[UPSC Interview 2020] – Transcript #213 : BB Vyas Board, Kerala Home state, Malayalam literature Optional,

Date of interview: 17 September 2021
Board:  BB Vyas
Background  BA English Hons
Home state: Kerala
Optional: Malayalam literature 

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Chairman 

1.   Welcome, please make yourself comfortable.
2.  You’ve graduated in English literature in 2019, were you preparing for the last 2 years? (said I’m also doing PG
3.  Is it in English literature itself.?
4.  Then why have you chosen Malayalam literature as your optional?
5.  It is said that ‘A novel offers the reader a moral fable’. Do you agree?
6.  Please elaborate.
7.  Have you heard of the book A Passage to India? Who wrote it?
8.  What does E M Forster say about the passage to India? How does he describe it?
9.  What is the Colombo Security conclave?
10.  Would you be comfortable to speak about India Maldives security cooperations? If not, we’ll leave it
11.  let’s move on to another field- economic development. In what way has NITI Ayog changed the economic development in India.
12.  Do you think public administration is being static for all these years? How has it evolved
13.  Is administration, management and governance the same? What difference can you see?

Member 1

1.  What do you know about the North East
2.      What were the anthropogenic factors responsible for the Kerala floods of 2018?

Member  2  

1.  Tell me what are your favourite books.
2.  (told 2)
3.  Let’s not get into the justification for it.
4.  Kerala has a high literacy compared to the rest of India, how was it made possible? Or what factors aided to it?
5.  But despite this high literacy, Kerala has a high number of youth getting radicalised. The people joining ISIS from India is highest from Kerala unfortunately. Why does this happen?
6.  ( said educated unemployment leading to desire for wealth and power as one factor among others)
7.  But does wealth really matter? Because the people in Taliban and other extreme organisations are wealthy people..
8.  ( added other reasons here – how literacy is not equal to education, increased social media penetration etc)
9.  But don’t you think there’s a contradiction here – increased literacy and use of social media rising hand in hand shows literacy is not limited to basic ability to Read and write…?
10.  Now what actions are being taken by the state to control this, is this dealt with or addressed with importance?
11.  11 .Tell me what’s the Kerala model of development , in health.
12.  12 .Why are the covid cases rising in Kerala despite this efficiency in management?

Member 3  

1.  You’ve a very beautiful name, what does it mean?
2.  What is the difference between budgetary deficit and fiscal deficit?
3.  Tell me who’s your favourite poet, and why?
4.  Are you wearing a Khadi saree? (Said no, it’s of Eri silk)
5.  How is Eri silk special, explain it to us
6.  Have you heard of an organisation called KVIC ( Khadi and Village industries Commission)
7.  What does it do to promote the sector of this silk?

Member 4 

1.  What is Incredible India?
2.  Where does Kerala fit into it?
3.  Why are there so many nurses from Kerala
4.  I can identify from your DAF that you are a debater. In debates you speak for and against. Now I’ll give you a topic, speak against it – Press isn’t free in India

 Chairman – your interview is over, we wish you good luck, you may leave now