Upsc interview experience 2013 cse 2012 on 21th March 2013 afternoon, UPSC

Contribution from our reader

Name:  Neelabh Rohan

Final result: Recommended, rank 322.

Atmosphere before interview: cool



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

Full Transcript


It was my first 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?
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).
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: Ma’am, 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: Ma’am, In Western philosophy, I like Kant and in Indian I like Jainism (Surprised at Jainism).
M3: Is it? Why so?
Me: Ma’am 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: Ma’am 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 didn’t).
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: Ma’am, 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?
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.
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.

Interview Marks: 195,        


Final result: Recommended, rank 322.

Upsc interview experience 2013 cse 2012...

My interview:

Board: Sh P.K. Mishra, former Chief Secretary, U.P.

Me: May I come in Sir?

Chairman: Plz come in Vikas

Me: (After going near the chair meant for the candidate) Good evening Sir,
goodevening madam

Chairman: Plz have seat

Me: Thankyou Sir (I took the chair)

Chairman : So Vikas, you have been working in CBI since 2011. There
have been a lot of allegations of using CBI for political means and also of
corruption. What is your view?

Me: Sir, I have heard allegations in Media, but personally I have never
encountered such a situation.

Chairman : Name some intelligence agencies in India.

Me: IB, RAW, DRI, Military Intelligence, CID at state level.

Chairman: Suppose you are the head of the intelligence unit. The
government asks you to give some inputs about an X terrorist
organization. How would you provide.

Me: Sir, I would penetrate it at its cadre level....

Chairman: No, no vikas. What inputs about that organization would you

give?

Me: OK, sir. I would find out about its cadre strength, its sources of
funding, the kind of weapons it has, whether it is getting any external aid,
what is its level of penetration at the social level.

Chairman: (Smiling) Now your boss is happy. (passes me on to 1st
member, M1)

M1: So Vikas, tell me something about Plato's Philosopher King.

Me: Madam, Plato wanted a ruler who had wisdom. According to him only
a person well versed in Philosophy could become a good king.

M1: Did he support property for the king?

Me: No madam. Plato wanted king to have no family or property.

M1: What about Aristotle?

Me: Madam, Aristotle was pragmatic. He didnt think it as a good idea to
devoid the king of family or property since it would be against the human
nature. Aristotle believed in institutions (law) instead of individuals
(philosopher king).

M1: What is the name of J.S. Mill's book ?

Me: Sorry madam, I am not able to recall the name.

At this point the chairman passes me on to the 2nd member.

M2: Which Indian Philosopher you have studied well?

Me: Sir, Shankaracharya.

M2: What is his philosophy?

Me: Sir, it is Advaitism. Meaning reality is non-dual. He talks about unity of
everything...

M2: So is it deterministic?

Me: No sir, it is non-deterministic.

M2: Is relativity involved here?

Me: Yes sir. According to Shankaracharya, dream state is less real relative
to concious state. Concious state is less real relative to Brahman.

M2: Is Advaitism related to Physics in some way?

Me: Yes sir. In Physics, scientists have been in constant search for a single
unifying theory which would describe everything. Initially, it was thought
that electricity and magnetism were separate. But Maxwell combined them
into a single branch of electromagnetism. Currently, superstring theory,
called M-theory, has been proposed which would unify all the forces under
a single theory, a theory of everything..

Chairman : Who was the Indian President having good command over
Indian Philosophy?

Me: Sorry sir, I am not able to recall the name.

Chairman: Take your time, recall.

Me: (after 2-3 seconds) Dr S. Radhakrishnan.

Chairman: What was his own Philosophy?

Me: Sorry sir, I do not know.

Chairman passes me on to M3.

M3: Vikas, which is more important, rights or duties?

Me: Sir, rights and duties are complementary. There can be no rights
without duties and vice versa. Once right is another's duty and...

M3: What is meant by work is worship?

Me: Sir, it means that work is the fundamental basis of life. Like Gandhiji
said that every person must do some physical labour to justify his both
ends meet...

M3: What was the philosophy of Gandhiji?

Me: Non-violence based on Satyagraha was Gandhiji's philosophy. It
meant that the situation itself is changed by changing the heart of the
opposition rather than destroying the opposition.

M3: See vikas, I have a picture in my mobile. Tell which phenomenon of
Physics is involved in the picture. (He gives the mobile in my hand. It has
the picture of sunlight passing over a temple and creating a ring).

Me: Scattering of light

M3: Scattering?

Me: I am sorry sir, it is due to diffraction of light.

M3: What is it?

Me: Sir, when light encounters an obstacle of comparable wavelength, it
bends around it to make such a pattern.

The member gives the mobile to the lady member and asks her to see the
beautiful picture.

The chairman meanwhile hands me over to the 4th member.

M4: Have you heard about dirty hands? Professionals ethics have to be
compromised in business and politics. What is your view?

Me: Sir, there are both good and evil elements in a human being. For
example, it is inevitable that there would also be criminal elements in a
society, for that law is there to deal with them. (I couldnt explain it
satisfactorily to him).

M4: Are there any situations where only duties are involved but no rights
are there?

Me: Sir, in case of an infant child, his parents have duties towards him but
they cant claim any right corresponding to these duties.

The member seems dissatisfied. He tells me that if a person is working in a
poor African country out of a sense of duty then the situation entails the
given condition.

The chairman interrupted.

Chairman: OK Vikas, I would ask you a situational question. Suppose there
is a state. There is an organization which is having subversive activities

and has taken control a large size of its territory. The state is unable to
deal and gain control. The Central government advises the state to take
help of the Central forces to regain the control of the territory. The state
refuses. The situation becomes more bad. State losing more territory to
the organization. Center again asks to take help of Central forces. The
state again refuses. What is the solution?

Me: Sir, the Union government can use article 355 of the constitution. It
can send its forces...

Chairman: Yes, article 355 entails the union to protect state from internal
disturbance and external aggression....

Me: Yes sir...

Chairman: And if the state is still reluctant....

Lady member: It can invoke article 356.

Me: Yes madam.

Chairman: Thankyou vikas, your interview is over, you can go now.

Me: Thankyou sir, thankyou madam..

Upsc interview experience 2013 cse 2012 on 12th March 2013

12th March 2013 FN session.
Optionals: pol sci & intl rel and anthropology.
Board: PKM
3rd person to be interviewed.
Me: Good Morning sir and good morning madam, good morning sirs.
CM: good morning...good morning have u r seat.
CM: (going thru bio data) what is u r name?
Me: My name is K Anil Reddy
CM: what is u r date of birth?
Me: 16th June 1987.
CM: you are passed out in 2009 and u have been preparing for civils from 2009?
Me: Yes sir.
CM: people he has an interesting aspect in his biodata. He has done a project on indigenous
knowledge and sustainable development.
Me: yes sir.
CM: What is sustainable development?
Me: Satisfying the need of the present generation without sacrificing the needs of the coming
generations.
CM: how can it be done?
Me: by rational and restraint utilization of resources.
CM: so basically it is utilization of resources.
Me: Yes sir
CM: How can we integrate so called indigenous knowledge?
Me: sir we cannot solve the entire problems with indigenous knowledge but it can be integrated in a
way we have been trying to integrate AYUSH with allopathy medicine.
CM: say me one area where we can apply indigenous knowledge in farming.
Me: I am not sure.
CM: make some guess
Me: BT plants etc.
CM: no no...........think
CM: Algae cultivate in a water and add it the field thats it.
Me: yes sir organic farming is one of the examples of use of indigenous knowledge.
M1: so you have an optional of anthropology.
Me: Yes sir.
M1: Explain me the relation between anthropology and other disciplines. Start with Archaeology.
Me: both are concerned with emergence of human being and process of civilization.
Sociology and anthropology are concerned with man as a social animal.....but basic difference is
anthropology is considered abt holistic study of man.
M1: how old is anthropology.
Me: it is of recent origin abt 100 years old.
M1: how would u use anthro as an IAS officer?
Me: It is helpful in policy making and implementation.
For example adult education was started with great objectives but could not achieve the objectives
because people adults thinking that they will lose respect if someone see them as school going
children.......similarly in case of chicken pox they still believe it is a course of god......in this areas

anthro field studies can help us to understand the problems to effectively implement the policy.
M2(killed me with geo questions): Anil have u observed the map on u r right side on wall.
Me: Yes sir.
M2: there are rivers on western side such as narmada, tapi etc..And on eastern side Krishna,
Godavari, kaveri, Mahanadi etc...Why do eastern rivers form delta and western rivers form estuaries.
Me: because of presence of Western Ghats which are continuous where as Eastern Ghats are not as
continues as Western Ghats and because of geology of the structure on which they flow.
M2: yea this also point what is the exact reason make a guess.
Me: thought for a moment and said sorry sir i could not.
M2: see anil what i will do i will dam the entire rivers without even allowing single drop of water to
reach the sea...........what are the implications?
Me: because of this silting will increase and water carrying capacity will decrease leading to floods
and in addition it affects biodiversity of the rivers and cause water disputes between states.
M2: Its ok.....no water disputes because i am damming full water so plenty of water available what
are the implications. Make a guess?
Me: i repeated that entire thing such as silting, biodiversity etc...
CM(intervened and prompted me the answer): Loss of biodiversity etc...Then he said ok leave abt it
here madam you proceed
M3(lady member): Anil we have been discussing about tribes quite a bit let me know which one do u
like earlier tribal legislations and forest rights Act 2006. Which one does u like the most?
Me: I like Forest rights Act 2006.
M3: why?
Me: Madam, it has rectified their earlier loop holes. Such as giving rights on the land to the
tribes and giving right on minor forest produce. Because these were the major causes of the land
alienation and hard ships of the tribes.
M3: even there are some objections to forest tights act 2006... Are u aware of it?
Me: No madam i don’t have idea.
M3: she asked some name who is working in Maharashtra who is working for the tribes in bringing
down their mortality rate.
Me: Madam I don’t know.
M3: She started saying about him to chairman...sir he has been working since decade to bring down
the infant mortality rate among the tribes after reaching to a certain level he could not bring it down
further.....he has been working from years and he could not.
Me: I said that there is an attitude barrier which has to be overcome if we want to achieve our
objects. After all these attitudes are developed from centuries and even it is futile to accept that
these attitudes can be changed in a decade or two.
CM: Ok Ok leave it here.
CM: Anil you have done your graduation in communication engineering. So u are an IPS officer head
of combing party and you lost your communication set and it has fallen into the hands of Naxals.
What would u do?
Me (actually did not understand the question): Sir, I use modern technologies like using radar’s and
said I will take help of satellites........will use informer s
CM: (in unsatisfied manner) no no already naxals have all this latest technologies....u just simply
deactivate it.
CM: there was chipko movement what was it?

Me: sir it was movement started to protect the trees from cutting it down by hugging the trees.
CM: ok, which place was it?
Me: sir it was in north india may be in and around uttarakhand.
CM: do u know the name of the person who was famous in this movement.
Me: Sir, I could not remember sorry sir.
CM: It’s ok..He was sunderlal bahuguna.
Me: thank u sir.
CM: Anil u may leave.
M4 (who went outside when int was started came back): sir i did not asked.
CM: ok sorry. U may ask now
M4 to CM: CM should not say sorry to board members.
M4: we are celebrated womens day last time.......can u guess how many women noble laureates are
there?
Me: (By laughing i said) sir is it about 15-20.
Ma: come on man don’t be so conservative.
M4: Anil which is the worlds oldest legislative body?
Me: UK parliament.
M4: Ok correct.
M4: Which is the largest tribe in india?
Me: Sir is it Gonds ?
M4: No...they are santhals.
Me: But gonds have the largest spread area wise.
M4: it is correct but population wise it is santhals.
M4: Who was the British PM during world war 2?
Me: i could not remember sorry sir.
M4: ok who was the British PM during india’s independence?
Me: i could not remember sir.
M4: make a guess anil?
Me: sorry could not recollect.
M4: he is versed in drama. Poetry, music and received noble prize in literature?
M4: his name starts with A.
M4: make some wild guess. He has long beard.
Me: so irritated i said akbar (every one laughed)
M4: Ok anil there was some temple in Andhra Pradesh which has been shifted stone by stone
because of inundation.(it was done in 2008)
Me:Sir is it thousand pillered temple (presently similar work is going ).
M4: no...it is in mahabubnagar....try to guess?
Me: sorry sir.
M4: Its alampur.
M4: started asking again something.
CM: ok stop now....anil u r interview is done u may leave and all the best.
Me: Thank u sir, thank u madam and wished them have a nice day.
(Through out the interview PKM was very cordial and supportive and was giving clues to the
answers)
Expecting around 160+ if he gives more than that, i will take with both hands happily.

Upsc interview experience 2013 cse 2012 (march 2012)

board - p.k.m sir

last one to go for the day

hobbies - Designing models of real things , teaching

Associated with Art of living

Electrical engineer from IITD working with NTPC ltd .  Optionals ELectrical And Geography

me:goodafter noon sirs

cm: please have a seat

me :thankyou sir, thankyou ( i say thanku two times , cm looking at me )

cm: the photo you now brought is not matching with your application photo .

me: sir , at that time i had a haircut;

cm: it seems now u had a haircut :

i kept silent

cm :ok , u sign 15 times on the paper to establish ur identity

i confidently signed

cm to members : ok , sign is matching , ok let us start the interview .

cm: who is founder of art of living ( i have done a course here)

me: Shri shri ravi shankar

cm: why 2 shri's

me:sir , his father name is ravi shankar , so one shri for his father and  another for his own name.

cm:ok ,so shri shri ravi shankar

cm: there is some kriya there , what is it

me :Sudarshan kriya

cm: what does it do

me : this kriya maintains a rythm between breath, body and mind . while doing it rythmically we make a sound so hum.

cm : what is so hum

me : vah main huin ( i said it in hindi , means i am god)

cm: so it means u are god

me : yes , i am god

cm: what is the meaning of god

me: for things which we have answer we call it science and and for which we dont have any answer we call it god:

cm: so , god created the science or science created the god ;\

me: god creted the science

cm to m1 : u please ask

m1: what is this your hobby "designing models of real things"

me: i have a habit of making a model of any real thing which i see , for example i have designed lift, ceiling fan , cooler

, escalator of around 2 feet height

m1: does escalator work

me: yes

m1:then why are u coming here (taunt-type)

cm to m1: please ( in a way requesting him not to say such things)

m1:what else u have designed

me:and solar cooker

m1:how does solar cooker works

me:sir , when the sun ray first come , they are of short wavelength but after striking the glass of solar cookker , they becomes

long wavelength and got trapped there , and this infrared ray heats up the materail there

m1: any energy source which can serve the indian needs

me: sir , it has to be solar energy due to very large potential and easily available across india

m1:how will u trap this energy

me:through photovltaic cells

m1:how much is the voltage generated by them

me :sir , about 1 volt ,infact even less than 1 , ie around 0.7v

m1:how will u save this energy for night

me: By storing it in the battery

m1:can u tell what do they call the human model in a garments shop

me: sir , i know it  in hindi , "BUUT"

m1:no not in hindi , i have not heard this

cm: BHUT is ghost , not what the sir is asking ( cm thought i have said BHUT)

m3 interrupted : sir , he is saying "BUUT" not "bhut" which means a statue or similar sort of thing

m4, m5 also whispering about this bUUt

m3: do u like questions about constitution

me: yes sir

m3: what is the basic structure of the constitui

me: (i was thinking as i couldnt understand what does structure means)

cm: something that is sacrosanct

me: (now i got what m3 was asking)  sir , federalism ,

cm: more

me: fundamentals rights

cm:but what about right to property

me: it is still in the constitution.

cm: yes, it is now a legal right

cm: more basic structure

me:seperation of power

cm :more

me:judiciary and executive are independent

cm: this is same as seperation of power

me: yes sir( very politely)

m3:ok , have u heard about issue behind Afsal guru hanging

me:yes sir , the issue was that they havent told his family about hanging

m3: how is it justifeid

me:sir , according to our jail manual it is not necessary to inform the family

cm:but how it is morally justified

me:if we would have told his family , there may have been violence in jammu and kashmir

cm face lights up now

m4:do u like questions from nuclear side

me: yes sir

m4:( he said some 4,5 sentences , i could not make what he said due to his accent, i understand only the word  nuclear which

he said in his last sentence)

me: pardon me sir , could u please eleborate the question ( with utmost ploiteness)

m4: ( again what he said i couldnot get it)

me:sorry sir, i dont have complete facts about this topic.

m4: its ok , will u like kashmir issue

me:yes sir

m4:what do u think we should do,

me:first of all violence is not a solution in any case . rather we should put the pressure on them. yestereday only ,our honorary

  supreme court has asked the govt to take up the matter in international criminal court.

m5: so , u are working in ntpc

me:yes sir

m5: what is the installed capacity of our contry and demand .

me: 210 gw is the installed capacity , and if we take the T&D loss to be 30% then around 270 gw is the demand

m5 somehow look perplexed ,i think he now our country demand in units not in Gw which i said

me: can i say my answer again

cm:yes

me:(now i explained clearly) 210 gw is installed capacity and we further require 80GW.

m5:do our country import electricity

me:( i know for sure that all the contries suurounding us already have energy crisis , so how they will give us electricity,)

m5: do we import

me: sir , during the recent grid failure ,we took the electrcity from BHUtan

m5:which plant of bhutan

me:(i know the name , but forgot it)  sir , name not coming to my mind

cm:ok

m5:which plants of ntpc are coming in bihar

me: barh

m5:more

me:(taking time to think) kahalgaon

m5:it is already established ,

m5: nabinagar

me:yes sir ( even though i heard this name for the first time)

m5: schmes in education sector

me: sarva shiksha abhiyan

m5:more

me:mid day meal scheme where in students are given compulsry meals so that their parents will send them there

m5:more schemes

me:(no more scheme i remembered)  sir , also they are distributed books, scholarships and ..

cm interrupted :what else

me : clothes etc

m5:what is the relevance of panipat

me: sir , in the very 1st shlok of shrimad bhagwad gita , "dharamshetre kurushetre" dharamshetre refers to panipat

cm: this is mythological relevance , tell the historical relevance

me:there were 3 battles of panipat

m4: what are the dates

me: (thinking and saying very slowly) 1st in 1526 , 2nd in 1556 , 3rd in 18th century

cm:exact year

me:not able to recall sir

m4:1761

me:yes sir

m5:tell betwwn whom the third was fought

me: i know the parties sir ., one was marathas and another was (taking long time to recall) ... mughals

cm: not mughals , ahmed shah abdali

me: exactly sir (i think my voice goes little higher here)

m5:what is the economic activity undertaken in karnal

me: there is National dairy research institute , there is also central soil research alkaline institute

m5:in NDRI what do they do

me: research on milk and dairy products

m5: also on different breeds of buffaloes

me:yes sir

m5:what economic activity in panipat

me:sir , cotton textiles are produced here

m5:for example

me: silk sarees, cotton sarees

m5:have u seen the film Robot

me:yes i have seen it

m5:so is it possible to make a model of human showing emotions as well

me: sir , i personally think this is possible (with conviction) . for ex , when we speak there are vibrations in our neck

which are signals , and which can be tapped and so such model is possible

m5:how was the school curriculum at your times( not sure if indeed this was the ques)

me: sir , even at that point of time in science subjects we used to make modles, lab practicals etc were also there.

cm:ok ,at what class u have studied sanskrit ( since i have been awarded by delhi sanskrit samiti)

me: 10 class sir

cm:10 class( amazed)

cm: i will give u one shlok from sanskrit , can u translate it

me:yes sir  (cm looked happy to see my confidence)

cm: (he recited the shlok ,out of which i could get the meaning of only some words)

me: i had got the meaning of some of words ,  can i tell the idea

cm:yes yes , this is sufficient

me: (i started translating , chairman was helping me throughout )

cm:you may go now

me:thanku sirs,

(there are many more questions which i dont remember)

expert comment from our reader

Everyone wants to know about the marking pattern of their respective boards.....i just want to say that all the present boards (excluding new members) give all kinds of marks in the range from 230-240 to 70-80....difficult to find a pattern in their marking but there are some common perceptions about the members as given below.......

p agar - gives all kinds of marks....better marks for arts candidates....marks based on how well opinion-based questions are answered....

pk mishra - gives all kinds of marks....cordial board....most of the time marks matches with performance....

img khan - extra cordial board....gives all kinds of marks....used to be liberal in his first and second years...now, not that liberal....

vijay singh - cordial...perf matches with marks....not very liberal as he used to be....my observation is that people from iits are not given the marks they deserve....

rajni - ac-dc type, many get above 200, equally many get around 100....perf doesnt match with marks in most of the cases....not cordial....relies on first impression about the candidate more than others...

venk reddy - likes assertiveness in the candidates....likes engineering candidates who have work experience....even otherwise, he is liberal....gives all kinds of marks....

alk sirohi - liberal, not very cordial....gives average marks if proper confidence levels are maintained even if answers are not good....

any corrections you people want to make??? :)
reply 

Upsc interview experience 2013 cse 2012 courtesy http://jadaun.blogspot.in/

Time 11:55 AM, 10th April 2013, UPSC office
Board chairman: Manbir Singh, i will refer him as MS
Members (M1, M2, M3, M4)
Subjects: History, Geography
Interest: Archaeology, Visiting Historic places, International affairs  

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
[Neeraj] May i come in Sir?
[MS] Please come in
[Neeraj] Good Morning sir/Mam etc
[MS] You are working in a sun rise sector and still you want to join civil services
[Neeraj] Yes sir
[MS] What do you think of China's building of dam on Brahmaputra?
[Neeraj] Not good for India sir
[MS] Why?
[Neeraj] China will divert water to irrigate land in Yunan province (north and NE of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam can face water scarcity in near future.

[MS] Recently we got an award from a tribunal, what was that?
[Neeraj] Kishenganga river project, we got award on Pakistan
[MS] How is this issue different from China making dams?
[Neeraj] Sir, because we have Indus river treaty with Pakistan, signed in 1960 but we do not have any such treaty with China so we can not force China  in this regard.
[MS] Is China diverting water from Brahmaputra a speculation or something concrete?    
[Neeraj] I first read this in Frontline in 2011 but that time this was discarded now China has openly declared to do so. Moreover China does not inspire confidence because there is huge censorship over information/press there. Same thing happened in 1962 war with China, i have read this in Himalayan Blunder, famous book by Brigadier Dalvi. Indians were thinking that Pakistan was going to attack them but it happened otherwise and we were caught unprepared.

[MS] I have also read Dalvi's book, why his entire Brigade was annihilated?
[Neeraj] Because his brigade did not have artillery support while Chinese had come prepared.
[MS] OK
[MS] What is String of Pearl theory?
[Neeraj] China encircling India by building naval bases in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.They have already built Hambantota port in Srilanka and Gwadar in Pakistan. Pakistan-China friendship as they claim is Deeper than the deepest of Oceans and Higher than highest of the mountains so Pakistan can easily give its port to China in case of war etc.

[M1, a lady] Neeraj, you appear very intelligent but i am bemused to see that your hobby is archaeology and visiting historic places? How come it became your hobby?
[Neeraj] Mam, i did my B. Tech from IIT-BHU, Varanasi. I visited  historic site of Sarnath there and also the museum. I actually touched the National Emblem(Ashokan Capital) there. That time it started to interest me.

[M1] What are the sites you have visited?
[Neeraj] Sarnath, Qutb Complex, Karle Caves, Ajanta & Ellora caves, Daultabad Fort, Golconda Fort, Hampi, Meenakshi Temple, Winchester (city of King Alfred and Arthur).
[M1] What are the problems Indian ASI is facing?
[Neeraj] Shortage of staff, huge number of sites etc.
[M1] What are the threats to Ajanta caves?
[Neeraj] Flash camera light, vehicular pollution (I missed the vandalism part here)
[M1] Why IAS?
[Neeraj] Challenging, Public Service
[M1] IT is also challenging
[Neeraj] But public service is not there

[M2] Do you know about AFSPA? What are key provisions?
[Neeraj] (I told all the provisions and areas where it is in force, also told about the commission set up in 2004 that recommended to repeal it, He was very happy)
[M2] Do you know the name of the lady who is on strike?
[Neeraj] Irom Sharmila, fast unto death for last 12 years

[M2] Why AFSPA should not be applied in Naxal areas?
[Neeraj] It should not be applied anywhere and its should be reviewed or repealed. After all we all are Indians and no one should be allowed to have full immunity to do anything.
[M2] What innovative things you will do in rural areas?
[Neeraj] e-governance, e-FIR, MCTS, Solar Power, Agriculture BPO, Azim Premji University type venture in Education.

[M3] Who was PM of India in 1971?
[Neeraj] Indira Gandhi
[M3] Who was Indian Army chief?
[Neeraj] General Manekshaw
[M3] Who was Eastern Command Chief
[Neeraj] General Arrora
[M3] Very good
[Neeraj] Thank you Sir 

[M3] Bangladesh was liberated in 1971 but Mujiburrahman was killed in 1975, why?
[Neeraj] Effect of Jamat e Islami and pro Pakistani element in Bangladesh military
[M3] Where does Brahmaputra originate?
[Neeraj] Near Mansarovar Lake
[M3] Which regions it pass through?
[Neeraj] China, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Bangladesh
[M3] Good
[M3] Assam is prone to Brahmaputra floods, show should we care China diverting water from it?
[Neeraj] Because we dont know how much water it will divert
[M3] Nixon threatened India by sending Naval battleship to Bay of Bengal, What did India do?
[Neeraj] India already had a treaty with USSR and Indira Gandhi said in meeting that dont worry, USSR is sending its nuclear submarine to counter that threat. USA buckled down finally.

[M4] You all answers were good but  have a doubt. You live in an AC environment, you simply want to join IAS for its fanfare. You are getting excellent salary, you will get less than half of what you are getting right now. Why you want to join?
[Neeraj] Sir, i still spend 1 month in my village, i still dont have an AC. I have helped my village by spreading awareness against leakage in PDS. 
[M4] OK

[MS] Thank you Neeraj
[Neeraj] Thank you sir (and I walked out)