From Vision to Ventilator: A Plea to Our Administrators for Purposeful Governance

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In the corridors of Sundargarh’s DRDA during the mid-nineties, a young officer named Sri Saroj Kumar Jha, IAS held his post as Project Director. Although he hailed from Bihar, his fluency in Odia and his grounded approach to governance made him stand apart. I remember frequently visiting his office — not for any personal work, but simply to watch a meticulous mind in motion, a rare blend of integrity, talent, and humility.

One afternoon, he asked me a seemingly simple question:
"What do you think about the IAS?"
I said nothing.
He smiled and answered his own query:
"Most of them are superficial."

Those words stayed with me. At the time, I was not entirely convinced. Today, after nearly three decades and interactions with multiple District Magistrates and Collectors, I am compelled to admit — he was right.

Saroj Kumar Jha’s journey was not of a man chasing designations but one seeking purpose. After serving as Collector of Boudh, he left the coveted IAS cadre and joined the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He is now the Global Director, Water Global Practice, World Bank, Washington DC — a testament to where commitment, not compliance, can take you.

A Weak Democracy in the Garb of a Great One
India takes pride in being the world’s largest democracy. Yet, ironically, it also suffers from being the weakest in spirit. Every change of government is followed by a sweeping change in names, colors, and narratives — as if every previous act must be erased to proclaim the arrival of a new master. Why should a good initiative be buried just because it was born under a different government’s tenure?

IAS officers — once seen as the steel frame of India — now appear more like trained puppets, dancing to the tunes of whichever "Madari" (politician) holds the string. They execute orders with precision, but where is the discretion, where is the vision?

The Case of Sundargarh’s Advanced Rehabilitation Centre
Take, for example, the Advanced Rehabilitation Centre established on July 15, 2020, within the Sundargarh District Headquarters Hospital campus. This state-of-the-art facility once gave renewed hope to trauma victims and persons with disabilities — a space of healing, dignity, and reintegration.

But today, it lies on life support, gasping for administrative attention. It is disheartening to witness such a meaningful initiative suffer simply due to bureaucratic negligence or political indifference. Let us ask: Who owns this project now? Who is accountable for its decline?

Is this how public service should function — abandoning a well-conceived initiative because it was not "our" brainchild?

A Call for Purpose-Driven Governance
Dear Collectors and Administrators,
Your job is not just to obey but to lead with conscience. Governance is not a relay race where each runner discards the baton and starts from scratch. It is a marathon of continuity, where every milestone matters — no matter who built it.

We live in times where even Darwin’s theory of evolution is questioned and Mendelian genetics rewritten. But one truth remains unchallenged:
Humans are not evolved from monkeys; they are creations endowed with reason, ethics, and will.

So why behave otherwise?

The Way Forward
It is time to rise above political pressures and rediscover the original spirit of public service. Officers like Saroj Kumar Jha remind us that institutions thrive not by mere existence, but by the values infused into them.

Let us not allow the Rehabilitation Centre to become a symbol of broken systems and bureaucratic apathy. Let it be revived and strengthened — not for credits or accolades, but because it is the right thing to do.

Let each officer ask themselves:
"Will history remember me as an executor, or a changemaker?"

The answer lies not in policies or reports — but in actions.

Sanjay Pattnayak
Sundargarh