How inspirational officers can help transform lives

Julio Ribeiro

A few days ago I heard two young government officers speak. Dr Prashant Narnavare, an IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, and Suhail Sharma, an IPS officer of the same cadre, were invited by the Public Concern for Governance Trust (PCGT) to motivate young students of schools and colleges across the city to soar higher and higher like Jonathan Livingston Seagull, the fictional seagull created by the writer, Richard Bach.

Suhail Sharma was born in Amritsar some 30 odd years ago. He studied in Amritsar and did his engineering in Himachal Pradesh. Inspired and encouraged by his father, Suhail reached the summit of Mount Everest. When I headed Punjab Police, I had a young Superintendent of Police, PM Das, who was totally committed to the mountains. Eventually, this young IPS officer, who hailed from Assam, perished in a blizzard; he had nearly lost his life earlier in an encounter with Khalistani terrorists in the Mand area.

In the mountains, it is not uncommon to hear of deaths. There is danger and only those who have the qualities of courage and perseverance and the ability to weather the ravages of nature will dare to climb. Those who fulfil their dream of conquering the mountain become real-life heroes.

Suhail Sharma is one such hero who I met in person. He joined other mountaineers in the attempt sometime in 2015. Somewhere near the summit, there was an avalanche that buried the climbers under snow. Many died, only a few survived. Suhail was lucky. One incident he mentioned in his talk was when his oxygen ran out at a height above 27,000 feet. His tent colleague, one Prabhu, shared his remaining oxygen with Suhail and that helped him survive. These are stories that only intrepid men like Suhail and Prabhu can tell to those of us who have not attempted such adventures.

Personally, I am proud of Suhail because he is an IPS officer belonging to my service and hailing from Amritsar, a city I visited several times in the call of duty. Suhail is now the Superintendent of Police of Sangli, a district in Maharashtra which experienced a disastrous flood in the recent change of weather. The district had never experienced such a calamity before. It was propitious that our conqueror of Mount Everest was the Superintendent of Police at that time. People who had not eaten for days were furious with the government.

Everyone blames the government at such times but our hero shouted the Maratha war cry ‘Shivaji Maharaj ki Jai’ and that enthused starving people to face the difficult time under the inspiring leadership of Suhail. In chest-deep water, they held hands and went about their work of rescuing stranded villagers. The people of Amritsar and of Punjab should be proud of having Suhail Sharma as a member of their community.

If Suhail’s achievements and motivation can inspire young people to achieve the extraordinary, the work of Dr Prashant Narnavare of the IAS was equally or more inspiring. As a young District Magistrate of Osmanabad in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, he was faced by growing incidents of farmers’ suicides following agrarian distress. He summoned all the farmers and had a heart-to-heart talk with them following which it was agreed that cultivation of sugarcane, which consumes disproportionate amounts of water, would be reduced, and it was! He asked them to face the challenge and not think of taking their own lives. They pledged to do so!

In Osmanabad, Prashant received a letter from the then Union Minister Maneka Gandhi about the skewed sex ratio in his district. Hundred other Collectors across India had received such letters. He took it to heart like a sensitive leader should and visited all medical centres in Osmanabad, spoke to the medical officers and others, pressing them to dissuade women from stooping to female foeticide. In the next census, the sex ratio improved dramatically and he was actually commended for his efforts. It was Prashant’s initiative and dynamism and his commitment to duty that marked his leadership in this delicate issue. It was because his juniors were convinced about his sincerity that he succeeded.

You do not get too many such officers in the IAS and IPS today or even yesterday who believe in service to the people though they have joined a career which is called a Service. There are many more in fact who feel they have a licence to command rather than lead. People forget such narcissistic officials as soon as they move out of their districts.

Prashant provided effective leadership in ensuring the effective implementation of government schemes aimed at enhancing the livelihood prospects, and agricultural income of rural people, especially women. This he did in the tribal areas of Palghar, where his name is known in every household and in every village. Even young children know about him.

The reason for his success is the fact that he put service before self. His work should be publicised in the IAS academy at Mussoorie so that every young entrant to the Service is motivated.

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