Smt. Qudsia Gandhi is a senior IAS officer in Chennai. She has held several portfolios including that of being Additional Chief Secretary / Chairperson and Managing Director, TN Power Finance Corporation Ltd. She has also served as District Collector of Sivagangai and Managing Director of SIPCOT.

In an exclusive interview, Smt. Qudsia Gandhi IAS shares with Marie Banu her thoughts about Women—yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

About your association with REEDA NGO?

When I served as the District Collector of Sivaganga District in 1990, I found many villages bereft of able bodied people. Owing to drought they used to migrate to places like Thanjavur, Chennai, etc., in search of jobs. I wanted to do something for them. I learnt about REEDA, an NGO that provided vocational training for underprivileged children and health interventions to women and children.

I brought Reeda to Chennai in 1991, and we worked together in providing the migrant educated youth who were above the age of 18 years of age with training in computers, and gem cutting and polishing. Most of the migrant boys in Chennai worked in kothavalchavadi vegetable market, while the girls were employed in brick kilns and as domestic servants.

It was in the early 90s and the computer era was just starting. I requested Government of India for support in training 100 youth, belonging to SC and ST category. Computer training, of course, caught on, but, as gem cutting required precision work, it was not quite successful in Chennai. With the permission of the Government, we shifted this programme to Trichy, being the hub for cubic zirconia (American diamond).

Students attended the training in the mornings, and work in the evenings. All of our trainees have sought placement, and some work in the Intellectual Property Department in Chennai, Income Tax Department, Excise and Custom Department, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and many such State and Central Government Departments. Some of them have sought jobs abroad too. Yet, some became self- employed.

Besides this, we also offered sessions on leadership qualities, career guidance, and right to information. We coordinate self-help groups in Chennai and Sivaganga Districts and conduct medical camps and awareness camps on alternate months. We also provide HIV/AIDs interventions to MSM/FSWs and transgenders in Perambalur, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram Districts.

Being a senior bureaucrat officer in our country today, how do you find time for social work?

Not finding time is a myth; finding time is reality! Even while working in the Health and Planning and Development departments, where I was in charge of the budget, I used to be in office until 2 in the morning. I used to go home to feed my children and return for work.

What does one do in their spare time? Watch movies or television serials? I don’t do that; instead I choose social work. I do not have time for high-profile parties, but always find time for my family.

Women—yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Your thoughts? What is the balance you can bring in while talking in terms of empowerment/ tolerance/equity/equality?

As far as India is concerned, I think women are better off here, in education at least. We went for a one-year course in Manchester in 1989, and in the whole University found only one woman Lecturer who had completed her PhD. But, during the same time, we would have had at least 20 to 30 students pursuing their doctorate in a single college at Erode district.

By and large, I feel that the women are empowered. At least, in the households, women have a say and are able to decide on their children’s education. But, there are cases where women are kept totally in the dark about what is happening in their man’s life. I have known of several men who have died and not letting their wife know where he has kept the money, whether he had any money at all, or to whom he had given his money to.

We cannot generalize the issue of women empowerment in our county, as the situation is different in the North when compared to the South. Both are diverse in values and attitudes. I feel the southern part to be much better. Love has become now skin deep and this is because we have a wrong concept of empowerment, freedom, and rights.

About equity and equality—boys are still given more importance in the family. We are equally to be blamed for making a male dominant society. We should give equal responsibilities to both our sons and daughters. We should teach our children tolerance and good values. Some are not successful in marriage due to lack of tolerance. Men and women should have understanding between them. Ego does not work in relationships—whether family or friends; marital or non-marital.

Can you tell us about your childhood and education? What motivated you to pursue IAS?

In the early days, I studied in different schools, as I followed my siblings. When my mother took ill, I was admitted at St. William Anglo Indian High School at Royapettah in Chennai. My mother passed away when I was five-years-old, and after that my father re-married. As my stepmother was teaching at Government Hobart’s High school, I was asked to study here. Being Urdu medium school, I found it difficult to comprehend. But, my father took extra care in teaching me and by the time I reached the fifth standard, Urdu became my passion.

I studied Geography at Presidency College and won the gold medal. I went to Aligarh University to pursue medicine, but had to discontinue due to communal riots. I studied psychology at SIET College and did my Masters in Psychology at Presidency College and obtained the University second rank. While teaching psychology for the post-graduate students at SIET, I wanted to pursue research. My brother advised me to appear for the IAS examination, as Mrs. Yasmin Ahmed, who used to teach me English, became an IAS officer.

My subjects were psychology and sociology. As I was teaching these subjects for the post graduate students, I did not have to learn much. I had to only prepare for General Knowledge, but as I used to read the Illustrated Weekly magazine regularly I was confident of writing this paper too. I availed just 15 days leave and cleared the IAS examination in the first attempt. I ranked 60th all India!

Frankly, I did not study hard to clear the IAS examination. I always tell people not to take me as a role model to prepare for the examination.

Which of your portfolios in the government has been memorable?

Collectorship is always memorable, because you are the authority there and the government has vested a lot of powers. It is the time when one can personally help somebody. While serving as the District Collector of Sivagangai from 1990 to 1992, I ensured that I was accessible. I used to visit all the villages and even the children knew my name. The villagers had my phone numbers and gave me information on rice smuggling, and illicit liquor. I did receive death threats too, but that did not deter me. I had good support and cooperation from the police. Madam Jayalalitha, who was the Chief Minister also then, appreciated my work and asked for a standing ovation at the time of the Collector’s conference for having eradicated illicit liquor at Sivagangai district.

During this period, I pioneered the literacy mission—Arivoli Iyakkam—across the country. Sivagangai district was the first to achieve 100 percent literacy amongst people belonging to 15 to 45 years of age.