https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Born Again, I Would Like To Be An IAS Only

Indian Masterminds Stories

During this life, my future was perhaps decided the day I was born. My father did it for me. He himself had fulfilled his father’s dream of becoming an engineer, and now, in turn, he wanted his son to join the ‘elite’ Indian Administrative Service (IAS) observing the respect and recognition accorded to the IAS officers. Therefore, the decision to join the IAS wasn’t originally mine. I made my father’s dream my own and made an effort to fulfil this dream.

Having completed my innings in the Indian Administrative Service, I love to look back upon the years gone by with utmost satisfaction. I loved every moment of it. There were indeed ups and downs (perhaps more ups than downs)— handling of the Babri Masjid agitation, the excitement and satisfaction of rolling out the National Health Insurance Scheme (RSBY), sorting out the ‘Coal’ mess and grappling with education mafias are a few of those. And, that made life interesting.

However, if I were to be born again and if I could make it (with the increasing competition and fewer vacancies), I would like to be an IAS officer yet again. The reason is simple. No other job on the earth gives you this much freedom and these many opportunities. This is one of those rare jobs where you can afford to remain honest in an increasingly vitiated socio-political environment.

IAS VS PRIVATE SECTOR

The Indian Administrative Service provides tremendous avenues for working towards public welfare and deriving immense satisfaction that more than compensates the comparative disadvantage in financial terms vis-à-vis a lucrative private sector assignment.

I use the term “kick” in my book, “Ethical Dilemmas of a Civil Servant” to describe the enormous sense of satisfaction that one can derive, as I did, out of helping the helpless and the poor who still repose a lot of faith in civil servants. One has the opportunity to serve the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor.

Despite certain developments in the recent past, there is still a lot of authority vested in most of the positions occupied by an IAS officer during the course of her/his career. It is a different matter that some officers choose to abdicate this authority in lieu of some gain elsewhere. Whether they actually gain (at the cost of the service) or finally lose out is a moot point.

Each officer also has the option of joining politics post-retirement. Many do join. Some do it even while in service but do so discreetly even though it entails some risk and reap the “benefits” while in service and a lot more post-retirement. Some can even get away with a few wrongs as they know how to be on the right side of politics.  It doesn’t really matter to such officers because they are so focussed on their own good that they are oblivious of   the damage they cause to the so-called steel frame. They couldn’t care less as the IAS offers an opportunity to thrive to them as well.

ACCOMODATION & COMPROMISE

IAS officers can also afford to be just honest and do nothing beyond just being honest. They can treat honesty as an end in itself. They can distrust everyone else and treat the rest of the world as dishonest. They can consciously choose not to appreciate the difference between “accommodation” and “compromise”. For them all accommodation is a compromise.

They also survive. Some of them even thrive in their own misery as they wear their misery (that includes the number of transfers) as medallions.

Ironically, the Indian Administrative Service has also the potential of shielding the corrupt. A few years ago, it was believed that the high and mighty could not be brought to book. However, thankfully, on account of informed public opinion and media glare, things are changing and at least some such bureaucrats are on the run.

CORRUPT & THE INEFFICIENT SURVIVE

The inefficient too can survive and even thrive. Once they pass the exam and keep their boss and/or those in power happy (not necessarily with good work), their promotions are secured. Though they may not reach the top (perhaps they may), they can still enjoy life, play badminton (now, golf) or indulge in some other activity till 0900 hours, arrive at the office at 1030 hours, take a lunch break for a couple of hours and return to the office after a ‘well-earned’ siesta and then sit till late in the office to impress upon others how hard they have to work.

THE ‘FACILITIES’

In many states, some smart ones are able to retain the official, earmarked residence for years in a city even as they occupy another house in another city consequent to their transfer. There would be many more such illustrations. Fortunately, very few bureaucrats fall in this category but the fact that some of us do enjoy such privileges indicates towards the availability of such options. No other service offers such ‘facilities’.

All said and done, the Indian Administrative Service provides you an option to seek your own road to salvation. In fact, you can not only choose your own road; you can redefine ‘salvation’. You can perform and exist; you may do nothing but still exist. You may survive if you are honest, you may survive even if you are dishonest. Which vocation officers so many options!

If I were to be born again, I would love to live the life of an IAS officer, in the manner in which I did in this life, all over again. Nothing like deriving a “kick” out of serving the needy, the helpless and the poorest of the poor. And, it would not be my father’s choice, but mine.

(Author is a former UP Cadre IAS officer, having served the Union Government as Coal Secretary and School Education Secretary, who has written books like No More A Civil Servant, & Ethical Dilemmas of A Civil Servant)


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
ICAS Service
Ministry of Finance Notifies New Indian Civil Accounts Service Recruitment Rules, 2025 - Here is All You Need To Know
UPSC Image
UPSC Prelims Result 2025 Likely by June 14 Based on Past Trends - Here's How You Can Check Your Result!
Jharkhand-police-resized
Administrative Chaos Follows Jharkhand Police Reshuffle; ADG Sanjay Latkar Struggles with Office Space - All Details Inside
BEL
BEL Secures ₹537 Crore Defence Orders; Targets ₹40,000 Crore Opportunity from Project Kusha, Key Indigenous S-400 Alternative
REC Limited
REC Ltd Gets CBDT Nod to Issue Rs 5,000 Crore Zero Coupon Bonds with 10.5-Year Tenure After Robust Market Response
IAS Officers Indian Administrative Services IAS logo
IAS Officer Mahima Madan Directed to Join J&K Post Without Delay, MHA Rejects Retention Plea
irs yogendra-kumar-mishra
IRS Yogendra Kumar Mishra Suspended Amid Criminal Investigation, Allegations of Assaulting His Junior – Know What Happened!
ACC_Appointments Committee of Cabinet
IDES Aseem Kumar’s Tenure at MNRE Extended by 2 Years; IRSME Sushil Kumar Singh to Continue Addl Charge of Mumbai Port Authority
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
Monika Singh’s Life Beyond the Bureaucracy | Video Interview 
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
Modernising Governance: A Digital Transformation in Gangtok
IMG-20250523-WA0036
Abhishek Singh's SECRET: Vipassana, Anthropology & Smart Answer Writing | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Divyanshu Pal Nagar IFS
5 Years, 5 Mains, 4 Interviews: How Divyanshu Pal Nagar Stumbled in CSE, Triumphed in IFS - A Lesson for Every Aspirant
Divyanshu Pal Nagar’s inspiring five-year UPSC journey shows how perseverance, disciplined self-study,...
ANUBHAV SINGH UPSC IFS 2024
9 Years, 8 Attempts, 7 Failures: How Anubhav Singh Cracked UPSC IFS 2024 with AIR 3 Against All Odds | Exclusive
Anubhav Singh’s inspiring journey to UPSC IFS Rank 3 showcases relentless perseverance, strategic preparation,...
Jogender Sihag
“I Cleared UPSC, But My Grandfather isn’t Here to Hear it,” Jogender Sihag, AIR 521, UPSC CSE 2024
"Life is short; make the most of it, whether in civil service or any other field. Just have a clear vision...
Social Media
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
shubham kumar ias marriage
IAS Topper Weds BPSC Topper: Shubham Kumar Marries IRS Officer Priyangi Mehta in Patna; Wedding Video Goes Viral
Topper Couple Alert: Shubham Kumar, Priyangi Mehta’s Wedding Grabs Spotlight in Bihar
parveen kaswan elephant
Elephant Outsmarts Electric Fence! IFS Parveen Kaswan Shares Incredible Video!
In the now-viral 51-second clip, the intelligent giant approaches a wooden pole supporting high-voltage...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
ICAS Service
Ministry of Finance Notifies New Indian Civil Accounts Service Recruitment Rules, 2025 - Here is All You Need To Know
UPSC Image
UPSC Prelims Result 2025 Likely by June 14 Based on Past Trends - Here's How You Can Check Your Result!
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
IMG-20250523-WA0036
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT