Begin small to achieve big

Devender Kumar       

SERVICE to society’ is what guides, or ought to, every civil service aspirant. I recently got an opportunity to interact with a young government servant who had cleared the state civil services examination and got into employment services. As an aspirant myself, I was curious to know about his job and how he was contributing to society with the power he now wielded. 

On my insistence, he said in a dim voice: ‘I am not much happy with my current job. I have taken posting in a remote area, where no one disturbs me. I am preparing for the next round of examination to get into administrative and police services, which are more respectable and powerful.’ I simply nodded. He took a deep breath and added: ‘I want to change the system with more power and the present post doesn’t offer it.’

He said he used to go to the office just two or three days a week. Since he was the seniormost there, no one questioned him. The staff too was happy. I looked at him grimly and thought that this young officer, even though he had sufficient powers, was not making use of it. He wanted to grab more power and get into ‘socially recognised’ administrative and police services by taking the current job as security. Though there is no harm in securing one’s future and chasing dreams, by using the loopholes in the system, he was doing the same thing he wanted to change by grabbing more power. 

There are hundreds of cases across the country, where people have gone on fake medical leave for preparing for exams. One can wonder what kind of civil servants they will become. Gandhi had said the means to achieve something should be as pure as the outcome. If the entry process is not right, how can we expect the right outcome?

Two things are wrong here. Firstly, it is not morally right to abdicate your duty, for which you are availing benefits. To noble souls, who want to bring about a change, work is akin to worship. I left my lucrative job for preparing for exams rather than taking fake medical leave or using office hours for non-official work, which I could have done easily. My conscience did not allow it. 

Secondly, bringing in change doesn’t require much power. Kailash Satyarthi and Mahatma Gandhi were able to do it because they had mental strength and purity of mind. Clearing the civil services is just a means, not the end.

I wanted to ask him how we can expect a government to perform when its constituent elements are mentally and morally corrupt! The system can be improved only when its constituent people are aware, responsible and do their duty with utmost sincerity. The actions of a civil servant must reflect responsibility as they are emulated by society. Infusing ethics in the minds of people is one of the greatest challenges in a society like ours, where values are eroding fast. The first step should be a change in our mindset, and the overhauling of our education system. Only then, there will be some hope.