About the site…
When I was asked by the Civil Services interview boards in 1994 and 1995, as to what my motivation was for aspiring to be an IAS Officer despite being a medical doctor, my reply on both the occasions was that the IAS would give me an opportunity to serve my Country in the best way possible, because of the large canvass the service offered. The Board had an amused look hearing my reply, for obvious reasons, because almost every candidate states this, but their performance after getting into the IAS has left much to be desired. But 21 years after getting into the IAS, I still and emphatically would reiterate the same reason for my being in the IAS.
I wish to call the IAS, the Indian Amazing Service, because that has been my experience so far. The system allows one to do maximum good, maximum damage or somewhere in between! The spectrum is 360 degrees. It is the officers choice completely. There is nothing called an IAS system. It is each Officer unto himself. But the transformation one can bring to any job is simply amazing! It’s as big as ones imagination can allow. Only, one should do that with the maximum good in mind, the big picture in mind. One should have no personal stake or agenda in whatever one does. But whatever position an officer takes, it is bound to have a huge impact on society, positive or negative.
I have maintained the highest possible integrity, worked without fear or favour and brought in huge transformations in all the posts where I was posted, be it just 5 months in the Directorate of Indian Medicine & Homeopathy or almost three years as District Collector, Krishnagiri or as MD ELCOT/CEO TNeGA. Every posting has been a joy to work with people, with officers and staff and bring in change right before their very eyes in the shortest possible time. My experience is that our Government Servants, especially the ones in Tamil Nadu are really world class; but nobody tells them that! They are always willing to be led. They are highly malleable.They make few complaints and are willing to be co-opted into highly challenging work. So, if a leader wants to do world-class work, they will rise upto the occasion and deliver!
I have been and am still fascinated by magicians like Cyril Takayama, Yif, Dynamo, David Blaine, Chris Angels etc. People are spell bound by how they do their street magic! My question is, cant we, the Government keep our citizenry in awe, by our outstanding transformational work in partnership with them? Like taking people out of poverty into prosperity, like giving wings to the dreams of our young entrepreneurs and scientists, like making our farmers use the best of technology to produce for the nation and the world market as agri-entrepreneurs, like giving girls and women absolute freedom to flower into equal citizens, like providing all essentials and services to our citizens right at their doorsteps, so that one day in the nearest possible future, our Country will keep pace or outpace our peers in the comity of nations as a developed and highly aspiring society? Only world class governance can make this possible and this can be made possible only by leadership embedded in integrity and selflessness, with the ability to innovate in the governance process.
This personal website was developed because, I believe I have done tremendously transformational and inspirational work within Government, within the same “system”, the same Government Servants and the same politicians! This site is not for chest thumping, trumpeting or bragging of any sort. Almost all the innovations and initiatives I have undertaken in all my postings were done outside the requirements of Government. Nobody ever told me to do over and above what was required. But I have gone beyond the call of work, because a person is not selected into the IAS by the UPSC, rather it is an opportunity given to young man or woman straight from God, to serve, without fear or favour, but with the absolute common weal in mind. Our poor and the distressed have the same potential like you and me; but they don’t have the same circumstances. It is our duty to change their circumstances, when their talent can flower and bloom! The Civil Service is not for self-service; it is for societal transformation. If this site can serve as an eye-opener to the endless possibilities being a Government Servant, my purpose would be served.