Click to Expand & Play

IAS officer Dr Divya S Iyer has accepted both criticism as well as praise after a video of her went viral on social media.

In this video from Kerala, District Collector Iyer is seen holding his newborn son in a public event.

Defending himself on this, he said that he is a "24x7 mother and 24x7 district collector". 

Dr Divya S Iyer, Collector, Pathanamthitta told NDTV: "As the name of your channel suggests, I am a 24x7 mother and 24x7 district collector. We women play 24x7 roles in life where we cannot afford to shift Can."

She said that a working mother does not mean that she takes her job responsibilities less seriously.

On the importance of striking the right balance between work and life, she said, "One of the ways I try to maintain that balance is to try to spend quality time with my son and try to give him varied experiences. "

Dr Iyer said he hopes such discussions will "make workplaces in the country more conducive to women, children and families."

These questions are being raised after Collector Divya S Iyer brought her son to the closing ceremony of a film festival and gave a speech with a three-and-a-half-year-old child in her lap.

Critics are questioning whether this is 'fair'?

On the other hand, her husband, who stood in support of Iyer, linked it to the many roles played by women and their right to spend time with their child.

State Assembly Deputy Speaker Chittayam Gopakumar, one of the organizers of the 6th International Film Festival of Adoor, shared a video of the collector with his son at the closing ceremony of the three-day event on October 30 on his Facebook page.

After this this incident gave rise to controversy.

However, he later deleted the video from his Facebook handle.

In the video, Iyer can be seen lovingly talking to her while sitting on the stage with her child, hugging her and later standing up to deliver the speech.

A large number of people are criticizing Divya S Iyer.

He says that this act was inappropriate for a high-ranking official, but many others raised their voice in support of the collector and cited the example of New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern.

Jacinda made history by bringing her three-month-old daughter to the United Nations General Assembly in 2018.

When Jacinda gave her speech at a UN peace summit, her partner Clark Gayford held the baby in her arms.

This incident had created a lot of discussion around the world.