Teacher lies at the pivot of school education. It is beset with mafias that are eating into the essentials of our society. We have somehow managed to mess up the education, especially school education in India. As an internal observer of the system, what is your take on the education scenario today? They can perhaps believe that a civil servant can deliver a lot despite adverse set of circumstances. It could also benefit those who are already in service. I hope the book will benefit budding civil servants in terms of an appreciation of what is in store for them in the civil service. How do you envision the impact of your book?

These terms are not normally associated with civil servants. He has, hence, to be accessible and decisive. He has to be both civil and in service of the people. The title was chosen primarily to convey a message as I felt that a bureaucrat has to be much beyond the traditionally accepted definition of a civil servant. My father had decided what I had to become. What is the idea behind the title, ‘Not Just a Civil Servant’? Why did you opt to become a civil servant? It was first to be only about Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) that still forms a big part of the book but as I subsequently handled sensitive assignments in the Cabinet Secretariat, Coal and HRD Ministry, I expanded the domain. This book was written over a period of time. Please share your experience of penning down your journey. A few of these have been narrated in my book. A number of incidents impacted my life and career. I wanted to use this book to demonstrate that a civil servant can perform irrespective of the set of circumstances. He felt that what I was doing needed to be documented.

The book was inspired by a senior colleague who had seen me evolve as an officer. I wanted to use this book to demonstrate that a civil servant can perform irrespective of the set of circumstances.” What was your inspiration behind authoring ‘Not Just a Civil Servant’? In conversation with Brainfeed, Anil Swarup, Former Secretary, School Education (2016-2018), Ministry of Coal (2014-2016), Government of India, says, “It isn’t an autobiography in the strict sense of the term. Being uniquely accessible and decisive, he records excerpts from his 38 years of service- filled with grappling with terrorists, floods, politicians –in his book. Exposing Education mafias, a bureaucrat marches beyond the traditionally accepted definition of a civil servant.

NOT JUST A CIVIL SERVANT by Anil Swarup