Sajjansingh clears CSE, does disreputed community proud

Nagpur, May 20 (UNI) Sajjansingh Ramsingh Chavan, hailing from a village in Buldhana district in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, has become the first person from the Pardhi community to clear the Civil Services Examination (CSE), conducted by the Union Public Service Commission.

Sajjansingh stood 29th in all-India and second in the state, a distinction that bears special significance for a community that carries a social stigma.

Sajjansingh received a hero's welcome when he reached his native village, Ghirni, last week, his first visit after the results were declared. The residents took him around the village in a procession, felicitated him and even distributed sweets to everyone.

The 30-year-old, a Scientist-C with the Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), took five attempts to clear the CSE prelims, but got through the mains and the interview in the very first attempt.

Sajjansingh said he wanted to get into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), as it offered a ''wider spectrum'' for him to work.

''I have given IAS as my first option, and the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) as the second,'' he told UNI over telephone from Ghirni, adding, ''I am now looking forward to serving the people''.

Sajjansingh, who joined the ARDE in 2001, after acquiring an M Tech in Production Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, hopes to get into the Maharashtra cadre.

Sajjansingh's overjoyed father Ramsingh said his son had become a source of inspiration for the youth in the community.

''There were virtually hundreds of telephone calls from eager youngsters wanting to know the details about the CSE,'' Ramsingh said over telephone.

''Sajjansingh's success is significant because our community has a negative reputation. Some are of criminal nature, engaging in activities like bootlegging and theft. Others are into farming, and some work as labourers,'' he said.

Sajjansingh, who is Ramsingh's eldest son, was also the first from the Pardhi community to acquire an M Tech degree. The second son, Santoshsingh, is working with Mazgaon Dock in Mumbai after having completed his M Tech in Electrical Engineering, while daughter Shubhangi, the youngest of the three, is studying for a Degree in Agriculture at Punjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth in Akola.

UNI AB MAZ SBC US1658