APPSC interview

I cleared APPSC mains but I dunno how many marks I got!
I hope I got good marks coz my interview went well,
n I gave only one preference in application. Deputy collector.
N there is only one seat vacant!
I went coolly and I knew there are 12 members in the interview panel. I think there are only 10 members when I went. They asked me to introduce myself and I told about my schooling in Navodaya, Engineering at BITS pilani and job at Juno n finally about my UPSC result n that I am expecting IRS. Interview was cool, so many people asking questions and answering themselves at times, no much time so it was like a rapid fire. They asked why I changed so many streams Mechanical, Software and an altogether different stream of Civil service. Then they asked about empowerment of Women n my solution to it, then they went to Artificial Intelligence, my definition n how a Deputy collectors job is constrained by rules and regulations. Then a member asked me to talk on 'Rolling stones gathers no mass', others helped me n they made me conclude that 'Rolling human beings do gather mass' :P Again going back to Artificial Intelligence, a member argued with me saying computer playing chess with a man is extreme example of AI and it is said that in 5 years no man can win with computer n that makes us slaves to AI. I explained in what situations computers win over human beings and finally I said human being can control it n there is no way we become slave to it. (I still do not understand what was expected of me there n what I explained. I will think about it n clarify later if I understand!) Then they went to issues like comparing North America with South America, WTO.. After I explained, I was asked to talk about my role models, n they asked why Rahul was not my role model! I dunno how I responded. Then, the sole woman member - mam gave a situation and asked me how I would react. I felt she was satisfied with my response coz she said 'yes! thats enough'. Another person told your interview is over now compare UPSC selection process with APPSC process. I compared and I highlighted the positive points of APPSC. Then they started asking me about entropy, Laws of thermodynamics etc. I became alert n told myself, they were kidding! interview is not really over! n I tried to define them in a lay man's language. Then another person asked my how much salary I was getting, what it means by my previous designation Member-Technical, then they asked about computers n the fastest super computer.. they asked me to describe National Emblem, N thats the end, now pardon me, Im not sure if I typed my questions in the order coz I really dont remember them in the order.
I thanked them and came out politely. They kept addressing me 'young lady', 'young girl'...
I told them they were cordial n that I was happy being interviewed! :P

I had good time interacting with 10 elderly people.. Now I'll just wait till the result to know how they felt interacting with me!

Final Result

Yes, I made into the final list. I might get IRS this time.
Giving the exam again, :-)

Preparing for 2009 prelims which is on May 17th.

For further details, wait until after my exam.

Regards,
Lays

My Interview Questionnaire

Chairperson: Ms. Shashi Uban Tripathi
It was a cordial discussion with 5 great people.
Chairperson:
1. Music, (my hobby) - Types of classical music, similarity between Hindustani and Carnatic
2. Do you think Defense Ordinance or some Andaman police is better than your previous job?

M1:
1. What service you were talking about? Cant you do that by being in NGO, teacher, engineer? Why do want this post with great power and authority?
2. Dont you think our country needs engineers like you?
3. How will you work at grass root level if you are posted as Secretary to Ministry of Education.. or lets say Home Ministry?
4. Why is there Naxalism in AP?
5. What is the contribution of manufacturing sector to GDP?
M2:
1. Frankly tell me why do you wanna join service?
2. What are your optionals? What did u learn in Geography?
3. They say we have all kinds of climatic regions. Is it true?
4. What do you about forests? National parks? Where are the national parks in India?
5. You think population is a problem? what will you do to control it?
6. What is the population of India?
M3:
1. You have read about constitution. What is a federal constitution? What are its features?
2. Which other country is federal?
3. What are the differences between Indian Federalism and American Federalism?
4. When does it become unitary?
5.Articles related to emergencies
M4:
1. What is your place? Epurulanka - where is it?
2. What is N.S.S?
3. What is BITS?
M3:
What happens to your village when there is flooding?
M4:
4. How many official languages are there in Indian constitution?
6. Which part of the History do you like? Ancient, medieval, modern, British, Independece....??
7. Which person took Buddhism to your part of country?
8.Any other place related to Acharya Nagarjuna? you know anything about Amaravati sculpture?
Chairperson:
1. There are many statues from Amaravati in London. You know how they went there?
2. Do you read? what is the last book you read?
3. What is there in this book The White Tiger?
4. You know anything bout territorial waters?
5. Law of seas?
6. What can we do about Piracy over sea? why it is happening in 21st century? any ideas to curb?

Rape and bias

This is an unfortunate incident where this person is absolved from conviction for rape since he passed civil service exam. This exemplifies how education is not leading to overall development of a person. Though we cannot generalize this case, I here attempt to examine why such a judgment is unfortunate..
1. It fundamentally violates rule of law
2. It is shifting focus from heinousness of crime to judging the victim's motives setting a bad precedent.
3. Intellectual ability is no substitute to moral values.
It is disheartening to see that this person is selected for Indian Administrative Service(IAS). Think of the consequences if such a person sets out to serve the nation. The logical conclusion to this should have been canceling his recruitment rather than reducing punishment. We cannot afford to have such morally corrupt administrators when we have mammoth task of developing the nation, reducing crime inter alia staring into us!

wailing dogs

I donno whats wrongs with these beings.. All of them are wailing in synchronization at this odd hour..I think they have congregated right in front of my apartment...Im scared.. I sometimes fear.. do they really see death? Lets examine.. How can they see anyway? I don't believe in super-natural power.. So there is no way I can prove this fact with my logic. So I would better say they are wishing each other or fighting over place to sleep.. Does it make sense? I donno..
Anyway, now that they stopped crying I need to get back to my work..

FYI: Today's topic: West-Asian crisis.

getting back to frontline,
Lays

I had a mock interview today with Upendra sir who is very famous for Sociology and also Mohan sir. Both of them were very cordial. I felt totally comfortable talking to them. I tried to narrate it here as it happened that day.

U = Upendra sir, M= Mohan Sir, L= Laya.

Board: Come in Laya
Me: Good evening sir
Board: Good evening,
U: Please take your seat Laya.
L: Thank you sir.
U: Ok Laya, you are a mechanical engineer and you are working as a software engineer now. Am I right?
L: Yes sir, but Im not working now. I quit my job in 2008 Jan.
U: Why?
L: Sir, I was not able to study for this exam, I had to attend to work till late. I was not getting time to study.
U: ok, I feel all the problems of present day are due to mechanical engineers. The kind of pollution we have.. They create engines and cause pollution..What is ur take on this Laya?
L: Sir, but without them, we would not have got this kind of development.
U: Ya, surely "This kind of development" (sarcastic .. smiles off)
L: (I smile after it strikes to me ..)
U: Ok Laya tell me, what should we do to change the direction of our development?
L: Sir, we should have a sustainable development model rather than indiscriminate growth without concern for resources. On demand side, we should cut-down upon our luxuries, spend less energy and save resources.
U: Do you think Gandhiji's philosophy is relevant in this? Did you see in newspaper? We spent so much to get his chappal and glasses? Do you think his ideas are relevant in today's world?
L: Sir, I dont know which aspect you are referring to, but Gandhiji always talked about self-sufficiency, using our own resources.(Later I realized that he was referring to simple-living, leading to reduction in consumerism. I felt bad for I could not answer it there.)
U: Ya, I didnt expect you to know that. Im sure you dont know. That is a course in BITS that you should never read such things rt?
L:(Clueless. I dint know what he was talking, but he was smiling to me so I smiled back.)
U: Ok coming back to our original discussion, what should we do to have sustainable development?
L: Sir, from supply side we should develop more efficient technology by spending more on research and develop technologies like solar using CNT(Carbon Nano tube).
U: U are saying solar energy. Is it viable to be used in the kind of industries we have, the buildings and all power requirements?
L: Sir, with present technology we have, it is not viable. But CNT is one such technology which is increasing efficiency number of times by saving more energy using nano particles.
U: What is nano-technology?
L: Sir, it is using the advantage of minute size of particle to reach greater efficiency. It can help is developing semi-conductors, hmm... Sir I dont know beyond this..
U: Ya, u dont know. Its ok. Is it related to Mechanical engg?
L: Yes sir.
U: But isnt it too technical?
L: Yes sir it is.
U: No problem...Ok, Laya tell me the position of socio-economic development of AP
L: Sir, AP has certain human development indicators showing great improvement like population control and also recent development in I.T
U: Only in Hyderabad.
L: Yes, sir. In and around Hyderabad but that is attracting lot of investment. But there are many negative indicators such as low literacy rate, moderate sex-ratio etc.
U: What about the differences in development of different regions? Say Telangana?
L: Sir, imbalance in regional development is one of the most important problems of AP sir.
Telangana region is backward due to various factors. Firstly, its natural resources are not favorable for prosperous agriculture. Lack of adequate rainfall, lack of irrigation facilities leading to agrarian crisis. Lack of political will is another cause behind this.
U: What do you think about the demand for separate state?
L: Sir, the problems are genuine. But the solution may not be correct.
U: Are you worried about Hyderabad? Dont worry you will not loose it.
L: No sir thats not the reason. But I say we should look into the negative impact of dividing Andhra. Like tackling naxal problem, dividing river waters, disturbing forward and backward linkages etc. Therefore all conditions should be considered before splitting it. If it is proved beyond doubt that separate telangana would lead to its prosperity, we should go ahead and do it.
U: Naxal problem? Do you think grey hounds has worked well? They just changed their names but naxals are still there. Nowadays it is spreading to regions like Chattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand bringing it into Red corridor.. what do you think are the reasons?
L: Sir I think improper implementation of land-reforms, uneven distribution of resources, under-development of many areas...(Suddenly he got a call and he went out and Mohan sir took over)
M: Ok Laya, dont you think political parties are just doing it for political motive rather than real intension to develop Telangana?
L: Yes sir, unfortunately, some of the political parties are using it for getting more seats.
M: Unfortunate? Why unfortunate? You want to get good marks in interview so you are preparing. They want to get seats so they are doing it.
L: Sir, but politicians are leaders. They should not loose sight of larger duty, socio-economic development of people.
M: Why do you think these womens reservation bill, separate Telangana are not passing through despite parties reaching to consensus? You think they say something and do something else?
L: Sir, I consider these 2 as different cases. Firstly, separating Telangana is a very important issue. All the factors should be considered before taking any such decision. Government is waiting for SRC II to look into economic viability before splitting the state. Such great decision should not be taken hastily. Regarding the Women's reservation bill, it is truly unfortunate that Women's bill is not passed all these days. But now that it is introduced in Rajya Sabha, it wont lapse and we can expect it to be passed in next Lok Sabha.
M: Do you know that naxalites are supporting separate Telangana?
L: Yes sir.
M: But you said, fighting naxalism would be a problem if we separate Telangana? Why do you think it is serious problem?
L: Sir, Telangana region is mineral rich. This needs investment for industrial development. Entrepreneurs will invest where safety of their capital is ensured. Sometimes, these areas donot attract investment due to naxal problem. Instead if we work for development of whole region, people would stop seeking naxal's help and naxals also would find no reason to carry on their struggle.
M: What are the advantages of decentralization?
L: Sir, India is a diverse country with different problems in different regions. Through decentralization we can have better picture of ground realities. Local people know their problems better and can find out suitable solutions. So, planning would be more focused when compared to the centralized planning.
M: Then dont you think smaller states would lead to decentralization?
L: Sir, we have Panchayati Raj institutions to look into local problems. We should strengthen them. If they are made to work efficiently, in spite of having a larger state we can have decentralization. On the other hand, if states are small but local bodies are not efficient, they wont reap the benefits of decentralization.
U: Laya you have been getting so much salary at such a young age? I think it is 60000 per month. It is huge amount by any standards. Why did you leave that job?
L: For me money alone is not a motivator sir.
U: Ok tell me why do you wanna come into civil service?
L: Sir, I studied well in Navodaya Vidyalaya which is government school. I have been provided all the facilities food, books, education free of cost. So I thought it is my obligation to give it back to my nation for making the person I am.
U: This is a childhood dream?
L: No sir, I developed it over a period of time, I felt it very strongly recently. But I had to join job due to financial reasons and also because I got a good job in campus interviews, to get the experince I joined work. But when I realized that I am not able to study while working I quit my job sir.
U: Ok tell me how will you be useful here?
L: Sir, I believe in hard work. I would work hard to implement all the programs properly. I am sensitive to problems of people. I can sympathize with them and work out solutions.
If any new task is assigned to me, I take interest to know about it, learn and adapt myself to give my best. I think this habit of mine would be useful in administration to be flexible and work efficiently.
U: What is your dream for your district Laya? Have you ever thought that this would be the ultimate goal I want for my village or state?
L: Sir I want to see that all the programs are implemented the way they were planned without even a single rupee going waste. But I dunno how to....
U: But you donno how to do it right now.. No problem. What is your vision for women?
L: All women should be empowered, they should assert their rights.
U: How will you empower them? What would you do as a district collector?
L: Sir, it should start from home.There should not be any discrimination against girl child, and girls should know their rights and assert them. From government, all the policies should be implemented to provide health, education etc to women. It should be made clear that there is no difference between an educated women and an educated man. We need to create this kind of confidence among people.
U: Ok did you face any such discrimination at home?
L: No sir, I was lucky enough to get parents who were conscious to give me equal attention. They always treated me equally.
U: Ok, you are lucky!
U: Do you know what is Patriarchy?
L: sir, male person being the head of the family, taking decisions all by himself without involving women can be called as patriarchy.
U: Do you know what is feminism?
L: Sir, Feminism means defending women's position, talking on her favour and giving more importance to women.
U: Have u heard the word Eco-Feminism?
L: No sir, I did not.
U: Have you heard Public patriarchy and private patriarchy?
L: Im afraid, I never heard them.
U: Ok, Laya tell me how do you sit and relax? You seem to be very hardworking. You got 97% which I cant even dream of. This makes me jealous. Tell me how you relax?
L: Sir, I have developed interest in many co-curricular activities since school days. I like singing, painting - though Im not a professional, I paint and paste something on my wall which makes me feel good. I do Yoga and I have interest in many other activities..
U: Inspite of all this you got 97%??? great...
L: Sir, I got 97% only intermediate, I was participating in co-curricular activities since my school days.
U: Do you have any formal training in singing?
L: Since my mother is a music teacher...
U: (He interrupted) So, it comes naturally to you....
L: Yes sir, I have natural passion for singing but I could not learn too much from her due to hostel life I had throughout my career.
U: ok ok...:)
U: Thank you Laya.


Feedback:
Upendra Sir: You were good. Lively, enthusiastic. You were what you are. A young girl, sincere, committed but not so well-read.. coz you could not talk about Gandhiji and things like Feminism... Where you know well, you answered well. Areas related to public administration, Geography. Even Telangana issue you handled well. Where you did not know, you were blank.That should not go much against you. But the kind of trust you showed on board members.. You never showed a slightest feeling of fear, nervousness. You were cordial, cheerful through out. I think you should get good marks

Mohan Sir: You were very good! I learnt something from you. You just banished the argument on Telangana saying, if it is proved to lead to prosperity of Telangana, Im for it! Thats a great thing. Usually people try to defend their stand by trying different arguments. You just closed the argument. I never thought about it this way.
But about naxalism, it was a disaster. Why do you think it is that big a problem? Did anyone say that to you or you felt?
Upendra sir said, "she only felt. Thats sheer innocence." I said, sir I felt it and discussed with seniors, they also said its true. So, I thought it could be one of the reasons.
Mohan: It is not such a major factor to be worried. Even with greyhounds do you think the problem is solved? They just changed their names from people's war group to Maoism but it is not ended completely. Let the govt work on developmental activities more and solve the problem.
You show great commitment. They want people like you. I came across this kind of a person before.( Mohan sir to Upendra sir "How much did she get? She got good marks dint she? last year?") Even if you dont have information, knowledge they wouldnt mind. They want with commitment like you. Indeed I'd judge UPSC based on the marks you are going to get. If you get good marks, they are good.
Laya: Thank you sir.. (with astonishment)
Upendra sir: Your trust on board was amazing!
Laya: Sir, May be coz I know both of you I dint feel stressed.
Upendra sir, no no it shows up!
Laya: Thank you sir.

UPSC mains result

UPSC civil service mains exam 2008 result came and I cleared it!
I'm so happy but this is not the final result. I still have to clear interview and get good score only then I'll get the service I want. It depends on mains marks + interview marks. So I should start serious preparation from now and focus on both mains and next prelims to be on safe side.

-Laya

Chicken Biryani

Why do I like it so much?
a. It tastes yummy
b. It feels like festival every time I have it
c. It makes me go gaga
d. All of the above

Answer: d :D

Seriously, I am ardent fan of chickb n without it, once again I feel like that Lion which was left in vegetable market to choose whatever he wants! Coming to chickb - Unfotunately I like only home-made. Why doesn't this chef in restaurant right across the street know how to prepare it?

Once I was so fed up of these peas - chickpea, pigeon pea, cow pea (Dont ask me why they are called so!) which my dabbawalah(lunch provider) makes everyday...
(Apparently peas are legume crops useful in Nitrogen fixation, thus suggested by Agriculturalists in best crop combinations to be grown with cereals like rice and wheat to increase agricultural productivity! Good for farmers and bad for me, they are really following it..)
My tongue craved for taste of RREAL chicken! so what did I do? I had a heap of menu cards (dropped by eateries near my front gate) under my bed. I opened them and tried to find out Non-veg restaurants. I went through each one of them cursing, calling names everytime the word "pure vegetarian" shows up! Finally I could find only three. 1. Hello Rasoi 2. Ramsha Bawarchi 3.City spice kitchen. I called up City Spice Kitchen, (coz I felt, rates are within my range) and asked for home delivery. He says, "sorry mam, we stopped that service". Disappointed, I looked at Hello Rasoi menu card once again hoping that by some miracle all 3 digits numbers would turn into 2 digits or at least 100's digit would change from 2 to 1. I find no luck there. Once again disappointed, I saw Ramsha Bawarchi, name sounds like something home (Hyderabad Bawarchi).. there is no chickb on menu card. Anyway I called this place and asked for Chicken Biryani. He said "Yes Mam!". "Kitna?", "seventy phive", "wow"!
Laya: "Kitna time lagega?". He replies "bas.. aadha ghanta" Laya: "Theek hain! 3/3x - Old Rajinder nagar mein. jaldi lao".
Time: 14:30 hrs. I waited for half-an-hour, he came in 1 hr. Anyway, being so hungry, I dint want to yell at him. I paid him and took the parcel, my mouth waters even without yummy smell coming out.. (You know about that dog!)
Now I make everything ready, melodious music in the background, plate, spoon blah blah blah..
Then I open the pack - It looks good, but doesnt smell like chicken. I ignored that hoping for good taste. You know taste is half nullified without smell. Now I go on to taste it. I dunno what he put in that, the oil is so greasy, it feels like I'm eating grease! Yukk! anyway I ate those 2 chicken pieces! Utterly shattered, I try to wash my plate and spoon - but no detergent works on it ya!
I seriously felt like suing this guy for giving me such a wonderful Chickb. :x
Lesson: Never have chickb from bawarchi!

Fed up of Delhi without Chickb, Im living like that Lion which ate grass! :(

A thought that changed my life!

There is no single way of doing it..
As you adapt you can change from anyone to anyone!
Its just about what YOU wanna be or how YOU wanna live...
If u REALLY wanna transform, it takes not more than a second to start a new life entirely.

So virtually one can live innumerable lives, every time in a new form!
Its like choosing an attire from wardrobe!
Its like switching between one track n another in ur iPod.
Its as simple as that.
So be born everyday!

U can be meek, timid, callous, uninformed today -
n still u can become enthued, energetic, informed, sensible from this moment if u choose to! Today you can be someone who never goes to class early, who whiles away time, who always takes pride in being LLB,
still you can be that sincere, organized, always-on-time, first-bencher from this moment if only you REALLY want to.

Difficulty lies not in changing but seriously, persistently THINKING of that change.
A thought changes your life! Isn't it amazing?
Its true.. The most valuable things in life never carry a price tag.

The White Tiger

This book written by Aravind Adiga won Man Booker award for the year 2008. Man Booker prize is given to English Fictions written by Commonwealth nations and Ireland. At the outset, it is inevitable but to feel proud for a debutant Indian writer won it. But dont get carried away! Take a deep breath and delve into its content.

It is the story of an innocent boy (nick named "The White Tiger" - rarest animal that comes along only once in a generation) in abject poverty who constantly struggled, faced humiliation, yet kept his eyes and ears open to grab that one chance to earn decent livelihood. But India, with its inbuilt inequalities, caste prejudices, corruption, distorted electoral processes, blatant denial of poor's rights, insensitivity to the needs of millions of under-previleged, inefficient bureaucracy, mutilated democracy, absence of rule of law has produced a corrupt young murderer instead. All this to give that one simple chance the boy sought. Alas! what a pity!

Now I dunno where I should hide my face for the sorry state of affairs. I laughed at myself for once proudly feeling that India won Man Booker. Largely it has been pessimistic and portrayed only the negative side of the country. In a way it ignored anything good that has happened to the country. But I don't find it wrong cuz there is no need to defend it all the time by showing something positive. That leads to complacent attitude. None of us can deny the fact that it is not too far from reality. Indeed, possibly this is the only side visible to millions of Indians living in "Dark India". (He divides India into 2 parts - India in darkness, India in the Light).

What is the way out? Let us arise, awake and stop not until we reach our goal! Lets assert our rights. Let us vote out the corrupt, criminal politicians. Let us not be indifferent to our own problems. Let us work when we can work. Let us do our part of the job - in the best way it can be done. Let us have integrity, honesty. Lets not be corrupt and lets replace those corrupt politicians and bureaucrats and every corrupt officer with the young blood we have. Let us dedicate ourselves to the cause of nation. This is minimum we can do to BE THE CHANGE.

Signs off,
Deeply hurt Laya.

Happy New Year

Hi!!
Wish you all a happy new year!