Being a civil servant and handling all the responsibilities that come with it, by itself is a big challenge. However, there are officers who are not only adept in efficiently discharging their duties, but also in following their passions. Dr. S. Siddharth, who is currently posted as the Principal Secretary to CM, Bihar, is a man who doesn’t want to miss out on anything in life and explore as much as he can. He is into photography, video editing, script writing, and his love for electronic objects is unmatched – something he follows passionately.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, 1991-batch officer shared how much he loves to make new electronic devices.
WIRES AND BATTERIES BECAME INTEGRAL TO LIFE
As a child, Dr. Siddharth was always attracted to wires, batteries and electronic devices. However, at that time, only few were available. He was in class 8 when he made his first radio transistor. With time, this passion kept growing. He went to IIT and, there too, he took up Computer Science. Recalling those days, he said, “It was way different than today. Only few of us were in the course and unlike now, the focus was hardware and not software.”
During those days, he worked on a project to make fault tolerant modules for the satellites. It would help the satellites to identify problems and repair itself.
At that time, black and white TV had come into the market, and he used to repair TVs of people in his neighbourhood.
However, when he joined IIM Ahemdabad, the direct connection with electronic devices stopped. Yet, he still found a way. He became a disk jockey and started working with amplifiers and speakers. This fixation with electronic devices stayed with him, and even during his LBSNAA days, he used to repair irons of his colleagues.
WANTED TO START INVERTER WORKSHOP
He still has a full-fledged lab of electronics, where one can find batteries, screw, wires, and what not. Sharing a hilarious incident, he said, “When my wife saw my room for the first time, she was shocked and asked me where to find a place to sleep in the midst of wires and batteries!”
During the initial days, she used to get irritated with his obsession, but over time, she learned to accept it. At one point of time, during 2003-04, Dr. Siddharth even wanted to quit his job and start an inverter workshop.
“I bought all the elements in bulk of 100s and started making. Slowly people who knew started to take those inverters for free (laughs). I still have those parts with me. I never throw away any of the parts, no matter how old they get,” he said, adding that Delhi’s Lajpat Rai market (famous for electronic items) is like a pilgrimage for him. In every visit to Delhi, he makes it a point to go to that market. He feels restless if he doesn’t. It’s like a place of pilgrimage for him.
MAKING A ROBOT FOR SOCIAL IMPACT
Even after joining the civil services, he continued experimenting with electronics. When he was posted as SDO, Giridih (now in Jharkhand), he made his first single board black and white TV.
Right now, he is working on making a robot. It is still in the preliminary stage. “This one, I want to make for social impact. I have always wanted to do that. If successfully implemented, the robot I am working on will assist the blind in walking,” he said.
TO ASSEMBLE AND FLY AN AIRCRAFT
The officer’s wishlist is long. Next on the list is flying a plane. He has already enrolled in a pilot training programme. It doesn’t just end there. He wants to fly an aircraft assembled by him. He has already collected all the parts of a small aircraft, and it is just a matter of time before he assemble those and get his plane ready to fly!
