A multifaceted personality she certainly is, blessed with a large range of talents. Not just a fearless Income Tax officer but also a shooter, singer and writer. This is Rohini Divakar for you. She is perfect example of somebody who is tough as nails from the outside but carries a beautiful and soft heart. In a career of 12 years, Ms. Divakar has earned the name of one of the most efficient and upright officers.
She cracked UPSC in 2008 and joined as an IRS officer. She served on many crucial positions in Karnataka Income tax department, including that as the Assistant Director IT, Bangalore. Now she is posted as the Additional Commissioner of Income Tax in Chennai.
In a conversation with Indian Masterminds, Ms Divakar shared her experiences on the field and also talked about her inspirations in life.
We perform our duty within the ambit of law
Ms. Divakar comes from a humble family in Karnataka. Her elder sister Roopa D Moudgil is also an IPS officer, currently posted in the Karnataka Handicraft Development Corporation. Ms. Divakar calls her the biggest inspiration in life. “She is six years elder to me. I have grown up watching her. Not just the sister, she is also my support & guide. It was she who motivated me to choose civil services,” says Ms Divakar.
After joining the Revenue Services, Ms. Divakar has proved herself on every front. She has differentiated herself from many with values of integrity. During her posting in Bangalore in 2011, she disguised herself as a singer to enter the house of a big music director of Kannada music industry- for conducting a raid at the premises.
Sharing her experience, she said, “Sometimes it’s tough to enter the house of a big person. In that case we use other ways to manoeuver through the situation. But once we enter the premise, we are bound by the law. Our action never crosses what the law permits. The people trust us. which makes us accountable.”
Look what is hidden in the papers
Contrary to popular belief, the job of an IRS officer is far from easy. Even when their actions are supported by the mandate of law, they have to face unwanted situation as well. Recalling one such case, she said, “One of my most challenging case was against some mining bigwigs. The amount was very big and we were against people who have strong support. But then as it is said, you can never be in problem when doing the right thing”.
Apart from this, she also faced situations where the officers involved in the raid are attacked. “These situations make things challenging and difficult. It intends to make you weak and give up, but you end up being more-strong”, she said.
Asked about what has changed in the way income tax raids are conducted nowadays days, Ms Divakar replied, “ During 80s and 90s, people used to stack up their cash in unused washrooms, secret chambers or mattresses. Those days are gone now. Now, the layers of investment and rotation of money is used to hide their ill-gotten wealth. When you want to unearth these, you have to be more careful while looking in the books. It is all in their papers now”.
A singer & a shooter
Ms. Divakar was studying in class 3rd when she participated in Chant Geeta competition, a musical event. One of the judges was so impressed with her performance that he advised her to take singing seriously. Encouraged, she started learning classical Carnatic music. Now, her singing skills have made her the very popular in family & friends’ gathering. She has so far not taken this on professional level, but she is open to it. Besides that, she is also a writer and trained shooter. Her shooting experience started while she was in NCC. After joining the IRS, her focus shifted a little, she has caught up with all of it. She specializes in 10m air pistol and is eager to participate in any competition when right time comes.
