UPSC Interview— Anudeep Durishetty (AIR 1, UPSC CSE 2017)

 
Note:​ From the transcript, it might feel as if the interview was super smooth. Hardly. 
The written word cannot capture those awkward silences, filler words, ‘aaahs’ and 
‘ummms.’ There were phases in the interview, especially in the initial part, where my 
articulation was fragmented and I fumbled quite a bit in framing proper sentences. 
Please keep this in mind as you go through the transcript. 
 
Interview Board:​ Retd. Air Marshal Ajit Bhonsle (Chairman) and four other members 
21st February 2018, Afternoon session 
2nd person to go in 
Duration: 30-35 min 
Marks awarded: 176 
 
Transcript

Chairman:

So Anudeep, here are the terms of reference. We will ask simple questions. Very
simple in fact. There are no right or wrong answers. Stay calm. You can take a
moment to think before you answer. You can use the pencil and the paper if you want
to. In the next 30 odd minutes, we will assess your suitability for the service you've
opted for. Is that understood?
 
A: Yes sir 
 
C: So tell me, are you happy to be here?
 
A: Yes sir. I realise that rarely does anyone get an opportunity to interact with an 
experienced panel of members. 
 
C [Smiling]: Yes, yes. The members here are experts in their respective fields. So rest
assured that you are interacting with a highly experienced panel.
 
A: (I nod and smile.) 
 
C: So I see you are a sharpshooter. When did you get this award?
 
A: Sir, as part of our IRS training we got trained for a month at NISA. We were taught 
the basics of drill, physical training, weapon handling and safety. At the end of the 
training, I was awarded the best officer trainee among the batch. 
 
C: So what are the qualities of a good shooter? ​[Gesturing a gun with his hand] 
 
A: Sir, firstly we must not point the muzzle at anything we do not intend to shoot. 
Secondly, the finger should not be on the trigger guard until our sights are aligned 
with the target. And lastly, the trigger operation must be smooth for greater 
accuracy. Breath of the shooter must be kept under control.  
[There are a couple more questions which I'm unable to recall]
 
Member 1

M1: Is your name Durishetty or Anudeep?

 
A: Sir Durishetty is my surname. Anudeep is my first name. 

M1: [Member going through my DAF] I see that you did your graduation in
Engineering and you chose Anthropology as your optional. [At this moment, my mind
was getting ready to answer why I chose Anthropology despite being from Engg
background. But then he asked the actual question]
 
Can you tell me about the origin of people in India?
 
[Answers weren’t convincing because I wasn’t sure if this was what he wanted to
hear. Also, at this point, I was a little nervous, my mouth was bone dry and I
fumbled]
 
A: [After considerable pause] Sir, one view is that the Ancestral Southern Indians 
were the indigenous people who originally inhabited India. Then there were waves of 
migration from parts of Europe and Central Asian Steppes. Later these two groups 
mixed together to give rise to a combined gene pool that we see today.  
 
Another school of thought argues that the mitochondrial DNA studies point to very 
little genetic difference between Ancestral Northern and Southern Indians. Hence 
there might not have been any strong waves of migration from Central Asia. The 
subject is still under debate sir. 

M1: Have you heard about yellow peoples? Mongols, Tibetans, Chinese etc and their
entry into North East India?
 
A: Sorry sir, I am not aware of it. 
 
M1: Okay. I see that you are undergoing your training.

A: No sir, I have completed my training and now working as Assistant Commissioner 

of GST in Hyderabad. 
 
M1: Oh. So you are already working as an IRS officer. Why IAS now?

A: Sir, as an IRS officer, over the past two years, I got many wonderful opportunities 
to do impactful and meaningful work. For instance, whenever I recovered taxes from 
a defaulter or gave refunds to an exporter, it used to make me happy thinking that I 
am contributing to the government’s exchequer which is in turn being spent on 
schools and hospitals.  
 
Sir I believe as an IAS officer, I would get the same opportunities to do such 
meaningful work on a wider scale and with bigger responsibility. This is the reason.  
 
M1: Okay. Have you heard about hate crimes?
 
A: Yes sir, I have. 
 
M1: What do you understand by it?
 
A: Sir, a hate crime is a crime that is motivated by hostility towards another person 
based on their identity such as caste, race, or religion.  
 
M1: Can you tell me what are the reasons behind such hate crimes being committed
increasingly across the world?
 
A: Sir, one reason I can think of is social media. It has led to increasing polarisation of 
societies across the world, which is fuelling opinions that are getting more and more 
extreme because of digital echo chambers.  
 
[Here I fumbled in framing proper sentences. Articulation was not smooth.]
 
M1: Say if you are a Deputy Commissioner, how would you prevent them? Social
Media is one thing, but as a DC what will be your course of action?
 
A: Sir, firstly there must be strong deterrence. It must be made clear that hate crimes 
have no place in a civilsed society. Hence effective implementation of laws with 
higher conviction will deter people from committing such crimes. 
 
Secondly sir, I think better awareness and regular interaction between people from 
different communities can build trust. We can have community leader gatherings, 
collective festival celebration etc to inculcate feeling of togetherness.  
 
 
Chairperson double taps the table with his pencil to signal that M2 take over. I could
sense from my peripheral vision that the Chairperson was looking down and
continuously scribbling as I spoke.
 
 
Member 2 
 
M2: Since you are a student of Anthropology, tell me what do you know about race
theory?
 
[I couldn’t recollect what race theory was about. Overall, a bad start to the interview.
I paused and thought for 5-10 seconds to regain my composure.]

A: Sir, I am not aware of the specific postulates of the race theory. I only have a 
general idea. 
 
M2: That’s okay. Tell me what you know about it.
 
Sir race theory says that race is not only a biological concept but also a cultural one. 
It means that each race is different not only in genetics but also in environmental 
qualities such as intelligence, character etc 
 
M2: Of late, scientists have been demolishing the race theory. It is being proven that
there are no major differences between races, and there's just one human race. Are
you aware of any such research?

Sorry sir, I am not aware of any specific research on this subject.

M2: [Member frowns to show disappointment. Proceeds to grill further] But what's
your take on race being a cultural concept?
 
A. Sir, science has conclusively proven that different races originate merely because 
the gene flow between two groups of people is either non-existent or negligent due to 
reasons such as migration, geographical barriers etc. For example sir, black race in 
USA can be traced back to slave trade from Africa.  
 
Sir, race is purely a biological concept. Just because someone is from a different race 
doesn’t make one superior or inferior in intelligence, character etc. And as you’ve 
rightly pointed out sir, we are just one human race because if we trace back our 
lineage, evolution clearly shows that all of us have evolved from one common 
ancestor.  
 
M2: So racial discrimination is a kind of social barrier isn’t it?
 
Yes sir, it is. 
 
M2: What other social barriers do we see in our country?
 
Sir in our society, we see social barriers based on one’s caste, gender and religious 
identities. 
 
M2: So how should we bridge these barriers?
 
By effective implementation of progressive laws and ensuring equal opportunities to 
the poorer sections of the society. 
 
Also sir apart from these, we must teach values and feeling of oneness in our schools. 
If we can inculcate the feeling of oneness at a very young age, we can overcome 
social barriers. Children must be made to realise that people may be differing in their 
customs, rituals and traditions, but we are essentially one and the same. 
 
M2: At what level of education should we introduce this teaching of oneness? Be
specific. Primary, secondary or graduation?
 
Sir I think it must be even before primary. I strongly believe that a person’s value 
system starts to form much before one enters formal education. For instance sir, in 
my own life, my father has been a great influence in shaping my values and beliefs. I 
think therefore we must teach values starting from one’s childhood. 
 
M2: In your opinion, what are the three things youth of our country is aspiring for?
 
A: Sir given the demographic dividend, our country’s youth is desperately looking for 
formal employment. It is also very crucial that we provide them because one job 
transforms not only the person but also other members in the family who are 
dependent on him or her. 
 
Secondly sir, I see that there is a lot of innovative potential in our youth, especially in 
rural areas. But there are not enough opportunities to tap that potential. So we need 
to ensure more opportunities to tap this potential. 
 
And thirdly, youth of this country is looking for efficient public services— good 
roads, electricity and corruption free governance. 
 
[M2 signals his arm toward M3. I breathe a sigh of relief] 
 
 
Member 3
 
M3: Can you tell me what this mindfulness meditation is about?
 
Sir, mindfulness meditation means practicing our mind to pay close attention to our 
moment to moment experience which includes our breath, sounds, thoughts, 
feelings and bodily sensations etc.  
 
Sir earlier I used to get carried away with my emotions— be it happiness, anger or 
sadness. I wanted to change that about myself. Hence I consciously chose meditation 
as a hobby and it has helped me change for the better. It has made me both a better 
person and also a better civil servant. 
 
M3: How did it help you in becoming a better civil servant?
 
Sir when I was working at Google, I used to get stressed out whenever there was a 
stiff deadline. Instead of concentrating on the task at hand, I used to worry about 
whether I’d be able to finish the task.  
 
But as an IRS officer, meditation helped me stick to tasks effectively. Now I do not 
worry about the past or fear the future, but take the task at hand and try to finish it 
in given time. 
 
 
M3: Okay so you have mentioned 'deadlines'. But isn't effective work just a matter of
sticking to tasks and ensuring work gets done? How does meditation come into the
picture?

Sir I believe that whatever task we try to complete, hurdles are inevitable. But how we 
tackle those hurdles makes all the difference. Even though we can meet deadlines 
through effective work, I believe one needs to have that mindset of determination 
and commitment to finish the work despite hurdles. Meditation helps one cultivate 
this mindset to focus on the present. 
 
(The following question was a long monologue that went on for more than 30-40
seconds. I took a full minute to answer it) 

M3:​ ​Anudeep, in one of your previous answers, you talked about change. So you
believe we can change. But don't you see change never happens? As a nation we have
hardly changed. I mean take a concept like Swachata. Mahatma Gandhi emphasised
the importance of cleanliness so many years ago. But even to this day, we need a
huge govt programme with crores needed to be spent just to nudge people to use
toilets. Change isn't easy you see? I would say it is difficult for a person to change,
sometimes impossible. Do you agree?

Sir, I beg to differ with that opinion. I believe learning is a lifelong process and a 
person can change based on experiences and learning. For example sir in my own 
life, I have tried to understand my weaknesses and tried to improve upon them. 
 
Regarding swachata, I would like to narrate one instance from my own office. Sir, 
recently our department had participated in Swachhta Pakhwada programme. I had 
observed that our office premises were not as clean as they should be. There were 
rooms full of unusable furniture and scrap that needed to be disposed. So instead of 
taking it up all by myself, I formed sub committees, each headed by one 
superintendent who would lead the team and execute the task of disposing the scrap. 
And within couple of weeks, all of it was weeded out as per procedure. I’ve also given 
those officers were also given swachata appreciation letters. And now I see a 
remarkable change in attitude among officers towards cleanliness in office 
premises. 
 
As you’ve mentioned sir, change is difficult but not impossible. We can do it through 
incentives and education.  
 
M3: So I see you mention incentives in your answer. Are incentives our only option to
promote change?
 
Sir, incentives is an important tool but not the only one. We also need awareness, 
evidence and education to change attitudes. For example, apart from giving money 
for building toilets, if we can also make people understand how sanitation helps in 
better health, then definitely we can bring about a behavioural transformation 
towards Swachata. 
 
 
M3: The first step towards change is accepting that there is something in you that
needs to change. You said you've changed and become a better person overtime. But
how would you convince a person who doesn't accept that he has any flaw in the first
place?
 
Sir I believe that no person is perfect and also our attitudes and behaviour are not 
cast in stone. I once read a book called ‘Mindset.’ In the book, through many 
scientific studies the author clearly proves her point that our mindsets can be 
changed over time through evidence, education and reason.  
 

Lady Member 4 ​(Cheerful, smiling, most affable among them all) 

 
M4: You said a little while ago that your father inspires you. Can you elaborate?
 
Ma’am, my father came from a humble, poor background in a remote village. But 
despite the odds, he has come up in life through hard work and ensured that I receive 
good education. His life and the values he taught will always remain an inspiration 
for me. 
 
M4: So I see you had worked at Google. It is considered to be a model employer, isn't
it? Why did you quit the company and join the civil service?
 
Ma’am, after graduation, my career choices have been about one question: Where I 
can be able to do impactful and meaningful work. I joined Google because I saw that 
my work on a day to day basis impacted millions of users across the world. And I 
really enjoyed that kind of work at Google. I then realised that if this is the kind of job 
I enjoy, I thought civil service would be a wonderful opportunity too.  
 
M4: Artificial intelligence. Why are you interested in it?
 
Ma’am, intelligence is our most important resource. Intelligence is what makes us 
the most dominant species on Earth. Now with AI, if we are giving this precious asset 
to an artificial entity, the consequences will be serious. This is important question 
that has fascinated and made me want to learn about this subject. 
 
M4: So do you think that sometime in the future it will overtake human intelligence?
Is that desirable?
 
Ma'am, I think AI will definitely become more and more competent at things such as 
image and pattern recognition, health diagnosis etc. but I think it will very difficult 
for AI to replace human traits such as physical movement, caring for others, 
empathy and compassion etc.  
 
That is why I think we need to reorient our Skill India and Make in India programmes 
to adapt to this shift to skills that will not be taken over by AI in the near future. 
 
 
M4: Have you thought about the prospect of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe?
 
Yes ma'am, I had read about one fascinating concept called the Fermi Paradox. It says 
that in our universe, there are billions of galaxies with billions of planets in each. 
Even by the most conservative probability estimate, the number of Earth like planets 
in outer space is really high. Ma'am, I definitely think there is intelligent life out 
there . 
 
M4: Should we try to contact them? Stephen Hawking thinks we shouldn't. What is
your take?  
 
Ma’am, as humans we are meant to be explorers. I am optimistic about the 
consequences of meeting an alien civilization. I think it would be very exciting to 
find them in our lifetimes (Smiling) 
 
[Ma’am nods and smiles, signals back to chairman] 
 
Chairman: Anudeep, you’ve rightly said that change and learning is a lifelong
process. We must always strive for excellence and try to be a better person than what
we were yesterday.

A: Yes sir. 

Anyway, that is all from our side. Your interview is over, thank you.
 
I stood up, thanked ma’am, then the Chairman and then the other members. And I 
exit.