In a turbulent, uncertain year filled with terrible news all around, books have been a great source of comfort for me. They were the escape from the reality of lockdowns and persistent pandemic news cycle. Readers of this blog know that I lean mostly towards non-fiction and this has been the case with 2020 as well. One habit… Read More »
A couple of years ago, as I was lunching with a friend, he asked me a simple question. If all life started with one simple organism, how did so many complex species evolve? By this time, I had already begun studying Anthropology (my Optional subject), so he naturally assumed that I should be able to handle such basic… Read More »
Greetings on the successful completion of FC and Phase- I. Do you feel that your time at the academy just flew by? Not surprising. That first walk into the campus, the arduous trek to a nearby hill, the odd nap in the lecture hall, the lovely meal at the Officers’ Mess. And the jokes and the laughter with batchmates over a warm cup of coffee under an overcast sky. What a journey!
On a casual evening in July 2019, I announced publicly that I was going to write a book. When I made the announcement, I had not written a single word or a sentence for the book. Heck, I didn’t even have a clue about the book’s title, the cover, the table of contents or the topic I was… Read More »
Every year, on the 21st of April, India celebrates Civil Services day, to commemorate the famous address by Sardar Patel to the first batch of civil servants of India. In the speech, he called them the Steel Frame, as a reference to an enduring structure meant to build and protect a young nation. “India observes National Civil Services… Read More »
The following is an interview with Shri Deepak Gupta about his new book, ‘The Steel Frame: A History of the IAS.’ Sir joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1974, and among his many accomplishments, he is known for his leadership role in driving the ambitious National Solar Mission. Besides his distinguished career in the IAS, he also served as the… Read More »
The last 30 days have been eventful. I have been posted as the Assistant Collector of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district (Telangana) on 24.05.2019, a day after India elected its new union government. As I completed one month in the district, I reflected on my stay here and asked myself: What has been my learning in the past one month? After… Read More »
When our group of 18 IAS trainees began our Bharat Darshan journey, I wondered if it was going to be a mere transit from place to place. After visiting 15 odd states and travelling 20,000 km, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Near the Sino-Indian border, staying with the Army made us witness the tough life of our… Read More »
I remember the day I became a fan of Roger Federer. It was the 3rd of July, 2005 and Federer was playing Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon final. I did not follow tennis back then, and my knowledge of the game was limited to collecting and memorising random facts for quizzes. I was aware that Sampras and Agassi… Read More »