Friday, June 05, 2009

Civil Services inductees await the Autum of Love

For those elite few selected into India's Civil Services (UPSC), their 4-month mandatory training a.k.a. "foundation course" begins last week of August, at the IAS training academy in Mussoorie. Many of the recruits enter the premises unaware of _a_ fact, and the associated stratagem; but by the time they're out, its a serious consideration. Love takes over.

It's a fact that nobody gets a posting into the state which they hail from (eg an Orrisan would never get the Orrissa Cadre). But because of the deep-rooted desire to work from the place they'd called 'home' - just like we all do - there's a need to explore loopholes. And yes, they do exist. One, in particular, is a well-known secret - Cadre Based Marriages.

One of the only two ways one can get into their own state cadre is if their spouse already is a part of it. The other is if when the officer gets married to another officer - regardless of cadre - and appeals to either's state govt. to induct them into the cadre.

The first option has the least complications (in formal sense), but is based on statistics and close monitoring of future events. It's like fixing. Undertaking a project of this sort requires 3 stages:
I. Building good relations with a great percentage of your colleagues of the opposite sex,
II. impatiently waiting for the final results - who gets which cadre
III. immediately fixing up with somebody who's going to be in your home state


The second option is more convenient, but distressing in the long run because of all the amount of paperwork and informal pleas to politicians and bureaucrats involved. But this option also allows pursuit of the opposite gender of the same caste/religion - which some old-world folks find morally/idealistically correct. However, it might allow true love to proliferate. Requires a single stage:
I. Finding an appropriate mate during your months of training and marrying her ASAP

Is this rightfully right, or ridiculously right, or woefully wrong?

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