Hey@Neyawn is there any repository for e-novels? A google drive Link or something of that nature will be highly appreciated 😊
z-lib.org
The thing with my hobbies is that they are mostly things that I do on and off. A little bit of this and a little bit of that.
For example, I've been playing the ukulele the past 8 months now and got reasonably good at it. (Guess who learned the Godfather theme music and Bella Ciao in fingerstyle this past week) Yet, my theoretical knowledge of music is nil. It's an instrument I learned using the internet entirely. Also, I genuinely love a certain genre of music and I take my Spotify very seriously. However, my interest and knowledge is limited to that alone. If they ask me about Kishore Kumar songs or famous musicians from my State from eons ago, I would know only to the extent I've prepared.
Similarly, I've honestly been cycling in recent times. My heart and my brain knows it to be true, but my waistline does not. AND I know nothing about cycling in general. I can only balance a cycle.
Coming to reading books, it's a habit I picked up in the past three years. I wouldn't say I'm a voracious reader, but I read books which pique my interest. A lot of books do, and they're generally non fiction books. So, my knowledge is limited to a casual reading of the same.
I write both prose and poetry, but I mostly dont publish them because I feel it's art and art is always personal. It's weird, I know, but it is what it is.
I also binge watch movies and TV series.
Everything takes a back seat when the cricket is on.
Basically, I'm like Dee Dee from Dexter who goes " Ooo, what does this button do?" when I see something that captures my interest. I don't lose that interest ever, but since there is only so much time every day, I cant give each interest the time it deserves.
If that is the case, would they be hobbies or just interests?
I think my best bet would beto try and learn the basics the best I can,and just be honest and authentic about the fact that my knowledge is rather shallow about each of these interests of mine, if I dont know the answer? I wouldn't look like a blithering idiot, would I?
Thoughts?
Aaaaaaaaaaarrghhhhh. Overthinking would be my primary hobby if it were enjoyable. I definitely do it regularly.
The thing with my hobbies is that they are mostly things that I do on and off. A little bit of this and a little bit of that.
For example, I've been playing the ukulele the past 8 months now and got reasonably good at it. (Guess who learned the Godfather theme music and Bella Ciao in fingerstyle this past week) Yet, my theoretical knowledge of music is nil. It's an instrument I learned using the internet entirely. Also, I genuinely love a certain genre of music and I take my Spotify very seriously. However, my interest and knowledge is limited to that alone. If they ask me about Kishore Kumar songs or famous musicians from my State from eons ago, I would know only to the extent I've prepared.
Similarly, I've honestly been cycling in recent times. My heart and my brain knows it to be true, but my waistline does not. AND I know nothing about cycling in general. I can only balance a cycle.
Coming to reading books, it's a habit I picked up in the past three years. I wouldn't say I'm a voracious reader, but I read books which pique my interest. A lot of books do, and they're generally non fiction books. So, my knowledge is limited to a casual reading of the same.
I write both prose and poetry, but I mostly dont publish them because I feel it's art and art is always personal. It's weird, I know, but it is what it is.
I also binge watch movies and TV series.
Basically, I'm like Dee Dee from Dexter who goes " Ooo, what does this button do?" when I see something that captures my interest. I don't lose that interest ever, but since there is only so much time every day, I cant give each interest the time it deserves.
If that is the case, would they be hobbies or just interests?
I think my best bet would beto try and learn the basics the best I can,and just be honest and authentic about the fact that my knowledge is rather shallow about each of these interests of mine, if I dont know the answer? I wouldn't look like a blithering idiot, would I?
Thoughts?
Aaaaaaaaaaarrghhhhh. Overthinking would be my primary hobby if it were enjoyable. I definitely do it regularly.
“Define Google” defines hobby as “ an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.”
You can put upto two of them and prepare them well.
The problem is really of generation gap you see. If you were born in the 60s, you had less things to do, and very little information on pursuing a hobby. So you had less hobbies and pursued them over a relatively long period of time.
In “our” generation, thanks to Internet you can nearly pursue any hobby including earth watching from space without a long term commitment to it or being tied to the same hobby. So that creates some discrepancy in how we timing vs how the hoard things.
Last to last year, I met a candidate who had put reading Ramayan and Mahabharata in hobby section. When I asked him why he had put it, he said you ask any question in this.
He was fairly good, but the board may not be so kind, as these are strong areas of several people in the board.
besides among the youth the MAhabharat and Ramayan thing has picked up thanks to reading Devdutta Patnaik. Some people have quoted this in hobby by just reading Jaya.
The candidate managed to get IRS that year ( as far as I remember )
This year when I saw him, I asked him, you have not filled the same things again no?
He laughed and said No sir.
He also managed a fairly good 26 rank this year.So sometimes it is a good idea to play safe.
Interesting. Thank you@Neyawn for sharing. Will keep that in mind. :)
Delhi government started free travel for elderly to Ayodhya Temple. Does it against principle of secularism, equality etc ?? What should be answer in interview?@Neyawn
Adding to what@AzadHindFauz said, maybe you could mention:
1. Fundamental Rights do not function in silos but should be read as a whole.
2. One’s religion is a part of one’s identity and the Indian Constitution recognises that.
3. Article 21 guarantees the right to personal Liberty and Article 19 guarantees the right to freedom of expression. These rights are of extremely wide ambit and according to the SC’s interpretation, it allows for an escape from mere animal existence, and supports fulfilment of an individual’s purpose and potential in life. The Welfare State not only has the duty not to impinge upon these rights, but the active obligation to ensure maximum fulfilment of these rights in a meaningful manner.
4. Therefore, if the State starts free travel to Ayodhya (especially for elderly), the same is justified unless it violates the equality clause in the Constitution.
5. The Equality clause does not mean blanket equality but unequal treatment for unequal people on a need-basis.
6. Just because one section of the population is allowed a subsidy, another section from a different religion is not automatically entitled to a similar subsidy for their religious purposes. However, they stand on the same footing as regards whether they should be considered for a subsidy. That is the meaning of due process.
7. In this case, subsidy has been offered to the elderly and that too, EWS. The same is not in violation of secularism in any sense of the word. Rather, it enables individual attainment under Article 21.
8. Maybe you could also mention about subsidies given for religious travel for other religions as well. Eg:Haj Subsidy.
@Patootie isn't Haj subsidy withdrawn? Or do some state govts still provide it?
I believe the central government subsidy has been withdrawn. Not sure about the states.
Please pardon me for my naivety as I have not given any UPSC interview to date, but I wanted to ask why we need to prepare for a non-technical interview? Few basics are okay but not more than that I feel. That too when UPSC clearly mentions that interview is not a test of General or Specialised knowledge of candidates. A cursory reading of the interview syllabus and guidelines by UPSC makes me think that rather than looking for the answers, the folks are looking for the way we approach the questions.
For example- If I have to enter basketball as my hobby, why do I need to know the court measurements? In my school life, I was a district level player and neither I nor my teammates know the dimensions. On top of that, one of our buddies did the nationals camp and even then he did not know. So how does not knowing the dimensions or any other technical thing is bad?
This is what I feel : Ideally if a person does any task with interest or if he has achieved anything in a particular domain ( sport here) , then it's natural to expect certain facts about his task/domain. And an IAS / IPS would one day run the entire country/ state virtually as a Chief secy or Cabinet Secy and s/he is expected to know the tasks/projects he performs in detail.Eg: let's take two persons A and B. A plays gully cricket and B after pursuing cricket as passion gets selected for national team. Don't you expect him to know the length of the pitch atleast? That too after him having fought through the tough National selection process.
Even if one is not an IAS, but an excellent team manager in any organisation, i feel s/he ought to be aware of the project his team is implementing in detail.
Agree with this. Inability to answer a somewhat basic question regarding something you claim to have done quite a bit reflects on your personality as well.
If, for example, as a lawyer, I don’t know the number of articles in the Constitution, my marks would be docked not because of lack of knowledge, but because I can’t answer something basic about a field I claim to have specialised knowledge in.
