Personality & Interview – UPSC

Q. How do I answer if the interview panel asked me, “How will you use mathematics as a civil servant?”? I have chosen maths as an optional in the UPSC CSE.

I had 93 marks out of 100, the highest in my college history ( UP board). It only indicated me that i should go with mathematics in my next level of studies. For my undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, I preferred mathematics over any other subject. I was busy in solving questions and developing specialities in mathematics. Nothing practical, I thought before IIT Delhi days.
In IIT only, I got an opportunity to learn mathematics in a different style. Like how Linear Algebra is used in Cryptography. How programmers and mathematicians have common things. How Real Analysis can be used to improve Zomato’s business and all. Till here, Mathematics opened a new way to get my feet into corporate with mathematics as my degree.
Things got another perspective when I decided to prepare for CSEs with mathematics as optional.
When i mixed philosophy knowledge with Mathematics.
When I mixed Government initiative to improve India’s health infrastructure with my Mathematics knowledge of Operation Research (LPP)
and so on……
Now I come to the Question specific answer-
1- Mathematics has two parts-
Pure Mathematics ( where we try yo explore small things at bigger level). To prove something, we need to set standard principles or theory. With thousands of examples in support cannot prove any statement.( Theorems) . The same is true for Civil service job. Thousands of persons are involved in creating nonsense in a particular area, still we cannot impose blanket restrictions in that area until unless we have solid grounds ( principles in support of that). This is what I learnt from pure mathematics. ( Just an example, i can put many more)
.
Applied mathematics ( Where I use readymade kind of stuff to get desired results) like, using partial differential equations in understanding heat flow in TAPI pipeline, elaborating Tashkent Agreement through the understanding of Divergence of a scalar field function.
2- Mathematics taught me- There are certain conditions given and I need to reach to the result using those. I cannot go beyond those. This I use in my working domain. Yo take any policy measure, I must have certain ‘facts’ and ‘figures’ and ‘Analysis’ over those will give me the ‘accurate’ results.
3- Sometimes we assume something or take a variable for unknown result and after getting result, this variable is gone. This I can use for some pilot project regarding ‘ Development’ and ‘CLIMATE change’. Prototype kind of moves.
4- Mathematics tells me that there may be many ways to reach the same result. So this I try to inculcate in my personality. Water scarcity removal is the result needed and Telangana model , MP model can be best along with Himachal and Gujarat model. Obviously we can have a parent structure as model answer ( Model APMC Act.)
……
I may keep on writing like this but I’m stopping myself here only. Ig someone interested we can have discussion over phone calls too, my number is mentioned in my profile. You can message me too. I love to discuss, this also i learnt from mathematics and can be used to entertain other’s views too without leaving mine. ( Gandhi ji) .
A grand lecture Series is going on at Youtube channel UPENDRA SINGH : Mindset Makers for UPSC . You can Prepare your Mathematics Optional in Right Way.