Government wants civil servants to take part in adventure tourism

That the legendary file-pushers and nitpickers who flourish in the close confines of government departments have actually fared pretty well in the outdoor jamborees newly mandated by the central government should not surprise anyone, least of all the bureaucrats themselves.

While many of them have expressed amazement that they could actually do all the activities that come with an outing in the hills or jungles, it cannot be denied that their keen survival instincts — honed over years spent in the dangerous labyrinths of sarkari offices — would put even Bear Grylls to shame.

Whitewater rafting, trekking, rock climbing, jungle safari, snorkelling, surfing and every other ‘adventure’ tourism option that some 26 lakh bureaucrats have to avail of under the new scheme has equivalents in the quotidian life of the desi civil servant, at all levels of government.


Clawing a way out of sticky situations, keeping heads above the water, negotiating pitfall-laden paths while avoiding political and other predators, riding unpredictable waves or merely floating along and swimming with the current — or, occasionally, against it — are all part of the life experiences that every bureaucrat gathers on the job. The central government scheme has merely allowed them to use those skills now in a different environment.