Last week, Smita Sabharwal, the additional secretary in the Telangana chief minister's office, demanded an apology from Outlook for an article that she felt was sexist and described her as an "eye candy".
The 160-word article, No boring babu, accompanied an illustration depicting a lady walking the ramp, while a neta bearing a distinct resemblance to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao aims a camera at her. Without naming the woman, the article reads: "The portfolio of the junior bureaucrat, who is posted in Telangana CM's office, is a mystery". It adds that "she makes a fashion statement with her lovely saris and serves as 'eye candy' at meetings".
Sabharwal, 38, has taken umbrage to the portrayal, which she says focuses on her looks and her wardrobe, while ignoring her merit. She is also upset at being called a junior officer. "There is no hard and fast rule for postings in the CM's office in terms of seniority, and I also do not agree with the notion that I am a junior officer even after putting in 14 years of service." Outlook did not respond to questions mailed to it.
At Karimnagar, she launched the Amma Lalana (mother's care) programme after reports came out that only 9 per cent of deliveries are conducted in government hospitals, and the rest happen in private hospitals or at home, which is either expensive or risky.
Under her watch, computers with Internet facilities were installed at all of the 72 primary health centres in the district. Mothers-to-be would be sent SMSes about their next hospital visit and health advice. Labour rooms were upgraded, doctor shortage was dealt with, ambulances were pressed into action to ferry pregnant women to hospitals free of cost and financial incentives were announced to encourage deliveries in government hospitals.
At Medak, which is where Chief Minister Rao comes from, the number of functional primary health centres increased from 41 to 64 during Sabharwal's tenure. Her office remained accessibly through Skype, even to students who would message her about their problems, including erratic power in their hostels.
Other initiatives, like special drives to encourage 100 per cent voter enrollment and 100 per cent polling and the "Fund Your City" programme to involve locals in development work, endeared her to people.
Her popularity can be gauged from her fan pages on social media sites. On Facebook alone there are some seven fan pages in Sabharwal's name. There are more than 110,000 "likes" on one of these pages. On another page, over 88,000 people have clicked "like". There is also a sizeable Wikipedia page on her.
An army officer's daughter, Sabharwal, who belongs to West Bengal, entered the Indian Administrative Service at 22. She was ranked fourth across India in the Union Public Service Commission exam - news of which she received not through her parents or friends, but through All India Radio. Sabharwal is married to Indian Police Service officer Akun Sabharwal and the couple has two children.
The 160-word article, No boring babu, accompanied an illustration depicting a lady walking the ramp, while a neta bearing a distinct resemblance to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao aims a camera at her. Without naming the woman, the article reads: "The portfolio of the junior bureaucrat, who is posted in Telangana CM's office, is a mystery". It adds that "she makes a fashion statement with her lovely saris and serves as 'eye candy' at meetings".
Sabharwal, 38, has taken umbrage to the portrayal, which she says focuses on her looks and her wardrobe, while ignoring her merit. She is also upset at being called a junior officer. "There is no hard and fast rule for postings in the CM's office in terms of seniority, and I also do not agree with the notion that I am a junior officer even after putting in 14 years of service." Outlook did not respond to questions mailed to it.
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By raising the issue, Sabharwal has kicked off a larger debate on how women officers, instead of being recognised on their merit and achievements, are often judged by their appearance. A look at Sabharwal's career, particularly her tenures as the collector of the Karimnagar and Medak districts, throws light on what she is referring to.
At Karimnagar, she launched the Amma Lalana (mother's care) programme after reports came out that only 9 per cent of deliveries are conducted in government hospitals, and the rest happen in private hospitals or at home, which is either expensive or risky.
Under her watch, computers with Internet facilities were installed at all of the 72 primary health centres in the district. Mothers-to-be would be sent SMSes about their next hospital visit and health advice. Labour rooms were upgraded, doctor shortage was dealt with, ambulances were pressed into action to ferry pregnant women to hospitals free of cost and financial incentives were announced to encourage deliveries in government hospitals.
At Medak, which is where Chief Minister Rao comes from, the number of functional primary health centres increased from 41 to 64 during Sabharwal's tenure. Her office remained accessibly through Skype, even to students who would message her about their problems, including erratic power in their hostels.
Other initiatives, like special drives to encourage 100 per cent voter enrollment and 100 per cent polling and the "Fund Your City" programme to involve locals in development work, endeared her to people.
Her popularity can be gauged from her fan pages on social media sites. On Facebook alone there are some seven fan pages in Sabharwal's name. There are more than 110,000 "likes" on one of these pages. On another page, over 88,000 people have clicked "like". There is also a sizeable Wikipedia page on her.
An army officer's daughter, Sabharwal, who belongs to West Bengal, entered the Indian Administrative Service at 22. She was ranked fourth across India in the Union Public Service Commission exam - news of which she received not through her parents or friends, but through All India Radio. Sabharwal is married to Indian Police Service officer Akun Sabharwal and the couple has two children.