Pusuing MPA at Columbia University

Difficult as it is to believe in it myself, it’s true! After spending three most exhilarating and memorable years at Janaagraha, I have quit the organization to pursue higher studies.

Leaving Janaagraha was a very tough decision. My years at Janaagraha have shaped my growth as a public service professional in ways I had never imagined. I got my first ringside view of the exciting world of public change in India, and was fortunate enough to witness some successes too.

In fact, in my last week at Janaagraha, we hit a major milestone in the campaign (Jaagte Raho! or “stay awake”) I was leading at Janaagraha. ECI signed a historic MoU with Janaagraha to launch the BEST initiative aimed at reforming Bangalore’s electoral system. Ball was certainly rolling in the right direction and possibilities of what could be accomplished in near future were boundless.

Yet, I was certain that it was time for me to pass the baton and move on. I have decided to pursue higher studies by attending the Masters of Public Administration (MPA) program at School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University, New York – the most global and amongst the top public policy schools in the world. That I was awarded a Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship to pursue this education made the decision a lot easier!

The reasons why I chose to pursue this MPA education are simple enough. Let me try and list them out (my fascination with bullet points is there to stay!):

• My years at Janaagraha left me convinced that what I thought was my calling, was indeed my calling! I realized that I was truly cut out for a career in public service. But as I looked ahead, I felt ill equipped to do complete justice to the roles I would like to play. Having been trained as an engineer, I had little besides passion, reason and some experience to keep me going. Given the increasing complexity of public change in a vast country like India, and the multiplicity of debates that each issue throws up, I felt it was essential for me to develop an academic footing in public policy and go deeper into at least one policy sector of my choice – Urban Policy. And which other place to do that better than NYC!
• While the context of India will always remain unique, I strongly believe that we can find the best solutions to our problems only if we are well informed of the history and experiences in public policy arena from all across the world. Studying at a globally reputed public policy school is a good way to do that.
• Besides public policy, there were a few topics in other related fields that I wanted to study for a long time – law, journalism, political science and religion. Spending 2 years at a place like Columbia was the only way I think I can do that!

When I look back at my years at IIT, I almost think of it as memories from a past life. My transformation from an engineers-rule-the-world person to a complete humanities person has been astonishingly quick and effective!

Besides leaving Janaagraha, what made the decision to study MPA abroad especially difficult was the thought of leaving India for 2 years. TWO long years!

My only hope now is that I return back quickly enough without missing any major action (thank god the next parliamentary elections are only in 2014!) and accomplishing as much of the ambitious agenda that I have set for myself J.