UPSC Interview By Transcript Kashish Mittal Board Prof Chalam

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Was allotted Prof. Chalam’s (written below as CM) board for the UPSC Interview, in the afternoon session. There were four other members in the board (written below as M1, M2, M3, M4, where M3 and M4 were ladies).

CM:

– Why did you opt for civil services after leaving your professional line?

– What is more important – public services or improving public services?

– What was your degree all about?

– What is the difference between a mobile phone and a computer?

– What is the difference between IT and ICT?

– Which Indian invented the chip?

– Why do Indian engineers/IT professional mostly go abroad in the Silicon Valley?

– Why is India not doing well in Hardware? – What do you know about e-governance in Punjab?

M1:

– The UNSC recently passed a resolution to impose a no-fly zone on Libya. What is India’s reaction to this, and what is you say on this matter?

– Tomorrow they may do the same in Kashmir at the pretext of misgovernance, or violence by the Govt. So is the UNSC resolution right? Or is it wrong?

– Is India only worried/concerned only because of the civilian casualties in Libya?

– Have you heard about the ongoing piracy by Somalian people?

– Even after so much military and naval power in the world, why is this Somalian piracy still continuing as a global menace?

– Have you heard of a country called Myanmar?

– Why is India not concerned about democracy in Myanmar?

– Suppose you are on a train, rushing for your UPSC interview, but you do not have a ticket. You give the Ticket-checker some money to let you ride the train (w/o ticket). Do you support this action? What is your say? What would you do?

M2:

– You have an interesting name. What is the meaning of your name?- What does the word ‘Punjab’ mean? What are those five rivers?

– How many Indians have won Nobel Prizes so far? How many categories are the Nobel Prizes awarded for? What are these categories? Which Indians won in these categories?

– Why don’t many Indians win Nobel Prizes? Why wasn’t Mahatma Gandhi awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?

M3:

– What work was CV Raman awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for? What is Raman Effect? What apparatus is used in Raman Effect? How does spectroscopy work?

– What is Archimedes’ Principle?

– What work was V. Ramakrishnan awarded his Nobel Prize for? Which molecule did he work on?

– What is Proteomics?

M4:

– You have filled Hindustani Classical Music (HCM) as your hobby. Do you just listen to it or have you been learning sometime as well? From whom? Have you performed somewhere?

– What is your view on the status of Hindustani Classical Music today? As an artiste yourself, how much do you feel that the young generation is absorbing/being influenced by HCM?

– How did you manage Classical Music practice with studies at IIT?

– Who is/are your favourite Classical Music exponent(s)?

CM: Thank you, you may go now.

The Interview lasted for about 25 mins, and I was awarded 195 marks.