After the
selection in Civil Services examination, the life seems to have changed. We all
have an inherent desire to gain an advantage of the position we hold in
society. This sudden rise in the position on the ladder of social
stratification took some time to sink in. During the UPSC preparation times,
nobody used to pay extra attention to our requests. But now, a mere fact that I
belong to IRS gets the work done. This success may lead to the evolution of
some fatty egos. I, too, was about to join this battalion but was somehow shown
the right path by a clerk in the RTO Office.
I was under the
impression that me being an IRS Officer is enough to get the things done for
myself. But, I was highly mistaken. Interestingly, since long time, the address
on my Driving License was wrongly written. I never had the courage to deal with
the RTO authorities as I was told that getting a new driving license is easier
than getting it altered. Post selection, I paved my way to the RTO Office with
my head held high as if a lesser known mortal has turned into a greater known
one. I thought of meeting the highest graded officer but no one was found in
the office. Then, somehow, I managed to get in touch with the person dealing
with the alteration issues. I told him my issue and asked him to do my work
instantly. Since an Officer was sitting inside my head, I was assured that the
going would not get tough. The person concerned said that he cannot do my work
and asked me to come through a proper channel. I got furious. I asked him
whether there is no relaxation in the rules for the Officers from Income Tax
Department. Then, it was the time for him to get furious. He said, “What has
the Income Tax Department done for people like us? Why should we show them the
favors?” I was astonished to hear the reply. That was the time when I convinced
myself about the fact that there are certain rules also which exist in this
country and I’ll gain nothing by entering from the back doors. This was the
leverage stint which went down the drain. May be because, I was a new kid on
the block.
Few months
later, I was travelling by a train from Lucknow to Delhi. This train had an
amusing departure time. It was 12.05am. I had booked the ticket myself. When
the TT came to check the tickets, he discovered something in my ticket which
was very unpleasant for me. The ticket which I had booked was for Saturday –
12.05am. But I had to travel on Sunday – 12.05am. The TT said angrily, “Your
train had already left yesterday early morning.” I was in a fix. I told him
politely that I belong to IRS and was going to Delhi to attend some
felicitation function. His behavior changed dramatically. He suddenly stood up
and assured me of his help. He ended up not only giving me a seat to sleep but also
didn’t even charge a penny for that. He feared that if he takes money from me,
I will lodge his complaint to his boss, and consequently he may get fired.
Here, IRS was at work. I didn’t have to do anything in this case. Mere
introduction was enough.
Next and most
interesting event happened when I was on my way from Lucknow to NADT, Nagpur
via road. It was near Sagar in Madhya Pradesh and our car’s petrol tank was
about to finish. I asked the localites about the petrol pump and almost
everybody pointed to the one nearby as there was none after that till some 50
miles. After reaching the place, I found it closed. In the nearby Dhaba, I
thought of doing some investigation. Fortunately, there was Police truck parked
in the vicinity. I talked to the Policeman sitting inside it. He was having a
laid back attitude and was not in a mood to respond. I gave him my
‘introduction’. Then, inquisitively, he asked, “you must have cleared UPSC ?”.
I said, ‘Yes’. He suddenly popped up from his seat and wore his shoes and
shouted to the tea man to bring tea for me. I told him my problem. He gave all
his assurance to pacify me. Instantly, he called up two beat constables from
the nearby Police station and told me that they know where these petrol pump
operators sleep during the night. The beat constables took us to that petrol
pump, wakened up the sleeping helpers, got our petrol tank fuelled, and then
escorted us till the main highway to see us off.
This incidence
taught me something very noble. We should always be very polite and humble no
matter what designation we hold. Merely getting selected in the Civil Services
Examination is not an end in itself. People may not follow or obey you until
you are nice to them. The leverage which IRS as a Service has given to me is
appreciable. It shows the respect which the service commands in society.
CHEERS…!!!
