Armstrong Pame: A tribute

 I read about Armstrong Pame a few months ago in the news-paper, and ever since, I’ve been quite a fan. There’s always a photo of his in my phone and laptop, and if by any chance it gets deleted, I make it a point to download one as soon as I possibly can. No, this is not hero worship of any sort. It’s just that he is a huge source of inspiration for me.

 Armstrong is from the state of Manipur, though he belongs to the Zeme tribe of Nagaland. He says that it was always his dream to join the prestigious Indian Administrative Service. An IAS Officer, with his power, influence and position as a Government Official, has immense potential to work for the good of his society, but unfortunately, this post is often misused by corrupt officials. He majored in Physics for his Bachelor’s degree from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, where he did pretty well. He was chosen to pursue his Masters from the prestigious IIT, which would have ensured a lucrative career and a comfortable life thereafter. Yet, he turned that down to pursue his dreams of becoming an IAS Officer.

 Getting into the Administrative Service is by no means a cake- walk. Cracking the exam requires months, sometimes years, of rigorous hard work, and with a selection rate of 0.01%, it is the toughest exam in the world.

 Armstrong did not make it in his first attempt. He says that when he failed the first time, he was greatly discouraged by the naysayers all around, but found immense strength in the love of Jesus Christ. He failed in his second attempt too, and finally made it in his third attempt. He was an average student and it was nothing but hard work that saw him through.

 During the interview, the panel placed before him a copy of the Holy Bible, and that of the Indian constitution and asked him to choose one. He chose the Constitution, saying that his upbringing ensured that he was well-versed with his Holy Book. The panellist concluded that by choosing the Constitution, he was rejecting the Bible; to which Armstrong replied that if by choosing one, he’d have to totally let go of the other, then he had much rather not choose either of them.

 The panellist had also asked him what he would do if he, a North- Easterner, was posted in the Southern state of Tamil Nadu. He replied, that his intention in joining the Administrative Service, was to serve the Indian Nation, and the region didn’t matter at all, because in all those regions, the need of the people were the same.

 He was posted in Tamenglong District, Manipur, which is one of the most backward districits od the country. Usually, what most officers do when posted in such districts is just warm their seats waiting to be promoted to more lucrative positions. The first thing Armstrong did was to visit the people of his district on foot and ask them what they wanted him to do. They asked him to build a road. Most people of the district grow oranges, but reaching the capital to sell these oranges is quite a task, since there is no road. On foot they must cross the hills to reach the highway, and when they finally reach their destination, two whole days are passed, and most of their oranges have begun to rot.

 Armstrong readily agreed to their request and filed a petition to the Government for funds to sponsor the project. The government rejected the proposal and cited paucity of funds as the reason for the rejection. But Armstrong, seeing how urgently the district needed a road, was not to give up so fast. He created a page on facebook, asking the public to fund his project. He himself gave about 5 lakh Rupees. His brother, an Assistant Professor in Delhi University donated one lakh Rupees, while his mother gave Rs. 5000 from her pension. Together he managed to collect about 48 lakh Rupees, but ofcourse, that is hardly enough to build a public road. So, Armstrong Pame, IAS convinced the suppliers of the raw material to supply it, free of cost. Touched by his dedication to the project, the villagers came forward to provide the labour force, and they were willing to provide their labour free of cost.

And that’s how the People’s Road came into existence.A hundred kilometre road, it connects the district of Tamenglong to the State of Assam, and through Assam, ofcourse, to the rest of the country. Armstrong himself is not sure whether he will ever initiate such a mammoth task again. The locals, however, repeat again and again that Armstrong was the answer to their prayers.

God bless you, Armstrong Pame.

May you keep working for the good of the people.

Jai Hind.