[UPSC Interview 2022] – Transcript #175 : Gen. Raj Shukla Board, Psychology Optional, meditation Hobby

Date of Interview: Feb 28th, forenoon
Board: Gen. Raj Shukla sir
Optional: Psychology
Background: e&ece iit kharagapur
Hobbies: mindfulness meditation, podcasting on South Indian movies

I entered the room filled with silence and nonchalant expressions from all panel members and the environment was bit intimidating at the start. I sat and started to try smiling when Shukla sir was going through my daf.

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Chairman

1. India’s GERD has been only 0.7% but in the developed countries it’s 1.8% of gdp. Why private companies aren’t investing in r&d in India?
2. What is technology transfer vs knowledge transfer?
3. Is there gross underestimation in calculating Gerd?
4. What is NSTMIC?
5. Why india not getting nobel in physics? Last Indian to get Nobel Prize in physics?

Member 1

1. What is sagarmala? What are the implications?
2. Approximate coastline of India?
3. What is logistic cost in India?
4. What was the year of iit kgp estb? Which foreign university it was associated to?
5. Any new halls of residence?
6. What is mindfulness meditation?
7. How to practice it?

Member 2

1. What are functions of TRAI?
2. What is Electronics communication privacy Act?
3. How will u use ECE in managing disasters?
4. Should yoga and meditation be made mandatory?

Member 3

1. What is positive psychology?
2. Is happiness measurable?
3. Who publishes global happiness index?
4. Which country measures happiness instead of gdp?
5. Why gdp as a measure is inadequate?
6. What is the rank of india in happiness index?
7. Which are the happiest countries?
8. What is positive psychology?
9. Do u think happiness be made a part of public policy?
10. Do you think democracy is the only form of govt that makes people happy?
11. What is the difference between sympathy, empathy and compassion?
12. What is rational compassion?
13. How do you apply rational compassion to a woman who lost her home and belongings in a fire accident?

Member 4

1. Have you ever taken employment?
2. If upsc cse didn’t exist, what would be your career option?
3. Do you see hope in agri startup?
4. What is the difference between freud, adler and jung?
5. What is star(!?) personality?

Chairman – your interview is over and you can leave. All the best.

Mam reminded me about the mask. She wished me all the best too. I thanked them all and left the room with numerous thoughts and a sigh of relief.

Overall, the interview went on my daf and psychology to a large extent except hon chairman’s questions. Reading ‘all editorials’ compilation for the last month was really helpful to locate the demand of the question. I liberally said ‘I don’t know’ for some questions and they hinted me and asked me to guess. That way the board was cordial and cooperating. I felt the entire discussion chairman sir was trying to do was based on opinion piece appeared on 26th feb in the hindu.

Panel members especially Mam gave me enough opportunities to express my views freely. Overall the entire preparation for interview felt like a walking down the memory lane where every branch of our identity and personality kept on branching out to number of subsequent questions. However sticking to at least the basic things will pay much.

Mocks helped me rethink and rephrase my answers and led me to very important insights. Wish I started giving more mocks at the earliest.
Ksg panel with Khan sir, only ias, vajirao & ravi and chahal academy were good.

Interview preparation though challenging, felt like a rumination of the past and building a bureaucratic attitude for the future.