23 October 2026
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A Veteran Bureaucrat Recalls his Amazing Life

In a fresh video, Indian Masterminds interacts with IIS officer Frank Noronha and tries to know what made one of the most well-known officers in India tick. During his fantastic career as a civil servant, Mr. Noronha mingled with several Prime Ministers, Presidents as well as an array of who’s who.
Indian Masterminds Stories

A retired Indian Information Service (IIS) officer of 1982 batch, Mr. Frank Noronha, served in the Central Civil Services for more than 35 years. He rose in ranks to work with several Prime Ministers and other powerful people in the Indian government. Despite being an average student in his school life, he wrote speeches for the President of India and draft speeches for several Prime Ministers.

Being born and brought up in Hassan district of Karnataka, Mr. Noronha had a pretty ordinary life with limited ambitions. After completing his schooling, there was a point when he was facing difficulties in getting through the science stream due to average grades. He also had a few language barriers as he got used to the local language Kannada, which was being used to communicate almost everywhere in the district.

Despite these initial hiccups, he got a complete transformation when he cleared his graduation from Bangalore. No wonder the connection he established with studies enabled him to excel in debating, and soon he won a gold medal in political science and economics. He was also adjudged as one of the outstanding alumni of the college.

Mr. Frank Noronha tried his hands on various things after college but soon realized that he is capable of doing much more than working in a textile company or selling tea leaves to institutions. This was the beginning of his preparation for the civil services exam.

To watch part one of the interview with Mr. Noronha, please click on the link below:


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