with

MR. Jayesh Ranjan

Principal Secretary of (I&C) and (IT) Departments of the Telangana Government

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Jayesh Ranjan is a highly respected and accomplished IAS Officer, known for his dedication to public service and commitment to excellence. With a strong track record of successful initiatives and a passion for making a positive impact in the communities he serves, Mr. Ranjan has established himself as a leader in his field. In this interview, we have the opportunity to delve into his career journey, learn about his inspiring experiences and gain insight into his leadership philosophy.

He believes that being grateful is the key to success and follows the motto with every step that he takes in his life. 

Count your Blessings

Unveiling the Journey of 

MR. Jayesh Ranjan

Unveiling the Journey of Jayesh Ranjan!

Jayesh Ranjan was born and brought up in Lucknow to highly-educated parents. His mother was a doctor and his father had graduated from IIM Calcutta. He fondly remembers his early childhood days and says that his parents had a mighty influence in shaping his life. He mentions that being an ‘only child’ got him undivided attention and love from his parents. He believes that there is an added benefit to children with no siblings as they develop inner resources which keep them content and away from boredom at all times. Mr Ranjan credits his calm, composing, and caring nature to his mother, who was a part of a large family. She raised her siblings and even till this date, post-retirement, she looks after her younger sisters. He fondly recalls his mother’s attitude towards adversities and how she would be ready to take responsibilities all by herself to face any kind of situation.

chhota-imambara | Lucknow

In 1971, his father quit job to volunteer for the Indian Navy in the war against Pakistan.

Bangladesh Liberation War

His father was a highly qualified man and was an alumnus of the first batch of IIM Calcutta, which was a rarity for its times as there were hardly any MBAs those days. He recollects how his father who had worked in several MNCs, always had an interest in the welfare of low-level workers which was not appreciated by the top management.

His father then quit his job to volunteer for the Indian Navy during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. After the war, his father worked as a newspaper editor under Jayaprakash Narayanan during the ‘Emergency Movement’ to bring out the oppression on the public through an underground newspaper. Later, his father became a full-time journalist and worked for a number of other newspapers, and had retired with ‘The Pioneer.’ His father had a genuine interest in the welfare of people who were not as well off and even compromised his career for social service. 

He said that his father’s attitude of ‘I should always look after my people and help the vulnerable’ had influenced him to serve the nation.

Jayesh Ranjan studied mathematics and psychology for his undergraduate degree and said that he was attracted to both subjects. He mentions that although he was not gifted in math, he was numerically good and was also fascinated with psychology. He states that psychology brings out a new dimension of how you look at personalities, human interactions, how you construct a situation, etc. He then went on to pursue his master’s degree in psychology from Delhi University. He reveals that he initially wanted to pursue his higher education from American Universities as they were touted to be the best in the field of psychology. He applied for admissions and even received a scholarship from the prestigious Dartmouth College. While the date of joining was getting closer, he realised that his mother wasn’t happy to see him leave because she was afraid he’d never come back. 

He alternatively applied for CAT to pursue his MBA and got selected in the very college that his father had studied in, IIM Calcutta. After the commencement of the program, he realised that it wasn’t what he wanted, and thus he decided to take the civil service examination. Among the millions of people who prepared for the civil service examination and studied religiously without any deviations for about 20 hours a day, not only did he get selected, but in fact topped his batch. He was nowhere close to others in terms of preparation and had to balance it with his MBA classes and other activities.

IIM Calcutta

Selecting IAS as his profession happened through an elimination process.

Getting into IAS happened through an elimination process because he wasn’t interested in a corporate career. He topped the civil service examination in the first go without attending any coaching institutions. He went through the study materials of top institutes to find out what was not to be written in the exam and explained saying, “The standard coaching material was read by thousands of people, and everyone wrote the same thing which made the examiner to easily understand that all of them are the same, leading to average scores. To get a good score, one has to go beyond the conventional answers and add some original ideas.” He credits this technique to help him top the test, despite studying for fewer hours in comparison to the others and not compromising on his normal life. He says, “being different and adding a bit extra always helps.”

Although he was born and brought up in Lucknow, he felt at home when he came to Hyderabad in 1993. He says that he did not find a difference, as both the cities were slightly laid back with a slow-paced lifestyle. He then added to it saying that he is now amazed at how Hyderabad has changed and developed over the last 25 years. The vibrancy, cosmopolitan culture, livelihood opportunities, and the fact that anyone from anywhere can come here and make a decent living is what makes Hyderabad the most welcoming city. He also said that all the extracurricular activities he does, such as literary events, charities, awareness campaigns, and others have been well received by the people of Hyderabad, and the fact that he is not from Hyderabad is completely secondary.

The positive side of the pandemic remained the same for him and he got to spend more time with his family. His professional life, on the other hand, had demanded a lot of change. His workload had multiplied to ensure that all the momentum and work that had been previously done, such as the thriving innovation ecosystem of Telangana, T-HUB, WeHub, TASK, and others, continue to prosper. Similarly, the humanitarian crisis during the lockdown, safety and transportation of migrant workers to their native places, and making sure everyone was fed was challenging, he said. He added that the China situation gave rise to new and challenging opportunities where he had to attract companies to Telangana before any other state in India could. He reveals that he fully enjoys all of the new dimensions of his work and likes to drive results in the direction of economic prosperity.

 

He says that he is fortunate to be working with KTR as he is a leader with a different orientation and mannerism. He adds, “KTR is highly focused and committed to driving results and serving our state.” Praising the leader he said, “KTR treats his team very professionally and all the innovation ecosystems such as T-Hub, WeHub, T-WORKS, RICH are in existence today because of his vision.” 

Although he is responsible for executing things, he says that all credit goes to Mr. KTR for his commitment and persistence.

Look within. Solve the problems of our nation and society before thinking of anything else. Think in a very original perspective and address the problems of the poor and the pressing needs of the vulnerable to improve their quality of living. 

Play a role beyond your call of duty and stand up wherever you can.

What’s in store for the FUTURE?

He foresees that there will be three major changes post COVID

  1. 1. A massive change in the way business is conducted which will have to be more inclusive especially the disparity between management and workers.
  2.  
  3. 2. Digitalization will play a more important role and give rise to new world applications in different walks of life.
  4.  
  5. 3. A new set of human skills which include, having a helping attitude, empathy for others, going beyond your call of duty will become more important.
  6.  

All of these will help us evolve as a better society.

Conclusion

With great humility, Jayesh Ranjan inculcates in our lives to stay grounded and never forget to count our blessings. We will always be grateful to government officials like Jayesh Ranjan, who are encouraging growth and facilitating opportunities for all of us.

It is an honour for us Hyderabad Stories, to associate with Jayesh Ranjan Sir as he inspires us through his work. We wish that with his innovative strategies and forward thinking policies Hyderabad reaches greater even horizons in the future.

Unveiling the Journey of 

MR. JAYESH RANJAN

Jayesh Ranjan

Jayesh Ranjan

Principal Secretary, Telangana Government

Jayesh Ranjan is the Principal Secretary of the Industries & Commerce (I&C) and Information Technology (IT) Departments of the Telangana government. 

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