Sevice Uninterrupted - About the book - 16 Dec 2022

Service Uninterrupted

T

hroughout my service in IAS, the UNICEF and as Governor, I tried to live up to the promise I gave to the Union Public Service Commission that recruited me that by joining the Service, I would

serve the people. In every post that I held, I had the best opportunities and I had striven to make the best use of them to benefit people and the Book records how I tried to do it.

These memoirs have been written somewhat belatedly, as I thought, with the passage of time, the objectivity with which they are written would be better. Lest some important points are forgotten, I had made detailed notes of all that took place during the five eventful years that I had the privilege of being the Governor of Odisha, beginning my tenure in a turbulent time when the State was reeling under the impact of the unprecedented supercyclone the like of which Odisha had never experienced before and the State Government itself became rudderless.

The

mandate given to me by the Prime Minister was clear that with my experience in administration in dealing with calamities and organizing relief and rehabilitation work, I should take the initiative whenever necessary and he told the Chief Minister Shri Gamang that he should let himself be guided by the Governor which the Chief Minister acknowledged in our very first meeting, that he would quite willingly go by my advice in matters relating to dealing with the supercyclone. We developed a good working relationship and this lasted even with his successors in office. The Book devotes a lot of space detailing how I helped the people of Orissa even within the Constitutional limits set for the Governor.

I worked with three Chief Ministers during my five years term, Shri Gamang, Shri Hemanand Biswal and Shri Naveen Patnaik. All the three fully cooperated with me, taking my advice whenever necessary. Of the three, the longest period of nearly four and half years was with Shri Naveen Patnaik, who though new to state administration, picked up his work very fast and was determined to provide a clean administration for the state. His willingness to accept advice and keeping me informed of all important state matters were indeed admirable. That he won many elections and still continues to be the Chief Minister speaks volumes about his ability to meet the aspirations of the people of Orissa.

I have chosen to write the memoirs of my Odisha experience in the form of a Diary as they encapsulated a wide range of activities spread over five years and it would be difficult to put them under different subjects. The reader may note that as Governor, I had got myself involved in several activities which all Governors do not always do. I had made use of all the powers given to the Governor in the Constitution to the fullest extent, particularly asking for any information from the Government and giving advice to Government from time to time, which invariably was accepted.

Regarding Universities, I had a free hand to do whatever was necessary to modernize, restructure whatever necessary and insulate them from political interference, giving the academics their rightful due. The Orissa Universities Act, like some other State Universities Acts, provided this kind of independence to the Governor as Chancellor to act, without being hamstrung by the advice of the Council of Ministers. The Chief Ministers respected this position.

Whatever I could do in Odisha would clearly show that the Governor need not be a mere figurehead but one who can contribute to the running of the State by good and timely advice and suggestions not depending only on his past experience but

going out into the field and learning about the practical problems faced by the people.

If this book, at least in a small way, achieves its purpose to make it known to the people of the country and may be even to present Governors, how Governors can function effectively without just being figure heads, it would have more than fulfilled its purpose.

For my earlier experiences, my early childhood, as a student in schools and College and as a bureaucrat, I have heavily relied upon my memory, except for my Chief Secretary days for which I had some notes. Not born with a silver spoon, I had to struggle to work my way up with diligence and with encouragement and support from my parents and teachers and above all by God who guided me at every stage in my life. This is also an example to many aspiring youngsters that by hard and focussed work, it is possible to achieve great heights without compromising integrity. I trust that there are many things in this book which a bureaucrat may find useful in facing problems that he encounters and some tips to facilitate his day to day work. I have tried to capture the special problems that the Chief Secretary had to face when the State Government was functioning with a Central Government not well disposed to it and the opposition parties taking advantage of the situation to destabilize the Government.

Though the administrative environment has now

undergone many changes, many problems that a bureaucrat has to face still remain.

In my formative years of public service, the book reflects how I was mentored by such outstanding selfless leaders as Shri Kamaraj, Shri Bhakthavatsalam, Thiru C.N. Annadurai and at the international level by Mr James Grant, head of UNICEF, all of whom not only guided me but showered their affection and encouragement to me in my work. Shri Karunanidhi, as Chief Minister in his earlier term, had entrusted very important positions to me even when I was comparatively a junior officer, to whom I am grateful for the confidence he had in me and Ms Mamata Banerjee as

Minister of State in the Ministry in which I worked as Secretary was of immense support to me and had unhesitatingly stood by me in difficult times. I owe a lot to Shri A.B. Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister who gave recognition to my worth and appointed me, a person with no political clout, as Governor and gave me full support.

There was not even one occasion which I can recollect when he or his deputy Shri L.K. Advani ever interfered in the discharge of my constitutional responsibilities but on the other hand went the extra mile to meet my requests which I placed before them for the benefit of the people of Odisha.

As I place this book in the public domain, it is my fervent wish that it will benefit the readers, the public who are interested to know how the bureaucracy works and some tips to serving bureaucrats in handling situations. As the book has been written candidly, there may be some references to official conversations, which by sheer efflux of time or already published in the media, may not be classified any more.

If I have inadvertently offended any person or persons, I tender my

unqualified apologies to them.

I thank all the readers who have chosen to read this book and look forward to getting suggestions from them. ******