UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (28)

Name of Examiner : MAMTA GUPTA

AIR 413 CSE - 2011

Attempt No. : 4th Attempt

"This was my 3rd interview in UPSC. Last year I had got 413 rank and had been allocated IRS (C&CE). I was less nervous this time but really wanted to do well in the interview as I had not got good marks in last 2 interviews.

It was then Board of Madam Alka Sirohi, new member in UPSC. This was the first time I had got board of a lady member.

(cp: chair-person, M1, M2, M3, M4: members of board)

I entered into the room after taking permission.

M1: What is the difference between AM and FM.(Being an engineer, this question was reasonable for me but in the past some time, I was not in touch with technical things so became a bit uncomfortable)

Me: AM stands for Amplitude modulation and FM for Frequency modulation.

M1: Which one is better.

Me: FM.

M1:Why it is so.

Me: Sir, I am not able to recall(Chairperson madam interrupted and explained that because more amplitude results in more interference so in FM, there is less interference)

M1: Can you send a signal from Delhi to Chandigarh using FM.

Me: Yes

M1: How and do you need to put antennas in between. What is the range of FM signals.

Me: (I was not very sure) Yes. can be sent using FM. About range, I am not very sure.

(The member now felt that I was not feeling very comfortable with technical questions, he said that lets move away from technical things. But then next questions was again technical)

M1: you have heard of terms like VLSI, Embedded system. What are these and what are the differences.

Me. Sir, VLSI stands for very large scale integration.

M1: There is some law related to it. Which law it is.

Me: Moore's law.

M1: Explain it.

Me: In every next year, number of transistors in unit area gets doubled.

M1: The period is 18 months not one year.

Me: Sorry Sir.

M1: Being an engineer, you should know things things very clearly.

(There were some other technical terms he asked me to explain which I had not heard of. The member was very surprised that why I don't know these terms.)

M2: Given a choice, what will you choose, Benevolent autocracy or Anarchic democracy.

Me: (I thought for a second). Sir, Anarchic democracy. Democracy in any form is better than autocracy. People will be happy only when they have freedom and it is possible only in democracy. Also as the society develops, there are more heterogeneity and an autocratic ruler may not be able to understand needs of everyone.

M2: What is machinery for Disaster Management at different levels in the government.

Me. At the national level, we have National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) established by Disaster Management Act, 2005. At the state level, we have SDMA. At District level, District Collector is the final authority in this matter. We also have NDRF.

M2: Is there any international organisation also working for this.

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

cp: Like UNESCO or UNEP. She gave some hint that it has some colour related to it.(Chairperson madam was helping me throughout the interview. She was giving me small hints so that I can try to give an answer)

Me: Red Cross

cp: Does Red Cross work for disaster management.

Me: I am not sure mam.

M3: What is the difference between Judicial activism and judicial overreach.

Me: These both are almost same things. First one is a positive concept and other one is negative. Recently judiciary has interfered in some matters such as PDS, environment issues where government could not take timely and right decision. Some people are considering it as undue interfere in legislative powers so term as judicial overreach.

M3 : So this is right.

Me.: In short term, yes. But then government has to realize and take the proper action and then there wont be any need for the judiciary to interfere.

M3: So is it happening in India.

Me: Sir, this is a new phenomenon in India and definitely it will have an positive impact in the future.

M4: Reading Biography is your hobby. What have you read recently.

Me: Mother Teresa's biography.

M4: What you found inspiring about her.

Me: She started her work alone and did what she wanted to do. She took the initiatives and devoted her life to help poor and sick people.

M4: But she was an nun and they do these works.

Me: Yes. She initially joined the church but later she felt that she needs to do something for poorest of the poor and then she started her separate work where in the start, she was all alone. She felt that God has ordered this to her.

M4: Do you think such things happen like God's order. You are a Science student and then you believe in these things.

Me: Sir, its a belief. one can term it God's order or inner voice or strong wish.

cp: What are the layers in the atmosphere. Also tell their uses.

Me: First is Troposphere. Here rain, clouds take place. Above the Troposphere, there is Stratosphere. Here aeroplanes fly.

cp: It also protects us from some rays. which rays

Me: Yes. It has ozone. I am able to recall name of the rays.

cp: Try once again.Think and then answer.

Me: Sorry Mam.

cp: It is UV rays which are harmful for us. So which is the next layer.

Me: It is Ionosphere.

cp: Are you forgetting some layer in between.

Me: Sorry mam. I am not able to recall.

cp: It is Mesosphere. Ok so what is the use of Ionosphere. It is related to your electronics.

Me: Yes mam. It has free ions and signal from Earth are reflected from this layer.

cp: Why tides come on Earth.

Me: Due to gravitational force of Sun and Moon.

cp: Which gravitational force is more.

Me: Moon because it is near to the Earth even though its size is smaller than Sun.

cp: Your interview is over. You can leave now.

Me: Thank you mam. thank you sir.

I came out of the room.

Date of Interview: 9/4/2012
IAS Interview Board : Madam Alka Sirohi
Your Native City : Jaipur 

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (27)

Name of Examiner : Rajesh Meena
IAS Interview Board : Mr. K.K. Paul 
Your Native City : Dausa (Rajasthan)
Attempt No. : 2nd Attempt

"Hi, I am Rajesh Meena. I got AIR 316. My interview was on 23 April 2012, morning half. The interview panel was that of Mr. K.K. Paul. I have tried to keep it as original as possible so that the aspirants can get a clear idea.

CH Chairman (Mr. K.K.Paul). Members - M1, M2, M3, M4 (lady). CH sir was more serous of them all, rarely giving a smile.

CH: What is your roll number?

Me: Sir, 303441.

CH: Date of Birth?

Me: Sir, 15 August 1987.

CH: (Smiling) so you were born on a very great day?

Me: (Smiling) yes sir (other members were also sporting smile on their faces)

CH: So, your hobby is stamp collection. What stamp collection is known as?

Me: Sir, Philately.

CH: What is the oldest stamp that you have?

Me: (After long thinking) Sir, it is a 10 paise stamp which was released many decades back....emm...after independence (I was not confident in this answer as I was not able to recall the year, but when I came back home I saw that those stamp at that time didn’t bear year of release, hence I was foxed.)

CH: After 1957?

Me: (Puzzled)..emm,,,yes sir, I think it was after 1957.

CH: Why 1957 is famous in philately.....?

Me: (Thinking) Sir, I don’t know.

CH: .........or for that matter any reason?

Me: (Thinking) Sir, I am unable to recall. (I was beginning to lose confidence by now as the starting was not that good. :( )

CH: OK..(He was not looking very satisfied). In 1957 government of India shifted from the ana system to decimal system.

Me: (Nodding) thankyou sir.

CH: Do you know what is the happiness index?

Me: Sir, it the index which measures the happiness level of the people of a country.

CH: So how it is calculated?

Me: I don’t know exactly sir.

CH: If you leave this interview hall with very good feelings, what will be your happiness index?

Me: (Smiling) sir, it will be very high.

CH: How HDI is calculated?

Me: Sir, it is calculated by taking an average of three components like literacy level.....emm education....

CH: ...(interrupting) Why then we haven’t adopted happiness index instead of HDI?

Me: Sir, I think HDI is a much broad index and it include happiness index in itself. Hence it is also a reflective of happiness level of the people.

CH: Which country has adopted happiness index?

Me: Sir, Bhutan.

CH: (Nodding.....now he was looking little satisfied and passes it to the M1)

M1 was more friendly than the CH.

M1: Recently a bill is in the parliament...the Pensions Bill...can you tell what are its provisions?

Me- (Thinking) I m sorry sir, I don’t know.

M1: Do you know what is a Param computer?

Me: Sir, It is a super computer, which can perform very fast calculations, hence can be used in many places like defence, research etc...........like SAGA 220 which was developed by DRDO..(Actaully it was developed by ISRO :( )

M1: Can they be used in remote sensing?

Me: Yes sir, they can be used, because in remote sensing huge amount of data has to be processed and analysed.

M1: OK..how can it be used in the Agriculture?

Me: Sir, in Agriculture, they can be used for weather monitoring, crops monitoring, giving warnings etc, so that farmers can be provided early and timely information. Hence they can play a great role in increasing agriculture production.

M1: OK....(and passes the baton to M2. He looked satisfied with my answers.)

M2 was also a little bit extra serious, but his questions were simple.

M2: What is the difference between DRDO and ISRO?

Me: Sir, they are the two most important institutes in the field of Defence and Space research. DRDO looks after the defence of the country while ISRO manages the department of Space....

M2- (Interrupting)...so why do we need two bodies for them....can’t a single body do it?

Me: Sir, both the departments are very large and critical for our country, hence if one institute looks after one department, they can give specific attention. (he looks satisfied now)

M2: You are from Allahabad, so what places are there near Allahabad?

Me: Sir, there is the most famous Sangam...other places are Anand Bhavan, Alfred park etc.....in the vicinity of Allahabad there is chitrakoot at the border of uttar Pradesh and madhaya Pradesh.

M: Hmm (and passes on to M3)

M3 was more happy with himself and was enjoying in imparting knowledge not only to me but to the entire panel.

M3: As we were discussing about Allahabad.....what is the name of your college?

Me: Sir, it is NIT Allahabad.

M3: So it seems that its name has been changed? When did it was changed?

Me: Sir, earlier it was a Regional Engineering College....and in 2002 it was made a National Institute of Technology...

M3: .....(interrupts)what is this MNNIT then?

Me: Sir, It stands for Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology. Earler it was called Motilal Nehru regional engg college and now it is called motilal Nehru national institute of technology.

M3: So this motilal name was from earlier time?

Me: Yes sir, actually it was the name given to it by Jawaharlal Nehru after Motilal Nehru who lived in Allahabad for a long time and made it his home.

M3: What are other educational institutes in Allahabad?

Me: Sir, IIIT, Medical college, Allahabad University etc.

M3: ok...so why IIIT is famous for?

Me: (Thinking) Sir, it is also a very good technical college of India, but it gives degree only in computer science and IT.

M3: (With a victorious smile) no no it is something to do with nobel prizes.

Me: (After mechanical thinking) Sorry sir, I don’t know.

M3: (Highly delighted)...it is the only college of the city ...infact one of the few colleges in the entire country which attracts nobel laureates......there is somethings special about it (and kept on imparting this knowledge to the entire panel)

Me: Thank you sir.

M3: Recently some person from allahabad was in news...who was it?

Me: (after thinking) sir very recently?

M3: Yes, very recently (smiling)

Me: (Again thinking) sorry sir, I am unable to recall.

M3: (Highly delighted again).there is a girl from Allahabad who has won this years pantaloons famina miss India.

Me: Oh..thank you sir.

M3 satisfied with himself...and passes the baton to the lady member. She was very cheerful and always had an encouraging smile on her face which helped me in my interview.

M4: Rajesh what are these 2G, 3G, LTE etc, which are so famous nowadays?

Me: Mam they are the generations of telecommunications which are being used recently. For example 2G means second generation of telecommunications, 3G means third generation of telecommunications. 4G has also been launched in India very recently.

M4: What are the advantages of 4G over 3G?

Me: Mam, the most important is the speed of operation, in 4G it will be about 20mpbs where as in 3G it was only 2mbps. Hence it means that downloading, video chatting, video conferencing etc will be much faster in 4G.

M4: You mean data streaming will be very fast.....

Me: Yes mam...(actually this was the term I slipped and used ‘speed of operation’ instead....she did notice it)

M4: What is so special about the 2G? which was also in the news for so long?

Me: Mam in 2G, there was a significant amount of spectrum which was sold by the government at very low prices, hence it resulted in to huge loss of revenue to the government.

M4: No no ...what is the special thing about 2G...you know..which was in the media for quite a long time?

Me: (Thinking), I don’t know mam.

M4: It was that it helped in transmission of voice and data...(bla bla bla.....i was not getting what she was saying....she was actually trying to know the technical speciality of 2G, but maybe I misunderstood the question...but still she looked satisfied with my answers)

M4: Rajesh what do you do in your leisure time?

Me: Mam I do read novels, I also read and write poems.

M4: You also write poems?

Me: Yes mam...(with a broad smile)

M4: What type of poem you generally write?

Me: Mam I write poems which are rich in Veer ras and Karunya ras.

M4: (Delighted and admiringly)..Karunya ras!!! Good!!

(She happily handed it over to CH, I was more happy then her by now.)

CH: (With a little smile)There are increasing news about eve teasing in the northern states in comparison to the southern states...what do you think is the reason?

Me: Sir, I think the level of education has to do a lot with this. The literacy rate in northern states is less in comparison with the southern states....

CH: ....but even the well educated people are also indulging in these activities?

Me: (Thinking) Sir, I think administration has not taken sufficient steps towards this direction.....

CH: (Interrupts...seems little annoyed) .......do you think we should deploy a policeman with every female members on the road?

Me: (In a damage controlling mode) no sir, what I feel is that if strong punishment is given to somebody involved in this act, then it will act as reminder to the other people, hence it may play a great role.

CH: (Nodding)...OK rajesh....(he looks towards other members)...your interview is over you can go.

Me: Thank you sir.

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (26)

The Interview
"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...

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (26)

02 May 2012
10:01 PM

MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012

The Interview

For the uninitiated
The Civil Services Examination is a year long process and is divided into three stage comprising of -
• a preliminay examination consisting of objective type questions, generally held in May, comprising
of two papers testing knowledge of general studies and aptitude, including mental ability,
comprehension skills and decision making ability in real life like situations. Around 10-12,000
students get through this round. (this number varies depending on the availability of seats)
• a mains examination consisting of subjective type questions, generally held in Oct - Nov. It
consists of 9 papers including 2 compulsory language papers (English and mother tongue) whose
score is not added in the final tally but are held to check a basic minimum level of language
proficiency expected to be present in a civil servant, a compulsory essay paper worth 200 marks,
two compulsory general studies' papers worth 300 marks each and two papers each of two
subjects (which can be chosen from a total of about 46 options available), again worth 200 marks
each. Overall, this stage of examination carries the weight of 2000 marks. This year, 2418 students
got through this round.
• a personality test consisting of a 20-30 minute interview conducted by a panel of 5 members, the
chairman of each panel being a member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). This
round carries 300 mark.
The final list of selected candidates is prepared on the basis of the sum of their scores in the 2nd and 3rd
stage.

The nitty - gritties
When i had first come to know about this pattern as a child (yes, i have known all this since i was a kid), i
used to think that the interview is a farce since its worth just a teeny weeny 300 (since it doesn't have a
Leonidas in it) in front of the mighty, mountain like, TWO THOUSAND mains' marks. I am sure that a
lot of 'the uninitiated' must be thinking on similar lines as well. To be honest, the child - me and the
uninitiated - you are both right and wrong. I would like to use last year's scores as examples to justify my
point of view here.
The cut - off last year for getting an interview call was around 45% (900/2000). The last candidate to be
eventually get through (gen category) had around 1130 marks. To get into one of the coveted three
services ie IAS, IFS or IPS, one neeeded a minimum of about 1090 marks. Most of the students who clear
mains generally lie in the badwidth of 900-1000 marks (although a few, very few though, are able to
cross 1100 even). Now in the interview, the highest that marks that i have heard someone achieving is
240, though till date i have about only one student securing the same. On a good day, a very good
candidate can cross the 200 barrier and reach 210-215. So if one does some mathematics here, one
would realize that yes, the 300 marks do remain teeny weeny for a candidate who has entered the third
round having had just about managed to clear the cut-off (900), for then, he would have to perform
exceedingly well in the interviews to stand a chance of hoping to see his name in the final merit list, let
alone getting into the three coveted services. But, these marks assume importance for these are the 300
marks which decide who gets which service. One might have scored 1000 or even 1050 marks in the
mains, but a poor final performance will definitely throw back his rank by a few hundreds at least,
whereas a candidate who has scored only about lets say 970 marks, can break into the coveted services
riding on the basis of a stupendous final performance.

The Preparation
The mains' result was declared on 1st March, 2012. Interviews started being conducted 19th March
onward and mine was scheduled to be held on the 27th day of the month. I got myself enrolled in a
couple of institutes for 'mock interviews', though when i look back now, i believe joining them was a
wastage of both time and resources. A lot went through my mind on what needs to be prepared and what
i needn't waste my time on. Though to be honest, a greater part of my time was dedicated to this
meaningless deliberation. In effect, what I was able to prepare well was my biodata (i think i went a bit
too far in my attempt to leave no stone unturned here by even finding facts such as my roll number is the
pin code of which place in India et al :D ) and my home state. I wasn't able to prepare the major issues as
well as i would have liked to, and this gave me nightmares which had, in my head, turned the room in
which i was to be interviewed into a cage and the panel members into a pack of wolves waiting there to
tear me apart as soon as i entered the chamber. Needless to say, i was one of the most nervous of
candidates on the day of my interview.

The Wait : Part I
My interview was scheduled in the afternoon slot and i was the last of the 6 candidates to be interviewed
by my panel on that day. I got up at 8, unusually early by my standards, but perhaps it was the

Interviews Page 79

by my panel on that day. I got up at 8, unusually early by my standards, but perhaps it was the
nervousness which had got the better of my sleep. I had decided to read the day's newspaper and went
through the headlines and the major issues of the day. But i was hardly able to concentrate on what was
written inside the columns. the clock seemed to be ticking a tad too slowly. I watched bits and pieces of
the best comedy series ever, Seinfeld (yes, the best is Seinfeld and not Firends :P ) to relax. I went to
meet my parents thereafter.
I had taken care of my appearance to try and look my best in those circumstances (and though i couldn't
have moulded my Amjad Khan looks overnight into Hrithik Roshan physique overnight, i tried what ever
i could to make myself presentable in the best possible way). Now i have this belief that the day i shave
my beard, i develop a sudden gay-ish appearance (though i don't have anything against the community)
and to counter the same, i had taken care to shave a couple of days back so that a subtle stubble would
have placed itself perfectly on me by the time my interview would bagin. (Yes, i agree with you, i was
fretting way too much over the details, but i couldn't help it, more than a year's hard work was at skate
here). But alas, i hadn't foreseen the future events.
While having lunch and mindlessly watching some instalment of bal Hanuman, or was it bal Ganesh (?),
i was talking with my father. Bored as he was with the ongoing cartoon on the idiot box, he turned to me
and reacted out of the blue as if he had seen a Cobra pr a python in the room and said "ye kya hai". yes.
He was talking about my stubble. A debate ensued on whether or not to keep it in which majority
prevailed (such are the travails of democracy) and i was forced to shave. :(
Anyway, i said my prayers to all possible names of all Gods who cam to my mind hoping that at least one
of them might decide to help shift the scales in my favour. After that followed the ritual cum exercise, the
blessing seeking one. My girth makes it one hell of an exercise for me.
Enough said. I reached the venue, Dholpur House, my Kurukshetra, the place which i hoped will not
become my Waterloo, at 1 PM

The Wait : Part II
I entered the UPSC building, underwent the necessary security checks and was allotted table 13
(ominous sign, or was it?) to sit on and wait. There were 5 other people sitting with me. All of us were to
be interviewed by the same panel. Till now, I had that nervousness in me, but i must say, the people
sitting with me, though themselves nervous in their own right, had been able to reflect elegant calmness
though their faces. So chilled out were they that after spending ten minutes with them, i had completely
forgotten where i was and i was feeling as if i was sitting in a cafe with some long lost friends.
All of us were from engineering background. And since i was the last one, thoughts of the board
members getting frustrated by seeing engineering background students only (for it is rumoured that
some board members do -not take kindly to students from this background believing that these students
can better serve the nation in the capacity of a technocrat) started creeping in me.
Also, I had secretly hoped that i be the only one of the 6 from IIT for then, a discussion on the choice of
this career path after graduating from IIT was sure to ensue, for which i was very well prepared. But this
wasn't to be for the 5th one in line turned out to be from IIT Bombay (not Mumbai but Bombay) and yes,
he was asked questions along the aforementioned lines (another ominous sign?).
Each table is attended to by a clerk who takes care of all the documentation formalities. And this takes
some time. An hour went by like the blink of an eye. And then came the announcement of the start of our
interviews. Ours was the first table to get started with. Perhaps the board was in a rush.
We were informed that the chairman of our board is Ms. Rajni Razdan, a retired IAS. All of us had been
praying that a certain 'supposed to be tough' board does not go on to be the one that we have to face, and
not hearing its name brought big smiles on our faces.
The 1st candidate left the table to face his demons. He was the only one amongst the 6 of us who had had
a previous experience of this grind. He had faced Ms. Shashi Uban Tripathi's board last time around and
had ended up with a paltry 135 marks, which, according to him, were much more than what he had
hoped to get (100). Anyway, he had left that baggage behind, was looking relatively relaxed (exp in
relation to me). And so, we hoped that he would be able to kickstart the proceedings in a nice manner,
make the board happy with his performance so that they aren't in a foul mood when we follow him later.
A minute later, i had one of my many urges that day. Yes, the unmistakable urge to pee under pressure.
The toilet was at the end of a long corridor. That corridor was lined with doors to hell (or so i thought).
The room of each UPSC member was present along the corridor. I got a glimpse of my battlefield while
passing through. The door was ajar and inside i could see the wolves. But what caught my attnetion was
the way they were positioned. The room was big. And yet, they were seated so closely as if they were in a
huddle, planning perhaps on how to shock and awe their preys.
We waited. After about 25 minutes, he came back. On being asked, he said that the interview went fine.
All that was asked was biodata based. No issues. Nothing from the subjects. And these words of his were
no less than pure bliss for us all. We became extremely relaxed now, each one hoping that his interview
too goes along similar lines.
And suddenly, breaking this pleasant chain of thoughts came in the 2nd candidate, looking dejected,
devastated and frustrated to say the least. "Her first question to me was 'name 5 trees' and when i
included mango in tree, she asked me not to include the fruit-trees. I could name only 4. After that she
asked me to name 5 winter flowers. All i could guess was rose. Nothing else. i lost it from there. I screwed
it up. Completely". This was it. The demons were back. We started discussing all sorts of possible
questions, but most of us were terrible in this department. We hardly knew the name of any plant around
us in our vases. This was when my bouts of coughing started, which again happens with me under
pressure. I told them, 'its the tie, i hate wearing it, its killing me' but inwardly i knew, it was the pressure.

Interviews Page 80

pressure. I told them, 'its the tie, i hate wearing it, its killing me' but inwardly i knew, it was the pressure.
And then came the 3rd candidate. He had been asked to name 5 shurbs which grow in a kitchen garden.
All my nervousness had come to the fore. There wasn't a moment when i was able to control my
coughing and in between came my 2nd trip to the loo.
Each second of wait seemed to me like another hour gone by. I had the passing thought that this was a
better way of explaining relativity than the way Einstein himself had done it by saying "put your hand on
a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a
minute. That's relativity." Or going by the great man's dictum and mixing it with my predicament, i felt
as if i was sitting on a stove, strapped to it with my arse on fire. A few moments later, i was left alone. The
5th candidate had been called and i was waiting for my turn. It came. A few moments later. I was asked
not carry along a pen or a watch. Another security check followed. After which i was asked to wait
outside the room while the th interview was in progress. Since i had ten minutes to wait at least, i
decided to make a 3rd trip to my penthouse.
I came back and started waiting. I was asked to sit in a chair in which i was just able to fit in. I thought,
what if i am unable to fit in the chair inside. Will i be allowed to give the interview standing of will i be
offered a sofa? I stood up. I walked. I sat down. I got up. I walked. I sat down on a bench. I got up. Moved
near a fan. Got up. Went near the little garden. Thought of smelling the flowers there but decided
otherwise. And suddenly a bell rang. It was like a school bell. The 5th candidate had come out and
believing it as a call for me to come in, i moved towards the door but then something struck me. I looked
around for the attendant. he wasn't there. I found him in a nearby room and asked him if the bell means
i need to go in. He said, "arre aaraam kariye sir... aapko hum bhej denge jab aapka number aaega... abhi
nahi aaya hai". I thanked my luck and my better sense for barging in uncalled for would have been the
worst possible start. I started my walking and sitting down routine again. And suddenly, another bell
rang. It had a melodious tune. I was asked by the attendent to go in. My turn had come. I adjusted the
knot of my tie. ('how much will i get... will it be 30% or 40%... i will definitely screw it up...') While
adjusting, a hundred images and a thousand thoughts crossed my mind. All the loved ones. Parents.
Brother. Friends. All their expectations. All their wishes were heard by me in that moment. I saw every
person's face who had genuinely wished me luck. I saw the expectation on those faces. Who believed in
me and thought i would do well. And then i knocked on the door and opened it. It was 4:25 PM.

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (25)

02 May 2012
01:05 PM

My first experience

Mains results were out. I cleared it and was happy that I got an interview call much on expected
lines.
My interview was dated on 18 April in afternoon session. With clean shaved face and all the
cosmetics light blue color shirt and purple pant I was ready to face it , an opportunity I was awaiting
for 2 years. Standing outside dholpur house was an experience in itself. All type of known human
emotions - fear, anxiety , confidence, relaxation, joy , tension ran high in my brains. One last time I
wished all my friends and family who came with me and entered the arena.

We were made to sit like all the candidates in the groups. The building was beautiful and green.
Ample of noticable things like name of the plants, quotes from great thinkers and lots of paintings
and hadicraft work was noticable there. Our documents were checked. My group had 6 members.
One was from IRS (C&E) , the other from BITS , one from Kerala and rest 3 of us from maharashtra.
All 6 of us were Engineers. We started discussing and enquiring each other , to ease off tension but
at the back mind it was still there. I was to be interviewed 5th in the sequence. We came to know
that its razni razdan board. I had heard that she was erratic and it is make or break board. Although
there was nothing that could have been changed so I calmed myself and decided to make good with
whatever I had. A peon came and told me that my turn has arrived. He directed me towards the hall
of Razni mam. I was made to sit outside in chair. The duration was 5 mins but it felt like 5 dayz. Each
second so slow just like Einstein said in his relativity theory :-) . Explosions erupting in my stomach as
to what will happen. Bell rang and I got up and it begin.........

I enterd the hall. The was a round table and razni mam with 4 other board members. All were male.
I wished them all and took my seat. Mam looked at me and smiled warmly glancing over my
summary sheet.
Like all other she asked me my roll no, Date of birth and showed me my photo to confirm. Here is
what happened in next twenty minutes.

R: Harshal, What does your name mean ?
Me: Mam harshal is the sanskrit name where harsh means happiness and harshal is the one who
gives happiness.
R: (smiling broadly) Oh ! so are you giving happiness to poeple around you ?
Me: So far (with smile)
R: (Smiling broadly and satisfied) So far so good.

After this moment she cooperated throughout the interview. She dint slept as happened with
others.
Supported me when with other members and also participated in discussions.

R: you have geography as an optional. Can you tell me about Bermuda traingle ?
Me: Mam it is area off the east coast of USA. Its known for ships and aircrafts being diasppeared
mythically. We are now doing scientific investigation.
R: Good can you tell me the countries ?
Me: Sorry mam I do not know.
R: You can take a moment.
Me: Sorry mam I am unable to recall.
R: Ok and she directed to Member1.

M1: what is contour?
Me: Sir line joining the places of equal height.
M1: Are they circular or elliptical?



M1: Are they circular or elliptical?
Me: Sir they can be both.
M1: Have you seen LEGENDS in the map. beyond that scale is written what is that?
Me: (Slightly confused) Sir it signifies ratio. Like one unit or cm on map would mean
M1: Do the units always remain like that ?
Me: Sir I am unable to think more presently.
M1: No please take your time. Tell me what would scale 1:x signify ?
Me: Sir we have to represent large land area with small size paper. So we scale it accordingly. Scale
indicates multiplier.
He looked a bit satisfied. He changed the question.
M1: What is flood plain zone ?
He was neither audible nor understandable with accent. Mam understood my difficulty and she
repeated his question.
Me: Sir maximum inundation level till which a river water might reach.
M1: Are you sure ?
Me: Yes sir I read it in geography. It is used in disaster management. ( Although I dint recall it
clearly).

This was the only member where I jittered. Rest interview was smooth as silk.

M2: Tell me any good innovation which you have come across in agriculture or irrigation or drinking
water in rural areas.
Me: Sir since I am an IT Engineer I liked the innovation of e-choupal. It helps farmers to know exact
prices of products and prevents the middle man chain. Its implemented by ICT. Now government is
building Village knowledge centers on the same.
M2: OK there is some report ( I do not recall what he was asking ) regarding university panel. Are you
aware of it.
Me: Sorry Sir I am not aware of this.
M2: Anyways there its proposed that we can promote students from 8 to 10th directly. What do you
think of the idea ?
Me: Sir this has been there in western countries. But they have strong parameters to measure
the child's aptitude. Its not the case in India. So we need to evolve such then we can go for it.
R: Harshal there will be more failures in each increasing class and thus it cannot be sustained.
Me: Yes mam. I smiled and nodded.
( She immediately indicated member 3 to ask)

M3 was notorious. All the previous mates had come out and told that he bothers a lot. He did not
accept the opinion of many. I think he was closely associated with Maharashtra as all the questions
were bombarded.

M3: Who were the peshwas?
Me: Sir they were ministers in Maratha court who subsequently acquired power.
M3: How could they do this ?
Me: Sir it happened due to breaking of Maratha confederacy.
M3: Why shivaji was called Mountain rat ?
Me: Sir shivaji maharaj used the strategy of hit and run. They used gureilla warfare technique as they
could not match the fire and artillery of Mughal forces.
M3: Why 18th century is called the age of Marathas.Me: ( Confused I think he misquoted the
question because its 17th century as in 18th the power was declining). Sorry sir I do not know.
M3: Name some poet of that time ?
Me: Sorry sir I do not know.
M3: Do you know Bhusan ?
Me: Yes sir I know kavi bhushan.
M3: Recite some lines of him on shivaji. ( Now it was really frustrating as they are considered
difficult )
Me: Sorry sir I have not read about him.
M3: He recited the lines very loud.
Me: Yes sir those are the lines.


Me: Yes sir those are the lines.
M3: This is called as Oestempuus( some term he used i cant recall). Do you know what it is ?
Me: Sir kavi bhushan always made the poem in rhymes of two lines but I am not sure if this is it.

Passed on to next member. Finally releif.
Next was the best part of my interview.

M4: Do you know about Myanmar.
Me: Yes sir.
M4: What are the political developments there ?
Me: Sir recently elections were conducted and Ms. Suu ki won by great majority. She leads
democratic movement and has NLD party. But majority remains with army.
M4: Whats NLD?
Me: Sir National league for democracy.
M4: Do you think it will happen ?
Me: Sir its first genuine step towards democracy. In coming times if more reforms come we might
see a huge change. Also there is a need for external assistance.
M4: What will be the time required ?
Me: Sir in my opinion roughly a decade or so considering the time.
M4: Is it because of internal or external pressure ?
Me: Sir partly both ways. There is internal movement and external sanctions by western power led
by US.
M4: Yes and there is ethnic strife also.
Me: Yes sir this is also a cause.
M4: Do we need external pressure ?
Me: Sir democracy cannot be sustained by pressure. There is a need to build consensus among the
members. Also the army will need to come out and take greater confidence building measures.

Suddenly and unexpected came the call from Razni mam.
R: Thank you. ( Again she was smiling and nodded warmly).

Got up and wished all of them.
Now I head towards the door. There was written PUSH where as I was pulling. Totally in pressure I
was unable to see it. It took some 3 secs more and I made a bit sound as Oh! ( It was very subtle. I do
not know whether board heard it. ) And finally I came out. My head swinging with thoughts like
anything. I walked like lost in my own world. Was it this ? Was it this small time I waited for ? Am I
good bad ruined ?
Will I have to give exam again ? Thoughts running off like anything. Never would I forget Razni mam.

Conclusion:-

This board is considered to be most erratic and hostile. Of all the 6 people no one lasted more than
20 mins.
The questions were very factual. All 6 of us were either disappointed or partly satisfied. But upon
more interacting with seniors and those in service I cam to know that this is usaul with this board. It
make or break board as popularly said. Even if you can keep her from falling and sleeping on desk its
a great achievement.

NO LIILY DARLING QUESTIONS ARE THERE IN THIS BORAD. YOU MISS MANY IN LINE INTERVIEW IS
OVER LIKE RAPID FIRE AND YOU LAND IN TWO DIGIT NUMBER.

I am not expecting much. I hope to see something around 160's.

UPSC IAS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE (24)

My interview
There were only 6 boards for our session , so each board had to interview 7 candidates each. As a
result , each interview lasted for 20-25 minutes. My interview was no different. I was the third
person to be interviewed by the board chaired by Smt Alka Sirohi (CM) . When I was asked by the
attender to enter the room, I asked permission to do so from the board . I was granted that and I
went in. All the 4 members (M1,M2,M3 & M4) other than the chairman were male members. So
didnt had any confusion regarding how to wish. But even before I could wish them , CM asked me to
be seated . Anyway , I wished them and took my seat. Everyone was busy doing something and was
not giving much attention to me. That informal nature eased my tension .

CM started the proceedings by asking me to list out 2-3 things that occurred in the past decade
which suited the description “Much ado about nothing” . My mind went blank and even after she
explained the question, I was not able to recollect any such events. Later she told me that what she
intended was Y2K and WMD.

M1 asked me about Chinmayananda Swami of Chinmaya Mission and his contributions to the
society(I had my schooling in a Chinmaya Vidyalaya). I mentioned about his Jnana yajnas- spiritual
knowledge to common man, opening of schools, social activities of its volunteers etc. then he asked
about the essence of gita.
Me: man should do his duties(karma) without the expectation of any result as it will lead to
disappointment.
He was expecting Aham brahmasmi and it was his next Qn.
Me: Each soul is part of the universal soul. He was not completely satisfied.
Q: Bertrand Russel's statement that all human beings are rational but he is yet to find such a person.
Me: most of the people I met were rational.
Q: then why world is like this
Me: a minority of people may be irrational causing hardships , but since majority are rational world
is still existing
Q: Current political situation in Arab Spring countries
Me: Answered

M2
Q : Is there any conflict of interest b/n india and china in indian ocean as both are energy hungry
nations.
I didnt understand it completely. When he explained it , I thought it was regarding string of pearls
and replied accordingly. I told about protecting our economic & security interests while maintaining
a good relation with them. He kept on repeating the same Qn and CM intervened and asked M3 to
start.

M3
Q: Current status of the 'treasure' in SreePadmanabhaswamy temple and how to use it ( I am from
kerala)
A: need to use modern techniques to open the vault B w/o destroying anything else .
It cannot be used for developmental purposes as it is part of our culture and history.
Q: in case of bop crisis?
Me: in that case it can be used for pledging but has to recovered when situation improves.
Q: will a 1991 type crisis recur in india
Me: No. diversity of trade, 300bn$ forex etc

M4
Asked about the details of the recent SC judgement on RTE which I answered.



CM
Q: satellites in india and their uses.
Me: didnt remember much . Told abt insat, metsat, risat.
Q: remote sensing and its uses.
Me: replied but not satisfactorily.
Q: rocket launching centre?
Me: sriharikkota
Q: why?
Me: earth's rotation aids the launch when it is launched in the easterly direction
Q: Any security aspects?
Me: in case of failure it will fall in ocean.

She smiled and said thank you.
I took a few seconds to understand that interview was over. Then I thanked everybody and got out.
Though some members were not satisfied , I am happy that too much technical qns were not asked.