UPSC Expert Talk | ‘Being a civil servant doesn’t guarantee freedom from prejudices associated with visual impairment’: Commissioner (Municipality), Mahe

We need a more inclusive bureaucracy.

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In this exclusive interview for Expert Talk of The Indian Express UPSC Essentials, Satender Singh talks about the hardships he faced growing up visually impaired in a marginalised community, and the systemic prejudices he continues to confront even as a serving civil servant.

Here are edited excerpts:

Manas: Can you tell us about the challenges you faced in your early life after losing your vision?

Satender Singh: During childhood, I was given the wrong injection that left me visually impaired. The struggles began soon after. The first challenge I remember was that of invisibilisation. I recall being kept behind closed doors during joyful occasions and social gatherings like marriage ceremonies.

In our society, disability is often linked to past-life karma, and such prejudices result in insults, humiliation, and disgrace. From an early age, I became an object of taunts and ridicule — something that continued even into adulthood.

Access to schooling wasn’t easy. Local teachers treated me like a bad omen. They outright denied me the right to study. In one painful memory, the headmaster refused entry, and sent me away from the school gates. I felt as if I were not a human. It was a harsh beginning, but also the start of a journey defined by resilience.

There were also specific struggles against what I call the prejudices of ableism. In the rural area of Amroha, where I grew up, the loss of vision led people to believe I had magical powers. Some thought I was destined to become a katha vachak (religious storyteller).

Manas: When you moved from a rural area to an urban setting, how did the nature of the prejudices and challenges you faced change?

Satender Singh: In urban elite circles, different kinds of prejudices and humiliation still exist. To give an example, I recall the controversy last year involving an IAS officer who allegedly submitted a fake Persons with Disability certificate. What shocked me was how some very senior bureaucrats and people in high positions in this country began questioning the reservation policy for disabled candidates, even doubting their competence for administrative roles. I found this deeply disturbing.

Clearing the examination again has become one of my motivations — to prove myself. They call it the toughest exam, and I have cleared it four times. There have been disabled civil servants who have performed better than their non-disabled counterparts. Yet, if such prejudices and stereotypes continue to persist in society — especially within elite circles — it reveals how the everyday struggle doesn’t end, even for those who have cleared the civil services and served in high positions.

One important point I want to highlight is the absence of vacancies for visually impaired candidates in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) under the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2024. Do they want to tell us that visually impaired individuals are unfit to serve as diplomats? If it is so, that is yet another example of bias. If visually impaired officers can serve effectively as district collectors, why not as diplomats?

The last visually impaired candidate to join the IFS was in 2015, and none have been selected since. If someone has a strong grasp of foreign policy and international relations, why should disability be a disqualifier? I strongly urge that the IFS be made accessible to visually impaired candidates.

I think it should be a matter of pride for the country to show inclusivity and sensitivity at the highest level in services like the Indian Foreign Service. We need more inclusive bureaucracy.

Manas: Do these prejudices still exist for you, even after becoming a civil servant?

Satender Singh: At present, I have greater access to resources, influence, and awareness to help improve conditions. But these are not battles that can be won once and for all.

Being a civil servant does not guarantee freedom from the prejudices and struggles associated with visual impairment. It’s not like poverty — once you climb the ladder, you might escape it. My struggle is constant — every day, every hour, every minute. I must continually prove myself and my credentials.

So no, the struggles haven’t gone away. But I see equalisation of capabilities as a long-term solution that can bring a change.

Manas: So why did you choose the civil services?

Satender Singh: To be honest, the civil services were not my first choice. I was more inclined toward academics. However, due to issues like increasing ad hocism in academia these days, I was drawn toward the more secure career path offered by UPSC. One of the major reasons for choosing civil services, though, was that this field allows marginalised candidates to rise to the top and claim the equality, justice, and respect that are often lacking in academic spaces.

Manas: But now, when you go back to your village, where all these discriminations started, are you seen as a role model?

Satender Singh: One doesn’t become a role model overnight. First, they dislike you, then you succeed, and they don’t want to believe you; they are in denial. With time, they gradually accept. But the process is really slow.

It is like when the steam engine was first invented, the onlookers first said it wouldn’t start. Once it started, they said it wouldn’t stop. Prejudices continue to exist, they are long-lived, and do not die.

Manas: What message do you have for visually impaired candidates and all those who face struggles in the civil services? 

Satender Singh: Visual impairment, or any kind of disability, should not be seen as a marker of incompetence for any service. Visually impaired individuals can be just as efficient and capable as diplomats. One message I definitely want to share with all those who aspire to or clear the civil services is this: remember that a career, including civil services, is just a small part of life. Enjoy life as it comes.

When I think about struggles, I’m reminded of a poem by Jagdish Gupt.

Apne hriday ka satya apne aap humko khojna

Apne nayan ka neer apne aap humko ponchhna

Aakaash sukh dega nahin

Dharti paseeji hai kahin

Har ek raahi ko bhatak kar hi disha milti rahi

Sach hum nahin, sach tum nahin.

“Remember that a career, including civil services, is just a small part of life. Enjoy life as it comes,” says Singh.

(We must search for the truth of our own hearts ourselves

We must wipe the tears from our own eyes ourselves

The sky does not offer joy,

Nor has the earth ever truly softened

It is only after losing the way

That a traveller finds direction.

Truth is neither you nor I alone.)

For your queries and suggestions write at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com

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