Joining the Indian Administrative Service is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious jobs one can ask for. People, of course, come here for different reasons. Some want to enter civil services to have a good flourishing career and get the power and respect it attracts. For some others, challenging their intellectual horizons and getting to work for the betterment of the people become the inspiration.
But there are few who aim for the service after facing injustice and humiliation at some point of time in life. IAS officer Dheeraj Kumar Singh falls in this category. He cracked CSE in 2019 securing 64th rank and was allocated the Rajasthan cadre. He now aspires to bring change in the system so that the common people do not have to face what he did. What exactly did he face? Indian Masterminds presents that story today.
BECOMING A DOCTOR
Coming from a lower middle-class family of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Singh has seen it all. He got his primary education in Hindi medium and excelled in is studies. His father used to work outside their district, so Mr. Singh had to bear most of the responsibilities in the house. The family couldn’t afford the money for coaching required to make him a doctor or an engineer. However, still, he cracked the medical exam and got his MBBS and MD degree, solely through hard work.
After completing his medical education, he got a job with a good package. A simple man, he was happy with what he had done with his life so far. But destiny had other plans for him.
Once, during a visit to a government office, he was treated very badly by the officials. He was taken aback by their behaviour and the ugly incident left a big dent on his psyche. The more the incident disturbed him, the more he felt the urge to change the system by being a part of it. Finally, he decided that he would join the civil services.
THE TURNING POINT
The incident in the government office became the turning point in Mr. Singh’s life. To know exactly what happened that day in the government office, we have to go back to Mr. Singh’s family situation and the huge responsibilities on his shoulders, as his father used to live away from them because of his work.
Because his father had to live in a different town, Mr. Singh had to bear all the responsibilities of the family. It was easy till his school days. Then, he had to go to Banaras Hindu University for his MBBS and MD, and during that time, he had to frequently travel to his hometown to take care of the house and family. So far it was manageable somehow, but after getting the private job, things became very difficult for him.
So, he decided to try for his father’s transfer to his hometown. He went to the concerned government office to request but was shocked by the behaviour of the staff. They were unapathetic, cold and rude! This hit him very hard. He started thinking that if despite being a doctor, nobody was listening to him, then what about the less privileged people. He realised that they didn’t have a voice at all, and even if they did speak, nobody would give it importance and would just ignore them or rudely tell them to shut up.
JUST ONE TRY
Mr. Singh was already a doctor when this incident took place and was earning good. As a result, his family’s economic condition was also changing for the better. But still, he decided to take the big risk of leaving a well-paying job to prepare for the UPSC exam. His parents were scared for his future, but he himself was confident that he would make it. But, still, considering his family’s situation, he resolved to give only one try at the UPSC exam, and re-join the private sector if he couldn’t crack it.
In an interview to media, he said, “I wanted to go for UPSC after I completed my MBBS. But this could not happen. I come from a middle-class family and my parents didn’t want me to take the risk. They were scared, so I did MD (Doctor of Medicines). Then I faced negligence by government officials and made up my mind to prepare for UPSC, and this time I was determined!”
And as luck would have it, Mr. Singh’s gamble paid off and he successfully cleared the exam, securing AIR 64, to get selected for Indian Administrative Service.
All it took was just one unpleasant incident, one big risk, one determined attempt, and he became an IAS officer!
