EAM S Jaishankar reveals he was asked THIS question during his UPSC interview, says, 'I was lucky...'

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, on Sunday, i.e., July 20, recalled his entry into the prestigious civil services, revealing his UPSC interview took place on March 21, 1977 -- the day the Emergency was lifted from the country by the then-Indira Gandhi's government. Walking down memory lane, Jaishankar shed light on two important things which he learnt from his UPSC interview -- the importance of communication under pressure and that the important people may be living in a "bubble."

"(1977) Election results were coming from the previous day... The sense of the defeat of the Emergency rule was coming into understanding. In a way, that is what got me through the interview," Jaishankar told the fresh batch of entrants to the civil services at an event in Delhi, news agency PTI reported. 

The Union Minister called the UPSC exams "Agni Pariksha", adding that the country has a unique testing process to select the best-suited candidates for the service. Recalling the day his interview took place, EAM Jaishankar added, "My interview was on March 21, 1977. That was the day the Emergency was revoked. Revoked! So, I go in for an interview at Shahjahan Road... First person that morning."

'I was lucky' 

The External Affairs Minister further revealed what he was asked during his UPSC interview. He said he was asked what had happened in the 1977 elections. Being a student of Jawaharlal Nehru (JNU) Institute and having studied political science, EAM said, "I was lucky". 

"We had taken part in the 1977 election campaign. We had all gone there and worked for the defeat of the Emergency," Jaishankar told the outlet, adding that after that day, his communication skills got better. 

"How do you persuade, how do you explain. This was one carry-away. The second carry-away was that important people may be living in a bubble and not realising what is happening in the country," EAM Jaishankar said.

The Emergency was imposed by the Indira Gandhi-led government on June 25, 1975, and was lifted on March 21, 1977. After a public wave against the emergency, the Janata Party (today Bharatiya Janata Party) emerged victorious in the 1977 general elections.