Senior IAS Sisodia, man with many hats, turns an ace writer

AMARAVATI: Many civil servants, particularly those occupying key positions, think that it has become extremely difficult to manage too many administrative affairs. Students struggling with books would always feel that they do not have time even to eat. Here is a role model particularly for the youngsters. A senior bureaucrat handling the top job at Raj Bhavan is so cool that he wears many hats simultaneously. He quickly changes roles-from special chief secretary to governor, to writer to swimmer to animal lover to bike rider to trekker-effortlessly. Only difference between others and Sisodia is the way he manages time. He had virtually captured the time in a capsule and scripted many things with his pen.
A 1991-batch IAS officer, Ram Prakash Sisodia (RP Sisodia), presently serving as special chief secretary to the governor, had recently penned a book of 23 short stories-A World Lost. A leading publication house brought the book out which has become a big hit with the readers. Interestingly, this is not Sisodia’s first experiment with literature. He had already penned three other books.

A voracious reader, Sisodia wonders if someone says that they are unable to find time. “I take every task as a challenge as it thrills me,” Sisodia told ‘TOI.’ Curiously, Sisodia cracked civil services two decades ago when his peers at Udaipur university (renamed as Mohanlal Sukhadia university) laughed at him when he told them about his ambition to join civil services. “My friends said that no one from their institution had ever cracked the mystery of civil services. I proved them wrong by emerging winner in the very first attempt,” said Sisodia.
He focused on the commoner’s struggle to lace the stories in his book-A world lost. He captures how people crave glory, fame and also jealousy about others. He narrates how common it is for human beings to blame others by wearing the mask of civilization. "My stories are unconventional and upbeat in the sense that many do not have a straight plot and/or a categorical message to convey," said Sisodia.
A keen observer of human tendencies, Sisodia explores many aspects which make the reader to take a grasp and think about. He, however, said that he does not want to judge anyone through the stories.
Sisodia is chiefly responsible for introduction of Rashtriya Uchatar Siksha Abhiyan (RUSA) by the Centre to extend financial support to the universities. He prevailed upon the union cabinet by making a presentation when he served the Human Resources Ministry on deputation. “However, my stint at Paderu ITDA as PO is a high point in my career as I have motivated tribals to switch to the cashew plantation. This changed their fortunes,” he noted.
He is a regular swimmer in Krishna waters and also spends quality time with his pets-5 pet dogs, turtles, hens, ducks and also frogs. “I loved this city very much thanks to the presence of River Krishna. I would like to settle here after my retirement,” a joyous Sisodia sums up.
SISODIA's MANY HIGHs
- One PhD and two MPhil degrees have been awarded based on Sisodia’s book
- His book has been translated into Hindi, Kannada and Telugu
- 'A world Lost’ is part of academic syllabus in some graduate programmes
- He exposes how untouchables too become darlings to Doras (head of the feudal families) when the tribal ‘bride’ is made to spend her first night with head through “A Midsummer’s Nightmare,” story.