Narad, Narain & babus

KR Bharti

A CULTURAL meet of IAS officers of Himachal cadre took place in Shimla after a hiatus of five years. Songs, qawwalis, natees and skits marked the occasion. A skit, though enacted in a lighter vein, had serious overtones.

The first scene was set in the Vaikunth (heaven) when Narad, with his khartal, appeared from nowhere, chanting Narain-Narain. ‘What brings you here today, Devrishi Narad?’ enquired Narain.

‘I have recently been to Himachal, a heaven on the earth, my Lord.’  

‘That’s excellent. What news do you carry from there, Narad?’

‘Himachal is not as cool as it was, Narain, it is a hotbed of politics. IAS officers, the little Napoleans of yesteryear, are reduced to puppets by their political masters.’ 

‘But they were cast in steel frame. Even the Iron Man of India, Sardar Patel, accepted this fact.’ 

‘With the passage of time, it has degenerated into a plastic frame, my Lord.’ ‘But who is responsible for this unhappy pass?’‘Partly the political bosses and partly themselves, Narain.’ ‘Well, I would like to see things for myself, Narad.’

Narain was escorted incognito to Himachal, where he encountered IAS probationers who eked out a life of destitution and drudgery, running from one officer to the other for training. Houseless and vehicle-less, they searched for cheap eating corners and guesthouses.  

‘Miserable!’ remarked Narain. ‘The condition of regular officers is even worse,’ interjected Narad.

Narain was then led to IAS officers. He discovered that they were shuffled like cards every now and then in defiance of the transfer policy. As soon as there was a change of guard in the state, the first axe fell on the IAS and its poor cousin, the HAS. A bias prevailed over their posting. Some enjoyed plum posts while some languished in non-descript posts. 

An IAS wife who was transferred thrice in a year cursed her IAS husband for getting her cadre changed to Himachal. The husband endeavoured to justify it, saying Himachal had better environ.  

‘That’s really a sorry state of affairs.’ Narad then took Narain for a round of schools and colleges. He was pleased to see these in every nook and cranny of the state, but was shocked to see the meagre strength of students. ‘If colleges are opened at this pace, they may outnumber schools some day,’ he remarked. 

Narain then took a round of revenue offices and was flabbergasted at the mushrooming growth of tehsils and subdivisions. ‘Who frames these flawed policies, Narad? Do the finances of the state allow this extravaganza?’ ‘It is the secretariat, where policies are made by ministers, duly assisted by babus. The concurrence of the finance department is necessary, but who cares!’

Narain hurried to the secretariat. Some officers were overburdened while some were idle. Additional chief secretaries outnumbered secretaries.

Upset, Narain beckoned Narad to hasten back to Vaikunth, lest he was also victimised.