IAS 2009 TOPPER INTERVIEW

- D DIVYA (Rank 37)

Remain Posii!e an" #a$!e Yo%$ O&n Pa'(
An engineer by qualification and a humanitarian by choice, she has an
insatiable yearning for knowledge and a deep-rooted desire to serve the
masses and that is what led her to the top. Meet D) DIVYA in a heart-to
heart talk with Competition Wizard.
*) To whom and to what do you credit your success?
A) To my father, who instilled the joy of serving others and nurtured
the aspiration for joining the ivil !ervices in me. To my mother,
who is a role model to me, being a successful woman both in the
professional and personal front in spite of tremendous hardships
she faced. To my husband, who inspired me by his sensitivity to
the oppressed and made me stronger to face the challenges that life
has to offer. To my teachers, who made this learning process
enjoyable and to my friends who stood by me during the difficult
times.
*) Why did you choose Civil Services as a career?
A) " choose it for three reasons# To bring the change " want to see in
the world$ the job offers possibility of immense satisfaction and the
diversity in job assignments.
*) How should one assess oneself before deciding to opt for Civil
Services as a career?
A) "f you have a deep yearning to serve and you derive satisfaction
from non-monetary incentives, this is the right path for you.
*) When did you consciously start your preparation for this
examination?
A) "n my final year of college.
*) When should one ideally start the preparation process?
A) At least one year before the e%am.
*) It is said that the Civil Services examination reuires constant
and sustained hard wor!" How did you !eep yourself constantly
motivated? What was your source of inspiration?
A) &earning is fun and if one imbibes the joy of learning new things,
it can make the e%am preparation a fulfilling e%ercise irrespective
of results. 'or instance, when " learnt how and why the winds
blow, earthquakes and volcanoes occur, why was the (
rd
battle of
)anipat fought, how the poverty line is computed etc, it gave me
tremendous joy. !econdly, this e%am is a means to a larger end.
*hen one envisions the joy of living the dream of becoming a civil
servant, the sustained hard work one has to put in becomes
endurable.
*) In your opinion# how crucial is the selection of $ptional sub%ect
for success in the examination?
A) "t is quite crucial. +nless one has the aptitude for the subject it is
very difficult to e%cel in it.
*) What should be the criteria for selecting them and how should
one go about it? Should one opt for the sub%ects studied at
college or go for new ones?
A) The criteria should be based on the following# "nterest, aptitude,
availability of reading material and guidance.
The factors for one choosing optional other than her,his graduation
subjects are vastness of !- syllabus, uncertain scoring pattern
and lack of aptitude in the subject. "f this is not the case, then one
should definitely opt for graduation subjects and cash in on the
familiarity and e%perience.
*) How should one prepare for &relims# 'ains and Interview?
A) Prelim: .asically in )relim, it/s the problem of plenty and one
should develop the skill to eliminate. A thorough analysis of
previous years/ papers and syllabus and then selecting the material
to study is mandatory. onceptual understanding is becoming more
and more important in the recent times.
Main: +)! is increasingly moving into the domain of testing the
analytical power of the aspirant and her,his ability to offer
progressive suggestions. "t is no longer just 0define1 questions, but
more of questions which require the aspirant to think on the spot,
adapt and form inter-linkages across topics. 'actory made answers
are out. "t is also breaking the myths of 0safe topics1 and going
into hitherto untouched areas. !o as the e%am evolves, we need to
evolve too. This can be easily handled by preparation without
prejudices, and open mind, geared up to adapt etc. 2f course
simple questions will also feature in the question paper, which
have to be fully capitali3ed.
Interview: )reparation for interview is re-discovering oneself. 2ne
needs to have good knowledge of whatever she,he has mentioned
in the interview form. 'orming opinions on various issue of current
national,international importance is also essential. This can be
developed by reading different perspectives from news maga3ines,
watching discussions in news channels etc.
*) What are the areas in (S &aper I and II in the 'ain
examination in which the candidate can score mar!s easily?
A) *ith the changing pattern of e%ams, it is really difficult to
delineate the scoring areas.
*) )id you commit any mista!e during your preparations?
A) "n the quest for perfection, " wasted a lot of time. " didn/t take the
4556 attempt as " was not immediately ready to go through this
e%am process all over again.
*) How many hours should one devote for the preparations
regularly?
A) According to me, there is no standard formula. The only thing that
should be kept in mind is productive study and smart work.
*) Could you please give the aspirants a list of reference for
essay*(S*$ptional I*$ptional II and Interview?
A) Apart from coaching institute reading material, maga3ines and
internet, " referred the following books#
+or (eneral Studies:
History# 2ld 7-8Ts especially 99
th
and 94
th
std, !pectrum/s
Modern "ndia.
Polity# *i3ard "ndian )olity and onstitution, &a%mikanth/s "ndian
)olity, :: .asu, )M .akshi for articles.
Geography# 7-8Ts, *i3ard/s ;eography for ;!
Science and Technology# *i3ard !cience and Technology spectrum
!<T
Statistics# !pectrum
+or &ublic ,dministration-
&a%mikanth/s )ublic Administration, 7ew =ori3ons of )ublic
Administration by Mohit .hattacharya, 7icholas =enry,
2rganisational .ehaviour by !tephen 8obbins, Arora < ;oel,
";72+ notes, relevant ">)A journals, and 'adia and 'adia.
+or (eography-
7-8Ts of 99
th
and 94
th
std, ;eography Made !imple by 8upa
)ublications, ;.. &eong, Majid =ussain/s -volution of
;eographical Thought and ;eography of "ndia ?TM=@, !elected
chapters from !avindra !ingh, :.!. &al, 8amachandran, :utta and
!undaram.
*) .esides text boo!s what newspapers# magazines# novels and
boo!s of general interest should one read?
,. !ince newspapers and maga3ines have a tendency to lean towards
certain ideology, it will be better to read different perspectives and
understand for oneself which is the acceptable and rational
analysis. "n the era of telecommunication, " enjoyed watching
discussions on news channels and listening to All "ndia 8adio news
analysis at A pm. .. and Al->a3eera have a wealth of
documentaries. "nternet can also be used e%tensively for
preparation. Everybody Loves Good !ro"ght by ) !ainath, The
#ed S"n by !udeep hakravarti, Inspite o$ the Gods by -dward
&uce, India Since Independence by .ipin handra were some of
the non-syllabus books " read during the course of my preparation.
*) How one should read newspaper?
," 7ewspapers should not be read only to collect facts. The op-ed
page which gives the analysis is the most important page.
*) What is more important for this exam# intelligence or hard
wor!?
A) "ntelligence B hard work i.e smart work.
*) )o candidates with a technical bac!ground have an advantage
over general students?
A) According to me, an intelligent, aware and inquisitive person from
any field should stand a good chance.
*) Where did you prepare for the examination /at what place0?
)oes the place of preparation matter?
A) " did most of my preparation from :elhi. The place of preparation
matters to the e%tent that quality guidance and access to civil
service related books is available.
*) In the course of preparation one is faced with many problems#
ueries and difficulties" Where should one go for help# especially
the students staying in remote areas?
A) The +)! website and employment news are the authentic source
of basic information about this e%am. Topper/s blogs and
interviews are useful in planning strategies. Many e-forums are
operational in social networking sites like 2rkut to know the views
of thousands of fellow aspirants. .ut these forums have to be
accessed with caution as public forum will have genuine and bogus
information.
*) )o coaching institutes help? If yes# how should one select# when
there are so many of them?
A) Ces. -%perienced faculty help understanding concepts in shorter
span of time which otherwise would have taken longer with just
books. This is especially true for those choosing optional subjects
other that their graduation subject. "t helped a person like me, who
loves to learn by listening and clearing the doubts through
discussions and debates. .ut, it is e%tremely crucial to choose the
good faculty, 'eedback from those who have attended these
institutes help. "t is better to attend open seminars and attend one
or two classes before plunging in. "t is e%tremely important not to
be carried away by fancy advertisements.
*) In which stage should one ideally opt for coaching?
A) "f one chooses optional subjects other than graduation subject, it is
better to start the classes one year in advance.
*) Why did you choose ,1S in the first place?
A) 'eedback from college seniors who had taken geography classes
from A&!.
*) What is so special about ,1S?
A) " had an enjoyable learning e%perience in A&! due to the faculty.
!hashank !ir/s pedagogical style was to help us e%perience
;eography and not just learn it. =is way of inspiring us to be
e%traordinary human beings fascinated me a lot. >ojo !ir simply
made learning fun and brought humour in even the most mundane
topics. )anda !ir was helpful by being accessible to aspirants and
his meticulous training in map pointing reaped huge benefit.
*) )o you thin! that with increasing levels of competition# the
preparation for Civil Services is getting too expensive?
A) " feel immense pain that these facilities are available to only a
select few like me, who could afford the coaching fee that is
unthinkable for the disadvantaged sections. .ut " believe +)! is
trying to dissolve such relative advantages.
"ntroducing systemic changes and breaking this vicious cycle of
only people belonging to certain section,region,class,gender
getting through should be seriously considered by the stake
holders.
*) Could you suggest some ways of cutting down on expenses?
A) The major cause of inflated e%penses is accumulation of
unnecessary reading material and enrolling hastily in bogus
coaching institutes in the 3eal to succeed. 2ne should be e%tremely
choosy in both. 'orming study groups of serious aspirants and
sharing resources can help a great deal.
*) Seeing the stiffness of the competition# is this exam meant for
everyone who ta!es it?
A) "t is for each aspirant to assess his,her strengths and weaknesses
before delving deep into the cycle of e%ams.
*) Is 2&SC really unpredictable?
A) *ell, +)! will want to keep the aspirants guessing. .ut it has
one huge constraint, the syllabus. =ence a thorough preparation of
topics mentioned in the syllabus will minimi3e the unpredictability
to a large e%tent especially in the optional subjects.
*) What all do you thin! is needed to ma!e it to the top?
A) "ntelligence, hard work, confidence, a clear understanding of the
requirements of this e%am and a bit of favourable circumstances,
these are the ingredients of success in this e%am.
*) How would you rate luc! as far as success in Civil Services is
concerned?
A) *ell, the subjective nature of the e%am, non-uniform platform with
multiple optional subjects and scaling, 4D-minute interview does
make success in this e%am dicey.
*) How was the atmosphere during your Interview?
A) Euite lively " would say. 7ot a dull moment. 2ne member of the
board plunged in to make me feel comfortable whenever the
situation got too hot to handle.
*) What do you thin! is the right way to face Interview .oard
confidently?
A) onfidence arises from the strong foundation of knowledge.
Aspirants should take care to do thorough ground work on their
bio-data, and form opinions on the issues of current national and
international issues. !lackening after Main is a usual phenomenon
which needs to be avoided.
=aving a positive attitude during stress tests definitely help. )olite
yet firm replies will help in driving home our point without
causing unpleasantness.
*) What types of uestions did the .oard as!?
A) The questions covered a wide range of topics from international
affairs, science and technology, women issues, hobbies, optional
subjects and current job.
*) What is the most important thing one should !eep in mind while
facing the Interview .oard?
A) The board is probably looking for a confident, intelligent, aware,
sensitive and honest individual. Make sure that you let the board
know that you are all of that thorough your answers.
*) )uring the Interview# did the board member/s0 as! you any
tric!y uestion/s0?
A) Ces, " was asked about "ran/s nuclear aspirations, to tell whether
.ush or 2bama administration is better for "ndia, 8eservation
policy of the ;overnment and to take a stand on women/s
reservation etc.
*) How do you foresee your future as an administrator?
A) " would like to be an administrator who is able to deliver effective
solutions to the people, a change agent and a facilitator for the
oppressed to get their rights.
*) Would you have a final word for the student community?
A) &earning is fun. :on/t just endure the preparation but enjoy it too.
The sheer number of aspirants and subjective nature of this e%am
might make success elusive. 8emain positive and carve your own
path. All the bestF
C233IC212'45IT,6-
Name + : :ivya
Se, # 'emale
Dae o- .i$' # 9( :ecember 9A6(
/a'e$0s Name # G :evarajan
/a'e$0s O11%2aion # hief -ngg, Tamil 7adu -lectricity
.oard ?8etd@
3e"i%m o- E,am # -nglish
O2iona4s # )ublic Administration and ;eography
Rank # (Hth
E"%1aion *%a4i-i1aions+
E,am Insi%ion
Yea$ 5
Ith !indhi Model !enior !econdary !chool
9AAA AJ.K
I""th !indhi Model !enior !econdary !chool
4559 AD
:ual :egree ."T!, )ilani
455K 6.KH
..-. B M.!c
?-lectrical < -lectronics@
L;)A # cumulative grade point average
N%m6e$ o- Aem2s # Three
Marks obtained in this attempt ?optional and only for the purpose
of analysis@.
Essa7 8S P%64i1 A"mn) 8eo9$a2'7 Ine$!ie&
AK 4KK ((5 (J9 495
Toa494J(
Se$!i1e P$e-e$en1es + "A!, ")!
Ea$4ie$ Se4e1ions in #om2eii!e e,aminaions
(in14%"in9 #i!i4 Se$!i1es e,am) + "8A!, 455H.
8ames: S2o$s ;
E,$a-1%$$i1%4a$
a1i!iies # 8ural -ntrepreneurship and !=;
formation, reative Activities.
<o66ies=Ine$ess # *atching :ocumentaries, 8eading, Coga,
'oods that heal.
I7T635I6W+
.oa$" #'ai$2e$son+ Mr. )urushottam Agarwal ?M)@
DD+ :. :ivya
3> (3em6e$ >)+ !cience e%pert
32 (3em6e$ 2)+ "nternational affairs e%pert
33 (3em6e$ 3)+ &ady Member# !ocial issues, hobby
3? (3em6e$ ?)+ 2ptional subjects " jumped at the sound of every
bu33er. 2nly the peon knew which 0The welcome-in call1 is. =e
happily whispered, 0Madam, e% lady adviser bhi andhar hai.& =e
thought he was comforting me. " gave him a matter-of-fact nod and
borrowed the new issue of 'rontline from some +)! staff nearby.
" saw 'atima .hutto in a sari and a never-seen-before bindi,
flashing an enticing smile which said, 0.uy my book "ndia.1 The
words blood and sword caught my eye. Then there was an article
about a spurious drug racket in Tamil 7adu and another on !ri
&ankan )arliamentary elections. My mind raced as " retrieved the
9(
th
amendment from my memory. " recollected some of it and then
kept the maga3ine aside. The welcome bell rang. A happy looking
boy emerges out. 0'ah"t co(operative board hai) All the best,1 he
says. " thank him and go towards the door.
0May " come inM1 " ask and after getting an affirmative nod, " walk
in and with a big smile greet the hairperson, 0;ood Afternoon
!ir,1 and then look at others and say, 0;ood afternoon Ma/am and
!irs.1 " don/t recollect if they asked me to sit, but " did, although,
with a slight thud because the chair was lower than " e%pected. "
wonder if anyone noticed that.
*ell, M) looks at the resume and asks, 0!o you are still a
probationer in the railways. *here are u postedM1
DD+ " am under training, !ir. -very two weeks we train at
different locations. urrently " am at )alakkad, Gerala for on-the-
job training.1
3P+ AttachmentM
DD+ :ivisional attachment !ir. ?M) nods@
3P+ Cou have written that you enjoy watching documentaries,
discussions and debates on TN channels, "f you are training at
different places, how do you manage to watch themM
DD+ "t/s quite difficult, sir. !ince " have a mini laptop and a
wireless broadband connection, " get to watch them from the news
channel/s website.
3>+ These days you can watch with mobile too. ?M9 gives a big
smile@
3P+ !o, which documentary did you like the mostM :escribe it.
DD+ "t is about the .hopal gas tragedy called 0"t happened in
9A6J1. !ince " was an infant in 9A6J, " wasn/t aware of the details
of the tragedy. " was eager to know more. This documentary gave
me a lot of insights. "t tried to recreate the events with various
victims giving detailed account of what happened. " was totally
shocked to know that the chemicals from the abandoned +nion
arbide plant are still polluting the ground water and soil in the
adjoining areas and babies are still being born with disabilities.
7either the company nor the entral or !tate ;overnment is taking
responsibility to clean up the to%ic site. "t is e%tremely unfortunate.
3P+ *hat else did you observeM
DD+ That the perpetrators of the crime have not been brought to
justice yet, even after 4D long years. The victims haven/t been
adequately compensated. Mr. Anderson came to "ndia. ;ot a bail
and went back to the +!, scot-free.
3P+ "s it the failure of our criminal justice system, international
diplomacy or administrationM
DD+ *ell, " would say it/s a combination of all of those, !ir. 'irst
of all, we gave Anderson bail and allowed him to leave the country.
And since then we have never been able to bring him back.
32+ :id we ask for his e%traditionM
DD+ " am not sure whether we pursued it, sir ?" should have
known@. .ut "/m sure he has not been e%tradited.
32+ &ast year " was in long "sland in 7ew Cork. Anderson is very
much there hale and hearty. "t/s just that we don/t want to nail him.
3P+ *hy talk about people in another country. There are people in
"ndia who have an arrest warrant against them. ops say that they
can/t find them and they happily come out to address public
gatherings. ?The entire board smiles and nods in unison@
3>+ :ivya, do you know who the chairperson is referring toM
DD+ ?why guess and get into controversy@ 7o !ir.
32+ There was a nuclear summit in +!A recently. *hat were the
decisions takenM
DD+ !ir, the summit was basically to garner "nternational support
to prevent the non-state actors from getting access to the nuclear
material,technology which can prove detrimental. Narious
;overnment heads pledged support and outlined their strategy to
ensure the same.
32+ *ell, nuclear material e%ists since the last century and there
have always been non-state actors. *hy the summit nowM
DD+ !ir, earlier the number of countries having nuclear capability
was low. Moreover, the non-state actors have now started to have a
global outreach$ the situation is especially worrisome in
Afghanistan, where Taliban is having its influence in )akistan
which is a nuclear state. 'inally, " think 2bama administration is
pro-active in the issue of nuclear safety and disarmament.
32+ There is also a nuclear summit planned by "ran. The +! has
asked countries like "ndia to refrain from attending it. *hat is it
aboutM
DD+ !ir, "ran is claiming to develop means of harnessing nuclear
energy for its energy requirements. *ith its animosity with the +!
and the other *estern countries, "ran is bound to face sanctions in
doing so, as they are accusing "ran of developing nuclear weapons
and *M:s. "n order to garner international support for its nuclear
energy aspirations and non discriminatory nuclear non-
proliferation plans, it is planning a summit.
32+ " have a problem with your argument. 2bama says, 0"ran is
flooded with oil and natural gas resources. "f at all it is trying to
develop nuclear technology, it is for weapons purposes. The energy
security is just a gimmick,1 what/s your takeM
DD+ ?few seconds pause@ !ir, fossil fuels are e%haustible resources.
They are also polluting fuels which cause much more harm by
polluting the air and contributing to the global warming. May be,
"ran is e%ploring different sources of energy which is less
polluting. !econdly, it can/t wait until its fossil fuels are e%hausted
to develop nuclear technology. "t needs to begin now. 'inally, "
believe it/s every country/s prerogative to have freedom in
choosing the energy mi% it wants to have. "t/s unfair to interfere in
those decisions. ?M4 shows a gesture to the chairperson denoting
he is done with me@
3P+ ?all charged up@ Among the .ush administration and 2bama
administration, which do you think is good for "ndiaM
DD+ !ir, .ush administration was closer to "ndia. *e were
favoured by him so much so that the historic nuclear deal was
signed. 2utsourcing policy was liberal. *e were de-hyphenated
from )akistan and considered a unique strategic partner. =aving
said so, " would still say that the 2bama administration is better for
"ndia. .ush brought war in Afghanistan and "raq and has
destabili3ed the entire sub-continent region. *e are suffering from
heightened instability and terrorism is spreading across borders. At
least 2bama is talking about resolving those issues.
3P+ The +! secretary of state has gone on record to claim,
0)akistan/s struggle is our strugglesF1 :o you think it possible for
"ndia to work with such an administrationM
DD+ *ell, !ir, :emocrats have always been not much pro-"ndia.
And adding to that they are fighting a losing war in Afghanistan for
which they desperately need )akistan/s support. !o such
statements are bound to crop up. .ut " guess we need to wade
through such differences to work together. !ir, " also think that it/s
just not "ndia that needs the +!, the +! also needs "ndia for
various strategic reasons. ?" get a few nods from other members@.
3P+ ?!till not convinced@# " don/t think such differences are easy
to be worked out.
DD+ *ell sir, it will depend on the strength and maturity of our
diplomacy to work the situation to our advantage. 'inally sir, " feel
we have forgotten our ideals of non-alignment which needs to be
revived.
3P (Si44 $a$in9 o 9o)+ 7on-alignment is a deed concept. "t/s
spoken only in seminars and conferences. "t was never there and
never will be. !o let/s not go into it.
'"t M* intervenes. +Sir) she $eels it now rests with o"r seasoned
diplomats to wor% o"t the strategy. Let,s leave it at that.&
MP indicates M* to proceed.
3>+ " see. *hat is Trichy famous forM
DD+ Gaveri Gollidam 8iver, Galanai dam and 8aganathar temple.
3>+ !omething else, like educationM
DD+ 7ow 7"T Trichy.
3>+ !o, you are a physics graduateM an you tell me what a
spectrometer isM
?M) gets up and goes to an inner room. !ince " e%perienced this
last time too, " didn/t panic. .ut ne%t day, an athletic girl was
inconsolable. !he told that M) was absent for a while during the
interview. " reassured her that it happened with every candidate.@
DD+ "t is an instrument used to measure,study different properties
of light like intensity, wavelength, frequency etc.
3>+ 2k. *hat is (; spectrumM
DD+ "t is a term used in the telecommunication sector. "t is a
spectrum that can support (; technology. =igher bandwidth is
required for this purpose. (; technology means (
rd
generation
technology which supports video telephony, better multimedia
services through mobile telephony.
3>+ ;ood. " am done.
?M) returns, indicates the lady member to take over@
33+ !ince you are a woman, " am tempted to ask about women/s
reservation. *hat was the percentage of girls in ."T!, )ilaniM
DD+ "/m not sure about the e%act number, but " can make an
intelligent guess, it was around (5O. ?;A+ jokes that how can a
guess be intelligent. !o, " correct myself and say a reasonable
guess@ .ut " heard that it has come down drastically now after the
introduction of the entrance e%am, ."T!AT.
33+ That is quite a low representation. !o, do you think that
women need reservation to get better representation in generalM
DD+ *ell, in general " feel reservation is an enabling tool for better
representation of the disadvantaged sections including women.
.ut, " have issues with the way it is implemented. +sually there are
allegations that the reserved seats are cornered by the elite when
blanket criteria of gender, caste class or religion is used. " found
the method suggested by Cogendra Cadav to be effective to
overcome this problem.
32+ "sn/t he the statistics e%pertM
3>+ =e also analyses election results.
DD+ Ces !ir. =e suggested a matri% method of awarding
disadvantage points based on multiple criteria. 'or e%ample, if "
am a poor, :alit woman from rural area, studied in ;overnment
school and with parents as daily wage labourers, " get higher
disadvantage points. !o, while giving reservations, those with high
disadvantage points can be chosen. *ith multiple criteria like
caste, gender, economic status, area of residence and schooling,
employment status of parents etc., used, this can ensure the most
deserving or most disadvantaged gets the seat.
3P+ *ho developed this methodM
DD+ !ir, " am not sure who initiated it, but " heard Cogendra Cadav
discussing this in a news channel about (-J years ago.
33+ !o, do you support women/s reservation whole-heartedlyM
DD+ ?!he was looking straight into my eyes, that look which says
0do you really mean it1@ Ces Ma/am. "f implemented to favour the
disadvantagedF
33+ !o you have mentioned 0'oods that heal1 as your interest
area. *hat do you mean by thatM
DD+ *ell, in general certain foods naturally have properties of
healing or preventing certain ailments. +sually some associate this
terminology with some rare herbs, but according to me certain
food items we use in everyday life have healing properties. !ome
of those practices are being lost to moderni3ation. "f " may take a
practical e%ample P Many children in our country suffer from acute
anemia, especially in the tribal regions. "f these children are given
a diet of 8agi and >aggery through the mid-day meal scheme or
":!, it is rich in iron, protein and calcium which can help heal
and prevent anemia, calcium deficiency and protein-energy
malnutrition.
33+ Cou forget the fibre content of these coarse grain cereals.
Also, what about adulterationM >aggery usually is adulterated
indiscriminatelyM
DD+ !trict quality control is an issue that the government,school
authorities need to ensure before serving it to the children.
33+ *hat creative activities do you doM
DD+ " like creative writing P essays, short stories, poems, painting,
decorating, cooking etc.
33+ =as any of your creative writing been publishedM
DD+ 7ot really Ma/am.
3>+ *ait until she becomes famous. Then maga3ines will queue
up to publish her work.
DD+ ?" smile and blush@
33+ ?7ot very amused, starts to prod more@
3P+ ?signs of urgency, gives indication for the ne%t panelist to
take over@
3?+ "s April 44
nd
any special dayM
DD+ Today is *orld -arth :ay, !ir, a day a highlight the need for
conservation and sustainable development.
3?+ !o you are working for the "ndian 8ailways. " want you to
compare its energy efficiency.
DD+ !ir, do you want me to compare it with other modes of
transport or with the railways of western countriesM
3?+ 2ther countries.
DD+ !ir, we are still using diesel and most of our electrical energy
from thermal sources for traction. *estern countries use electrical
energy.
3?+ "/m looking for some other criteria.
DD+ !ir, is it the energy efficiency of the engines, hauling capacity
P number of tones or passenger units carried per unit of energy
usedM
3?+ That is a design problem. Cou are not even close to what "
want you to discuss. 7ever mind. !o your optional subject is
;eography and you are an engineer by training. Tell me how are
coastal areas measureM
DD+ " am not sure how e%actly it is done !ir. .ut if " can take a
reasonable guess, the remote sensing satellites can be used to map
the area and then costal areas can be computed accurately using
software tools.
3?+ 7o, " want you to think like an engineerF
DD+ ?" drew a blank. Thoughts were racing in my mind P
urvilinear surface, integration, Mathematical formulae,
Theodolite, area computation@
3?+ *hat is a 8ichter !caleM
DD+ "t is a scale used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake.
3?+ *hat is the difference between 8ichter K and HM
DD+ "t is a logarithmic scale. !o, 8ichter H is much higher than K.
3?+ ome on, if it is a logarithmic scale, how much higherM
DD+ 95 times
3?+ 7ods
3P+ 2k that/s all. Cou may go.
DD+ Thank you !ir. ?"nadvertently " pick up the plain sheets placed
in front of me. " reali3e that and place it back again and give a
sheepish grin to M), before " leave@
" walk down the winding corridor and reach the gate. My husband,
!udipto Muhuri ?8ishi@ is pacing up and down the pavement
waiting for me to return.
Ris'i+ !o how was itM
DD+ *ell, it was )urushottam Aggarwal again.
Ris'i+ 2h great. !o did you crack itM
DD+ 7ot really. This time it was totally different set of questions
and some were controversial areas.
" ramble on, recollecting the interview question by question. *hen
it comes to the reservation question, 8ishi stops me.
Ris'i+ *hatM :id you say Cogendra CadavF "t was )urushottam
Agarwal who populari3ed this matri% method. *hat a comedyF
Cou e%plained the method to the same guy who proposed itF
=ilariousF
DD+ "s that soF 2h ;odF " truly didn/t know. Are you sure it is
)urushotamM *ell, " know that Cadav discussed it.
Ris'i+ 8easonably sureF Cadav might have also been in the team.
DD+ *ell, the whole board must have cracked up the moment "
leftF They would have had a good laugh. 7ow " understand why
the chairperson was keen to know who proposed this method.
" got the verdict in >une 4595# "nterview score P 495 ?D marks less
than 4556@. 8ank P (H.
'8 ST$38 S$ +,3+
" remember that the seed for my aspirations to join the ivil
!ervices was sown in my mind right from childhood. My father
was an electrical engineer working with the state electricity board.
=e always described the happiness he got to see on the faces of the
farmers on receiving electricity in their villages which enabled
them to use pump sets or on rural electrification. =e would tell me
that a :istrict ollector can solve many problems of the farmers
and bring joy and convenience to many aspects of life for these
underprivileged and oppressed masses and the satisfaction at
helping them is phenomenal. This made me yearn to join the ivil
!ervices.
The path to my ambition of becoming an "A! officer was not a
cake walk. The very first hurdle was my graduation subjects P
)hysics and -lectrical -ngineering. Although, " was interested in
them, " was not confident in opting for them as optional subjects in
!-. !o, in my final year of college ?Thesis semester@, "
commuted between )ilani and :elhi seeking e%pert guidance and
coaching every 9D days. " thoroughly enjoyed the general studies
classes and the pain of travelling seemed to be masked by the joy
of learning. " took my first attempt without much preparation in
455K and didn/t even clear the )relim. .etween >une and
!eptember 455K, " took coaching classes for the optional subjects.
At this juncture, " decided to take up the job " got through campus
placement. " joined "ndian 2il orporation and worked in Manali
8efinery in hennai for five months. The pay and perks were
great, but my heart was not in working with electrical machinery. "
quit the job in 'ebruary 455H to prepare full time for !-. *ith
just three months for )relim and being far away from :elhi, it was
a big challenge for me mentally to believe that " can make it.
After )relim, " reali3ed that " had done quite well looking at the
solutions circulated by coaching institutes. " decided to go to :elhi
for preparations for Main. After appearing for Main, " came back
home fed up with months of preparation. " joined Aid "ndia, a
reputed 7;2, as a volunteer and helped in their primary education
project in ;overnment !chools.
The Main result was positive and " went for my interview. " did
poorly in the mock interviews because of losing touch with current
affairs in the months after Main current affairs in the months after
Main e%am. This jolted me and " started preparing with full vigour
for the interview.
" got )urushottam Agarwal/s .oard and interview went well. Most
of the situation based questions asked in the actual interview were
based on the premise that " was a :istrict collector. This gave me a
false hope and made me slacken a bit. *hen the results came, it
was a shock for me. Although my interview score was 49D, " got
D5(
rd
rank, the last general category student to be selected. The
)relim was just a day away and " wasn/t mentally prepared to take
it.
" skipped the 4556 !- and joined the 'oundation ourse in
=yderabad. My commitment to training reaped results and " was
judged the .est 2fficer Trainee there. "t was a big morale booster.
" got married in :ecember 4556 and joined the railway training
within a week. My husband soon left for ;ermany to pursue his
)ost-doctoral thesis. " enjoyed learning about the 8ailways, but as
time passed " started worrying about the 455A attempt. There was a
no option of taking leave for preparation as the rules didn/t permit
it. " walked from pillar to post, knocked the door of all possible
officers who could help me get leave for e%am preparation but was
met with disappointment. " finally decided to quit my job, but to
my absolute shock, " couldn/t do so because of the bond that " had
signed which bound me to serve the 8ailways for ( years. This was
the most trying time of my life.
" took my )relim and then went to -urope for a month on leave-
without-pay to stay with my husband. After a refreshing break, "
came back to "ndia to start Main )reparation along with my
training. "t was e%tremely difficult to move with bag and baggage
every 9D days to a new place for training. " was e%tremely upset
and tired mentally and physically. " just pushed myself to squee3e
time and motivated myself to take the Main. My parents took good
care of me during Main and writing the e%am from hennai at least
relieved me on the emotional front.
;! paper came as a shock and " just about managed to attempt JD5
marks. " was devastated. -ssay and )ublic Administration went
reasonably alright. The ne%t challenge was taking ;eography paper
back-to-back with )ublic Administration. "t tested my physical and
mental endurance to the fullest. " was quite disappointed with my
performance and didn/t e%pect much. " cleared Main and to my
pleasant surprise. " got )urushottam Agarwal/s .oard again. This
time around the questions were tougher but " managed to do
reasonably well. .ut this time " knew Main marks matter.
*hen the results came out, it was a huge surprise for me. There
was a sense of jubilation but more than anything else it was huge
sense of relief that " didn/t have to take this e%am again. The marks
surprised me further, " scored well in the subjects " thought " did
badly in. *ell, relative performance can never be judged, "
suppose. !o, in this attempt, where " had lesser preparation, " got
(H
th
rank, " wondered how " could pull off this rank. " hindsight, "
think two things clicked. This time around " focused more on
strategy which helped. !econd, " guess, the complete change of
pattern put me on level field with people with years of preparation.
'inally, " have been given the opportunity to perform. The journey
begins now. *hat " do from now on, matters most.
ourtesy# ompetition *i3ard
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL