Thursday, June 16, 2011

Kesonyü~ Living his Dream

He has achieved his dream in the prime of his life, and is still driven by that same passion to excel in the elite profession that he earned with absolute honesty. Kesonyü Yhome (IAS), however, confesses that he was without much ambition in his 10th standard.
 It was a gradual process that developed his interest and as he graduated from Science College, Jotsoma, he recalls, “I realised and decided that I’d definitely like to be in the Civil Services.”
After a bit of training in the country’s capital, he also took the NPSC Examination simultaneously and was ranked 5th in the Examination, but there were greater things waiting for him as he cleared the UPSC in the same year in 2007 at twenty-something.
That’s how he is also the recipient of NASU’s Young Achiever’s Award as he became the youngest IAS Officer from the Angami Community.
Having served his first stint as SDO(C), Mokokchung, he is currently the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Mokokchung district.
He is clearly happy to be part of India’s prestigious service even as he shares his experiences on a journey that only seems to be getting brighter. He says that “the interesting part about this service is that you get to see and touch almost every aspect of public life. From census to welfare schemes, to constitution and policy making…” “Interactions with different sections of people is one of the biggest takeaways from the service,” he affirms while expressing that in other professions, ‘you won’t get this much opportunity to mingle”.
He is fascinated to get a holistic view of the lifestyle of people, the way they think, and do things, from politicians to farmers to government employees. “The degree of interaction is one of the most interesting aspects in this profession” he holds. Besides, he is taken in by visits to different parts of the state, and getting a comparative view of things and institutions, seeing the virtue of people living in different places. “That kind of experience and in-depth understanding of getting the view of different things and times is one of the interesting things,” he says.
The contentment in his voice is undeniable and we get back to where we started as I thought he could inspire aspiring Naga youths. To which, he replies that “everybody who attempts UPSC examination is equally bright”, and so one or two things are very common but Hard Work, he insists is indispensable, and of course, self-confidence, not over-confidence, he clarifies is a critical entity to keep one going.
Then, the talk of thousands of Naga students taking up coaching classes in Delhi emerges and he is quick to add that “we have the wrong concept of thinking that if we do not take coaching classes we cannot make it”. He explains that it does help but there is no harm if one is attempting it without having to go through coaching because it’s not a guarantee to clear the exam. He feels that many of us do not give our 100%, and emphasizes on having our goals very well set, and being sure of what we want.
Very convincingly, he reiterates again “…and of course, hard work always pays.”
Having a special place for the youths, he observes that “our Naga youth are heading towards the future (whatever future that is), and trying to do something where we don’t know what we actually want.” He regrets that the educational system we are following is mostly in line with preparing us to get some job, especially government jobs.
“Days are gone when you pursue education to get a job,” he expresses and insists that it is time we realise education is not only about going to school but about more about gaining knowledge and wisdom in whatever way it comes.
If this is realised and when our society can start looking at options where we can earn our livelihood and also contribute to the society, he feels that 60-70% of our social issues can be addressed. He holds education as the key element because, he says, the moment your educational system goes wrong, it leads to a lot of social problem.
This age, he emphasises is all about specialisation and goes on to impress that we really need to specialize. Towards this end, he explains that “Excellence is the key, but we have the aptitude and talent” while speaking strictly in the context of the Naga youths and further feels that sports and music are areas they can excel.
He also thinks that there are alternative options like Media, Theatre, Animation, etc and at the very core of it, gets back to education as a key towards changing the mindset about rooting for government service in Nagaland. “People and focus has to be changed. We need to pick these up from our very childhood,” he maintains.
Another thing which he holds very closely to his heart is the Naga Culture, which, he says is our identity and explains further that “when we lose it we lose our identity, and when we lose our identity, we lose our history” and asserts “what is our society without our history”. ‘We need to think about this in greater depth’, he says.
When asked about his future plans, the young IAS officer professes that “like many other friends and people, one thing in mind is to particularly make our state one of the best performing states across the country”. But, of course, with contribution from all sections of people, he wistfully adds.
One last note, and with much affection, he says his inspiration has been his Mom all along. And that’s coming from a youngest in the family who is living his dream as an IAS Officer.

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