The interview

After joining MD Microbiology at Andhra Medical College in 1981 I was on the lookout for some excitement and adventure in my life being young and positive about life. My elder sister Dr Kamala Reddy was working at Primary Health Centre, Kanithi, a small village 11 kms from Visakhapatnam after passing MBBS from Andhra Medical College and her husband Dr G Gurumurthy Reddy was working at Gajuwaka, Vizag as a medical practitioner. I used to help them in their work occasionally after passing MBBS. My sister Vijaya advised me to join army as a medical officer to experience something better. She told me if I remain in Andhra, I would become either a medical practitioner and get confined to the four walls of my clinic all through my life or else, I may be selected in the state service commission and would be posted to small unknown places of the state where I would be working with minimal infra structure all through my life. I made up my mind to join army medical corps after quitting my Post Graduation in MD Microbiology midway for a better life of adventure and more satisfaction. As luck would have it, I was selected in the written test after I scored well in MCQ...but real hurdle was the main interview after clearing the clinics at Army hospital, Delhi. I was asked what was my first choice ...army, navy or air force. Having lived in Visakhapatnam and having seen a bit of Eastern Naval Command, I replied...Navy. My next question was...name the ranks of the Commissioned Officers in Indian Navy in descending/ascending order...I could not reply...I could have attempted had it been army ranks. My next question was ... explain Falkland War and whether I heard anything about exocet missiles...my reply was unsatisfactory. I felt, I was not going to be selected despite my good performance in clinic and written test and also being fit medically. My last question was...what would I do if I get immense wealth ( needless to say, the Psychologist in the interviewing panel posed this question to me )....my reply was... I would visit all the countries of this world....they asked ....which country would be my first choice..my reply was US...immediate next question was...which place in US...my reply was Walt Disney World...well, my final question was...would you like to visit Pakistan...my prompt reply was...Certainly Not...I was selected...!!
Col Pendyala Pradeep, Anaesthesiologist.