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In Agra, parents rejoice at Gyanesh Kumar’s appointment as election commissioner
Gyanesh Kumar’s family has its roots in the quiet Midhakur town on the Agra-Jaipur highway in Agra district of Uttar Pradesh
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It was the time to rejoice at Agra’s posh Vijay Nagar Colony, which is home to the parents of retired IAS officer Gyanesh Kumar, one of the two new election commissioners appointed on Thursday.
“Sab Bhagvan ki kripa hai...... hum to yehi chahte hain woh khush rahen (It is all God’s grace...I wish him happiness),” said Kumar’s father Dr Subodh Gupta, 86, who retired as chief medical superintendent (CMS) from Etah in Aligarh division of Uttar Pradesh.
Dr Gupta came to know about his son’s selection on Thursday afternoon when he was at a school run by him.
The Gupta family has its roots in the quiet Midhakur town on the Agra-Jaipur highway in Agra district. The family now lives in Agra city.
“Gyanesh was good at studies. He was a topper in high school (class 10) and intermediate (Class 12) exams at Colvin Taluqdar’s College in Lucknow. He went on to become a civil engineer from IIT Kanpur and joined HUDCO in Delhi for a year before clearing the IAS exams in 1988,” added Dr Gupta, whose work saw him serve at various places across Uttar Pradesh, including as chief medical officer at Varanasi.
Kumar’s mother Satyawati Gupta, 78, conveyed blessings for her son and said: “Hum toh bas yahi chahte hain ki woh (Gyanesh Kumar) swasth (healthy), vyast (busy) and mast (content) rahen.”
Satyawati teaches yoga at Vijay Nagar Colony from 6am to 8am daily and conducts camps. She is also a Gita pracharak (a preacher of the Bhagvad Gita).
A neighbour Rajeev Sharma, 58, congratulated Gyanesh Kumar’s parents and said: “He was very focused and loved to go into minute details of whatever he pursued.”
“Gyanesh bhaisahab was always there for advice,” Sharma added, recollecting Kumar’s fondness for the Ramayana.
Kumar’s extended family has been good at academics and has 28 doctors in its fold.
Gyanesh Kumar was additional secretary in the ministry of home affairs, headed by Union home minister Amit Shah, during abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. He superannuated as cooperation secretary on January 31, 2024.
