“The main task before India today is to consolidate herself into a well –knit and united power….”
-Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
It was true then and is more so now. Translating the vision of India along the ideals of the Constitution largely rests, on the rigid radar, of the Steel frame of India. Indian Administrative Service, however, fails to capture in its ranks, the wide regional imbalance and cultural diversity this country embodies. The North East region wherein I have spent most of my life has tremendous growth potential, and is an unmined treasure of talent and creativity.
Anundoram Borooah was the first Assamese to clear the Indian Civil Service (ICS) examination in 1870. He was the 5th Indian ICS officer. In the recent past, we have had many Assamese as chief secretaries of the State. However, we may have to wait for a long time to get another from the State as Chief Secretary because the number of Assamese making it to the coveted service has remained poor over time. The reasons are many and it behoves us to dwell on this forthcoming void.
I recall my childhood in Hyderabad and the intense competition that we had in school. The sheer speed of solving problems ensured that the bench in the school remained unchanged into an IIT, an IIM and some in the cohort carried on into the civil services, too. The ecosystem of intense academic rigour right from one’s school days is an essential component of success in later day lives.
I realise that IAS is a dream that has to be imbibed at a very young age. To get into this service, one needs to have belief, hard work and some degree of luck. The sheer length of the examination makes parental support, ecosystem of competition, coaching centres, good teachers and vibrant study corners a necessary precondition. I believe that these preconditions are slowly being met in Assam. The need to have cutting edge competition from all students across the country needs seeding in our State. I have witnessed that students who go to Kota or Hyderabad are from all corners of the country and the competition there is truly national and so beneficial. We need to replicate that environment here.
Youth from Assam have good educational standards, enviable communication skills but they invariably fall short in their belief, dedication and guidance to make it to the pinnacle of the civil service examination. States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar have an over-representation of civil servants, but are comparable in all other socio economic parameters to our State.
The examination requires firstly an extensive guided study, constant practice tests, feedback and personality development. Newspapers like The Hindu and Indian Express, magazines like Economic and Political Weekly are required in regular circulation. The importance of study circles which facilitate debate on current affairs cannot be overemphasised. Parental support for such a marathon examination both financially and psychologically is an aspect which needs to be evolved through exposure and dissemination. It may take time for the parents to understand and invest in these exams which have at best uncertain returns. I recall my mother and father asking me to quit all my jobs for writing this examination. I did that, and made it to the IAS.
The reputed colleges and universities, student bodies in Assam currently can build on the atmosphere that moulds a mindset among the students to crack such competitive examinations. Failure will still make the students mature to take up many other professions successfully and so the effort is worth its time.
The manner of presentation wherein the candidate is aware of the number of words in a line and the number of lines in a page and the exact words at which he has to stop writing is an art in itself.
It bears note that a coaching centre can only fine-tune a candidate. It is in no way a vehicle to success.
An all-India-level survey has brought it to light that in the past 70 years, only 53 candidates from Assam have cracked the IAS. From 1951 to 2020, among 5,255 IAS, only 1.1% came from Assam. It is 0.6% for Meghalaya, 0.18% for Arunachal Pradesh, 0.38% for Nagaland and 0.72% for Manipur.
Civil service is not a bed of roses but a crown of thorns and Assam needs civil servants who don’t talk of work life balance or of comforts but of strength to face all odds. I believe only when Assam opens its doors to competition, stops asking for special treatment, dominates the culture and science field will its civil servants rise to commanding heights. Those who made it were outliers and not the norm.
There are many who were more talented, more knowledgeable and more sensitive but failed the exams. It is incumbent for those in service to remember this and therefore be humble, be continuous learners and to keep the compass in the right direction. This is the spirit of the Sardar which will take us to the constellation where we as Assam truly belong.
(Views are personal and curated by the Editor. The author is an alumni of IIT (M), IIM(A) besides being a Principal Secretary to the Government of Assam.)
