P.Sivakami

Recently read an interview with Ms.P.Sivakami in The Hindu. She is one of the pioneers of Dalit writing in Tamil. Has written 3 novels and numerous short stories. She was also a member of the IAS, having held important posts, including Secretary, SC & ST department. Edits a monthly magazine, contested elections as a member of BSP. And, currently an active member of Dalit Rights movement. Really a multi-facted personality.


Couple of things in her interview were really important and thought of sharing it through this blog.

Q : You were a senior bureaucrat, part of the government. Didn't that provide a viable medium for you to bring about changes?

A : "It is quite difficult actually....At first, I didn't want it... I had seen how much the previous Secretaries had struggled. And, if I call for a meeting, the rest of the IAS officers won't turn up. Knowing all these I didn't want the job. But, I still took up the job. I prepared a lot of schemes and when I asked for more funds, I was accused of being communal because I was a Dalit asking for more funds...

In Dalit and tribal areas, the government appoints nurses, teachers but they don't go there because the remote areas don't have the necessary infrastructure. So, I proposed setting up a training school so that at least basic teaching, midwifery and nursing skills could be taught to the tribals themselves and they will stay there and serve the people. But the cabinet turned it down. See, I don't understand, they don't even discuss it and I can guarantee that these issues will never be discussed. So, it is very difficult to bring about changes from within the government."

Imagine, the senior most officer of the Government in-charge of tribal development herself feeling helpless. Is it because she was a Dalit? We see some very energetic IAS officers making a whole lot of difference to tribal areas in terms of both policy and funds. But, Sivakami feels she was not able to do, in spite of her best efforts. Something to worry about.

Q: What was your experience of electoral politics like?

A: "Actually I needed this experience...I also found that working with a party is quite different from working with a movement. I could really understand the difference. With a movement, there is a vision, there are no extraneous expectations, you know that you are going to be invisible, yet you continue to work. But, in electoral party politics, you need visibility, you need victory and you need to be in power, people work with these expectations in mind."

I thought, this is a very good analysis. Even within our own organisation, when people tend to project their individual identities or have ego issues and tend to have problems on interpersonal relationships, it affects us much more seriously, than it would have, if we were just a political party.