Realising bureaucratic dreams

Once it was known that I got selected for the Income Tax (IRS) wing on successfully clearing the Central Services exam in my first attempt (as detailed in the earlier article), I decided to prepare for the IAS exam this time in right earnest with a full-time preparation by skipping the IRS foundation course, scheduled for July. I obtained permission to join IRS training at Nagpur in November.

Consequently, I resigned from the post of assistant development officer in the Industrial Infrastructure Corporation at Nizamabad and shifted to Hyderabad where I stayed in my first cousin’s house at Dilsukhnagar to begin my IAS exam preparation.

I did not think there would be any great value in joining a coaching institution since I could access the prescribed books and notes from my friend Mr Ramudu, who, like me, was also preparing for the Civil Services exam.

He used to stay at Chikkadpally and it was my daily routine to come from Dilsukhnagar to Chikkadpally for combined studies, wind up with a cup of coffee at Sudha Hotel and return home in the evening. Since Ramudu was residing near a coaching centre and it was a bachelor’s accommodation, a number of Civil Services aspirants used to come there and we used to have meaningful discussions.

Regarding the subjects, I retained the lower optionals of sociology, British history and Indian history like those I prepared for Civils in the previous year. As advanced optionals, which we were supposed to be taken for IAS and IFS exams in those days, I chose ancient Indian history and advanced Indian economics. This was based upon my academic background of having completed MA in economics and degree with history as one of the subjects.

For those with this background, the suggestion from Mr Rao was to prefer them as optional subjects. For the lower optional, I continued with the same books as suggested for earlier exam while for the higher optional, I started reading books by historians like Romila Thapar and Irfan Habib for Ancient Indian History.

For advanced Indian economics, in addition to the PG books, I began going through journals like Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) and more particularly for getting updated with the latest data on Indian economy. There was a big library at Chikkadpally, which I often used to visit and make notes from the reference books.

Somewhere in July-August, I completed the exam. Confident that I had done reasonably well, I set off to my native place Kandukur Prakasam district and waited for a communication from Nagpur to join in the Income Tax training course, which usually started in November. For those two to three months, I had to bear the curious looks of my neighbours and others who wondered why I should be in Kandukur if I had really got into the Civil Services.

Finally, the IT Training Institute communication came in November directing me to report for training at Nagpur. The training was both educative and enjoyable.

We had Mr PR Rao, a strict disciplinarian, thorough with the subject teaching us accounts. Mr Puri, another deputy director, who was liberal in his attitude, was there along with other deputy directors. However, another director, Mr Chidambaram, though soft by nature, never liked playing Holi.

The results for the exam were announced and I qualified for the interview, which also, subsequently, went off well. Since I was already in the Income Tax department, the first question was about the difference between tax evasion and tax avoidance.

Then the discussion centred around the ultimate objective of development machinery versus labour. In those days I was reading the book “Small Is Beautiful” by Schumacher. I was able to navigate the interview board for a discussion on the contents of the book. The interview became a meaningful discussion in which they also participated instead of it being a routine question and answer session.

I emerged from the room, fully confident that I had done well. When the results were declared, I made it to the IAS.

Along with me about ten probationers from the IT training institute, also made it to the IAS. I reached Mussoorie on July 12, 1979 for the foundation course, which was to me to a satisfying career that ended on January 31, 2016 when I retired as the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh.