In this video shot at the i5 Summit 2019 at IIM Indore, Anil Swarup, IAS, CEO State Development Council, Jharkhand Govt., Former Secretary - Coal Ministry, School Education Ministry, Published Author talks about the dichotomy of working for the good while dealing with social evils like corruption and resulting transfers as an IAS officer.
(This is Part 2 of the video series featuring Mr. Anil Swarup)
You can watch Part 1 here.
Summary of the video
Mr. Swarup shares more interesting anecdotes from his long civil service career. He talks about how the government is potentially the biggest bully out there and how an honest officer can survive despite corruption. He talks about transforming the various ministry departments and working with corrupt officials at the same time.
He gives examples of how crowd funding and public private partnerships work to help civil servants when they want to do honest and impactful work. He shares stories of meddling in dishonest dealings to stop them and being transferred as a result.
Further, he talks about life and how to be happy and satisfied throughout. He shares what he learnt working as a civil servant. He talks about it not always being rosy. He speaks of a time when things looked bleak and he too faced an existential crisis. Finally, with some beautifully rendered lines of Hindi/ Urdu poetry, he talks of searching for the meaning of life. He talks about finding the answer to his own existential crisis.
If you are wondering how to live a happy, fulfilling life, this video has some pearls of wisdom and some heart touching poetry for you.
Key Takeaways:
1. Your enjoyment is determined by you; no one else.
2. Enjoy the moment that you’re in, that’s the secret to success.
3. You need to be absolutely focused on what you’re doing.
4. The only person you have control over is yourself.
5. You have to evolve as an individual in order to progress.
6. No one can annoy you unless you want to get annoyed.
7. No one can make you feel small until and unless you want to feel small.
8. It’s natural to feel depressed and dissatisfied at some points in life. The trick is to not get discouraged and move on through the tough times as quickly as possible.