What was the tragedy that happened in Kerala involving singer KJ Yesudas?
The question was posed by the civil services interview board to Anupama James, who had mentioned music as hobby in her bio-data.
She didn't get time to think much. Anupama answered, “Yesudas, who has sung many Krishna devotional songs, was denied entry to the Guruvayoor Sri Krishna Temple.”
The board was expecting such an answer. In 2012, when the civil services exam results were announced, Anupama secured the highest marks in interview in the national level - 245 out of 250. Though she got only 754 marks in the written test, better marks in the interview fetched her the 159th rank.
Daughter of film director James Joseph and Usha Kumari, and wife of IAS officer G Raghu, Anupama's achievement came in her third attempt. In 2010, she couldn't even clear the prelims. In the second attempt, she reached the mains. However, she did well in first interview itself.
Anupama completed her graduation and post-graduation at Vellayani Agricultural College and Gujarat's Institute of Rural Management. She worked for two years in Kudumbashree's microfinance department.
She also worked in Chennai's IFMR as a consultant. These work experiences stood her in good stead for the civil services exam.
Led by Purushottam Agarwal, there were five members in the interview board. The interview that lasted for 25 minutes was quite friendly. Most questions were based on the information provided in the bio-data.
Since the subject for graduation was agriculture, there were a lot of questions from that field. Will it be good to levy sales tax on agriculture? Is opium farming practical in India? How will climate change affect cattle? These were some of the questions Anupama faced.
Since reading short stories was a hobby, there were questions from literature too. Though cinema too was mentioned, there were no questions on that.
Not much preparations were done for the interview, says Anupama. She had attended five or six mock interviews in some establishments in Thiruvananthapuram itself. She used to discuss serious issues with her husband and father James. All these were of great help for the interview, feels Anupama.
Anupama's advice
* The civil services interview is a personality test. We have to be ourselves while facing the interview board. We are called for an interview after our qualifications have been assessed through written tests. Our personality and viewpoints will be evaluated here. One has to showcase his or her real self here.
* Be committed in your approach. What we say should reflect our knowledge and not sound artificial or hollow.
* The board clearly knows that you are not an encyclopaedia to answer all the questions. If you don't know an answer, don’t hesitate in telling them that. Since I had given reading short stories as a hobby, the board asked me about five short stories. I hadn't heard them. All the five times, I told them no. I didn't feel any shame in admitting it. Those questions may not be aimed at assessing how deep I have read, but to check my personality. If you try to fool the board by saying yes to something that you haven't read, there could be more questions on that and you will get caught.
* You have to reply while keeping in mind that those in the board are more knowledgeable than you. Don't try to teach them. Don't try to impose your views on them. Listen carefully to what they say.
* Whatever the question, they will try to ascertain if your views are mature and unbiased. They might ask the question in different ways to annoy you. That is to check if you are wavering in your stand in the face of aggression. When I was asked if agricultural income can be taxed, I told them cash crops can be taxed. Won’t it affect small farmers, they asked. They stopped their counter queries only when I told them that bigger farmers should be segregated and taxed.
* You can criticize government and its administrative actions. But you will need to explain it. Also, don't forget to add how the issues can be fixed.
* Whatever you say should be simple and crisp. Lengthy explanations may generate negative opinion.
* Write only those things that you truly know in your bio-data. The board calls you for the interview after carefully studying your bio-data. Questions can come from anything that is mentioned in it. Since I had worked with Kudumbashree, the board asked me about poverty alleviation and Amartya Sen's economic policies. Since I studied for my PG in Gujarat, questions were asked about the Amul model and its founder Verghese Kurien.
* If you think your reply is wrong, don't hesitate in correcting it. There is another angle to it; you can definitely say that it is more important.
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