|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
An Uncivil Servant: An autobiography of Ravi Mohan Sethi as told to Ashok Lavasa The narrative goes to show how the values given to him by his grandfather, shaped Sethi’s life. These values were— charkha (self reliance), chakki (hard work) te sarfa (thrift). The first part narrates his childhood and the formative influences of post- Partition Allahabad on refugee families. The next half records his struggles and triumphs. Satirically, it lays bare the governments policies like garabi hatao; MISA, that gave a chance to officials and politicians to make money and criminalise people; loopholes in assessment in drought hit areas and the relief and states like Bihar which exaggerated their woes to seek central assistance that has become a form of conduct in our federal setup. He also has a dig at his colleagues who prided themselves “on being accompanied by a personal security officer with flashing colourful lights atop colourless Ambassadors.” He comes heavily with his unspent fury on the politicians, who did not flinch a bit in bribing the common man to vote in their favour while distributing blankets, sweets and money, whilst giving an account of parliamentary elections at Nanital. Sethi did not step back from even ignoring the unjustified orders of various Chief Ministers and even the Prime Minister once. It would be quite pertinent to quote a small incident of such a nature here to substantiate Sethi’s unswerving resoluteness. When N.D. Tiwari, the reigning CM, ordered Sethi to arrest a man under MISA to oblige an Admiral of the Indian Navy. Sethi’s curt refusal upset the CM: “He said in a tone of surprising supplication, ‘Aap meri naukri ley lenge kya? Aap ko maine PM house ke kagaz dikha diye. Aap kya meri naukri he le ke chhodenge … Like a victor pretending to be the vanquished, I (Sethi) replied, ‘Nahin sir, aap meri naukri le sakte hain. Mujhe yahan se badal dijeye’ … Sir, I cannot make a criminal out of somebody who is not really a criminal. This is a civil litigation. It can be resolved without arresting anyone.” The reward that usually followed such honesty was frequent transfers. The political masters decided to play their innings with new instruments of their choice, shunting Sethi, whenever he posed difficulty for them. Sethi’s resignation in 1992 raises many queries in the readers’ minds as to why he left the IAS when there was a likelihood of reaching the top civil service position; whether he relinquished his service because he felt the ground of civil services had already brought the best in him and it was high time he tried his potential elsewhere; Was it his satisfaction with the system that had allowed him to find a proud station in life or his dissatisfaction with a setup that did not let him exercise his will unfettered can be an easy guess. The cover page design showing an ant moving up, bears significance and carry the multi-layered meaning of An Uncivil Servant (with the word ‘servant’ broken into two Serv/ant). It goes to show how a civil servant is branded uncivil for not blindly following the orders of crafty politicians but maintaining his unflinching uprightness, serves the nation like an ant. Ashok Lavasa is a dexterous storyteller. He has a simple, lucid style laced with aphorisms, imparts an interesting veiled commentary on the flawed system, while unfolding the life of a man of action. The book is a must read for all, especially the public servants.
|
.jpg)
The book vividly recounts the life of a refugee’s son, from Allahabad to the halls of bureaucracy. Unveiling the private and public realms of Sethi’s life, the intimate and inspiring account gives the reader a peak into the various trappings of the government. 