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Monday, July 20, 2015

Do we really crave certainty?

Uncertainty is most commonly cited as the main source of worry and anxiety in our lives. ‘Fear of the unknown’ is a commonly used phrase. Why, then, do we fear death the most, when death in the only certainty in life? May be because of the uncertainty of when?

So is certainty the solution? Is full certainty going to be the source of ultimate happiness? I am afraid not. If all things were absolutely certain – imagine a situation where you know the complete schedule of your future – life would be boring; where is the joy of living in that?

My hypothesis is that certainty is desirable in things required for basic survival. The definition of ‘basic’ may vary from person to person – for some, certainty of food or shelter is enough; for some, certainty of monthly paycheck is bliss; for some, certainty about love and care is essential. It depends on where one is placed in the hierarchy of needs.

What about certainty in terms of results of our efforts? What if there is a knowledge bank, which tells me – if I follow such and such plan, I will get such and such results – life would be so peaceful, no? I doubt it. If all our efforts are destined to bear the desired fruits, then I fear the fruit won’t be valued much (basic demand-supply theory – the fruit is just too abundant).

On the other hand, the uncertainty surrounding the result keeps us on our toes. Uncertainty then becomes a source of creativity – would the plan work, how do I test it, should I tweak it – questions like these create a sense of dynamism.

If the plan eventually does work, we would feel a sense of ownership of not just the result but also the ‘tweaked’ plan – one more way to do it, adding another possibility to the already existing ones - which is now our contribution to the knowledge bank. And that, I believe, feeds our self-worth, for the joy of living is in the joy of giving.


Tuesday, July 14, 2015

UPSC Marksheets (2014-15)

Roll No: 024048
Name: VIKAS PRAJAPATI

INDIAN FOREST SERVICE EXAMINATION - 2014
SUBJECTS
MAX MARKS
MARKS
CHEMISTRY PAPER-I
200
080
CHEMISTRY PAPER-II
200
078
FORESTRY PAPER-I
200
094
FORESTRY PAPER-II
200
087
GENERAL ENGLISH
200
151
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
200
080
WRITTEN TOTAL
1400
570
PERSONALITY TEST
300
192
FINAL TOTAL
1700
762
Result: RECOMMENDED (AIR-12)


CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION - 2014
SUBJECTS
MAX MARKS
MARKS
ESSAY (PAPER-I)
250
112
GENRAL STUDIES -I (PAPER-II)
250
071
GENRAL STUDIES -II (PAPER-III)
250
068
GENRAL STUDIES -III (PAPER-IV)
250
069
GENRAL STUDIES -IV (PAPER-V)
250
085
OPTIONAL-I (CHEMISTRY) (PAPER-VI)
250
151
OPTIONAL-II (CHEMISTRY) (PAPER-VII)
250
149
WRITTEN TOTAL
1750
705
PERSONALITY TEST
275
157
FINAL TOTAL
2025
862
Result: NOT RECOMMENDED

Thursday, June 04, 2015

Indian Forest Service - Profile and Recruitment Process

(Reproducing a feature that I wrote for the Employment News, published in its "30th May - 05th June 2015" issue)

Introduction to Service
Indian Forest Service (IFS) is one of the three All India Services (AIS), which works for conservation, protection and development of forests and wildlife, along with an aim to enhance livelihood opportunities of forest-dependent communities of rural and tribal areas. Thus, the mandate of IFS is a unique blend of environmental conservation and socio-economic development, which are essential components of the emerging sustainable development paradigm.

Saturday, May 09, 2015

UPSC Interview (CSE-2014)

Exam: Civil Services Examination - 2014
Date: May 7, 2015
Time: 11:10 am - 11:35 am
Board: Vinay Mittal Sir

My Profile:
Place of Birth: Surat (Gujarat)
Home State: Rajasthan
Education: Dual Degree (Computer Sc. & Engg.), IIT Delhi
Job: 1 year in management consulting
Optional: Chemistry
Extra-curricular: NCC, SPIC MACAY, and Volleyball
Hobbies: Chess, Reading non-fiction books

Interview Summary:
CM
  •  Less pay than private sector. Would you be satisfied?
  • What were you doing for last 2 years?
  • What is SPIC MACAY?
  • What initiative did you take as Secretary of SPIC MACAY in IIT Delhi?
  • Tell me about musical instruments of India.
  • Did you participate in the Republic Day Parade?
  • What did you do in the Republic Day Camp?
  • Why didn't you continue NCC in college?What kind of government is there in India?
  • What constitutional provisions suggest that India has a federal system?
  • What is cooperative federalism?
  • What is competitive federalism?
  • A recent scheme which reflects competitive federalism?


UPSC Interview (IFS Examination-2014)

Exam: Indian Forest Service Examination - 2014
Date: February 4, 2015; Afternoon
Board: D K Dewan Sir
Duration: 22-25 minutes


My Profile:
Place of Birth: Surat (Gujarat)
Home State: Rajasthan
Education: Dual Degree (Computer Sc. & Engg), IIT Delhi
Job: 1 year in management consulting
Optionals: Chemistry, Forestry
Extra-curricular: NCC, SPIC MACAY, and Volleyball
Hobbies: Chess, Reading non-fiction books

Interview Summary:
CM
  • You worked in private sector, then you started preparing for civil services. Now you want to come into forest services. Why?
  • It is commonly heard that “Bureaucrat is all powerful”. Do you agree? Why did this notion develop?
  • What is ICJ? Where is it located?
  • What’s the difference between IMF and World Bank? Where do they get money from?
  • How to eradicate corruption from this country? [long discussion]

Friday, January 02, 2015

PK – the Concept and the Controversy

Amid all the brouhaha, I watched the movie ‘PK’ last night. In my opinion, the movie doesn’t contain anything so offensive that warrants such forceful protests seeking a ‘ban’ on it. The few scenes involving an actor dressed as Lord Shiva, which were mentioned in some TV debates, were not disrespectful to Hinduism. However, if one watches the movie for the sake of getting offended, that is quite another matter.

What the movie does is to offer its viewers some ‘food-for-thought’ regarding the role of religion in one’s life. Instead of taking a stand against any gods or religion, the movie denounces the commercialization of religion by the self-styled godmen who claim to act as messengers of god. In the land of Sant Rampals and Nirmal Babas, this message might threaten such godmen who use the ‘fear of god’ to exploit the commoners.

While the alien PK expresses bewilderment at the seemingly contradictory traditions of various religions of India, the major attack is on a Hindu godman claiming to be in direct communication with the Almighty. This has prompted some to tag the movie as anti-Hindu, as if the fraudster baba was a true preacher of Hinduism. The key reason why the film focuses on a Hindu baba and gods is that it needs to connect with the audience, which is largely Hindu.

If one looks back at the history of religious traditions, Martin Luther’s Protestantism in opposition to Roman Catholic Church stands out as one of the strongest movements against religious orthodoxy. The consequent Age of Reformation was a precursor to the Age of Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution in Europe. The resulting economic growth converted the ‘barbaric’ European civilizations into a region of economically developed nations.

Although the Renaissance movements looked up to ancient Greek and Roman glory as a source of inspiration, the thrust was not on revivalism of age-old concepts. The socio-religious reform movements of 18th and 19th century in India too utilized evidences from ancient scriptures, but were targeted at elimination of existing social evils such as sati. Some contemporary practices too, prevalent in the name of Hinduism, need reasoned scrutiny and reforms. The current Indian society is in need of another round of socio-religious reformation, not another revivalist movement.

While the Protestantism movement could reform Christianity through a direct challenge to the highest Christian authority of the Pope, the absence of any such central authority in Hinduism presents a challenge. One approach might be to initiate a series of bottom-up movements (such as this) within the various Hindu sects, against their respective decadent practices. As Vivekananda equated ‘service of the God’ with ‘service of the mankind’, the intention and purpose of religion needs to be reoriented in that direction.

As PK says in the movie - let us accept and have faith in the God that created us and the universe, and reject the Ones that have been created by some of us for our own convenience and selfish reasons.

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