Does a civil servant’s public service ends after retirement? Not for people like 1988-batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Mr. Ramesh Srivastava, who after retirement, is doing public service by teaching underprivileged children.
Mr. Srivastava retired in 2022. But, he always liked helping people even when he was in service. Many subordinates, colleagues, and juniors who worked with him during his stint in Madhya Pradesh for over 30 years, vouch for him.
CHOOSING THE FOREST LIFE
In the late 1960s when Mr. Srivastava was just in the third grade, his eldest brother got selected in the Indian Forest Service. Since that time his inclination towards forest life and the need of working towards its betterment increased. While speaking to Indian Masterminds, he said, “I studied from Allahabad University and while living in the hostel I got inspiration from not only my family but the various senior and other fellow mates who chose the forest services. Hence, I appeared for the exam in 1987 and was selected for 1988 batch.”
Mr. Srivastava, who started his civil services journey from Chhattisgarh, was then transferred to Madhya Pradesh, where he served for almost 32 years after which he retired in the year 2022. He retired from the post of PCCF (I.T.) Headquarters Bhopal on 30 June, 2022.
TURNING INTO A TEACHER
Mr. Srivastava said, “Our family was majorly inclined towards studies and so was I. Even during my service, I proactively motivated my colleagues, subordinate staff and juniors to promote education among the people as we used to serve in remote areas. But the major inclination towards teaching started in the year 2017 when along with my wife, I started a coaching class in our verandah for around 35 children.”
As Mr. Ramesh was in service during that time, he used to spend some time with the children and guiding them. The children in their neighborhood could not afford tuitions, hence they started this education assistance program. His wife is a doctorate in Chemistry from Allahabad University.
DEEPENING INTEREST
His interest in teaching grew from here and resulted in him taking an hour-long class every day. The officer said, “We not only provided education but tried to develop their overall personality and make them learn additional skills which they were not aware of. After retiring we also adopted an integrated government school in Amravad near Laharpur Ecological Park (Bhopal) as the condition of the school was very poor and it needed someone to look after it.”
The officer visits the school every week and guides the children and takes care of their requirements like dustbins, stationery etc. He also tries to give them actual exposure of a private school by celebrating festivals with them and taking them out for picnic.
Mr. Ramesh Srivastava has been currently involved in building these first-generation learners and he considers as his duty to help them after serving a life of a civil servant.
