UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (50)

Name: Prabhasa Bhoi
State:  Orissa
Work:  NTPC as Sr. Engineer
Sports: Played cricket during school and college days
Hobby: Collecting Indian Coins, swimming

I was on Mr. K K Paul's board. I was the fist candidate to be interviewed on that day. I was bit nervous to be interviewed first. Anyway I managed to keep my cool. By 10.30, my interview was started and it lasted for 40 minutes. I could not impress the Chairman but somehow tackled the questions from other Board Members. I am not sure how much will I be getting in the interview.

First of all Mr Paul asked me about my Name, Roll No. and Date of birth. Then, as on the previous day World cup semi-final was played he inquired whether I had watched the match. I replied Yes but not fully.

Chairman: What was the turning point of the match?
Me: Tendulkar was dropped 4 times and almost all Indian bowlers picked up wickets.

(He was not convinced)

Chairman: Who was the captain of Indian on the first ever match played between India and Pakistan?
Me: No idea sir.

Chairman: Who was the captain of Pakistan on the first ever match played between India and Pakistan?
Me: No idea sir.

(Then the Chairman gave the answer and asked whether I know them. I nodded negatively.)

Chairman: Why the rainbow is always curved?
Me: Rainbows are formed by refraction of light from rain drops. Rain drops are spherical in shape and different colours have different wavelengths which are refracted differently and gave rise to curved shape.

(He was not convinced)

Chairman: Have u heard of Irom Sharmila?
Me: Yes sir. She is a social activist fighting for repeal of AFSPA (Armed forces special power act) from NE areas of our country.

Chairman: What is the specialty about her?
Me: She is on a continuous fast since last one decade to fight for this great cause.

Chairman: What is AFSPA?
Me: This act empowers armed forces with special powers such as to detain anybody without trial for indefinite period in certain disturbed areas to maintain peace and security of the region.

Chairman: What is the specific clause, she wants to repeal?
Me: Sorry sir, I don’t remember.

Chairman: You are working in NTPC since last 5 years. Then why are you planning to change ur job?
Me: Truly speaking NTPC is the inspirational source of mine for preparing for Civil Services. I a working in a generalised Dept., where I have to work with in sync with different Departments such as Engineering, Finance etc.
Gradually I felt that if I can contribute in a efficient manner here, why cant I use my talent in a bigger field for the service of the society.

Chairman: But, you are also now contributing to the society?
Me: Here Sir my scope is limited to only one filed. In civil service I will get a chance to serve in broader spectrum.

(He was not convinced. After that he asked a few more questions and then asked other members to ask questions)

Member1: You have mentioned that your hobby is collecting coins. What is it called?
Me: Numismatism.

Member1: What is the oldest coin you possess?
Me: It is of the year 1892, 2 Anna, Victoria series.

Member1: What is the present installed capacity of our country?
Me: around 1,72,000 MW.

Member1: What is the share of each sector?
Me: Thermal=65%, Hydro=20%, Nuclear=3%, RES=12%

Member1: Recently Govt. has launched a new mission for renewable energy. What is the name of that programmer?
Me: National Solar Mission to generate 20,000 MW of solar energy by 2022.

Member2: What is the installed capacity of NTPC? (As I am working in NTPC)
Me: 33,194 MW.

Member2: Is it all coal based?
Me: No Sir, A major share (say 75%) comes form coal and remaining are gas based projects. Hydro projects are still to be commissioned. NTPC is planning to venture into Nuclear, Solar and Wind energy.

Member2: What is UMPP?
Me: Ultra Mega Power Projects, which are basically taken to bridge the large demand gap in power sector in our country.

Member2: What should be the minimum generating capacity of a power plant to be called a UMPP?
Me: 3000 MW

Member2: How many UMPPs are there in our country?
Me: Govt has already placed orders for 4-5 UMPPs such as Susan, Mudra etc. and Govt. is planning more.

Member2: How many of them are in operation?
Me: None of them have been commissioned.

Mmber2: Then, what is the present status of their construction?
Me: Sorry sir, I don’t have a detailed idea but some of them may be commissioned early in the next year.

Member2: Some of them are facing financial crunch? Do you know them?
Me: No idea sir.

Member3 (Lady Member): Why Orissa is so backward?
Me: There is lack of proper utilization of resources because of the poor level of human development and adoption of the top-down model of planning for development.

Member3: So you mean to say Orissa can never be developed?
Me: No Mam, these days lot of investments are coming and Orissa is poise to be the biggest investment hub in our country. Furthermore the planning is being with the involvement of the people.

(She was not convinced and then the Chairman interrupted)

Chairman: What can be done to improve the industrial Sector of your state?
Me: The Govt. should take the initiative to investment in a planed manner; Private players must be encouraged to play a greater role, central assistance is needed and wherever possible foreign players must also be given a chance.

(Chairman too was not convinced with the answer and asked the member to continue)

Member3: What can be done to improve the financial scenario of Orissa?
(I don’t remember what I answered)

Member4: These days there is a news regarding ‘Cricket Diplomacy’. What is the other sport in which the term Diplomacy is attached?
Me: No idea sir.

(The member asked me to try and I said ‘Hockey’. I think I made a big mistake here by guessing.)

Member4: It is ‘Ping-pong’ diplomacy. Have u heard of it?
Me: No Sir.

Member 4: How many languages are recognized in our constitution?
Me: 22

Member 4: Among them, which is the language that is not the state language of any state?
(I really had no idea and he asked me to guess. Again I guessed wrongly such as Bodo or Dongri. He denied and said that it is ‘Sanskrit’. However, later I found that Sanskrit is the 2nd state language (after Hindi) of Uttarakhand’

Member 4: Do you know Nitish Kumaar?
Me: He is the Chief Minister of Bihar.

Member4: Since how long he is acting as CM of Bihar?
Me: Since last 4-5 years.
(Jokingly he said that “ohh, since last 45 years he is serving as CM. I clarified again and said that it is around 4-5 years)

Member4: So you mean to say it is his first term as CM?
Me: No sir. May be its his 2nd term but I am not sure. (Later I found that it is his 3rd term)

Member4: What has he done for development of Bihar?
Me: He has improved the law & order situation and have made significant improvements in the infrastructure and social sector of the state.

Member4: What are specific projects and programmes launched by him?
Me: No idea sir.

Member4: You hell from Puri district of Orissa. Tell me what are the major natural disasters that affect you district?
Me: Flood, cyclone etc.

Member4: What the Govt. has done after 1999 super-cyclone to minimize the damage?
Me: Govt. has built Cyclone shelter centers along the coast and has launched many awareness campaigns to educate the people regarding the use of this. It has strengthened the SDMA (State Disaster Management Authority).

Member4: But why the people are not using these cyclone centers?
Me: (I could not answer this)

Member4: You district is a poor district. What could be done to develop your district?
Me: Puri district possess a vast tourism potential with Sun Temple, Konark and Jagannath Temple, Puri. Fishing and Agriculture can be encouraged given the irrigation potential of the district. Wind energy can be tapped from the vast coastline. Further, the tourism development of the nearby areas such as Chilka Lake, Similipal Tiger Resrve etc. should be encouraged to attract more foreign tourists.

(I think by mentioning Chilka Lake I made the biggest mistake and this attracted the intervention form the Chairman)

Chairman: What is the property of the water of what you called Chilka Lake?
Me: It is a salt water lake.

Chairman: Is it a lake or something else?
Me: Sorry sir, It is called Chilka Lagoon.

Chairman: What is the difference between a Lake and Lagoon?
Me: Lagoon is a water body having a connection to sea. But Lake is a fully enclosed water body.

(That was the last question to me. Then the Chairman me thanked me and stated that my interview is over. I thanked them all and left the room while thinking of the mistake made by me by mentioning Chilka Lake)

Exam Interview Details:

Subjects Taken : Public Administration, Geography
Date of Interview: 31.03.2011
Interview Board : K K PAUL
Result of Interview : Qualified
City : Noida

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (49)

Name : Shailesh Bansal
As I entered she asked me to sit. She started with asking my roll no. DOB and verified my photo. Then she asked about Libya issues.

Que. Do you know about Libya Issue. Is it fair that NATO forces entered into Libyan territory.
Ans. Yes mam i know about that and definitely it’s an intervention but it should be looked in the shadow of resolution passed by UN. When we looks it from that point of view it looks justified. As UN is a democratic organization. It has said in its resolution to do whatever possible to restore Human rights there, and it is said in diplomatic language having crude meaning of doing attacks.
Que. So it means that use of US not violating Human Rights there.
Ans. Yes mam both US and Gaddafi are violating Human rights.

Passed to the next member:
Que: You have opted for Pali Literature; Do you have any idea of Sangam Literature?
Ans: Sorry Sir

Que: In a manufacturing concern how I can make balance of payment?
Ans: Sir payments are shown in Dr. side
Que: I am asking balance of payment, not payment!
Ans: Sorry sir, I got it as payments. In that case expenses are shown in Dr. side and incomes are shown in Cr. Side.

Que: What are your Hobbies?
Ans: Net Surfing, TV Watching

Que: What do you do in TV Watching? Which serial do you follow?
Ans: Balika Vadhu, Laptagang

Que: Is Jagdish (A Character) doing correct in that?
Ans: No sir, But it should be looked from other angle also where when someone gets married in his/her childhood then it may be possible to have attraction towards person other than his/her spouse.

Que: What do u do in Net Surfing?
Ans: Sir I m active on most of social networking sites. Whenever I need some information I search it on web. Beside that I do blogging.

Que: What do you do in blogging?
Ans: I shares audit and accounts related knowledge

Que: I want to upload 50 pic. on Facebook How can I do this?
Ans: Sir you can put them on picasa and then set a link on facebook, other way is by doing uploading upfront on facebook.

Que: Tell me name of few social network websites
Ans: I told 5-6 name

Passed to Next Member:
Que: So you are a CA, you must be knowing about company law
Ans: Yes Sir

Que: When I see audit report of CAG given for government concerns I found it very descriptive and detailed in comparison of a CA’s report (Usually given for limited companies). So don’t you think that auditors of a company other than government concern should be appointed by CAG ?
Ans: Sir I am not agree with this point. Because auditors are appointed by shareholders (in democratic way) whether it is government concern or other concern. CAG only advices government for appointment of auditors and government appoints auditor in the capacity of shareholder. If we gives power to appoint auditors of private companies to CAG than it will be a sort of discrimination. Further CAG makes its audit with a propriety and efficiency point of view so it’s obvious that his report is long and descriptive.

Que: I feels that CAs are influenced by their client while making their audit report!
Ans: Sorry sir but I am a CA and signed reports too. There are lot of personal responsibility on a CA while signing a Report so point of influencing doesn’t arise.

Then he told me that he is not satisfied. In reply I said sorry sir….


Que: If auditors have personal responsibility than why Satyam like cases happened?
Ans: Sir, I agree that in few cases auditors were not at par. But in consequences of that they are facing trial.

Que: What happened in Satyam case? Which Auditing company involved in that?
Ans: Sir it was Price water house coppers as auditor and ICAI have constituted a committee to investigate that matter report of which is yet to come.

Passed to next Member:
Que : What are your service preference ?
Ans: IAS , IPS , IFS and then Accounts related services ….

Que: You are a chartered accountant so you should have opted for Indian Economic Services!
Ans: Sir, I have completed my CA in the age of 22,After that I have worked for 2 and half year in Bulgaria (Europe). During my that tenure I felt that I should do something for society and on the same time I can use my skills that I have learnt during my CA. While looking for an option that suits both condition I found IAS as best choice. So I choosed IAS as first preference.

Que: Government is changing its accounting system, do u know about that?
Ans: Yes Sir, First it was cash basis of accounting and now it’s going for accrual basis of accounting.
Que: What is accrual basis of accounting?
Ans: In which income and expenses related with certain year are accounted for ONLY in the year in which they have incurred.

Que: There are big infrastructure projects are going on. They finishes in 4-5 years so how I can do accounting for them?
Ans: Sir, These type of projects falls in contract accounting and as per institute of chartered accountants of India Accounting standard no. 7 should be used for that accounting. In that AS two methods are prescribed one is proportionate of completion method another one is estimation basis.

Que: We have Doctors , engineers with us why should we select you ?
Ans : Sir, During my tenure as CA I learnt about policy making, policy implementation,
Compliance, Finding variations, reporting etc. and I feels that these tasks resembles with work of a IAS so I feels are I can do that better than other by adding my past experience in that.
Que: No I was expecting that you will say I will find out scams for you?
Ans: Sir I have told that I can find out variations and variations are nothing but sort of scams.

Passed to next member:
Que: What are your personal goal on life?
Ans: Sir, my personal goal on life is that when after some time I look back people should say about me that yes he is the man with moral and he has done something for society.
This is the feeling that boosts my morale.

Que: You have power with money, power without money and only money. what would you like to choose?
Ans: I asked him to repeat the question and replied power with money.

Que: Suppose you won a jackpot of Rs. one crore. What will you do?
Ans: Sir at first I will celebrate.

Que: No I am asking how you will expense out them?
Ans: As amount Is big I won’t be able to plan now.

He asked me to take some time and I replied sorry sir I won’t be able to plan now.

He asked me that OK, can u tell me your preferences that whether you will give it to family or society or will do something for yourself?
I replied that yes sir, First I will give it to family, then society and then something for myself.

Mrs. Rajdan took the question again and asked me that how much will be the tax on it? I replied after some oral calculations as approximately 33%
She asked again that you are a CA, can’t you plan BALANCE Rs. 67 Lacs ?
I said sorry mam I can’t for now. But I can tell you my preference as family, society and then for myself.

She said OK you can go…..
I thanked all members and chairman and left the room.

Exam Interview Details:

Subjects Taken : Commerce & Pali Literature
Interview Board : Rajni Rajdan
Result of Interview : Qualified
City : New Delhi

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (48)

Name : MAMTA GUPTA

I entered after taken permission.
M- Good afternoon mam, Good afternoon Sir
C- Very good afternoon. Please come and have a seat. (I entered)

C- So how did you enter into the room.
M- Sir, I came here by walking.

C- Ok. So is there any other way to enter into the room? (I started thinking)
C- So we can say there is no other way to enter.
M- Yes sir.

C- You are a Electronics engineer. so you will use your knowledge in administration.( He said while looking at my summary sheet)
M- Yes sir. I will use. There is E-governance.( I started elaborating further. He interrupted).

C- I did not ask the details. Just yes or no.
M- Sorry sir.
(he passed on to the other member)

O- From your region there are many millionaires / Billionare.What is the reason? (he also gave some data that out of 10000/100000 persons, one is millionaire)
(I belong to Shekhawati region.)
M- Yes sir. Because people from my reason are intelligent and hard working. (i said with smile. Nothing else came to my mind)

O- So people only from your area are intelligent and hard working (everyone was laughing)
M- Others are also but people from my area are more intelligent and more hard working.

O- do you know if soil of western districts of Rajasthan like Jaisalmer, Badmer etc. is suitable for Olive farming. (i started thinking)
O- You know countries in Northern Africa near Mediterranean sea do Olive cultivation.

M- yes sir. There it is but I don't know about Rajasthan.

 O- Any idea how many types of Olives and their qualities.
M- Sorry sir

O- You should as cooking is your hobbies.
M- I have used olive only in Pizza and also olive oil is good for hair.
(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.

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)

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

Rank 103 UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (47)

Name : Rajesh Kankipati
Interview Before I may write anything, I take this opportunity to thank1) 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 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.

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

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

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

rank 25 UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (46)

Hi Everyone. I am 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.

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 apparels including jeans. At the end of the day it will order Jeans which are low in stock though Levi’s (taking it as an example). Now Levi’s would then order fabric from fabric mill like Arvind Mills. Therefore tracking the stock in real time helps in better inventory management.

Why did the Indian Stock markets fell?

The Indian stock market fell because of demand crunch following the global financial crisis as well as the huge withdrawal of funds by FIIs. The crisis started with the Subprime housing market going bust. The FII’s had purchased securitized instruments from the banks for higher interest rates but when the default started happening the FIIs were forced to withdraw money from emerging stock markets to make up for their losses in US.

Which is better FDI or FII?
Sir, FDI is better as it is not volatile like FII. FII is hot money which can move in or out of any country anytime. FDI is more stable.

The member intervened as asked but Don’t you think we are commiting a lot by allowing FDI in India? If FII is hot money it is good as there is no commitment by the Govt side?
Sir FDI has a lot of benefits as it generates a lot of employment & brings in new technology to the country. Also if see the historical trend since the liberalization of economy since 1990 (the member intervened & said 1991 to which I said Yes sir in 1991) we have seen a surplus on the forex reserve & a booming GDP growth along with increased employment.

But China has been growing faster than India?
Sir China started the economic reforms way back in 1979 when Den Xiaoping led the country to market reforms. Therefore they have an edge as they started early. India might see double digit growth rate in the coming decade.

The member said the starting early was not the early reason as it has also got to do with Chinese policies also?
Yes Sir, the Chinese government has laid a lot of emphasis on building up core infrastructure to boost economic production.


What is Greenfield Investment & Brownfield Investment?
Sir “Greenfield Investment” is investing in a project from starting. It is like building from scratch. Brown Field Investment is adding to an existing project.

What is the difference between Merger & Acquisition?
Sir, in case of merger two entities join to form a third entity but in case of acquisition the new entity is the same as the acquiring company. Compensation might happen either wholly in cash or in cash plus stock deal.

MEMBER 3:
You have defined Supply Chain Management for business? What is SCM in education?
Sir SCM in education would mean that an institute should try to source better students, train them with the best possible inputs so that the product (which is the student) contributes to the society in the best possible manner.

SCM in education by which the Schools act as raw material sources for college & the college students act as raw material or inputs for Higher Institutes? What is the problem with higher education in India?
Sir the problem with higher education in India is that we don’t have sufficient number of quality institutes offering higher education. Therefore to tackle this the government has taken the decision to expand the number of IITs, IIMs, NITs etc.

But for quality higher education we should also have quality students?
Sir, we do have quality students for higher education. The problem basically stems from the large population of India. Because of the large base we have very high number of students who deserve quality higher education.

What is the enrollment rate at primary level in India?
Sir I don’t know the exact figure.

What is the enrollment rate at the higher education level?
Sir I don’t know but I have read that for every 100 females enrolled at the primary level only one reaches the post graduation level.

What is the National Literacy rate?

Sir it is 65 % overall 53.7 % for females & 75 % for males.

What is birth rate of India?

Sir it is 26 births per 1000

Give %?

Sir it is 2.6 %.

You have studied at a lot of places. Which place do you consider best for education?
Sir I did my schooling till 10th from my Tehsil (Raisinghnagar), XI & XII from my district & graduation from Delhi. I would consider Delhi as best because when I came to Delhi I could not speak English Properly & whatever communications skill I have today I picked up during my graduation at Kirori Mal College. Moreover I stayed in hostel & got to learn a lot of things from my peers while staying at the residential facility.

Any problems apart from Communication that you faced in Delhi?Sir I had my own apprehensions at the initial stage but I was accepted well & did not face any problem.

What suggestions do you have to improve schooling in your tehsil?
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.

I’ll give you the number. The number of people enrolling in higher education is 13 million. Now calculate the percentage.

I said it would be approximately 1.3 % (as population is 1027 million).

Then he said that it was low as the eligible population for higher education is 11 %.

MEMBER 4

What is Micro Finance?
Madam Micro Finance is basically lending money to the low income section of the society at liberal interest rates to meet their needs. It is basically a step towards financial inclusion.

Have you heard of Mohd Yunus?
Yes Madam, he is from Bangladesh & he started the Micro Finance movement there trough grameen banks. For this he also won the Nobel Peace Prize.

What Micro – Insurance policy would you recommend for the poorest of the poor?

Basically madam, I would recommend a term plan as it is designed for covering the risk only & the premium rate is the lowest. For eg. if today you buy a term plan for Rs. 25 Lakh cover the premium would come close to Rs. 5000. Now if you want to ensure the poorest of the poor with a 2.5 Lakh cover the premium would come down to Rs. 500. If you take out the profit it would further come down to Rs. 400. Now this premium can be borne by the Central Govt & State Govt combined & the policy could be offered to the poor family.

Is there any existing scheme which is doing this.
Yes madam, the Aaam Aadmi Bima Yojana is covering the poor family under this.

What is your view on initiative on Health Insurance
Madam the govt has launced “Rasthriya Swasthya Bima Yojana” under which it provides health insurance cover to the poor families. The problem which I see in it is the high claims ratio because of which the premium is high & the government cannot provide high cover. To facilitate further the government has also planned to issue identity cards to the poor families for cashless transaction at the hospitals.

MEMBER 5

You are from Sriganganagar which is a border district? What challenges to National Security do you see from border (not just Rajasthan but the entire Indian border)?
Sir there are various challenges to National Security because of the long international border of India.
The border with Bangladesh is highly porous which leads to a lot of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Many illegal Bangladeshis have also been apprehended by the police in bomb blast cases.There is increase of terrorism originating from Pakistan & Bangladesh in India in the form of increasing bomb blasts as well as recent attacks like the one witnessed in Bombay.

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, I’m 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 don’t see you having any professional degree in computers. How do you do all this?
Sir I don’t have any professional degree. I have learned this totally out of my interest.

Do you use You Tube?
Yes sir I do use it.
It was in news recently….Any idea on that.
Yes sir. You tube was in news a couple of days back (the member intervened & said…not a couple of days back…..it is as recent as yesterday…& might be in papers today)

I said I don’t know sir.

The member explained that China has banned youtube because a video showing police atrocities on Tibetans was posted on it. What is the Tibetan problem?
Sir, Tibetans are demanding greater Autonomy which is the Chinese government is unwilling to yield. Moreover the Chinese government has settled ethnic Chinese population in Urban areas of Tibet which the Tibetans are resenting. The Chinese government is unwilling to relocate the ethnic Chinese population from Tibet

How do you see the Tibet issue vis-à-vis India?
Sir the Tibet issue cropped up between India & China when in 1958 India gave political asylum to Dalai Lama & his followers in Dharmshala. Being a country which cherishes democratic values, India had to give political asylum. But China saw this move as meddling with the internal affairs of the country. The Chinese side went to the extent of thinking that It was a plan by the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru to attack & sieze Tibet with the local support. Inspite of the Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai slogan & the “Panchseel Principle” a war could not be avoided between India & China.

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

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (45)

Name: Rajeshwari B 
Type: Interview

Interview: I do not remember the exact answers I gave in my interview so I will only give you the gist of my interview.my board was Rajni Razdan madam's.First thing she said was 'you don't look like you do in your photograph'.. I smiled and said, but ma'am it was only taken a month back. She showed the pic to me and said do you feel you look like this now. Immediately after your interview go and get new photos and give to my assistant. I said ok ma'am I will do the needful. All this time I kept my smile. Finally she asked me my name , roll number which I answered.

RR - What do you cook (my hobby)?
Me - Ma'am depends on what I feel at that moment.

RR - Don't tell me that , tell me what you prepare.
Me - Yes ma'am , rice is our staple food so I prepare rice items more, like veg pulav , fried rice , biriyani and some regionally specific dishes like bisi bele baat , vaangi baat.

RR - Tell me the recipe of that.
Me - Ma'am it is a brinjal based dish with spices. ( I was trying to give an introduction of the recipe before giving the details, like as if this was a written exam.P ).

RR - when you see a recipe book is that how you find the recipe, won't there be ingredients and measurements? Now tell us how you will prepare for the five of us (members).
Me - I started ma'am I will require 3 cups of rice. somewhere at the end she cut in and said ok, ( may be she din't find it that tasty..!! :P )

RR - You have done MA in Pol Sci & IR, tell me about the situation in Libiya right now.
Me - Presently the NATO forces are implementing the UNSC Resolution 1973. But the leader Muammar Gaddafi is not ready to let go of his power and is retaliating to these NATO forces. There is a lot of chaos going on. ( This was the weakest point of my interview. I could have given a much better answer.)

Then she gestured the next sir to ask. I was passed on.

Sir1 - Have you heard of Self Help Groups ?
Me - yes sir I have.

S1 - What do they do?
Me - Sir , they are a way of generating a regular income among women , especially  in the rural areas. Women come together and form various enterprises through which they can gain some profit. Many small and cottage industries are based on this. Crafts and edible items.. etc are marketed by them.

S1 - Do they have savings?
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.

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 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 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

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (44)

K K PAUL SIR BOARD

MY INTERVIEW WAS ON MARCH 26,2011
THIS YEAR MY OPTIONALS ARE PUBLIC ADMIN AND PUNJABI LITERATURE

IT WAS MY SECOND INTERVIEW.LAST YEAR IT WAS WITH NIRBHAY SHARMA BOARD.

THIS YEAR THERE WERE SOME NUMERIC COINCIDENCES.

26-LAST TWO DIGITS OF MY ROLL NO. , 26 IS MY DATE OF BIRTH ,26 IS DIWALI THIS YEAR AND 26 WAS DATE OF MY INTERVIEW..I WAS CONSCIOUS OF THIS NUMERIC THING AND DID PREPARE. (BUT OF NO USE IN INTERVIEW AS NOTHING SUCH WAS ASKED).

I GOT UP AROUND 5:40 (THOUGH DIDN’T HAD THAT SOUND SLEEP)

I TURNED ON MY INTERNET AND RAPIDLY WENT THROUGH VARIOUS MAJOR NEWSPAPERS.(IT DID HELP I MUST SAY).

I WENT TO THE VENUE BY 8:30 AM

THERE WERE M1: DRESSED SINCERE ASPIRANTS,MOST OF THEM WITH THEIR PARENTS.AS I HAD EXPERIENCE OF LAST YEAR SO WAS NOT GETTING ANYMORE CONSCIOUS OF THE TOUGHNESS OF COMPETITION.

AS THIS TIME MY BROTHER WAS WITH ME SO WAS RELATIVELY COOL AND CALM AND ENJOYING..GOT INTO ROW AND ENTERED THE BUILDING.REACHED HALL..SAT ON E 4 TABLE..

ONE OF MY KNOWN FEMALE ASPIRANT WAS IN SAME BATCH..

ON OUR TABLE THERE WERE 6 CANDIDATES INCLUDING ME.

THEN CAME PERSON FOR FORMALITIES.I LOOKED AND RELAXED ON FINDING THAT THIS TIME AM NOT LAST ONE IN MY BATCH TO BE INTERVIEWED (LAST YEAR I WAS LAST IN MORNING BATCH AND MY INTERVIEW WENT FOR 12:20 TO 1:05)..THIS TIME I WAS THIRD TO BE INTERVIEWED….

THEN STARTED THINKING THE MILLION..RATHER BILION DOLLAR QUESTION….WHICH BOARD? (THOUGH HAD CONVINCED MYSELF NOT TO THINK BAD OF ANY BOARD BUT HUMAN NATURE)

AFTER SOMETIME AROUND 10:04 I MUST SAY FIRST CANDIDATE WAS CALLED..AND WE GOT TO KNOW THE SOOTHING NEWS THAT OUR BOARD OF K K PAUL

I WAS NOT WORRIED AT THAT TIME MUCH BECAUSE HAD HEARD THAT HE IS REASONABLE PERSON.

ALSO FEMALE WHO WAS KNOWN TO ME EARLIER SHARED WITH US THE INFORMATION THAT PAUL SIR DOESN’T SPOIL CAREER USUALY AND HE GIVE YOU MORE THAN 140 NORMALLY THOUGH HIS RANGE IS 140-180….AND SHE SAID HE DON’T ASK MUCH FACTUAL QUESTIONS(IT MADE ME RELAX BUT WHAT HAPPENED IN REAL IS A STORY NOW LOL )

MY OPTIONALS(MAINS WRITTEN) HAS WENT QUITE M1: SO I AM EXPECTING THAT WITH AROUND 150 MARKS WILL GET ME IN ATLEAST..

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 PERSONALITY…I WAS QUIET THIS TIME AND SOMEWHAT SINCERE OR YOU CAN SAY SERIOUS WHILE LAST YEAR I WAS TALKING A LOT AND DOING FUN.

AND MY TURN CAME………THE MOMENTS WHICH ARE GOING TO IMPACT MY FUTURE IN REALLY GREAT MANNER.. JAI MATA DI BOL KE I ENTERED THE INTERVIEW HALL..

CHAIRMAN:PAUL SIR

THREE MALE MEMBERS

ONE FEMALE MEMBER:TOOOOOOO NICE AND SMILING AND WAS SITTING ON RIGHT SIDE TO CANDIDATE CHAIR

ME: MAY I COME IN ,SIR

CH:COME IN AND SIT DOWN (AB KYA DARWAAZE MEIN HE BAITH JAUN  )

I MANAGED MYSELF AND DIDN’T THOUGHT MUCH AND EENTERED WITH CONFIDENCE..WHEN I REACHED NEAR CHAIR.SMILING LADY MEMBER VERY SOFTLY SAID ”TAKE YOUR SEAT BETA”

ME: GOOD MORNING SIR,GOOD MORNING SIRS AND LITTLE MORE SMILING GOOD MORNING MADAM

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

CH:YOUR NAME

ME: AJAY PAL

CH:ROLL NUMBER

ME: TOLD
CH: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 DON’T KNOW EXACT YEAR BUT EARLIER IT WAS A VILLAGE NAMED MIR HOTA.

CH: NO NO WHEN WAS IT FOUNDED?

ME: SORRY SIR I DON’T KNOW THE YEAR.

CH:YOU HAVE DONE BDS

ME:YES SIR

CH:WHAT IS IT?

ME:SIR ITS BACHELOR IN DENTAL SURGERY

CH:OH SO YOU ARE A DENTIST.

ME:YES SIR

CH:NOW YOU ARE WORKING IN LIC

ME:YES SIR

CH:AS A DENTIST IN LIC?

ME:NO SIR,I AM WORKING AS ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER.

CH:SO YOU HAVE LEFT DENTISTRY COMPLETELY

ME: (JYADA KAHANIYAN NA BANAATE HUE) YES SIR

CH: (SMILINGLY ) OK, EVERY PERSON GETS AGED AND OLD WITH TIME AND DENTAL PROBLEMS START ERUPTING SO EVERYONE NEEDS A DENTIST AT A STAGE OF LIFE.SO THERE ARE MANY PATIENTS AND SO A GOOD JOB.ANYWAYS

CH: OK THEN U HAVE TAKEN PUNJABI

ME:YES SIR

CH:THERE IS SOMETHNG GURMUKHI ALSO…SOOOO WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PUNJABI AND GURMUKHI

ME:SIR GURMUKHI IS A SCRIPT IN WHICH PUNJABI IS WRITTEN

CH:YES RIGHT!

ME:THANK YOU SIR

CH:TELL ME ABOUT TREATY OF AMRITSAR

ME:SIR TREATY OF AMRITSAR WAS SIGNED BETWEEN MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH AND BRITISHERS (INTERRUPTED BY CH)

CH: MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH?HE WAS DIED BY THAT TIME.

ME: (DAMN I WAS TOTALLY TAKEN ABACK.I HAD READ IT IN NCERT BUT HE SAID OTHERWAY.I COULD NOT AFFORD TO MESS WITH HIM) M SORRY SIR

CH:THERE WERE TWO TREATIES WHICH WERE SIGNED QUITE CLOSE TO EACH OTHER,TREATY OF AMRITSAR AND TREATY 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 DON’T KNOW.

CH: OK YOU PLAY CRICKET?

ME :YES SIR

CH:YOU PLAY THESE DAYS TOO?

ME : (MAY BE HE WANTED ME TO TALK OF WORLD CUP MATCHES BUT I HAD NOT WATCHED ALL BUT HE HAD M SURE SO PLAYED SAFE) YES SIR WE FRIENDS PLAY WHENEVER WE GET TIME.

CH: OK THESE DAYS WORLD CUP IS GOING ON

ME: YES SIR

CH: TELL ME WHATS GOING ON IN WORLD CUP?

ME: INDIA HAS WON IN QUARTERFINALS DEFEATING AUSTRALIA AND TOLD ABOUT PAKISTAN AS M1: AS SOME OTHER

CH: WHICH TEAM HAS REACHED WORLD CUP SEMIFINALS 5 TIMES?

ME: (THINKING FOR TWO SECONDS) SIR NEWZEALAND

CH: ( THINKING FOR A WHILE WHILE BENDING AHEAD A BIT) YES YOU ARE RIGHT ITS NEWZEALAND.

CH:HOW MANY TIMES INDIA HAS REACHED SEMIFINAL?

ME : SIR THIS YEAR WE HAVE REACHED WORLD CUP SEMIFINALS,2003 AS M1: AS 1983 WORLD CUP..

CH:NO NO I AM ASKING HOW MANY TIMES?

ME :M SORRY SIR AM NOT ABLE TO RECALL.

CHAIRMAN NOW PASSES TO FIRST MEMBER….

HE WAS A SOUTH INDIAN M SURE

M1: AJAY TELL ME ABOUT WORLD CUP MATCH OF INDIA NOW

ME: SIR INDIA WILL BE FACING PAKISTAN IN SEMIFINAL

M1: WHEN IS THE SEMIFINAL

ME: SIR 30 APRIL

M1: WHERE

ME: SIR MOHALI

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 AS M1: AS IN OTHER REGIONS TOO.LITERATURE CONNECT THE PEOPLE OF TWO NATIONS.WE TWO HAVE SHARED COMMON HISTORY AND THUS HAVE VARIOUS BONDS CONNECTING US. SIR IN RECENT YEARS PAKISTANI ARTISTS HAVE COME TO INDIA TO PERFORM CERTAIN PLAYS AND INDIAN ARTISTS HAVE VISITED THERE.

M1 : YOU HAVE READ PUNJABI LITERATURE.WHATS DEFINITION OF LITERATURE?

ME : ( SERIOUSLY FELT UNNING OUT OF WORDS ON THIS ) SIR LITERATURE IS WHEN THROUGH VARIOUS MEANS SUCH AS POETARY STORIES NOVELS THE SITUATIONS OF SOCIETY ARE EXPRESSED ALONGWITH OTHER FEELINGS

M1 : CAN WE CONSIDER NOVELS OF SYDNEY SHELDON AND ( ONE MORE NAME HE TOOK ) AS PART OF LITERATURE?

ME: M SORRY SIR I HAVE NOT READF THEIR NOVELS SO AM NOT ABLE TO COMMENT

M1 :WHAT IS ENLIGHTENMENT

ME : (AGAIN RUNNING SHORT OF EXACT DEFINITION,TRYING TO ANSWER) SIR THE SOCIAL PROCEESSES ARE EXPLAINED……(HE INTERRUPTED)

M1 : OK,WHICH ARE TWO NOVELS YOU LIKED

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?

ME :SIR IN PUNJAB AGRICULTURE IS M1: DEVELOPED SECTOR AND LARGE WORKFORCE IS IN THIS SECTOR

M2 : NO NO TELL ME ONLY ABOUT CULTURE

ME : SIR CULTURE OF PUNJAB IS VERY VIBRANT AND DYNAMIC BECAUSE HISTORY OF PUNJAB HAS BEEN VIBRANT AND DYNAMIC..(HE INTERRUPTED)

M2 : WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT PUNJABI CULTURE?

ME : SIR I LIKE OPEN MINDEDNESS OF PUNJABI CULTURE,ALWAYS HELPFUL.SIKHS MUSLIMS HINDUS ARE THERE IN LARGE NUMBER AND LIVING IN HARMONY.

M2 : OK,PUNJAB HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT ROLE PLAYER IN GREEN REVOLUTION ESPECIALLY WITH LUDHIANA AT CENTER FROM WHERE YOU BELONG.THERE IS ALSO PUNJAB AGRICULTURE UNIVERSITY WHICH HAS PLAYED IMMENSE ROLE.BUT PRODUCTIVITY HAS STAGNATED IN PUNJAB.DO YOU AGREE?

ME: SIR PUNJAB HAS PLAYED VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN GREEN REVOLUTION.SIR,THE PRODUCTIVITY IS INCREASING BY LESS AMOUNT BUT ITS STILL INCREASING.FOR EXAMPLE CROP INTENSITY IS 196 AND…(INTERRUPTED)

M2 : OK WHAT CAN BE DONE TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY?

ME : SIR OPTIOMAL FUNDS FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT..

M2 :WHAT?( HE CUDNT GET WHAT I SAID)

ME : SIR SUFFICIENT FUNDS SHOULD BE SLLOCATED FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN AGRICULTURE SHOULD BE PROVIDED…SIR I WOULD LIKE TO USE AN EXAMPLE FROM THIS YEAR BUDGET.FOR EXAMPLE FOR PULSES PRODUCTION 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 THAT’S ARITHMATIC CALCULATION YOU HAVE DONE.BUT ITS NOT GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTED LIKE THIS.

ME : YES SIR BUT I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF IT COULD BE IMPLEMENTED WITH MORE FUNDS TO LESS NUMBER OF VILLAGES AND THEN COULD BE RAPLICATED.

(SUDDENLY SOMETHING CLICKED TO MY MIND,MOVING MY HEAD AND ALSO GIVING A LOOK AT CHAIRMAN I SAID) SIR ONLY YESTERDAY IN NEWSPAPER I READ THAT 30% OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN PUNJAB GO WASTE BECAUSE OF LACKING PROPER STORAGE FACILITIES AND THUS WE NEED TO WORK ON THE STORAGE FACILITIES ,WAREHOUSES

I THINK THEY NODDED HEAD ON THIS…

CHAIRMAN PASSED TO THIRD MEMBER..A VERY VERY NICE SMILING LADY MEMBER

LM : OK AJAY YOUR HOBBY IS BLOGGING

ME :YES MAM

LM : DO YOU HAVE YOU OWN WEBSITE?

ME :ANSWERED

LM :NARRATED A LONG QUE..BUT SHE FELT SHE MESSED UP AND THEN SAID OK NAME TWO SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

ME : MAM FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

LM : WHATS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TWO?

ME :MAM TWITTER IS MICROBLOGGING SITE WHERE WE CAN TYPE ONLY SHORT TEXTS

LM : HOW SHORT?I MEAN HOW MANY LETTERS?

ME : (THINKING FOR 3-4 SEC)M SORRY MAM I DON’T REMEMBER

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

LM :DO WE COUNT THE SPACE?

ME (DON’T KNOW IN WHAT FLOW) NO MAM

LM : WE COUNT

ME :M SORRY MAM

LM : YOU PLAY CARROM

ME :YES MAM

LM : DO YOU PLAY IT SERIOUSLY

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 DON’T BLOG FOR MANY HOURS BUT FOR ( INTERRUPTED SAYING NO NO NOT JUST YOU BUT MANY YOUNG ONES)

LM :OK TELL ME IS IT NECESSARY TO BLOG?

ME : ( MAKING SERIOUS FACIAL EXPRESSION) MAM BOUT NECESSITY I WOULD SAY WE HAVE AROUND 40% POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LINE WHO DON’T HAVE ANY ACCOUNT ON BLOGGING/SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES SO IT DEPENDS UPON PERSONAL WILL.

LM : OK AJAY CAN IT BE DANGEROUS SHARING PERSONAL INFO ON THESE SITES?

ME : MAM SHARING TOO MUCH PERSONAL INFO WITH A STRANGER CAN BE AT TIMES DANGEROUS TOO

SHE WAS OK AND THEN CHAIRMAN PASSED ON TO FOURTH MEMBER..HE WAS LOOKING NOT IN VERY GOOD MOOD WHEN I EVEN ENTERED..MAY BE SOME PERSONAL MATTER.HE SHOWERED QUESTIONS ON ME

M4 : YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT WAGHA BORDER.HAVE YOU BEEN THERE?

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 THAT’S REASON PUNJAB GVT HAS BANNED SOWING OF PADDY BEFORE 10 MAY

SIR THE SAME CROPPING PATTERN OVER SO MANY YEARS HAS DEPLETD SOIL OF NUTRIENTS

M4 : OK WHATS HAPPENING IN LIBYA

ME : EXPLAINED

M4 :WHATS HAPPENING IN NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES OF LIBYA

ME : I EXPOLAINED

M4: WHATS NO FLY ZONE

ME : EXPLAINED

M4 : WHATS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT?

ME: SIR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IS USE OF RESOURCES IN SUCH A MANNER SO THAT NEEDS OF FUTURE GENERATIONS ARE NOT COMPROMISED

M4: WHAT?

ME : EXPLAINED AGAIN

M4 : SO WE SHOULD STOP THE USING RESOURCES?

ME : SIR WE SHOULD USE THEM OPTIMALLY

M4 : WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE?

ME : EXPLAINED AND ALSO TALKED OF CLIMATE TALKS

M4 : (DNT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS ANSWERING ABOVE QUE,HE ASKED IS USA DEVELOPING NATION?

ME : SIR USA IS DEVELOPED NATION

M4 : CLIMATE CHANGE IS SAID TO BE GOOD.RUSSIANS ARE SAYING THAT MORE LAND ON ARCTIC WILL BE AVAILABLE AND THUS MORE OF RESOURCES

ME : SIR CLIMATE CHANGE MAY CAUSE SEA WATER LEVEL RISE WHICH WILL SUBMERGE LARGE LAND ARE AND COUNTRIES LIKE MALDIVES..MOREOVER CLIMATE CHANGE CAN IMPACT CROPPING PATTERN THUS BRINGING LARGE SCALE MIGRATION AMONG PEOPLE WHICH WILL NOT BE GOOD

M4 : OK

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 DON’T KNOW FROM WHERE CONFIDENCE CAME) YES SIR

CH : (AGAIN) HAVE YOU READ PUNJAB HISTORY?

ME : YES SIR

CH : WHEN MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH DIED?

ME : SIR 1839

CH: WHEN DID MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH SIGNED TREATY WITH BRITISHERS?

ME : SIR IN 1839

CH : (LOOKING DOWN TO HIS PAGES) OK YES THERE WAS TREATY THAT BOTH SIDES WONT CROSS SATLUJ

ME : YES SIR

CH : TELL ME ABOUT ANGLO SIKH WARS

ME : SIR THERE HAVE BEEN TWO ANGLO SIKH WARS, FIRST WAS FOUGHT IN 1845-46 AND SECOND IN 1849 AND SIKHS WERE DEFEATED BY BRITISHERS

CH : WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT?

ME : (TWO THREE CONFLICTTING THOUGHTS STARTED POPPING IN MY MIND AND I FOUND NOT ANSWERING AS BEST OPTION) M SORRY SIR I DON’T REMEMBER

CH : CAN U NAME FEW PLACES OF THE WARS?

ME : SIR BATTLE OF SABHRAWAN( I HAD READ IT SOME TIMES IN PUNJABI)

CH : BNATTLE OF SABHARAO

ME : OK SIR THANK YOU SIR

ME : SIR SAMRALA

CH : OK

ME : M SORRY SIR I AM NOT ABLE TO RECALL MORE NAMES ( THIS WAS WHAT I HAD READ SO MANY TIMES BUT INTERVIEW TIME IS TOUGH I FEEL)

CH : CHILCHILYANWALA

ME : OK SIR

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 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)

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.

REST WAITING FOR RESULT.THATS IT !!!!

Courtesy: Ajay Pal, Rank 160 - UPSC 2010