Interview 8
30 March 2012
02:51 PM
It was the PK Mishra Board.
My background - B.Tech, Mechanical Engineering, M.Tech - Thermal Energy and Environmental
Engineering
Currently working as a Scientist in Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
PKM - What is your name?
Sir, my name is Kshitij Tyagi
PKM - You are from Delhi?
Yes Sir
(PKM - sifting through the pages of my summary sheet, talking to
himself…Delhi…..IIT….Kharagpur…..stops at my job description) Oh you are a scientist?
Yes Sir (smile)
PKM - Ok tell me, What is Bernoulli's Theorem?
I fumbled a bit but in the end the words started coming out smoothly – Sir, Bernoulli‘s theorem uses
conservation of kinetic, potential and pressure heads of energy across an airfoil/object placed in a
fluid flow. Using this equation we can calculate the lift and drag experienced by the airfoil. This is one
of the applications of BT.
PKM - Ok, so you mean it has to do with conservation of energy (duh!)
Yes Sir
PKM - Hmm, where are you currently working?
Sir, I am working in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (board members looked surprised at
the fact that an entire Ministry by that name existed :D)
PKM - Ok Kshitij, so what is "new" in new and renewable energy (smiles)?
(smile back) Sir, the word new is used to differentiate it from traditional renewable energy which also
has hydropower plants above 25 MW in its ambit. We on the other hand deal with hydropower
projects below 25 MW and other sources of renewable energy such as solar, wind, etc.
(PKM repeats what I said…..thoughtfully….while his gaze is transfixed at me….)
PKM - What are the different parliamentary committees?
A minute of extempore – there are so many of them…named some standing
committees….DRSCs….ad-hoc committees…..named a few and PKM himself pitched in with a few
before I could finish
PKM - What are the different ways in which parliament can hold the executive responsible?
I talked about starred and unstarred questions, responsibility of Ministers…..in the heat of the
moment, I couldn‘t recall other methods and said so to the Chair…. He said there are other methods
as well like adjournment motion ….etc. etc……I thanked him.
PKM - What is "cut motion"?
I talked about the three types of cut motions. They however were convinced that there are only two
kinds of cut motions. PKM confirmed it with M1 and she nodded. I thanked them for correcting me
(though I knew I was right)
M1 (who had an accent of a Londoner, with the proverbial tight upper lip of the british)- What is
traditional medicine and what policy steps do you envisage so as to promote and strengthen this
sector?
2 minutes of extempore – talked about AYUSH, TKDL, IPR related issues, accessibility, etc.
M1 - How can traditional medicine be of economic importance?
Talked some gibberish about medical tourism and exports. M1 looked satisfied though.
M1 - IP related issues with traditional medicine? What do you propose?
Talked about recent moves by India to preempt moves by foreign entities to get patents on certain
traditional cures – gave example of the attempt by a company to patent the use of turmeric in curing
vitiligo which we‘ve known through ayurveda for ages. I concluded by saying that a policy architecture
to enable such protection should be established….
M2 - Why has solar energy not picked up in India and Africa in all these years?
This was my territory – Gave ample gyaan about the challenges we faced before National solar
mission was initiated and how these challenges are universal when it comes to solar power (PKM
nodded and repeated what I was saying), and how we‘re now progressing exceedingly well after
having overcome them. I concluded by saying that the future for solar is very bright (M2 smiled,
Interviews Page 15
having overcome them. I concluded by saying that the future for solar is very bright (M2 smiled,
though I‘m not quite sure if he got the pun )
M2 - What is the money required for setting up solar plants?
Answered
M2 - What is the area requirement for setting up solar plants?
Answered
M2 – What do you know about airline cess of EU?
Answered
M2 - what do you know about BRICS ?
This was easy. I even told him were the acronym originated at which he looked impressed and
glanced at the chairman.
M2 - When and where is the BRICS summit scheduled to be held?
Answered.
At this juncture, PKM asked M3 to begin.
M3 - What interdependence do you see in the process of automobile and textile industry?
The question wasn‘t framed properly and hence my answer wasn‘t in line with what she wanted. PKM
elaborated it but what they were looking for was sequential and parallel interdependence. I wasn‘t
able to crack this one since I am not very familiar with the working of textile industry. I thanked M3 for
this information, after she described both the terms.
M3 - What do you understand by culture?
Answered (sociology qn.)
M3 - what is wider culture?
Sorry ma‘am I do not know the answer. She explained it to me and I thanked her. (At this juncture I
was a bit tense since I hadn‘t answered two of her questions, and though I had been smiling all along,
she looked like she meant business )
M3 - What do you know about M.N. Srinivas?
Answered
M3 - What do you understand by westernization and sanskritization?
Answered
M4 - Which states have a high wind power potential?
My territory again
M4 - What are the problems faced while connecting wind power to grid?
Answered
M4 - Why are solar pumps not being used for pumping underground water in rural areas?
I had quite a discussion with him on this. He wanted to prove a point about solar pumps having not
made sufficient inroads in rural areas. I sensed this and yielded, more so because I wasn‘t too sure.
Both of us smiled.
M4 - What is fuel cell technology? What are the by products?
Answered
M4 - What are the efficiencies of solar plants and how do you envisage the future scenario to be?
My territory again
PKM – Ok Kshitij, I‘ll ask you one last question. It is a situational question - there is a sincere and
erudite CEO who is very hard working but is unable to avoid the failure of the company. There is a
cunning CEO who is corrupt and practical and brings success for the company and himself. The first
is fired and second is rewarded - Do you agree with the management's decision? What would you do?
Sir, I am of the opinion that the management made a very shortsighted…a very myopic move by firing
the first CEO. A business based on strong foundations is resilient and successful in the long term. I
gave the example of Steve Jobs getting fired from Apple, going on to PIXAR and then coming back to
Apple to take it to the zenith (PKM gave the best nod and smile of the interview at this juncture). I
continued – a business based on skewed foundations never lasts.
PKM (interrupting me)– so what would you do with the second CEO?
Sir, I would constitute and inquiry and if he is found guilty, I‘d fire him.
PKM (smiles) - Thank you Kshitij, your interview is over.
Thank you Sir.
No comments:
Post a Comment