KOZHIKODE: K. Inbasekar’s bio-data does not seem all that unusual in the first look: graduation and post-graduation in agriculture and the job of a scientist with Indian Council for Agricultural Research. One that is smug fit for the profile of a young civil servant. But if one were to go behind those glittery fiats, one can see a young boy standing between his parents Ms Poovathy and Mr Kalimuthu, Sri Lankan repatriates employed in the tea gardens of Pandallur in Nilgiri district in Tamil Nadu.
The plantation labours’ income was too meagre to sustain the family, leave alone giving the three children proper education. Kalimuthu then left for the textile mills of Tirupur. “I remember watching the district collector coming to the village and sorting out issues,” recalls Mr Inbasekar of the time when the idea of becoming a civil servant first sprouted in his mind. “I studied in government schools and I never missed the first position in my studies,” he said.
After his Plus 2, Mr Inbasekar joined the Agricultural University, Coimbatore for B Sc (Agriculture) and completed the course with an educational loan. “I stayed in welfare hostels and was ready to work hard as I had witnessed my parents working day and night to meet our family’s financial needs,” he said.
After graduation, Mr Inbasekar went to Hyderabad for his masters in agriculture and also to pursue his dream. “I didn’t return home for two years as I was very busy with my studies,” he said. “Financial constraints did not allow me to join coaching classes. But later I went for some polishing sessions for the interview and finals in Delhi.”
Interestingly, Mr Imbasekar made it to the Indian Forest Service (IFS) examination in 2013 but he could not join the service because he fell short in height. “I was a bit disappointed as I had toiled all the way through my own learning and from my failures and mistakes; but I had faith in my ability,” he said.
He pursued his dream and he hit the jackpot in 2014 in his fifth attempt. Inbasekar, who joined as Assistant Collector, Kozhikode, said: “I am lucky to be here that too under the guidance of Mr N. Prasanth. “I am familiar with Kerala and the language.”
