Padmashree awardee  C. Phunsog was born in Nimmo village on October 15, 1947. A Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering (1968), Phunsog served as Lecturer in Regional Engineering College, Srinagar prior to joining the India Administrative Service in 1972. Phunsog is the first Ladakhi to qualify the Civil Services Exams. In the IAS, he has held many important assignments which included Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Sopur (Kashmir); District Magistrate and Development Commissioner, Leh; Secretary to Governor; Secretary, Tourism; Special Commissioner, Baramulla-Kupwara; Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir; Joint Secretary, Internal Security and Human Rights in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs; Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office; Principal Secretary, Home, J&K; Minister, Economic and Commerce in the High Commission of India, London, Financial Commissioner, Agriculture Production, J&K; and finally, Chief Secretary, J&K Government. After retirement from active service in the IAS, Phunsog was appointed Chairman, Public Enterprises Selection Board by the Government of India which position he held till 15th of October, 2012.  

C. Phunsog is the recipient of the national award of Padmashree, in 1998 for distinguished public service. He is also a recipient of the Chief Minister’s Gold Medal for Honesty, Integrity and Meritorious Service in 2007. He was also awarded Certificate of Merit and Medal by the Jammu and Kashmir Government in 1983 for efficiency and devotion in the discharge of duties.

He has been an Albert Parvin Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University,USA in 1979-80 when he had an opportunity to study Development Economics under Nobel Lauriate, Professor (Sir) Arthur Lewis.

Q.Tell us about how you spent your childhood and where?

Childhood, up to the age of 15 years, was spent in Ladakh – ten years in my village and five years in Leh for secondary education. Before I was enrolled in the village primary school, my family was training me to be an Amchi for which my grandfather had purchased the four basic texts from Tibet when he went on pilgrimage there. One year into Amchi training and I had mugged up almost the entire text on ‘Rtsa-rgyut’. However, I was enrolled in the village school for modern education on the insistence of the school teacher who was a cousin of my father’s. The teacher convinced my folks that I had good potential for modern education and anything else would be a waste of talent. During my primary schooling, I would also contribute to the family pool of labour by herding animals and running errands for the family. After I passed the 8th standard, my family wanted me to become a school teacher which would have been possible only if I had faked my birth certificate to show myself as an adult eligible for government jobs; but integrity prevailed and I was allowed to continue with my studies beyond middle level.   

Q. It must’ve been a big deal to be preparing for civil services back in the 1970s, what inspired you and what kind of challenges did you face?

As I have told you, I am a chance entrant to the civil service. At that time, I seemed to have a promising engineering career ahead of me in the United States, but an inordinate delay in visa clearance to go to the States for a Ph.D. programme in Miami University landed me in the IAS. Till then, I did not even know the meaning of IAS. But, once I decided to write the civil service exams, as usual, I worked so hard as to not leave any scope for failure. I took coaching for subjects like English language and General Knowledge in which I considered myself poor. At that point in time, I was in such a state of general motivation that I could take any challenge and accept nothing less than success. The result of five months of preparation under such motivation was that I finally came 39th in the merit list of IAS – not a mean achievement for a person of my circumstance then!    
 

Q. We came to know that you were also selected for Aeronautics. Is that True?

You are perhaps referring to NASA. To get into the NASA, the National Aeronautical and Space Agency of USA, was one of my ambitions. My plan to pursue higher studies in Mechanical Engineering, particularly in Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer, in a good university in the US was a step in that direction. The Miami University had offered me attractive financial assistance to do masters and Ph.D. in the area of Heat Transfer. As advised by friends, I decided to sit for the civil services exams while I was required to wait for visa clearance, which could have taken something between six months and one year.    

Q You still follow Buddhism despite living outside of Ladakh for so many years. How can we practice that?

Yes, I have been a practicing Buddhist all along and everywhere. I try and follow all the Buddhist precepts for a layman both in thoughts and action. You don’t need to be in a particular place to practice a particular religion. My belief is that we would be doing a great disservice to the Buddha if we were to only worship him and not follow what he has preached.

Q.You have held many important high profile positions during your service, which among them you feel got the best of you?

Yes, I have had some of the choicest assignments that one covets in the civil service. There was not even a single assignment which was not to my liking and to which I have not given my best. There is not one assignment in which I have not slogged my guts out. My forte has been my hard work. I believe that intelligence is essential, but there is no substitute for honest hard work.

Q. You have got awards for ‘distinguished public service’ and ‘efficiency and devotion’. What would you say about the importance of these qualities especially in civil servants?

Yes, three awards and a coveted fellowship is a rarity in the civil service. Therefore, I happen to be one of the most decorated civil servants in the country. Awards do help to boost one’s morale and the awardees are at once placed in a higher state of motivation to put in their best in whatever they do post-award. To get an award, one has to be lucky – has to be at the right place at the right time.

Q. Did you miss working in Leh while you were serving outside? What is the prominent difference of working in your own hometown and outside?

Ladakh has always been in my thoughts and imagination wherever I have been or worked. It has been in my nature all along to give my working environment a low profile, honest and familial touch. It is my conviction that, in sum total, this style of management pays the highest dividend when it comes to getting the best out of men. I call this ‘Ladakh Nature’. Ladakh Nature has been my constant companion wherever I have worked. It has been a cherished gift to me from Ladakh which has stood me in good stead.  

Q. Are you satisfied with the current political and social state in Ladakh?

I have no reason to be not satisfied. Both domains appear to me to be in safe hands.


9.One thing that you always wanted to change about Ladakh but couldn’t?

Complacency and low benchmarking for self-assessment or self-evaluation, particularly in the formative years of the youths, are attitudes that are holding us back but tenaciously persisting.

10.Though the importance and ratio of educated person have increased since the time you were selected. Nevertheless we don’t see many students getting through civil services, what do you have to say about it?

Civil service is rapidly losing its sheen thanks to the equally glamorous avenues now available in other walks of life; particularly the sun-rise industries of IT and IT enabled services, financial and legal services, etc. Be that as it may, if one wants to pursue a profession in the public sector, civil service continues to be the best. Those who have their ambitions locked onto the civil service, should orient themselves to the civil services exams at an early stage and prosecute studies keeping that in mind. I may share with you that the one who topped the exams in our batch in 1972 had oriented his studies to civil services right from his Matriculation exams. Understandably, he was exceptionally gifted and deserved to be No.1.  

11.What are your future plans? As many people are expecting that you will do something for Ladakh. Any plans of working for Ladakh?

For now, I want a breather to evaluate my life so far. I have no specific plans yet for my retired life which I might like to make productive in some ways. It may take me a while to organise my thoughts in that direction.

12.During your tenure what have you done for the society of Ladakh? If any please elaborate.

When I was Development Commissioner Leh, ‘road connectivity’, ‘education’, ‘health’, ‘green cover’ and ‘tourism’ were among the topmost plan priorities. I think I should leave evaluation of the performance in each sector to the people of the District.

13.Message to the readers:

I see that today’s Ladakh is no longer the Ladakh of my childhood or even of the time I was here as head of the District. There is unprecedented economic growth and tremendous social awareness, particularly among the younger generations. For comprehensive economic development and prosperity, economic growth needs to be accompanied by positive social change. The challenge is to channel extant energies into the right direction so that Ladakh does not go the way some tourist destinations have gone. For that, all stake holders need to come together on a forum, debate and take appropriate calls. It is not yet too late.