A humble person from PFM 1997-99 batch, currently working as Chief Operating Officer, National Rural Livelihoods Mission in Chhattisgarh under Department of Panchayat and Rural Development, Government of Chhattisgarh and Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. Proud to be a British Chevening Scholar (2007-08) and having diverse experience in the development sector.
Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-lakra-256b925/?originalSubdomain=in
Twitter : https://x.com/alicelakra74
Insta: lakraalice
FB: alice lakra
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM so far?
A. In 1997, the Bougainvillea streaked, wildlife-filled IIFM happened to me. It was a journey started for the sake of heart and not the head. Batch of 1997-1999 would know that.
Journey of life for 25 years, since IIFM has been a beautiful, thrilling, action-packed roller-coaster ride studded with magical moments of aaahs and wows, highs and lows, moments of doubts and assurances, smiles and sorrows, living the planned and the unplanned.
I have been blessed with having to work the works I love, cherish and enjoy. I see that behind every opportunity I’ve had in my life, IIFM has been like a strong and silent fortress which you know is always there for you, as a home and refuge next only to your family.
Looking back at the two decades and a half is something amusing now as life brought me from Patna to Bhopal to study at the ‘premier’ forest management institute and from there to the campus of IIM Ahmedabad for my first ‘officially’ official job as Associate Editor of Honey Bee magazine. I had never been a ‘professional’ in my head back then. I didn’t even have an ambition to study or pursue a bla bla career. I wanted to escape from school so much so that I requested my mother to marry me off when I was in VIIth standard just so I could get rid of studying. I was willing to risk getting into child marriage but back then riddance from maths, algebra, this theorem, that theory was my prime motive. Needless to say, mother didn’t yield to my pre-mature thoughts and life sailed from one grade to another till I (dunno how!) completed my graduation with decent marks and Shakespeare, Keats and Wordsworth on my back.
After clearing the IIFM entrance exam, I had gone to the campus for our group discussion and final interviews. The moment I entered the campus, it was love at first sight with pretty Bougainvillea blooms bursting everywhere and my first thoughts were like, “Hey Bhagwan, yaheen admission dilwa dijiye. Bas!” I did not know about the academic merits or ratings of the Institute neither did I care and the rest is history.
Post IIFM and IIM job, I got lucky to work with some of the great organisations like CAPART as a Young Professional; Madhya Pradesh State Minor Forest Produce Federation and IKEA India (Corporate Social Responsibility Division). In 2003, I got job offered by Managing Director of Chhattisgarh MFP Federation (and first PCCF of newly formed Chhattisgarh State). He was my MD while I was with MP MFP Federation. I was happy to work with the forest department and came to Chhattisgarh with just three suitcases and a thought to stay at Raipur for only about a year (this was 21 years ago)!
I met fellow IIFMite Sarika Sinha through reference from Shakeb Nabi bhaiya and using passcode I mentioned earlier – “Knock Knock, I from IIIFM”, Sarika and myself started sharing the house!
Then while I was working on non-wood forest produce, medicinal and aromatic plants at the CG MFP Federation, I got offered to work with Directorate of Horticulture, Govt of Chhattisgarh.
Thereafter, my senior Shakeb Nabi bhaiya nudged me to apply for the British Chevening Scholarship and pursue my higher education in the United Kingdom. I got the scholarship and admission in MSC in Environment and Development at the University of Edinburgh, School of GeoSciences though fully funded British Chevening Scholarship.
My MSc Dissertation was on Millennium Development Goals. After returning to India I was searching for job and got to work for the first MDG Hub of the Country established at the Directorate of Panchayat and Social Welfare with support from UNICEF. That is how my journey with Panchayat and Rural Development (after department’s restructuring in Government of Chhattisgarh) started in 2009 and continues till date. I have served various Heads of the Departments as State Coordinator – MDG Hub; Consultant – European Commission project on strengthening PRIs; State Coordinator – PESA and thereafter I was assigned with prime programmes of Rural Development such as Swachh Bharat Mission – Grameen or Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Grameen by the Department. My biggest proud moment was when the-then Additional Chief Secretary, Dept of Panchayat and Rural Development introduced me to the-then Mission Director, SBMG saying, “This is Alice. Isko koi bhi kaam batao to ye best kar ke deti hai” and then I was attached to SBMG. Thereafter, when PMAY-G became the prime programme of the Department, I was attached to PMAYG office as State Programme Manager. Between 2009 to 2019, I was internally attached to various programmes of the Department by senior officials. In 2019, there was vacancy announced for Chief Operating Officer, NRLM in Chhattisgarh. Applied for it and here I am today what I love doing most – helping my women self-help groups across the State. I am also given additional charge of SPM-Livelihood and until recently held third charge of SPM-Social Inclusion and Social Development (SISD) vertical under Chhattisgarh SRLM.
Aa! Not to forget mentioning that the old me who was once willing to quit education when I was in class VIIth, has now got urge to pursue studies when I am around the half-century old. Recently discovered the magic of IGNOU in allowing to continue education while working. I have so far completed PG Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication, MA in Rural Development and am currently pursuing Masters in Social Work. In all, IIFM stands out as a golden period of our lives. It has given so much in terms of friends for life, a home away from home where one, single passcode rules to get access to any fellow IIFMite’s home or heart regardless of course or batch and that universal passcode is – “Knock, Knock….I am from IIFM” and the legacy continues.
With Bishnu (MRM-2004-05) COO, Jharkhand SRLM
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. Every new day brings a new milestone. Some help us evolve as professionals, some allow us to evolve as human being. Charles Darwin (1825-27) and I happen to share the same University of Edinburgh (batch 2007-08) (https://biology.ed.ac.uk/about/notable-alumni/charles-darwin) so cannot escape ‘evolution’!
Some of the major milestones include the first job at IIM, Ahmedabad, then coming to Chhattisgarh in 2003 with a thought of staying here only for about a year and then overstaying a bit too long that I am still here (2024), now married and finally in process of building my own nest, my home.
Getting the British Chevening Scholarship and pursuing my MSc in Environment and Development was a major milestone as it provided me various opportunities not only in pursuit of education or job but sparking the urge to study and learn things with a curiosity and enthusiasm of a child.
Working in Panchayat and Rural Development Department has brought multiple milestones personally and professionally. I got the opportunity to work with the highest seat of Administration at the office of Chief Secretary in Chhattisgarh. I was also once offered to work at the Hon’ble Chief Minister’s Office by an officer I had worked with and who later got to work at CM Secretariat. However, I did some maths and politely refused!
In 2024, Government of Chhattisgarh has initiated a new scheme called the ‘Niyad Nellanar Yojana’ which is a scheme for Extremely Left Wing Extremism affected areas of the State. The scheme is to saturate the villages around security camps with government programmes and their benefits. The Department of Panchayat and Rural Development is nodal Department for anchoring the scheme involving 17 departments, 49 beneficiary schemes and 31 community schemes. As a human being, these opportunities to work in diverse organisations, ecosystems has given me a lot of time to introspect and re-engineer my head and heart to be able to be of help for the rural community. Each day brings some new perspective and I am able to collect these gold-dust in my treasure trove and now it weighs more than a Jupiter!
Q. How has been your experience in your current Organization? What all areas have you been working here?
A. Excellent. Exciting. Enriching. My current job as Chief Operating Officer at National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) in Chhattisgarh has given me immense opportunities to work for enhancing the lives and livelihoods of our women self-help groups members. It is like the world in my playground!
As COO, Chhattisgarh SRLM, my role is to take care of the programmatic dimensions such as the Social Mobilization and Institution Building (in short, formation and functioning of our Community Based Organizations – the SHGs and their higher order structures – the Village Organisation and the Cluster Level Federations), ensuring their financial inclusion and then linking them with livelihood activities.
Whilst working as SPM-LH, on usual days we work on Farm Livelihoods comprising of Community Managed Sustainable Agriculture, Livestock Management, Organic Farming, Natural Farming, promotion of our (Women) Farmer’s Producer Groups (PGs) and Farmer’s Producer Companies (FPCs); Non-farm Livelihoods comprising of activities like traditional Achar, Papad, Badi, Agarbatti production by women SHGs or relatively new activities such as production of cement poles, chain link fence or SHGs operating in service sector. As SPM-SISD, I got to work for promotion of vulnerable categories such as the Persons with Disability, Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), Female Headed Household and the Landless. These roles have enabled me to learn and execute new dimensions of working on gender, gender justice, social justice and empowerment. Happy to share that I led a project with focus on Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) and our department won the SKOCH award! Happy moment.
Q. What is the most satisfying part in your career?
A. Working as a COO, CGSRLM has opened my mind to explore opportunities for my SHG didis. I feel it as a great responsibility that has been bestowed by God to allow me to use my education, training, knowledge and skills as a development professional in helping the lives and livelihoods of my SHG didis. My family strength now comprises of 29.64 lakh plus women and their households. This fuels my soul to keep giving my best as a person and as a development professional. I find it extremely satisfying that I can be of use to somebody in changing their lives.
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. Absolutely. Every single thought, step or action I take has in some way of the other has huge IIFM influence. If I erase IIFM from my life, I would not be what I am today. I recall during my training as part of Young Professional team from CAPART at National Society for Promotion of Development Administration Research and Training (NSDART), now known as the National Institute of Administration Research (NIAR) at Mussoorie we IIFMites: Anmol Jain, Nivedita Varshney, Chetan and myself practically raised our hands to answer most of the questions asked by the faculty during the sessions. We had a proud moment when the faculty at NSDART was telling other trainees that IIFM has such a robust course that they are taught a huge range of topics from forestry to development to finances to marketing. It was really a truth we probably did not realize while studying at IIFM that our Institute was gradually preparing us brick by brick for our role in the professional landscape.
Q. Who (or what) are the biggest influences or drivers in your careers? What would be your advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles.
A. Professor Niel Majumdar Sir taught us Forestry, Silviculture, Agro-forestry in a way that he did not allow us to jot down notes yet what he taught has stuck in the brain ever since. Prof. PC Kotwal taught us wild-life and some of the teachings are still helpful when I need to show-off my knowledge around human-animal conflict scenario. Dr. Rekha Singhal Madam left a deep imprint on the mind with understanding of organizational Behaviour. Dr. Suprava Patnaik Madam taught us ecology and always inspired us with her dedication. Prof. PK Biswas Sir teaching us Social Anthropology gave an understanding of human societies through an anthropological lens, especially understanding tribal cultures which I am getting to work with in my current state. Prof. B.P Pethiya taught us Financial Management (FM). However, I was numerically challenged and could never be friends with maths or money. Anmol Jain, our ace maestro in Finance, with lot of pain could teach the magic mantra of finance that “Debit what comes in, credit what goes out”. My FM radiated just around this much. The OGP dipped but learnt few lessons on time management and how-not-to-cheat when Prof Pethiya goes missing from examination room and everyone thinks they could use those moments to look around peeking into neighbors answer-sheets for some rescue glimpses of gyan that could possibly glide one beyond the pass marks threshold. But did we forget that it was ‘Pethiya Sir’ and there were windows at the back of our backs. Whilst we all had our vigilant eyes at the door watching for return-of-Pethiya-Sir, we were smacked surprised by his voice from the back window calling names of guys who went a wee bit adventurous and got up from their seat to literally peek into their friend’s answer-sheets. His voice froze us into kaato-toh-khoon-nahin mode and the examination hall was filled with silence-of-the-lambs! Hilarious now when you think of it, but that was IIFM spice 🙂
Amongst seniors, Shakeb Nabi (PFM 1996-98) continues to be the big bro influence. My advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles, is to first identify and understand what you like to do. Do not fear of venturing out of your comfort zone. Do not take pressure. There is something called destiny too which will push you anyways towards what is best for you. Do not give up. Failures may come and go but every failure makes you strong and wiser. Do not lose the connect between head and heart. Do follow your heart and give your best at doing what is best in your capacity. And the biggest advice of all – Read and travel as much as possible.
Q. How did you decide to go for higher studies post IIFM? And how was the experience?
A. I did not decide. It was Shakeb bhaiya who nudged me, calling me from UK and asking me to apply for Chevening Scholarship and admission in a University in United Kingdom.
I was a bit lazy and tried all possible ways to procrastinate in applying but had to do things simply because he would not give up on me. He and his wife (Afroz Bhabhi) kept calling me every few days and kept asking for progress. Finally, got the admission and Scholarship. Thanks to him and the continuous follow up that I finally landed in Edinburgh and also through his reference found my flatmate who later turned to become my best friend forever.
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. Phew! Where to start?!? Indeed nostalgia. Many favorite memories during IIFM days. The first look of IIFM campus itself became my favorite. Then there was life at the campus. The adventures of seeing wild rabbit just behind the hostel parapet; the Hyena vigil which led us all barefoot wild-lifers holding our torches and spirits high searching for the invisible enemy that caused few campus dogs missing and then my dear flatmate who returned from mess towards hostel pretty surprised that she didn’t know there was a speed-breaker between India Gate and hostel and that she almost tripped over. Apparently, it turned out to be a Python resting across the road!
Q. In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution or take away from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?
A. IIFM has been the fortress giving a very unique sense of belongingness. It is a feeling that this is a place on earth where you can anytime fall back on. It is a huge family you know can come to action whenever or, if ever there is a crisis in life. I say this with experience. I had gone through shattering phase in life that took away all I had. IIFM and its people (including my batchmates, my seniors, faculty) helped me heal and deal with life.
Q. The best buddies / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?
A. At IIFM, apart from my batchmates, few seniors like Shakeb bhaiya, Bharati Joshi di (B’di), Bhaskar Mitra da, Anju (now B’kar da’s better half) were my friends who continue to be in regular touch even after quarter of a century.
So many memories that it is difficult to pen down a few. One hilarious episode again…. One of our batchmates was not good with Financial Management so before exams, he went to the Library and borrowed several copies of the best book we had on FM just so that no one else could read them. Relative Grading, Aye!
Q. As an alumni, what’s your advice to freshers or those are joining IIFM to get best out of the 2 years there?
A. Quite a few advice to the dear freshers :-
- Do take time to explore the natural bounties at the campus. It is one of the best in the Country!
- Do not take pressure and celebrate the 2 years at campus.
- Do spend quality time with your friends. These guys can be your friends forever.
- Do not waste time in chasing false dreams. Follow your dreams which can make you a good human being and not a filthy rich corporate executive who is hollow inside.
Try investing in a good induction chulha and a good pressure cooker. It can save you from starving at times. I had a legacy of being passed on with utensils handed over by seniors to juniors.
Q. Also what would be your advise for recent graduates who look for changing their sector after working for couple of years?
A. NEVER be afraid of exploring new fields or sectors. We wouldn’t know the depth of water unless we plunge in. I have made few drastic switches myself but had one thing clear in my head that I would stick to the development sector even though it may not be financially so remunerative. Remember the age old saying – “जिन खोजा तिन पाइया, गहरे पानी पैठ, मैं बपुरा डूबन डरा, रहा किनारे बैठ”. Unless we tread into new domains, we cannot see new things.
Q. What was your typical day at the work? And how does it look like while you are on a break?
A. My typical day at work encompasses making plans for activities for team at state and district teams. Now much of monitoring happens online so days are often engaged in taking or attending VCs (one of the post-covid effects). I get to travel a lot as well so one suitcase is packed anytime. Having a break is rare and much cherished when it happens. For those who know Garfield, it is inspired by Eat, Sleep, repeat. Holidays away from home is busy with activities that people do on holidays. My motto – work like a donkey and enjoy like a horse!
Q. And how about weekends, hobbies, family and anything else you want to add?
A. Weekend holidays are a privilege. Generally, somehow, office work sneaks into home work and I end up doing office work at home. Thankfully my spouse is very cooperative and understanding so we sail through well. And yes, I have three fur-babies – Bingo, Coco and K.D. So life gets busy around them. No children. Was thinking of adopting till few years earlier but then got a huge family of 29 lakhs plus members to take care of so have pretty much handful.
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors?
A. Many favorite books. One stands out though which did make me introspect and rethink about life. The book is – “Who will Cry When you Die?” by Robin Sharma
Q. IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments towards its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, students?
A. Not sure how I can be of help at the moment but I will do what it will take to support my alma mater.
Q. What do you think is different at IIFM now vs when you studied there?
A. A lot has changed since we studied back in 1997-99. The campus looked different with new infrastructure in place. Back in our time we just had hostel building near the helipad. Back then, we got to live closer to nature with the forest all around.
Recently met IIFM team during 27th All India Forest Sports Meet at Raipur, Chhattisgarh along with Himanshu (PFM – 2018-20) and got to know that current batch size is huge. Back in our times, we had only about 26 odd in our batch.
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. Shakeb Nabi (PFM 1996-98), Bhaskar Mitra (PFM 1996-98), Nivedita Varshney (PFM 1997-99), Anmol Jain (PFM 1997-99), Reena Gupta (PFM 1997-99).