It is no hidden truth as to how much importance a guy/girl from the civil services or the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) tends to get in our country. Whether it be a social gathering or whether it be a get-together of sorts, he/she tends to get the highest of treatments that can possibly be awarded to a mortal on this planet Earth.

Some tend to do so because of a need (kaam) that might arise in the near future where they might need a source or recommendation from a person of this stature and some just do it because they are all too bowled over by the kind of glamour and prestige that the services tend to bring along with itself.

No wonder, lakhs of students appear for the coveted exam every year with only a handful finally making it through. It is the very nature of immense competition that we Indians have got so used to, which makes this exam one of the or probably the toughest exam in this country.

Every year, the IAS streets of Delhi are thronged by thousands of individuals who come there with a dream, a dream to be able to govern the country, a dream to be able to do good for himself/herself, a dream to be amongst the top few individuals in the country and a dream to be able to contribute in his/her own way towards the nation building activities. (although many amongst the lot tend to chose a totally different path which our bureaucracy is so infamous for, as they try to handle the fame, power and prestige that comes along with the job of serving people which in turn plays a second fiddle to the other seemingly important aspects).

A commoner’s life on the other hand is full of struggles and hardships which he/she tends to fight it out on every single day of his life. From being bullied on the road by the power-horns and the big SUVs of the politicians to being harassed at the government offices for want of services that he/she deserves, yet is deprived of the same because of the want of speed-money or bribes that he/she is expected to pay before he/she can put a claim on something that belongs to him/her in the first place.

I know, life is never equal in terms of providing opportunities to people when it comes to pursuing or being able to pursue a dream. Some might argue that the people who weren’t able to do good for themselves, didn’t have it in them to be able to do so. True to some extent, yet one cannot help but argue as to how would it have been possible for a guy or a girl born in a slum to be able to compete with a person who had all the luxuries in the world to be able to grow up into a productive and competent individual.

It is here where the concept of a public service becomes so important. As Spidy says: with great power comes great responsibility, we are living in a system and a society which needs to learn something from our very dear friend Spiderman.

It is not only the politicians or the bureaucrats who should be expected to take a cue from the super-hero, but also the commoners who tend to vote them in power in the first place. If we all were to become responsible for the acts that we tend to do on a daily basis, there won’t arise any need to criticize those in power, which seems to have become one of the most favourite of pass times of the commoners, who find it really convenient to put the blame on the so called powerful people in our society without realizing that the actual power lies with the commoners and not those sitting in the North Block.

The elections will hit our country in the coming times. What is expected from all of us is to at least get out of the comforts of our homes and vote for the candidate whom we think would do justice to our country and her citizens. With the NOTA (none of the above) option being incorporated in the election process, one is now empowered to cite his/her concern over the kind of candidates that are being wielded by the political parties.

To all the commoners who are reading this, I would request you all to go and cast your vote in the coming elections because it is only us who have the real power to make a difference in the society that we all happen to be living together in.

Source for Image: http://iastoppersstory.blogspot.in/2012/05/ias-officer.html, http://www.thefuturenigeria.com/voting-for-the-future-awards-has-been-extended/vote/