It is often said that the IAS officers who pass India’s toughest exam are the sharpest minds in the country. These days, training of the future leaders of the country is going on in the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) located in Mussoorie. But, what happened there recently is not only surprising. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh suddenly appeared in the role of a professor. He asked 600 trainee officers a mathematics question which was very easy to hear, but there was silence in the hall while answering it. Only one officer responded.
The occasion was the closing ceremony of the 100th Common Foundation Course at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA). Defense Minister Rajnath Singh was present there as the chief guest. About 600 trainee IAS officers and senior officers were sitting in the hall. The atmosphere was serious and everyone was listening carefully to the Defense Minister’s address. Suddenly, Rajnath Singh stopped in the middle of his speech and decided to lighten the atmosphere a bit. He said on the mic in his typical style, I want to ask a small question to all of you. All the trainee officers present in the hall became alert. These youth, who had overcome the difficult hurdles of UPSC, felt that perhaps some complex question related to diplomacy or administration was going to come. But what Rajnath Singh asked was pure mathematics.
Rajnath Singh asked the question, a person had some money. He gave half of that amount to ‘A’, one-third to ‘B’, and the remaining amount of Rs.100 to ‘C’. Now tell me what was the total amount? The question seemed simple and straightforward. This was a simple equation question of class 6 or 7 level. But the 600 most brilliant students of the country sitting in front of the Defense Minister became completely silent. There was silence in the hall. The minds who had topped the country’s toughest examination were stuck on this simple question. The Defense Minister repeated the question smilingly. There was no response for about 8 seconds. This 8 second silence was very heavy for the officers present there.
An officer replied
Then a trainee officer from the crowd gathered courage and replied – 3000. Rajnath Singh shook his head and said smilingly, wrong, try again. It was a strange situation. Inside the country’s most prestigious academy, a simple mathematical puzzle had become a challenge among hundreds of young officers. Was it the fear of the question, or the pressure of the Defense Minister’s presence? Or losing the habit of mental math in the era of smartphones and calculators?
Correct answer found after 49 seconds
There was both tension and curiosity in the atmosphere. Approximately 49 seconds had passed. One minute was about to complete when a muffled but clear voice came from a corner of the crowd – Sir 600. Rajnath Singh’s eyes lit up. He immediately asked, who said 600? A trainee officer raised his hand. The Defense Minister praised him and said, yes, this is absolutely the right answer.
So how were the questions and answers created?
Suppose the total amount is Rs.xRs. As per the question the equation will be: Rs.x/2 + Rs./3 + 100 = Rs.x. When you solve this, it will be Rs. x – (5x/6) = Rs. 100, which means Rs.
Big lesson for officers
This small incident gave a big message to everyone present there. Through this incident, Rajnath Singh explained the importance of ‘Presence of Mind’ to the young bureaucrats. He said that a civil servant should always be prepared for every situation, just like our soldiers are prepared on the border. This was not just a mathematics question, but a way to test how fast and how accurately your mind works in pressure situations. Passing UPSC is not enough, but the ability to take quick decisions in practical life is what makes an officer successful.
Civil-Military Fusion and ‘Operation Sindoor’
After this mathematics class, the Defense Minister turned his address towards serious issues of national security and governance. He emphasized on ‘civil-military fusion’ (civil and military coordination). He clarified that in today’s era, wars are not fought only on the borders, but are also fought at the level of information and administration. In this context, the Defense Minister made special mention of Operation Sindoor. He said that this operation is an excellent example of coordination between the civil administration and the armed forces. Rajnath Singh said, Operation Sindoor is a shining example of civil-military fusion, where the administrative machinery along with the armed forces communicated important information and worked to build public confidence. Although there is very little information available in the public domain about Operation Sindoor, this statement by the Defense Minister makes it clear that it must have been an important mission related to national security, in which the bureaucracy worked shoulder to shoulder with the army.
During his address, the Defense Minister also mentioned the action taken against terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoK. He said that the Indian Armed Forces destroyed terrorist hideouts during Operation Sindoor and other missions in a balanced and non-escalatory response. He took a dig at the attitude of the neighboring country and said that India always wants peace and wants to normalize the situation on the border, but it is the misbehavior of the neighboring country which did not allow the situation to become normal. He explained to the young officers that while in the administration, they too will have to play an important role in protecting the national interests.
