A critical assessment of civil services
Belu Jain Maheshwari

Journeys through Babudom and Netaland: Governance in India
by T. S. R. Subramanian. Rupa & Co, New Delhi. Pages 360. Rs 395

IN India, the Indian Administrative Service or the IAS is the most coveted job. It provides not only security, a good salary, perks, status and fringe benefits but also participation in governance of the country. Any IAS officer has many anecdotes to narrate about fellow officers, political bosses and the events which are of far reaching consequences.

When the IAS officer has T.S.R. Subramanian's illustrious service record, he can spill the beans on some of the most important developments and personalities of his times. He joined the service in 1962 and was allocated the most populous state Uttar Pradesh, which was the hub of politics, the home of most of independent India's Prime Ministers. It is also one of the states where administration is slackest, corruption most rampant. He went on deputation to Government of India from UP followed by a UNO posting in Geneva, back to UP and then Government of India again.

The book is autobiographical combining anecdotes and brief character sketches of some of the most powerful people, Subramanian's own experiences in administration, his moments of frustration and achievements. It roughly documents, through a personal narrative, 40 years of Indian politics and bureaucracy. The author also analyses the system, gives his opinions and tries to give a blueprint for good governance.

Subramanian joined as Assistant Commissioner undertraining in Mussoorie from where he was sent to Moradabad. He narrates the initial difficulties he faced in adjustment to the Mai-Baap culture of the Hindi heartland. One of the first lessons he learnt was to "not sign any paper unnecessarily. Keep your options and opinions open at all times". This dictum is taken to ridiculous lengths by a sizeable number of bureaucrats who go through their careers spanning decades never applying their minds to any file nor ever speaking their mind. The narrative follows a chronological order of his postings, restricted to the authors' official life, with very little insight into his personal life.

As is the case with most autobiographies, there is a tendency of observing and personalising issues. The view is also unidimensional. Some small facts are highlighted while major happenings like the Emergency are largely brushed aside. It is only the forced implementation of family planning that comes in for some criticism. The book is dotted with self-praise and glosses over events in which the author was involved. During the Emergency period, when most of the bureaucracy was a tool or at best a mute spectator of the dictatorial regime, Subramanian was Secretary to the Chief Minster of UP N D Tiwari, a Sanjay Gandhi acolyte according to press reports. He justifies getting this posting saying that he had got it presumably for his reputation for hard work and sincerity. He lends further credibility to the extraconstitutional authority of the time saying that "only the utter failure of the normal systems and the non-existence of bonafide machinery had led to the creation of this special channel during the Emergency."

Some observations show that Subramanian was the quintessential IAS officer. When commenting on the judiciary, his bias in the old tussle for supremacy between the executive and the judiciary spills out. At the best of times, the executive-judiciary relationship is uneasy, particularly at the district level. In the see-saw balance of power, the executive had the upper hand in the initial decades after Independence but it has tilted towards the judiciary now. The anomalies in the judicial system come in for severe criticism. "In India, the judicial system is meant for the benefit of lawyers," he maintains.

As a Joint Secretary in Commerce Ministry, GOI and as a Senior Advisor at the International Trade Centre in Geneva, he developed a thorough insight into how international trade agreements were influenced. He is strongly critical of the American methods, its strong arm tactics, and the control they exercise on the U N bodies. America was powerful enough to jettison multilateralism and embrace the bilateral route.

IAS-bashing is a common enough phenomenon, and if it is done by an ex-Cabinet Secretary, it becomes more authentic. The highlight of the book is a critical assessment of the service. He is unsparing and analyses the Civil Service ruthlessly. "Are these dacoits more dangerous than the IAS officers of India," is one such comment.

Subramanian who was part of the service and held the highest office of the Cabinet Secretary should have pushed for changes in the service. It is always easy to pass judgement than bring about changes, "so pusillanimous are our senior bureaucrats" is another quote on the IAS. Even the use of wives to win favour of the Governor Chenna Reddy is mentioned. He describes bureaucrats as those persons "need to be tamed and controlled for them to be productive and useful. Otherwise they are by nature like wild unattained horses, arrogant and lazy."

In the book, Netaland seems to come out better than babudom. Government servants should only express opinions on files and even verbally on a particular case but they have ultimately to carry out the order given on the file of the executive head who is the elected representative. Mulayam Singh's address to the IAS officers of UP is of particular importance. "You all have such excellent minds and education -- you are all respect by society -- why do you come and touch my feet? Why do you come to me for personal favours? When you do so, I will do as you desire and then extract my price from you". It was an amazing statement because it succinctly summed up the situation and pinpointed the reason for the collapse of the steel frame.

The book is interesting, giving a perspective on the system. It spans a wide panorama and is both an indictment and a lesson in good governance. Subramanian was a thinking, erudite bureaucrat whose recollections are compiled in an interesting and readable form. If we had more people who penned their lives and times, increasing chances of people spilling the beans on others, it might deter wrongdoers.

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