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was stiffly formal as he introduced himself and took a severe stance next to me at the desk as the first candidate was shown in.
    I could see that Smirthi was nervous but, as I began to ask her questions about her life, she calmed down and talked with passion about her work to save the pangolin. She showed me a picture of this strange armadillo-like creature, an anteater covered with large, razor-sharp scales that only survives in small pockets of rural India and is threatened with extinction. I invited questions from the Commander, who asked Smirthi several pointed queries about the climbing experience she had described on her application form. His tone was a lot tougher than mine had been. It was clear that the Commander meant business, and I felt a little unprofessional in comparison. As the candidates came and went, I began to feel like the unwilling half of a good cop, bad cop routine. We met a doctor who was very intense and talked too long after each question. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, assuming it must be nerves, but the Commander interrupted impatiently, ‘Yes, yes, yes, you have told us that, but what was the most physically difficult thing you have ever done?’
    Next came Lata, who was so quiet and unassuming that I couldn’t see her holding her own within a team. After the interview, the Commander championed her case, emphasising her climbing competence and expedition experience, but I just didn’t get that gut feeling about her. The next candidate, Aparna, had sounded great on her application form and she didn’t disappoint. She had trained as a lawyer and had worked on several projects to improve conditions for female prison inmates. Clearly a very determined and focused person, she was emphatic about her commitment to all aspects of the project. The Commander wasn’t convinced. Aparna was due to start a new job with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Commander was adamant: ‘They will not let her go. It is too much time away.’
    By the end of the day I was beginning to feel a little desperate. Apart from Aparna, none of the candidates seemed to be likely team members. I could see by the Commander’s expression that he was equally concerned for me. ‘Do you wish now that you had seen others?’ he asked. Before I had a chance to answer, Reena entered the room and filled the space with her beaming smile. She had presence, both physically and in personality. She sat down and watched us intently as we asked her our questions. She had a disconcerting way of intently holding eye contact as she thought about her answers before speaking. When she made a joke, her booming laughter was so sudden and unexpected that it made me jump. She seemed a little eccentric but the warmth of her character was endearing. Before she left the room I knew that she was my second candidate.
    â€˜Can you announce the winners in an Oscar style?’ asked Vijay from the British Council, who had organised my talk that evening. I was supposed to be announcing the successful candidates at the end of my lecture, but I hadn’t expected to make much of it. I looked at my watch. There were just 15 minutes to go until the audience, already gathering in the foyer, were due to file into the auditorium. I also had to get changed and talk to the press, and now I had to write Oscar-style introductions for each of the ten candidates I had interviewed. My head was spinning, but I couldn’t refuse. I decided I needed to look after myself first. I got changed in the toilets, startling a woman checking her make-up as I scattered my belongings throughout the room. Another woman came in as I was adjusting my top. ‘You look great,’ she said conspiratorially. I threw her a look of thanks – only another woman can know the comfort of a comment like that. I retreated upstairs to the glass-walled office to write the introductions and to gather my thoughts. I felt as if I could put my