UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (6)

25 March 2012
07:30 PM

Chairman-Why do u want to leave NTPC?
Me—job nature monotonous,I want to pay back to society what I owe to it.
Ch-U can do it while being in NTPC?
Me-definitely sir, I am contributing but Its in in direct way.Even I am supporting some of my juniors financially.Then chairman himself explained the importance of NTPC?
M1-so you teach small children?What do u learn from them and how it helps u?
Me-I got energized when I came back from my office stressed……..and I learn patience from them.
M1-what are the rights of children?Right to development……….right to ….
M1-is there any right of education?
Me-yes sir,RTE.
M1-what is it?
Me-It gives fundamental right to children b/w 6-14 to get education.What are other provisions of te?I explained articke 21 a and 51a.
M1-name leaders who loved children?
Me-nehruji
M1-any one from present times?I could not recall Kalam ji
Me-
M1-what do u think that it sud only b restricted to 14 yrs.?
Me-sir,in my opinion there sud b no restriction on providing education but post class 8 there sud b
provision of vocational education.
M1-do u think why theer is voting rights after 18 years?
Me-Sir,its because an individual aquires maturity.
M2-ok what is ca[acity of NTPC?ME-36000mw
M2-what is country s capacity /
Me-around 1.2 lakhs mw.
M2-ntpc is generating 36 thousand then whois fulfilling this
gap?
Me-sir its state utilities and private sectr.He again asked me the same qsn I replied the same
answer.then he asked me what are other sources then thermal?
Me-I replied hydro,nuclear and solar.
M2-whether we sud go for nuclear?Me-we sud ALSO go for nuclear.
M2-name nuclear project location?
Me-kudankulam,jaitapur and some site in andhara Pradesh.Chairman-neeraj I think that
kudankulam is being installed.
Me-yes sir
M2-what is % of nuclear?Me-around 3%.M2-which country has
highest nuclear power?
Me-sir I am not sure but I think % wise its franceChairman said neeraj u are right its france.
M2-u have studied at hathras?what is its new name?Me-mahamayanagar.
M2-who was mahamaya?Me-mother of gautam budha.
M2-name other districts carved out?
Me-kasganj.
M2-what about hapur?Me-sorry sir I am not sure.
M2-don’t u have track of this.oh u r in himachal since 7 years.


M3-recently ur area was in news ?
Me-it was land acquisition.
M3-what was reasons?
Me-I explained that it was because of less compensation,use of land change was done from industrial to
residential,area was of multi crop.
M3-u r in hp since 7 yrs?wht difference u observed in hp and up?
Me-I repliedAbout hp-1. Women are educated and are a part of economic cycle.2.people are
conscious about there duties.3.they are conscious about there nation,have civic sense4.political
stability.5.irrespective of party in power politics is developmental based6.no casteism and
communalism.About up—1.literacy among women is low.they are for the sake of only to me make
them literate .no participation of women in economic cycle.2. unstability in politics and politics to an
extent basd on caste.Chairman smiled at the point my saying that in up women is literate for
formality.
M4-he start something with issue of literacy but I could not understand.then he said yhat
what do u want to say by means of for the sake of formality.then I replied that sir women in up are
make literate for the purpose of good marriagethen I gave him some examples of my region.i said
that sir in my village only 2 or 3 girls from well off families were allowed to go for higher studies to
Aligarh which is 30-35 kms from my village.Chairman interrupted smiled and said yes that’s the
point .
M4-what will be your priorities after becoming DM?
Me-first of all I will find out core
competencies of my region.
M4-oh neeraj pls don’t use this corporate word.ok lets consider u have
to develop ur district hen wht will b ur priorities?
Me-sir my first priority will be to implement existing government policies in a an efficient way.
Me-sir Aligarh has good fertile land.i will focus on the increasing of productivity.I have good number of skilled youth which can be used in a productive
wayIn my region mos of the businesses like milk productin and meat processing is in unorganized



wayIn my region mos of the businesses like milk productin and meat processing is in unorganized
sector.i will bring them into orgnised sector.In my area most of the small scale industries are closed
after recession.i will revive them.In my region,there is verygood connectivity,I will utilize this ,after
coming of freight corridors in the region it will promote my marketing.
M4-interrupted ,ok what about education?
Me-I will work on education at 3 levels-primary ,secondary and higher
education.First of all,at Aligarh level, iwill invite all laumni of Aligarh .i will arrange some sort of
samman samaroh to invite all dignitaries of the district.I will ask them to adopt the schools in their
village area.
M4-what will u do for drop students?
Me-I will find out the root cause of this.
M4-what?
Me-I will strengthen employment generation progammes because parents don’t allow there children
bs of economic reasons like mnrega.For secondary level,I will first provide for there capability test,
there further studies will b based on their capabilities .on that basis I will provide them vocational
education or 10th 12th level studies.For better guidance, I will try that I can attatch students with
these recognized people in the region so that they can be better guided and mentored.For higher
studies ,I will associate students with these alumni for guidance. And sir,most importantly I would
like to implement on more thing.i will ensure that in primary schools,people of that area should
admit there children in these schools it will facilitate better monitoring of the schools.Chairman
interrupted smiled and said ok neeraj ur interview is over.

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (6)

25 March 2012
07:30 PM

My board wa sof purshottam aggarwal.there were 5 members including a lady who made it clear to
me right from the beginning that she personally doesnt approve of doctor appearing for civils(i am
mbbs),and she will bear with it just because upsc allows it...anyhow..these are the questions

1why opting for civil services?
2.questions regarding my service preference
3.why doctors not willing to work in rural areas?
what are vector borne diseases?
5.H1N1.why was it in news recently?
6.kakory train robbery?difference in perception among indians and british raj regarding robbery?
7.NSDC.skill development?why do we need it?who are the stakeholders we should consult when policymaking?
8.media affecting govt policymaking?difference between media activism and overreach?
9.difference between AIS and CENTRAL services?what is the need of AIS when we have state services?
10.diffrnce between high commissioner amd ambassador?why is HC called so?

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (5)

23 March 2012
06:37 PM

My Interview - 23.03.2012

K.K. Paul Board
(2nd to go in)
The Board was very cordial, and contrary to what I have read or heard about KK Paul, I found him to be a nice
guy. No grilling, but yes, no smiling either :). As you would see below, I found that quite a lot of it, stemmed from
my bio-data and very few were absolutely un-related to me personally in some way.
My Background
Electrical Engineer (2008)
Hobbies: Watching movies (fiction), Reading books (fiction)
Extra-Curricular: Chief Coordinator of the Literary Society..

K.K. Paul
1. You are an electrical engineer. What is Plant Load Factor and what is efficiency of a power plant.
2. If efficiency is ultimately the only thing that matters, what is the use of Plant Load Factor.
3. You are from Our Lady of Fatima Secondary School, what is this Our lady of Fatima...
4. You have the hobby of watching movies, fiction? What is this fiction. Aren't all movies fiction.
5. What kinds of books do you read. (Science fiction).
6. Favorite author.
7. There was a movie in 1966-67, a very famous one, a book had also been written on it. What was it? (2001: A
Space Odyssey - though I didnt know it and Paul Sir told the name).
8. Who was the author of the book. (After I said that yes, I know about the book and the movie and that infact,
the book had been written after the movie).
9. Where did the author live. (Since, despite being an British, he lived in Sri Lanka).
10. You graduated in 2008, are you working somewhere. (Since working as Income Tax Inspector)

M1
1. Why is your tie red?
2. No no, I mean, why is it looking red? (Since, I had misunderstood and said that I felt it would suit my shirt).
3. Why do we use red color as a warning sign?
4. What do you think is the difference between Indians in India and Indians in America.
5. What is the difference between Red Indians and Indians.
6. Who settled America. (which people that is)...
M2
1. What is free press.
2. In light of the clarification in the papers today regarding CAG and the coalfields issue, how do you see the
freedom of press.
3. Shouldn't we do something about the sensationalising of news...
4. But the Press Council isn't doing anything. (Since I had mentioned it).
5. Give me an example of his activism (Since I had talked about the acitivism of Markandey Katju).
6. We find that kids in smaller classes, have these events like story telling, drawing etc etc. Does it serve any
purpose.
7. What did you do as the CC of your literary society.
M3
1. We have so much atmospheric pollution nowadays from thermal power plants, what are we doing to curb it.
2. Where is this Coal Gassification being done. (Since I had mentioned the technology)
3. Are we doing anything on the Waste treatment front.
4. What about Solar. (Since I mentioned Renewable but didnt expand).
M4
1. You mentioned solar energy. What mission do we have for it.
2. What incentives is the govt. giving for them.
3. Do you know about Renewable Energy Certificates (Since I had said that I am unable to recall the specific
provisions).
4. It is said, " The Sun is still clouded when it comes to the solar industry" - What does this mean.
5. You said, you like Sci-fi books. Name some indian authors on Sci-fi.

Interviews Page 9

5. You said, you like Sci-fi books. Name some indian authors on Sci-fi.
6. I am not talking about movies. (Since I had mentioned Satyajit Ray. Thank God, M2 said that he did write sci-fi
books as well, or M4 might not have believed me :P)
KK Paul
1. Ok, one last question. Who was the director of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
2. Any other film he made (after I named the director)
3. What happened to that movie (A Clocwork Orange)
Thank You :)

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW 4

Interview 4

22 March 2012
09:53 PM

Vijay Singh Board: 19th march , first person in afternoon session. 1.

M1-You like watching television, what you watch on tv?
2. M1-What is your current source of information, if you don’t watch TV?
3. M1-What sites you browse on internet?
4. M1- who you will rate as the number 1 civil engineer?
5. M2-how will your knowledge of civil engineering will help you as an administrator?
6. M2-what is your opinion on interlinking of river project?
7. M2-We can protect environment if we guide it along the road?
8. M2- Who is the professor at IIT Delhi who teaches meditation?
9. M2- What is the difference between the type of yoga taught by patanjali and those taught by ramdev & ravishankar?
10. M3-what type of education system should we have in India?
11. M3- do you like reading books?
12. M3-which one was the last book you read .
13. M3-what is the name of the main protagonist?
14. M3-what you learn from his character?
15. M4-tell about any one good project you did as an NSS Secretary?
16. M4- was there no map of campus from before?
 17. M4-what is spic macay?
18. M4-what is the name of IIT delhi prof who heads it?
19. M5- what is there in the budget this time?
 20. M5- Is service going to affect poor, how?
21. M4-what qualitiesof Visvesvaraya should an administrator have?
22. M1- have you been to Bihar recently?
23. M1- what change you see in Bihar?
24. M1-what about roads?
25. M1- do you believe that if political will is there
transformation can be brought about in a very short span of time?
26. M1- what lesson does it have for the people?

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW 3

Interview 2

22 March 2012
09:13 PM

Here's mine - What is your name?
You are from Delhi?
What is Bernoulli's Theorem?
What is "new" in new and renewable energy?
What are the different parliamentary committees?
What are the different ways in which parliament can hold the executive responsible?
What is "cut motion"?
What is traditional medicine and what policy steps do you envisage so as to promote and strenghten
this sector?
How can traditional medicine be of economic importance?
IP related issues with traditional medicine? What do you propose?
Why has solar energy not picked up in India and Africa in all these years?
What is the money required for setting up solar plants?
What is the area requirement for setting up solar plants?
what do you know about BRICS ?
When and where is the BRICS summit scheduled to be held?
What interdependence do you see in the process of automobile and textile industry?
What do you understand by culture?
what is wider culture?
What do you know about M.N. Srinivas?
What do you understand by westernization and sanskritization?
Which states have a high wind power potential?
What are the problems faced while connecting wind power to grid?
Why are solar pumps not being used for pumping underground water in rural areas?
What is fuel cell technology? What are the by products?
What are the efficiencies of solar plants and how do you envisage the future scenario to be?
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?

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW 2 (cse 2011)

My IAS interview as it happened on 22th march 2012

March 22, 2012 by Chakresh Mishra | 52 Comments

Today I appeared for second UPSC interview of my life. Last year was an averageperformance for
me, hence a scope for improvement was there. I was the first person to be called by P K Mishra
board. I sat outside the interview room for almost 10 minutes, drank a glass of water. With heart
pumping like anything I decided to think about Sachin Tendulkar’s century, just like harry potter
used to do when he faced dementors, happy memories, you know. Finally the bell rang and below
is what conspired in next 35 minutes. (cp: chair-person, m1, m2, m3, m4: members of board)
me: May I come in, sir.
cp: Yes, please come in.
me: Good morning ma’am, good morning sirs.
all: Good morning.
cp: Please take a seat.
me: Thank you sir (adjusted the chair a bit)
cp: Please make sure you are comfortable.
me: Thank you sir, I am comfortable. (smile)
cp: So, you are from Aligarh.
me: No sir, I am from Mathura, Aligarh was my birth place.
cp: Oh, alright. (pause for few seconds) (with big smile) Tell us something about what is “Norway’s
egg on delhi’s face story” (everybody else laughs)
me: Sir, this was a headline in today’s newspaper. Story is related to custody of two children in
Norway. The parents, who are Indian, requested Indian government to intervene in the issue as
they argued that it is an issue of culture insensitivity. Govt of India registered the protest, even
sent an special envoy to Norway to resolve the issue and bring the kids back to India. But now the
news report is that the issue was related to domestic problem of the couple. So, govt has to
retract its intervention. That is why such a headline.
cp: Do you think govt was wrong to intervene?
me: Sir, I think it is proper for govt to intervene for interest of Indians abroad, but govt should
have investigated a bit before getting involved in the issue.
cp: What was the role of media in this case? Do you think that affects the decision of govt?
me: Sir, media in general tend to put emphasis on the emotional content of issue without thinking
about rational dimension. I think sir, govt should be careful and should consider the interest of our
foreign policy. Otherwise such small issue can give rise to bigger diplomatic crisis, which is not very
good for our position in the world.
cp: Okay, what is this red-cross competition that you won in your school time? What was involved
in that?
me: Sir, it was a state level competition among various schools. I was part of the team of my
school. Competition involved some practical tests based on the knowledge of primary basic
treatment given to wounded person, tying the knots, preparing stretcher etc.
cp: Who was the founder of red-cross movement?
me: Sir, Henry Dunont from switzerland.
cp: Okay, do you know what is the structure of red-cross at district level?
me: Sir, i know that there is a committee at state level. But I am not aware of exact situation at
district level. Sir, collector is in-charge of such operation.
cp: (laugh) Yeah, collector is in-charge of everything, safe bet, isn’t it so?
me: (smile) Yes sir. He is the co-ordinator of everything
cp: So, What are the major works undertaken by red-cross?
me: Sir, in India or in general?
cp: Tell us first in general then in India.
me: Sir, in general red-cross is UN authorized body to take care of wounded soldiers in battlefield.
It works as a neutral body… (interrupts)

It works as a neutral body… (interrupts)
cp: okay, okay, in India now.
me: Sir, in India, red-cross has worked at the time of various wars like kargil war. It is also active in
maoist affected areas.
cp: You are missing a major work done by red-cross.
me: (a bit thinking) Sir, they organize blood donation camps.
cp: That’s alright, but I was pointing towards AIDS camps. They have done good work in that area.
me: Yes sir, thank you sir.
cp: So, you have written debating as hobby. Do you start to debate wherever you go? Would you
start a debate right here if I provoke you. (big smile)
me: (smile) No sir, I was part of debating team in my college time.
cp: Did you win any competition?
me: Yes sir, I won prizes in IIT Kanpur and IIT Delhi in inter-college cultural festivals.
cp: What kind of topics were there when you won those debates?
me: Sir, there used to be many rounds in debate competitions. As I recall when I was in IITK, there
was a topic on the emerging patterns in electoral politics of UP. This was right after 2007 election
in UP.
cp: Can you tell us few trends emerging in recent election without naming any party or person?
me: Sir, first I would tell about +ve then -ve trends.
cp: Yeah, go ahead.
me: Sir, positive trends are, number one, election are violence free, they have higher voter
turnout. Then sir, people are giving clear mandate. So the hung assemblies are becoming a thing
of past. Then sir, most important trend is that shift is taking place towards developmental
politics… (interrupts)
cp: So you mean issue like bijli, sadak, paani are main issues now.
me: Yes sir, however the traditional caste politics is still there but emphasis is shifting. Then sir,
negative trends that I could think of, is related to communalizing the election un-necessarily.
There was also a tendency to confront EC on various issues.
cp: You are from UP, you must know what is social engineering?
me: Sir, social engineering is a political concept where political parties try to form a coalition of
social groups based on caste or religion and then use that as a vote bank.
cp: Alright (points to next lady member)
m1: Tell me name of any musician from south India?
me: A R Rehmaan, ma’am
m1: Right. Anyone older?
me: M S Subbalaxmi, but she is more famous as singer.
m1: Chakresh, why is kannauj famous in modern time?
me: Ma’am, Kannuaj is famous for ittra industry.
m1: Tell me the detail of this industry? Is it being exported?
me: Ma’am ittra is made in kannauj from the locally produced rose, chameli and other such
flowers. Factories for this are located in every street of kannauj. Then the products are exported,
mostly to middle east and south-east asian countries. The local consumption is very small, if I
recall it correctly.
m1: What are the main problems of this industry these days?
me: Ma’am, most important problem is related to the marketing and competition from products
of other countries. In today’s globalized world this industry is not able to compete properly. In
Kannuaj, the technology used is still very old and there is no organized efforts to increase the sell
of ittra.
m1: Can govt do something to face this situation?
me: Ma’am, govt can provide basic infrastructure and can take care of supply chain. It can provide
training for latest technology. Other than that, in today’s competition based economy, survival in
dependent on market mechanisms only.
m1: Do you know anything about co-operative moment in India? Tell us whether it is successful or
a failure?
me: Ma’am, this movement started at the time of national struggle for freedom. Co-operatives are
formed by forming a group of small scale producers, farmers etc. They were very much popular in
70s and 80s, but now the influence of these co-operatives is reducing. One famous example of co-

70s and 80s, but now the influence of these co-operatives is reducing. One famous example of co-
operative is Amul.
m1: So, what is the main difference in a company and co-operative?
me: Ma’am co-operative is formed by a community and profit is shared among members. While
company is profit oriented organization. Co-operatives are mostly in rural areas, while companies
are urban centered… (interrupts)
m1: co-operatives are in cities also.
me: Yes ma’am, but mostly in rural areas.
m1: Okay, How do they work?
me: Ma’am companies have a board of directors and CEO as its head. Co-operative are a mutual
election based organization. I do not know much details about this ma’am.
m1: Okay, how are they formed?
me: Sorry ma’am, I do not understand the question.
m1: I mean, under which act?
me: Companies are formed under company act and co-operative under co-operative act (smile)
m1: Good guess, was it a guess? (smile)
me: No ma’am (smile)
m2: Which country in Africa is famous for its co-operative movement?
me: Sorry sir, I don’t know, but I can take a guess.
m2: Yeah yeah go ahead.
me: I recall faintly, It is Kenya.
m2: (laughs loudly) nahi, galat zabab, it is Tanzania.
me: Thank you sir (smile)
m2: What is the full form of NHRC?
me: sir, National Human rights Commission.
m2: Okay chakresh, you must have read about nuclear disaster in japan. So do you know any
nuclear summit taking place on this issue?
me: sir, I know there is a international meeting, but i don’t remember the details of this meeting.
m2: Actually it is taking place in this month itself and our PM is also going there. What in your
opinion would be the most burning topic in this meeting in context of japan incident?
me: Sir, right now major issue is the security of nuclear reactors from the natural disasters and
terrorist activities. There is a growing fear in public worldwide about the security. I think, the
strategy to face this challenge would be the major issue in any such meeting.
m2: Go on. How to remove these fears from mind of people?
me: Sir, in my opinion, people must be made aware of the technical details of such reactors. New
cutting edge technologies should be imported in developing country like India so that our reactors
can be made with best security features in the world. Then the publicizing these security measures
can remove fear from people’s mind.
m2: Good, have you heard about 2G scam?
me: Yes sir, It was a scam … (interrupts)
m2: Wait wait, have you read anything similar in today’s newspaper?
me: Yes sir, there is a news report about allocation of coal fields to private and public companies
without following the proper procedure. CAG has estimated a loss of more than 10 lac crores. But I
think sir, it would be pre-mature to comment on this issue without reading further about the
issue.
m2: That’s alright.
m3: You have mentioned that you worked for tsunami relief fund in your college days.
me: Yes ma’am.
m3: What could be done in the field of disaster management in our country?
me: Ma’am, disaster management involves four steps, mitigation, preparedness, response and
rehabilitation. The most loss of life occurs due to lack of pre-warning system and the diseases in
aftermath of disaster…(interrupts)
m3: Okay, lets go one by one. What should be done for preparedness?
me: Ma’am we can face such disasters better if we follow certain steps such as installing pre-
warning systems in case of tsunami, earthquake, floods. General public can be trained for such
disasters by mock drills similar to one in delhi few weeks back. Then a important point is to
establish the alternate, more secure mode of communication from districts to central national

establish the alternate, more secure mode of communication from districts to central national
disaster management authority. Training special task force to face such disaster is also a good
step.
m3: Okay, what is mitigation?
me: Ma’am mitigation is process by which we try to avert a natural disaster even before it takes
place. Like banking of rivers, coastal area management to avert the effect of tsunami.
m3: Okay, so what is the difference in leadership at the time of disaster and normal time?
me: As in public administration theories ma’am, at the time of disaster leadership should be
centralized and top-down, while in normal times it should be participative and bottom-up.
m3: Why centralized?
me: Ma’am at the time of crisis, time is most important factor and there is a need of quick
decision making. This can be done in centralized leadership only.
m3: Hmmm, okay tell me what is difference between aptitude and attitude?
me: May I think a bit ma’am.
m3: Yeah sure sure.
me: (5-10 sec pause) ma’am aptitude is the technical and educational suitability of a person for a
job and attitude is the trait of personality, which we showcase towards others in any normal
condition. I am not sure ma’am how this definition match to the psychological definition (smile)
m3: (smile) no no, its quite close. Attitude is this only, but definition of aptitude is wrong.
me: May I try again ma’am?
m3: No, its alright (points to m4)
m4: What is CNG?
me: Sir, CNG is compressed natural gas, it is used as fuel in vehicles.
m4: Is it better than others?
me: Sir, it is better in terms of pollution but it can be used for short distance only. So it is good for
metropolitan cities as Delhi because distances are small here, but not so good for longer travel.
m4: What are the other fuels used in transportation.
me: Sir, other than CNG, petrol, diesel, coal, organic fuels are used. Now a days new technologies
are coming with use of hydrogen and electricity also. Some vehicles use LPG cylinders also.
m4: What is the main gases in pollution?
me: Sir, pollution is caused by oxides of nitrogen, sulfur, carbon particles, ozone
m4: Ozone!
me: Sir, there is nascent oxygen present in pollutants which forms ozone.
m4: So, do you think Delhi is very polluted?
me: Sir, Delhi has high level of pollution compare to other cities in world. But level of pollution has
come down after metro and use of CNG.
m4: How many percentages of pollution is caused by transportation sector?
me: Sir, I don’t know the exact figure, but I read an estimate in newspaper that it should be
around 15%.
m4: Hmmm, may be in rural areas, but in cities it is around 25%.
me: Thank you sir.
m4: So, tell me few factors that cause air pollution and few for water pollution?
me: Sir, air pollution is caused by traffic, industrial units, rice cultivation. Water pollution is caused
by industrial waste, dead bodies in rivers, fertilizers etc.
m4: Okay, what is water harvesting?
me: Sir, rain water harvesting?
m4: Yes yes, the same.
me: Rain water harvesting is a method of collecting water locally for use in irrigation and drinking
etc.
m4: (smile) what you mean by locally?
me: Sir, rain water is collected in reservoirs or tanks locally before it can go to the river. Then it is
used locally
m4: Okay, water level is going down in whole of our country, do you agree?
me: Yes sir.
m4: Why?
me: Sir, main reason is the excessive use or wastage of water in daily activities. Then there is lack
of proper management of rain water… (interrupts)

of proper management of rain water… (interrupts)
m4: Alright, good good, you are from UP?
me: Yes sir.
m4: okay, have a nice day. That’s it from my side.
me: Thank you sir, nice day.
cp: (with a cunning smile) Okay chakresh, answer my last question then you can go. Who was the
most famous king of Kannauj?
me: (smile) Sir, king Harsha Vardhan
cp: (smile) Okay, interview is over, you may leave now.
me: Thank you sirs, Thank you ma’am.
Interview board was very cordial. Everybody was smiling the whole time. So, Harry potter came
out of azkaban waving his wand happily. Now the wait for marks and result begin. I hope the smile
is still there after the result

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW 1 (cse 2011)

"May i come in".

"Yes, please come in"

"Good afternoon ma'am. Good afternoon sir" i said, looking at all the board members. I will never forget

that moment, whatever the score i get in my interview. Each of their faces were so calm, so serene. I

completely forgot everything that i had been thinking for since the past 20 days. My mind went blank.

Not numb. But blank. A clean slate. All i could see at that moment was 5 elderly people sitting there.

With a nice smile perched atop their faces. I felt like a child who is absolutely carefree in front of his

grandparents. Never for the next 25 minutes did the thought of me being in UPSC interview cross my

mind. Not even once.

{

my background, for those who don't know me, to identify better with the interview:

• Graduation : Dual Degree Programme, IIT Delhi, with B.Tech. in chemical engineering and

M.Tech in Process Engineering and Design

• Home State : Bihar

• Optionals : Public Administration and Literature of Maithili Language

}

[ Ch = Chairman (Ms Rajni Razdan), the other 4 members = M1, M2, M3, M4]

Ch: Please have a seat

Me: Thank you ma'am

Ch: Name... Roll Number... DoB... (replied)

Ch: Name some religions of the world.

Me: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism

Ch: Aur bolo

Me: Zoroastrianism

Ch: Aur bolo

Me: The religion which the jews follow, am unable to recall its name though

Ch: Aur bolo

Me: Sorry maa'm, no other name comes to my mind as of now

Ch: U could have said Jainism

Me: Did i miss that ma'am? (though i thought i had said them)

Ch: Yes... Buddhism

Me: Sorry for interrupting you ma'am but i believe i said Buddhism

M3: Yes, he did say Budhism... (Ch was satisfied on hearing this from him)

(i believe this was done by her to startle me and check how i react, something she did again as well)

Ch: Name some languages of the world

Me: The maximum number of people on earth speak Mandarin Chinese

Ch: (interrupting) I didn't ask you to enumerate them in any particular order... But maximum number of

people on earth speak English, not Mandarin Chinese...

people on earth speak English, not Mandarin Chinese...

Me: Am sorry ma'am... but as far as my knowledege goes maximum number of people speak Mandarin

Chinese, not English

Ch: Ok, go ahead

Me: There are 22 languages enlisted in the Indian Constitution... Shall in enumerate them?

Ch: No...

M2: (interrupting) Name some languages from outside India

Me: Ok sir... And then i started naming ine language after another... I recalled the map of europe and

named about 5-6 languages of the countries therein...

Ch: (interrupting) Russian... Arabic...

Me: yes ma'am... Persian...

Ch: ok.. (now is to follow the lowest point of my interview)... Name 5 private banks in India...

Me: (i was blank... completely... the names which were coming to my mind, i wasnt sure whether they are

private or not... i decided to play safe there....) Am soory ma'am... but i won't be able to answer the

question...

(at this point, all the members came closer to me... full of surprise...)

Ch + M1 + M2: What... you don't know this... really... how come?

Me: My mind has gone blank ma'am... the names that are coming to my mind as of now, i am not 100%

sure whether they are private or not... therefore i thought i should let go of this question ma'am

(all members and chairman acquired a sudden sympathetic tone and everyone started naming private

banks...)

Me: (in between the comotion...) Hdfc... Canera...

Ch: Arre... Its not a private bank...

Me: Sorry ma'am, but as i told you, i am not sure... i was precisely for this reason that i was refraining

from guessing...

Ch: How come you don't know this... Don't you watch TV?

Me: Noma'am

Ch: Why?

Me: The place where i stay right know during the course of my preparation, i don't have a TV there...

Ch: But you were in a hostel before...

Me: Yes ma'am..

Ch: (interrupting) Come on now, don't pull a fast one on me... i too have stayed in a hostel... in between u

get a chance to go home... u surely must be watching TV there...

Me: Am sorry of my reply gave such an impression ma'am but i assure you that such wasn't my intention

at all... yes, i do go home... but these trips of mine to home are few and far between... (she seemed to

have calmed down now)..

M2: (interrupting) Don't the students watch news on TV in hostels

Me: No Sir... All that they watch are live matches...

(he gave a sad expression, thinking probably about how disinterested the student community was in day

to day happenings... and i reciprocated his expressions on my face as well)

Ch: Ok... Tell me... when was the rupee symbol launched...

Me: (confused between 2011/2010) I dont remember exactly ma'am, but perhaps it was some time in

early 2011

Ch: No, it was in July 2010

Me: Sorry ma'am, i didn't remember the same.. i was confused in 2010 and 2011...

Ch: In fact, it was made by a person from your institute

Me: yes ma'am... it was designed by D Uday Kumar from IIT Bombay

Ch: No, he was from your institute, IIT Delhi

Me: Again, sorry ma'am, but as far i know, he wasn't from IIT D

M3: He is right... he wasnt from D... was from B

Me: Thank you sir

Ch: (she talked about the countries which have a currency symbol and then started enumerating the

nations or group of nations which have a symbol for their currency... i too spoke their names alongside

her...)

Ch: One final question... Which is the only currency whose symbol is represented in its currency note?

Me: i am not sure ma'am... perhaps it way be dollar, but i don't know for sure...

Ch: its pund sterling... it has that (started drawing the symbol in air) kind of symbol

Me: yes ma'am, the L kind of a symbol

Ch: Yes... Ok... Now tell me... Last question this one is... Which places on earth are not represented in

UN... (her words were slightly different and confusing)

(i was flummoxed by the usage of the term places... and i later realzed that she had meant countries)

Me: Palestine ma'am, it has been recently trying to acquire membership

Ch: Good... aur bolo...

Me: though i don't know for sure ma'am, but i don't think Vatican City would be represented therein...

Ch: Yes.. you are very right... its not represented there... aur bolo...

Me: I am unable to understand as to what all this question entails... should the list also include places

like Tibet which arent autonomous at present, but are trying to gain autonomy and once successful, they

will get representation in the UN

Ch: I am not asking about Tibet...

Me: Sorry ma'am...

Me: Sorry ma'am...

Ch: named a few more places...

Me: Thank you ma'am.. i didn't know that...

(She indicated M1 to start now)

________________________________

M1: You have won the World Environment Day Debate Competition

Me: Yes sir, it was held in the Indian Institute of Petroluem, Dehradun in 2009

M1: (he a very long question which included many sub parts about pollution, causes etc... the last and the

most important part was...) what is the major issue with environment?

Me: Sir the major issue is the environment versus development debate... (and then i went on and on for

at least a couple of mins if not more about the problem of pollution)

M1: So what should we choose, environment or development?

Me: Definitely environment sir... (and then i went on for a min on the topic of sustainable development

et al)

M1: So how should we strike this balance between environment and development?

Me: i was having a discussion on similar lines with he friend of mine who works in a refinery just a

couple of days back ... he told me about the concept of green refining... (expained what it was and then

corelated it to what the answer he was looking for...) (i spoke at length about planting trees, protecting

environment etc)

M1: Ok (he looked very satisfied with the response and passed on the baton to the next member)

Me: (just at that moment, i added, on my own prerogative)... but this achievement of balance is easier

said than done sir...

M1: Yes, very right.. Good...

________________________________

M2: So Abhinav, what is your mother tongue, Bhojpuri or Maithili?

Me: Its neither sir, its Hindi actually

M2: (with an expression of surprise) bu then why did you opt literature of Maithili language as your

subject?

Me: Sir, there are three reasons behind the same. First of all, i am interested in reading literature and at

the beginning of my preparation, i was sure that i would be opting for a literature optional. Secondly , I

have grown up in Bihar, hearing Maithili language. Opting for this subject gave me a chance to study the

literature of a language to which i was culturally close to. And to be honest sir, there is a great paucity of

time in the preparation of civil services. The syllabus of Maithili literature is more managable in

comparison to the rest of the options, and therefore it was a pragmatic choice as well.

(at this moment i saw Ch giving an expression which said that yes, students opt for it because of the third

reason most of all... and at that time i thanked my stars for having been truthful for she for sure would

have interrupted had i given the third reason a miss)

M2: So Maithili is a very sweet language, right?

Me: Yes sir, very

M2: and Bhojpuri too...

Me: No sir, Bhojpuri aint... it has a harsher tone...

M2: in comparison or in general...

Me: in comparison...definitely sir... and even otherwise in general sir...

M2: so what are you doing at this moment... you working somewhere....

Me: No sir, the only work i am engaged in at this moment is preparation for civil services

M2: So what kind of quizzing have you done... (my hobby)

Me: (i went on and on in this question... i described the quizzing in school as dry quizzing... then plus two

mein quizzing... then college... inter hostel activities... than i talked about how activities like dumb

charades, pictionary etc etc have become a part of quizzing making it much more fun now... i also talked

about questions being asked to connect things, pics etc... so even when one doesnt know the answer to a

ques, one can work on clues in a team to get to the answer...)

M2: You take part in a lot of outdoor activities...

Me: As it must be very well evident, hardly so sir...

M2: (he, along with a few other members started laughing on hearing this, and my response was meant

to cause laughter... i got a gr8 feeling at that time...) So you think outdoor activities are useless?

Me: Definitely not sir... They are of great importance and play a great role in developing the character

and personality of a person... It has been a lacunae on my part not to have taken part in them...

M2: But its never late, right...

Me: Yes sir, i have been trying to, and am sure i will be able to bring about this much needed change in

me...

____________________________

M3: (he had been my saviour all along... twice had he defended me from the Chairman...) I will ask you

only one question...

Me: OK Sir

M3: There has been acute labour shortage of late... what is the mains reason behind it?

Me: Sir, there was a newspaper report published recently which talked about the shrotage of agricultural

labour in Haryana due to dip in migration of people from Bihar on account of them getting jobs in their

home state due to the launch of MGNREGA... so the launch of MGNREGA is the immediate reason

behind the same...

M3: Only migration of Bihari labourers...

M3: Only migration of Bihari labourers...

Me: Not only sir... but labourers from Bihar used to migrate there in large numbers...

M3: Ok

Me: (added on my own prerogative to better explain) Not only in Haryana or other states sir, even in

Bihar, farmers have reported the shortage of agricultural labourers esp in the season at that time of the

year when the crops are to be cut... so this problem is affecting every place, not only a state in

particular...

Me: ok (he looked satisfied)

______________________________

M4: (he praised my academic career and performance and then asked...) so what is this process

engineering.. is it different from chemical engineering?

Me: (i again gave a very long answer to this.. i told him about JEE... getting into the Dual Degree

program... both the degrees are therefore not separate entities bu in effect, one follows form the other...)

Process Engg and Design is more like an applicative aspect of Chemical engg... for example, if your have

two mix two chemicals in a lab, you can very easily stir and mix them.... however, if the same is to be

done on an industrial scale, a huge stirred would need to designed since the quantity of chemicals that

need that are to be mixed now is huge... a lot of considerations would need to factored in... a lot of design

work would become involved herein... so, in effect, what i want to say is that process engg and design can

be understood, at a basic level, to be the applicative aspect of chemical engineering while working on an

industrial scale...

M4: (looked satisfied) i will quiz with you now...

Me: Ok sir

M4: Which city was established in India by Britishers around 350 years back?

Me: (I wanted to say either Madras or Calcutta eve though i had no idea about the answer... but, i

refrained from guessing) I don't know sir

M4: Its Madras

Me: (hearing this, i silently cursed myself for not having said the name of the two cities aloud earlier...)

M4: Ok, tell me, how many languages can one find on the currency note of India?

Me: (it had been asked in KBC once... i remembered that... but didn't remember the answer... cursed

myself again... and i also wondered why this board was so obsessed with currency notes) I dont know

sir...

M4: Why, havent you seen a rupee note..

Me: I have seen it sir, but not so minutely....

M4: But still, tell me, how many do you think should be there?

Me: Going by this diktat Sir, Indian constitution enlists 22 languages and all of them should find a

representation therein... But i am not sure whether this is the answer...

M4: Anyway... tell me... Britishers helped established 3 colleges in India... which were they?

Me: I am not sure about the answer sir...

M4: Still.. (he was trying to put pressure on me here...)

Me: Though i am not sure, i feel one of them must be Presidency College, Calcutta

M4: Yes, you are correct... which were the other two... where were they established?

Me: Again sir, i dont know their names... but... if i were to guess the places where they established the

other two colleges, i would guess Madras and Bombay Sir...

CH: Yes, you are very right... in fact they did establish them in Madras and Bombay...

Me: Thank You ma'am

M4: Ok... One final question... What sort of cultural activities have you taken part in...

Me: (i again spoke at length about the various clubs in which i had been active in my college... English

Debating and Literary Club... Hindi Samiti... Quizzing Club... etc etc... and i also added...) Since my first

year in college, it had been my dream to take part in a play... but, i was never able to get a chance to do so

since am a terrible actor...

(at this point, M3 suddenly turned towards me and started looking into my eyes... his sudden movement

made me stop for a split second... i turned towards and said) yes sir, such was the case... (and then turing

back to M4) but when i was in my final year, i had a story idea which i discussed with the students in my

hostel who used to act in plays... they quite liked it and asked me to convert it into a script... i wrote the

script and the play was staged in the inter hostel competition...

M4: (interrupting) you are a good scriptwriter... you can go to Bombay then... get a job there...

Me: I dont know how good a scriptwriter i am sir but at this moment of time, i want to become a civil

servant more than anything else... (hearing this, all the 5 members started laughing...)

CH: (trying to control her laughter) that will be all... you may go now...

Me: Thank you ma'am... Thank you sir... (i looked towards all of them once and left the room)

________________________________

And thus ended perhaps the most important 25 minutes of my life... I had gone in expecting a terrible

performance... And the first feeling that I had after coming out was that it wasn't as bad as i had expected

it will be... And this was a hugely relieving feeling... I collected my bag and strolled out of the campus...