I have been in Andhra cadre and have worked in Andhra Pradesh since 1993. I decided to come on deputation to Delhi primarily because my parents stay in Delhi and i wanted to spend time with them.
Having worked now for eight months in Delhi as Director, I find lots of differences,professionally, between working in a State and in Government of India.
On the negative side, life in Delhi is tough. One doesnt get a driver in Delhi at the Director level and one also doesnt get an official car, unless you are in one of the Ministries with better internal infrastructure. It also dawns quickly that we are only one of the middle level bureaucrats in hierarchy and one doesnt get the sort of administrative freedom as one would have in the State. It is also surprising how one's expected to the glued to his seat, literally. We are also not the masters of our time or work most of the times. I miss my gym and swimming in Hyderabad. I miss going out to Qmart on weekends and I miss my time when I used to paint or read. There seems to be just no time for these activities in Delhi. These are self-indulgences I miss. Its been a 12-13 hours schedule daily including travel time.
However, there are few positives. Being in Delhi at the Director's level is a great leveller. One becomes humble! On a serious note, its an excellent training in how to draft the important agenda notes such as the ones for Cabinet. One gets a feel of policy structure at the national level and I suppose, a stint of 1-2 years as a Director is a must if one intends to be a Joint Secretary in Government of India and an effective one.
I would say that my feelings are mixed as of now.....
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