UPSC Interview Transcript : Sujatha Mehta Board, 03/05/17, Dentist :-)

Board: Sujatha Mehta mam
Date: 03/05/17
Time: 35 mins
Background: Bachelor of Dental surgery
Work exp: Didn’t practice dentistry.
Domicile: Telangana
Hobbies: Cricket,volleyball and weight training.
Optional: Anthropology

Chairman

Ch: So is this you? Showing my photo.
Me: Yes mam.
Ch: So you are a dentist.
Me: Yes mam.
Ch: Tell me is it morally correct on the part of celebrities to endorse fairness creams?
Me: Mam I think endorsing fairness creams on the false promise of improving one’s skin complexion and assuring them success if they have a fairer skin is morally not correct.
Ch:  So tell me what should be done?
Me: Mam celebrities should first have some basic knowledge of the product they are endorsing and endorse it only if it is good for the people.
Ch: Ok, there are some celebrities who are endorsing RO water purification filters; do you think they have the knowledge regarding reverse osmosis process?
Me: Mam I believe they don’t since they endorse for money.
Ch: So how will you regulate them?

Me: Mam if a celebrity endorses a misleading ad regarding a product he should be made liable for that, since being a celebrity he is considered a role model by public and they are often misleaded blindly. And there should be also some strict regulations and penalties.
Ch: So there is a drought like situation in your state, so how will you manage the agriculture? (In news)
Me: Mam I will go for dry land cropping and try to prevent rampant exploitation of underground water.
Ch: So how will you prevent exploitation of groundwater?
Me: Mam I will commodify water and price it, since as per the present laws a person can exploit as much water from his field as wants.
Ch: Ok, but if you commodify water and sell it, the rich has nothing to loose since they can buy as much they want but only the poor and marginal will suffer.
Me: Yes mam with a smile.

Member 1

So you are from Hyderabad, do you know about nizams?(with a very pleasant smile)( from my place)
Me: Yes mam.
M1: Do you know there is a controversy going on about the jewellery of nizams?
Me: No mam.
M1: Actually it is about its inheritance.
Me: Sorry mam I don’t know. (With a smile)
M1: So you are a doctor, then why civil services?
Me: Mam being a dentist my area of operation is limited only to health dimension (I gave an example here) Mam for example a patient comes to me with an oral cancer, I would be only able to treat his symptoms but not the socio economic problems like poverty, tobacco and alcohol which have lead to this condition at the fast place, being an civil servant I believe I will have more reach to try to deal with ground issues.
M1: With a smile, but there are many doctors who have become good administrators, inspite of that when we look at the health indicators there is no much improvement.
Me: I was bowled here; I kept quite with a smile.
M1:  Tell me about your places local problems.
Me: Mam there is a problem of rampant crowding, mushrooming of slums, flooding of roads during rains, and severe shortage of underground water problem.
M1: Tell me how will you try to improve the condition of underground water problem?
Me: I said about the same generic things here like strict regulations, water harvesting, behavioral change.
M1: Do you know about water recycling concept?
Me: Yes mam.
M1: what is it?
Me: Mam it is like utilizing the kitchen waste water, water used for vehicle washing for gardening purpose.
M1:  There was a mass movement in 1985 in united Andhra Pradesh, which had a tremendous impact on other states and also it spilled to other states. Do you know about it?
Me:  Sorry mam I don’t know about it.
M1: It is very famous (with a smile)
M1: Sorry mam, I don’t know.
M1: Oh, it’s not an issue.
M2: I have seen your sports record, they are commendable (with a smile), you played cricket, volleyball, and you were best sportsman for the year 2014, good very good.
Me: Thank you sir (with a smile)
M2:  At which level did you played cricket and volleyball?
Me: sir I played cricket at inter-college level and volleyball I played inter university level.
M1:  But looking at your height, you don’t look like one (my height is 5’8)
Me:  with a smile, sir my jump for the net is good.
M1:  So what position do you play?
Me: Sir, I spike.
M1: Are you a batsman or a bowler?
Me: sir I bowl.
M1: Fast or what, like spin?
Me: sir I am a medium fast bowler.
M1: So can you swing a ball?
Me: Sir I can’t say that, since I used to play on a mat, sir on mat generally every ball glides and swings.  All of them laughed.
M1: Tell me about the criteria of ease of doing business?
Me: sir World Bank has given 10 criteria and I started but could tell only 4, then he helped me but I was able to tell only 3 more. Then I went blank for 5 seconds and I said sorry sir, I am unable to recall.
Now directly M4 picked up (I think he is the oldest of all with low voice and was smiling all the time)

Member 4

So do you read books? (Out of Daf)
Me: yes sir.
M4:  Tell me which books did you read?
Me: sir I have read only the alchemist by Paulo Coelho (read some others too but didn’t tell fearing more questions, never expected this question, since it was not from my Daf)

M4: So tell me about the theme.
Me:  Sir it talks about optimism. The boys go for a treasure search and at the end he finds nothing.  I was clueless here, I completely deviated from the main theme and fumbled a lot since I was not ready for this and read it many years ago) ( the actual theme: “When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream.”)

I was little nervous since M4 asked me only 2 questions hardly.
M3:  Do you know about contract labor, right?
Me: Yes sir.
M3: can it be hailed as positive move for industry?
Me:  I didn’t pick up the question here properly and started saying about the negative aspects of contract labor, then stopped me and said that your saying only the negative aspects , but there are many positives too with a serious face.
M4: I was unable to answer here properly and said sorry sir.
M4: Tell me how will you attract FDI?
Me:  Again the same generic stuff like, Ease of doing business, reducing red tapism, easy entry and exit etc. ( he was not satisfied )
M4:  Tell me about blood diamonds?( since I didn’t answer about the name of the famous diamond nizmas had)
Me: Sir it is mining of diamonds using forced labor. Then unnecessarily I said that there is a movie by that name.
M4: No that is not needed (chills passed through my spine).  Do you know in which part of the world?
Me: I said sir I don’t know exactly but you allow me I will try to answer.

M4: He said no problem try.

Me: I said Africa (he nodded)

Now again chairman took over.

Ch: Do you know why Hyderabad is called the Pearl City in spite of no rivers and seas around?

Me: I said sorry mam I don’t know.

Ch: she said there are many lakes in Hyderabad right?

Me: I said yes mam. (Here I didn’t elaborate on lakes further, then after a pause she went for other question)

Ch:  So do you watch movies? (Not from daf, but maybe she picked it when I was answering M4)

Me: I said yes mam, I do watch a lot of movies.

Ch: Which movies did you watch in the last 6 months?

Me: After a pause I said, mam I didn’t watch movies in the past 6 months, since I was preparing for this exam. (All laughed, I didn’t know why)

Ch: She said preparation is only a part of one’s life and one should parallely pursue interests and hobbies.

Me: I said, yes mam with a smile.

Ch: When did you pick up playing sports, after graduation or from childhood?

Me: I said, Mam since class 6. She said ok.

Ch:  So how can we improve poor sports performance in India?

Me: Mam we should sponsor talent from the young age itself, we should have health clubs in every block and districts, improve sporting culture in schools, frequent matches with high ranking foreign teams.

Ch: Do you think today’s schools have playgrounds?

Me: I said no mam, many schools these days are setup in apartments like buildings with no grounds.

Ch: Do you think school grounds are important?

Me: I said yes with a smile.

Ch: (this was the last question, and I didn’t understood it properly)

So what do you do in your free time? (I thought she is asking me what I was about to do after the interview)

Me: I asked her again saying what I thought.

Ch: with a reluctant smile she said, ok tell me what you’re doing this evening?

Me: I said mam I will watch a movie, she said which one I said Baahubali, All laughed!

Ch: ok thank you, your interview is over.

Me: wished all with a smiling face and left. (While stepping back, my leg touched the chair and a made a loud screeching sound)

NOTE:  At many places I stumbled and couldn’t answer some 7 to 8 questions)

Board was extremely cordial and more than what I expected.

No factual questions, questions from IR and my optional at all.
They passed hints whenever I fumbled.

M3 was not satisfied greatly by my answers.

Except M3 all were smiling throughout the interview.

M4: asked me only 2 questions.

Source: Forum IAS