Legendary British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill once said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue thatcounts.” Taking these inspiring words to heart, Surabhi Gautam has made it through the civil services and beyond, mainly by her hard work and dedication. Her biggest problem was not being too conversant with English in school.
Despite being selected in various government organizations like GAIL and ISRO and working as an engineer at Bhabha Atomic Research Center, she kept her goal of joining the administrative service alive. And this she achieved in 2016 by securing 50th rank in the UPSC.
Climbing the ladder of success was not easy for Surabhi. While her relatives would try to instill confidence in her, she had to struggle on the language front. But with constant support from her parents she eventually achieved the goal. At present, she is serving as the SDM of Gujarat’s Viramgam district.
Born in a small village of Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district, Surabhi was good in studies from childhood. Coming from a very conservative village and family, Surabhi’s journey was not an easy one but her parents supported her throughout. Her mother is a teacher and father a lawyer. They always motivated her to aim high. These motivations, according her, were primarily responsible for her cracking some of the toughest exams, even after going to a school with bare minimum facilities.
Recalling her childhood days, Surabhi told Indian Masterminds, “The environment in my village was not conducive to students . Some of my relatives were quite conservative and orthodox, which gave my parents a real hard time. But they did not give up, and continued to encourage me to study well.’’
After attending the primary school in the village, she completed her 10th and 12th from the district level government school. She did exceedingly well in the both the board exams, and cleared the entrance exam of State Engineering. This was the turning point of her. She was the first girl of her village to step out in the city for higher studies. However, this opportunity didn’t land in her hand so easily. She was also carrying big baggage of expectation on her head. At the same time, she had to fit in with other students. The most challenging thing for her was to switch the medium into English.
The Language Barrier
Hindi is the mother tongue of almost half the population of India, but no one can deny the dominance of English in academic, Government and other circles . In such a scenario, the college journey of a Hindi medium student becomes all the ore hard. .Surabhi was facing a similar situation in the college, which was an English medium. The change of medium was not easy for her to grab. She used to struggle in every class. Talking about those days she said, “I suffered a lot because of the language. While all my classmates were speaking fluent English, I was upset to see myself struggling with a simple introduction in English. I was frustrated at times. This made me feel small for a while, but I knew this was not the solution. So, I gathered myself and started to learn English. Now, when I look back, I think that was the best decision of my life. Finally, I had a good grasp over English.’ With her tenacity and hard work Surabhi not only overcome the language barrier but also topped the University and received a gold medal! She proved that language can never be an obstacle in the field of success.
After she completed her Engineering in Electronics and Communications from Bhopal, there was no looking back. Before appearing for UPSC, Surabhi worked as a nuclear scientist at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. She also cracked exams of GATE, ISRO, SAIL, MPPSC PCS, SSC CGL, Delhi Police and FCI. The other feather in her cap was securing first rank in the Indian Engineering Services Exam, held in 2013.
Love for Science
Surabhi recalls her days in BARC as one of the most useful experience of her life, where she could apply engineering in many fields around her. But doesn’t she feel that science and administration are poles apart? She replied, “I don’t see them as a different field. A man of science can see the administration becoming logical and smooth. Also, it is not about streams but the inclination. I loved science but I wanted a career in civil services. I am lucky to have done both. Any day is good if I read some Physics or do some maths. Also, everything in administration has got a tech turn. So, it gives me an edge.”
The Journey in Administration
In a career of more than three years which also included training, Surabhi served as an assistant collector in Vadodara and is now posted in Viramgam. She has also played a key role during the corona crisis. Most of her time was occupied in strategizing the steps to send back the migrant laborers to their homes and controlling the spread of virus. Of late, , she has started working on revenue record classification. She says that the management of records is a big task in a government office. With land being the core subject of administration, it needs more attention. Along with this, she is also trying to refurbish a school that is 100 years old, and in a dilapidated condition. The repair work has already started and she hopes to complete it during her tenure in the district.
The Artist in Surabhi
Surabhi’s journey is truly inspirational. She turned every obstacle into opportunity. With her huge success, she has opened doors for many girls and boys who might be in a similar situation like her. Apart from being a committed officer, Surabhi is also a frequent blogger, motivational speaker and does sketching in her free time. Referring to love she has for art she said, “I started watercolor painting during 2018, and I like doing it whenever I get time. It acts as a stress buster for me. The more exhausted and tired I am, the more I paint or sketch.”
And Surabhi Gautam, who has just embarked on her journey, has miles to go.
