Interesting Insights

The cherub of a hundred birds welcome you as you step into the lush green campus, popularly known as IAS officers' colony… in the City's Jayanagar area. For half a moment, I forget myself. For it is not everyday that you get to enjoy such delightful voices, the concrete jungle that the City is fast transforming into. Yet, reminds an inner voice, it is not everyday that you get the opportunity to interview a top-notch officer in the administration. So I hasten to my destination; this time, yours truly's ramblings take her to Mr. Rajiv Bora, Commissioner, Home Department, Government of Asom.

The son of Tea Executive Tarun Chandra Bora and Rajlaxmi Bora, Mr. Bora's early years were spent in the beautiful tea gardens. Surrounded by the lush green of the tea bushes, swaying to the beats of the maadol, life in those days was a simple affair. However, lack of proper educational facilities in the tea garden areas saw him packed off to a boarding school St. Andrews at Darjeeling after which, he was shifted over to Mao College, Ajmer from where he completed his schooling. Shifting base to the National Capital, Mr. Bora did his B.A. in Economics from Sri Ram College of Commerce followed up by a Masters in the same discipline from the Delhi School of Economics. After completing his Masters, he worked as a research Assistant in the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations. For 6 months, he also taught at the Sri Ram College of Commerce, his alma mater. However, interest in the Services soon led him to the IAS Entrance Examinations. In 1985, he cracked through the tough IAS Entrance Exams, in the very first attempt, securing eighth rank in the All-India level.
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It was his zeal to serve his roots that had inspired Mr. Rajiv Bora to take up the Services as a career. Having spent the greater part of the formative phase of his life outside the state, Mr. Bora now wanted to return to Assam and render his services to his home state. It is however significant that with such a brilliant academic career behind him he could have easily got a job in any top-notch organization in India, or even abroad .Yet he chose to serve his country, and that too his home state, which albeit one of the most beautiful has also been one plagued by maladies of a myriad hues... .IAS for Mr. Rajiv Bora is thus much more than just a job: it is a fulfillment of a dream, a commitment towards his vibrant state, and its diverse peoples… He joined the Services in 1985 and his first posting was at Hailakandi as the Sub-Divisional Officer (S.D.O.), Civil. Since then , he has served in various capacities: from being Deputy Secretary, Finance to Secretary, Industries Department to being Deputy Commissioner of the districts of Darrang and Barpeta to Secretary, Finance to Commissioner Finance and then to (the present) Commissioner, Home Department, it has been an interesting twenty-two years in service. Of the many diverse experiences during this period, some of the most memorable include-- his stint as the Secretary, Finance during the Financial Crisis of the late Nineties (1998-2000). The Financial Crisis had been one of the worst economic crises the state has ever faced. "Still" Mr. Bora says, "We not only managed to tide over the crises but also succeeded in gathering financial support from the Asian Development Bank", in which he had played a crucial role. Mr.Bora was also involved in the Fiscal Reforms Programme besides assuming the post of Chairman of the Second State Finance Commission. Other memorable experiences include his stints as Deputy Commissioner in the districts of Darrang and Barpeta. The former was at the height of the counter-insurgency operations: Darrang along with Nalbari was the very hotbed of insurgency. Presence of several insurgent outfits, especially in those regions made matters only worse... Casualties were on the rise and hardly a week went by without a major occurrence. "We could hardly catch a wink during those days", Mr.Bora remisces, "yet we managed to eventually bring the situation under considerable control". The other experience was as the DC in Barpeta, where the administration was able to contain the after-effects of the ill-fated Babri Masjid demolition (in 1992). Demography of the district had made it highly vulnerable to the divisive forces. There were reports of damage to religious places of worship at various places. It was a tentative situation-- a slight spark could set off a massive fire-- and the administration was on tenterhooks. However, he sums up with satisfaction; the administration was successful in containing the turmoil and in preventing outbreak of any major trouble. "Of course", he adds "this would not have been possible but for active cooperation from members of the different sections of the society, especially the two religious communities".
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In between, Mr. Bora also completed his MS in Finance under ANM University, Texas, USA. This was in 1996-97, and it was funded by a World Bank Fellowship. A few years later, he was awarded a Masters in Political Science and another in International and Area Studies under the University of California, Berkeley. Speaking about his experiences in the United States, Mr.Bora says, "Actually, being a part of the American educational system in particular and the American way of life in general
has been a revelation in many ways. Their integrity, zeal for life, independence of spirit, straight forwardness, their inquisitiveness and above all their professionalism--it is incredible. Their education system is especially wonderful; it lays emphasis on practical over theoretical knowledge and encourages students to be self-dependent, thereby laying solid foundations in the students (the future of any society)". "Besides", he continues, "There is a tremendous amount of research taking place in the Universities there, and the sheer range of topics of research is overwhelming. You will not believe it but there is research going on the Bodo language in the Department of Linguistics in the University of California, Berkeley, not to speak of other kinds of research on different aspects of Assamese culture and other cultures of the North East. In many cases, people researching here need to go over to Berkeley or contact the people out there to collect requisite information/resource material". Among other things, the American spirit of charity and their tremendous respect for other cultures are also remarkable. Besides, unlike the popular assumption, the Americans are a very family-/community -oriented lot, he adds.
Elaborating on the American educational system, Mr. Bora says thus--"Education in America is an enjoyable experience. The rote system of learning that is the norm in India is practically unheard of out there. Besides, classroom teaching there is more about discussions/interaction rather than the teacher lecturing and the students taking down notes. At all levels, students are encouraged to challenge the established body of knowledge--it might include works of the greatest masters in the discipline. In a nutshell, education is research-oriented: students do all the research work and the teacher is simply the facilitator. Another significant feature of the American education system is the virtual absence of textbooks". To which Mrs. Jonali Bora, his better half adds that right from the primary level, students are encouraged to form their own opinions through observation, understanding and analysis; parents are not expected to help their wards in their homework. Mrs. Bora, who had worked as a Teaching Assistant in ANM University, Texas for sometime(before they had to return to India) says that the marking system there is the opposite of what we have here. Instead of starting from 0 and adding marks with each question, the markings start from 100 and the teacher deducts marks accordingly, so that the student is made aware of his flaws/shortcomings. Thus, there is no scope for any arbitrariness in the marking scheme.
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There is a slight detour in the conversation as tea arrives…discussion veers towards his family. Herself an alumnus from Cotton College, Mrs. Jonali Bora is a lecturer of English at the City's K.R.B. College. Speaking about his wife, Mr. Rajiv Bora says that she has been more of a friend in the truest sense--providing rock-solid support to him at each and every step. (This warm camaraderie was apparent even during the interview)Mr. and Mrs. Bora are proud parents to young Aditya, a fifth grader in Delhi Public School and little Aparna who studies in Excel Kindergarten. Not surprisingly, Aditya too dreams of being an IAS officer like his father when he grows up, rendering (selfless) service towards his state.
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Tea over, we return to the discussion. On being queried about the vexed insurgency problem (which has been probably the biggest obstacle in the way of Assam's development along with floods), Mr. Bora in his slow steady manner speaks thus-- "Ours is a heterogeneous society, unlike most other countries of the world. This heterogeneity is itself a big challenge to the nation's integrity. Over this, external influences like lack of infrastructure, geographical isolation (of the North East from the rest of the country), difficult terrain, the high propensity of floods, lack of proper/adequate employment opportunities contribute towards the slackened pace of development which generate a general sentiment of deprivation amongst the people...(which is but natural)". Along with this, there has also been the problem of political marginalization/identity crisis of certain sections of society, which has added to the disgruntlement already brewing in the people. In fact, Mr. Bora opines, it is because different sections consider themselves marginalized that they take to various means to voice their protest, armed conflict being one of them--which aims especially at achieving certain political ends... Yet, Mr.Bora is optimistic that a day will definitely come, when all these youths would come back to the mainstream and put an end to this orgy of violence. "For", he says, "we are in a transitory phase. Once economic upliftment sets in, these aggrieved people will be satisfied, and will cease to have complaints against the State. In such a case, the insurgent outfits too will be isolated from mainstream of the particular community's consciousness--thereby losing their stronghold over the masses". That will make it easier for the State to tackle the matter. Violence can never be a solution to any problem--rather it creates newer problems. . Tourism and horticulture are areas where there is tremendous scope for development. With expanding economy, the demand and scope for youths being misguided is reduced drastically. He adds that things have started to look up a bit in recent times. The government has formulated various policies in this regard. Packages for different sections of society (especially the economically backward/weaker ones) have been allotted. Besides talks are on with various insurgent outfits, with several of them declaring ceasefire in recent times which is a very healthy development. Besides the civil society has a very important part to play in this: the different communities should be able to reconcile their differences through discussion. Also there should be an alliance between civil society n the State since they go together: one cannot solve the problem sans the other. This is true not only for insurgency, but for all round development of the society.
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Compared to other parts of the country, Assam has produced far lesser number of IAS officers despite there being no dearth of talent. Especially in the last 15years or so, the scene has been particularly dismal. Queried by this writer, Mr. Bora opines that the educational scenario today lacks any kind of competitive environment, which is so essential for deriving the best out of a student. There seems a general complacency, which, he believes does not augur well for the educational scenario. Besides people, still prefer the (more) popular options like Medical and Engineering. With the IT boom, a host of other employment opportunities has flooded the market in recent times. All this has contributed to a chunk of the students veering in directions other than the ones leading to the IAS. Also, Mr.Bora feels that most people here treat the IAS to be some kind of a gamble. Therefore, the kind of (half-hearted) preparation that goes in does not bring them success. The education system (especially the syllabus) too, he believes is not geared towards the IAS Entrance Examinations; quite unlike states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh where the syllabi is IAS-oriented. In addition, students here do not have the right kind of guidance nor do they know how to go about. Still Mr. Bora does not believe that interest towards IAS has shown signs of lessening among the student fraternity...
On the kind of preparation that goes into cracking these prestigious examinations, Mr. Bora has this to say--firstly, the student must decide beforehand(in fact much earlier) that they want to appear the IAS Examinations--and prepare themselves accordingly. At the same time, the student needs to be careful in choosing the Optional subjects; he/she should know which subjects suit him/her the most. In addition, most students make the mistake of skipping some topics during preparations. Since there is no shortcut to success, it is imperative upon the student to cover the entire syllabus. Also, group discussions (by forming Study Groups with like-minded people) are of immense help--for it clarifies the student's conceptions and broadens his horizons of knowledge. Such study groups helps one develops a sense of confidence. As for coaching institutes (which is so much in vogue today), he does not believe that coaching is compulsory. If one has clear conceptions and confidence in oneself, one can probably do without coaching. (It is worth mentioning that Mr. Bora had cracked the exams without coaching).Also an IAS aspirant needs to have a strong base of General Knowledge for that one needs to be well-read. What matters ultimately is hard work and a strong and clear conception of the basics, wide range of knowledge and confidence in ones ability.
The chill wintry air pricks you hard as you step out of the warmth of the Bora household. The birds have long fallen silent. However, I can hear a voice chirruping delightfully within --enriched that it is with a wonderful evening of interesting insights.
Stuti Goswami