There is no end to dreams. If one gets fulfilled, two more are added, and the list keeps growing. However, there is no peace in this chasing of dreams. It keeps one restless and dissatisfied with life. 2010-batch IRS officer Surendra Mohan is a firm believer in the philosophy that the secret to true happiness lies in being satisfied and content with what you already have.
The Joint Director of Income Tax (Intelligence), posted in Delhi currently, is the author of a book titled, Hounslo Ki Onchi Udaan, which is based on his philosophy of happiness. His next book is also on the way, but it is very different from the first one in terms of genre. It is basically about unlocking the true potential of the mind.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, the officer gave us a glimpse of his life journey through the lenses of his book, and also told us what motivated him to start writing.
A BIOGRAPHY IN THE TRUE SENSE
The book, Hounslo Ki Onchi Udaan, tells the story of the protagonist, Mohan, and his desire to become a civil servant. Mohan comes from an economically weak background. His daily wage worker father is the sole bread earner for the big family. Providing quality education to his children was far beyond his means. However, Mohan sets his eyes on the civil services. The journey is not a cakewalk and many times he misses success by a whisker. Finally, after four attempts, he cracks the civil services exam. His financial and emotional struggles during this journey is vividly put across to the reader in the book.
Talking about it, Mr. Surendra Mohan says that the book can actually be considered his biography. “If you leave the last 20 pages, everything is true experiences of my own life. I only wanted to share those experiences with aspirants so that they feel motivated. Given the circumstances I faced, anyone can achieve what I did.”
The journey was not at all easy. He used to get Rs. 1500 from his parents and had to manage his study and living with that. Even when he fell short on money, he couldn’t gather the courage to ask more. Instead, he took tuitions and worked in a PCO to earn some extra money.
THE LITERARY JOURNEY
Mr. Mohan’s exposure to literature happened very late in life. “I couldn’t even afford to buy the books for my academics. When I started preparing for civil services, I got to know about a few, but couldn’t read any. However, when I joined the service, I had enough money to finally buy the books. Eventually I started collecting and reading them.”
About when and why he started writing, he said, “I used to read many motivational stories related to UPSC success. My journey and experiences were very different. I just decided to write them down with the thought that they could help others. I tried to be as honest as I can in my writings because the whole idea was to inspire others with my journey.”
UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF MIND
Mr. Mohan is now writing another book titled, Unlock To Potential Of Mind: A Guide To Excel In Any Competitive Exam. The book deals with the application of Quantum Physics in Neuroscience. It will discuss consciousness, what is reality, how to keep your mind calm, and how to deal with depression, etc.
Explaining the reason behind choosing to write on science this time, he said, “Too much struggles sometimes impact your mind. You want control on the situations and the outside world. When it doesn’t happen, your mind is ruined. I have had a practical experience of this during my preparation time and in the service. So, I wanted to explore this and help other students.”
Mr. Mohan doesn’t have any background in such a topic, but he read many books and researched well on it to source his materials for the book.
BE HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU HAVE
Like the main protagonist in his first book, Mr. Mohan also wanted to become an IPS officer. After five attempts, he got into IRS and applied brakes on his desires. He still had one attempt left, but he chose to go with what he has already got. “I am content with what I have today. I have enough time to explore my other capabilities and this service also offers me job satisfaction, which is most important. It’s a human tendency to always want more, but life is not all about that. One should learn to enjoy what he has. That’s what I am doing.”
