Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi unveiled the book titled “The Collector’s Mother,” written by Bishnupada Sethi, IAS, at Lokseva Bhawan, a press release from the Chief Minister’s office said.
The book was unveiled on Monday and is published by M/s BluOne Ink, New Delhi.
According to the CMO, it is the true story of an underprivileged woman who inspired her son to become a member of the prestigious Indian Administrative Service. Born as an unwanted girl child in the pre-independence era, she went through several life-threatening hurdles.
The true life story is set against the backdrop of a remote village in Odisha, which was then dominated by caste-based discrimination, the absence of a rule of law, a traditional power structure, an underdeveloped education system, food insecurity, drought, famine, a lack of health care & communication, labour migration, and the hatred and dominance of fellow villagers.
She faced murderous attacks; was dragged along with her husband on the village road in full public view, but she did not give up as she had to protect her family. She always remained in the forefront. The family had to wait for three decades until the arrival of a conscientious collector, Ashwini Vaishnav, who restored their land in a long legal process.
In one of her several tedious journeys to the District Court, she had expressed her desire to her son; barely seven years later, if he were to become something in life, nothing could be better than to become a Collector who could dispense justice for many people, suffering like them.
Though how to become a collector was beyond the imagination of the little child, he still wanted to fulfil his mother’s wishes. The dream given by the mother kept him restless. A difficult journey that started in his unknown village in those dark days led him to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in 1995.
A life full of dignity was lived by the woman till she passed over to the other world with a sense of forgiveness towards her tormentors. Her firm belief in God made all her sufferings not so painful.
The book has the potential to inspire many students aspiring for higher goals despite several odds.