[UPSC Interview 2025] – Transcript #100: Lt Gen Raj Shukla Board, Cooking

Date of Interview: 8-1-26
Board: Lt Gen Raj Shukla sir
Hobby: Cooking
Slot: AN
Hobbies: historical cooking; yoga and meditation; talking to people from different countries and cultures
Leadership: vice president of english literature club in college
self employment: freelance content writer

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Chairman

on my free market debate prize
* what do you think is free market? (i mentioned competition and social upliftment)
* does it need regulation? (i said yes)
* do you think india’s early mixed economy model was right (i said not fully right, the state had to intervene to resolve inequality)
* gave a monologue on indigo crisis
* what is a strategic sector?
* should there be monopoly in strategic sector
* whats the best feature of SHANTI bill (I mentioned about SMR)
* should gov monopolise SMR? who should run SMRs? who has technology for SMR (i said sorry sir i will read on that)

Member 1

on english literature club leadership
* who are your favourite writers (i said daphne du maurrier and edgar allen poe)
* what works have you read by ’em (rebecca and tell tale heart)
* what have you learnt from people of different countries (we have more in common than there are differences)
* what countries’ people have you spoken to (I said Togo, Zambia, Uganda, Nigeria, Afghanistan)

Member 2

because i had filled IFS 1st preference
* whats NATO
* article 5 of NATO (collective security)
* will NATO lose relevance (trump will fund it less but it will remain strategically important in eastern europe and atlantic)
* what did trump say about NATO (US is bearing burden)
* what happens if a NATO country attacks NATO country (Greenland situation)
* how is europe dealing with trump’s behavior

Member 3

on my freelance content writing work
* where did you work? (my ex school)
* what was your work? (english literature content writing for school students)
* oh, then you must be good with communication; how can a civil servant do better communication with people? (i mentioned emotional intelligence and hearing people more; learning their culture; e.g. durga, lakshmi, barqat analogies for beti bachao)
* your hobby is talking to people from different countries and cultures – how can it help you in IFS (built empathy, people to people ties)
* benefits of yoga

Member 4

on my IGNOU degree
* whats the 1st open uni in India (i said sorry sir)
* take a guess – i said Nalanda, immediately realised its not open so i said im so sorry sir, its not an open uni; he said, its okay doesnt matter
* benefits of IGNOU degree; for remote people (i said 40 lakh certificates distributed, important for women and all people to learn flexibly; its affordable)
* minister said there should be one open uni per state; whats the progress on that (i said sorry sir, i will read on that)
* in hindi: aisa koi neta ho jo bol raha hai ki mujhe toh attack hi karna hai; toh phir hum kya karein (i said sir, such statements are transient, what matters is long term engagement and actions e.g. quad, military exercises and strategic engagement)
* so you think such statements are irrelevant? (i said, not irrelevant but we should continue backchannel engagement because one statement cannot undo decades of diplomacy)