[UPSC Interview 2021] – Transcript #227 : Manoj Soni Board, Sociology Optional, Playing Cricket, Singing, Reading Hobbies

Board: Manoj Soni 
Background: B.sc(h)Physics
Optional: Sociology
Hobbies: Playing Cricket, Singing, Reading

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Chairman

1. Its interesting that a student of Physics also likes to sing.Are you an amateur singer or trained in hindustani classical?
2. Since you like to sing and read,are you aware of Romanticism(i said i am vaguely aware to which he said that means we should not discuss it further and i said yes)
3. Who won Nobel prize in Physics this year?
4. Nobel recepients from India( i started taking names without putting any honorary prefixes)
5. chair-you are a young citizen of this country don’t you think you should call Rabindranath Tagore as Gurudev.( I apologized immediately and he said no problem)
6. You are a DM and a person from your district gets nobel prize for peace. What would you do?
7. a bit of cross questioning here

Member 1

1. you read history till 10th? what lessons can we draw from history( this member seemed friendly but later found out he was also the one who was trying to trick me)
2. President is the head of the executive or government?
3. Who wrote Indian constitution?
4. How many members were there in Drafting committee
5. Two other names from Drafting committee

Member 2

1. Startup policy of government and what whould you do to promote startups?
2. Varnashrama Dharma( here i wasn’t sure .member 1 laid a trap by leading me in the direction of varnas and i said varnas are four and ashrams are four and named them)
3. What are purusharthas?
4. Write your name in Hindi
5. Rishabh Dev was associated with  which religion?
6. Who won nobel prize in mathematics? is there even nobel prize for mathematics?

Member 3

1. Tell me what is the issue with Lithium batteries
2. What are smart cities?
3. What has been the progress and have you been to any smart city?
4. what is the issue with NGOs regulation?
5. How would you defend government’s position on the same?

Member 4

1. You are a DM of a district with carpet industry contributing close to 25 % of the local economy but it also employs child labour what would you do?
2. Your opinion on sedition law
3. definition of sedition
4. contribution of MN srinivas?
5. What is sanskritization?

Very pleasant experience,seemed like a purposeful conversation,no grilling.

Utility of mocks- very helpful in confidence building and in my case questions were repeated as well.