My blogging life, Cuddalore blog, The district collectors

My passion for blogging started off with reading a news article which mentioned that blogging will contribute in decision making by the government. This was during the early 2005. Though, I read it and packed off that day's newspaper, that news bit gave an impetus for me "Why not try?". Those were the days neither a PC nor a broadband connection was there at home. I wait in queue at the internet kiosk to get a computer to browse and then too need to wait for minutes to see the websites open up and it did cost me Rs.30 per hour.

I had been running a yahoo e-group named cuddalore@yahoogroups.com. It was during that time a request for joining this group from a student named Madhu. After that, we became friends to be known only through the internet and we then not got any chance to get to know of our location in Cuddalore.

Those were the days, wherein blogging was getting to be heard through online and offline and Madhu had then started a blog for our town Cuddalore. My impetus to write on the web got to reality and I joined Madhu in writing at this blog. At first I had been writing about the issues / hardships faced in Cuddlaore, weather reports during stormy/rainy days and any other public events. Very few people out there would chance upon to read those write-ups.

As days passed, this blog became very popular of its kind and got to come up in top few results in Google. At one moment we got the surprise to know that the then district collector Mr.Gagan Deep Singh Bedi, IAS., was following up the posts published in this blog and taking up corrective measures. So the interest in making out quality posts got my top priority. See, nobody teaches you on how to write, you need to get out of experience and this was an opportunity to write in a better way, day in and day out. I would write less than five posts per month.

After his departure from Cuddalore, then came the new collector Mr.Rajendra Ratnoo, IAS. I was not expecting that this collector may have had the chance to visit this Cuddalore blog, but to be defeated of my belief. During one occasion, I had posted a photograph highlighting the problem of contaminated drinking water in my region. There were follow-up comments made by this district collector himself asking me to come and attend the water supply meeting. Days passed and I kept in touch with him through SMS and phone calls.

Now, Mr.Rajendra Ratnoo has got transferred to Kanyakumari district. Myself and Madhu wanted to have a short meeting with this great personality. So I sent a request for appointment through SMS and after some 5 to 10 minutest a call back from my District Collector. Such is the reach from him a generous personality...

"Hi Srinivasan, How are you…….."

And the next 2 hours on 31st May'09 we were there at his Chamber...

As already discussed with him, we got to see the sendoff meet given by the tribal people . After that, we got to his chamber, there were officials in the DRO cadre having discussions with him. After a few minutes he finished seeing off the officials followed by a few citizens who came with grievance and a college girl who aspires to pursue IAS sought his blessing and bid him farewell continued by a photo click. Then our talk started.

We actually needed an insight from this top most official. Yes we started an interview. And during the interview we were astonished on how he got inspiration to become a IAS.

His was a big family of 8 people from a small place in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan state. His father was a revenue department official and it was his dream to see one of his sibling make it into the India Administrative Service. Our collector’s initial days of school sans much infrastructure. It had a single room and even basic amenities was then a distant dream for this small school. Such was his hardship and he further pursued his studies and came up in diffent colours and made into the Administrative services.

The interview ran for more than 35 minutes and we need to sit for transcribing the interview. Another article is there in the making.

We packed our visit with a load of sweet moments and thoughts in our heart.

And we had a click for our memories.

Good bye Sir and wishing you all the very best in your future endeavors .