Can you give a brief introduction about yourself ?

I hail from a village in Rajasthan. My father was in Defence and my mother was housewife.  I used to study in Government school in Rajasthan that’s when I got to know that there are military schools in India which are fully funded by the government. I applied and got through in a military school in Karnataka.  I wanted to become an air force pilot so i appeared for NDA examination but unfortunately I did not get through. But then I joined TISS where I pursued BA Social Work (hons.) with special focus on rural development.  There my perception about society changed. I presented papers about society and I gained a deep understanding about society. I did my MA in Disaster Management from TISS Mumbai.  There I tried to understand the relationship between disaster and development or how lack of development causes disaster. Then I went on to become Young India Fellow. One thing that I did differently was that I did a lot of extra-things while during my college days and my fellowship days. For example during my fellowship days I did lot of thing related to climate change, I attended conference presented papers etc. Finally, I am doing Chief Ministers good governance program.

Can you give me a brief introduction about this fellowship?

It is an initiative by Haryana Government. Ashoka University is its knowledge partner.  The entire process s facilitated by a consultancy firm. The idea here is the bright young minds selected from different universities come together and work with different government departments. They understand difference process of governing and where the gap occurs. They you are required to think about innovative suggestions that would bring about a change in governance and improve the efficiency of government departments. Also ,its aim to bring about good governance so that a common man don’t have to suffer

Who all can apply for the fellowship? what is the selection process?

Candidates from all over Indian can apply for the fellowship. Anybody who is a graduate can apply.

• The initial process is filling up the application which has two parts: First is the basic things like your personal details, you education journey, where you come from, The second part is the descriptive questions. For example they asked me questions like what biggest challenge you faced in your life was? , What is the one particular governance issue that appeals most to you? And what practical suggestions you have for it.
• The second step is a telephonic interview , where you will be asked questions like why you want to apply for this fellowship., what  you plan to do after the fellowship etc
• The third step is an interview. You will be interviewed by a panel of senior government officials.

They are experts in the governance fields and they will test your ideas etc.

Do suggest any tips, do’s or don’ts?

• One thing would be don’t lie.
• Be very specific while you give your answers. Because in written part you have word limit.
• Articulate your answers very well.

How is the work of a fellow?

I have just completed 10days at the fellowship. The first 15 days of the fellowships is induction. I have done 10 days of it. These ten days they will brief what you have to do, how the government functions, different roles and responsibilities of different departments.  We have been divided into group of 25 people and each group is places under one government department. I am placed under the ministry of sports and youth affairs. Right now we are getting to understand what the department is like. Later on we will be working towards improving the efficiency of the department.

What do you think is the most unique feature of this fellowship?

I think the most unique feature of this fellowship is its design. You will get a very amazing experience and you will be given many mentors. They have a clear idea of what is to be delivered and how we have to go about it.