This year’s Padma Vibhushan awardees include two distinguished civil servants – Naresh Chandra and NN Vohra. In these babubashing times, this is an act of courage. Civil servants are no longer perceived as either civil or serving.
Both share many qualities, but are also very different personalities. Both are self-made, with no godfathers. Both received a solid grounding in field work in their states and held tough and
demanding mainstream jobs. One handled militancy in Punjab, the other in Jammu and Kashmir. They held the positions of Defence Secretary and Home Secretary and advised PMs of their time. Chandra became Governor of Gujarat and later India’s Ambassador in Washington. Vohra became Director, India International Centre.
Both were always accessible and in touch with the ordinary man. Their commitment to public interest was exemplary. They worked hard, although Chandra would never give that impression. He never missed the Mahabharata serial or a good Hollywood movie. He once made a CM and the entire Council of Ministers wait 15 minutes because he would not miss the Man of the Match award ceremony during an Indo-Pak one-dayer. No one minded.
Both have a sense of humour. In extremely difficult times in the Defence Ministry,Vohra would break into chaste Punjabi to relate funny stories or say something witty. Nothing would ever perturb Chandra and the more complex the problem, the more he would relax or laugh. Both fought bullies within the government and outside. They were practitioners of emotional intelligence long before Daniel Goleman made it popular. They are glowing examples of how a public servant can be pragmatic and yet adhere to tests know what he can do to defend
the country’s cause.
They worked closely with politicians but never allowed themselves to be politicized. They expressed their views fearlessly. They were practical, but never manipulative. They are both extraordinarily good human beings. They will do you a good deed without your knowing of it. They enjoy the respect of politicians of all hues because of their commitment to the larger public interest. They are seen as problem-solvers.
The real value of these Padma values. They would go to any lengths to protect and advance the careers of their honest team workers. Vohra offered himself for a CBI inquiry to protect an innocent younger colleague.
In recognizing their contribution to public service, the government has conveyed a message that merit, integrity and commitment to public interest count
They shone brilliantly in international fora. At the Pentagon, Chandra kept a bunch of policy wonks spellbound with his masterly articulation of Indo-Pak relations and the Kashmir question. Those who saw him on American TV following India’s nuclear Vibhushan awards is the lesson they hold
for the younger generation of public servants. In recognizing their contribution to public service, the government has conveyed a strong message that merit, integrity and commitment to public interest count and that political neutrality is not a disadvantage. And that it is still all right to be a civil servant!
(The writer is a former Finance Secretary and currently Director, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses)
