@neyawn sir Please share some Gyan to answer this famous question “ You were spending long time in upsc journey (4-5 years). Aren’t you wasting productive time of youth?”
I would reply on these line-Yes i have spent good amount of time in the preparation. It is only because of the energy and passion of the youth , that i was able to stand up after every failure and rectify my mistakes. If this doesnt work out, the preparation has made me capable enough to bounce back from another failure.
@Omen I hope you are not offended. I didn’t mean to. We are just sharing ideas. I didn’t mean to put you off. Apologies if that was felt.
No sir. I get it, i think. Answering at that moment would be a totally different ball game than writing here. My answer probably reflected idealism to some extent. I have to be a little more pragmatic i feel. What are your thoughts on this sir ?
One thing i noticed is your use of 'sir'. I have read you mention it quiet a few times for interview prep. This too was a great learning.
@Omen I hope you are not offended. I didn’t mean to. We are just sharing ideas. I didn’t mean to put you off. Apologies if that was felt.
No sir. I get it, i think. Answering at that moment would be a totally different ball game than writing here. My answer probably reflected idealism to some extent. I have to be a little more pragmatic i feel. What are your thoughts on this sir ?
One thing i noticed is your use of 'sir'. I have read you mention it quiet a few times for interview prep. This too was a great learning.
Idealism is not bad as long as your body language , age and DAF supports it. I will quote here that people who are idealist, you can see it in their face.
There was one old user Mittali here, she was posted sometime in a tribal area and wasn’t complaining . When I meet her or speak to her, she is very enthusiastic about her work among tribals. So you know who is idealist in thoughts Aldine VS in deeds too.
With experience or age you will come to realise that guys who write - serving the nation, will join IT sector if they don’t get Selected. They won’t usually sacrifice a good IT job for actually working in dusty rural areas with no electricity to serve the nation. There is nothing in their DAF or personality which supports what they say. That is when idealism doesn’t look good.
I recommend using Sir a bit more because some people who have a bit of American English end up nodding their heads, saying “Ya-Ya”or “right-right” even to the board. As if speaking to a colleague.
That is clearly a very bad manner when you have to work in an administrative job with hierarchy . The habit of saying Sir kinda mellows down such things .
And for example I have quoted : asked the question that why does the hero get posted in that remote district in the movie Article 15?
Anyone knows the answer ?
This makes so much sense. My answers must not diverge from my personality and DAF. And i guess, it must be really easy for the board to catch this incongruence.
I feel mock interviews and group discussions, as you mentioned, would help me explore my own self.
All i remember from Article 15 is the Bob Dylan song, blowing in the wind.
@Omen I hope you are not offended. I didn’t mean to. We are just sharing ideas. I didn’t mean to put you off. Apologies if that was felt.
No sir. I get it, i think. Answering at that moment would be a totally different ball game than writing here. My answer probably reflected idealism to some extent. I have to be a little more pragmatic i feel. What are your thoughts on this sir ?
One thing i noticed is your use of 'sir'. I have read you mention it quiet a few times for interview prep. This too was a great learning.
Idealism is not bad as long as your body language , age and DAF supports it. I will quote here that people who are idealist, you can see it in their face.
There was one old user Mittali here, she was posted sometime in a tribal area and wasn’t complaining . When I meet her or speak to her, she is very enthusiastic about her work among tribals. So you know who is idealist in thoughts Aldine VS in deeds too.
With experience or age you will come to realise that guys who write - serving the nation, will join IT sector if they don’t get Selected. They won’t usually sacrifice a good IT job for actually working in dusty rural areas with no electricity to serve the nation. There is nothing in their DAF or personality which supports what they say. That is when idealism doesn’t look good.
I recommend using Sir a bit more because some people who have a bit of American English end up nodding their heads, saying “Ya-Ya”or “right-right” even to the board. As if speaking to a colleague.
That is clearly a very bad manner when you have to work in an administrative job with hierarchy . The habit of saying Sir kinda mellows down such things .
And for example I have quoted : asked the question that why does the hero get posted in that remote district in the movie Article 15?
Anyone knows the answer ?
He said “cool” to some Seccy or Jt. Seccy? Lol. I kept saying “right” “right” every time the board was explaining something. Must have looked so bad.
Oh yes, he said cool in the starting of the movie. It was a 'punishment posting'.
Seems like I am the only one who has traditional hobby of muscle training and working out.
I have been regular at it for over 2 years now. The pandemic did act spoil sport but have been able to shed some extra kilos now that gyms are open.
no you are not alone....also this probably is the safest hobby to be used in front of the panel
Yup. But they do ask technical questions like metabolic rate, loosing weight without loosing muscle etc. Came across them in some transcripts. I feel nutrition aspect could be asked in depth by the board
And what do you think about mentioning reading philosophy ?
Stoic philosophy, tao, vivekanad etc i have read and enjoyed. Ryan Holiday, Allan Watts etc
Philosophy meets self help is what interests me.
I like reading nihilism and existentialism literature too. Mostly as an escape from the grind of life. Not sure whether to mention it or not.@Neyawn your thoughts on this ?
looks like nothing is safe.
Obstacle is the way @MarcusA :p
And what do you think about mentioning reading philosophy ?
Stoic philosophy, tao, vivekanad etc i have read and enjoyed. Ryan Holiday, Allan Watts etc
Philosophy meets self help is what interests me.
I like reading nihilism and existentialism literature too. Mostly as an escape from the grind of life. Not sure whether to mention it or not.@Neyawn your thoughts on this ?
You may, but remember that from what I have seen that setting expectations very high before the board is not a good idea. The simpler you keep the better it is.
Thats also because what you feel like the grind of life is nowhere close to how life grinds you as time passes by.
So a 65 year old is less likley to believe that you are facing some grind ( and hence turned philosophical ) , because somewhere he knows whats in store for you as years ( and decades ) pass by.
But more than that, the person going to interview you was someone like you, plus thirty more years where he has explored the topics in much more depth. ( Secreatry level officers in State govt do not have as much work. Its even more free in IPS )
Look, knowledge/ wisdom per-se is gained in stages. And when you get new knowledge, it will unfold itself like the peels of an onion. If you have ever peeled an onion, you will find the "perfect-ultimate-final" piece of onion.
But then when you peel off that layer too, you will find a completely fresh onion, which is even more perfect than the previous one.
So when we know something, we always feel that this is the ultimate truth of life/ syllabus. Until we dig a layer deeper. But while we are at a certain layer, we do feel 100% that this is "the" fact/ "the truth" and final.
Yes, my own understanding of the ideas of these thinkers change every time I read them.
It is extremely subjective and with age I think I might get closer to the real truth.
Dropping the idea of mentioning it.
I feel sticking to extremely objective things as hobbies must make sense. DAF might look bland but insurers against the risk of scoring poorly
@Neyawn and yes thank you for all these insights.
@ssver2 i second your opinion. Fiction is still okay, esp when it's short and relatable(like kafka, or our Upmanyu chatterjee). But philosophy drowns me into boredom. It feels like why is someone making a simple thing so complex(or maybe i don’t have the bandwidth to process all that). Nothing against philosophy or fiction, rather fiction writers are the conscience keeper of the society, but some people are just not cut out for it.Will also disagree with@Sankoza,all non fiction is not just opinion, esp if the work is well backed up by facts and documented history
err, no. I get where you are coming from. but I love both fiction & philosophy :p
(check out mypodcast, it's Seneca for now, so, not so mumbo-jumpo) (boy, I'm shameless!)
but "unreal" stories (eg fantasy) is not my cup of tea, unless supplied with a looooot of details (eg HP, LoTR). also I usually stick to fiction I can relate to. otoh, the true lovers of fiction read it to delve into diverse "realities"
And I too feel that sankoza over-generalizes here. but I confess that when absurdity of life hit, Harry Potter helped more than Albert Camus. and that it's knowledge porn at the end of the day. reminds me of neyawn's article where he says ki kitna bhi mein motivation porn likh dun aur tum padh lo, ussse kaddu kuch nahi hoga, agar mehnat nahi karoge (in better words ofc)
Totally agree with the point that nothing more motivational than the momentum gained through studying itself.
Albert Camus has been really helpful to me. Sisyphus is happy has stayed with me for a while now.
I need to try reading LoTR and HP as you recommended
I read the prelims thread and comments by@Neyawn and others. I am afraid and almost want to start preparing for the next prelims already. :/
This is one video I would like you to watch. Not fancy Youtube stuff. Regular mock. What are your observations about the candidate?
- not just answers but the way of delivering them in extremely important
- no background, justification but the direct answer. For this one might have to be comfortable with awkward silence once you answer. It is usually to avoid this awkward silence that i keep justifying or reinstating my point trying to persuade the interviewer.
- decision making extremely necessary skill
Sorry to diverge a bit.
Is it with all the optionals that one has to revise some bit before taking a test? I mean for a GS Mains paper i have been able to manage to get up and reach the test centre to take the mock. I do revise that GS subject during the week for the test on weekend.
But for optional i have always struggled to get to this auto pilot mode of taking test.
I had made some notes for this attempt but the night before the mock i always feel that those notes are not holistic and hence loose confidence.
Anyone else faces the same problem ?
