A viral photo of an officer with his aged parents inside his chamber in office has been making netizens emotional, of late. He is 2017-batch IFS officer Jagdish S. Bakan who took his parents to show his office for the first time. Mr. Bakan is currently the Wildlife Warden and DFO in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu.
In the photo, Mr. Bakan is seen standing with his parents inside his office. He wrote an emotional caption that read, “Though they (my father and mother) could not go to school, they ensured my schooling. Despite being a small farmer, they ensured that I could make it to 1st Engineer, 1st PSU job holder & 1st to clear UPSC from our village. They visited my office for the first time.”
Indian Masterminds interacted with Mr. Bakan to know the story behind the photo, and also his UPSC journey.
STORY BEHIND PHOTO
The photo was posted on Twitter by the officer on 9 December. It soon garnered many views and was shared by many bureaucrats. In the photo, his parents seem very emotional, but with a lovely smile on their faces, betraying how happy they are.
Speaking with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Bakan said, “My parents never came to my office before. They didn’t even know what work I do, what kind of office I work in. That’s why, when they came for the first time, they became a little emotional, too. They saw my cabin and met the staff. I showed them the entire office and explained my work. They were surpised and happy at the same time that their son is in such a good post.”
BEGINNING
Mr. Bakan belongs to small village situated in a remote area of Parbhani district in Maharashtra. His father is a small farmer and mother is homemaker. He studied engineering in the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) in Mumbai, and then, worked for six years in Hindustan Petroleum. While on the job, he continued his UPSC preparation. His father had to take loan for his study.
“I am from a very small village. There was not much study atmosphere there. Those who used to study, they only wanted to become teachers. That was their only dream. I got 90 percentile in 12th, so people thought that I, too, would become a teacher, and they were very surprised when I did not become one. I did my engineering and kept on studying after taking up a job. I prepared for the UPSC exam and supported my family as well with my salary. Finally, I got selected in UPSC and joined the Indian Forest Service,” said Mr. Bakan.
Now that he has become a IFS officer, youths in his village know about UPSC and have even started preparing for the exam, inspired by his success. “That is the welcome change there,” Mr. Bakan said.
UPSC JOURNEY
However, his UPSC journey was not that easy. It was full of struggles. He was not financially well off, so he had to first take up a job on graduating. Along with a full-time job, he also started had to prepare for the tough UPSC exam. His optional was Agriculture and Geology.
He said, “In graduation, I had understood that I could not afford UPSC preparation without doing a job, as my father already had many loans to repay, that were taken for my study. So, I started working and preparing at the same time. It was a little stressful, but I could bear it.”
He did not join any coaching institute for preparation, and did self-study. He joined a municipality government library and studied there. “It is the C D Deshmukh Institute for Administrative Careers of Thane Municipal Corporation, where I studied for UPSC. This institute guides civil services aspirants for the interview,” he said.
AGRICULTURE AS OPTIONAL
Despite being from engineering background, he took agriculture as his optional. Explaining why, he said, “I worked in farms. I have been seeing farming since my childhood. I just needed to brush up on some technical things. Hence, I thought of taking agriculture as optional, and it was the right choice.”
MESSAGE FOR ASPIRANTS
In a message to UPSC aspirants, Mr. Jagdish said, “I am inspired by Gandhi’s mantra that you should work and study together. Not everyone can prepare for UPSC with family money. If you are financially weak, you should start preparation only after becoming financially independent. It may take a little longer with a job, but you can do it. Just keep working hard and motivating yourself.”
