While many IAS officers come with carefully charted paths—from engineering colleges or corporate cubicles straight into civil services—Pamela Satpathy’s journey has been anything but conventional. Now the Collector of Karimnagar, she proudly claims, “IAS was never my dream.” Years ago, a heartwarming video of her son cheerfully bouncing on her collectorate desk went viral, offering a rare glimpse into the layered life of a bureaucrat and mother. With over a decade in public service, she opens up in an exclusive conversation with The Pioneer’s Deepika Pasham—on being raised by scientist parents in a serene hill town, why she jumped jobs fearlessly, her first love for teaching, and how she balances power, purpose and parenting without missing a beat.
Chill Parents, Hill Childhood
I was born in Sunabeda, a small hill station in Koraput, Odisha. I studied from LKG to 12th grade at the same school. I have a younger sister, so we were always together. The school followed the CBSE curriculum and welcomed students from all socioeconomic backgrounds, creating a truly cosmopolitan environment. My father, a Defence scientist and my mother, an Agriculture scientist, both worked in the same town. They were the coolest parents—never imposing strict rules on what we could or couldn’t do. Instead, if we chose to pursue something, they taught us how to do it properly. We often joked that their good fortune was raising us well. My sister and I loved cycling around the hill station and reading amidst nature.
Being my sister’ strict parent
When I think of my childhood memories, I remember being a strict parent to my sister, who is four years younger. Mentally, I felt like a sixty-year-old even at the age of six, so one can imagine how strict I was—despite my parents being quite permissive. I used to constantly instruct her on how to do things. Whenever there was a chance to go on a picnic, my parents would never say no, but since my sister was mischievous, I took on the role of a parent and she was often scared of me. She always copied me back then and now, the roles have reversed—I copy her. She’s the wiser one today.
Strict mom, soft dad
I am a strict parent, while my husband is not. Our son is six years old and he speaks Telugu naturally, both Odia and Telugu are his languages. I focus strongly on teaching him good behaviour and conduct, especially nowadays when we are aware of the challenges boys face. Instilling good behaviour is something I work very hard on because education will follow naturally. I do feel guilty about the impact of the global pandemic and the increased use of phones on children, but we also understand the realities kids face today.
He Loved First, My Parents Knew Next
My husband, Dr Deepankar Satapathy, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics at AIIMS Telangana, was working with the Odisha government. He first heard about me while he was pursuing medicine and I was studying engineering. His relatives lived in my township, encouraged him to pursue me. However, I insisted that my parents must be informed. I used to blog on Facebook, that’s how he connected. In my final year of engineering, he called me a couple of times, but I ignored the calls, saying my parents should be told first. So, he immediately contacted my parents and they spoke. After that, we started meeting each other. We got married once he secured a medical officer job through the public service commission and I was working as a scientist.
Infosys to IAS: Quick Exit, Big Leap
I pursued engineering because I had secured a high rank in the JEE, which led me to a seat in computer science. But in hindsight, I believe a different branch might have suited me better. My first job came through campus placements at Infosys, but I quickly realized that coding wasn’t something I resonated with. I left the role after just three months. Soon after, I joined the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which oversees 37 laboratories across the country, where I worked on their e-governance systems.
IAS was never a dream
It wasn’t a dream or a clearly defined path that brought me here—I simply went with the flow. What I truly loved was learning new things and continuing my studies. This is my fourth job. I’ve worked at Infosys, spent a couple of years as a scientist in Delhi at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and then made a switch to the humanities—teaching community health and sociology at a college. I was also a homemaker for a brief period before joining the IAS. All of this stemmed from a deep intuition—a desire to touch and impact human lives.
Teaching: Forever First Love
Among all the jobs I’ve done—excluding the IAS—I found the most joy in teaching. I taught at a nursing college, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University, where I was a faculty member for community health and sociology. The students were older than me, which made the role both challenging and deeply fulfilling. Teaching people brought me immense satisfaction, and I still consider myself a teacher at heart—I could go back to it any day. I worked there for eight to nine months.
450 Dropouts; now 90% Winners
The most personally fulfilling part of my job is working with women and children, especially interacting with school students. I recall one instance when we researched attendance records of government schools and found that over 450 students had dropped out, with some working as daily wage laborers in Karimnagar. Many of these students had only one or two backlogs and could have received their SSC certificates if they had appeared for exams. However, they lacked the courage to come forward and write the exams. We reached out to each of them, counselled them for two months and encouraged them to take the examinations. Those who appeared scored as high as 90 percent.
Four attempts of UPSC
I attempted the UPSC exam three times and on my third attempt, I was selected for the Defence Accounts Service. My fourth attempt, in 2015, marked the beginning of my journey into the Indian Administrative Service. All of these were continuous attempts and I secured an All India Rank of 51 from Odisha. Although I had sought Odisha as my home cadre based on all the eligibility criteria, I was allotted my second preference—Telangana. While we are technically eligible to work in our home state, how the cadre allocation ultimately works is often uncertain and in my case, it turned out to be Telangana.
Moved back to hometown after marriage
I had to move to my hometown, Odisha, after marriage—but I don’t see it as conforming to a societal norm. I’ve never been a city person, so in that sense, Delhi didn’t suit me, and my family was in Odisha. Being a scientist at CSIR wasn’t the first job I left—switching jobs was a personal decision. I was also preparing for the UPSC exams at the time, which meant juggling many things with very little time.
Leave? What’s that!!!
I’m not sure if there’s anything called work-life balance in this role. We rarely apply for leaves and even when we do, they’re seldom approved. It’s challenging enough to meet the responsibilities toward our immediate family, let alone our extended one. One of the most difficult aspects is raising our own children while managing frequent postings. Staying under the same roof and having dinner together as a family is a rare occurrence. I have a six-year-old child, and my husband, who worked with the state government in Odisha for over a decade, recently relocated to Telangana. We don’t expect regular family time, and our work often overlaps with personal occasions. There are no fixed office hours—it’s an around-the-clock commitment.
No plan just purpose
When I became an IAS officer, I didn’t have a specific focus in mind. I have been fortunate to receive postings across diverse departments. My first posting was as Sub-Collector in Bhadrachalam, followed by a role as Project Officer at ITDA Bhadrachalam, where I worked extensively with schools and primary health centers in tribal areas. I also served briefly as the Executive Officer for the Bhadrachalam Temple. After my maternity leave, I was appointed Municipal Commissioner of Warangal and later became the Collector of Yadadri.
Mommy duty in uniform
I take care of my son myself, as my husband is 180 km away from Karimnagar and both, my in-laws and parents are working. I don’t expect them to come and babysit my child. In fact, I feel encouraged when I see male officers bringing their children along during summer vacations—it shows they’re taking responsibility. For me, duty is never one-dimensional. As humans, we’re not only expected to be good officers but also good mothers, wives, daughters, daughters-in-law and friends. I’ve often noticed comments when I’m with my child at public events or outside of formal officer functions, because bureaucrats are always under public scrutiny. But my purpose remains the same, whether it’s for my job or my child. If I have to show up for something important at work, I do it. Similarly, if I need to be there for my family, I make sure I am. They’re grown up and they understand. At times, I also send my son to stay with my mother or in-laws when needed.
R a p i d F i r e:
Describe yourself: Hardworking, Caring, Overthinking
Favourite Destination: Vietnam
Favourite colour: White
Are you religious or spiritual: Deep down spiritual
Favourite cuisine: I can eat anything but not oily
Favourite author: Amitav Ghosh
