Strictly speaking, I do not belong to the vaunted 1953 batch and can therefore speak freely! No one saw me when the Boys and the solitary Girl of the batch assembled at the Training School in Chennai (it was Madras then), in December 1953. Nobody will see me at Noida in November 2003.
I took the competitive examination in 1952 all right, and joined the coveted Service in December 1952 too, but at Rewa, the then Capital of the Part-C State of Vindhya Pradesh, now dead and gone. I had been working in the Comptroller's office and some one in the CAG's office had decided that having gone through the SAS drill I knew enough of the FR's and the Codes already to need further training. The deprived me of the paid holiday, which the others enjoyed as also the company of of the batch-mates as a flock. The first of these birds to come my way was Dilip, Chokru to friends, who having it not become a VIP son-in-law yet, had been pushed to Shillong where I discovered him marking time.Soon enough, after attaining VIP-hood, he moved to Delhi and most surprisingly I followed him there within days! I shall explain later how this miracle happened, but it was this shift to Delhi that put me in touch with the bulk of the flock who sort of flew in to Delhi enmasse and made me one of them. But there were important gaps and the list of missing was headed by the solitary miss whose bewitching charm ha remained to me, to this day, a matter of hearsay+ only! This list also included V.R.Kate, in my judgement the most talented member of the batch - with the possible exception of V.K.Subramaniam who befriended me in distant Nagaland during his "Blue" period (Circa 1974) when the hostile Hills of the mini-State came alive on innumerable VKS canvases. Kate was a bird of entirely different feather who, given a chance would rather paint the Hills Red! His mastery over several languages including Sanskrit and Marathi enabled him to write stories and articles for which Periodicals actually made cash payments for the privilege of printing them (editor, please note!). Kate managed his day-to-day expenses within these extra pennies and the pounds were salted away for other, more pleasant purposes. Naturally, he never married! Very dark in complexion, he used his considerable savings to make trips abroad from time to time to countries like Australia and Canada where a dark skin was not a disadvantage but an added attraction.
I met Kate for the first time in my government flat (D-II/A-39) in Motibagh, New Delhi. The bell rang, I opened the door and saw a white bandh-gala coat - Kate's black trousers and shoes and dark hair all being equally invisible in the early morning darkness of a Delhi winter. Then the Coat extended a hand and announced itself (in English): "I am Kate, and I have come for a shave"!
Thanks to Chokru, I placed Kate immediately and invited him in, gave him the shaving gear and the use of the bathroom. After the operation was over, Kate emerged from the b.r bleeding profusely from several cuts on the cheek. Perhaps he had not had the use of a virgin (blade) for quite some time! We had an early breakfast and as we ate and talked I figured out why Kate had to call on us that morning. He was staying as the guest of Dubious Sachdeva, another batch mate, who lived across the road from us. Now Dubious' real name was DBS, the last letter standing for 'Singh" and like all good Sardars he also sported an impressive beard! The good host that he was, Dubious could and did provide his guest board and lodging, but shaving tackle he just did not have. Of course there were many other service colleagues in the mohalla, including Chokru himself. But Dubious selected me, and Kate and I met for the first time, almost four years after joining the service. The next meeting took place 15 years later, in Kohima. V.K. the Painter had not yet put in an appearance there and I used to host all visits of service colleagues to that hill station. Kate had been posted then to Shillong as Addl, AG (Assam). Stories, untrue, of whiskey galore in Nagaland may have prompted him to visit Kohima. I housed him in the VIP Guest House and told the Manager to look after him well, etc. But what a disappointment it was for Kate that whiskey did not flow free or freely! I could not help him either, firstly because I was a teetotaler and secondly because Scotch, which Kate wanted, was totally beyond my means. After he had made it clear that it was pointless to visit Kohima if he did not get even one peg of whiskey, I decided to appeal to a Naga officer (in the IAS) who was known to be fond of the bottle and a generous host. Though named Iyer, SM, he was a true born Naga,of the Ao tribe and no relation of Iyer, Ramaswami the numero uno of the '53 batch. This Iyer (Sashi Meren) did not fail me and produced a fresh., large bottle of Scotch of excellent vintage when Kate and I stepped into his house. Patiala Pegs were poured out for Sashi and VinayakaNagas! Reading correctly the look in Kate's eyes, Sashi Meren actually offered him the precious bottle! My pride in the Service (IAAS) and the batch (1953) made me veto the idea. I was glad that Kate was to leave Kohima in the early hours of the morning, as it would be a black mark for the Service (and the Batch) if Kate were to attempt another swig at the bottle. I had however, reckoned without the well advertised attraction of the moth for the star; shortly after I had braved the early morning chill to see Kate off, I got a call from Iyer, not Ramaswami but Sashi - Kate had called on him and collected (should I say collared?) the bottle!!
Now the story of my shift from remote Shillong to New Delhi's Central Secretariat. I have earlier said that I joined the service at Rewa, the then Capital of Vindhya Pradesh It was a new office and a difficult one where to be effective one had to master more than 20 sets of Service and Pension Rules! And, I had charge of both GAD and Pension, being a sort of one-eyed man in the country of the blind. So I thought it would be a change for the better when I received orders to proceed to Shillong in June 1956. Going there I found that though an old office it was an even more difficult one. There were added areas like Tripura and Manipur (former Princely States) excluded areas like Nagaland, Mizoram and NEFA, Hill , Plain and Tribal areas like the Khasi Hills and Bodo pockets. Most of these areas have since become separate States and there are independent AG's offices for Account keeping and Auditing. In 1956 there were separate Sections only! Clever man that he was Dilip had opted for field audit and had the opportunity to visit the picturesque area of the North-Eastern Region well before they became famous after the invasion of 1962. One V.N. Singh was the A.G. and being one of the Princely State Officers absorbed into the cadre, he did have a soft spot for me as I had served in the Vindhya Pradesh office which looked after a State created by the amalgamation of many integrating States. This became clear when I stopped the pension of Rani Guidilieu (in the absence of timely renewal orders from Government). There was a rocket from Delhi as the Rani had direct access to Nehru. At that time I had not even heard of the stories regarding Pamela and Padmaja and was blissfully unaware of the importance of the Naga Rani. More that 15 years later when I had darshan of the Rani at Kohima, I realised that in her younger days the Rani could well have been the modern-day Arjun's Nag-Kanya Ulupi. In 1956 it was V.N. Singh's support that saved me. But V.N.Singh moved out soon after and we had to face P.D.Seth who came with the reputation of being a very hard task master and technically sound with the accounts jargon. It was sheer luck that put me in his good books.
My office in Shillong was initially located in an abandoned goods shed quite far from the 'main' office where the A.G. sat and ruled. The shed was also a good half hours walk from my residence; in Shillong if you did not have your own car you jolly well walked even though it rained non-stop from June to September (the first things you bought in Shillong were raincoats, umbrella's and extra pairs of shoes!). Seth had just arrived and we had only been introduced to him when one fine (sorry, rainy) morning I found that both the wristwatches and the solitary timepiece had stopped. In order not to be late for the office I got out of the house as soon as I was ready and, my face covered with the ubiquitous umbrella, I ran into Mr. Seth who was out on his morning walk. After the good mornings Seth ashed me where I was going. "Office" I said. "Office?" he asked, looked at his watch, smiled and said 'good" before resuming his walk.This gave Seth the idea that unlike Charles Lamb, who used to go to office always late, I went there pretty early. The next morning Seth told me that I was being wasted in the Cowshed and would I move to the Main Office and take over HAD, Treasury and Pension Sections? All these were believed to be in a mess!
That was why I was glancing through the incoming dak in the Pension section one morning when I noticed a letter from one B.M. Sen, The name rand a bell: he was the Principal of the College in Barisal - now in Bangladesh - where I had done my Intermediate. Sen had asked for the transfer of his pension from Shillong to Calcutta, and referring to that request and several subsequent reminders, he requested that the A.G. consider the hardship caused by non- drawl of pension for six months.
Instead of the usual "Early Please" direction, for this case I called the Superintendent, Ratish Dhar, and asked him to ensure that the authority to A.G. Bengal was issued that very day. Dhar demurred at first saying that the Special Seal Authority would have to be issued from Control Section. When I explained my own interest in the matter, Dhar personally carried the file at all stages and ensured that the SSA was actually dispatched the same day.
Next morning shortly after I reached the office, the phone rang and it was the A.G. asking me to see him. I walked up the steps and entered the big room. A stern faced Seth did not even ask me to sit down but picked up a letter from the dak-pad in front of him and flicked it over to me.
"Do you know anything about this?"
It was a D.O. from the Deputy CAG K.C. Chowdhury , asking for an immediate report on the delay in transferring a pension from Shillong to Calcutta. Yes, it was about B.M. Sen!
So I said "Yes, Sir"
AG: "What do you have to say?"
Self: "Sir, there was some delay initially, but the matter has been attended to."
AG: " Action completed?"
Self: "Yes, Sir"
AG: "Can you show me the papers"
I trotted down to my room, picked up the papers, which were fortunately still on my desk and trotted back in record time and handed the papers over. He looked at the last reminder, noted the date of receipt and the date of issue of the Authority letter and smiled and said - "Sit down".
The PA was summoned and a letter to the Dy. CAG dictated, expressing regret for the initial delay but confirming that the matter was disposed of promptly on receipt of the last reminder. Seth attributed the improvement in office efficiency to the " posting of some bright young officers to the office in the recent past".
I confess that I made no attempt to correct Seth's impression that all reminder were now receiving prompt attention! No suppressio veri, but suggestio falsi surely!
Shortly after the above-mentioned incident there was a visit to Shillong by the CAG, Ashoke Chande. I have no doubt P.D.Seth put in a word to him about his "bright young officers". Result: Dilip and in addition AJA Tauro and Arkayjee moved to Delhi, giving Arkayjee an opportunity to meet most of his batch mates.
Lesson: respect your teachers and be kind to all Pensioners.
* to the illustrious batch of 1953 generally and Vinayaka Ramachandra Kate in particular
+Do hope the brochure includes a photo of hers and I get a copy.
A daughter's note: He never got the brochure. If there is such a booklet and anyone reading this knows about it, would be grateful if a copy is sent, to be kept amongst his papers. Thanks
Now the story of my shift from remote Shillong to New Delhi's Central Secretariat. I have earlier said that I joined the service at Rewa, the then Capital of Vindhya Pradesh It was a new office and a difficult one where to be effective one had to master more than 20 sets of Service and Pension Rules! And, I had charge of both GAD and Pension, being a sort of one-eyed man in the country of the blind. So I thought it would be a change for the better when I received orders to proceed to Shillong in June 1956. Going there I found that though an old office it was an even more difficult one. There were added areas like Tripura and Manipur (former Princely States) excluded areas like Nagaland, Mizoram and NEFA, Hill , Plain and Tribal areas like the Khasi Hills and Bodo pockets. Most of these areas have since become separate States and there are independent AG's offices for Account keeping and Auditing. In 1956 there were separate Sections only! Clever man that he was Dilip had opted for field audit and had the opportunity to visit the picturesque area of the North-Eastern Region well before they became famous after the invasion of 1962. One V.N. Singh was the A.G. and being one of the Princely State Officers absorbed into the cadre, he did have a soft spot for me as I had served in the Vindhya Pradesh office which looked after a State created by the amalgamation of many integrating States. This became clear when I stopped the pension of Rani Guidilieu (in the absence of timely renewal orders from Government). There was a rocket from Delhi as the Rani had direct access to Nehru. At that time I had not even heard of the stories regarding Pamela and Padmaja and was blissfully unaware of the importance of the Naga Rani. More that 15 years later when I had darshan of the Rani at Kohima, I realised that in her younger days the Rani could well have been the modern-day Arjun's Nag-Kanya Ulupi. In 1956 it was V.N. Singh's support that saved me. But V.N.Singh moved out soon after and we had to face P.D.Seth who came with the reputation of being a very hard task master and technically sound with the accounts jargon. It was sheer luck that put me in his good books.
My office in Shillong was initially located in an abandoned goods shed quite far from the 'main' office where the A.G. sat and ruled. The shed was also a good half hours walk from my residence; in Shillong if you did not have your own car you jolly well walked even though it rained non-stop from June to September (the first things you bought in Shillong were raincoats, umbrella's and extra pairs of shoes!). Seth had just arrived and we had only been introduced to him when one fine (sorry, rainy) morning I found that both the wristwatches and the solitary timepiece had stopped. In order not to be late for the office I got out of the house as soon as I was ready and, my face covered with the ubiquitous umbrella, I ran into Mr. Seth who was out on his morning walk. After the good mornings Seth ashed me where I was going. "Office" I said. "Office?" he asked, looked at his watch, smiled and said 'good" before resuming his walk.This gave Seth the idea that unlike Charles Lamb, who used to go to office always late, I went there pretty early. The next morning Seth told me that I was being wasted in the Cowshed and would I move to the Main Office and take over HAD, Treasury and Pension Sections? All these were believed to be in a mess!
That was why I was glancing through the incoming dak in the Pension section one morning when I noticed a letter from one B.M. Sen, The name rand a bell: he was the Principal of the College in Barisal - now in Bangladesh - where I had done my Intermediate. Sen had asked for the transfer of his pension from Shillong to Calcutta, and referring to that request and several subsequent reminders, he requested that the A.G. consider the hardship caused by non- drawl of pension for six months.
Instead of the usual "Early Please" direction, for this case I called the Superintendent, Ratish Dhar, and asked him to ensure that the authority to A.G. Bengal was issued that very day. Dhar demurred at first saying that the Special Seal Authority would have to be issued from Control Section. When I explained my own interest in the matter, Dhar personally carried the file at all stages and ensured that the SSA was actually dispatched the same day.
Next morning shortly after I reached the office, the phone rang and it was the A.G. asking me to see him. I walked up the steps and entered the big room. A stern faced Seth did not even ask me to sit down but picked up a letter from the dak-pad in front of him and flicked it over to me.
"Do you know anything about this?"
It was a D.O. from the Deputy CAG K.C. Chowdhury , asking for an immediate report on the delay in transferring a pension from Shillong to Calcutta. Yes, it was about B.M. Sen!
So I said "Yes, Sir"
AG: "What do you have to say?"
Self: "Sir, there was some delay initially, but the matter has been attended to."
AG: " Action completed?"
Self: "Yes, Sir"
AG: "Can you show me the papers"
I trotted down to my room, picked up the papers, which were fortunately still on my desk and trotted back in record time and handed the papers over. He looked at the last reminder, noted the date of receipt and the date of issue of the Authority letter and smiled and said - "Sit down".
The PA was summoned and a letter to the Dy. CAG dictated, expressing regret for the initial delay but confirming that the matter was disposed of promptly on receipt of the last reminder. Seth attributed the improvement in office efficiency to the " posting of some bright young officers to the office in the recent past".
I confess that I made no attempt to correct Seth's impression that all reminder were now receiving prompt attention! No suppressio veri, but suggestio falsi surely!
Shortly after the above-mentioned incident there was a visit to Shillong by the CAG, Ashoke Chande. I have no doubt P.D.Seth put in a word to him about his "bright young officers". Result: Dilip and in addition AJA Tauro and Arkayjee moved to Delhi, giving Arkayjee an opportunity to meet most of his batch mates.
Lesson: respect your teachers and be kind to all Pensioners.
* to the illustrious batch of 1953 generally and Vinayaka Ramachandra Kate in particular
+Do hope the brochure includes a photo of hers and I get a copy.
A daughter's note: He never got the brochure. If there is such a booklet and anyone reading this knows about it, would be grateful if a copy is sent, to be kept amongst his papers. Thanks
Dadu was so funny...you can see his Wodehouseian streak in this story.
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