Ajit Kumar Ghorai lost his father at a young age and had to support his mother and siblings through school. He received degrees in mathematics and economics and had a long career in the Indian civil service, rising to a senior role. Throughout his career, he found ways to integrate his personal, family, and community interests with his work, such as by pursuing linguistics which connected him with an influential linguist and helped rural communities. He refused to compromise his principles or family for his career, setting a good example of balancing different life domains.

1. AJIT KUMAR GHORAI
(MY GRANDFATHER)
Leadership Biography, Arun Roy, Spring
2012

2. Biographical Sketch
 Lost his father when he was in
University
 Supported mother and raised
siblings
 Completed Math Undergrad, Econ
Masters at Calcutta University
 Joined civil service, first at state
level, then at federal
 Became a senior government
official by retirement

3. Domain Integration
 Self, Career & Community
 Self & Community – commitment to traditions and
nation
 Career – devoted to rural development
 Used abilities (Self) and access and connections
(Work) to deepen Community contributions
 E.g., pursued linguistics
hobby, set up French
language school and in
the process became
connected to a prominent
Indian linguist

4. Domain Integration
 Self, Career & Community
 E.g., lobbied government for funding for cash-starved
medical college
 E.g., helped arrange funding for homeless shelter
 E.g., taught at a college for
government officers after
retirement

5. Domain Integration
 Home & Self
 E.g., spirituality – together with wife became a
follower of a saint
 E.g., romantic expressions – wrote beautiful letters
and poems to his wife

6. Balancing Domains
 Refused to sacrifice Self to further Career
 E.g., refused to take bribes
 E.g., refused to bow to political pressure
 Refused to sacrifice Home to
further Career
 E.g., somehow children never
had to skip a year of school,
despite frequent transfers

7. Lessons Learned
 Choice of profession can be key to domain
integration
 Clever approaches can help integrate domains
 Improve by integrating Career and Home