Sunday, May 13, 2012

UPSC Interview of Shri. Navanath Gavhane : Part I


UPSC personality test

Duration: 30 mins from 1515 hours to 1545 hours
Panel chairperson Rajni Razdan
Number of Panel members: 4
Afternoon session
Date :April 25th 2012
I had a reporting time of 1515 hours. I went to UPSC office ( Shahjahan Road, New Delhi) with my friend Harish Kale. I reached office around 1230 hours. Delhi was seething hot at 40 degree celcius. I entered office from gate number 2. I submitted my cell phone at the counter. The waiting room was around 20 feets away. There was an interesting Confucian thought on the wall, which said “Whatever you don’t like about others, you must not behave in the same manner with others”.


My table number was EIII. There were six aspirants waiting turn around the circular table. A clerk came to our table and checked our documents and completed formalities. He requested us to submit our TA bills. We had a small discussion on various topics like Need of nuclear power, The Lokpal Logjam, Abduction of Sukhma collector A.P.Menon.
I was fourth in the turn, for the interview. An assistant of the panel came to me and guided me to the interview hall. He was very formal with me. He asked me to sit and relax outside the hall until asked to come in.
And the moment I was dreaming for and working hard for all these years actualized. The buzzer rang and I knew it was my turn to be in the interview hall.
Following is the excerpts of the interview. The abbreviations are self-explanatory. Here it is:
Me: May I come in Madam?
Some voice: Please come in.
( The room was 20*15 meters in size. There was a square table in the centre. Mrs.Razdan was seated in the centre of the side opposite to me. Other four members (all males) were seated on the other two sides of the tables, two on each side. From the door one has to enter in L direction to reach the seat assigned for the candidate)
Me: Good afternoon Madam. Good afternoon to all of you sirs!
RZ:  Good after noon please sit down.
Me: Thank you Madam.
RZ: What is your name?
Me: Gavhane Navnath Kondiba
RZ: What is your roll number?
I answered
RZ: Is this your photograph?(she showed my photograph.)
Me: Yes that is me.
RZ: What is your date of birth?
I answered.
She nodded at the member on her right to proceed.
Member One ( here one addressed as M1): So you are a doctor. Then why do you wish to join civil services?
(I was fully prepared for this obvious question and played my cassette)
Me: Sir, I decided to pursue civil services from my UG course years. At that time I came in contact of with various people and organizations and I found there are lot many things to do apart from medical services. I realized in my hospitals OPD there were many helpless and needy people. I inferred that their problems were different from their bodily diseases.  So I started feeling that I must do something to address the problems of my people. There were two options in front of me. Either join a political party or be part of civil services. And this feeling materialized into firm decision when I was doing my first job as medical officer at PHC.
M1: So why did you not join any political party?
Me: I found it was feasible for me to be a civil servant rather be a part of the political system as the former needed only efforts from my side, and the later required lot many other factors.
M1: Ok. So you want to server your people by coming in administration. Do you know the role of an officer working for Indian Revenue Services?
Me: Yes sir. They are related with the income tax and custom and excise collections.
M1: And who are the chief revenue officer of a district and block?
Me: In district it is the Collector and at block it is Tehsildar.
M1: What is the link between Collector and IRS officer related to revenue?
Me: I am sorry sir. I am not very much clear on that.
M1: What is the difference in the role of deputy general of police and Home secretary?
Me: DGP is an IPS officer and is responsible for Law and Order, while Home secretary is an IAS officer and he is related to the administration of the home secretary.
M1: Do you know about ICDS?
Me: Yes sir. It is Integrated Child Development Scheme launched in 1975. And it gives service to lactating mother, pregnant women and children.
M1: Have you come across ASHA? What role do they play?
Me: ASHA is Accredited Social Health Activist. Their nature of work is voluntary. They are paid according to the service they offer. ASHA is a member who brings government health related services to the door step. It is a connecting link between Government and people.
M1: What do you think; the role of ASHA is complimentary or contradictory to ICDS?
Me: As ASHA motivates and help people to access the government services she works in complementary mode with ICDS.
M1: So under which ministry ASHA and ICDS are working?
Me: ASHA is working with ministry of health and ICDS is under women and child welfare.
(I fumbled in answering this question, much to my astonishment as this was one topic which I knew very well. I felt let down, with myself because of this. I trembled a few times while answering these set of questions)
M1 looked towards RZ and she asked other member on her left whom we call M2 henceforth to proceed further with the questions. M2 a bespectacled gentleman with a very calm and quiet demeanour, smilingly asked me the next set of questions.

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