IAS Interview Experience

Board – HC Gupta
Date – 15th Mar, Forenoon

I was the first candidate to be interviewed on that day. It was my first attempt, and I was feeling nervous. I sat in front of the room at 10 am, waiting for two minutes, and then the person at the gate asked me to enter. There were four male members and one lady member, with no aged member.

Round1

Chairman: Went through my DAF and asked whether I did my schooling in the places mentioned. He then asked me why I shifted from Patna to Delhi in class 11th.
Me:(I was tongue-tied and stammered a little) Sir, for a better peer group, better facilities, and more exposure.

Chairman: So, you shifted to prepare for JEE?
Me: Yes, sir, that was also a thought.

Chairman: You are a student of PSIR. Do you know about the JNU incident?
Me: (Feeling elated and happy that questions on freedom of speech and sedition would come, where I could talk about the harm principle of JS Mill, etc.) Yes, sir.

Chairman: Tell me the names of the five students involved in the incident.
Me: (Stumped) Sir, Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid. (Couldn’t recall the names of the others). Sir, I am sorry, but I am unable to recall the other names right now.

Chairman: (Questioning glance) Are you aware of the report of the JNU committee?
Me: (Had gone through the headlines in the Hindu) Yes, sir.

Chairman: What are the recommendations?
Me: Recommended rustication of 2 students.

Chairman: No, 5 students are to be rusticated.
Me: Sir, I went through the headlines; it mentioned only 2. I will go back and check, sir.

Chairman: So, you look at news only superficially, you don’t delve into the depth of news.
Me: (Feeling nervous now) No, sir, I do get into the crux of the news; it’s just that I couldn’t go through that particular news report in detail. I am aware of the crux of the JNU debate.

Chairman: OK, so you like watching cricket.
Me: Yes, sir.

Chairman: Do you play as well?
Me: Yes, sir, I played cricket at the college level.

Chairman: So, tell me which all matches are slated for today?
Me: Told them about the three matches, including the match of the Ind W team.

Chairman: A few days back, Bangladesh was defeated by a team. Which team was it? (WT20 qualifiers were on)
Me: Sir, as far as I recall, BLD defeated Ireland 2-3 days back.

Chairman: No, the match was decided by the D/L method.
Me: Sir, in the same match, D/L was applied, and BLD won without play being completed. I will go and check though.

Chairman: OK, so what are these matches for?
Me: Sir, qualifiers for the world.

Chairman: Which all teams have qualified?
Me: BLD and AF.

Chairman: No, more teams have qualified.
Me: (Thinking 10 teams in Super 10, top 8+2) Sir, again as far as I recall, BLD and AF
Passed the baton to the next. I was a little underwhelmed by this performance. The questions were strange,
with no view based qs
Member 1:So why did you quit your job at ITC?
Me: Sir, the job was well-paying, intellectually challenging, and offered good career prospects. However, I did not feel motivated while working in the cigarette industry. (I had tried this successfully in two mocks.)

Member 1:So, tomorrow if the government puts you in a position that goes against your ethics, you will quit?
Me: (Stumped) No sir. As a government servant, I don’t think I would ever be put in a position where I will face such a moral dilemma.

Member 1: Do you know about the e-choupal initiative?
Me: (Explained)

Member 1: Did you ever try shifting there?
Me: Shifting is possible at the mid-management level. I would have had to work in the cigarette industry for another 6-8 years.

Member 1:If you had been in the e-choupal program, what changes would you have brought?
Me: (I hadn’t prepared this) Sir, e-choupal is already working well in the areas where ITC has agri-operations. I would have liked to see ITC expand it both in terms of scale and scope, especially in light of the government’s focus on e-markets and unified markets.

Member1:What was your role in ITC? Technical or non-technical?
Me: Techno-managerial. AM Quality.

Member 1:Can you give details about the role?
Me: (Told)

(Member 1 passes to Lady Member 2)

Member 2: So, you were the literary secretary in your college.
Me: Yes, ma’am.

Member 2: What is the difference between the writing style of contemporary Indian authors vis-a-vis those of the previous generation, and do you think that in the times to come, the current crop of authors will reach the same heights?
Me: (In our college lit sec = debating secretary. So the question was new to me) Ma’am, may I take a few moments?

Member 2: Sure.
Me: (After thinking hard for a few seconds) Ma’am, the previous generation of Indian authors were more colonial in style, writing about the issues of big cities and urban elites.

Member 2: Can you name some?
Me: Ma’am, Salman Rushdie, V.S. Naipaul.

Member 2: (Smiling) Yeah, yeah, V.S. Naipaul was very colonial in style and very satirical too.
Me: Yes, ma’am. And the current authors have adopted the trend of post-colonialism in their writing, talking about indigenous stories. The setting has shifted to the hinterlands and common issues. For instance, Arvind Adiga in The White Tiger. And this trend is likely to continue going forward.

Member 2: Name some current authors in historical fiction.
Me: Amish Tripathi, Shiva Trilogy is an author of repute these days. (Later on, I thought I should have said Shashi Tharoor, The Great Indian Novel.)

Member 2: Graphic health warnings (GHW) on cigarette packs. Just to assuage conscience or effective?
Me: Effective. I told her about the Hindu data and the reasons.

Member 2: What is the percentage of the pack under GHW as per COTPA?
Me: 40%. I told her about the Karnataka High Court ruling on 85% GHW.

Member 2: Are there any other developments?
Me: I told her about the Australian case on plain packaging rules.

Member 2: So tell me, how would you conduct risk assessment in an organization?
Me: (after thinking for some time) Well, one approach to conducting risk assessment in an organization could be through process mapping and utilizing Six Sigma methodologies.

Member 2: No no, not that. Say in Haryana jat issue, what risk assessment?
Me: (thinking for some time) Okay, like considering the potential environmental, social, and political risks involved in the situation.

(Member 2 passes the questioning to the next member)

By this time, I noticed that HC Gupta sir was least focused on the interview. He was busy with his computer, hopefully checking the veracity of my facts.

Member 3: Which all divisions of ITC are you aware of in terms of revenue, profit, and CSR spend?
Me: told

ROUND2

Member 3: Could you tell me about some construction work by ITC in Sri Lanka?
Me: I’m not aware, sir.

Member 3: How does the health and education scene in Guwahati compare to the rest of Assam? (With regards to IIT Guwahati)
Me: I can give a general answer, sir. Guwahati is good, but the hinterland lacks in several aspects due to various reasons. Would you like me to name some colleges in Guwahati?

Member 3: Yes, please name some colleges in Guwahati.
Me: Sure, there’s Gauhati University, Cotton University, and Handique Girls’ College.

Member 3: Can you also name a medical college in Guwahati?
Me: Yes, there’s Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.

(Some more questions are asked, but the details are not remembered)

Member 4: Who is (some Assamese name)?
Me: I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know.

Member 4: Can you tell me the area in Guwahati where there is a statue of this man?
Me: Sir, I do recall seeing the statue, but I can’t recall the name of the area.

Member 4: Can you tell me about the Bodo problem?
Me: Yes, I can tell you that there are issues of immigration and demographic changes in Assam, and the Bodo people want to preserve their culture and heritage. They also fear land alienation.

Member 4: How can there be land alienation among tribals? The ownership is with the tribal heads, kabila. Are you sure about what you’re saying?
Me: I’m not completely certain about this, sir.

Member 4: Did you think about the ethnic clashes in Chandsari, etc., when you were at IIT?
Me: No, sir. I wasn’t very aware of it at the time.

Member 4: Can you tell me about the immigration route from Bangladesh to Assam?
Me: I’m not sure, sir.

Member 4: I was going to ask you about the Naga issue, but the chairman has informed me that the interview is over. Thank you for your time.
Me: Thank you, sir. Goodbye.

Overall, it seems like the interview focused on factual questions rather than the candidate’s specific areas of expertise or interest. The chairman’s adverse comment and disinterest may have left the candidate feeling underwhelmed.