M. Sivaguru Prabhakaran

| Photo Credit: L. BALACHANDAR

Thanking Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, newly appointed Ramanathapuram Collector M. Sivaguru Prabhakaran on Thursday said he would strive hard to take the district to the top in all spheres with the support of the people.The new Collector, iwho wore a blazer, read out from a prepared text in Tamil about his past, which was personal and emotional.Mr. Prabhakaran said he was brought up in a difficult family background by his parents and grand parents from Thanjavur district. The spark to pursue civil services was lit after hearing a lecture by IAS officer J. Radhakrishnan on ‘You too can become a District Collector.’After getting his engineering degree, he did his Masters from IIT-Madras and then successfully got into the Indian Engineering Service. However, the fire inside him to become an IAS officer made him spend days and nights with his books. With not much resources, he relied more on his seniors and their guidance, which pushed him to take up the UPSC exam as a challenge.The young man’s dream did not go in vain, as Mr Sivaguru Prabhakran was the topper in Tamil Nadu, holding the third rank in 2018 batch, and he also stood 101st in the all-India ranking. He never looked back and took up every posting in Tamil Nadu sincerely.The maiden assignment was in Tirunelveli, where he worked as AC (Training), then moved to Dindigul and Kanniyakumari district as Sub-Collector. Subsequently, he was posted as Deputy Regional Commissioner in Chennai Corporation, where he learnt the nuances of the role of the civic body.During the last two-and-a-half-years, he served as Commissioner, Coimbatore Corporation, where he was instrumental in establishing the Semmozhi Park, hockey ground et al. He bagged the Chief Minister’s award for his exemplary services at an young age.He thanked his wife and his teacher Ashok Kumar and sought the support of the media in bringing issues to his knowledge, saying he would do his best to redress them. “With the State government focused on development and growth, I will work with the officials in the district and make sure that the benefits reach the needy,” he added. Published - June 04, 2026 07:27 pm IST