A touching gesture by a superior

IN December 1977, I was posted as the Deputy Inspector General in charge of investigation in the Justice Shah Commission of Enquiry, which was set up by then Janata Party government to probe the alleged subversion of lawful processes and established conventions and other excesses committed during the Emergency.

The secretary of the commission, PR Rajgopal, a former Commissioner of Police, Delhi, would brook no nonsense and make no compromise. But at the same time, he was warm and considerate. He was driving us hard to finish the work within the one year allotted to the commission. Both he and Justice Shah were very clear that our investigations should be transparent and aboveboard and must not be soiled by dubious and questionable methods. To a large extent, this was taken care of.

One day, my wife rang me up and said that our younger son had been experiencing abdominal pain since the morning and had got no relief even after taking painkillers. I returned home in the evening and we took him to a nearby hospital. The doctor was not able to diagnose the ailment and only said that the child had to be kept under observation for a few more hours. With this pronouncement, he left the room and did not return.

Our son was writhing in pain. My wife was in tears and I was at my wits’ end, petrified by anxiety and not knowing what was to be done. In that moment of despair, I rang up Rajgopal. He was not at his residence. I left a message that on his return he may ring me at the hospital. Within an hour, Rajgopal called up. I told him about my emergency. His response was prompt. He promised to rush to the hospital with a doctor. True to his word, he arrived with a specialist, who examined my son and said it was a case of acute appendicitis, a rare ailment for a child, and suggested an immediate operation.

At Rajgopal’s request, the child specialist himself performed the operation. Later, the doctor told me that it had been a close shave. Delay would have made the operation hazardous and endangered the child’s life. My son stayed in the hospital for a few days before being discharged. Soon, he was his old self.

Even now, almost four decades later, I recall that evening in the hospital when Rajgopal appeared like a saviour, not a tough boss but a warm-hearted and compassionate leader with deep concern for his subordinates. Such a spontaneous gesture forges unbreakable bonds between the team leader and his men. Indeed, Rajgopal was a wonderful leader and a grand coordinator. When I expressed my gratitude to him, he simply said: ‘Just do the same to your subordinates when they turn to you for help.’