'Don't lose heart. Always trust the education you have got'

Anirudh Sravan is currently the Commissioner of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) at the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Karnataka. He is also the special officer in charge of establishing the new district of Vijayanagar.

During his previous stints as CEO Zilla Panchayat in Kalaburagi, his efforts to effectively implement the MGNREGS was widely acknowledged and appreciated. Sravan’s transparent style of working and efforts to work for the welfare of the community also earned him the sobriquet of ‘people’s officer’.

Sravan speaks with DH’s Prajwal Suvarna to offer some perspectives on getting into the civil services and life since then.

What prompted you to go for the civil services?

My parents played a very important role in motivating me to join the civil services. I always felt that one should work for the greater good & the civil services are a good platform for the same.

I studied civil engineering from BITS Pilani, Rajasthan and most of the people in my circle were either getting an MBA or were leaving for higher studies in the US. I didn’t find either of these career paths fascinating.After graduating, I worked in an IT firm and also volunteered at an NGO in Hyderabad. My parents & elder brother helped me take the decision to pursue a career in civil services.

How do you prepare for the exams?

One approach is to be very clinical by picking the right scoring optional subject, read the right books and newspapers & practise answer-writing. The second part is to align your interest with the examination. Choose an optional you like. Do not take up psychology or sociology if you have no background or inclination towards it.

I would say that candidates should always trust their aptitude for a subject and enjoy reading. Read newspapers, magazines, good non-fiction books and educate yourself. I chose geography and public administration as my optionals. However, now aspirants need to attempt only one optional.

Do coaching classes help?

Coaching is not something I would say is bad, I have taken it and benefitted from it, but choose wisely. There are too many people who are offering coaching.

Importantly, one should try to finance one's own education. After you get a Bachelor’s degree, try to stand on your own feet and become financially independent. I see a lot of people give attempt after attempt and parents are selling land or taking loans to finance this. That, I think, is not desirable.

In my case, after my first attempt at the examination, I joined as an Assistant Manager in NABARD, Guwahati, Assam. I took up the job because this was the only development bank funded by the government and it was a sector I was interested in.

I was working in Guwahati when I had written my second attempt. My UPSC interview was entirely about my work in Assam. In the second attempt, I got the 13th rank (All India) and was posted in the Karnataka Cadre.

What does your average work day look like?

As of now, because I have two offices, it is a little unpredictable and tiring. I have to work from Bengaluru and also do the other work from Hospet (for Vijayanagar) and sometimes it goes on till late in the evening.

Working in the districts as District Commissioner or CEO Zilla Panchayat was challenging because of the working hours. My days were long. As DC in Chikkaballapura, I really enjoyed the work and a learnt a lot about the place and its unique challenges.

Sometimes, a day would start at seven in the morning with field visits and end at nine pm. An average day would be 10 - 12 hours of work. However, I do enjoy my work.

Are there any other challenges that you face? Is there always a conflict with the ministers?

There is not always a conflict, in my experience. There are bound to be disagreements but I would not term it as a conflict. I think I have also learnt a lot about public service from public representatives. Fortunately, I have not been in a situation of long-term conflict.

There were some challenges that I faced in ZP Kalaburagi. The initial days were tough, but after a few months the challenges disappeared. I learnt a lot from these interactions and I had very supportive seniors in service who guided me.

One feels that there is always a resistance to change in any system, and a reluctance to go against received wisdom. And doing something new takes time. In my case, it took six or seven months for our efforts to implement the MNREGS effectively to bear fruit.

Is work-life balance a challenge?

I am still learning to achieve a balance & cannot offer tips! I have been trying to achieve a balance & I try to make a constant effort to balance. I appreciate the way my wife is able to do this despite the demands of her profession.(Isha Pant, who is an IPS officer in Bengaluru).

As DCP, South-East division, she was required,like other police personnel, to be present 24/7. There were no holidays. There is no Diwali or New Year because people are out on the streets and you have to ensure security. I still appreciate the way she was able to discharge her duties effectively & still make time for our daughter.

Whenever we get time, we always try to take a break and go on a vacation. My parents and Isha’s parents are always there for us. That is the greatest blessing for a working couple like us.

What other interests do you have other than work?

I like reading. Now I am reading Chimamanda Adiche’s works. I read Americanah, Dear Ijeawele last year. Now I am reading the Thing Around Your Neck. I love books on history, science — geography and botany. Of late I have been reading books on plants and nature. There is this brilliant book by David Haskell called The Forest Unseen.

I read Telugu books as well. Telugu is my mother tongue, and I read short stories as they don’t take time. I also like music and art. Once in a while, I try painting.

I don’t get as much time as I want but I try to fit in these hobbies. I used to follow tennis but not of late. I spend time with my daughter and my family.

Was learning Kannada a challenge?

Initially, the language was a little bit of a challenge. But I speak Telugu fluently and I know a little bit of Tamil. I was trained in Kannada in Mysore by a wonderful professor, Mr Pradhan Gurudatta. I think he is a famous translator of many Hindi books into Kannada. He taught us Kannada, very patiently. It was the lyrical Mysore Kannada. And then I go to Ballari and find people speaking in a totally different dialect. And sometimes, understanding the context for the language becomes important.

But I went through a lot of Kannada newspapers, like Prajavani, which I continue to read. It helped me pick up Kannada.

Could you tell us a bit about the importance of communication?

I have been on Twitter for a year now. I had been reluctant but communicating effectively is something I learnt from my seniors in the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department and benefitted from it. We connected with several experts online and there are people who had a lot of suggestions to give. Complaints were raised on social media. It also helps us in our work.

A lot of people even in government service have a lot of passion for their work. In that way, social media helps to find people with similar interests from different fields.

Any final words of advice?

To UPSC aspirants, I would say that they should not ignore their professional degrees. Once people have a professional degree they should always work. Working in a professional environment can help one gain many skills. Also, candidates should focus on their physical and mental well-being. In the age of information & social media, it is important to remain focussed. It is therefore important to develop hobbies and pursue sports, they can help re-gaining perspective & focus in life.

There are more than three lakh people who write the UPSC exams but only a thousand people get through. Of this, the ones who get into the IAS are maybe around 150 each year. And of this, there are people who get cadres they don’t like and all those issues. The story is not only about the 1,000 who made it but the two lakh plus aspirants who did not make it.

In case you don’t make it, don’t lose heart. Always trust the education and professional skills that you have got. Not getting through civil services is not the end. Life is a journey, not a destination. We need to enjoy the journey.

(Path to Civils is a fortnightly series featuring interviews with exemplary officers from the civil services who share their perspectives on preparing for the exams and working in government service)