My First Interview

For the Post of Assistant Professor (Public Administration)

Transcript of my Interaction with Select Committee

At Netaji Subash Open University (NSOU), Kolkata, West Bengal

Date: 27/June/2019

On the day of Interview

Waiting Hall

In the Board Room,

It was a panel of 6 members.

Chairman: Greets and asked me to be seated... As am the only candidate outside of West Bengal, He asked about my residential town in Tamil Nadu....

As you are from down south, I put forward you this... There is a general perception that Sothern states are performing well in HUMAN DEVELOPMENT whereas the Northern states are not so... in this context, if we ask you to deliver a lecture on HUMAN DEVELOPMENT.. Just assume we people as students and come to the front, dias is yours... please proceed....

Me: (started it as) Human Resource is inevitable for any progress or growth

Chairman: (clarified) we asked about HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Me: Yes sir, am trying to address the same.... RESOURCE, everything is a resource... example, Money is a RESOURCE... we invest it in machines, land which gives us something in return... so it becomes CAPITAL... this process is called DEVELOPMENT... similarly PEOPLE are just HUMAN RESOURCE... they should be tapped by providing essential inputs like HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION, SOCIAL BENEFITS... so they can give us back something as a HUMAN CAPITAL.. This is known as HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. In the era of GOVERNANCE we cannot proceed without focusing on it.

Chairman: How will you measure HUMAN DEVELOPMENT?

Me: Primarily there are Indicators to measure Human Development..

Chairman: What are they? Can you mention any three?

Me:  It is Income, Health, Education... 

Chairman: (Subsequent questions on each.... ) How can you measure HEALTH?

Me: Health... it can be measured by considering LIFESPAN of a person (at that moment I didn't get the keyword "Life Expectancy at Birth")

Then he was asking about other parameters.... 

Me: Standard of living (based on Income, monthly earnings or so...) and Education (i.e. Literacy Rate)

Chairman: Fine, you can come back to your seat....

Chairman pointed at Other Member at his left corner... (gestured as your turn)

Member 1: Can you mention any COMMON PROBLEM faced by Public Administration both in INDIA as well as GLOBALLY....

Me: Yes sir, Problem with Public Administration or Administrators is they lack CONNECTION with GRASS ROOT, GROUND REALITY... especially COLONIAL LEGACY which we carry forward keep the Administrators remain at the top... less connected to people...

Member 1: Problem of COLONIAL LEGACY is for India, it is not there for Lodon... right?

Me: Yes sir, problem of COLONIAL LEGACY is restricted to India but i think the problem of POOR CONNECTIVITY applies to other countries like United Kingdom too..

Member 1: How this can be solved?

Me: India is doing far better in it's initiatives... be it PM INTERACT PORTAL or Mygov portal.... it provide option to enhance the CONNECTIVITY....

Member 1: What should be done on this?

Me: Yes sir, it is college, university should create awareness... I don't know how many college students are get used to these portal... they are interested in Facebook and other social media... how far they used to mygov portal.... in history we talk about Bhatralog (inteligentia)... they create awareness... it should TRICKLE DOWN into the SOCIETY...

Member 1: So, what kind of problem in other countries....

Me: I have heard it somewhere... United Nation's Agencies provide aide, medicine to African countries Sudan or so... before the Team distribute medicines, the people start spreading WRONG INFORMATIONS about the medical aide... they tangle a business motive behind those aide etc... these kind of MISINFORMATION often happen in India... PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR should address these problems at first....

Member 2: (second Left of Chairman)

Being yourself in a OPEN UNIVERSITY... Do you aware of ODL Programmes?

Me: ODL (Open and Distance Learning programmes) governed by Distance Education Council (DEC) established under 1985 IGNOU Act.... 

Member 2: That council has be replaced... now it is governed directly by UGC-DEB....

Member 2: Anyways fine, do you aware of PCP and SLP programmes?

Me: I have heard it somewhere... but can't recall right now.... (gestured a apologising face)

Member 2: You have mentioned that you are a Part-Time faculty at some coaching Academy in chennai...  right?

Me: Yes sir.. (elaborated as mentioned in my profile...)

Member 2: Where you did your PG? IGNOU right?

Me: Yes sir.... now am pursing MA.(Economics) at IGNOU

Member 2: Oh It's also from IGNOU... fine...

Member 3: Can you name any two places where PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION is relevant even today?

Me: Yes sir, as I mentioned, In GOVERNANCE ERA, there is Multi-Institutional, Plurality... where Civil Society, Private as well Government coexist... Government act as a pivot, linkpin.... it should be based on the PRINCIPLE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION....be it INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS like WORLD BANK or IMF.... or grass root ORGANIZATIONS in INDIA... Especially post-1991 reforms in India... we are engaging CIVIL SOCIETIES... Rather adopting to PRIVATE ADMINISTRATION which is more of Business Model and Profit Oriented,  it is essential to adopt the principles of PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION which is more of PEOPLE CENTRIC, WELFARE ORIENTED, and strive to ALLEVIATE POVERTY.... etc

Member 4: (Immediate left of chairman) Being from state of Tamil Nadu... I will put forward you an issue from your own state....

Me: ( I was eager and guessed it to be relted with WATER CRISIS)

Member 4: As you were talking lot about PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION....in that perspectives explain the reason for WATER CRISIS in your state.... 

Me: ( Enthusiastically I started to utter words...)

Member 4: (Interrupts) Gentleman we know you can talk on any topic for 2 hours or so... we don't want that... make your answer brief and crisp....

Me: Sure sir... I will make my point very short... as I mentioned earlier... it is the problem of POOR CONNECTION TO PEOPLE, GROUND REALITY....former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu advocated on RAIN WATER HARVESTING at every house... but people bribed those Inspectors who comes to check their houses.. they found TEMPORARY SOLUTION and they are suffering now... unless we INFORM THE PEOPLE about need of any Scheme or Programme... it couldnot be implemented EFFECTIVELY...

Chairman: so your saying this is a problem of PUBLIC GOOD...

Me: Yes sir, it is the problem of PUBLIC GOOD...

Chairman: You mean that... are you aware of the "Theory on Public Good"... there is a theory.... Do you know? Can you name any person associated with it?

Me: Yes sir, I know... but I can't recall the person right now... ( at that moment I couldn't even recall PAUL SAMUELSON.... only Robinson, Osborne and Gabler comes to my mind but ROBINSON is associated with Growth Model, Osborne & Gabler associated with Reinventing Government)

Chairman: Ok no problem....

Member 5: seems you have not submitted the photo copy of your class 10th marksheet....

Me: I submitted it just before entering the hall....

Chairman acknowledged it....

Chairman: Ok... Fine.... Thank you... you can leave now....

Me: Thank you sir...