Interview question: "Why?"

I am in the middle of a long road trip. Completed the road to Rann of Kutchh yesterday with batchmates Dora and Puru.

There is a point I need to make about answering an interview question usually asked in civil services. Since its a hectic trip, i shall keep it short - yet i need to point this out, lest I forget later.

Invariably every interviewee in civil services, so also in military services is asked "Why this service?". There are many reasons and typically interviewees begin with "I want to serve my nation/ society etc etc".

Avoid using this sentence: "I want to serve my nation/society" because it sounds superfluous. The Constitution of India clearly states that every citizen has some FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES. These duties basically point out that every citizen should endeavour to serve his/her nation and society. Everyone serves the nation. An engineer in a Tata steel plant plays his part in nation building. So also a desk programmer in Infosys (and no one can ignore Tata' or Infy's contribution to building of modern india.


Secondly, the statement "I want to serve my nation/ society" demonstrates a basic falacy - that you do not already serve your nation/ society. You want to get into a government job to serve your society!