Dilnawaz Pasha for BeyondHeadlines
Read These Three Status Updates from a Facebook Profile…
My house is being used as LIBRARY by one Hindu, one Muslim and two Christian students. One girl stays with me. One girl comes in morning have lunch with us and leaves in evening. Two others come after school hours and leave at night. When I come back from office all for reading together in my hall. Seriously that sight fills me with some happiness. I just smile at them and proceed to my work. We all celebrate together all our festivals and enjoying their Company.. 🙂
Today early Morning I Called my Department Minority officer and asked ‘Dec 18th National Minorities Rights Day, how are you celebrating it?” He said “Sorry mam not aware of it’. I said we must celebrate it with two motives. First to give awareness about various government schemes available for them and second to impart confidence in them that they are equally empowered to enjoy their rights as part of the main-stream. He called me after 1/2hr and said no other Department, not even State Head Office celebrating. When I insisted he sought time. Finally we decided to celebrate it on 21st December, between next year we will do it on Dec 18th only, and this year we will be initiators. 🙂
When I took charge (some two months back, off course whole October was full of holidays and hardly anybody was in HQ except me.:-). The 2011-12 MGNREGA pending bills for payment in my Department were Rs. 14 crore, Today I reduced thee to Rs.50 lacs.. 🙂
And The Profile description reads- MY HEART IS A TENDER LEAF BUT MY BRAIN IS TOUGH LIKE A DIAMOND. Because am very emotional human being but at the same time I don’t loose myself in the wave of that motions, rather I use them to do my best to serve the needy. I think what I mean is I EMPATHIZE very soon in every incident… but don’t become traumatic but try to do my best to the victims.
These status updates are from Profile of Miss Pallavi Akurathi. Pallavi is an IAS officer Currently posted as Deputy Secretary, Hyderabad Karnataka Area Development Board, Gulbarga with additional charge of chief executive officer, Zilla Panchayat, Gulbarga.
Pallavi uses her home as a study place for future civil service aspirants. BeyondHeadlines Believes Pallavi is a real Hero India Needs. Here is a Short Interview with Pallavi.
Q. What inspired you to use your home as a library, and when did it all began?
A. It was just not a pre-planned one. Being a single lady I thought I can have the company of my students whom I have been training through phone and Facebook. So one day I posted on facebook that willing girls can join me and prepare. I selected two girls a year ago who started staying with me and when I was transferred one girl went back. But Seema Faruki, whom I have been training from past 2 years over phone, being a native of Gulbarga she started coming to my home and reading as her home is too small with many family members. And a local officer who liked the serene atmosphere in my home requested me that her children will also read in my home. I happily accepted that… and that is how it happened.
Q. Are the students preparing for Civil or Just General Studies?
A. Two girls are preparing for civils and remaining two are tenth and PUC.
Q. Do you provide them reading material? Also, Please share the best experience of being together with them.
A. Actually I donated all my books immediately I got my results to some Libraries in Hyderabad. Now I suggest them what to read and how to read. of the four only Seema needs financial support which am ready to provide.
Q. There are many IAS officers in India, and what we read about them is not very pleasing, what makes you choose this difficult way of social service along with your JOB?
A. One day when I was sick both Sweta and Megha did their best to take care of me. Being far away from all my family members in a totally new land yet God ensured somebody to take utmost care of me. This happened when I was in Sakaleshpura, When Sweta’s father came to my home to see her while returning he said ‘Am very very happy that my daughter is with you’. When Megha’s dad came he complimented me ‘now I have one more daughter’ After few days Sweta lost her dad and at that time I spent whole night with her MOTIVATING with my emotional filled words and inspired her to pursue to realize her dad’s dream and not to give up. My words did not go waste. She became normal soon and RESTARTED her battle.
Q. It is been three years you are in service, Have you ever thought that you are not able to do what you really wanted to do? Apart from your personal efforts.
A. Hmmm… Administration is not just development as I thought before joining service. It is running the system, ensuring orderliness, not allowing evil to spread and then Development. Nothing to feel missing. I am enjoying my job.
Q. A sentence, or a thought, or any incident that keep your spirits high and inspires you?
A. Yes… There are two quotes which I always tell myself. First WORK AS IF NO GOD IS GOING TO HELP AND PRAY AS IF NO WORK IS OF ANY USE. Second, IF You TREMBLE WITH INDIGNATION AT EVERY INJUSTICE THEN YOU ARE A COMRADE OF MINE.
Q. It is quite normal to be offered bribes or favors when one is at higher post of service, how do you react to such offers, simply smile away or have deep thoughts about it?
A. No one dared to do so before me.
Q. Ok, you consider your honesty a weakness or Strength?
A. Any good quality is always a strength. When there is a law and order problem or any problem issue people respect and obey only that officer who has good personal records. Honesty is certainly a priority quality amongst such qualities. Apart from that unethical earnings take out the basic mental peace. BEING HONEST ONE IS SERVING NO ONE BUT OWN-SELF… for our happiness and mental peace and confidence and for basically LEAVING THIS WORLD WID A SMILE AND REACHING GOD CONFIDENTLY.
Q. Please share a moment of Pride of your duty, any Work (in your official capacity) that has made you proud?
A. When I was in Sakaleshpur I removed the encroachment of a local politician in the way of an old Muslim lady as SDM there. He encroached the way towards her crop lands. I was humbled when she came to my home to meet me and took my hands into hers and started crying that am leaving that place. I was transferred to Gulbarga. I never thought that people remember us so much. I was just moved.
Q. You qualified for the Civils Twice? What made you give your efforts another chance?
A. I cleared thrice. 101, 194 and 55th ranks. My target was IAS only not just civils. I see only the eye of the bird like Arjuna.
Q. Apart from Being an IAS, the best moment of your life so far..?
A. By birth I am an artist. A Kuchipudi dancer, poetess in Telugu, good in chant singing, painting, rangoli, mehendi designing, litlle bit embroidery, flower arrangement etc. All creative things. When I meet village grannys who know nothing about IAS etc. They say that they like me a lot just because of the way I wear my saree and my traditional appearance and my Indian creative skills like rangoli. I feel happy… And AFTER SELECTION EVERY PARENT SAY THAT THEIR DAUGHTER JUST LOOKS LIKE ME ONLY… HA HA HA… THIS COMMENT MAKES ME FEEL THAT GOD HAS BLESSED ME.
Q. And the Last question, Most of the times the honest feel frustrated when they saw their counterparts rise to prominence, they are left behind because system feels them incompetent? Are you ready to face such circumstances?
A. HA HA HA… everybody have their own definitions of PROMINENCE. AM HAPPY AS LONG AS THE VILLAGE GRANNY CALLS ME AFFECTIONATELY ‘KANAMMA’ a kannada word for Gudiya Rani. Am extremely happy with that. I don’t need any awards Just need some place in some ones heart.
Q. I forget to ask, Have you ever experienced Financial difficulties? The background of your family?
A. My dad retired as State Govt. Servant, Mom is house wife… one elder sister and one younger brother. I don’t have big financial problems but I had academic problems and throughout the preparation I could not have access to intrnet, a handicap indeed in these days. And as am a Telugu medium girl my problems were totally different. AM THE FIRST GIRL TO BECOME IAS WITH TELUGU MEDIUM. Because of that medium I studied in govt. schools where vegetable venders, rikshaw pullers daughters were my classmates. It was 8 Year Tapasya with Telugu medium I had to struggle ten times more than an English medium student to pass this exam. In every coaching center I was treated as secondary citizen just because of my medium. They made fun of me that am day dreaming to become IAS with telugu medium… but 8 long years. Though my rank slipped in between I just focused on my target and realized my dream.
Q. And I must ask, what are your thoughts about today’s women?
A. We can’t generalize anything. But to address high numbers. I like the career orientation of women but I feel sad when I see metro girls in those western wears. throughout my life I never wore jeans.
