From Hesitation to Hope: My Journey with DCIP

When I first stepped into the Mission Room, I was not sure how I would fit in. I had joined the team later than most and carried with me a quiet sense of doubt. Everyone else seemed to already know one another, while I was still trying to remember names and faces.

But there was no time to stay with those thoughts. The District Collector’s Internship Programme (DCIP) was already in full swing with projects moving fast. Very quickly I was pulled into the pace. Since I had missed the orientation sessions, I had to learn how the programme worked on the go. It was challenging at times, but also exciting, and slowly I began to understand the flow, meet people, and find my place in the team.

It was during this time that I was assigned my project that shaped my internship: working for the welfare of Scheduled Tribe communities in Kozhikode.

One of my first visits was to the Pre-Matric Hostel for Girls at Easthill. Sixty eight young students welcomed us with bright smiles and curiosity, but their lives were mostly limited to the hostel walls. That visit stayed with me. It showed me that development is not only about facilities or access, but also about giving space to dream and grow.

In the months that followed, much of our work focused on addressing gaps in documentation within the ST community. Instead of holding large camps, we worked closely with ST promoters, who are community members acting as a link between households and the Tribal Development Department. Through patient follow ups and regular conversations, we identified missing documents and worked to close those gaps. Today, Kozhikode is close to achieving 100 percent ABCD documentation, a milestone made possible by the relentless efforts of our senior interns and mentors, who had already carried much of the work forward. By the time we joined, much of the groundwork was already in place, allowing us to build on their foundation.

Still, DCIP was never only about numbers. It was also about human moments that touched the heart.

The exposure trip we organised for the hostel students is one memory I will always carry with me. At the Regional Science Centre and Planetarium, I saw their eyes widen as they looked at the stars and explored the exhibits. Later at Kozhikode Beach, they ran, played, and laughed like children should. The most special part was their meeting with District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh IAS, who reminded them that their dreams matter. I could see those words sink in, giving them a sense of confidence.

For me, as someone who studied mathematics, DCIP became an unexpected bridge. Concepts like problem solving, precision and optimisation, which I had earlier seen in abstract form, suddenly took shape in the field. Analysing data gaps, spotting patterns and designing solutions required the same discipline of thought, but this time they were tied to real people and their lives. It reminded me that academic knowledge finds its deepest meaning when it touches communities.

Looking back, what began with hesitation has become a journey of confidence and clarity. The pace that once felt difficult to keep up with became the very reason I grew stronger. What I hold with me now are not just the milestones, but also the small but powerful memories: the laughter of children on the beach, the relief of families receiving long awaited documents, and the quiet reassurance that even small efforts can create change.

For me, DCIP has been more than an internship. It has been a classroom without walls, a place of unlearning and relearning, and above all, a reminder that good governance is about giving dignity and opportunity to every person.