Faith in the system growing
Syed Nooruzzaman
It seems gone are the days
when Muslim youngsters
would feel that it was not
worthwhile for them to try
for an entry into the civil
services or other high-end
government jobs owing to that scary
thing called the discriminatory
attitude of the people in decisionmaking
positions.
They may be nursing some grudges,
but overall the old negative thinking
has got replaced by the belief that a
talented person cannot be ignored
irrespective of the denominational
factor. The civil services exam results
for 2017 provide the most convincing
proof of the changing mindset, a
happy development, indeed!
The latest Union Public Service
Commission (UPSC) results show that
as many as 50 of the total 1,099
successful candidates are Muslims.
They had never fared so excellently in
the civil services exams. Interestingly,
The latest Union
Public Service
Commission (UPSC)
results show that as
many as 50 of the total
1,099 successful
candidates are Muslims.
They had never fared so
excellently in the civil
services exams.
Interestingly, 10
successful candidates
belonging to the
community figured
among the top 100 rank
holders and six Muslim
females were among
those who cleared the
exams for the elite
government jobs.
10 successful candidates belonging
to the community figured among
the top 100 rank holders and six
Muslim females were among those
who cleared the exams for the elite
government jobs.
That their number is not as high
as is their share (over 14 per cent) in
the country's total population is a
different matter. Those engaged in
promoting education argue that
over 170 Muslim candidates should
make it to the civil services every
year to send across encouraging
signals. Yet the rise in the number
of successful Muslim civil service
aspirants is not a small gain. It is
enough to convince everybody that
if you have the capability to excel,
you cannot be denied of your due.
This writer can cite his own
experience how the expertise he
acquired through hard work won
him the confidence of his seniors
who supported him at various stages to move up the ladder of
professional growth.
Successful Muslims IAS
This happened in a reputed
media organisation, The Tribune of
Chandigarh, having a glorious
history. When I found an
opportunity to join the paper as the
junior-most journalist, I could not
imagine what the destiny had in
store for me, a person having no
godfather. Of course, those were
the days when nobody heard of
incidents of hate crime as we know
it today. But denominational issues
were definitely discussed in the
privacy of drawing rooms. Still it
was clear: if you were among
talented ones, there was no dearth
of people who would encourage
you. I never felt scared of my Mfactor.
As I grew up working hard, day
and night, my seniors gave me
enough hints that I had earned their
confidence so far as doing one's job
efficiently and responsibly was
concerned. Ultimately, the day
came I was made to realize that my
seniors had made up their mind to
elevate me to a position I had been
craving for years. And I got it, being
the third person in The Tribune's
long history to be honoured with
this post from within the
organization. One more significant
promotion came my way as years
passed by, but that is not as
important as the fact that I was
allowed to write frequently on
sensitive subjects like terrorism,
Kashmir, Pakistan, global nuclear
politics, etc.
Professional competence and
dependability were the two key
factors which helped me earn my
seniors' confidence. They were
interested in results, and not in who
I was.
One can find more such examples
where talent, hard work and
dependability have paid off with
help coming from all directions.
Muslim youngsters today have a
different mindset. They can now be
found in almost every field. They do
not believe that the denominational
factor can come in the way of one's
Muslim youngsters
today have a different
mindset. They can now
be found in almost
every field. They do not
believe that the
denominational factor
can come in the way of
one's career growth.
The talented, hard
working and
dependable individuals
having a qualityoriented
approach
cannot be prevented
from achieving their
goal even in a field like
entrepreneurship.
Muslims are
endeavouring to acquire
all kinds of education
like any other section
of society. You talk to
any Muslim youngster
you come across, the
chances are that you
will find him a student
trying to acquire a
professional degree to
excel in life. They are
like any other section
of society. The fear of
discrimination is a
thing of the past. Their
efforts will start
showing the desired
results in the coming
few years. A very happy
scenario, indeed!
career growth. The talented, hard
working and dependable individuals
having a quality-oriented approach
cannot be prevented from achieving
their goal even in a field like
entrepreneurship.
Here is an example of a person
quitting his secure and well-paying
job to make a mark in the area of
industry. Jaseemur Rehman
Chaudhary, a fairly senior-level
employee of the then Molins of India
in Mohali, near Chandigarh, over two
and a half decades ago decided to try
his luck as an entrepreneur with his
limited resources. His major asset was
that those in industry who knew him
appreciated his passion for quality as
a customer expects with the capacity
to deliver in time without fail. These
qualities plus his thrust on innovation
and always remaining focused on the
objective of customer satisfaction
earned him support from a number of
industrialists. Today he owns one of
the fast growing industrial groups in
the Chandigarh-Mohali area with a
large turnover. What is more
interesting is that the other partners
in his industrial units are Hindu
businessmen.
At a time when denominational
issues remain very much part of the
political and social discourse, talented
Muslims never suffer for lack of
support from different sections of
society.
Muslims are endeavouring to
acquire all kinds of education like any
other section of society. You talk to
any Muslim youngster you come
across, the chances are that you will
find him a student trying to acquire a
professional degree to excel in life.
They are like any other section of
society. The fear of discrimination is a
thing of the past. Their efforts will
start showing the desired results in
the coming few years. A very happy
scenario, indeed!
The author is an outstanding
journalist. He has been Deputy
Editor in the esteemed
newspaper 'The Tribune,'
Chandigarh.