1988-batch IAS officer Teeka Ram Meena had an interesting journey as a civil servant before he retired in March 2022 as Additional Chief Secretary, Economic and Planning Affairs, Kerala, after a long run of 34 years in the service.
To sum up his eventful journey of these 34 years, the retired IAS officer wrote his autobiography Tholkilla Njan, which was recently published. In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, he shared details about his book and his days in the service.
ABOUT THOLKILLA NJAN
The officer wrote the book, keeping in mind the youth of our country. It imparts immense motivation to youngsters, especially those belonging to the rural areas who face difficulties while writing the Civil Service Examination.
“I have narrated my own experiences, challenges, and the difficulties that I faced in my childhood. Through this book, I just wish to impart a simple message, that IAS isn’t impossible to achieve. It is possible provided the aspirants put their whole heart into it and work hard and sincerely for it.”
EARLY LIFE
As a young child, Mr. Meena was deprived of basic facilities in his village, like electricity, transportation, and proper schools. He completed his primary education from a kuccha one-room hutment under a tree. His middle school was located six kilometers away from his home, which was difficult to reach as a river flowed between the village and the school.
“During monsoons, it was impossible for us to go to school. Therefore, we learned to swim and swam across the river to reach our school every day. We kept two pairs of uniforms – one that was worn while swimming and the other to change into later on.”
After completing his school education, he moved to college, which was some 70 kilometers away. His parents’ undying belief in him motivated him to go for it. They toiled in the field day and night for his education. Alongside his college studies, he also lent a helping hand to his parents in the fields.
“We had cattle at our place. I used to take them to the forest for grazing and sit there studying for hours, doing my homework, and preparing. Those were difficult days with no sign of the green revolution. My mother toiled really hard the entire day to feed us. My mother’s sacrifice and my father’s determination gave us immense courage even though we grew up under such difficult situations.”
INTO CIVIL SERVICES
Fortunately for the officer, his elder brother cracked UPSC CSE and became an IPS officer in the year 1977. He took Mr. Meena to Delhi along with him, where he enrolled himself at the Delhi University and started learning English, and completed his M.A degree in Political Science. Soon after, he started preparing for UPSC CSE and cleared the exam in 1988.
“I was married with children by the time I got into the service. My first posting was in Kerala, and I worked very hard because it was culturally totally different for me, having lived in Rajasthan my whole life. The language, food, people, culture, politics, administration – everything was so different than what I had grown up seeing. I had to face many challenges in the initial few months, but I decided to give my best to the people of the state. They in return gave me tremendous love and support which helped me through.”
Mr. Meena has a special inclination towards Malayalam and can speak, read, and write the language fluently, which is why he has published his book in that language. Learning it is one of the proudest achievements of his life, he says.
LAUNCH OF THE BOOK
Apart from his official duties as a civil servant, the officer took numerous motivational classes and guided children in schools and colleges of Kerala by sharing his experiences with them.
“Several people asked me to jot down my experiences for everyone to read as it will be very useful for the youth. Therefore, I made my first attempt to write with this book. Right now, the book is in Malayalam, but we are planning to translate it into English and Hindi soon so that the entire country is able to read it.”
The book was launched by a Member of Parliament and former diplomat, Mr. Shashi Tharoor, and besides being well received by the readers, it has been critically acclaimed as well.
