Bringing to you the journey of the additional collector of Vikarabad Rahul Sharma, this week for our weekly segment of Hyderabond,we connect with the officer who speaks to The Pioneer exclusively.
SHIKHA DUGGAL
Self-motivated, energetic and with excellent problem-solving skills escorted the additional collector of Vikarabad to come and serve our state — all the way from Punjab.Speaking of Rahul Sharma, his way of countering us demonstrated his proficiency in his arena of employment at a reputable position. Never has he offended any dignitaries, nor faced retaliation: all he’s busy doing these days is to take hold of his new station, while earlier posted at Nalgonda.
“I’ve always been brought up in a serene atmosphere. So, pacific that going over the board was never in my dictionary. Like a simple middle-class boy, used to wait for Lohri to come, and fly kites. It always set a cultural benchmark for me and was no less than a visual wonder which I miss here in the south. Especially the screams on the terrace, kite flying is a competition there! The household ambience was very disciplined from the beginning and probably that’s what brought me here to this position. And this discipline is imbibed from my father.”
Some authoritative approaches, and some consistent limits early in childhood validated the collector’s feelings and he turned out to be a determined man in the administrative sector.
He continued to share, “My father is a retired official now. He was equally in a dignified position as a principal of a university in Amritsar. In fact, even my mother is a retired lecturer from a government school. So, our educational background has been held in high regard since then! The whole atmosphere at home was to only study, and be a bookworm but be aware of your surroundings. My spouse is currently in the teaching faculty at ICFAI business school here in Hyderabad.”
From the time he’s been posted down south, a lot of many cultural differences are what he can spot and miss at the same time.“We share the same democratic values, but sometimes there are stark differences that cannot go unseen. I am from a Hindi-speaking belt. South Indians love their rice but I seriously miss the Amritsari kulcha. And, there are many more differences as such.”
While the temples in the north can be found on the mountain top, here the gateways are opened for gopurams. That was just one of the other examples.“And let me tell you, we are the most joyful people. It doesn’t mean that we do not have problems in our life but we have faith in our Waheguru. Whenever you visit my birthplace, you’ll find people always in a merrier state. A lot many times I miss the humility over here.”
It was while working in the IT sector, one fine day he decided to resign and pursue UPSC examinations. His active preparations were going on in Delhi on a high. He couldn’t crack the examination in the first go but his parents never let his hand go. As soon as he cleared the examination the cadre system allowed him to come to Telangana.
“My formula of being an upright officer is to work diligently for the state I am in. I always ensure that I am a role model for my subordinates here. I am still exploring Vikarabad but when I was posted in Nalgonda because it’s an erstwhile district, everything was very systematic. The collectorship business is coming from the times before even Nizams were here. Vikarabad is still developing, so we are still exploring our options here. A new collector was designated just last year for Vikarabad. Dialect seems to be the only major difference between Nalgonda and Vikarabad. That’s it.”
The additional collector for the local bodies over here in the south, Rahul Sharma is honestly monitoring the gram panchayat and the municipal bodies. It includes sanitation practices, property tax collection, developmental programs and managing the Haritha Haram movement that falls under the green cover of Vikarabad.
“This job gives me immense satisfaction that I am able to help the poorest of poor, I am a part of the deep system that the country is running. I am in a position where I can get a few things done for poor people. That’s my motivational streak. I have noticed one thing the legislative members are extremely involved with the district they have been appointed in Telangana, by the way. If the main person is unable to come, he or she sends his or her PA to check the groundwork.
While, by now I know you must have understood that I am a media-shy person, mostly the local channels cover us. My job is to provide them with all the adequate information! However, it’s good to witness how media and we have an interpersonal relationship overall.”
