My Perseverance During The Stressful Interview Carried Me Through—Amit Kataria, IAS
I was not surprised when I received the call for Personality Test as I was expecting it.
I got two weeks time to prepare for the Interview, as it was only on the day after the start of the interviews. I joined a coaching institute mainly to brush up on the current events. I also started making notes on my home State, collected information about my hobbies and started reading the newspapers thoroughly. I did not do any extensive study, but focussed mainly on my background and current events.
On the day of the Interview, I was dressed up in formals and wore a tie as well. In the waiting hall, I talked to other candidates of my Board. My Board’s Chairman was Mr. Nawalwala and I enquired about his background so as to get an idea about what type of questions to expect. I was the fourth to be interviewed in a group of five.
As I entered the Interview room, I asked if I could come in. The Chairman said, “Yes, come in and please sit down”. Then I made a mistake. I forgot to wish the Board Members and just sat down saying thank you.
The first question the Chairman asked was the power situation in India and the problems associated with it. I answered this question, but he was not satisfied and went on insisting that I was wrong. Then the members asked me about India-Pakistan cricket diplomacy, US unilateralism, but most of the Interview focussed on agriculture in India and poverty. It was a very uninteresting and boring talk, as I was not at all comfortable with these issues.
The last question was asked by the Chairman as to which State had the highest agricultural yield per hectare. I said that I did not know, but I could make a guess and he asked me to guess. I said Punjab, but he said it was Kerala. Both my first and last questions went wrong.
Although the interviewers did not put questions to me abruptly, yet it was quite a stressful interview as the Board Members said I was wrong even in opinion-based questions. The Interview was very general and no ticklish questions were asked in which I could get confused.
When I left the room, I knew it was a bad interview and I should not expect much. I got only 162 marks.
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Q : What was your strategy for this
examination ?
> I had an integrated strategy. I selected common portions of prelims and
mains exam and prepared these portions keeping the requirements of both the stages in consideration, for example in GS I referred same material of both. Rergarding subjects I
focused more on understanding.
Q : How did you plan for preliminary examination ?
> I made a schedule for all topics in GS & Pub. Ad & followed that schedule religiously. I also had a habit of solving objective questions regularly. Many a times I relied on rationale based preparation.
Q : What about General Studies ?
> GS is an aspect so I analyzed my strength & weakness and focused more on my strength. Initially I had difficulty with traditional portion but finally on solving objective
questions I got a grip on GS.
Q : What is the best way to prepare current affairs ?
> One should update one’s daily. Reading the Hindu newspaper and magazines like Civil Services Chronicle help a lot. Watching news on Doordarshan also facilitates our preparation.
Q : What about time management ?
> One has to take care of time management in two ways. Firstly, during the preparation more time should be given to those subjects where one is weak. Separate time should be spared for all the topics. Secondly, during exam we one has to fix time slot
depending on the marks of questions.
Q : : What was your strategy for Mains ?
> I had focused on rationales. I had also inculcated habit of thinking on almost everything I read. I then started making bullet points in GS & Subjects, which helped me a lot. I also restricted myself to limited material so that I could have solid control on relevant facts & analysis.
Q : Did you join any coaching institute ? What is your opinion about coaching institutes ?
> I had joined Sunil Gupta Sir’s inspiration IAS Academy (Delhi) for Public Administration mock tests and obtained personal counseling from him for Pub. Ad. I had also joined Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (Ahmadabad) where I got an
excellent environment for study.
If you feel that you alone cannot prepare well, then only you should join any coaching class which help you think on your own.
Q : What should be the criteria to select optional ?
> First of all you should have interest in the subject you choose. You should also analyse the marks obtained in the same during last couple of years. Help of the subject of GS & Essay should also be taken into consideration.
Q : Tell me something about interview ?
> UPSC interviews are conducted in highly positive environment. Members ask questions of areas of your interest & your subjects. I was asked on FRBM Act, SEZ policy, Land Acquisition, GM Crops, Banking, My hobbies etc. Questions asked started from factual
ones and reached their analytical zenith. I really enjoyed this time.
Q : The biggest mistake you made in the examination ?
> During first year of my preparation I unnecessarily focused much on mugging the things and there was also a lack of analytical study. But I corrected this in due course.
Q : What are your suggestions for the newcomers ?
> You should feel that you are preparing for this exam just for the sake of enriching you knowledge. You try to enjoy this entire process. Don’t be focused too much on results, just put your best efforts. Select authentic sources of material and revise them
frequently.
Q : What is your opinion about self-study ?
> Length of an answer convinces the examiner that you have ample ideas on the subject but it’s ultimately the quality which matters. Quantity plus quality both are important.
Q : What do you feel is the secret of your success ?
> Positive approach towards exam in particular & life in general, hard work, dedication & never say ‘Quit’ mindset.
Q : To whom do you give the credit of your success ?
> My Parents & family (specially my sisters Preeti & Jashoda), my teachers & my friends who were always behind me during this journey.
A proud father of Amit Pal Sharma, while expressing his feeling said, “I am the luckiest and blessed father on this earth. Both my sons, Amit Pal Sharma and Amarjeeet Sharma have made my dream come true. I have always wanted my one son to be an IPS officer and one to be an IAS officer and today my dream has come true. I could not ask anything more from the Almighty.”
Amit Pal Sharma comes from Ludhiana. Amit’s father is a retired Punjabi Lecturer from Government School, Basti Jodhewal, while his mother Prem Sharma is a homemaker and his elder brother Ajay Pal Sharma is an IPS officer, who is presently posted as SSP of Uttar Pradesh.
Amit’s father shared, “Since I have worked in education sector, I want my son to become director general, school education and to upgrade the level of government schools. There are so many problems in the government schools and their educational system regarding teacher and students. I want my son to do something for the development education sector.”
Further, the proud father said, “I have become an IAS officer. I have fulfilled your dream were the words of Amit Pal Sharma when he called his mother first to inform about his all India rank.”
Amit’s mother Prem Sharam said, “My son has never taken any coaching to prepare for UPSC exams. He believes in hard work and was determined towards his dream. My both sons have made me so proud. ”
Amit Pal Sharma did his schooling from RS Model School, Shastri Nagar. After completing his schooling he did MBBS from Government Medical College, Patiala in 2013 and wanted to follow in his brother’s footsteps.The inspiration to join the Civil Services came when he was a school student. “It was the guidance of my father, motivation of Amarjit Pal Sharma, his elder brother who also holds MBBS degree and inspiration from school principal Mohal Lal Kalra, because of which I was rightly inclined towards joining Civil Services right from my school days,” Amit Pal Sharma says.
As his father is a retired Punjabi teacher, Amit Pal Sharma took inspiration from him and opted Punjabi Literature as his optional subject for joining the Civil Services. Another reason for choosing Punjabi Literature as his optional subject was that literature always acquaints with the true and humane face of people and gives you an insight into the minds of people.
“Literature has helped me gain a better understanding of society and also clear my exam apart from clearing the exam with the subject I am passionate about,” Amit Pal Sharma says.
Amit Pal Sharma, who got to 17th this time, is an MBBS doctor and is currently under-training officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS) posted at Hyderabad. It was Amit Pal Sharma’s third attempt.
In his first attempt, he had been selected for allied services having secured the 600th rank. But he took another shot at the exam to get to 139th and became an IPS officer. IPS ranked him, but Amit Pal Sharma was not happy. His goal was to become IAS officer. However, to fulfill his dream of becoming an IAS officer, he appeared again and now secured All India Rank 17th.
Regarding exam preparations, Amit Pal Sharma has to say that one has to be totally self-disciplined in clearing the Civil Services Exam. Self-motivation and self-confidence is the key apart from a regular study of 12 or 16 hours a day and perseverance in cracking the exam. He did not take coaching and relied totally on self-study.
Amit Pal Sharma wanted to become an IAS officer and thus gave the exam again and excelled. He believed in self-study and used to work very hard.
Meet Ruvaida, the first woman from Kupwara(J&K) to crack the UPSC exam.
Twenty-six-year old doctor Ruvaida Salam has become the first woman from the Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir to have cracked the Civil Services examination. Her name is now added to the small list of youth valley icons like IAS topper Shah Faesal and cricketer Parvez Rasool. She has done the Valley proud by being first woman from backward frontier Kupwara district to crack the civil services – a hitherto uncharted territory for girls here.
A degree in medicine and success in state civil services, Kashmir Administrative Service, did not stop her from trying to achieve what she had set for. In the process, she gave up practising in the hospital and almost her job. She even refused marriage proposals.
At rank 804, Ruvaida Salam has been allotted police services, but her quest to excel and storm into more promising administrative services is prompting her to reappear and improve her score. A social media freak, Ruvaida refrains from gossip and opinionating.
At rank 804, Ruvaida Salam has been allotted police services, but her quest to excel and storm into more promising administrative services is prompting her to reappear and improve her score. A social media freak, Ruvaida refrains from gossip and opinionating. Ruvaida is the first Kashmiri Muslim from Kupwara to break the civil services barrier. Her success will surely inspire more boys and girls of the valley to follow her footsteps and to take a shot at country’s prestigious career services.
Gitanjali Brandon secured All India Rank 6 by clearing the India’s toughest exam in the year 2012 and has brought laurels to her family. She always preferred to choose Indian Foreign Service (IFS) as her first choice. On issues of national and international importance she was always interested and wanted to contribute herself towards making the world a better place.
Celebrations galore as the top two ranks in the Civil Services Exam have been bagged by women. Shena Aggarwal, who holds a Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from the AIIMS, has topped the examination. Whereas, Rukmani Riar, a Master of Arts from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, has secured second rank.
She says “she would really like that people interested in international issues give a serious thought to joining the civil services. It is an unparalleled platform for being actually able to impact directly and help bring a lot of change.”
Gitanjali’s father Rohit R. Brandon is a senior IAS officer belonging to the Rajasthan cadre, and her mother Anita is a social scientist who always helped in clearing out her doubts. She always had a feeling that if her father can become an IAS (stood 14th rank in CSE-1981), she can also be! This feeling kept her morale high during preparation and while appearing for the exam. She hails from a place Malviya Nagar which is in Jaipur.
Gitanjali Brandon graduated from the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore. She subsequently worked as a corporate lawyer for 2 years with one of India’s premier law firms after completing her graduation and before deciding to appear for the UPSC Civil Services Exam.
Before cracking UPSC Exam Gitanjali was happily working in a high salaried job in Mumbai and was drafting company policies, when she realised that she was meant to do something bigger.
Attempts
Gitanjali Brandon had made her second attempt by cracking the UPSC Civil Services Exam in the year 2012, having failed the first time.
Optional Paper
The Optional Paper opted by Gitanjali were Law and Sociology. As she graduated from Law School she had a clear concept of Law paper.
Wished Good Morning to everyone. The Chairperson (Mrs. Razdan, referred to as “RR”) asked
Gitanjali Brandon to take a seat. She thanked her and did so and the UPSC Interview begins:
RR: Showed me my passport photo and asked me to confirm if that was me. She asked me to state my name and DOB. She also asked me my hobbies, while glancing through my Summary Sheet. Gitanjali Brandon: My hobbies are- Reading (fiction and non-fiction- emerging trends in international affairs, gender issues and popular culture), debating, travelling and meeting and interacting with people.
RR: So many. These are perhaps interests, what are your hobbies? Gitanjali Brandon: Well, Ma’am, I would say that primarily my hobbies are reading and debating.
RR: What kind of books do you like to read in fiction? Gitanjali Brandon: I read widely, but my favourite genre is human interest stories- which show the triumph of the human spirit against all odds. Some of my favourite books are- To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee), Diary of a Young
Girl by Anne Frank (a memoir) and Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger.
RR: You come from a water-deficient state like Rajasthan. Can you tell us some ways in which water can be conserved? Gitanjali Brandon: I asked the Chairperson if I could take a few seconds to collect my thoughts on the matter.
RR: Yes, please take your time. (I paused for about 15 seconds) Me: Gitanjali Brandon says she would like to list the following ways in which water can be conserved:
Promoting the efficient use of water by having a mechanism for charging people for the profligate and careless use of water- especially in case of over-exploitation of ground water in water-deficient areas and wastage of water in irrigation.
Rain water harvesting- by building such structures on fields and farms as well as houses. Especially for a state like Raj where rain is erratic and minimal.
Integrated watershed development
Drip irrigation
Community-based water management.
RR: Ok. Have you ever heard of euthanasia? Gitanjali Brandon: Yes Ma’am. It refers to mercy killing- a process where by a person who is terminally ill can ask to be pulled off life support or be administered a lethal injection to be put out of his/her physical suffering. I added that euthanasia is not allowed in India.
(The Chairperson raised an eyebrow at this point and I hastened to add).
Ma’am, the Supreme Court in the recent Aruna Shaunbaug judgement has given a very restricted interpretation to Euthanasia and allowed it in only very limited cases- to prevent it’s misuse.
RR: Asked the next Panel Member (hereinafter, “M1”) to take over.
M1: You mentioned Run-Off previously. What exactly is run-off? Gitanjali Brandon: Run Off refers to the movement of water down the natural slope or gradient of the land. This waterafter rains- carries away the top-soil with it, mingles with dirty drain water or goes all the way to the sea in a coastal area. Water is thus wasted and not available for immediate day-to-day use. To prevent this watershed development is adopted- through building bunds and anicuts to store the run off.
M1: Ok. Tell us what is meant by infrastructure? Gitanjali Brandon: Sir, infrastructure is essentially of two types. Physical infrastructure such as- roads, highways, power projects, ports, dams etc and Social infrastructure- which includes health and education frameworks.
M1: In everything that you have mentioned- what are the commonalities, the basic points regarding infrastructure? Gitanjali Brandon: Infrastructure forms the basic underlying structure or framework that is necessary for the efficient functioning of society. The commonality between the physical and social infrastructure is that both involve significant expenditure for development, are big in scale, provide employment to various people. The govt often speaks about ways and measures to overcome the infrastructure-deficit for socio-economic development.
M1: Have you heard of the Gini Coefficient? What is it? Gitanjali Brandon: Yes Sir. The Gini coefficient is an economic tool used to measure the level of equality in a society. The UNDP uses this in its annual Human Development Reports. It’s measured on a scale of 0 to 1; where 0 means perfect inequality and 1 means perfect equality. India is somewhere in the middle.
RR: Asked M2 to take over.
M2: You are a student of Sociology? Have you read MacIver and Paige? Gitanjali Brandon: Sir I haven’t read it although I know of this book. I referred to Anthony Giddens and Haralambos and Holborn primarily.
M2: MacIver and Paige is a classic of Sociology. Gitanjali Brandon: I nod respectfully.
M2: You listed some strategies for water conservation. Do you think planting more trees can also be a part of it? Me: Yes Sir, undoubtedly. Afforestation leads to greater precipitation and also helps in preventing run off of the soil- leading to ground water recharge. Integrated water preservation techniques which include afforestation are very important.
M2: You mentioned that debating is one of your hobbies? Have you ever won any prizes for it? Me: Yes Sir, I have won several prizes in debating- through school and college. I also represented my University- NLS, Bangalore at international debating championships like the Worlds University Debating Championship and All Asians Inter Varsity Championship.
M2: What was the topic during these debates? Me: These competitions followed the Parliamentary style of debating. The topic was given 15 minutes before the actual debates. There were several rounds in each of these competitions- some of the topics were- intelligent design v Darwinism; and another was ‘This House Will Not Wear Red’.
M2: Ok. You also said that you are interested in gender issues. I would like to ask you two questions in this regard- what do you think of reservation for women in Parliament? And also don’t you think that working women end up neglecting the family and their children? Should women not focus more on domestic issues? Me: May I respond to your second question first?
M2: Go ahead.
And here Gitanjali Brandon explains in detail.
Me: Sir, I don’t think that a working woman neglects her family or children. I have seen several examples of working women who manage to maintain a good work-life balance. Women are generally good at multitasking, and most women can easily balance the two if they prioritize and manage their time correctly. Moving on to your second question on reservation for women in Parliament- I believe that given that women make up half the population their representation in Parliament is undoubtedly marginal. And towards that end reservation will help. And women representatives would hopefully try and mainstream gender issues in the public discourse. However, I would like to add two caveats to this point- 1) The often raised argument that reservation in parliament may serve to entrench women from political families and privileged backgrounds to garner more seats in parliament without significantly impacting gender concerns. 2) Countries like Rwanda and Pakistan that have reservation for women in their Legislatures do not do well on gender indices. Hence, reservation in the legislatures can’t be seen as a stand-alone measure. It has to be supplemented by various other schemes and programmes to empower women at then grassroots.
M2: Nodded and asked the next panel member to take over. M3: Rajasthan is a semi-arid state. What are the other semi-arid regions in India? Me: Sir- Rajasthan, The North-Western part of Gujarat (around the Rann of Kachch) and parts of the Deccan Plateau.
M3: Well, I come from Anantpur in Andhra and that is a semi-arid region. What do you think we can do to improve the utilization of these areas? Me: Gitanjali Brandon mentioned the following in points:
Afforestation and water conservation to redress water scarcity
Bringing water from a nearby source- through a canal or river-linking project (after due environmental impact assessment). I gave the eg of Indira Gandhi canal in Rajasthan and how that has really changes the economy and agriculture in the districts through which it runs.
Using fallow waste-land for cultivation of bio-fuels like Jatropha
Use of drought-resistant seeds.
M3: Do these drought-resistant seeds work at all? Me: I can cite the instance of Rajasthan where the state govt has collaborated with the Govt of Israel (a semi-arid country) to share best-practices in drought-resistant and dryland farming. And in Rajasthan they are actually growing Olives and Strawberries these days.
M3: He looked surprised. Really? Me: Yes Sir, I remember reading the CM also speaking about this a few months ago.
M3: But are these seeds really effective? (He looked sceptical) Me: (Being a lawyer and having no intricate knowledge about such agricultural details, I decided to give a politically correct yet optimistic answer) Sir I suppose that it is a work in progress and ICAR and our agricultural scientists are attempting to develop better seeds.
M3: Hmm. You went to the best law college in the country. What is your view on the legal situation these days? Me: Sir- the legal situation regarding a particular case or generally regarding the Rule of Law?
M3: The Rule of Law Me: Sir, on paper we have very good legislations; it is the implementation that leaves much to be desired. I spoke of the massive judicial arrears, protracted legislation and delays that lead to a denial of justice. I mentioned the Govt has launched a few schemes and policies to tackle judicial backlog and make justice more accessible and speedy. I mentioned the National Mission on Legal Reforms and Access to Justice, National Litigation Policy, Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms to take off some of the burden of the judiciary- arbitration , mediation, Lok Adalats, Gram Nyayalayas, improving the infrastructure of subordinate courts, national arrears grid etc.
M3: (He was the most pleasant member in the Board, constantly nodding and smiling). What do you think is the one major problem with the implementation of Court orders in our country? Me: Collusion between the subordinate functionaries and the executive machinery in-charge of implementation of court orders and powerful lobbies. I think what we really require is administrative will to be able to implement the law of the land and execute court orders in an effective and time-bound manner.
M4 asked mostly factual questions. Gitanjali Brandon answered all but two regarding date when Islam came to India and some important event in 12th Century India
M4: What are your sources for staying in touch with important events? Don’t you think English news-papers are more oriented towards urban news? Where do you get rural news from? A famous dignitary visited a place in your state recently, which place and who was the dignitary? (This was with reference to Zardari’s visit to Dargah Sharif in Ajmer). Who was the saint whose Dargah it is? (Khwaja Mouinuddin Chisthi) Was he from India originally? (No, he came from Iran and settled in India to preach Sufism) Which century did he come in? (12th century) Luckily Gitanjali Brandon knew all of the above because she have visited Dargah Sharif but he asked her 2 more questions on History which she did not know.
M4: What other important event happened in 12th Century? Me: I mentioned one but turns out that it happened in 14th century (RR pointed that out)
M4: Which year did Islam come to India and how? Me: Sir, I would not like to hazard a guess with respect to that.
M4: Isn’t History your subject? Me: No Sir, Law and Sociology (this is after I had explicitly stated in the beginning of the interview that my Optionals are Law and Socio and all other members had asked me a few questions pertaining to those. It had also clearly come up that I am a law graduate from NLS, Bangalore…but for some reason M4 was under the impression that History is my subject!!! )
RR: Islam came to India in 786 AD. Mohd. Qasim was responsible for the introduction of Islam to India. Thank you and good luck. Me: Thank you Ma’am.
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Hard work and determination really pays off. Amit Pal Sharma of Ludhiana who secured All India Rank 17th in the 
Gitanjali Brandon secured All India Rank 6 by clearing the India’s toughest exam in the year 2012 and has brought laurels to her family. She always preferred to choose Indian Foreign Service (IFS) as her first choice. On issues of national and international importance she was always interested and wanted to contribute herself towards making the world a better place.