I'm not one to be singing paens in the glory of the civil services but gotta say it's something.I'm privy to the deepest anguish of the daily wage labourer we supply ration to as I am to the desperation of a middle class parent with a stranded kid somewhere.

It's not even been a year since I started working on the field and I've met more people than I ever had before.And people from all over the spectrum,the rich & the poor,the ambitious & the hopeless,those who believe in me & those who are skeptical of me & the service I represent

I will not say that I derive satisfaction from my job because I've long stopped believing that satisfaction in life is something you can derive from your job alone.I think a lot of things have to work right in all spheres of life for one to be satisfied and happy with oneself

And more often than not,I come back home disappointed with the way some things have been running,and sometimes confounded at how things have not changed for some for so many years now.Sometimes I feel like a tiny, tiny cog in a giant wheel that I have absolutely no control over

But then sometimes,I feel blessed, truly blessed because what I see by virtue of the service I'm in,is hidden to most.I believe I'm more sensitive today than I was yesterday,more aware of the misery hidden in plain sight that chose to talk to me only because of the service I'm in

I've learned that things are more complicated than they appear,that refusing to engage with a pradhan pati may result in a lagging NREGA project,or a person with an income of 5000 pm even though not eligible for RTE,still may not be able to afford pvt education for his kid

That this service has allowed me to see beyond myself,learn more about life and living than books ever taught me and allowed me privy into the world of those who trust me only because of this service,is a blessing I am grateful for today and forever

Happy civil services day!