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Made in Chandigarh: Never leave your quest for perfection, says Sukhsohit Singh
On civil exams, Sukhsohit says there is no royal road to success, so strive hard. “Eat like a sparrow, work like a horse, and never say die,” he adds.
Sukhsohit Singh stands out for his pursuit of perfection. He did not let thalassemia dilute his dreams. To strive, to seek and to make the world better is his motto.
Designation: Deputy Controller of Defence Accounts and financial adviser, Ministry of Defence (Finance), posted at Pune
Home town: Though my parents live in Panchkula, I grew up in Chandigarh and relate to the city very closely. That is why I consider Chandigarh my home town.
Education: My father was in the Indian Air Force, so I started my schooling in The Air Force School, New Delhi, but we moved to Chandigarh when I was in Class II. I completed my schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sector 47, after which I graduated in commerce from SD College. Later, I enrolled in the Department of Public Administration at Panjab University.
My Chandigarh Connect:I have a deep connect with Chandigarh. I was educated here, it was in the city that I started preparing for the civil services. I had cleared the junior research fellowship and was pursuing PhD when I made it to the civil services.
My Area of Expertise: I specialise in financial management and development administration. Since I am a patient of Thalassaemia, I firmly advocate genetic counselling, patient rights activism and healthcare management in and outside India. It is a fundamental anomaly that we are not a health-conscious but a disease-conscious society. We have a rich tradition of yoga and naturopathy, which is a rage abroad, but we don’t practice it so vigorously.
My Secret Sauce: I am a very sticky and stubborn person. I don’t rest until I get things done. I believe in the Buddhist philosophy that neither success nor failure lasts forever, it’s important to strive diligently. My mother has always told me to be a ‘karam yogi’. Growing up in Chandigarh, I came in touch with various NGOs working for cancer patients, and I learnt the importance of making a difference in the life of others.
The Turning Point: I saw Navtej Sarna on the television as a spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs and was so impressed that I thought one day I too will join the foreign services. Much before that when I was in Grade I, my father used to tease me that I am a born diplomat, who knows how to get his way by ‘saam, daam, dand, bhed’. So my conditioning towards the civil services started very early. The rise of Shashi Tharoor as a career diplomat at the United Nations also inspired me.
In my childhood, a lot of geographical restrictions were imposed on me. I resolved to break free and move beyond all barriers.
What I owe to Chandigarh: I owe everything to this city. Its symbol “The Open hand”, ready to give and receive is impelling. I am a sum of every individual who has come into my life. Like Albert Einstein put it, I owe more to people who said a no to me. It is due to them that I did it for myself.
Things I like to do when I visit Chandigarh: A visit to the student centre at Panjab University is customary. I like hanging out with friends and spending quality time with my parents besides going for a stroll in the rose garden and the beautiful parks of the city. The city is very evocative when it comes to various seasons. Down south, the seasons are not so well defined. Chandigarh also has very high standards of civic amenities.
How has the city changed over the years: The increase in traffic is quite noticeable. The population of the city has almost doubled in the last 10 years. I also see a proliferation of slums on the fringes, yet it still maintains its pristine beauty.
The change I want to see in the city: It will be great if we can come up with a big-ticket project such as a monorail or sky train to de-congest the roads without infringing on the green spaces. We should strive to abide by Le Corbusier’s edict. We also need monitoring and a little bit of toughness to make people follow rules. I admire our stringent traffic rules and so wish that other cities would also follow suit.
Chandigarh has a ‘shosha’ culture that adds to its charm, but we should strike a balance and think about others less fortunate than us.
The best advice I got: It has to be, ‘Never give up’. Second is that whenever you take a decision or make a conscious choice, short term or long term, see how it will affect the last person who lies on the fringes of society. This piece of advice has modeled my thinking. In fact, this is the Indian philosophy, not the only-me attitude.
How to crack the Civils: There is no royal road to success, so strive hard. Prepare as much for the exams as for the long haul in bureaucracy. Eat like a sparrow, work like a horse, and never say die. Never weigh your own efforts by the results. If you don’t make it, may be you are designed for something better. And finally never leave your quest for perfection, because in that quest you may somewhere, sometime, encounter excellence, and that will be sufficient to lead a meaningful life.
