have
passed at
the heart
of the country, in
the Capital. We
are here away
from home and
all comforts for
education, career
and
other
opportunities. It’s
been a tale of
struggle,
like
each one of us
has. Fortunately, I survived. And, time has not been
same in the last 1 and a half year. I grew up suddenly,
into a ‘big girl’!! I don’t cry these days for being alone
in a city; I don’t cry for my mom or home. Delhi has
kept its promise; put me into the Civil Services, the
dream millions cherish! It’s almost 15 months now
that I am in the services, in service of my country. The
journey so far has been quite enthralling…
It started in Bhopal with the beginning
of our Foundation Course. The 86th
Batch. Suddenly got the taste of how
people treat our civil servants. I must say, I was not
discouraged! Life got tuned up with the routine tight
schedules, formal gatherings, outings, strenuous
teaching and extracurricular modules. It was painful
to wake up in the morning, but it was soothing to go
to the Badi Jheel to watch the birds with the group
mates.
MP was explored mile after mile. From the wonder
caves of Bhimbetka, where, I don’t know how many
thousand years ago, human beings have drawn
paintings and they are still existing on the rocks; to
mighty Sanchi stupa; to Bhojpur, Vidisha; to the dam
disputed sight of serene Narmada; to Peeth at Ujjain;
to the hills of Manchmarhi; to the silent valley of
Chidhikho… But travelling was just an icing on the
cake. It was thrilling to take oath on the very first day
of joining in front of the Governor, “I, Laboni Das, do
swear in the name of God, will do with the best of my
abilities, preserve, protect and defend the
Constitution of India and law”… Always watched the
‘Big Ones’ taking oath in television, but when I did
dream that I could really be a promoter and protector
of our Constitution so soon!! I feel I was destined… I
feel blessed…
It was over to NIFM in January. The campus here is
carved in greens and flowers and studded with birds
and butterflies. My camera lens spoke more than I
did; could capture all the enchantment in the campus,
the scenery, the people; fun amidst the screwing
financial management classes, our moments of
togetherness with the newly made friends, and of
some friendship made for life… Bureaucracy was
simplified, finance decoded, served on the plates!
Again came the tours and travelling, now not being a
part of a trek team, or traveler, now we were made
into full grown probationers of the Government of
India, and treated as ‘officers’ every place we moved.
We got the chance to capture beauty the mighty
Himalayas of Shimla during our Audit attachment,
lavishing Lucknow city during our Railways
attachment, joyrides at Jaipur, marvelous Malay
Peninsula (Malaysia and Singapore) during our first
overseas attachment, with many more coming during
our tenure at the parent academy INGAF…
We, as a part of the government, explored the cities,
cultures, new food. But one thing remained the same –
our oneness. In the last 15 months, our training
taught us to stand united, make fast decisions, ready
for any emergent situation within seconds, the being
able to say under any circumstances, “Yes Officer, I
can do it”! Roger.
Trouble comes… very frequently. Again, when in
trouble, Mr. Das takes over… Dad… His daughter may
have learnt to manage the funds of Government of
India, but he knows that she cannot still
manage her own funds or time! He
scolds in the morning for not calling, not
remembering the poor dad, but again gets concerned
after hearing that his daughter managed to sleep only
at 3 am last night after completing a group report!
The training is to make a normal citizen into a
bureaucrat, into a civil servant who has the empathy
and sympathy for the people he is serving, for the
country which has educated him. But I realized that
this training cannot teach us anything, the real
training comes from the family, the values learnt so
far, and, from within. You cannot overall change a
person after taking him to Valley of Flowers for trek, to
Lok Sabha or to the UK for training. He will continue
to take dowry even after he has signed a bond paper
against it. He will continue to behave shrewd and
misuse government resources if he is brought up in
that way!!
I cannot say much about myself. It is the ‘humanity’
you learn from home over the years, I guess, is the
driving force to serve the people as a ‘good’ human
being who is eventually a civil servant too! So, the
bureaucrat is home-made and the formal training is
just all about polishing and brushing up the outer
shield. The only difference is that the home-grown
little one is now grown ‘big’ suddenly and made ready
to take on the world alone. It’s every time I miss
Durga Puja, they are still missing me at home. But
they know my priorities; my pain not to be there.
Mom smiles, “She’ll surely be home during Diwali”…