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Memoirs
A Cold Autumn Morning in
Srinagar
by
K. Gajendra Singh
 It was early
morning end October 1961 at the Tourist Reception Centre in Srinagar. We
were a bunch of hundred odd new entrants called probationers belonging
to the Indian Foreign Service and the Indian Administrative Service
undergoing training to man India's diplomatic missions abroad and civil
service jobs all over India. We had arrived from Mussourie by train to
Udhampur and a day long bumpy journey in military trucks for attachment
with military units in Jammu and Kashmir for a feel of army life and its
mission, learn about the state's administration and savor its fabulous
scenic and historic sights. Reaching late the night before and fatigued
we had hastily washed up, had our dinner and went promptly to sleep. We
were now waiting for water to be heated up in tin canisters to shower
and cleanse ourselves.
We had completed a 16 week long common basic training course along with
entrants from other services like; Police, Railways, Audit and Accounts,
Customs, Excise and Income tax at Indian Academy of Administration in
the sylvan surroundings of Mussourie, a hill station in Uttar Pradesh,
built up by the British to escape the sizzling heat of the plains. Apart
from learning the basics of history, law, economics and other subjects,
this course provided an opportunity to befriend other civil servants for
possibly later in life resolving problems involving inter-services
cooperation and coordination. Our class of 1961 remains close, meeting
once a month for lunch in Delhi or elsewhere, a practice still on after
retirement, though not that regularly .
There were only five lady probationers out of around 275, unlike later
batches with a larger lady numbers and no romance blossomed resulting in
matrimony. In the absence of much private industry with most of the
development undertaken by the state, the civil services were the most
sought after profession with senior bureaucrats and well off parents
turning up to bag bridegrooms for their daughters. We were young, mostly
between 22 years and 25 years, fresh from universities, uncorrupted and
idealistic who could be molded into upright servants of the state. As if
a life long role of a policeman, a diplomat or an administrator was
allotted which we tried to live up, to the best of our ability. Barring
some black sheep, most remained upright and honest civil servants unlike
now when the black sheep appear to be preponderant, with some states
even voting for the most corrupt officer.
Fortunately in 1960s the ruling political class was yet to be
criminalized or in collusion with money bags. Unlike today, there was
little presence of cine film stars or sportsmen who now seamlessly move
into politics turning politics into a Nautanki –almost a charade.
Barring exceptions, behind most frauds and crimes in India now; from
Telgi to Satyam there is a political hand. With little statutory
protection life is difficult for honest and upright civil servants. An
IAS officer from northern state told me in 1976 that ministers and other
politicians at least showed some sense of shame when accepting bribes
but in ten years time the officers felt embarrassed while the
politicians blithely took bribes or indulged in other wrong doings. Some
two decades ago an upstart loud mouthed minister in Delhi described the
head of his department as nothing more than a servant to obey his
dictates.
Reportedly jobs are sold and promotions and transfers are sometimes
auctioned. So, many entrants into civil services today in a highly
corrupted environment wanting to make a fast buck join the bandwagon of
one politician or the other. Among the law makers now there are many
proclaimed criminals, village goons or urban riff raff who pride in
breaking the laws. A 1995 report by NN Vohra, a former Union home
secretary observed, "A network of mafias is virtually running a
parallel government in India, pushing the state apparatus into
irrelevance." The report recognized that "a cancerous growth of
criminal gangs, drug mafias, smuggling gangs and economic lobbies in the
country had developed an intensive network of contacts with bureaucrats
and politicians." The lawmakers can be seen fighting in central and
state legislators, a habit fast spreading among other sections of the
society .Elections is only a tool of democracy. Rule of law, equality of
all before law is the essence of democracy. Unfortunately even the
judiciary has been infected with many retired and serving judicial
luminaries bemoaning this fact corroborated by Transparency
International and Human Rights Watch.
Preoccupied with grabbing power and hanging on to it by hook or crook,
the barely educated ruling elite would hardly comprehend that most
nations or empires beginning from the Roman, then the Byzantines or
Arabs or the Ottomans had origins of decay and fall in the corrosion and
dismantling of the ruling institutions. The Indian scene is reminiscent
of the decaying Mughal era. Unfortunately the founding fathers of the
Indian Constitution, straight jacketed a vast and diverse country like
India into the British Isles two party system with no possibility of
review and change. Having been ruled and educated under the British they
knew no better. Many countries have chopped and changed Constitutions
when necessary to accommodate new facts and problems or even jettisoned
them. These include among others France, Russia, Turkey, Israel. But
being worshipper of ancient traditions we would if we could be governed
by old scriptures. Coalition regimes are being enshrined as another form
of Dharma, as if derived from Puranas or Vedas. It has made politics a
daily theatre with peoples interest a major casualty.
But let us revert to that cold autumn morning in Srinagar. There were
five of us sharing a largish room awaiting hot water to be brought up to
the bathroom. One of us would not wait .He marched in, had a shower and
came out muttering some mantras, looking pink and fresh as daisy as if
it was the most natural thing to do. Almost shivering we were awed. Tall
and wiry with shaven head and a military gait he had a Brahmchari's
(celibate's) gaze and halo. Some of us wondered if he had not wandered
up from the Military Academy in Dehradun down below. With his abstemious
and austere habits some called him Buddha .His name is Tejender Khanna,
who now sports an aging matinee idol like elegant silvery full hair,
into his second tenure as the Lt Governor of Delhi state. Yes, sometimes
he gets into trouble for plain speaking. A successful Punjab state
officer he retired as department head of the commerce and trade ministry
in New Delhi.
This nonchalant act of bravado inspired another probationer to do like
wise. So murmuring a Ghalib couplet, he duly entered the bathroom while
others watched for an encore. After some gurgling noise of a running tap
there was a shriek and then quiet. But soon things cleared up. The
bathroom door clanged open and coming out completely dry, he mumbled,
"the water is freezing cold ". "But what was that shriek for", we asked.
"Well, I was only testing the water with my finger." Careful as if born
with a goatee this was Mohammad Hamid Ansari, who before being elected
to the office of the Vice-President of India served as Chairman of the
Minorities Commission and Vice-Chancellor of his Alma mater at Aligarh.
He was a distinguished diplomat having headed Indian missions in New
York, Riyadh, Tehran, Kabul, Canberra and Abu Dhabi.
While all this was happening another probationer, just coming out of
sleep, raised his head slightly, but still tucked under the quilt and
took in the whole scene in one swift glance. His eyes fell on the
adjoining bed which was already done nice and proper, everything in
order with slippers under the bed. Looking at the occupant of this bed,
irritated, he enquired, 'Perhaps you can also cook . You seem to be so
well organized, why would you ever need to get married, you joker". This
was Jimmy Lyngdoh, who after retirement became the Chief Election
Commissioner of India and established a high bench mark for honesty and
probity and took no nonsense from interfering politicos, specially while
supervising elections in controversy riddled state of Gujarat in 2003.
The one who received a mouthful was gentleman diplomat Satinder Puri. He
married a Polish lady after overcoming many hurdles. He was last heard
having settled around Milan, where he was once posted, reportedly
running a restaurant .
K Gajendra Singh, Indian ambassador
(retired), served as ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan from August
1992 to April 1996. Prior to that, he served terms as ambassador to
Jordan, Romania and Senegal. He is currently chairman of the Foundation
for Indo-Turkic Studies. Copy right with the author. E-mail:
Gajendrak@hotmail.com
February 22 , 2008
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