The IRS Story

During the summer of 2014, I was posted in Haldwani, near Nainital as Assistant Commandant of ITBP. For the uninitiated, you can know the whole story here CLICK ME. Actually the place and the nearest railway station was called "Lal Kuan" but i guess only a few from the region would know about that. When I first came to know about the place, I thought it was some dingy place along the Red corridor where they just throw traitors into a well or something. Jokes and apprehensions apart, it was a beautiful little place just on the foothills of the Shivalik. The last stretch of the Gangetic plains.

So I was just out in the field doing a market survey for some procurement that I got a call from my friend Akshay telling me that I had made it to the list. Rank 337 in CSE 2013. And while everyone around me went berserk at the mere mention of it, my head was pondering over the harsh necessity to give another attempt. And also, the possibilities of staying in the service which I would be soon joining. The Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise).

So, the thing with civil service aspirants is that they don't know much about the other services except the elite ones. And they only start to explore the horizons of these other services when it becomes abundantly clear that they are going to get it. I have to confess that although I knew about both the IRS variants but that was only a superficial and microscopic view. And ergo, I started to dig deep. From those who were already a part of the service, I came to know about the diversity of the job, various challenging opportunities and the advantage of mostly urban postings. I have to say I was elated and looking forward to join the professional course post mains 2014.

And here I was en route NACEN (National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics) Faridabad on 30th Dec, 14 after some hiccups in the medical examination process. I was late by a week and when I reached the classroom part of the training had already started. That day, along with me there were few more Officer Trainees (OTs) who reached the academic building for joining. We were straightaway sent to the auditorium where apparently some guest faculty had already started the lecture. This sense of urgency was symbolic of the seriousness of the training but the only question being how long would it survive?

As the batch was too big, almost half of it was residing in another nearby academy and soon one half was to be sent to MCR HRD Hyderabad and the other half was to stay back here. This was unfortunate as the camaraderie of the batch was compromised as we would hardly get a chance to interact with the other half. But constraints were such that this had to be done. Half of the batch went to Hyderabad and about 117 of us stayed back including the five wonderful officers from Bhutan.

For the next 6 odd months, this was going to be our home. And it was indeed, like our home,  courtesy the wonderful people around, the fabulous quality of the Officer's mess and the eternal bonds of friendships which developed. The rooms were allocated randomly but I got lucky to have a great roommate in Hrishikesh Utpat who hails from Pune. Serendipity being the Marathi connection. We had lots in common be it the love for reading, talking on abstract things or simply Game of Thrones. I would like to believe that he also became a Manchester United fan during those days as that was all i talked about. We also shared the love for posters and literally turned the room into Leopold Cafe. He also got this artistic lamp for the room which made it the best hostel room ever. And do not get me started on our balcony which opened to this serene view of a lawn and greenish cover. Pure bliss!

The other great thing that happened at the outset was that I ran into this Arsenal fan, Anudeep. We instantly clicked and decided to just dribble the football around in the lawns as there was no dedicated ground. That rolled the ball i guess as we got more and more players. There was this lawn which was of a decent size for seven a side football games but there were lampposts and trees all over. We tried to plead with the admin to get these obstructions removed but all in vain meanwhile still wondering who the admin was. But that didn't stop us. And eventually we took them all down, one free kick at a time. Thanks to the powerful volleys of Wangchuk that we didn't even spare the concrete posts.  Playing there with all my mates, was the best thing in Faridabad.

Now coming to the training part, Customs training offers you a wide variety as you go on to study various acts governing the Customs, Excise, Service Tax and Narcotics domains. It possibly has the largest number of attachments to ports, airports and other govt bodies. It is a great learning experience. In our attachment to the Mumbai airport, working under Mr. Kiran Karlapu, we caught hold of about 10 kgs of gold being smuggled by the crew of a reputed airline. The intelligence behind, the investigation that followed and the thrill of the whole process was truly amazing. Apart from that, the surveillance runs in the Power boats and small ships across the Mumbai bay was beautifully educative. We also had a tour to the Land Customs Stations at Petrapol at the Bangladesh border. Along all these attachments, we met numerous brilliant people working as Customs and Excise Officers who are doing a great job in the service of the nation. Their work is as important as that of some of the so called elite services. No doubts about that. Having seen the practical component, I can surely say with confidence that this is a great service playing a pivotal role in the collection of revenues for the government. There are certain issues but which service is without one. It service is what you make of it. And i am confident that in the coming times, this service would reach even greater heights.

For the last two months in IRS, I was at MCR Hyderabad for the Excise and Service Tax component of the training. This was different from Faridabad in the sense that this was not our own academy. There were various other Central and State service personnel who were being trained apart from us. It was a different setup altogether. But the good part was that we got to meet so many other people from so many other services and it turned out to be a great learning experience. The best part was the Turfside Football field which was just around the corner. And the entire staff of NACEN Hyderabad was very cooperative and accommodating.

At the very last I would like mention some of my friends in IRS who greatly inspired me. Utpat, it was great sharing the room with you. You are extremely well read with balanced views on almost everything and a great orator too. Anudeep, you are first Arsenal fan I liked and it was great playing football with you and not to mention all the shit we talked about be it AI or the Fermi paradox. Kaushik, I just wonder if all OTs were like you. You have done so much for the batch that writing about it would result in a book. Glad to meet you buddy. Keep the spirit going! Prianceu Pandey, it was great to meet such a pure soul like you who also shared my interests in running and Gym. Your desire for Police services in unparalleled and I am glad that you succeeded in it. Best of luck with that and I am sure you would also be around in NE. Unde, you are the darling of the batch. You have always kept the dinner table discussions interesting with different flavours of nationalism. A big big thanks for the constant supply of Bakhar wadi and Pomegranate. Your inclinations to help everyone is what we need to see in all public servants. Goutham, my United Mate, the matches we saw together be it the Underdoggs Sports bar or our very own rooms, you company has been truly amazing. I realized wish you were here with me today as I watch United beat Liverpool today. And my jersey is now with the right guy. The Mess Committee at Faridabad, you guys rock. The standards set cannot and cannot be broken. Epic stuff!

And the list goes on and on. Ergo, I would like to collectively thank all of my friends from the 66th batch of IRS (C&CE) who have made this short journey together such a wonderful affair. I wish you all the best for your ventures and let's look out for one another.

P.N. Rao Sir and Chander Shekhar Sir, you both have inspired all of us and I would like to thank you both for caring for the entire batch at each and every juncture. Hope we can replicate the standards set by you in our careers.

Cheers!