UPSC INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (3) 2015-16: Alka Sirohi Board

UPSC INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT 2015-16

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Name : Vidhu Trivedi
Panel : Alka Sirohi maam
Time : afternoon shift
Date : 16 march 2016

As soon as I entered, I was dumbstuck by the aura of Alka Sirohi maam.
All the motivational talks i had with myself sitting outside the room, vanished as soon as I stood in front of her. It was not that she was stressing me. She was encouraging me throughout to answer and giving hints in between. But having heard about her and seeing her in person made me very nervous

A: Man United, they are not playing well. What is the reason (hobby watching manchester united matches)
>Gave reason…

A: Dont you think its time to support other clubs since it is not playing well
>told it was too early to judge, SAF has retired, new players coming…give 1-2 years and then judge

A: You follow La Liga? What is the scene there
>Barcleona on top with madrid chasing

A: Do you think Saurez is imporved now after all the fines and all
>his game has improved, good support, fines and punishments have taught him lessons to behave

Now the actual bezzati begins that too non stop:

A: What do know about Baltic countries, where are they
>didnt know so gave wrong answer with full confidence….she corrected and bezzati begins…said you put countires miles apart into this answer…nervousness begins

A: What is balkanisation
>big nations breaking into smaller ones…answered

A: Which countries were balkanised
>wrong answer with full confidence…reaction of maam same as above…bezzati

M1: you had computer as subject, why geography
>technical subject, something new to learn, had teachers to teach

A: it is evident that you didnt learn much from the teacher…(bezzati)

M1: why did indus valley perish
>said no fixed theroy, aryan invasion, droughts, unsustainable lifestyle…non deciphered script so we cant say

M1: what do know about saraswati river
>headward erosion of yamuna, river capture, mythological underground flow but not confirmed

M1: why did Roman civilization perish
>said about some volcano eruption

A: which volcaones, vesuvius ? there are no volcanoes in Rome
>said maam i am sorry not able to recollect

M1: why did Mesopotamia perish
>tigris meandering , droughts

M1: what is Tethys Sea
>answered…mentioed Gondawanaland, Lautatia

A :What is Angaraland
>same name for Lauratia

M1: Where was tethys sea in indian context
>place where himalayas are

M1: how did the himalayas form
>said about indian plate colliding with eurasian plate, fold mountains

M1: what is delhi ridge
>himanchal to gujarat…gussed

M1: how did rajasthan form…didnt understand so he passed on

M1: some civilization name asked which i didnt know

M1: what is difference between climate change and changing climate
>clueless…but took time to think and gave a vague answer..dont know what it was

M2 do you have interest in IR…why is india called Big Brother

>told about SAARC ,nepal, pakistan, bangladesh attitude…competitiveness, indian tilt, jealousy

M2: Give examples of Big Brother attitude
>tessta, nepal river sharing

M2: nepal agreements are made then why complaining
>agreements made long time ago…there population increased, needed increased, resources not shared so complaining

M2: is terrorism a national security threat, if yes justify
>yes..resources manpower, energy diverted to them, border states affected by non state actors, resources needed to rebuild the damage done…internally ideological challenges need to tackled

M3: You from lucknow, who built Imambara
>asaf ud daula

A : say bada imambada not just imambada

M3: what were the situation for buiding it
>famine in state….cut in between by M3

M3: there is a line for it what is it
>sorry sir dont know

M3:coming to ecomomics, what are 2 macro and micro declarations in the budget
>didnt know what to say…macro: fiscal deficit 3.5 and bank consolidation…micro: agri and infra investment

M3: what tax exemptions are made for lower section of the society
>said HRA exepmtion from 20k to 60k

M3: why does govt give tax exemptions
>to inculcate savings habit in people

M3: what is the use of encouraging tax exmeptions for people, why needed
>resource crunch in india, govt uses this money in public account…to fund development…has limited sources so need small savings like this

M4: What 3 qualities you have which will make you a good civil servant
>said learnig new things, leadership, hardwork

M4: only these 3, not any other
>gave 2 -3 more

M4: descirbe one challenging situation in your life and how you overcame it
>mentioned one

M4:how dou look at that situation now
>was a phase of life, made me confident and able to work har now

bezzati time begins again 😛 

A: why is this work experience error in DAF
>typing error, had informed UPSC before

A: you are in bank, why is the siutation so bad in banks

A: why is mallaya going free despite so much loans

A: are banks ar fault, why no mechanism to see bad loans in the start

A: Give me reasons why banks are not catching defaulters early and then leave
>answered but she kept on asking the same thing again and again…save answers about willful defaulters, banks not having proper recovery mechanics, no disclosure of npa and all…..still she said this is a not a quiz but a general discussion….
so i answered and then she said thank you…

Overall a ok ok expereince…of i hadnt fumbled on the map related starting questions then i would have been more confident throughtout. A more of a factual interview with less of opinion related questions Overall maam and the other members were cordial and supportive. It was my own nervousness that made me give silly answers