An open letter to IAS wannabes
By Ranjan Yumnam
By Ranjan Yumnam
In Delhi where I live, I constantly bump into numerous people who dream of becoming an IAS officer. Of these, there are really serious contenders for the top job and then there is also a larger group of IAS wannabes who simply lulled their parents into great expectations without having any slim chance of succeeding in India's toughest public examination. And to this latter group, that this letter is being addressed.
Every time I see people from the latter lot, I feel guilty as a concerned Manipuri for not being able to stop them in the tracks of their futile exercise. On closer examination, many of them turn out to be academic underachievers who in their frustration choose to take a chance in the Civil Services as the last resort.
To me, it is a weird paradox that these academically-challenged people would even think of stepping into where angels fear to tread. It is nothing less than a willful adventurism at the expense of precious time and other realistic opportunities in other vocations and career avenues.
The profile of a typical IAS aspirant in Delhi can be made out fairly accurately. Most probably, he would be an average graduate. Chances are that if you look at his mark sheet, you will see blood all over it-the kind of mark sheet that no university would accept for enrolment in its Master's program. So, one fine morning, our dreamer wakes up to realize that his salvation lies in clearing the IAS examinations and proving all detractors wrong. The results almost always tell a different story.