I got 225 out of 300 in this interview.
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Academic
Qualifications : B.Tech (Mech
engg), IIT Kanpur, 2006
Executive Gen. Mgmt. Prog, IIM Bangalore 2007
Job
Experience : Areas
Sales and Customer Manager, HUL
(July 2006 – May 2011)
Indian
Revenue Services (Dec 2011 to Present)
[not mentioned in Form]
Optionals : Sociology
and Public Administration
Home
City/State : Bokaro,
Jharkhand
Hobbies : 1.
Member, Shiksha Sopan, NGO in Rural Education
2. Scouting for local delicacies
3. Reading Non-fiction books
Date
of Interview : 30-03-2012
Forenoon Session
Interview
Board : Shri
P. K. Mishra
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(After the formalities of the documents,
photographs etc, I was escorted to the interview room. I was the first to be
interviewed and I asked the official escorting me which board it was. He said
“P.K.Mishra”. I had not heard anything strongly positive or negative against
him but one of my friends had his board a few days back and his interview went
quite smooth. So I tried to tell to myself that it should be okay.
Nevertheless, while waiting on the chair
outside the Interview Room, butterflies did flutter in my stomach and weird
burps did erupt. There were no watches allowed so I don’t know exactly when the
interview began. But my guess is that it must be sometime between 10:00 am and
10:05 am that the bell rang and I was escorted in the room.
To my surprise, there were no lady members.
I wished the chairman “good morning, sir” quite loudly and then wished others “good
morning Sirs”. Mr. Mishra asked me to take the seat. I sat and said “Thank you
Sir.”
There were five members (all male),
including the chairman)
PKM (P.K.Mishra): So Chandra Mohan, you
have worked with Unilever.
CMT: Yes Sir.
PKM: Hmm… So tell me, why did you leave
such a good organization. It is such a nice company!
CMT: Sir, I left the company in May
2011 after qualifying the Civil Services Exam. However, I got a service
allocated only in November due to some medical unfitness.
PKM: Oh! So you are already in service?
CMT: Yes Sir. I am in the Revenue
Services.
PKM: Nevertheless, why did you leave
HUL to come to government? Nothing works in the government and nobody bothers.
You had a much better life there. (I had
seen this coming !!)
CMT: Sir, it was during my work in HUL
that I was sent to work on Corporate Social Responsibility Project in
Maharashtra. (PKM starts showing some
interest and nodded as if saying,”yeah yeah!! Go ahead”). Sir, it was a
Project Bhavishya undertaken by HUL, ICICI bank, Government of Maharashtra and
UNICEF. Though, my job was more technical and similar to what I normally did in
HUL, that is, work on improving the supply chain efficiencies in ICDS, Public
health Centers etc. But the fact that my work impacted the life of a lot of
people gave me a unique sense of satisfaction. If two months of that work in
social sector was so satisfying, a full time job in that area would be more
fulfilling. Also, Sir, I have been associated with an NGO in Kanpur in the
field of education and there too, my satisfaction from the work was huge.
So,
Sir, I decided to join the government to do full time work in social sector.
PKM: Hmm… but what did you notice in
the government setup?
CMT: Sir, I would say that there was
not so much a dearth of funds or resources but it was more about the
implementation efficiency at the ground level and I thought there is a lot I
could contribute to that. Also individuals were more interested in their own
careers rather than the larger organizational goal.
PKM: Chandra Mohan, How has your
perception about government changed after you have joined the government?
CMT: (I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to say, nevertheless) Sir, I think
my perception has remained the same that individuals in the government get a
little too engrossed in their own careers and somehow overlook the broader
goals of the organization. This was something I had observed earlier also and I
see this even after joining the government.
PKM: (he kept looking at the member to his left while asking every question,
as if seeking his view on this) But the perception about government is that
it doesn’t deliver. How was your perception? Was it positive and is it still
positive? (He said with a
“the-country-has-gone-to-dogs” expression on his face)
CMT: Sir, my perception has been
positive only. I had seen the government system working in Maharashtra and we
were sent to Coimbatore to see how ICDS works better there and I saw how
government systems can perform well.
PKM: So, if you reach a high position
in the government, what would you change, improve efficiency, leadership, what?
CMT: Sir, I think I would focus on
aligning individuals to the organization’s goal and ensuring that the ground
officials had measurable deliverables which are linked to the organization’s
goal, on which they could measure their performance on a daily or a weekly
basis.
PKM: (Not very happy with what he heard) That you said already, what
else you would focus on. Say, you are responsible for providing services. What
would you change, in terms of deliveries etc?
CMT: Sir, I would focus on transparency
and…
PKM: hmm… Transparency, ok good. What
else?
CMT: Also sir, I would ensure that
something like a Citizen’s Charter is there, where we are forthcoming in
outlining what services we shall offer to our customers or clients or citizens
and mentioning timelines against them. Also sir, there should be a redressal
mechanism, in case, someone is not satisfied with the services rendered.
PKM: But Chandra Mohan, this Citizen
Charter, Redressal Mechanism etc are already there. Right?
(I give him the “what-else-should-I-say”
look with my typical vulnerability on face)
PKM: No no. You are right. All this
should be there. You are quite right. (Vulnerable
looks work!) But what would you do in particular?
CMT: Sir, as a leader, I would focus on
bringing about a motivation in the field officials about how their job is not a
mere job but is related to a larger goal. That would ensure that they do their
work more efficiently. Sir, during my job in HUL as a sales manager, I used to
emphasize to my salesmen and the sales officers how their job was not mundane
and contributed to the organization as a whole.
Also
sir, if I may narrate an incident (PKM
gives the “go-ahead” look). During my work in Nasik in ICDS, I asked the
Child Development Project Officer, Mr. Gaekwad what was his motivation to take
so much pain in his job. He asked me what motivated me in my job. I told him
that it gives me immense pleasure to see that people are using our brands, the
brands that I work for. (PKM nodded
affirmatively.) He said that he also finds the pleasure when he moves
around in his district and sees healthier kids around.
Sir,
by connecting his normal job with this larger goal, his motivation levels
were very high and I think that the
senior leadership should focus on emphasizing that field officials see the
larger picture and feel similar motivation.
PKM: Hmm… tell me what is the concept
of Disaster? (at this point he peeked
into a piece of paper and I guess it was
a list of general questions that he had written down to be asked to candidates)
CMT: (I had read about Disaster Management during mains and didn’t remember
exact details. In fact, in the mains too, I had chosen not to attempt the
Disaster Management question in Public administration. But here I had to
attempt) Sir, umm… disasters could be of two types, natural and man-made,
natural disasters being earthquake, fire etc…
PKM: (cutting me in between and looking at his fellow members) oh ho!!
You started giving examples bhai! I am asking what is disaster.
(Oh god!! He wants me to say the definition!
But I don’t remember any. Why not take a pause and construct some definition. I
paused a little too long and probably appeared clueless, so PKM said again)
PKM: Arre. I am not asking you to
define it. The examples you cited can only be used to explain what disaster is.
CMT: Yes sir. I would say disaster is
an unprecedented event that occurs suddenly and causes unforeseen damages..umm
PKM: Damage to life and property?
CMT: Yes sir, damage to life and
property.
PKM: (looking back into his sheet on the side and virtually reading from it)
In disaster management the emphasis has shifted from a relief-centered approach
to proactive approach. Your comments on this?
CMT: (this was more like a GS mains question) Sir, earlier the focus of
disaster management used to be on providing relief to the ones affected, but
now having witnessed many disasters, we can learn from our experiences (suddenly loud coughing began by the member
to the right of PKM i.e, M1, however I still continued) and can devise
systems…
(the coughing became too loud and PKM
couldn’t hear what I said. He made the face of “Pardon-can-you-come-again”. I
tried speaking but then he showed me the hand gesture of “wait-till-he-is-done-coughing”.
The member coughed at ease, and then apologized. I don’t know why I also said
“Sorry Sir” to the coughing member as if my answers made him feel so bad )
Sir
I was saying that we have learnt from our experiences and can now devise ways
in which we can proactively prepare for various disasters.
For
example, sir, in an earthquake, we now know which are the earthquake prone
regions and accordingly we could prepare. We can have buildings which are
earthquake sensitive (oops!! I should
have said ‘resistant’) and do less damage. Also we can involve the local
authorities to coordinate evacuations. We can also have a Warning system where
we could inform people about a disaster beforehand so that people could be
moved out in time and damages could be minimized.
Sir,
such measures would not only reduce the damage but also save the costs that we
today incur on the relief measures.
PKM: Hmm… Is there a law or act also
for this purpose?
CMT: (This is not good. I don’t remember NDMA details, how would I sail
through it?) Yes sir. I think there is a National Disaster Management Act (PKM nodding his head affirmatively) and
an authority too.
PKM: Yes. Yes. So tell me about the
National Disaster Management Authority.
CMT: (GOD!! I should have ducked earlier. Now What?) Sir, I don’t
remember the exact details of the act.
PKM: It’s ok. You just tell me what it
does. Who is the Chairman of this authority?
CMT: Sorry Sir, I don’t remember that
exactly.
PKM: Doesn’t matter. You know something
about how it works?
CMT: Sir, the National Disaster
Management Authority works in coordination with the local authorities and at a
district level, I think, it is headed by the District Collector.
PKM: National se seedhe District par aa
gaye? There is a State level also?
CMT: Yes Sir. There is a Regional
Disaster Management Authority at the state level. And at the local level the
authority works in coordination with local authorities. Also, I think, there are
designated forces for relief work, including members from different security
forces. I don’t remember much details of it sir.
PKM: What is Vulnerability at Last/Loss
(I am not sure whether he said last or
loss)
CMT: Pardon Sir. Is it a term that you asked?
PKM: Have you not heard of the concept
of Vulnerability at Last/Loss (couldn’t
make out this time too). It is such an important document.
CMT: Sorry Sir. I haven’t heard about
it.
PKM: Ok.
(Passes on the first member to his right,
the “coughing” guy)
(M1 starts flipping pages of my summary
sheet and appeared that he had not yet thought a question. There was an awkward
silence for about 5-6 seconds. I noticed that PKM was staring me. I looked at
him, smiled and started looking at M1 again.)
M1: Chandra Mohan, You come from
Bokaro. The steel city. So what do you know about steel and various types of
steel?
CMT: (I remembered only as much as my dad had narrated to me last night and
I wanted to vomit it totally before I forgot any details) Sir, I haven’t
worked in the steel sector myself but I am aware of the basics of steel making.
(He gave me the “go-ahead” look).
Sir, steel is made from iron, after mixing it with carbon, nickel, chromium
etc. Depending on the quantity of carbon used, we get different types of steel.
Steel is more strong and durable than iron, especially stainless steel.
(And then as if my dad’s entire conversation
came in a flash) Sir, first the iron-ore is mixed with limestone etc and
melted in a blast furnace. From there we get Pig Iron which is then mixed with
carbon, nickel etc. and it is called Ingot. Then it is moved to the Slabbing
Mill whereafter the steel moves through the Hot Rolling Mill and the Cold
Rolling Mill at the end of which steel sheets are made which are then sent to
market (SIGH!!! Finally, I had made my
dad proud !!!)
PKM: He is asking about other steel
plants. Tell him about them.
CMT: Sir, within the SAIL itself, there
are other plants. Like there is one in Bhilai, and in Rourkela and in Burnpur.
M1: And?
CMT: And sir, there’s also one in Salem
which makes the finished products like utensils etc. Outside SAIL, there’s Tata
Steel in Jamshedpur. Also sir, there’s a SAIL Plant in Durgapur. (Now I gave a blank look, the
“what-exactly-do-you-want-to-hear” blank look.)
M1: What about other Private Steel
Plants?
CMT: (I just couldn’t think of any) Sorry Sir, can’t remember.
M1: JSW? (I heard it GSW)
CMT: Sorry sir. Haven’t heard about it.
M1: Jindal Steel!! You haven’t heard
about it?
CMT: Oh Yes Sir. I know about Jindal
Steel but I am not sure if it has a plant in Jharkhand, so didn’t recall its
name.
PKM: Yeah yeah, it doesn’t have a plant
in Jharkhand may be.
CMT: Yes Sir. But I know that Jindal
Steel exists.
M1: Ok. (Starts flipping my summary sheet again) So you have Public
Administration as one of your subjects. So tell me about District
Administration.
CMT: Sir, the District Administration
is one of the most important components of the entire governmental setup (Yeah. Is that new?) and Sir it
encompasses various areas like revenue administration, law and order and
implementation of social sector development projects. The lynchpin of the
District Administration is the District Collector who is also know by different
names in different parts of the country. With Panchayati Raj coming in, he is
also the key coordinator between the Zila Parishad and the district
administrative officials.
M1: What is another name that the
Collector is called by?
CMT: Sir, he is also called as Deputy
Commissioner.
M1: (He
didn’t hear what he wanted to hear) The name that shows his job about law
and order?
CMT: Sir, District Magistrate?
M1: (BINGO!!!)
So tell me about the magisterial powers of the DM. (PKM also starts showing interest. Before this he was scribbling
something)
CMT: Sir, earlier the DM had judicial
magisterial powers as well and could hear cases, but now it is only restricted
to executive magisterial powers. He can invoke the provisions of IPC in
situations of law and order problem like Section 144.
PKM: CrPC!!
CMT: (What? Who said that? I turned to PKM) Yes sir, also CrPC
PKM: Not ALSO, only CrPC!!
CMT: Oh Yes Sir. The DM can invoke
provisions of CrPC and not IPC. Sorry Sir.
M1: So tell me, which are the
provisions of CrPC that he can invoke (He
had this smug look in his face, the “ab-batao-bachhu” look)
CMT: Sorry Sir, I wouldn’t know the
exact provisions.
PKM: Yes. It’s ok. You are not supposed
to remember. It’s fine.
M1: (flipping
through my form again) Oh!!! So you have the hobby of Scouting…for local
delicacies. (Everyone smiles as if they
just heard a joke). So what do you do?
CMT: (I smiled too. This was my moment to show my lighter side..or maybe the
‘heavier’ side J) Sir, my job
involved a lot of travel and wherever I went I asked the local retailers about
the famous street food in that city and then went on to have it myself. Sir,
today I can say I am a proud owner of a list of about 70-80 food items of the
country.
Sir,
during my stay in Nagpur in the last few months, I found out about a special
style of cooking in Nagpur called ‘Saoji’. It uses a lot of red spices and lots
of oil and makes very delicious non-vegetarian dishes. (Me eyes had started lightening up with this conversation and I didn’t
want to stop. The board was smiling,g looking at each other and giving me the
“Aww-sho-cute-sho-shweet” look).
I
also write about these dishes, at times, on my blogs and people also seek my
opinion when they visit these cities.
M1: So you blog also?
CMT: Yes Sir. Once in a while.
M1: And people ask for your
suggestions?
CMT: Sir, at least my close circle of
friends seek my suggestion. For example, one of my friends was travelling from
Amritsar to Jallandhar and called me to ask where he could get good food. I
told him that right off the highway near Jallandhar, there is Haveli where he
could get Poori Sabji which has authentic Punjabi Taste. (I could have gone on and on but then everybody was already feeling
heavy of such ‘greasy’ talks)
(M1 passed the baton to M2. He was a dude.
In a French grey beard, heavy and chubby like me. Also with a cute intellectual
look.)
M2: So Chandra Mohan. (without looking into my forms) Have you
heard about NAM?
CMT: Yes Sir. The Non-Alignment Movement
M2: Don’t you think that it has lost
its relevance today. Also there are many regional groups coming up now. There
is this BRICS becoming active. Do you know what BRICS is?
CMT: Yes Sir. It is a consortium of
five nations. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
M2: Hmm… so don’t you think that the
NAM has lost its significance and regional groupings have gained prominence?
CMT: (I again see PKM looking at me, so I try to look at everybody while
answering) Sir, I don’t think NAM has lost its significance. It is true
that the basis of its foundation no longer exists as the Cold War is over and
there are no longer two rival blocs. Yet, Sir, I would say that NAM is an
important forum where developing nations can come together and voice their concerns
on various global issues. For example, NAM could be used to air the concerns of
developing nations with relations to WTO etc.
About
the regional groupings Sir, I think we have learned from the ASEAN experience
that when countries sideline their political differences and come together to
cooperate for an economic goal, all countries benefit. On this ground only,
various regions are forming their groups for economic advantage.
BRICS,
in that sense, Sir, is a group consisting of nations of different continents,
each of them being an emerging economy. It is a relatively new idea where all
the emerging nations can get together to present a unified face in front of the
global polity on various issues.
M2: Hmm… But don’t you think that
earlier India had a leadership role in institutions like NAM etc but it is no
longer the leader of the small nations. It appears that India is more focused
on its relationship with the USA.
CMT: (looking at PKM for an approval) No Sir. I don’t agree (PKM giving me “jiyo-mere-laal” look) I
think India is well aware of its responsibility as a leader of the smaller
nations and it has ensured that no nation is ignored in its foreign policy. It
has continued to interact with the smaller nations both on a bilateral as well
as a multilateral manner.
Also,
Sir, our friendly relations with the US are more driven by our own self
interest needs (M2 nods affirmatively)
for example the economic and the defense needs. Moreover, India still professes
an independent foreign policy and makes sure that its warm bilateral relations
with one nation doesn’t affect its relations with other nations. (Somewhere during this, mobile phone of M3
or M4 rang. But I didn’t bother. The mobile was quickly switched off and the
member apologized to PKM)
(M2 passes then to M3, who is sitting to my immediate
right, that is, second to the left of PKM)
M3: (looking
into my forms) Chandra Mohan, you have taken Sociology as one of your
optionals. So tell me, how has reading sociology helped you?
CMT: Sir, I had read some sociology in
college as part of our B.Tech Programme. Sir, reading a subject like Sociology
helped me understand the society around me. I understood that all societies
have their norms and values and that no values are right or wrong, it is just
different for different societies, depending on the evolution of that
particular society.
(M3 wanted me to go on) Also sir, I
understood how various institutions of the society perform different functions
for society and how each institution has both functions as well as dysfucntions
for society. (PKM gave me the
“Get-to-specifics” look) Sir, like the institutions of Family (“OK” nod by M3), Marriage, Poverty,
Crime, Economy, Politics and various such institutions have different functions
for society.
(M3 still wanted more, so I went on)
Sociology also exposed me to various ideologies. For example the Marxist
philosophy, the Functionalist way of looking at institutions. Also some new
ideologies like post-modernism etc helped me realize how same situation can be
seen and interpretated in various ways.
Sir,
I would say, that sociology widened my perspective and helped me appreciate
that various views on a single thing are possible. While my education in
science made me aware of the technical aspects, the reading of sociology helped
me understand the broader aspects of society.
M4: You talked about dysfunctions. What
institutions do you think are dysfunctional to society?
CMT: Sir, I don’t think we can
categorize any institution as completely dysfunctional to society. When Robert
K. Merton also talks about functions, non-functions and dysfunctions, he
mentions that an institution can have all of them.
Sir,
I would say that it is a matter of degree and some institutions could be more
dysfunctional than the other. For example, if I may call Crime as an
institution, while it is functional to the few who benefit from it, it is
largely dysfunctional to the society at large.
Similarly,
Sir, the Caste system is dysfunctional to the people placed at the lowest
strata while it may be functional to the ones placed at the top strata. So sir,
I think each institution is dysfunctional or functional to the society, up to
different extents.
M4: Ok. You were talking about
perception about Coimbatore and how it was different from perception about
Jharkhand. Why such difference in perception?
CMT: Sir, the times in which I grew up,
when Jharkhand was still part of Bihar, we grew up with the perception that
nothing works in the government. We would hear jokes about how nothing moves in
Bihar Sarkaar while things would work under the Bokaro Steel Limited. So I
never questioned this perception that governments don’t deliver.
But,
Sir, when I was sent to Coimbatore to see how ICDS and Aanganwadi system works
there quite well, I saw that even in a tribal village, there were tap water
connections in each house and also electricity. My first reaction was that it’s
a bluff and it is actually not a tribal village. May be we are visitors, so the
officials are showing us a developed village. I asked the residents what did
they do for livelihood. Most of them were labourers in nearby tea fields and
earned hardly 1500 to 2000 rupees every month.
I
asked them how they could have tap water and electricity in their home. They
told me that government ensured all that. There was no malnourished child in
the village and every child got a healthy nutrition at the Aanganwadi.
This
made my perception that governments can deliver if projects are implemented
well.
(M3 then passed to M4 who seemed not too
ready with questions)
M4: Hmm… Chandra Mohan, continuing from
the discussion, you would agree that corruption is at both places, in Tamil
Nadu as well as in Jharkhand. Then why do you think things work in Tamil Nadu
while they don’t work in Jharkhand?
CMT: Sir, I think, that in places like
Bihar and Jharkhand, people see the government as something very big and they
see themselves as mere beneficiaries. While in Tamil Nadu I saw people being
more assertive about their rights and demanding a lot from the government. Also
I found that the local bodies like the Panchayats were much more proactive.
M4: But why do you think that is so?
CMT: Sir, It could be because Tamil
Nadu has more literacy and better education which makes the people there more
aware about their rights. Also it makes the Panchayati Raj institutions more
powerful. I saw how there were Mother’s Committees in villages which made
surprise checks on schools to see if the kids got good education and also on
aanganwadis to see if the kids got good food. (M4 nods affirmatively)
M4: So you were working at Hindustan
Unilever. Is it there that you did the EGMP? (He was talking about the Executive General Management Programme at IIM
Bangalore in my form) Was it sponsored
by HUL?
CMT: Yes sir, it was a part of the Business
Leadership Training Programme.
M4: Was it a full one year course? (I just realized that he was fully aware of
the EGMP thing)
CMT: No sir. It was a condensed course
of about 6 weeks where classes were held daily and stuff more related to our
job were taught.
M4: So don’t you think that you made a
loss to HUL when they invested so much in you and you left. I can see that
after the training they even nearly doubled your package from 8 lakh to 15
lakh.
CMT: (I smiled) Sir, in fact when I was resigning the package had become
22 lakh. (On hearing this PKM made a
weird face. Either he was stunned or he found me boasting and rude.) But
sir, I worked in Hindustan Unilever for four and a half years and I did quite
well there. In fact, in the two years that I was appraised, I was rated the
best Area Sales Manager and was also awarded in one of the years. (It was really difficult to sound modest at
this moment, though I tried my best). However, my work there only made the shareholders
happy, while my work in government would make the common people happy. That was
the motivation in working with the government.
M4: Hmm… So what non-fiction do you
read? (Referring to my hobby)
CMT: Sir, I generally read books on
Indian History from independence onwards. But I also read biographies and
recently I have read the Biography of Gandhiji by Jad Adams
M4: So what’s there in the book?
CMT: Sir, the book “Gandhi: Naked
Ambition” by Jad Adams talks about various contradictions in Gandhiji’s life.
For example, how he was very upright in his public life but as a father he was
very strict to his children. I found this interesting and hence picked up the
book to read, though I have read other biographies of Gandhi as well.
M4: (smilingly,
as if finding me trapped) So how has the book changed your perception about
him?
CMT: Sir, first of all, I would like to
mention that the book has been a little biased. While it has praised the
European, British and Christian values of Gandhiji, it has criticized the
values which were a little earthy and Indian.
M4: But has it changed your perception
about Gandhiji?
CMT: Sir, whatever contradictions the
book talks about were things that Gandhiji was himself aware of and also has
written about them. If Gandhiji was alive today he would have taken these
criticisms very happily and that is what inspires me in him, that he was always
ready to accept his shortcomings. I think he was his best critic and that
humility in Gandhiji has kept inspiring me. After reading this book too, my
praise for Gandhiji has only grown.
(M4 passes back the baton the PKM. He pauses
for a second and then says, “OK. Chandra Mohan, your interview is over. You can
go now.” I was a little perplexed at the sudden end. I was expecting some final
questions from the Chairman. Nevertheless, I walked out thanking the board. I
had thought that I will look back at the board before exiting the door, but
just didn’t. I just walked out. I asked an official sitting outside what time
it was. He said 10:35 am.)
