[UPSC Interview 2025] – Transcript #97: Sanjay Verma Board, Zoology Optional, Maharashtra Home State

Date of Interview: 07/01/2026
Board: Sanjay Verma Sir
Optional: Zoology
Home State: Maharashtra
DAF: Hobbies: Watching Air Crash Investigation, listening to happiness psychology podcasts, reading English fiction (children’s classics)
Place: Pune, Maharashtra
Session: Forenoon
Order: Last candidate

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Chairman

1. You read children’s classics? Is there a child inside you? (asked with a smile)
Answer: I smiled and said yes, sir.
2. Which Indian English authors do you like, except Ruskin Bond?
Answer: Sir, I primarily read Western authors, and among Indian authors I have only read Ruskin Bond.
Sir raised his eyebrows and asked:
3. Is this honesty or confidence?
Answer: Sir, honesty.
4. Okay, tell me about Ruskin Bond.
5. Name contemporary English authors.
Answer: I named Kelly Barnhill, Ross Welford, I said that Roald Dahl is my favourite.
6. What will you suggest to promote children’s classics in schools?
Answer: I said teachers must encourage students,the primary reason my hobby developed was that my teacher was good.
7. Name three traits of public speaking.
Answer: Clarity, Confidence, Composure.
8. If someone is giving a public speech, what three tips will you give?
Answer: Breathing, cold water face dip, and paced walk.
9. Who is the best and the worst public speaker in India?
Answer: For best, I said Shashi Tharoor. For worst, I said I cannot point to any specific person.
10. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. Name one.
11. Who is the best public speaker in Marathi?
Answer: I said my father.
They all laughed and smiled.
They said they understand, but asked me to name someone else.
I thought carefully and said Shripal Sabnis, former Chairperson of the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan.

Member 1

1. Why did you spend so much time preparing for the civil services? How have you contributed to this country in these youthful years?
Answer: I said that I am pursuing my goal with all my effort, and by being on the right path and not straying, that is how I am contributing.
2. What are your career goals?
Answer: I said I wish to work in the field of education.
3. Why?
Answer: Education is a very potent tool for socio-economic upliftment.
4. Then why didn’t you choose teaching?
Answer: Sir, here I can work at a larger scale.
5. Tell me your views about SIR.
Answer: Gave a balanced answer.

Member 2

1. Why do you enjoy watching air crash investigations?
Answer: I said it is intellectually stimulating, and the remedies applied after each crash are wonderful to watch.
2. Why not train crashes?
Answer: I said no other industry conducts research as intensive as the airline industry. Also, they publish videos on YouTube, whereas such material is not available for trains.
3. What is demographic dividend?
4. Compare the demographic dividend of Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
I did not understand and asked again. Ma’am clarified that she wanted to know about TFR.
5. Are you aware of these technical aspects?
Answer: I said yes.
I explained that the TFR of Uttar Pradesh is above the replacement level, so more people are in the working-age group. For Maharashtra and Kerala, TFR is below the replacement level, so the number of dependents is on the rise.
6. What should be the solution? What should these states do?
Answer: I said gainful employment and health education.
7. Ma’am wanted another answer.
They were all pushing me towards the ananswer and giving me hints but I did not understand.
Then they themselves told me that the answer was migration.

Member 3

1. Do you know the fertility rate required to maintain a stable population?
Answer: Yes sir, it is 2.1.
2. What is essential for demographic dividend to actually become a dividend? What is needed? Give one example from our neighbours about what happens when it is absent.
Answer: I said gainful employment, health, and education to improve the quality of the workforce.

I said it is absent in Afghanistan (I deliberately avoided Pakistan as I did not have knowledge about its demographic dividend). I said that due to constant instability, Afghanistan was never able to utilise the potential of its youth.
3. What about Pakistan?
Answer: I said I do not know about their demographic situation.
He said that due to the decline of educational institutions, youth become jihadists there.

Member 4

1. Recently a prominent person from Pune passed away. Do you know who?
Answer: Yes sir, former MP Suresh Kalmadi.
2. He was associated with some scam.
Answer: 2010 Commonwealth Games scam.
3. Many scams happened in 2010, but no major convictions have happened. What do you think is the reason?
Answer: I said delayed trials.
Sir did not look happy.
He said: Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. Speak confidently.
I then said political influence over the judiciary.
4. If you are the District Magistrate of Pune, how will you apply Chanakya Niti to collect intelligence?
Answer: I said sir, I do not remember specific Chanakya Nitis.
He smiled and said it’s okay and asked me to tell about intelligence.
I said I would take the police into confidence and involve the local people.
5. If you are supposed to create a new town and are given no funds, what will you do?
Answer: I said for funds—CSR and NGOs.
He said no, that was not the answer.
He asked what one does when forming a town.
I said demarcate boundaries.
Then he explained.
I said sorry sir, I misunderstood the question.
He smiled and said okay.
Chairperson interrupted and said your interview is over. Thank you.
I stood up and thanked everyone.
Ma’am and other members smiled.
Tip: Prepare why and how questions.