Civil service, an achievable dream now

To become an IAS officer, one capable of making a difference to the society, was the dream for many a Malayali youngster of the post-Independence era. But it remained just that, a mere dream, and they went on to become bank officers, teachers, and doctors. Zoom in to the generation that followed for whom an IAS officer meant Suresh Gopi or Mammootty belting out heroic dialogues in Malayalam movies.Again, not something they really wanted to be, or could be. Being a software engineer was a much better option, after all.
But not anymore. In the last decade or so, there has been a revolution of sorts, and a renewal of the fascination for the civil service. But this time, it is an achievable dream, with a significant number of Malayalis not just clearing the exams but also going on to become civil servants who are making a mark, standing up against corruption. What has led to the change? We explore.
‘The internet revolution triggered the change’
There was a time when Malayali civil service aspirants imagined that only the affluent, who can afford to enrol with coaching centres in Delhi, or whose parents were in the civil service, could achieve the dream, says Lipin Raj (IRS), Divisional Personnel Officer, Madurai. According to him, the change started around 2005, owing to a variety of factors. “As a result of the internet revolution, study materials started becoming accessible to all. Social media groups facilitated group study and sharing of materials. The civil service slowly started becoming a middle-class dream,” he says.
It was also a time when the sheen of engineering started wearing off, he adds. “Youngsters started realising that there's no permanence or security in IT whereas civil service is a complete package which offers a decent salary as well as power.”
Mainstream media as well as social media have played a huge part in inspiring many youngsters to give it a try. In fact, Prasanth Nair IAS, currently Private Secretary to Union Minister for Tourism, IT and Electronics, Alphons Kannanthanam, admits that he is bombarded by messages from youngsters, even from other states, that he is their inspiration for trying for the civils, “embarrassing though it is’’.
One indication of the rising popularity can be seen from the fact that, in Thiruvananthapuram alone, around 50 civil service coaching academies have mushroomed in the last two years, points out Lipin.
‘It’s a direct result of Govt intervention’
Babu Paul, former bureaucrat and political commentator, remembers how he went to Delhi for training, the only option for civil service aspirants at that time. “There were no direct trains to Delhi and we had to catch a flight from Chennai. Getting through by phone was next to impossible
as well.”
He too, believes that the change began, around 2005. “In one particular year, we had no Malayali representation at all in the civil service. The then CM Oommen Chandy called me and asked for my opinion. ‘We might as well try a Govt Civil Service Training centre’, I said.”
In the very first year after the academy was launched in Thiruvananthapuram, someone got a high rank, and the trend continued in the following years as well — with Prasanth Nair, Harikrishnan, Anupama and many others cracking the civils.
Prasanth agrees. “The fact that the Govt Civil Service Academy funds the students has helped ordinary youngsters from small towns come up. I studied in Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram, where everyone opted for engineering and medicine. My father was an engineer at ISRO and my mother, a doctor. But my mother encouraged me to think out of the box, and said that if I was ready to study throughout my life, I should give the civil service a try. I and a few classmates did, although I had no seniors who had succeeded in cracking the civil service exam in school. We attended coaching in Thiruvananthapuram itself but left no stone unturned with regard to preparations. In the same year, three of us from the same class in Loyola cleared the civils, going into IAS, IPS and IFS. That’s when realisation dawned that it’s not rocket science, and that you can clear it if you work hard. Afterwards, many from our school started thinking on those lines, and we are proud to have started the trend,” he says.
What still scares away people is the competitive nature of the exam, but one can always think of options other than IAS, like IPS and IRS, he adds.
The fact that many Malayali youngsters cracked the exam led to tremendous publicity and awareness, says Babu Paul. “Thiruvananthapuram became a learning hub soon. It doesn’t mean that an academy can push everyone into the IAS, but it can help. The fees is nominal if you pass the prelims. We also take them to Delhi for interviews by air and accommodate them at Kerala House, free of cost. The result was a belief that the civils is possible for the average man.”
The downside
Lipin, however, is of the opinion that many of the so-called coaching centres in Thiruvananthapuram are following the North Indian model where the sole aim is money making, not providing quality training. “It has become a photo competition where everyone is racing to publish photos of ‘their winners’,” he says.
Meanwhile, Babu Paul recently got a call from a man in Kannur, who wanted guidance for his daughter who wanted to go for the civil service. Babu Paul asked him whether the student had completed degree or PG but then, the father said, ‘She has passed Class 6’! “It shows the increase in awareness, but people actually want their children to begin preparing from school, which is unfortunate,” he says.
Lipin too recalls an instance where he was invited to take an awareness seminar for children from Class 4 onwards! “It has become just another career option for some. And many of these kids have no clue what they are getting into. You don’t always get a plush bungalow and car with a beacon.”
Perhaps the three letters that follow the name is good enough.
Aspirants speak:
My son Jeevan Abraham has taken the science stream but he has always been attracted to the civil service, probably because the son of a friend of mine got through recently. The church has been organising coaching classes for the past two years and he got selected for it. He plans to try for civil service alongside the medicine course.
— Jinil Abraham, father of Jeevan Abraham, Plus Two student
Officers who have passed out recently, like Sreeram and Anupama, have influenced me most in aspiring for civil service. I had full A plus in Class 10 and was pressured to take up science but I was sure I wanted humanities. Civil service is my first option as I feel there is no better opportunity to serve the country than this profession. All I do now is read newspapers as preparation but I look up everything connected to the profession.
— Anulakshmi MS, Plus Two student