Civil services is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious careers in the country. Besides offering a large canvas for initiating change, it also offers a quality lifestyle. However, rarely do we spot civil servants ditching their VIP status and comforts, to live life on simple terms like the common man. One such bureaucrat is Dr. S Siddharth, who is currently the Additional Chief Secretary of Bihar.
Not only will you find him waiting patiently in the queue for the general public in airports and railway stations, you will also see him moving around freely on roads on a rickshaw or a three-wheeler.
The 1991-batch IAS officer, who likes to keep himself grounded and close to reality, is an avid photographer, too. Besides photography, he is also into scriptwriting and video-editing. In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Dr. Siddharth spoke about his creative interests, and how these pursuits help him to keep himself calm and grounded.
LIKES TO TRAVEL INCOGNITO
Dr. Siddharth is often seen traveling on rickshaws and it makes headlines since people are used to seeing bureaucrats travelling in their official cars. However, for the officer, it is just a way of life.
“I love to travel incognito. If I have an option to travel or wait in a VIP lounge or common area, I will always choose the latter. This has been my way of life and a practice to observe people, understand them and the ground realities. Plus, in VIP areas, you will find people boasting and throwing around weight and I don’t enjoy that,” Dr. Siddharth said, adding that face masks are actually a big help to him for going incognito.
PASSION FOR PHOTOGRAPHY
A graduate in engineering, Dr. Siddharth started photography after getting into IIT. Pursuing photography was, and still is, a costly affair. He used to save from a National Talent Search Scholarship to fund his hobby.
“With that money I bought my first camera in 1985, I probably was in second year of IIT. That was a black and white camera of Russian company Zenit. I started with it but the rolls were too costly and I couldn’t afford it. Thankfully, the IIT had a photography club which used to purchase roles. I got into the club and managed to continue my photography.”
He didn’t take any formal training and learnt most of the technicalities about photography by hit and miss. In the club, he also learnt the skills to print photographs. Today, of course, he has a professional kit.
LOVES BIRD AND WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
He started with family photographs and portraits. After few years, when coloured reels were introduced, he slowly explored other genres of photography as well. Now, he loves bird photography and wildlife. In spare time, he also clicks architecture and nature.
Sharing an experience, he said, “I was on a jeep trying to capture a lion. The lion took a pounce pose towards me and I was busy with my camera. Then the guard realized that the situation is dangerous. As adventurous as it looks, while clicking wildlife, one needs to be alert and careful.”
A lover of birds, Dr. Siddharth feels contented when he gets a good click of them. He said that that clicking a bird is very difficult.
“You might aim for a certain frame but the very next second it will fly. You need to understand the bird before you click it. You need to be disciplined, too, otherwise you won’t be successful. When I wanted to shoot Bar Headed Goose which passes through Bhagalpur Diara, I used to wake up early, reach there, and wait for hours for one single shot,” he said.
Apart from photography, Dr. Siddharth also knows the art of editing and edits the videos shot by him. He is also a very good writer and has already copyrighted three movie scripts with Film Writers Association. He told Indian Masterminds that in future he would like to be a filmmaker and do a full feature movie.
(This is the first part of our feature story on Dr S. Siddharth. The second part will highlight his journey from IIT-IIM to bureaucracy.)
