Medha Roopam’s father, Gyanesh Kumar: How an IIT and Harvard-educated IAS officer rose to become India’s Chief Election Commissioner

Before he became the Chief Election Commissioner of India, and long before his daughter Medha Roopam began carving her own identity as a civil servant, Gyanesh Kumar was just a thoughtful teenager growing up in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. He had a sharp mind, a quiet confidence, and a curiosity about how things worked from machines to governments. While his daughter would later make headlines in her own right, it was Kumar’s educational journey that first set the tone for public service in the family.In February 2025, when he took charge as India’s 26th Chief Election Commissioner under a newly reformed appointment law, it wasn’t just the culmination of a long bureaucratic career, it was a story rooted in learning, adaptability, and a belief in institutions. His path, through IIT Kanpur, ICFAI, Harvard, and decades of governance, offers a valuable lesson for students today: education is not a destination, but a launchpad.

A young mind in Kanpur: Building more than structures

In 1981, Gyanesh Kumar entered IIT Kanpur to pursue civil engineering. For someone from a small-town background, this was no small feat. IIT Kanpur was (and still is) one of India’s most competitive academic environments, and the early 1980s were a time of transformative scientific thinking on campus.But Kumar wasn’t just there to study structures. The IIT environment challenged him to think in systems, about how to define problems clearly, analyse data rigorously, and design solutions efficiently. These were not just engineering skills, they were habits of thought that would later shape his decision-making in administration and policy.

The pivot to economics and finance

After joining the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1988, Kumar quickly realised that public administration wasn’t only about rules and procedures. It was about people, resources, and impact. To bridge that gap, he chose to return to learning, not through formal degrees alone, but through targeted, career-aligned education.He completed a course in Business Finance at ICFAI, equipping himself with the language of budgets, fiscal policy, and cooperative finance. Later, he pursued Environmental Economics at the Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) in the United States. This course gave him a global lens on sustainable development, blending economic theory with real-world ecological impact.At Harvard, Kumar interacted with policy professionals from around the world, enriching his understanding of how large-scale systems, from water to welfare, are planned and managed in democracies.

From defence to grassroots reform

Armed with this interdisciplinary foundation, Kumar built a civil service career that spanned multiple ministries and historic moments:

• As Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence (2007–2012), he was involved in defence production and procurement during a critical time for India’s military modernisation.
• He later served as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, where he played a role in managing internal security and policy coordination.
• As Parliamentary Affairs Secretary, he helped navigate the complex interface between bureaucracy and legislature.

But perhaps his most transformative role came as Co-operation Secretary. Here, he:

• Piloted the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2023, aimed at bringing transparency and efficiency to thousands of cooperative institutions.
• Supervised the formation of three key national cooperative bodies: Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), and National Cooperative Export Limited (NCEL).
• Spearheaded the CRCS–Sahara refund portal, allowing genuine depositors to reclaim their long-stuck savings: a massive logistical and trust-building exercise.

Each of these interventions reflected the impact of his education: engineering’s clarity, finance’s precision, and environmental economics’ systems thinking.

The road to Nirvachan Sadan

On 19 February 2025, Gyanesh Kumar was appointed Chief Election Commissioner of India, becoming the first person to assume the role under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023. The new law replaced the earlier system of executive discretion with a more structured, parliamentary-backed selection process.While many Chief Election Commissioners come from legal or political science backgrounds, Kumar brought something different: an engineer’s logic, a reformer’s mindset, and a lifelong learner’s humility.In a time when India’s electoral machinery faces increasing scrutiny, both domestically and globally, his leadership rests on a solid foundation of technical insight and institutional integrity.

The mindset that shapes leaders

Today, Medha Roopam’s father isn’t just a public official; he’s a case study in how education, when pursued sincerely and strategically, can create multi-generational impact. His daughter, a bright civil servant herself, is now following in his footsteps, guided by the same values of purpose, learning, and service.For students and parents alike, Gyanesh Kumar’s journey is a reminder that what you learn matters, but so does how you apply it. A degree from IIT or Harvard is powerful, yes—but it’s the commitment to growth, reform, and public good that truly defines a career.TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here.



_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}