, normsSir 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 moral values, aise nahi 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

Rank: 665
Name : R.L Arun Prasad IRS
Qualification : BE Board: Balagurusamy


Chairman:
1. Tell about yourself?
2. You completed in 2000, you have a long career, tell about that?
3. Now you are working with which company?
4. What is your salary?
5. Getting good salary, good job? Why do you want to come to civil service?
6. You have taken a strong decision to join civil service in 2002, why dont you change?
7. Flexibility is required for civil servant
8. No dont you change based on your situation
Member 1:
1. What are the qualities you have? That required for IAS
2. This are general qualities every one requires
3. What is a special quality you have that ask us to take you to civil service?
4. Ok, List out qualities requires for IAS
5. No, thus qualities requires for a teacher also, then he became equal to IAS
6. What made you fit yourself to IAS
7. Tell the different between production and manufacturing?
Chairman:
1. Not satisfied, (again provoking)
2. How do you assess productivity of IAS, politician.

172

Member 1:
1. Productivity is technical term or general term
2. What is AIS?
3. What is central service
4. Tell about IFS
5. Which country is your interest as IFS officer? Why?
6. Learning different languages as IFS officer
7. Not interested to work Sub Sahara?
8. Income tax Slabs?
9. Which is high income tax or excise? Why?
10. Who are the.. of income tax?
11. How to increase income tax in India?
Chairman: Continuously interrupted to every answer
Member 3:
1. Whats your hobby? (Reading books)
2. What type of Book you read?
3. Recently read book?
4. Tell about that story?
5. Any award given to the writer?
6. What is biology?
7. What is engineering?
8. Have you studied Mathematics in your engineering?
9. Tell the sum of natural numbers from 0 to 200?
10. What is Mechanical Engineering?
11. What is social engineering?
12. Difference between tax evasion and Tax avoiding?
Chairman: Ask me to read the statement written in the paper before the table
Statement:
Nobody cannot take away yourself respect unless you allow to do it
Chairman: Give me the explanting for the statement? (There was a Long Discussion on self respect)
Member 1: There is no wrong, when DGP eat sweets to CM it is not giving away self respect?
It is like giving respect to your superior, who is not able to do her duty Age old person like Navendra
Modi giving wish to IAS officer falling in his legs is like getting Ashirwad from teacher or father.
You are wrong; I dont think there is any wrong
Chairman: Greeted and told best wishes.
Ragapriya IRS Int. Date : 22.04.2010
Qualification: BDS Board : IMG Khan
Optional: 1. Sociology
2. Tamil Lit.
I was the second person for the interview. I entered once the bell rang and greeted the members. Mr.
Khan asked me to take my seat

Chairman: Welcome Ragapriya. Please sit down [looks at my bio-data] Oh, you are a dentist. Have you
practiced anywhere?
Me: Yes sir, I had practiced for a few months after I completed my internship in 2008.
But I didnt continue once I started preparing.


173

Chairman: Ok, will it be of any use to you? I mean, in case you become an IPS can you exact teeth for
prisoners [laughs].
Me: Yes sir, I can help them with their dental problems.

Chairman: Oh, ok, but what if you use extraction of teeth as a method of torture [ laughs again; in the
initial part of interview he was trying to keep situation light and jovial, later on he listened attentively] Ok
tell me what is third degree torture. He then enters in to a discussion with member 1 about what that
torture could be
Me: Sir, excessive use of physical violence (chairman cuts in)

Chairman: Oh, so what is first degree and second degree.. what difference is there? Ok, tell me why there
is torture in India?
Me: Sir, torture is used as a technique of interrogation to extract information from prisoners [and I talk
about condition of Indian jails, stressful conditions under which police work and how they are
overburdened]

Chairman: Ok, but what about techniques like water boarding in advanced countries? Is that acceptable?
Me: No sir, definitely not.

Member 1: Ok, tell me what difference is there? Why torture is there even in advanced countries [ I draw
a blank here] he gives hint about authority
Me: I catch the clue and tell them about how authority gives power and desensitizes people

Member 1: Ok, If youre posted as IPS, what changes would you want to make?
Me: I talk about how I would prevent my subordinates from over using their authority maintain friendly
relations with people and improve police-people relations. I also mention other reforms.

Member 1: Ok, can you do anything specific? You have told me about general police changes that could
be done [I draw a blank again]

Member 1: What about community policing?
Me: Definitely sir. That is a very important aspect of policing [I give him certainexamples of community
policing]

[Until then, I felt this part of my interview didnt go too smoothly, the chairman seemed to be trying to
make the atmosphere light, but he kept changing his questions and moving between questions which
made it difficult for me to give a coherent answer.

Member 2: Ok, tell me about psychometric tests? Reliability and validity
Me: I tell them but the terms dont seem too clear to them [and to me]

Member 2: can you tell it with some examples?
Me: I use IQ as an example with some help from chairman.

Member 2: Ok, tell me about mining and effects of mining?
Me: I talk about environmental and habitat destruction Flora fauna and displacement of tribals

Member 2: What about people who work there?

174

Me: Yes sir, the people who works there are subject to many health hazardsand the talk goes to
pollution and environmental degradation.

Member 3: Ragapriya is a sweet name? What does it mean?
Me: I explain and she nods and similes at me.

Member 3: Ok, Ragapriya, tell me about self help groups in Tamilnadu?
Me: I explain about how it has created a network support among poor women and gives them financial
stability.

Member 3: Why do think TN has been successful with S.H.G?
Me: Greater governmental participation and better awareness levels among women.

Member 3: Ok, tell me what changed could be done with municipal administration in your area?
Me: Sanitation, water problems and waste disposal [I explain in detail]

Member 3: Ok, have would you used I.T in municipal administration?

Me: I explain about maintaining a data base and networking among different department for quick
redressal of complaints and improving efficiency [All through his, Chairman kept nodding his head
encouragingly]

Member 3: Ok, tell me about microcredit and how it would help?
Me: Mam, microcredit is an efficient way to give financial inclusion to the poorest of the poor [ Chairman
agrees], who cannot give assurance of security to conventional banks. [I talk in detect about its benefits
and how his being used in developing countries as a poverty allocating measurements]
over all the lady member seemed satisfied with my answer

Member 4: Ok, what do you think is indicator of womens empowerment? What do you think are the main
things which help in empowering women?
Me: Sir Literacy, health, awareness about legal rights and ability to take independent Decisions

Member 4: Ok, What about working women? Is that a sign do?
Me: Yes sir, working women are financially secure and would be able to make independent choices.

Member 4: Tell me about role conflict in working women?
Me: Sir, Though they are financially secure, they still (perform majority of household duties too [ I explain
about work life balance]

Member 4: Tell me about the kind of relationship a man and woman have when the woman is working?
How does it change?
Me: Sir, the relationship tends to become move complementary, they tend to approach each other as
equals and they take decisions together.

Member 4: Ok, do you think disintegration of joint family is a boon for working women?
Me: [It was a tricky questions I felt], sir I dont think there is any direct correlation. Disintegration of joint
family system is connected to other factors such as economic expediency. [ how families get scattered
because of work in different places but still they try to maintain contact]

175


Also there are many joint families which encourage their daughters to achieve their best in their
profession [ chairman and member 4 nods]. So I wouldnt say breaking of joint family is a boon to working
women. Rather, it is the different social conditions that prevails.

Chairman: Ok, tell me about female infanticide in TN
Me: I talk about prevalence is Dharmapuri, Salem, some areas of Madurai

Chairman: Ok what do you think are the causes?
Do you think dowry has a connection?
Me: Yes sir definitely. There is a perception in such families that women are a burden to society [ I cute
an example of an advertisement I saw Spend 5000 Rs now and serve 5 lakh Rupees later and all the
members murmur in agreement] . and talk social and cultural factors for those beliefs.

Chairman: Ok, Ragapriya, Where all in India have your travel?
Me: Sir, Chadigarh, A.P

Chairman: Ok, since you are from south full me some language spoken in Uttarakhand, Bihar, Assam.
Me: Sir Uttarakhand and Sirthndi [He expects some more then tells one about Kumaoni & Gharwali]
Bihar:- Bhojpuri, Hindi, Maithili, [He nodded], Assam:- Assamese, Bengali, [He nods]
[Ok, Ragapriya thanks for staying with us. You may now leave.

I wish all of them and leave. Interview lasted for around 25 minutes. Board was very cordial and Mr. Khan
was very casual in his approach.

Raj Kamal Yadav
Interview Date: 3/11/2013
Attempt No.: 1st Attempt
MY LOVELY FRIENDS ..WHO HAVE SHOWN NO MERCY WHEN IT COMES TO DO
HEALTHY CRITICS OF MY PREPARATION AND PERSONALITY ...THEY HELPED A
LOT IN INTERVIEW PREPARATION" SHIKOHABAD (UTTAR PRADESH ) 1st
Attempt "It all started when i was in fourth year of my graduation (B.V.Sc &
A.H )
In the name of strategy i kept a simple line of action....finish off the optionals
while i am pursuing my graduation and keep the THE HINDU as biggest info supplier.....later on i
relied on paper 2 more for PRELIMS ...
" I Agree 464985 26 yrs Doctor "FOLLOW ANY NEWS PAPER ....THAN DO SOME BACKGROUND
DIGGING OF THE ISSUE....LATER COMPILE A READY TO READ LIKE STUFF .....
OTHER THAN THAT KEEP A TAB ON pib.nic.in other ministry website....follow nay good mazgine if time
and patience permits u ...i think tat will cover all for any one provided they are giving there best in
this whole exercise..." "for mains yes i gave...around 10-11 hrs a day (approx) but for me everything
was along with my course curriculum.. so i have to manage both.....my full focus was on optionals
....in the last month i jus went through my GS NOTES..
for interview other than few mocks at various different places.. my friends honest views about my
answers and speaking style helped me a lot..." "NO

176

joining a coaching or not ...is very personal choice depending upon many odds...time, money,
confidence...+/- of guidance.....combining all these one decides whether to go for it or not.....i
personally believe coaching restricts the limit of thinking...and constraint the time for self study...."
"Chairman
asked about my school ?
Than why I want to quit the most noble profession of a vet to come into busy and pressurized civil
services
Why veterinary universities got separated from agricultural universities? Was it right ?
First member
Why you football ? why football is not so developed in INDIA ? why cricket is so much money?
If given authority Im sure you will give all the money to football ? When I said no-he asked than how
you will proceed?
Recent initiatives to develop football?
Second member
Since you are from UP lets talks about your neighbor NEPAL.
Whats going on there? What is INDIAs stand on all this? Is it right if not what should be done?
Third member
What are the issues INDIA facing in health sector ? At ground what is the most important problem
doctors and veterinarians facing in the field ?
Different routes of infection? then a long and jovial discussion on it. Where on one of my answer
everybody laughed
What is maternal mortality, infant mortality and our social and health indicators?
Fourth member
Why is Firozabad (my district) famous ?
Than law and order problem here and the child labour issue in glass industry.
What is MSME? Even after govt is spending so much on it why we are not getting desired results?
Difference btw CHINA MSME & INDIA MSME model,why china is doing better than us ?
Why we are not much of value added meat products even after being a rich livestock country ?
Third Member (again)
what is important sanitation or hygiene ? drainage channels will fall in to what category ?
Important diseases transmitted by oral route?
Finally Chairman asked .
Dr Raj I personally think doctors are not good administrators. When I said no sir I dont agree with it,
he asked me to prove him wrong by citing some example .than a discussion
Finally he asked if you are not selected what will you do.?
And at last .thank you RAJ good luck and good day" """MY JOURNEY IS MY REWARD""
believe in yourself ...when i can do it ..others can do it .. than for sure you can also do it...just keep
working honestly ...GOD always reward the hard work...The changed dynamics of UPSC game needs a
smart approach to things ...so work smart and hard..

177

a very good luck to all...." "its a good initiative ....keep it up.. i tumbled upon this website when i was
searching previous years papers ..its very nice..
And for the record i totally love the daily MCQ from THE HINDU in current affairs section..its jus
awesome and gives lot of confidence..." "BLESSINGS OF MY PARENTS AND FAMILY ....GOD'S GRACE A
PROPER GUIDANCE BY SOME OF MY SENIORS (UJJWAL SIR, BABU SIR ) ....
MY LOVELY FRIENDS (SAC, INDU, SURENDRA, SWATI) ..WHO HAVE SHOWN NO MERCY WHEN IT
COMES TO DO HEALTHY CRITICS OF MY PREPARATION AND PERSONALITY ...THEY HELPED A LOT IN
INTERVIEW PREPARATION"

Rajesh Kankipati
Interview Before I may write anything, I take this opportunity to thank
1) Mr. K. Srinivasu IRS (IT) : My Interview Mentor.
2) Mr. R.C. Sinha- New Delhi IAS - 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 IAS 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
CM: Can you say 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

178

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).
M1: Ok, You are 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 IAS officer. At a very early age
of 12-3 years I came to know what an IAS officer can do. And sir apart from that I also understand
that the career progression, prestige and esteem offered by these services are unparalleled.

179

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.
M2: So, You are 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

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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.
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 :Do you know what ITC is doing?
Me: I don't know sir

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M4: It is doing what you have just said.
Me: Thank you sir. I am humbled.
M4: Ramagundam has a 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.
All the best.
Thanks & Regards
Rajesh. K
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

Rajesh Meena
IAS Interview Board : Mr. K.K. Paul

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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 didnt 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 dont 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. :( )
CH: OK..(He was not 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 dont 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 havent 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.

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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 dont 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?
Me: Sir, in Agriculture, 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....cant 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?

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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 dont 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.
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 dont 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!!

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(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.

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

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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?
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 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.


187

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.

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 grassroot democracy even administration must go to the grass root and

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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.

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 universities. And ideas will lead to innovation and
development. Most importantly it will bring together the youth of the nation. Being a big

189

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.

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 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

190


Raju: May I come in Sir?
Chairman: Yes, please.
Raju: Good morning, Sir. Good morning, Madam. Good morning, Sirs.
Chairman: You are Mr...
Raju: (Still in standing position), Matyalaraju Revu Sir.
(Chairman is writing something. Other members are keenly watching the candidate.)
Member 2: Please take your seat.
Raju: Thank you, sir.
Chairman: Mr. Revu, You did B.Tech from REC Warangal, ME from IISc,Bangalore. But why did you do
diploma?
Raju: Sir, After completion of my 10th class, based on my financial background, my father joined me in
polytechnic. After completion of polytechnic, we do get jobs. Also, since I will get scholarship, the amount
of money spent on me is less.
Chairman: That means you will get job after diploma.
Raju: Yes Sir, I got a private job. Company is Cain energy limited.
Chairman: Then, why did you join B.Tech?
Raju: Sir, After completion of my diploma, I wrote ECET and I got state 1st rank. So I convinced my father
that I will join REC which is a premier Engineering institute in our state.
Chairman: Then, you joined ME because your father insisted on that?
Raju: No Sir, It is based on my project guide suggestion.
Sir, infact there are two streams to enter into B.Tech. One through EAMCET after Intermediate and other
is through ECET. After ECET...
Chairman: What question I have asked?
Raju: Sorry Sir, you have asked me why I joined ME after B.Tech.
Chairman: OK. Then stick on to the question.
Raju: Sir, I am explaining it.
Chairman: Be specific.
Raju: OK sir, during my final year I got all India rank 3 in Gate. My guide on knowing this result suggested
me to join IISc. He further told that this is the golden opportunity for me. f you miss it you will not get it
again! he told sir. Then, I informed about my career option as civil services. He then convinced me by
saying that I can write civil services after M.E. also.
Chairman: That means you are preparing for civil services while you are in IISc?
Raju: I beg to differ with you sir. I started my preparation only after completion of M.E.
Chairman: You have written that you joined Railways in September 2004. That is of which exam?
Raju: Sir, This is based on IES-2003.
Chairman: That means you are in IISc.
Raju: Sir, I completed my second semester at that time.
Chairman: That means you have prepared for IES in IISc.
Raju: Sir, I have given IES in my own background i.e., Electrical Engineering. Hence I need not prepare
much for this exam. I just gave the exam.

191

Chairman: For how many years you are in Railways?
Raju: Sir, I joined Railways on September 2004. Then I took leave for 1 year, i.e., leave on loss of pay.
Chairman: What did you do in that year?
Raju: Sir, I have prepared for this exam.
Chairman: How many months you are in Railways?
Raju: Sir, roughly 5 months.
Chairman: That means you are in Railways till February.
Raju: Sir, I am in Railways till the result of civil services exam 2005 was out. I was given leave for
interview preparation in March.
Chairman: Then what did you do after the declaration of the result?
Raju: Sir, Once the result of out, I came to know that I will get IPS. So, I convinced my director for leave to
appear civil services again. My director gave me leave.
Chairman: When did you join IPS?
Raju: Sir, I joined IPS on December 18, 2006.
Chairman: Which part of training you missed?
Raju: Sir, I missed foundation training in Mussorie. At SVPNPA, training started on December 18, 2006.
So, I haven missed any training at Hyderabad.
Chairman: How many days you have taken leave for interview?
Raju: Sir, 4 days.
Member 2: How was your IPS training?
Raju: Sir, training is good and we are enjoying every aspect of training.
member 2: What are you learning in training?
Raju: Sir, our training is divided into two parts. Indoor and outdoor. In indoor, we have subjects like police
in modern India, criminology and law subjects like IE Act, CrPC, IPC and other subjects.
Member 2: You are in IPS for 4 months. So I can ask some questions.
Raju: Yes, sir.
Member 2: Do you aware that the confession admitted to police is not allowed as witness. Why?
Raju: Yes sir. Confession admitted to police is not allowed as witness. Since there is always a possibility
of getting the confession in the way the police like, law doesn allow it.
Member 2: What is Res gestae?
Raju: Sir, All the circumstances leading to the same transaction are allowable as evidence.
Member 2: You are on the line. Could you explain more?
Raju: (after 2-3 seconds), If some people wanted to commit dacoity and in the process if they theft a
vehicle, eventhough theft of vehicle is not connected with dacoity but it is admissible as it forms the
circumstance leading to dacoity.
Member 2: Could you tell me the section which deals with Res gestae?
Raju: Sorry sir, I could not remember the exact section.
Member 2: Then how sections you were taught in IE Act?
Raju: Sir, In our academy our sirs are not teaching according to sections. They are teaching the sections
which are more useful for the police at first.
Member 2: Do you aware of RTI?
Raju: Yes. Sir. It is Right to Information Act.

192

Member 2: What are the provisions in RTI?
Raju: Sir, According to provisions of RTI, every government department has to nominate one officer as
information commissioner to give information about duties, responsibilities and functions of various
officers working in those departments...
Member 2: Then what is the benefit to common man?
Raju: Sir, Common man can know the functions, duties & responsibilities of various officers. They can
know the status of their applications. This also increases transparency and accountability of officers.
Hence reduces corruption.
Member 2: How can you say that people will get required information?
Raju: Sir, There is a provision in RTI that any one who refuses to give information or delays 30 days for
giving information, they are liable for cut in salary.
Member 2: How much salary cut?
Raju: Sir, I think it is 250 Rs./ day.
Member 2: It is not cut from salary. It is separately cut.
Raju: Thank you Sir.
Member 2: Can you tell me what is the maximum limit?
Raju: Sorry sir, I don know.
Chairman: Your hobbies are meditation, motivating others and Indian Mythology. Don you think that all
are inward looking?
Raju: Sir, Whenever possible I play cricket in addition my hobbies, which is a team game.
Member 2: Tell me which countries will reach final in the present world cup?
Raju: Sir, I think Australia and Srilanka.
Member 2: Already two countries reached semifinals i.e., Sri Lanka & Newzealand. What do you think
about other two?
Raju: Sir, I beg to differ with you. Actually three countries i.e., Srilanka, New
Zealand and Australia reached semifinals. 4th team depends on the outcome of the today match
between England & South Africa.
Member 2: Do you know about fly ash?
Raju: Sir, Thermal power stations produce fly ash while generating electrical power.
Member 2: Which state is using it more? Definitely it is not Haryana, My own state.
Raju: Sorry Sir, I don know.
Member 3 : (X-A) (X-B) has highest X power of 2. Do you agree?
Raju: Yes, Sir.
Member 3: (X-A) (X-B) (X-C) has highest X power...
Raju: 3, Sir.
Member 3: Then, tell me. What is the answer for (X-A) (X-B).... (X-Z).
Raju: (after 3-4 seconds), It must be Zero. Sir, because of the presence of the term (X-X).
Member 3: Whom do you think a greatest mathematician of all times?
Raju: Sir, Srinivasa Ramanujan, because even though he lived for only 33 years, he contributed more to
mathematics in the areas like Numerical methods, Solution of algebraic equations, number theory like
prime numbers etc.

193

Member 3: Can you tell me the formula for prime numbers?
Raju: Sir, exactly I don know but recently IIT, Kanpur professor along with his students wrote a software
program which gives whether a number is prime or not within less time.
Member 3: You are an electrical engineer. Tell me where prime numbers are used?
Raju: Sir, they are used in coding.
Member 3: I am asking a question in your engineering only. Tell me how prime numbers are used in
coding?
Raju: Sir, exactly I don know. But to the best of my knowledge, if the code length is prime, decoding and
encoding are easy.
Member 3: You are on the line, but not exact answer.
Member 1: Your hobbies are meditation, motivating others and Indian Mythology. What you do in
motivation?
Raju: Madam, many of classmates and Juniors came to me for clearing their doubts in subjects as I am
the toper of my class. I usually listen to their problems regarding their understanding of concepts as many
have problems either in one or many subjects. I tell them that every subject is easy if knew the concepts
clear and we should like the subject what we are studying...
Madam: Do your response same for all?
Raju: Madam, I usually spend more time with those who are very much lagging. I take classes to clear
their doubts.
Madam: Then do you call it motivation or strategic learning?
Raju: Madam, strategic learning may be the correct term.
Madam: What is the difference between these two?
Raju: Madam, motivation is a general term which includes not only academic motivation but also others
like psychological, etc., Madam, I don know exactly the meaning of strategic learning.
Madam: Which books you read in Indian Mythology?
Raju: Madam, I read Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Madam: Since your hobbies are motivating others and Indian Mythology, tell me how Krishna motivated
Arjuna?
Raju: Madam, When Arjuna refused to fight with friends, teachers, Krishna told him that it is the duty of
the king to protect Dharma and fight wars for protecting it. We should not move away from our duty. Since
soul is immortal and of which is born, death is certain, of which death happened, birth is certain. Hence
you should not think that you are committing crime. Also he motivated him by saying that we should do
our work only. We should not think about the results of our actions. Otherwise, attachment to the results
will occur which is a major reason for unhappiness.
Madam: Do you practise it?
Raju: Madam, It is very difficult to practise.
Madam: Why?
Raju: Madam, for example, if we are about to play a cricket match, we will think about the winning of the
match which is actually the result of the playing that match.

194

Madam: One last question. What kind of training our team got during our last year world cup?
Raju: Madam, exactly I am not able to recollect it. But it is like e can do it this time /span>
Madam: Sorry, It is not last year world cup but it is 2003 world cup. The team was given psychological
training.
Raju: Yes, Madam
Member 4: You studied your B.Tech. from REC Warangal and M.E. from IISc Bangalore. Do you proud of
your institutions like IISc?
Raju: Sir, I am proud that I have studied in a great institution like IISc, which according UNESCO survey
conducted in 1997 was in 18th place among world universities. Recently a Chinese university conducted
a survey in which IISc was placed at around 250th position.
Member 4: Do you think that 250th position is a good position?
Raju: Sir, even though it is not a good position, the position depended on the parameters they have taken
into consideration like no. of nobel laureates present, no. of research papers presented, etc.
Member 4: Who are nobel laureate present in IISc?
Raju: Sir, now there is no nobel laureate in IISc. Earlier Sir C.V.Raman worked in IISc. Now, there are two
internationally reputed professors working there.
Member 4: Last year government proposed to stop B.Tech entry into IITs. Do you support that?
Raju: Sir, I support it. Sir, due to hectic schedule, the professors of IITs are not able to concentrate much
on research. Once the B.Tech entry is stopped, they will get more time for research and quality of
research will increase.
Member 4: Don you think the quality of B.Tech students will reduce as IITs are known for better
professors?
Raju: Sir, those students who are earlier eligible for entry into IITs, they will join NITs. Since they are the
core students I don think the quality will reduce. But the professors in other institutes should get
sufficient training to reach the level of IIT professors.
Member 4: You agree to that proposal. But the government has withdrawn the proposal due to very good
argument against it. Can you tell me?
Raju: Sorry sir, I don know.
Member 4: What do you think is responsible for reduction in research?
Raju: Sir, IISc is not able to retain those students who completed M.E. and other courses there. One
reason is brain drain, Sir. Second one is that research is not attractive in India, Sir. For example, in our
batch out of 230 students who completed M.E. only 2 joined for Ph.D. in IISc. At the end of our M.E. we
got campus placements. The minimum salary is around 6 lakhs/ annum. It is attracting most of us. Those
who are really interested in research, they are going abroad as they will get more money and research is
attractive there. Here, a Ph.D. student gets 12,000 - 15,000 Rs per month. Also material considerations
have risen these days, sir. We have to include some compulsory courses in morale & ethics to stop this.
Member 4: Instead of choosing job or research, why did you choose services as career option?
Raju: Sir, The incident that took place in my village in November 2000, when I am in 3rd year of B.Tech,
has changed my career options. Nearby Engineering college students came to our village for picnic as
our village has excellent beach. 7 of them drowned in the Bay of Bengal and all of them has taken sand
into their lungs in addition to water. Since our village is an island, there are no transportation, medical &
meagre educational facilities, it took 2 hours to reach nearest town which is 16 Km away from my village.
By that time, 6 out 7 were died, Sir.

195

Chairman: You are telling about an incident in your village. In that case who will respond first?
Raju: (3-4 seconds silence)
Chairman: Whether it is Block development officer, Doctor, or Police.
Raju: Sir, It is the police to respond first.
Chairman: Then, you are in IPS. Why did you come?
Raju: Sir, even for police it took 2 hours to reach that place as there is not enough transportation
facilities.
Chairman: Thank you.
Raju: Thank you, Sir. Thank you, Madam. Thank you, Sirs.

Ramdhan Dagar
Q. Who was the chairman of you interview board?
Dr. Venkatrami Reddy
Q. How long was the interview?
About 30-35 minutes.
Q. Provide the list of questions asked (and if possible answers also)
CM- Why do you want to leave your present job at RBI?
Ans- Although RBI offers a great opportunity for me to work for the
country but it does so only in a particular field i.e. Central Banking
whereas in the civil services I would be able to contribute in a much
larger way to the society and touch upon the lives of the people directly.
CM- ok ok. Do you think theres corruption in banking?
Ans- yes sir theres corruption in commercial banking ( on this the CM
interrupted and said not in central banking.) I replied no sir theres no
corruption in central banking in India and this can be corroborated from
the fact that there have been no allegations regarding the same and
even a person of the integrity levels of Shri Narayan Murthy has praised
RBI and said that if we can have more institutions like RBI we can very
well have a corruption free system in a short span of time.

196

CM- Why are the industrial houses able to get loans easily and the
poor people just seem to be running around for even small credit
needs?
Ans- It is because the industrial houses have the financial muscle and
the negotiating power and they directly deal with the top management of
the bank whereas the small borrower i.e the poor are not even able to
approach the lower management. The poor are considered as an
unwanted commodity who would never return the money. Then quoted a
axiom that is used in RBI if you give loan to a poor guy it becomes the
headache of the guy but if you lend to a corporate then it becomes the
headache of the bank ( on this one of the members said as is
happening now-a-days, probably referring to loans given by banks to
Kingfisher Airlines)
M1- so you have worked with the CAG also( I nodded my head and
said yes) how was your experience and what kind of audit did you
do there?
Ans- told about my experience of auditing the electricity companies of
Rajasthan and the problems associated with them like why are facing
losses and what can be done to improve the same( M1 had asked me to
specify the problems faced by those companies)
CM- Recently our PM made a statement that the CAG is interfering
with the policy making function of the govt. What is your opinion
regarding the same?
Ans- According to the CAG( Duties, Powers and Conditions of service)
Act,1971 the CAG has every right to conduct a performance audit and
comment on the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of a program or
scheme and while doing so if it is inferred that it is interfering with the
policy making than sorry but the CAG cannot help it.
M2- What is social audit?
Ans- It is a technique to understand, measure, verify, report on and to
improve the social performance of the organization.

197

M2-ok ok suppose Mr. Dagar you are made the District collector
then how would you use social audit for the betterment of your
district.
Ans- sir,as social audit includes people from all the levels including the
marginalized sections of the society it can be effectively used to root out
corruption. It ensures transparency, accountability and thus has a impact
on local governance. Moreover I would make sure that theres adequate
representation of women, SCs, STs in the social audit teams to ensure
participation of all sections more effective.
M3(female)- you like playing cricket ramdhan(I had mentioned it as
my hobby) so, do you think cricket deserves the front page
headlines that it gets?
Ans- mam, certainly there are much more important social and economic
issues in our country and they deserve more attention than cricket but I
think cricket is one sport which binds the people of our country and in a
way it acts as a bonding factor for us ( the chairman interrupted)
CM- so it means IPL leads to global bonding.
Ans- no sir it doesnt.
CM- but dear they play like brothers in IPL.
Ans- sir they are getting a lot of money for that( at this the chairman
smiled and pointed towards the 3
rd
member)
M3- have you heard about naxalism?
Ans- yes sir.
M3- what all areas are affected by it?
Ans gave a detailed list of areas like the districts of chattisgarh, West
Bengal etc.
M3- suppose the govt. decides to fix some 50 mobile towers in a
naxal affected area, whether it is going to be beneficial or harmful.

198

Ans- sir it is a two edged sword on the one hand it can be used to by the
security agencies for intelligence sharing and foiling the attacks by the
naxals but at the same time it can be used by the naxals to perpetrate
further attacks and coordinate more effectively. So it depends on how
well our agencies are able to make use of it.
M4-tell me what can be done to develop India in 5 years.
Ans-(with a smile) to be very candid sir it is just not possible to develop
India in a span of 5 years.
M4-(smiled) accepted, so what could be the time in which we can
develop and tell me what steps do we need to take in that direction.
Ans-atleast 15-20 years. Taking a cue from our neighbor China we also
need to invest in infrastructure (M4 interrupts)
M4- why infrastructure.
Ans- because it creates both permanent and non-permanent
employment. Non-permanent when the infrastructure is actually being
set up and permanent after it has been set up, a perfect example of this
is the DMRC. Plus we get the utility. Also compared China and India in
terms of Railway expansion after both countries had attained
independence. Gave the example from John Knight and Sai Dings book
titled Chinas remarkable growth.
M4- what more?
Ans- we need to shift our surplus labour from agriculture to
manufacturing.
M4- why not services sector?
Ans- because services sector requires more educated and skilled
manpower as compared to manufacturing sector. Manufacturing sector
requires semi-skilled labour and as such it is easier to shift people from
agriculture to manufacturing.
Note- there were two three more questions but I dont exactly remember
them.

199


Rani Kanchana IRS
Qualification : MSc Micro-biology
Board: Mr. P.K. Mishra
Hobbies : Voluntary in caner awareness,
helping husband in agriculture, reading books,
Option : 1. Geography
2. Tamil Lit.

1. What is the diff between elocution and debate.
2. Do you agree Indian democracy is off the people far the people and buy the people.
3. What is the diff between applied microbiology and medical microbiology? What do u do in both.
4. What is the diff between disease and illness?
5. Causes and carrier of malaria.
6. Malarial map of India.
7. Pathoganacity of AIDS virus.
8. What is organic farming.how do u practise it in ur field.
9. How to prepare vermicompost.
10. Last read book.
11. What is coimbatore famous for.
12. Education in coimbatore.
13. What is cancer? Its symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.
14. IT industry in coimbatore.
15. Diff bet illiteracy, education and expertise.
16. What steps will u take to improve your district administration.
17. 3 electoral reforms.
18. What is ISHA yoga in Coimbatore famous for.
19. Causes, pathogen city and cure of leprosy.
20. Causes of common cold.
Rathi Priya IRTS
Qualification : M.Com, M.Phil
Board: Mr. P. Agarwal
Hobbies :Playing chess
Option : 1. Commerce &; Accountancy
2. Tamil Lit.

Chairman:
1. Why do you opt for civil services?
2nd question is a lead question from my answer
As corruption is a major hurdle in the implementation of the programmes., as a straight forward officers,
how will you see change the system
2. Name some corrupt free officers?
3. NREGA ACT
4. about the post preference
5. about afghan and US nexus and its follow up
6. Kannagi


200

MEMBER 2:
1. Coimbatore famous for?
2. about my college and their history?(PSGCAS)
3. G.D.Naidu
4. Tirrupur district and why tirupur is abundant in textile industry
5. Sakthivel (FICCI CHAIRMAN)
6. his contribution in textile industry
7. chairman asked did you able to recollect the person with sakthivel
He gave the clue that it is related to the kamal hasan and this film is debut in Hindi
He asked the movie name. and he gave the reply NAYAKAN.
8. How will you rectify the major problems in Coimbatore city

MEMBER 3:
1. Is there any good Taliban and bad Taliban (this is the lead answer from my reply from AFFHAN & US)
2. As Kerala is leading in tourism industry, but Tamil nadu is not., if you are appointed in tourism
department, how will you improve your tourism?
3. About NALINI case and my view point?
Why pardon power is in the constitution?

MEMBER 4:
1. Major incident which took place in Coimbatore city?(BOMB BLAST IN 1998)
2. Which organization and its recent follow up (I forgot the name of the organization) so they asked in
specific
3. Name of other organization involved in terrorist organization
4. How AL-UMA organization is deriving the money? And what is the motive behind it?

MEMBER 5:
1. Which literature transforms you?
2. Do you feel women are weaker section?
3. When the women were suppressed?
4. Dont you feel women dual role will conflict with each other?

And the final question is asked by chairman about KANNAGI.