Why is that all of a sudden so many thousands of young people from Kerala are interested in getting in to IAS? Many thousands of young people in Kerala spend a minimum of three to five years in competition with each other to get in to governmental power and status. Many often spend the best of their years( 24 to 30) as if it is a choice between life and death; between success and failure. Many do it out of the persuasion and pressure from their parents as they think it is the 'ultimate'. And many do these out of their compulsions to 'prove' their worth to peers and parents. There is nothing wrong in it- though these competitive games affect many in an adverse manner. It affects those who make it and those who don't make it as well.
Many spend their best of youth in struggling with competition- and those who get through the examination develop a life long illusion that they are 'great' and hence they have 'earned' the right to 'rule over'. Many of the IAS/IPS officers due to their 'success' delusions and by their old colonial modes of training get in to a default mode of arrogance. Some of them join with a lots of ideals- and when they get trained by hardened officers who personify arrogance, they also fall in to the same 'image- trap' to 'look' and 'act' powerful. Many tend to believe that it is their right to be arrogant- and at least look 'powerful'. Once they get in to the power-hierarchy of the government machine, many of them begin to have the 'know it all' syndrome. Many 'generalists' then will begin to behave as specialists.. Many IAS officers simply may not listen to those who report to them or to the 'ordinary people'. They tend to give 'lectures' and order'. Because of this false illusions of 'superiority' complex, they often behave in a brhaminical mode of behavior and often tend to think they are doing a 'favour'. Most of them end up as mediocre status-quo officers of no great consequences, except maintaining status of the governmental machine. But as they move up in the hierarchy, their survival in the power-circus often depends on the 'favour' of the political elites. As they are trained to manage and serve power, they are fine with playing the tunes of the political class in general.
There are of course, many excellent officers and few of them are great as human beings as well. Many of the 'successful' typical bureaucrats learn the trick of the trade to manage political leaders as well and they are generally committed to power- and not the person in power. Hence, they can easily switch loyalties overnight.
Few of them excel by outgrowing the 'illusions' of success and begin to learn and create new things- and leave a mark in the world as they continue to learn and unlearn; and learn to listen and learn to be humble and learn to serve a larger cause than themselves. There are less than ten percent officers in this category. Some of the best people I have seen are officers and gentlemen. Excellent officers learn to be 'civil' and 'servant' of the people. Our country is moving forward due to such genuine civil servants who are humble and transformative- and honest. I have seen so many of such inspiring officers who also happened to be great scholars, thinkers and change makers. They are great human beings and people who continue to inspire. Sharad Behar, BN Yugandar, BD Sharma and many others belong to this category. I believe the present chief secretary of Kerala, Vijayand is also a a very honest officer and gentleman- who tried to make a difference. There are many more such good officers.
And some of the most mediocre and arrogant types I have seen also these glorified bureaucrats in the corridors of power.. The key issue is whether we still need to form the old models of 'colonial' bureaucracy and such selections in a new world.
Why can't public administration be like a real profession? People those who are inclined to become Public Administrators can do an entrance examination after 12 years of school to do a five year MPAP( Masters in Public Administration and Public Policy) and they can then join the government. Of course, there can also be space for experts with proven expertise to get in to the civil service at the age of 35 to 55. So the services have a mix of good people with multiple expertise and this 'exclusive' arrogance will vanish when it is seen as a profession, rather than a power position. Army officers come through NDA or such training- and they join at an early age, so that they serve the country at the best of their youth.
Those who do not get through the civil service examination often carries a bit of 'failure complex' and feel a bit 'bitter' and many may take years to get over it. I still can't understand why people spend so many years to be a glorified cog in the government machine. And many think being a 'collector'( old colonial coinage of those who are supposed to collect tax) of a district is the 'ultimate' dream. Why is this happening in Kerala? Why is that IAS is seen as ultimate - when there are so many creative options for bright young people ? Why is that not many aspire to become a great scientist, writers, or a big change maker or create business that can transform the world?
No comments:
Post a Comment