Abhiram G. SankarTime:25 MinutesMy interview was on the afternoon of 11 April 2011, and I was the second candidate in Ms.Rajni Razdan's board. The board was cordial, except for the chairperson who appeared to sleep after asking her quota of questions.I entered the room, greeted the members & stood till I was offered the seat. Thanked the chairperson Rajni Razdan (RR) & sat down smiling.RR:Whats your name?Me:AnsweredRR:Roll No?Me:AnsweredRR:Date of Birth?Me:Answered(Initially I was a bit confused why she was asking these things!). Then RR read out aloud from my summary sheet optionals, graduation, hobbies, team activities etc. I kept smiling & nodding, with a Yes Mam in between.M2:Born in Tamil Nadu, but staying in Kerala?Me:yes sir, my family is settled in Kerala.RR:So, which is the country sharing longest border with India?Me:Bangladesh.RR:The shortest?Me:Afghanistan.RR:Ok, Tell me about the McMahon Line.Me:Its the line dividing India & China, but not accepted by china as such. It was signed in the early 1900s by Treaty of Tibet. (I made a mistake by unintentionally mentioning the year & name of treaty.)RR:Which treaty & year?Me:Repeated the same, but doubtfully.RR:It was in Shimla, in 1913. Who were the parties to the treaty?Me:British India & Tibet.RR:And one more?Me:Dont know.RR:Myanmar.Me:Thanked her.RR:What is Radcliff line?Me:Line dividing India & Pakistan.RR:Who drew it & when?Me:1947 by RadcliffRR:What are the issues between India & Pakistan?Me:gave a list borders, Siachen, sir creek, 26/11, water sharing, fishermen & prisoners etc.RR:Suppose you are SDM of a district, and are traveling. You see an accident on the road. How will you respond?Me:Ill stop on the spot, and get to know exactly what happened. Then call the ambulance or police station. If the above vehicles are not available, then take the injured in any other available vehicle.RR:What is so special with your car that you will not take the injured in your car first? Why wait for ambulance /police? Is your prestige more important or the persons life?Me:(I was stunned briefly, as it did not occur to me while answering that an SDM would be traveling in his/her own car. But I quickly recovered & said,). The persons life is most important. I should have thought of my own car first. I apologise for my mistake.RR sat with the same emotionless expression from beginning till end of her question time. Now she signaled to another member, locked her palms together, placed them to her forehead & slept leaning on the table.M1:You are from Kerala. How is geography advantageous to Kerala?Me:Another list rich & productive coastal alluvium, water resources, blessed by monsoon, fisheries, plantation sector, forests, ports etc.M1:What about tourism?Me:Yes sir, that too depends on Keralas unique geography.M1:Since you are a computer science graduate, tell me what is cyber crime?Me:(Didnt know the exact definition) It refers to the various illegal activities performed in todays IT-linked world like phishing, hacking, fraudulent info, theft of data etc.M1:How will you use computer science in development of India?Me:Another list efficient information dissemination to illiterate poor about health, agriculture etc. through audio & video, adult literacy programmes, transparency & lesser corruption.M1:What is MIS?Me:said dont know after thinking.M2:It is management information system. Dont you people study in B.Tech.?Me:No sir. That paper belongs to IT branch & not CS.M2:Name some areas which you studied in B.Tech.Me:Some programming langs like C & C++, microprocessors, assemblers & compilers, hardware etc.M2:Name an important temple in Kerala.Me:Padmanabhaswamy temple in Trivandrum.M2:Others?Me:I started with Guruvayurappan temple, but was interrupted mid-way.M2:No, nowhich temple brings in most money?Me:Sabarimala temple.He was happy it seemed, because he smiled graciously.M3:What is track-2 diplomacy?Me:Talks between countries conducted by retired officers, NGOs, activists etc. Its very good for betterment of bilateral ties. More people to people interaction takes place through this route.M3:what is bus diplomacy?Me:Cross LoC bus to improve ties..by Vajpayee GovtM3:So what is diplomacy?Me:Its the art of maintaining relations among countries at international level. (Not exactly the same words, but not the exact definition also).M3:What do you think about Indias big brother attitude in south Asia? what are the issues with each of the neighbouring countries?Me:India is the largest country in south Asia, and its actions are only perceived as big brotherly by neighbours. It is not true. Indias ties with its neighbors carry historical baggage with it which is the cause of todays problems.Again a list partition issue with PakistanM3:(Interrupted me) but partition is way back in history.Me:but sir, our relations are based on that event. (continued above answer) Tamil issue with Sri LankaM3:nodont speak about all issuesone issue at a time (in fact he had asked me for listing out all issues!). lets talk about Pakistan. How will you solve Kashmir issue with Pakistan?Me:We need an innovative solutionM3:(Again interrupting me)you need to talk moreMe:Sir, Im coming to the point. Realistically looking at the issue, I dont think Pakistan will hand over its part of J&K to India. Our present borders may not be changeable. Its better to acknowledge the same without a formal announcement as our maps cannot be changed & territorial integrity cant be sacrificed. No internationalization of the same can be allowed. At the same time, cross border links & trade have to be improved & people-to-people contacts increased with development of J&K in mind.M3:How should India proceed on Indo-Pak talks?Me:Sir, instead of focusing on just Kashmir, we have talk on several issues like Siachen, sir creek, cultural ties, trade, water sharing etc.M3:We have been doing that for long. But no results have come out.Me:Sir, the issues are not at fault. Talks broke down because of events like 26/11, 2001 parliament attacks & cross border terror. India is not responsible for the breakdowns. So it is better to continue on multiple issues.M4:Can I also continue on Kashmir? Are you confident? (almost laughing!)Me:Yes sir, you can.M4:Why not conduct plebiscite & solve the issue?Me:Sir, there are some preconditions. Complete demilitarization must take place on both borders. Kashmiri Pandits who were chased away must be allowed to return. Only if these happen, plebiscite can be allowed.M4:You say India & Pakistan must talk about Kashmir. But where are the Kahmiris in the scene? Has their voice been neglected?Me:Sir, we definitely need more Kashmiri opinion. It is heard very less.M4:Do you mean they have been ignored completely or given inadequate representation?Me:sir, definitely they were heard. India did talk with separatists like Hurriyat conference. But more needs to be done on this front. (shouldve mentioned the pms interlocutors at work now, but forgot).M4:Elections are periodically held in J&K. people vote new Govts to power. can you consider this as a sort of plebiscite?Me:Yes sir, they reaffirm peoples faith in our system.M4:Do you think those elections are proper, free & fair?Me:There have been allegations in the past about rigging.M4:No. I dont want others opinions. What do you think now?Me:Sir, thanks to a strong election commission, I can confidently say that recent elections have been free & fair, not only in J&K, but also in other states of India and I am proud of this fact.RR:Thank you. (she smiled for the only time in the whole interview!)Me:Thanks the board & left.The 4 male members were smiling & very attentive, unlike Ms. RR. I too tried to keep up a smiling face through out the interview. The board was cordial on the whole. Interview lasted for about 20-25 minutes.Interview Date :11-Apr-2011Interview Board :Ms. Rajni RazdanPlace :ThiruvananthapuramSubject :Geography & Political Science & International Relations

ABHISHEKOn 17th march the civil services (main) 2007 result came out.I was surfing the net when a friend of mine informed me about the results.I thought that as usual the UPSC website would not open as is the case usually once results are announced.But to my surprise it opened and very soon i found myself going through the list of roll numbers and was elated to find my roll number(after having twice missed the interview bus).But the joy soon turned into horror when on 19th afternoon i got a speedpost from UPSC informing me that my interview was on 31st march at 9 am ,i.e., first day first show.Panic set in and i prepared myself for running against time.Some suggested be your natural self ,and some others told me to fake it ,leaving me totally confused.Then there were mock(ing) interviews which were useful as well as counterproductive.In fact ,my confidence took a nosedive on 27th after a late night mock session.Next day i met Ravindran Sir(vajiram) and his words boosted my confidence.On 29th ,i went for my final mock at Chanakya which went off well.On 31st i got up at 6 am (very early by my sleeping standards)and by 8:20 i was on my way to Dholpur House.I reached the UPSC main gate at 8:45 am and found a crowd of fellow 'sufferers' impeccably dressed and in high spirits. I met Sudhir(orissa),Pushkar(CISF,Bihar),Rohit(BSF) and few others and we asked each other about the number of attempts and optionals.A sense of camaraderie develops when you have the same optionals and more so if you have made the same number of attempts.There were lot of third attempt 'veterans' ,so i felt at home.At 9 am sharp we were allowed inside the hallowed portals.After signing the register we were asked to wait in a big hall.There were 7 round tables,everybody had been alloted a particular round table. In my group, there were Harkamal(Chandigarh),Aastha(JNU,Patna),myself and Lalit Kumar(Delhi).Since of the four i was the first one to arrive ,i assumed(wrongly)that there were three guys and one girl in our group.But Harkamal turned out to be female(later on i told her about my misperception and we shared a laugh).Very soon i was joined by the other three candidates and we started talking ,sharing our fears and apprehensions and about various national and international issues which had the potential of troubling us if asked by the Interview Board.We were served tea and biscuits and i thought that having tea outside would be a good defence if panel offers me tea inside as i could always say that "Sir/Madam i have just had tea outside".Soon after we came to know that we were in Ms Parveen Talha's board and felt relieved as the adjacent board was of Prof.D.P.Agarwal. Anyway i was scheduled to go third after Harkamal and Aastha.I was called at 12:30 pm and was asked to wait outside.Just as i was waiting for the bell to ring (at which point i had to go inside),instead the door opened and twopeople came out of the room,the staff outside told me that they were Board members and were taking a toilet break.Soon after the 'bell tolled' for me and i opened the door and went inside.As soon as i entered Chairperson(Madam Parveen Talha)was reading my name, i wished her good afternoon and also wished other members(all male,M1 M2 M3 M4).Madam: Abhishek ,have you lived in Mahoba (my hometown) ?Me: Maam ,I was born there but have since lived in Northeast.

Madam: Ok ,but do you know what Mahoba is famous for ? (after a pause she answered herself)Paan ,have u seen paan growing ?Me: Maam , I have not seen paan growing in Mahoba but i have seen it growing in my home in Itanagar,sorry Tezu where my dad was posted .

Madam:Have u eaten paan ?Me: Yes maam ,i have eaten raw paan.

Madam:Do you know what all is put inside a paan ?Me: (I had no clue how shud i say katha ,chuna etc)I m sorry maam ,i m not very sure.

Madam:fine,do u know what is facebook ?what can we do in it ?Me: Maam,facebook is a social networking site ,used to make new friends,write about one's likes ,dislikes etc.Though orkut is more popular in India.

Madam:Since you have lived in northeast ,what do you think is the problem there?Me:Maam,northeast is somewhat cut-off from rest of India and the pace of development has suffered on that count as compared to rest of India.

Madam:what can be done about it ?Me: Maam,we should try for emotional integration of northeast with rest of India by making them feel cared for and looked after.People of northeast should be involved in development planning for northeast.

Madam:(pointed to next member)Aap poonchiye

M1:Which newspaper do u read regularly and why ?Me:Sir, I read 'The Hindu' regularly and i like it because it gives due respect to its readers and i have written letters to it and have got them published.

M1:Do you read editorials ,what is the difference between editorial and rest of the newspaper ?Me: Sir,i have been reading editorials regularly but for the last few days i have not gone through it.Editorial contains the views of the newspaper on any particular issue and rest of the newspaper contains news about various events.

M1:Have u played cricket(my hobby) and at what level?Me:Sir,I have played the game but not at a competitive level and yes I do follow the game.

M1:Why the test match was drawn yesterday(Chennai Test,Sehwag's 319)?Me: Sir,the pitch was very docile,the batsmen dominated completely and so there was no result.

M1:What about the other two test matches,what is going to happen ,do u know where the matches will be played ?Me:I am not sure sir.

M1:Well the next two matches are going to be hosted at Ahmedabad and Kanpur.what will happen there?Me:sir,kanpur is again known for its docile wicket so there may not be a result there ,but at ahmedabad there may be turn for the spinners and result may be possible.

M1:Sachin has got injured and selection committee has recalled Kaif ,do u support it ?Me:(was totally unaware of kaif's recall)Sir,sachin is an irreplaceable kind of player.M2:(cuts me angrily)you mean to say he should be played even if he is injured?Me: No sir,if he is injured he should not be played.M1:What about Kaif ?Me: sir,Kaif is a very good player in his own right and if he has been included in the team he should be played.M1:ok (gestures to next member)

M2:You are from a technical background,can u tell me that with the rapid advancement in information technology and also in biotechnology ,what are the ethical issues that have cropped up ?(question was very vague)Me:Sir,can u please clarifyM2:(again said something about IT,Biotech and ethics,made me still more confused)Me:Sir,due to IT revolution,there is lot of information being exchanged on the internet and there are e-crimes (at this point he cut me off and told that no you are not understanding the question i m specifically asking about the ethical issues)Me:Sir,there are some websites which are putting up false propaganda on the internet which they may feel is right but may be offensive to others(M2 nods)so there is a question of ethics involved there.And Sir,in case of bio-tech there is the issue of cloning.while reproductive cloning is unethical,therapeutic cloning is ethical.M2:Is there consensus on therapeutic cloning?Me:Sir,consensus is emerging on the issue.Even Indian govt. allows therapeutic cloning.M2:should therapeutic cloning be used to create humans?Me:No sir,it should be used only for creating organs.M2:(gestures to next member)

M3:You have talked about northeast problem ,and about emotional integration,how will you do it ?Me:Sir,the people of northeast will have to be made stakeholders in development process.Planning should not be done at the centre ,but at the grassroots and based on the needs of the people.M3:Northeast is disaster prone area ,how u will use technology to solve the problems?Me:Sir,i will make use of GIS to map out disaster prone areas and create awareness among the people living in those areas about the steps they should take if disaster strikes and use networking to take help of central agencies.I will do all this to mitigate impact of disaster.M3:(gestures to next member)

M4:Mr.Mishra since u have done your engineering from Jorhat ,can u tell me the name of two famous saints of Assam ?Me:Sir,Sri Sankar Dev and second i m not sure but may be his disciple Sri Madhab Dev.M4:good.You have been talking about alienation in northeast but i do not think so,students of northeast are studying in Bangalore ,Delhi and other places ,so there is no alienation.Me: Yes sir ,but there is a sense of alienation among the people of northeast.M4:No,the insurgency problem is because of Bangladesh's support,top leadership of ULFA is operating from there.Me:Yes sir,these factors are also there,illegal migration from B'desh has created social disharmony.M4:The govt. is hand in glove with the insurgents,there is no alienation ,all is being done for money,dont u know about Sibsagar Supt.of Police from whose house two militants were caught?Me:sir ,one or two stray incidents should not make us think that .We should try to remove the root cause of the problem.M4:You are taking a soft stand (and he continued with his tirade against the system,i tried my best to remain normal and smiling)(At this point Madam said"next question please",to which he said no more questions)

Madam:(smilingly)Ok Abhishek,now do you have any question ?Me:No,Thank you Maam.Madam:Ok,but let me tell you about what all goes inside a paan .See first of all a paste of 'kattha' ,then some 'chunaa',then 'supari' and if the person so desires some tobacco .(smilingly)And when you go outside,you eat a paan .You can go now.Me:Thank you maam,thank you sirs.

I came out of the room in a positive frame of mind.Now i dont know whether it was good or bad ,but the experience was great and madam was very cordial.Now hoping for a positive outcome ...

Postscript: I got 180/300 , a decent score but i was hovering near the cut-off in mains score ,so missed out from being in the final list :(Ajay Kumar-AK.AK:...enters the room and wishes the chairman...CH:Please have your seat.AK:Thank you, Sir.CH:So, you are Ajay KumarAK:Yes Sir.CH:Ajay, (seeing the bio data) you were getting Rs. 25 Lacs per annum in UAE so why do you want to join Civil Service? I think you are more useful for Engineering.AK:Sir, I agree that I am useful for Engineering; but I believe I would be even more useful for Civil Service. This is my childhood dream to join civil services and to work to improve lives of laces of common people.CH:What was your profile in your last job?AK:Pipeline EngineerCH:If a pipeline has to pass through various countries, what technical difficulties you foresee.AK:Crossing hilly areas, rivers, deserts and valleys poses a great challenge.M1:Have you seen today's newspaper?AK:Yes, SirM1:What is the good news today?AK:India own over Australia and it will meet Pakistan in Semi-finals: This is the good newsM1:What is the bad news?AK:Sorry Sir, I am not able to recollectM1:What is humorous news?AK:Sorry Sir, I am not able to recollectM1:Any news about Orissa?AK:Yes Sir, the name has been changed to Odisha by an act of parliament.M1:Can you recall the Constitutional Amendment numberAK:Yes Sir, It is 113 th Amendment actM2:There are two cases (1) IC-814 hijack case (2) Vineel Krishna Abduction case; In both cases Govt had to bend. Do you justify govt. stand?AK:Yes Sir. Since ours is a democracy and if we allow our people to die in such circumstances, then there will be huge public uproar which is not desirable.M2:What other countries follow in these circumstances.AK:I am not fully aware, Sorry Sir.M3:Do you have any civil servant as your role model?AK:No Sir.M3:Tell 3 most important qualities of a civil servant.AK:Honesty, Integrity & CompassionM4:If a pipeline has to be laid in flood-prone area, in earth-quake prone area, in terrorist afflicted area and in tsunami-prone area, How you will design them?AK:In flood prone area & tsunami prone area: The pipeline will be buried with concrete coating and will have higher wall thickness; In earth-quake prone area: Based on seismic analysis flexibility of pipeline by sand-filling is to be ensured; and in terrorist afflicted area: apart from burrying the pipeline and higher wall thickness, there should be provision of Security buildings at every 30-40 kms.M4:Why you opted Hindi Literature as one of the optional?AK:It was my strong area and based on thorough analysis I concluded it to be a scoring subject for me.CH:What is the government system in Abudhabi?AK:Monarchy, Sir.CH:How people feel there? Are they happy?AK:Yes sir. People are very happy there. Good quality of life is being enjoyed by majority.CH:Can the same system be applied for India?AK:No Sir.CH:Then you are contradicting your previous statement.AK:Sir, It may seem that I am contradicting, but in fact I am not. As I said, People are happy there and it is proved by Human Development Report-2010. UAE got 32nd position. However, I believe democracy is best suited for India. As India is very diverse country and has lot of inequalities. To address these issues democracy is the best model. Moreover, what is happening in Lybia and Egypt these days, the same may be repeated to UAE also, sooner or later. That's why India must continue with its democratic model.CH:Thanks God ! You have an open mind on this issue.AK:Thank you, Sir.CH:Your interview is over. You may leave now.AK:Thank you, Sir ! ....Wishes the chairman and other members....and leaves the interview room.Exam Interview Details :UPSC-Civil Services Exam 2010Subjects Taken :Public Administration, Literature of Hindi LanguageInterview DATE :25-Mar-2011Interview Board :Sh. IMG Khan

Ajay Pal AIR-160K K PAUL SIR BOARDMY INTERVIEW WAS ON MARCH 26,2011THIS YEAR MY OPTIONALS ARE PUBLIC ADMIN AND PUNJABI LITERATUREIT WAS MY SECOND INTERVIEW.LAST YEAR IT WAS WITH NIRBHAY SHARMA BOARD.THIS YEAR THERE WERE SOME NUMERIC COINCIDENCES.26-LAST TWO DIGITS OF MY ROLL NO. , 26 IS MY DATE OF BIRTH ,26 IS DIWALI THIS YEAR AND 26 WAS DATE OF MY INTERVIEW..I WAS CONSCIOUS OF THIS NUMERIC THING AND DID PREPARE. (BUT OF NO USE IN INTERVIEW AS NOTHING SUCH WAS ASKED).I GOT UP AROUND 5:40 (THOUGH DIDNT HAD THAT SOUND SLEEP)I TURNED ON MY INTERNET AND RAPIDLY WENT THROUGH VARIOUS MAJOR NEWSPAPERS.(IT DID HELP I MUST SAY).I WENT TO THE VENUE BY 8:30 AM

THERE WEREM1:DRESSED SINCERE ASPIRANTS,MOST OF THEM WITH THEIR PARENTS.AS I HAD EXPERIENCE OF LAST YEAR SO WAS NOT GETTING ANYMORE CONSCIOUS OF THE TOUGHNESS OF COMPETITION.

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

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

ON OUR TABLE THERE WERE 6 CANDIDATES INCLUDING ME.

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

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

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

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

ALSO FEMALE WHO WAS KNOWN TO ME EARLIER SHARED WITH US THE INFORMATION THAT PAUL SIR DOESNT SPOIL CAREER USUALY AND HE GIVE YOU MORE THAN 140 NORMALLY THOUGH HIS RANGE IS 140-180.AND SHE SAID HE DONT ASK MUCH FACTUAL QUESTIONS(IT MADE ME RELAX BUT WHAT HAPPENED IN REAL IS A STORY NOW LOL )

MY OPTIONALS(MAINS WRITTEN) HAS WENT QUITEM1:SO I AM EXPECTING THAT WITH AROUND 150 MARKS WILL GET ME IN ATLEAST..

THEN THE INTERVIEW OF FIRST CANDIDATE WAS OVER AROUND 10:20 I THINK..I THOUGHT I WIL BE CALLED AROUND 10:40 AS INTERVIEWS ARE RUNNING FOR 20 MINS.AND THEN I WAS CALLED AROUND 10:40 AND HAD TO SIT OUTSIDE FOR 6-7 MINS.PERSON INTERVIEWED BEFORE ME WAS A NICE PERSON WITH GOOD PERSONALITYI WAS QUIET THIS TIME AND SOMEWHAT SINCERE OR YOU CAN SAY SERIOUS WHILE LAST YEAR I WAS TALKING A LOT AND DOING FUN.

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

CHAIRMAN:PAUL SIR

THREE MALE MEMBERS

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

ME:MAY I COME IN ,SIR

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

I MANAGED MYSELF AND DIDNT THOUGHT MUCH AND EENTERED WITH CONFIDENCE..WHEN I REACHED NEAR CHAIR.SMILING LADY MEMBER VERY SOFTLY SAID TAKE YOUR SEAT BETA

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

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

CH:YOUR NAME

ME:AJAY PAL

CH:ROLL NUMBER

ME:TOLDCH:DATE OF BIRTH

ME:TOLDCH:SO YOU ARE FROM LUDHIANA?

ME:YES SIR

CH:WHAT IS MEANING OF LUDHIANA?

ME:SIR LUDHIANA IS MADE OF TWO WORDS LODHI+ANA. IT WAS NAMED AFTER IBRAHIM LODHI WHO WAS A MUGHAL RULER, I AM SORRY SIR FROM DELHI SULTANAT. ITS NAMED AFTER HIM.

CH:WHEN WAS LUDHIANA FOUNDED?

ME:SIR I DONT KNOW EXACT YEAR BUT EARLIER IT WAS A VILLAGE NAMED MIR HOTA.

CH:NO NO WHEN WAS IT FOUNDED?

ME:SORRY SIR I DONT KNOW THE YEAR.

CH:YOU HAVE DONE BDS

ME:YES SIR

CH:WHAT IS IT?

ME:SIR ITS BACHELOR IN DENTAL SURGERY

CH:OH SO YOU ARE A DENTIST.

ME:YES SIR

CH:NOW YOU ARE WORKING IN LIC

ME:YES SIR

CH:AS A DENTIST IN LIC?

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

CH:SO YOU HAVE LEFT DENTISTRY COMPLETELY

ME:(JYADA KAHANIYAN NA BANAATE HUE) YES SIR

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

CH:OK THEN U HAVE TAKEN PUNJABI

ME:YES SIR

CH:THERE IS SOMETHNG GURMUKHI ALSOSOOOO WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PUNJABI AND GURMUKHI

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

CH:YES RIGHT!

ME:THANK YOU SIR

CH:TELL ME ABOUT TREATY OF AMRITSAR

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

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

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

CH:THERE WERE TWO TREATIES WHICH WERE SIGNED QUITE CLOSE TO EACH OTHER,TREATY OF AMRITSAR AND TREATY OF LAHORE.TELL ME SOME TREATY WHICH IS STILL RELEVANT.FORGET ABOUT RADCLIFE LINE..

ME:THINKING FOR A WHILE(3-4 SECONDS) M SORRY SIR I DONT KNOW.

CH:OK YOU PLAY CRICKET?

ME :YES SIR

CH:YOU PLAY THESE DAYS TOO?

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

CH:OK THESE DAYS WORLD CUP IS GOING ON

ME:YES SIR

CH:TELL ME WHATS GOING ON IN WORLD CUP?

ME:INDIA HAS WON IN QUARTERFINALS DEFEATING AUSTRALIA AND TOLD ABOUT PAKISTAN ASM1:AS SOME OTHER

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

ME:(THINKING FOR TWO SECONDS) SIR NEWZEALAND

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

CH:HOW MANY TIMES INDIA HAS REACHED SEMIFINAL?

ME :SIR THIS YEAR WE HAVE REACHED WORLD CUP SEMIFINALS,2003 ASM1:AS 1983 WORLD CUP..

CH:NO NO I AM ASKING HOW MANY TIMES?

ME :M SORRY SIR AM NOT ABLE TO RECALL.

CHAIRMAN NOW PASSES TO FIRST MEMBER.

HE WAS A SOUTH INDIAN M SURE

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

ME:SIR INDIA WILL BE FACING PAKISTAN IN SEMIFINAL

M1:WHEN IS THE SEMIFINAL

ME:SIR 30 APRIL

M1:WHERE

ME:SIR MOHALI

M1 :AJAY OUR PRIME MINISTER HAS SENT AN INVITATION TO SOMEONE FOR THE MATCH

ME:YES SIR

M1:TO WHOM?

ME :SIR OUR PRIME MINISTER HAS SENT INVITATION TO PAKISTAN PRESIDENT MR ZARDARI AND PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER MR GILANI

M1:YES GOOD ,AND THIS HAS BEEN TERMED AS CRICKET DIPLOMACY

ME:YES SIR

M1 :ARE YOU IN FAVOUR OF IT

ME :YES SIR BECAUSE TALKS CAN BUILD THE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE AMONG TWO NATIONS

M1 :SO WE SHOULD INVITE THEN TO EVERY FUNCTION OR OCCASION

ME :SIR WE CAN INVITE THEM IN WHICH THEY ALSO HAVE AN INTEREST

M1 :AJAY HO WILL YOU IMPROVE RELATIONS BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN

ME :SIR PEOPLE TO PEOPLE TO PEOPLE CONTACT CAN BE RAISED.FOR EXAMPLE ON WAGHA BORDER THERE CAN BE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK AMONG THEMSELVES.

M1:YOU HAVE DONE LITERATURE.HOW CAN LITERATURE BE USED TO IMPROVE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN.

ME :(I KNEW ITS AN OPPORTUNITY) SIR,SHIV KUMAR BATALWI (WHEN I TOOK THIS NAME HE NODDED THE HEAD IN YES AND OTHER MEMBERS TOO GAVE POSITIVE RESPONSE) ISM1:READ IN BOTH EAST AND WEST PUNJAB ASM1:AS IN OTHER REGIONS TOO.LITERATURE CONNECT THE PEOPLE OF TWO NATIONS.WE TWO HAVE SHARED COMMON HISTORY AND THUS HAVE VARIOUS BONDS CONNECTING US. SIR IN RECENT YEARS PAKISTANI ARTISTS HAVE COME TO INDIA TO PERFORM CERTAIN PLAYS AND INDIAN ARTISTS HAVE VISITED THERE.

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

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

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

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

M1 :WHAT IS ENLIGHTENMENT

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

M1 :OK,WHICH ARE TWO NOVELS YOU LIKED

ME :SIR CHITTA LAHU BY NANAK SINGH NAVALKAR AND IK MYAAN DO TALWAARAN.

M1 :IN CHITTA LAHU FROM LITEARY ASPECT WHAT YOU LIKED?

ME :SIR THE NOVELIST IN THIS NOVEL HAS TOUCHED VARIOUS SOCIAL PROBLEMS AT A TIME

M1:NO NO FROM LITERARY ASPECT

ME :SIR THE LANGUAGE ASM1:AS SIR HE HAS ROMANTICISED THE NOVEL WITH PASSION IN IT

M1 :YOU USED TWO TERMS ROMANTIC AND PASSION.WHATS THE RELATION BETWEEN TWO?

ME :SIR WHN THERE IS ROMANCE,PASSION COMES ITSELF

M1 :(SMILED) OK

CHAIRMAN PASSED TO SECOND MEMBER,SARDAR JI ON MY LEFT,BLUISH EYES WITH SPECS..HE WAS LOOKING LIKE AN INTELLIGENT PERSON..

M2 :YOU ARE FROM PUNJAB.IN PUNJAB IT IS SAID THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE CULTURE AND THATS (I SPOKE ALONG HUMBLY ALONGWITH) AGRICULTURE

M2: DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS?

ME :SIR IN PUNJAB AGRICULTURE ISM1:DEVELOPED SECTOR AND LARGE WORKFORCE IS IN THIS SECTOR

M2 :NO NO TELL ME ONLY ABOUT CULTURE

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

M2 :WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT PUNJABI CULTURE?

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

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

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

M2 :OK WHAT CAN BE DONE TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY?

ME :SIR OPTIOMAL FUNDS FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT..

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

ME :SIR SUFFICIENT FUNDS SHOULD BE SLLOCATED FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN AGRICULTURE SHOULD BE PROVIDEDSIR I WOULD LIKE TO USE AN EXAMPLE FROM THIS YEAR BUDGET.FOR EXAMPLE FOR PULSES PRODUCTION RS 300 CRORE HAVE BEEN ALOTTED TO 60000 VILLAGES AAND WHEN WE CALCULATE IT TURNS OUT TO BE JUST RS.50000 VILLAGES WHICH COULD BE RATHER MORE FUNDS FOR LESS NUMBER OF VILLAGES (INTERRUPTED)

M2 :BUT THATS ARITHMATIC CALCULATION YOU HAVE DONE.BUT ITS NOT GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTED LIKE THIS.

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

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

I THINK THEY NODDED HEAD ON THIS

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

LM :OK AJAY YOUR HOBBY IS BLOGGING

ME :YES MAM

LM :DO YOU HAVE YOU OWN WEBSITE?

ME :ANSWERED

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

ME :MAM FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

LM :WHATS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TWO?

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

LM :HOW SHORT?I MEAN HOW MANY LETTERS?

ME :(THINKING FOR 3-4 SEC)M SORRY MAM I DONT REMEMBER

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

LM :DO WE COUNT THE SPACE?

ME (DONT KNOW IN WHAT FLOW) NO MAM

LM :WE COUNT

ME :M SORRY MAM

LM :YOU PLAY CARROM

ME :YES MAM

LM :DO YOU PLAY IT SERIOUSLY

ME :YES MAM

LM: THERE WAS RECENTLY A MOVIE ON CARROM,(I NODDED IN YES) CAN U NAME THAT?

ME :MAM CARROM WAS ALSO PLAYED IN MUNNABHAI MABBS ( I WAS NOT GETTING NAME OF THAT MOVIE SO TRIED BUYING TIME TO RECALL)

LM :NO NO IN MUNNABHAI IT WAS IN SIDELINE..BUT IN A MOVIE THE GAME WAS AT CENTRE

ME :MAM I KNOW THERE WAS BUT AM NOT ABLE TO RECALL THE NAME

LM :OK IT WAS STRIKER

ME :(BECAUSE I KNEW THE MOVIE SO UNINTENTIONLLY CAME OUT OF MY MOUTH YESS MAM STRIKER)

LM :OK AJAY U WERE DISCUSSING CRICKET DIPLOMACY WITH SIR,THERE WAS ALSO ONE PING PONG DIPLOMACY

ME :YES MAM

LM :IT WAS BETWEEN WHICH TWO COUNTRIES?

ME :(THINKING) MAM IT WAS BETWEEN CHINA ANDDDD (LM :YES YES CHINA AND YES YOU ARE RIGHT CHINA AND) MAM,TAIWAN (DAMN I WENT IN FLOW AGAIN)

LM :NO ITS USA..BETWEEN CHINA ND USA\

ME :OK MAM THANK YOU MAM

LM :( CHAIRMAN SIGNALLED HER SOMETHNG I FEEL THOUGH M NOT SURE) OK AJAY I WOULD ASK YOU ONE MORE QUESTION,ONE LAST QUESTION..(SHE MADE A LONG STATEMENT AND THE SHE REALISED IT GOT MESSED AND THEN SHE BROKE IT INTO PARTS.AJAY PEOPLE BLOG AND USE SITES FOR SO MANY HOURS A DAY AND DAILY.ISNT IT WASTAGE OF TIME?

ME :MAM I DONT BLOG FOR MANY HOURS BUT FOR ( INTERRUPTED SAYING NO NO NOT JUST YOU BUT MANY YOUNG ONES)

LM :OK TELL ME IS IT NECESSARY TO BLOG?

ME :( MAKING SERIOUS FACIAL EXPRESSION) MAM BOUT NECESSITY I WOULD SAY WE HAVE AROUND 40% POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LINE WHO DONT HAVE ANY ACCOUNT ON BLOGGING/SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES SO IT DEPENDS UPON PERSONAL WILL.

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

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

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

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

ME :NO SIR I HAVNT BEEN THERE

M4 : OK IN PUNJAB AGRICULTURE HAS IMPACTED UPON THE ENVIRONMENT..HOW?

ME :SIR GROUND WATER LEVEL HAS DIPPED TOO MUCH AND THATS REASON PUNJAB GVT HAS BANNED SOWING OF PADDY BEFORE 10 MAY

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

M4 : OK WHATS HAPPENING IN LIBYA

ME :EXPLAINED

M4 :WHATS HAPPENING IN NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES OF LIBYA

ME :I EXPOLAINED

M4: WHATS NO FLY ZONE

ME :EXPLAINED

M4 : WHATS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT?

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

M4: WHAT?

ME :EXPLAINED AGAIN

M4 : SO WE SHOULD STOP THE USING RESOURCES?

ME :SIR WE SHOULD USE THEM OPTIMALLY

M4 : WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE?

ME :EXPLAINED AND ALSO TALKED OF CLIMATE TALKS

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

ME :SIR USA IS DEVELOPED NATION

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

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

M4 : OK

NOW CHAIRMAN GOT BACK TO HIM.HE WAS ALL THE TIME VERY ATTENTIVE

CH :HAVE YOU READ PUNJBA HISTORY?

ME :(HAVING NO OTHER CHOICE AND DONT KNOW FROM WHERE CONFIDENCE CAME) YES SIR

CH :(AGAIN) HAVE YOU READ PUNJAB HISTORY?

ME :YES SIR

CH :WHEN MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH DIED?

ME :SIR 1839

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

ME :SIR IN 1839

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

ME :YES SIR

CH :TELL ME ABOUT ANGLO SIKH WARS

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

CH :WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT?

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

CH :CAN U NAME FEW PLACES OF THE WARS?

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

CH :BNATTLE OF SABHARAO

ME :OK SIR THANK YOU SIR

ME :SIR SAMRALA

CH :OK

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

CH :CHILCHILYANWALA

ME :OK SIR

CH :ARE YOU SURE?

ME :M NOT SURE SIR

CH :OK, ( THEN HE LOOKED AT WALL CLOCK AND THEN ON HIS WRIST WATCH AND SAID OK WE HAVE TIME SO WE CAN TALK MORE

(WHAT ELSE I CUD SAY)

ME :YES SIR

CH :OK TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT UPSC ( I WAS DELIGHTED THAT HE WILL ASK ME OPINION BASED QUESTION NOW BUT IN VAIN)

CH:WHEN WAS UPSC FOUNDED?

ME :SIR IT WAS FOUNDED IN 1926

CH :(THOUGHT) YES RIGHT,GOOD BUT THEN ITS NAME WAS SOMETHNG ELSE.WHAT WAS ITS NAME?

ME :SIR ITS NAME WAS FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

CH :YES RIGHT,WHY WAS IT ESTABLISHED?

ME :(FINDING APPROPRIATE WORD FOR 2 SECONDS BUT THEN WENT ON) SIR TO SPPOINT PEOPLE ON POSTS OF HIGH RESPONSIBILITY

CH :YES RIGHT BUT WHY IT WAS FOUNDED ONLY THEN?

ME :SIR IT WAS FOUNDED ON RECOMMENDATION OF A COMMISSION

CH :YES BUT ON RECOMMENDATION OF COMMITTEE NOT COMMISSION

ME :OK SIR

CH :WHAT WAS NAME OF THAT COMMITTEE?

ME :M SORRY SIR I HAVE READ BUT I AM NOT ABLE TO RECALL RIGHT NOW

CH:OK TELL ME ORIGIN OF RIVER BEAS

ME :( I HAD PREPARED SATLUJ YAMUNA LINK SOM1:THAT STLUJ STARTED POPPING IN MY MIND,I TRIED SUPPRESSING IT AND FINDING ORIGIN OF BEAS BUT AFTER 3-4 SECONDS) M SORRY SIR AM NOT ABLE TO RECALL

CH :HAVE U READ IT?

ME :YES SIR

CH :THEN YOU MUST BE HAVING SOME IDEA WHETHER ITS IN PUNJAB HARYANA HIMACHAL,J&K,TIBBET)

ME :( TIBBAT AND SATLUJ GHOOMNE START FIR SE) SIR IF I HAVE TO MAKE A GUESS I WILL SAY TIBET ( THE ANSWER WAS BEAS KUND AND WHEN I CAME OUT OF ROOM IT IMMEDIATELY CAME IN MIND)

CH :OK THANK YOU AND MOVED BACK FROM HIS FORWARD ATTENTIVE POSTURE.

ME :(FEELING GOOD) GOT UP THANK YOU SIR ,THANK YOU SIRS ,AND AGAIN SMILINGLY THANK YOU MAM

THERE WAS A PINK FILE ON TABLE..I WAS LIL PUZZLED BECAUSE OF BEAS WALA ANSWER AND COULD IN THAT PUZZLED MIND PICK THAT FILE BUT THEN I GOT ATTENTIVE THAT YET I HAVE TO WALK OUT OF ROOM AND TIL I WALK OUT INTERVIEW IS NOT OVER..AND I WALKED OUT WITHOUT ANY MISTAKE

WHEN I CAME OUT SAME FEMALE WHO WAS KNOWN TO ME WAS SITTING AND MY FIRST WORDS WERE HE IS ASKING FACTUALS ONLY

MY ASSESMENT IS THAT MAY BE HE WILL REALISE I AM NOT STUDENT OF HISTORY BUT STILL ANSWERE ATLEAST FEW QUESTIONSM1:..

SOME ANSWERS I REALLY FELT PROUD OF LIKE THAT OF GURMUKHI,DO U HAVE YOUR OWN SITE,SOME DATA RELATED TO AGRICULTURE, UPSC YEAR ( THAT HAS A STORY WHICH I WILL SHARE ) AD OPTIMAL USE OF RESOURCES, TREATY OF 1839 ETC.

Akil BakhshiAttempt :2ndQualification:Mass CommunicationFrom :Himachal PradeshAs I begin to write this, I wonder how much and how far would I be able to do justice to what actually happened. There was so much to digest, so much to understand and so much to decipher, that a word-by-word recall becomes improbable. However, I will try to reproduce the interview to the best of my ability so that those, who reach this stage at some point in their lives, can read, derive their own conclusions and thus, benefit.At the outset, let me do away with the details of how we were directed into the waiting hall and asked to produce our certificates for verification. Let me also not talk about how anxious everyone else looked and how most pretended to either read a newspaper or indulge in light talk. Within, we were all jittery. We just didn't want it to show on our faces. I was 23rd in line to be interviewed. The wait for my turn to come was more ethereal than eternal. Finally, the time came. The clock struck 4 and I was ushered into the board room. Quite unlike my expectations, the room was well-lit and the board members looked amicable and welcoming. They were seated in a semi-circle and each one of them held a paper in their hands, which I presumed was my bio-data.""Good afternoon Sir"", I said with a cheerful nod to the Chairman. His name was Mr.Purushottam Aggarwal.""Good afternoon, Akil. Sit"", he said, motioning towards the chair.While I took the chair, I wished the other members too who responded cordially.""So you have done your Post-graduation in Mass Communication"", the Chairman began."" Yes Sir"", I said."" Media is such a thrilling field. Everybody wants to be seen on the camera these days. Why do you want to join a service as boring as the administrative service?"", he asked.Me-""Administrative service has always been a dream, Sir. I have always wanted to be of service to this nation and its people. Working on-camera, does not give me the same level of satisfaction as working off-camera does.""Chairman-""Then why waste 2 years doing Mass communication? You could have appeared for the civil service exams right after your graduation.""Me-""I could have Sir. But I did not. And I had two lines of thinking behind it. One, I come from Himachal Pradesh and I needed some exposure to see and understand the working of the system. Two, despite the prestige associated with civil services, I wanted to have an alternative to rely on"".Chairman-""If that was the case, you could have chosen any field. Why this one in specific?""Me-"" If you cast a look at my hobbies, Sir, you'd see that I am a little inclined towards the creative side. Mass communication was the obvious choice to help me capitalize on my hobbies. Plus, experiencing the field of journalism only strengthened my resolve to get in the services. ""Chairman-""Hmm. I see you have done your graduation from Dharamshala. Can you name a personality who has passed out from the same college as yours?""Me-""Mr. Dev Anand, Sir""Chairman-""Waah, Waah!"". He said and everyone gave a broad smile. I don't know if it was sarcasm or they were really expecting me to name someone else. But he is the only one that I knew about. With this, the Chairman passed the baton to Member 2.M2-"" So Akil, You say Mass communication strengthened your resolve to be in the services. What made you think about getting into the services, in the first place?""Me-"" With your permission, I'd like to narrate an anecdote to answer this, Sir.M2-""Go ahead.""Me-""It was somewhere in 2006 Sir, when I was having a discussion with a friend of mine. He blamed all ills of our society on the government and administration. His words left an indelible impression on my mind and I realized that criticizing a system from the warmth of our cosy homes is an easy task. What is difficult is to get in there, and be a part of the change you wish to see. This is when I decided that I wanted to be a part of the administrative service so that I could contribute towards national growth and development.""M2-""So you want to work for the growth of this nation?""Me-""The nation and its people"".M2-""Okay. Tell me, do you know who Dalai Lama is?""Me-"" Yes Sir. He is the religious head of a certain sect of Tibetan Buddhism"".M2-""You stay near Dharamshala. Have you met him?""Me-No Sir. I have seen him in public appearances but have ever had the opportunity to personally meet him"".M2-""Is it possible for laymen to personally meet him?"" (He genuinely appeared to show interest)Me-""Yes Sir. You have to write to his Secretary and seek an appointment. Sometimes it takes years! If you are lucky, it might as well take a few weeks only"".M2-""Why did he come to Dharamshala?""Me-"" The immediate reason was the threat of his arrest. A religious function was due and it was rumored, that the Chinese authorities would take him to Beijing. Otherwise, there was a larger picture behind it"".M2-"" Tell me what the larger picture was?""Me-""Sir, essentially the friction began in 1912. The Chinese Qing dynasty was dethroned and Tibet gained independence. It retained that status till 1951 when the PLA took over. A 17 point agreement was signed between Tibet and China which made Tibet an autonomous region within China. However, Tibet claims that this agreement was signed under duress. A revolution brewed for a good period of 9 years and its culmination saw Dalai Lama crossing over to India in 1959"".M2-""1959?"", he asked with raised eyebrows, ""Are you sure?""Me-"" Yes Sir, I am"".M2-""What was the status of Tibet before 1912?""Me-""It was under Chinese domination"".M2-""Has it always been under Chinese domination?""Me-""No Sir. But it has always been a part of some larger empire. There were periods when Tibet was completely autonomous. At other times, it was subjugated. However, they have always maintained a distinct culture and lifestyle"". (I don't know how right this answer was, but this was the only neutral wording I could afford to use).M2-"" When did India accept Tibet to be a part of China?""Me-"" In 2003, Sir. During Prime Minister Vajpayee's regime"".M2-""Are you sure about that?""Me-""That is what I am aware of Sir. Prime Minister Nehru, in his lifetime, had not accepted Chinese suzerainty over Tibet"".Here the Chairman interrupted- ""It was in 1956 actually"", he said, "" That is when India accepted Tibet to be a part of China"".I had been specifically asked not to contradict. Though this went against the common knowledge, I only nodded, smiled and said that I was not aware of this fact.M2-""What do you think should India do in the Tibet-China dispute?""Me-""India follows a foreign policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. The dispute between Tibet and China is for them to resolve. India can only provide conditions conducive to such resolution. In fact, we have formally stated that despite the asylum granted to the Tibetan administration, we would not permit any anti-China activities to take place on our soil"".M2-""Okay. What do you think about the current government?"" (The change of topic was quite abrupt and random)Me-""Each government has its flaws, Sir. This one has had its share too. It has created certain policies with lacunae. However, from what I have read and seen around me, it has also taken a number of appreciable steps. While it is not possible to create perfect institutions in the first go, measures have been still taken. I believe if the implementation and supervisory mechanisms are bettered, the government will be in a position to achieve much more"" - ( I purposely did not name any schemes or programs as it would have lead to a discussion on that subject. Don't know if that was the right thing to do or if I could have used some names to enrich my answer).When I finished with this though, I heard a little 'Good' from M2. Or maybe I am imagining it now. Anyway, he pointed me to Member 3 after this.M3-""So you write stories?""Me-"" I do, Sir"",M3-""What kind of stories?""Me-""Short stories, Sir. Both realist and non-realist fiction"".M3-""Okay. One of your hobbies is also Oratory"".Me-""Yes Sir""M3-""I'll give you a topic. Think about it for 2 minutes and then give me an extempore speech. Can you?""Me-""I'll try my level best Sir""- ( This actually excited me because it was pretty much within my sphere of competence.)M3-""Your topic is- Should India have a Presidential form of Government? You are free to choose sides- For or against. Take your time to think"".While I gave myself a minute to ponder over my points I realized that while I was conversing with M3, the Chairman had gone to the washroom. He came back just then, saw me sitting without uttering a word and casually asked, ""What happened?""Before I could answer, M3 explained the situation to him and they sat quietly. After about 45 seconds, I began. The following is what I can loosely recollect. It explains the line I towed. I don't recall my exact words. It was extempore, remember?""The founding fathers of India have blessed this nation with a democratic set-up. This decision was arrived at after thorough consultation and debate. The primary reason why India adopted a parliamentary form of government was to ensure that representation was provided to even the lowest rungs of the society. Considering the diversity, in terms of religion, culture and tradition, of India, transferring the power to the hands of a single person does not seem feasible. Not only would that hinder true empowerment but there would also be a worry of the man turning into a dictator"".- I spoke for around a minute and I am not too sure what else I added in there, but yes, by and large, this was it.M3 responded with an 'Okay', wrote something on a paper and referred me to M4.M4-""How many deserts are there in India, Akil?""Me-""There is the Thar Desert in Rajasthan and the Cold deserts of Himalayas"" - (I believe this is what he wanted to check. If I knew about the deserts in the upper reaches of my state)M4-Right.While he sat looking at the paper in his hand, I added- ""Also, the Runn of Kutch in Gujarat, Sir"".M4-""Oh Yes. I'd forgotten that""- And everybody shared a laugh. On what, I have no clue. However, I kept my smile on.M4-""Do you know what is the minimum temperature in the cold deserts of Spiti?""Me-""I can't be too sure Sir, but I believe it ranges between -10 to -20 degree Celsius.""M4-"" You're right. Its. -15"". He paused for a bit and then went again, ""What is the minimum temperature in Antarctica?""Me-"" I can't be precise again Sir, but it should be somewhere between -60 to -80"".M4-""It is -129!"". The Chairman interrupts, ""Really?"", he looks at M4. M4 nods.Me-(With a look of genuine surprise on my face- or at least that is what I hope it was)- ""Oh. I didn't know that, Sir"".M4-Smiles and continues with his tirade- "" If you are posted as a DC in Lahaul-Spiti, what kind of statistics would you like to collect?""Me-"" Should these be in terms of physical or human statistics, Sir?""M4-""Any. That's up to you.""Me-""Sir, the first thing I would do is to collect data on soil fertility. Agriculture has been a constant issue with these areas and a lot of land can be reclaimed for other income-generating purposes""M4-""Like growing orchids and orchards?""Me-""Yes Sir. Flori-culture and horticulture have a lot of scope in these areas""M4-""Go on""Me-""Secondly, I would come to the health and education parameters. If the populace is healthy and well educated, the technological interventions are well received. This would mean that economic and social inclusion would be easy. Finally, I would pay my attention to the infrastructural facilities and collect data about their presence and functioning"".M4-A sudden change of topic again- "" If you are posted as a DC in Shimla, how would you handle the 'theft of' electricity?""Call it a bad stroke of luck or the stupidity of my auditory mechanism, what I heard was ""tapped up electricity"". Or Maybe it was simply his pronunciation. Nevertheless, I asked- ""I am sorry, Sir. Did you say tapped up electricity?""M4-""Thaaaft"", he clarified- It was his pronunciation after all. This may have irked him.Me-"" The first thing I would do is to try and find out the reasons for this theft.....""M4-""Are there reasons for electricity theft?"", he cut me short, ""What are they?""Me-""Sir, they may range from unequal distribution to diversion for other purposes. Even over-consumption is a reason""M4-""People simply put a hook over the wire which runs in front of their house and steal electricity. What reasons do you want to find? Don't you think you'll encourage corruption this way?""- He uttered this sentence in an extremely sarcastic manner, or so I presumed. He looked at other members and they shared a laugh. I felt a little embarrassed here but showing that publicly would have been disastrous. My damage-control mode got activated.Me-"" My apologies if I seemed to convey that message, Sir. I suppose my articulation was incorrect. When I said 'reasons', I meant, the 'how', 'when' and 'where' of the theft taking place. Once that has been determined, I would take a two-pronged action. One, the lapses on the part of the authorities would be accounted for. Those who are responsible for overlooking would be brought to book. Two, I would conduct household checks to ensure that they are not misusing electricity.""M4-""Okay"",he simply said and motioned to Member 5. - I somehow feel I messed up with Member 4. My answer was probably not good enough.M5-""Since you have studied Mass communication, you must have studied advertising?""Me-""Yes Sir.""M5-""Then tell me, what is the difference between Advertising and Publicity?""Me-""Advertising focuses its approach on 3 things- There must be a product, There must be a sponsor and the sponsor and the product must share a 'paid' relationship. Publicity, on the other hand is usually not about products. It relates selling an idea or opinion...""M5-Interrupted me in the middle of the sentence, ""Does Publicity have anything to do with being paid in comparison to Advertising?""Me-""Sir, Advertising must be necessarily paid while Publicity may be either paid or unpaid.""M5-""Okay. Do you know about Oglivy's contribution to advertising?""Me-""I am sorry Sir. Advertising was not my branch of specialization"". - I realized the blunder later. I should have at least mentioned that Oglivy was the father of Advertising.M5-""No problem. So, you have done your post-graduation from Amritsar.""Before I could say No, the Chairman corrected him, ""No. He has done it from Delhi. Their University has a campus in Amritsar"".The he turned to me, ""Am I right?""I smiled politely, ""You are, Sir"".M5-""Where in Delhi was your college located?""Me-""At the Dwarka Institutional area"".With this M5 nodded. The Chairman picked up a paper, smiled and said, ""Thank you, Akil"".I uttered the well-rehearsed Thank you's and walked out. Strangely, I neither felt anxious, nor nervous. There was just a subtle exhilaration at the interview being over. Since this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I had to write it down. If you are reading this, please don't judge the conversation. I haven't got my results as yet. When I do, I'll know whether I am still in the frying pan or I have jumped into the fire.

Amit GoyalType:InterviewWhat is your name, DOB, Roll No. etc.Me:AnseredC:Which type of devotional music you listen (It was my hobby to listen devotional music)Me:Sir I listen to songs by Vinod Aggarwal, Krishan bhakti songs.C:Why not other music?Me:Sir I listen other music as well, but mainly I listen devotional one.C:Why you listen devotional music?Me:Sir it gives me peace of mind.C:So you are usually in stress?Me:Yes Sir I do as after long hours of working there is a bit of stress. I prepare tea, coffee etc. listen to devotional songs and my stress is gone.C:What is Trial by Media?Me:Sir when due to reports in media a perception is made in the mind of general public as to who is guilty and who is innocent, without the case being completely tried by the court.C:Then what about journalistic ethics?Me:Sir its clearly a case of violation of these ethics.C:Then why Press Council is not taking any action?Me:Sir First It does not have enough powers to take action and secondly it does not cover electronic media.Member1 (M1):Amit you have got 46th rank in C.A. you was having good opportunities to earn money. Then why are you coming to civil services?Me:Sir first of all money is not every thing, secondly govt. pays a good salary and finally working in corporate would have restricted my scope of work to Accounts, Audit or Tax, but working in civil services is working for a larger cause.M1:What are the problems of women in Haryana?Me:Sir the condition of women in Haryana is really worrisome and is reflected in very low sex ratio of 861 and esp. 617 in literate people. In addition to it are problems of Khap, Honour killing etc.M1:What will you do if you are a DC in an area affected by such problem of low sex ratio?Me:Sir I will go for a two pronged strategy- Implementation of Pre Natal Diagnostics Act and creating awareness among people.M1:How will you use media for this purpose?Me:Sir we can have big sign board along the roads giving message that if girls are not there then with to get marry your sons with? Similarly we can use mass media.M2:Amit do you think that cricket is squeezing out other games in India?Me:Mam, I do not think so as I think that any game is made popular by its achievement as it is in case of cricket. Once we had achievements in Hockey, it was pretty much famous.M2:What achievements we have made after 1983. No 2nd world cup?Me:We have won many important tournaments. Individual records like that of Sachin are almost unachievable.M2:But all sponsors are going to cricket leaving nothing to other games.Me:Mam that has a natural reason as cricket has a scope of advertisement after every six balls while other games does not have such advantage.M2:We are a big nation and got only 3 medals at Olympics. Is not it a shameful thing?Me:Mam, its not a shameful thing but an eye opener for us to go into the reason for such low performance.M2:What are those reasons?Me:One such reason is Infrastructure gap. We do not have playing ground for people to practice. Whatever infrastructure we have is for champions only, for AAM ADMI they are always LOCKED.M2:Is there something like Sporting Culture?Me:Yes, since our childhood days we were told that kheloge koodoge banoge kharab, padoge likhoge banoge nawab meaning that the stress was on the studies only.M2: Is it changing now( I said yes), and why?Me: Today parents know that sports and study are not contradictory to each other, there is good career in sports and lot of money and fame for the family.M3:When are IFRS going to be introduced in India?Me:The date is 01 April 2011, but I consider it to be 01 April 2010 as companies prepare comparative accounts for two years and there for figures for 2010-2011 are to be adjusted as per new standards.M3:What problems will Indian companies face?Me:There may be shortage of skilled personnel, more compliance as number of standards in IFRS are higher.M3:Do you think that we will be able to adopt them?Me:Sir ICAI has issues INDAS to be followed. So we are adopting as it is but are modifying them as per our needs.M3:Whats the need for IFRS?Me:Sir today global firms operate in India and India firms operate worldwide, that why we need them to have a common business language.M4:What is PAC?Me:Sir PAC is a parliamentary committee to look into the CAG reports on PSEs.M4:on PSEs?C:Is not there something called COPU?Me: Sorry sir realize that I made a mistake. PAC is a parliamentary committee to look into the reports of CAG on accounts of Central and State Govts.M4:is there any PAC like mechanism at State level?Me:Sir I am not sure but I think that there is.C:ok Amit you can go now.Me:Thank you every one.Exam Interview Details :Subjects Taken :Commerce, Public AdministrationDate:23-Mar-2011Interview Board :Dr. K.K. PaulCity :Palwal (HR)

1. Are you doing Ph.D.?2. When are you completing Ph.D.?3. Whats your research topic?4. So you are working on tomato breeding. In Europe they grow tomatoes in polyhouse and transport from Spain to UK n all. We produce large quantity of tomato, why cant we export to Europe?5. Is there any GM variety in Tomato in India?6. Relation between GM crop and organic farming?7. Are we producing tomatoes organically?8. Do you recommend organic farming in India?9. You have mentioned your mother tongue as Tulu. Where it is spoken?10. Whether tulu has script?11. India has huge diversity in languages? What needs to be done to promote regional and neglected languages?12. There was news about a language which is spoken by only one person. Do you know the region where that language is spoken?13. Which schedule of the constitution has provision for languages?Member 1:1. Name some of the recent varieties released by UAS, Dharwad (Univ. where I graduated from)?2. You know red chillies. Do you know long chilli variety introduced from Brazil?3. Why Kisan Mela is required? Dont you think its a waste?Member 2:1. (He read some statistics from a survey made by India Today regarding corruption in India) So, how to control corruption? Tell me in points.2. Tell me what is the basic thing in controlling corruption?3. In 1960s Secretary for John F. Kennedy has told China is the biggest threat to the World? Though Russia was the biggest threat to USA at that time, what may be the reason that made him to say that?4. Tell me why many are against Israel? Tell me in historical perspective?5. Why China is ahead of India in grabbing opportunities around the world? E.g. In Srilanka, Maldives, Africa. Why are we lagging behind?Member 3:1. (He read some statistics regarding income disparity explaining percentage of millionaires and poor in India) Why this income disparity exists in India?2. Which country has highest population?3. So China does not have such disparity despite having highest population. Why India has such income disparity?Member 4:1. What is lacking in sports administration?2. (Based on my answer) So you are saying we are not doing well?3. Which sports you play?4. You know recently IOC has decided to drop wrestling from Olympics. What do you think about that?5. Do you know about housing problem in police service?6. Have you ever had an encounter with Karnataka police? (Everybody laughs at the use of word encounter)Q. Was your interview on the expected lines of what you had prepared?Did they ask you totally unexpected questions?Most of the questions were unexpected, but from expected areas. I managed to answer majority of the questions though not in a perfect way.

Anurima Sharma (Interview Marks 205)hi allthis was my civil services interview on 27 March 2010,fore noon session. I went in and greeted the members. Chairman(cm) asked me to sit*CM :* So, you are from Miss Hill school,gwalior?*ME :* yes sir..*CM :* oh! i am also from the same school*ME :* I smiled. Great sir.*CM :* So,now tell me, why its known as miss hill?*ME :* Sir,named on miss Agnes Hill,the founder who established it in 1900.*CM :* ok.what did she do before that?*ME :* Sorry sir! I am not aware.*CM :* Kamaal hai!!*ME :* (smile)*CM :* She used to teach the kids of royal dynasty.*ME :* Thank you sir.*CM :* Can u guess,wich maharajas time she worked?*ME :* Madhav Rao Scindia IInd*CM and all Members: *Arey!*ME :* Sorry sir,slip of tongue..its Madhav Rao Scindia Ist*CM :* Now, lets come out of Gwalior.*CM :* What is your opinion about foreign universitys bill?*ME :* Sir,i feel it will help in raising the benchmarks and providing more options..but some checks and balances are required.*CM :* Is it a competition betwen equals or unequals?*ME :* Sir,as of now its competition between unequals. And thats why it should be monitored and regulated.*CM :* What kind of checks?*ME :* Sir,curriculum must be the same as they offer abroad. Then, exorbitant fee should not be charged. It should be in national interest and in tandem with Indian culture.*CM :* You have used a very interesting termIndian Culture. I have never understood it. Now tell me, wat do you mean by it?*ME :* Sir, its the existing socio- economic- political conditions. The way of living life in india. For example, IIT and IIM should teach managemnt and technology, which caters to our needs.*CM :* No..indian culturetell me..you are dressed in a sari, so a girl dressed in skirt should not be imparted education?*ME :* No sir, definitely not, thats not wat i mean..*CM :* Then?*ME :* Sir,i meant that it should be sensitive to the indian society.*CM :* When i go to Gurudwara, i cover my head.*ME :* Thats what my point is sir.cm n all members: You are a science student, be concrete. Dont be abstract.*ME :* Right sir.*CM :* Ok, so..my son who is born in America, stands nowhere infront of these youngsters who eat pizzas, use slangs and swirl to the tunes of shalika?*Another Member Corrected CM :* sir Shakira??*CM :* Yes, yesMexican singer..Shakira.*ME :* sir.*CM :* So? what is Indian culture?*ME :* Sir, the socio-political conditions of India are different from rest of the world. We are emotional peoplereligious beliefs(cm interrupted)*CM :* So, you mean, some other religions should be barred from education?*ME :* Absolutely not sir. Thats what I am sayingIndian Secularism. We are different!!*CM :* Aap apne ko fasaa rahey ho*ME :* I smiled*CM :* Ok ok. Forget it. Now, you come from GwaliorThere was a news recently where a political leader was given 101 salutes of rounds. Stupid people (laughs loudly)*ME :* Yes sir.*CM :* As a DM , what you would have done?*ME :* Sir, i wouldnt have allowed it.*CM :* Ok, you wouldnt have allowed it. Which section of IPC prohibits it?*ME :* Sorry sir,i am not aware .*CM :* Ok..so, you would have done what?*ME :* Sir,i am sure, had i been the DM, i had known, what to do. But,as of nowi would say, i have take legal expertise and taken an action in legal framework.m4: Oh..but you dont know IPC section?*ME :* Yes sir, i dont know that. But I know that firing in public is an offence.*CM :* Anurima, your common sense is at its right place. And for a public offence, you can lodge an FIR.*ME :* Thank you sir. Right sir, I would have done the same.m 4: And you can seize the arms, cancel their licences also.*ME :* Thank you sir. I would have done this also.*CM :* Ok..now tell me who are Sahariyas?*ME :* Sir, Sahariyas are the tribals who inhabit Gwalior, Morena, Raisen.*CM :* Ok, tell me whats their economic condition?*ME :* Sir, they are weavers..kabirpanthis.*CM :* No, no..economic condition?*ME :* Sir, its not very good.*CM :* Which area is having hunger and starvation more than Ethiopia and Sudan?*ME :* Sorry sir, I am not aware.*CM :* Its Sahariya belt.*ME :* Thank u sir, i will take a note of it.*CM :* Suppose, you are DM at Morena..what would you do to tackle it?*ME :* Sir,effective implementation of PDS and TPDs. Bringing them under MGREGA, generating employmentby using food coupons, various subsidies and making sure they reach the needy.*CM :* Ok. Now have you heard of honour killings?*ME :* Yes sir.*CM :* In your area also, there are honour killings.*ME :* Yes sir.*CM :* Suppose you are DM or IPS officer of Morena, a couple is being set to fire by a panchayat, what would you do?*ME :* Sir,i would be flanked by many people, well armed and immediately i shall provide security cover to the couple. Nextly, i shall try to strike a conversation with people.*CM :* Ok..scene changed..they dont listen to you. They are just going to murder the couple..your reaction?*ME :* Sir,i wud take massive number of staff and somehow try to snatch the couple from their hands.*CM :* Hav you been to any village there?*ME :* Yes sir!*CM :* Then, you think those people listen to anybody?(laughs)*ME :* Sir, thats why, i said..i will take a large number of people.*CM :* Ok, and if in that case, a few people are to be killed..what would you do?*ME :* Sir, violence wouldnt be my first priority.*M4 :* Then? You will allow the couple to die?*ME :* No sir.*M4 :* But you said, you wont resort to violence?*ME :* Sir, i said..violence wont be the first priority..but if i am left with no optionsi will.*CM :* Ok..if that means 7 people killed..who happen to be from the home ministers partyand then your job??*ME :* Sir,i would resort to violent methods if i am left with nothing else.*CM :* Tell me,u will shoot or you wont?*ME :* I will go ahead sir.*CM :* Think again.*ME :* Sir, i am joining the services after lot of thinking. If this step helps in making a mark..i will go ahead.*CM :* I wish that, wen you join services, you stick to your word.*ME :* I shall never disappoint you, sir.*CM :* Ok, can you trace Indias Foreign Policy over the last 60 years.*ME :* Yes sir.*CM :* Do that.*ME :* NAM, Panchsheel, Rationalism, Pragmatism now I answered in detail.*CM :* Is it a success?*ME :* Yes sir.*CM :* After 26/11,we are still talking with Pakistan, whos not doing anything. USA giving aid to Pakistan. We are building relations with it also. How is it successful?*ME :* Sir,we have followed madhyam marga (Middle Path) always.*M4 :* Another abstract! (all smile)*CM :* You say, IFP is successful. I say, its a failure. Defend yourself.*ME :* Sir, we have always believed in talking and sorting out the issues. We have favoured sharing a common platform and exchanging notes. A terrible stand of violence would lead to bad consequences.*CM :* Ok.*M1 :* You come from gwalior. A Baarat in your area is considered to be good, when usmein bahut wardi aur bandookein ho?*ME :* Smile*M1 :* Do you appreciate this?*ME :* Yes sir.*M1 :* Why is it so?*ME :* Sir, law and order is a problem there. Criminals are many. Hence, uniform is associated with power and dignity.*M1 :* And such baarats have higher dowries?*ME :* Smileyes sir.*M1 :* She is smiling!!*M1 :* What is the meaning of your name?*ME :* Sir, modified form of arunima.*M1 :* Ravines are a problem in your area.any schemes?*ME :* Yes sir. (I provide all details)*M1 :* Tell me various welfare schemes by your state govt for females.*ME :* Janani suraksha, Gaaon ki beti..( in detail)*M2 :* Bhopal gas tragedy, poison, has the compensation been paid.then?*M3 :* (lady member): Sarva shiksha abhiyaan.if its successful. Mid day mealsits pros and cons*M4* asked me to differentiate between cellular biology, microbiology and biotech. Then,he asked me to give examples of contribution of biotech to food and health, then asked me what are antibiotics? Is attaining them a biological process or chemical? Then, i was told my interview is over.I thanked all. All wished me best of luck for future. I thanked all again. *M2 *laughed and said, Anurima! I wished i could understand your name better. All laughed. I also joined in.and got back!

Aravind MenonInterview Date:16/04/2012Interview Board:Smt Alka SirohiPlace:Thiruvananthapuram, KeralaAttempt No.:2nd AttemptRank (CSE 2011): AIR 201Interview Marks:183 marksOptional Subjects :Public Administration, Malayalam LanguageDetails of Graduation:B.Tech in Electronics & Communication from College of Engineering,Trivandrum Extracurricular activities, hobbies, achievements etc. : Cricket , PhotographyMy interview was on 16th in the afternoon session. 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.Question: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.Question:then why world is like thisMe:a minority of people may be irrational causing hardships , but since majority are rational world is still existingQuestion:Current political situation in Arab Spring countriesM2Question :Is there any conflict of interest b/n india and china in indian ocean as both are energy hungry nations.I did not 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.M3Question:Current status of the 'treasure' in SreePadmanabhaswamy temple and how to use it ( I am from kerala)Answer: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.Question:in case of bop crisis?Me:in that case it can be used for pledging but has to recovered when situation improves.Question:will a 1991 type crisis recur in indiaMe:No. diversity of trade, 300bn$ forex etcM4 :Asked about the details of the recent SC judgement on RTE which I answered.CMQuestion:satellites in india and their uses.Me:didnt remember much . Told abt insat, metsat, risat.Question:remote sensing and its uses.Me:replied but not satisfactorily.Question:rocket launching centre?Me:sriharikkotaQuestion:why?Me:earth's rotation aids the launch when it is launched in the easterly directionQuestion: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 Question were not asked. "

. Arun Sundar Thayalan IAS Qualification:B.comOptional:First:Commerce, Second: Pub.Ad.Hobbies:Listening to music, reading books,visiting orphanageBoard:Smt.Shashi Uben TripathiTotal Mark:1298Interview Mark:165Rank:22

Me: Good morning Madam, Good morning SirsChairperson:(with cordial and pleasant smile) Good Morning

C.P: Take your seat..CP: What is ACSMe: i explainedMe: mainly film music now also some classical music

CP:what is the classical music of India?Me: Carnatic and Hindustani

CP:what is the difference between our classical music and western?Me:(I murmured Ragas but did't tell..) sorry i don't know

M1:you finished graduation in 2005 and for the last 4 years what are you doing.?Me: i repeated the same answer. he too doesn't know about ACS

M1:did you work after graduationMe: no sir

M1: hecontinued you studied management and accounting in ACS, recently there was a controversy about an accounting standard. Do you know that? what is the controversy? what will be the best in public interest?Me:I talked elaborately on accounting standard 11 (and purposefully I said I oppose the governments decision and told my reason for that)

M1: your opinion ok.. what is the accounting body says?Me: I told the ICAI's opinion which was similar to my opinion

M1: Arun you are from Tuticorin. Tell us something about the exports and imports from Tuticorin Port TrustMe: I said coal coal primary import and marine primary export

M1: Is there Fish processing industries in Tuticorin?Me: Yes sir there is two leading private companies

M1: what will be the impact of Sethu Samudram Shipping Canal Project on Tuticorin? Port Trust?Me:I said the merits like foreign exchange benefits and up gradation of tuticorin port into a hub port etc..

M1:(interrupted abruptly) No, i'm asking about the impact on the port, you are saying the benifit of SSCP (and he uttered something else too, which i can not hear)Me: (since i can not understand him) sorry sir, i couldn't understand you

M1: what are the ports that will benefit from SSCP?Me:Tuticorin, Chennai, Ennore major ports & Nagappatnam minor ports

M2: (intervened) ...you said Primary export of TPT is marine goods. What wll be the impact of SSCP on the fisheries?Me:Less if not zero impact. NEERI report-Govt. precautionary 60 crore project onRameshwaram sea shore.

M2:What fisherman say?Me: Apprehension of coral reef, biosphere reserve, planktons damaged, iol spill and wastages of ships

M2:What the Govt. says?Me:( i started once again NEERI etc, he stopped)

M2:Govt. says once SSCP gets activated new fishes may come.. what do you thinkMe: Sorry sir i don't know

M2:Okay, Recently NDTV has declared 7 wonders of India.. What are the seven wonders? What will be the seven wonders you would choose?Me: I asked them i have to tell my seven wonders or NDTV's ?

(M2 started before that Chairperson intervened and told say your seven wonders)Me:I sayed upto 5 wonders and said sorry: your name is Arun Sundar.. is arun your name? (i said 'yes' Ma'm and befoicontinuing.. She moved on)

M2: You finished your graduation on 2005 and now almost 3 years (i said 4 years) what did you do in this mean while?Me:After graduation IAS as career- started preparing for it and ACS

CP:your hobby is listeningto music. what kind of music you listen?CP: RAGAS based on which our classical singers sing (she pointed out to the members sitting to her left)M3:You studied B.com (Computer Application), How will your computer application will work in rural areas?Me: It could help for farmers, students, common man

M3:Tell us some computer application which has substantially affected the common man(i was thinking for few seconds) Chairperson:Quick tell Three applicationMe: I told E-governance application

M4: You are from Tuticorin, your farmers are earning crores of crores in Jatropha cultivation. I hope you know that. what is the agro-climatic conditions required for the cultivation of Jatropha plant?Me: Jatropha is a all weather crop but in Tuticorin dry land is best suitable.. no other crops are conomically viable ( M4 found I was making an intelligent reasoning sinceTuticorin is a dry climate... so as expected, he intervened)

M4: If i plant Jatropha in Jaisalmar, in which during day time 41 degree C nighttemperature fall below zero, can Jatropha grow there?Me: I don't know sir..

M4:okay no problem. Recently supreme court has advised Urban Local Bodies to go for double entry book keeping. What will be the impact?Me:Sir, it is a better accounting practice...

M4:(once again intervened) We know that.What will be the impact on the local bodies which even can not give salaries to its employees?Me:( i couldn't understand his perspective, i thought positive aspect only) I don't know sirthen he explained the negative implication..

CP:Your hobby is reading books. what kind of book you are reading.Me: usually fictions navel of Tamil andEnglish

CP:of?Me:on

CP: inMe: ( I begged sorry and laughed. she too smiled)

CP: What is the last book you read?Me: Jeffrey Archer's Kane and AbelCP: is it? ( she gave a warm smile) DidJeffrey Archer come any time to India?Me: I don't know

CP: last year he came to India and there was some hue and cry in New Delhi.. okayCP:Visiting Orphanage.. What is the name of he orphanageMe:Nesa Karangal (before continuing chairperson interrupted}

CP:You just visit or do any other workMe:Ma'm we don't just visit

CP:Last Question ( both of us stopped at the same, ma'm gotlittle bitangry. I immediatelyapolozised and asked her to go for the next Qs.)CP:50% of our population is youth. Is it an boon or a Disability to India?Me: I listed DemographicDividend, availability of labour force, productivity, production, competitive advantage but for all skillimprovement,utilization mechanism needed, health and education problem. unless skills improved and utilized, it is a disability

CP:(She gave me a confused smile) unless skills were there it will be a liabilityMe: Yes ma'm

CP:(once again a warm smile) okay Arun you may go now..Me: i thanked the chair person and members and walked slowly towards that

Bhuvnesh Pratap SinghInterview Writeup:31st march 2011, I was the fourth candidate to be interviewed in after noon session. Interview started at 3 45 pm. As soon as I entered even without looking at me KKP Sir told to sit. I was confused as I have not yet greeted them members. However I wished members and took my seat.Chairmen started (KKP Sir) Dr Bhuvnesh:Whats your name?ME: Sir Bhuvnesh Pratap SinghKKP Sir:Your Roll NoME: 48756KKP Sir:Your Date of BirthME: 22/7/1983 (by now I was thinking what he is up to taking interview or interrogating me)KKP Sir:Dr you have worked in ONGC FOR 1 YEAR why did you left itME: Sir, I was on contract there . which got overKKP Sir:SO, you left ONGC or they left you ??or you left it for preparingME: Sir, As contract period was over so I deciced to leave andI had to prepare also..KKP Sir:Your hobbies are Teaching, Writing Hindi Poems, Introspection (he read this in one go). You write what sort of poems.ME: Sir, For my friends.KKP Sir:For friends or about friends? You tease your friends in your poems?ME: Sir. I write for my friends. I try to incorporate my emotions in poems.KKP Sir:and this introspection.. it is same as diary writingME: Yes Sir, I do write diary also. But since I do introspection often so I have written it as my hobby.KKP Sir:What you doME: Sir I try to evaluate my behaviour. I think about how I think, I review my decisions, also it sets me right when ever I go wrong. It guides my emotion to do better.KKP Sir:You are emotional person?ME: Yes sirKKP Sir:An emotional person cannot be practical person and practical person cannot be emotional also. We dont need such peopleME: Sir, Shall I take an exampleKKP Sir:OKME: Sir, Since I am a doctor and when ever my patient comes to me. I show my emotion and my empathy towards him to accommodate him. But while prescribing the drugs I am the most practical person. I prescribe based on scientific tenets. so I think an emotional person can be practical too.KKP Sir:Till now his face was wearing mask. He didnt showed any facial expression and pointed fingers towards 1st member to ask questionME:member 1 (M1:) he was sitting left to himM1: So Dr. you are from Agra.ME: Yes sir.M1: Dr I call AGRA as a GUTTER despite it being tourist place it is very dirty.ME: Sir, I beg to defer with you here, Sir you are talking about pre 2008 status now Agra has changed a lot.M1: Really?ME: Yes sirM1: Ok tell me what all we can do to tackle such problems in big metropolis.ME: Sir we need to educate people, We should strengthen municipality corp, allow them to come up with bonds to ensure their financial instability.M1: and in Cities?ME: Sir, I am staying in Delhi from past 1 year and I saw that MCD sends their autos and truck to clean the areas. so I think we can copy this plan in other cities like Agra also.M1: Who is responsible for all this messME: Sir, We all!M1: How we?ME: Sir, We are the one who throw our garbage in roads and there is implementation failure also.M1: Government is coming up with courses like BRMS because there is scarcity of doctor and you people instead of working in rural area come and join services. Why are you shifting from your field.ME: Sir, An MBBS is just a beginning or a step in medical field and today's era of multi-specialisation (inter disciplinary) I think we can help more and I being doctor I am more well versed with fellow doctors problems and I think I can tackle that through Civil Services. Sir, Recently there was a news that in Maharashtra only 40 % students of 1st year reach 2nd year and I think I understand this problem better.KKP Sir:Interrupted the M1 and asked M2 (Lady member) to ask.M2: Dr what are your views about traditional medicine, should we discard it.ME: Mam, Ayurvedahas treated our people from past 2000 year and even till today we all rely on Ayurvedatraditional medicines is deep rooted in us take for example we all eatChawanprashwhich is an Ayurveda prep. Mam what I believe that Ayurveda in in its lowest ebb now and allopathic medicine in its peak.. so there is need for more research in this field.M2: But we do not have money.ME: True mam. But govt is working in this front we have AYUSH dept. we have Homeopathy, Ayurveda college etc.M2: Dr do you know about HDIME: Yes mamM2: Who measures health component on HDIME: And then I kept quiet for sometime and then she prompted that is national family health survey.M2: Do you know what is our ranking in thisME: Sorry mam I dont know.. but I know we are behind srilanka n Bhutan in thisM2: Yes. But why so?ME: Mam may be population pressure.KKP interrupted mam and told member 3 to ask me was sitting right to me mam wanted to ask more question but she stopped and I gave a smile to her. KKP Sir was listening when I was tellingChawanprashstuff how ever till now KKP Sir and other mebers did not gave any expression.M3:Dr you told you are emotional,, what is difference between emotional person and impulsive and who is betterME: sir, impulsive person takes decision instantaneously while emotional thinks and i believe emotional is better than impulsiveM3:asked one more ques relating to emotion which I have never heard, so I stated that I dont know sirM3:Dr do you take interest in foreign afFairsME: Yes Sir, I doM3:Who is India's best friendME: Sir, in long term relations I it is Russia and recently it is USAM3:WHY USA needs us, Big brother attitude of USAME: Sir for balance of power with china, its strategic interest, its commercial interest. We are largest consumer of US goodsblah..blahM3:What do you think that doctors are going to USA and not serving nationME: Sir, they do help us gain dollar which we require the mostM3:But dollar is no more an international currencyME: True sir, but we import oil which is need of hour and their payment has to be done in dollar terms so dollar is valuable for usM3:Ok , do you know how much is foreign exchange reserve nowME: I was not sure and wanted to play safe so I told Sir I think its more than 250 mn dollarsM3:Ok quiet above this value. He points toward member 4.M4:Dr as you rightly pointed out that MBBS is just beginning ,but dont you think that doctors are not at all going to rural area what about health of rural peopleME: Sir I beg to defer with you here,, (he nodded) Sir infact my friends are working in rural area, my seniors are also working in rural area also Sirwhen I was student during my community medicine postings I have seen doctors working in rural area.. Sirhowever I do agree that there is problem of turn over.M4:Dr you are from Agra or KarnatakaME: Sir AgraM4:But you have spent your most of time in KarnatakaME: Yes sir, but I was sent there.M4:Sent?ME: Yes Sir, Since I had my schooling in military school so I was sent there, But Sir later I started liking that place and infact I learned Kannada also and later on did MBBS from there.M4:what was your choice for military schoolME: Sir, I dont remember (that form was filled when I was in 5th and what I remember my father had filled that form)M4: You did MBBS from Bijapur. Bijapur is famous for??ME: After a pause Sirits GolgumbazM4:Nodding his head .. What it is?ME: Sir Mausoleum of Adil ShahM4:But why it is famous for?ME: Second largest dome of world. Sir also one sound resonates for 7 time.KKP Sir:In