India, March 16 -- The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) recently announced the results of the civil services examination held last year. This is hailed as one of the toughest tests for civil service aspirants, who often come from a wide range of disciplines - liberal arts, pure sciences, engineering, medicine, and agriculture. The numbers finally recommended for appointment would depend on the numbers demanded by the Union government each year, but, on average, about 1,000 candidates, from a pool of several lakh aspirants, get the final nod.

In the 1960s, when I wrote the examination, I competed against less than 10,000 candidates. Last year, close to a million filled up forms and almost six lakh sat for the exams. I am more than c...