External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, on Sunday, reminisced about his entry into the Indian civil services and revealed that his UPSC interview took place on a historic day—March 21, 1977—the very day the Emergency was officially lifted in India. Speaking to a fresh batch of civil services entrants at an event in Delhi, Jaishankar shared personal reflections and valuable lessons from his experience nearly five decades ago.
Reflecting on the political climate of the time, Jaishankar recalled that the atmosphere was charged with the aftermath of the 1977 General Elections, which had concluded just a day earlier. “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,” he said.
Describing the UPSC civil services examination as an “Agni Pariksha” (trial by fire), the minister said that the real challenge lies not just in clearing the written exams, but in facing the interview. He emphasised its uniqueness as a testing system, calling it one of the most remarkable methods anywhere in the world to select candidates for public service. He went on to narrate his own experience. “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 That was the day the Emergency was revoked.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,” he said.
The Emergency, imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in June 1975, had finally come to an end with the revocation order on March 21, 1977. Elections had taken place between March 16 and 20, resulting in a sweeping defeat for the Congress and the rise of the Janata Party, with Morarji Desai taking office as the next Prime Minister.
During the interview, Jaishankar recalled being asked about the outcome of the elections and the political climate. As a political science student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), he felt well-prepared. “I was lucky,” he admitted, revealing that he had actively participated in the election campaign and worked for the defeat of the Emergency regime. “We had taken part in the 1977 election campaign. We had all gone there and worked for the defeat of the Emergency,” he said. Jaishankar recounted that during the interview, he became so engaged in the discussion that he momentarily forgot he was being interviewed. “At that moment, my communication skills somehow came together,” he recalled.
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One of the major takeaways from the interview, according to Jaishankar, was learning how to communicate under pressure without offending anyone. He added that this skill would serve civil servants well in their careers. He also recalled discovering what he described as the “Lutyens' bubble” after noticing how surprised the interviewers were by the election results. “These people were really shocked. They could not believe that this election result had happened, whereas for us, the ordinary students, we could see that there was a wave against the Emergency,” he said.
From this, he learned two crucial lessons: how to express oneself effectively during stressful moments and the realization that people in positions of influence might sometimes be disconnected from ground realities. “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,” he added.
Addressing the newly selected civil servants, Jaishankar reminded them that they were stepping into a service, not merely a job. He urged them to take ownership of the nation’s development goals and to become leaders of India’s “Amrit Kaal” — the 25-year journey towards a developed nation by 2047. “This Amrit Kaal of 25 years is your era. Your era, because you will have to work, you will have to deliver, and you will be the beneficiaries of this era, you will be the leaders of this era,” he said. Concluding his address, he encouraged the officers to think long-term and reflect on the role they would play in building a “Viksit Bharat.” “I want you to think 20 years ahead... When we move towards the journey of Viksit Bharat, what will be your contribution? And, the mindset that you have to bring to realise that dream of making a developed nation,” Jaishankar said.
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