Suhas LY, who currently serves as the DM for Noida, is world no. 2 in Men’s Singles Para-Badminton and is set to represent India at Tokyo Paralympics.
Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, an IAS officer of 2007 batch of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, is a man of many distinctions. The first specially-abled IAS officer and a National Badminton Champion, Suhas is now set to become the first civil servant in history to represent India in Tokyo Paralympics 2020, to be help from next week in Japan.
Suhas has held the coveted position of District Magistrate (DM) for cities like Prayagraj, Azamgarh and Jaunpur before his incumbent position as DM of Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida). A celebrated and awarded sportsperson apart from being a respected bureaucrat, Suhas’ success story is one for the history books.
1. Journey to becoming an IAS officer
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Hailing from the state of Karnataka, Suhas LY never backed down in the face of adversity. Born to a government servant, Suhas completed his early education in different cities due to his father’s official postings. His family wanted Suhas to become a doctor, but it was engineering that interested him more. A supporting father gave Suhas the freedom to pursue his choices. He graduated as a Computer Science Engineer in 2004 with first class distinction. In 2007, he became India’s first specially-abled IAS officer and started his bureaucratic career from Agra.
2. Taking up new challenges
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After doing computer engineering for a year, Suhas felt that there was something missing in his life. It was then that his inclination towards civil services grew and he started preparing to appear for the UPSC exam. On achieving success that millions cherish and few achieve, Suhas recently said, “I want to thank God because when I used to study, I didn’t even think of becoming a district collector. It was a dream come true,”
3. Becoming a world champion
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Similarly with Badminton, the national champion recently revealed that while sports were always a part of his life, it was only later that he started playing badminton professionally. In 2016, he became the first bureaucrat to represent India in a sport internationally. Suhas’ sporting ambition resulted in a historic gold medal for India in the 2016 Asian Para Badminton Championships. Against all odds, Suhah had made it to the history books again.
4. Suhas' advice on overcoming adversity
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Suhas says sometimes we win and sometimes we lose, but one should never back down from the effort. He also says that overcoming insecurities is the most important thing in life. For this, Suhas believes the support and confidence of parents is important to turn weaknesses into strength to touch the sky. He also stresses the importance of time management in being able to accomplish multiple objectives, sharing his experience as an IAS officer and a professional sportsperson.
5. The gold medal dream
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Suhas is set to represent India at the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020 scheduled to be held between August 24 and September 5. Suhah will be hoping to win the gold medal in the Men’s Singles SL-4 category. You can watch the Noida DM in action from September 2 and hopefully, in the finals of September 5. As per Suhah, badminton is like a ‘spiritual exercise’ for him. He never gets tired of playing.
Pics courtesy: Facebook/ Suhas LY, Twitter/ @dmgbnagar
