Vedajyoti Ozah of Houston, Texas, has embarked upon the - Posoowa

Nabanita: Even though one name appears
in the final merit list, the entire
family takes the exam, at least in my
case it was so. My parents have been
the wind beneath my wings. They believed
in me when I lost faith in myself.
My mother suffered my temper and
mood swings without complaining. My
sister and brother-in-law too have been
extremely supportive. My friend
Gayatri Sashidharan has been a pillar
of strength. Mr.Sanjay Haider ( Sanjay
Bhaiyya) guided me without losing patience.
I would not have been where I
am without these people.
Posoowa: Please tell us a bit about your
family. Is there any other Civil Servant
in your family?
Nabanita: My father Mr.Syamal
Chakrabarti is a retired officer of
State Bank of India. My mother Nina
Chakrabarti is a home-maker. My
sister Paramita Dey, who lives in USA,
is a home-maker and my brother-inlaw
is an engineer. I have a nephew
and a niece.
I am the first civil servant in the
family.
Posoowa: What were your subjects in
Prelims and Mains and how did you
prepare for them?
Nabanita: My subject in Prelims was
Indian History and for Mains they were
History & English Literature. I started
preparing for the Civil Services right
after my PG.
Posoowa: What would you say about
the choice of your subjects? Do you
regret anything?
Nabanita: My optionals were natural
choice because of my background and
interest. I did not follow the myth of
scoring subjects. Of course I don’t have
any regrets.
Posoowa: Did you expect your rank or
it went against your expectations?
Nabanita: I expected to clear the civil
Service Exam for sure but 16th rank
was beyond my wildest imagination. It
is almost a year now, but I still have to
pinch myself to believe it!
Posoowa: Did you take any coaching?
How effective was it?
Nabanita: Yes I took coaching, but it
should be supplemented with lot of introspection
and self study. Coaching
surely saves one from groping in the
dark.
Posoowa: Is your alma mater an important
factor in preparation or it
doesn’t matter?
Nabanita: My alma mater did not play
any role.
Posoowa: How many attempts did it
take for you to crack it?
Nabanita: 4(Four) Attempts.
Posoowa: What did you do when you
couldn’t handle the stress any longer
during your preparations?
Nabanita: A look at the ray of hope in
my parent’s eyes was enough to put me
back in track. Motivational quotes &
stories of inspiration helped a lot.
Posoowa: Besides studying really hard
during your preparations was there time
left for anything else?
Nabanita: Not really. But one shouldn’t
give up living just because one is preparing
for the exam.
Posoowa: How did you prepare for
your Interview? How much time did you
get for preparing?
Nabanita with Parents
Nabanita: Interview is not a test of one’s
knowledge but how one presents oneself
and whether the candidate is able
to articulate her thoughts in a coherent
manner. Usually one gets 15 days time
but it varies.
Posoowa: What all were you asked in
the interview?
Nabanita: I was asked on literature. As
my first choice was IFS, I was asked on
foreign policy. Of course, economy and
govt policies were also touched upon.
Posoowa: As a civil servant do you have
any specific goal you want to achieve in
your career?
Nabanita: Ambassadorship to any
country would be fine. There can be
nothing more honourable than representing
INDIA.
Posoowa: Did you have any back-up
plan if you hadn’t made it?
Nabanita: I would have gone for MBA
or PhD.
Posoowa: What are your hobbies and
extra-curricular activities?
Nabanita: Quizzing, reading, watching
movies.
(Nabanita is undergoing training at
the Foreign Services Institute)
6
POSOOWA May 2009