Dressed in a neat suit, wearing a cherubic smile on his face, he greeted me and my photographer Sunil. lalat Indu Parija, a veteran cricketer of his salad days, got into IAS in 1953 and had his superannuation after reaching the top hierarchy as the Chief Secretary of Odisha. His name became synonymous with transparency and efficiency in the administration. He would often pit the political class and media cronies and yet not give in while delivering justice. His administration of justice was tinged with mercy and compassion. He spoke to me (interviewer Sugyan Choudhury) at his residence, Parijat, at Cantonment Road, Cuttack, which was the cradle of his infancy and pleasure garden of his youthful days and where once his illustrious father, great scientist Dr Pranakrushna Parija, lived.
What made you to choose a career in civil service without following the footprints of your distinguished scientist fatherIJ
It was not a conscious decision. I chose this career as I got into it in my first chance. Those days, civil service was one of the avenues you could look upon to join. Moreover, after having MSc from St Stephens, I sat for the examination along with a group of my friends to try our luck. There were 39 vacancies in that year and I was the 40th candidate among the successful ones. later, I got a message that the person ahead of me was disqualified on some ground or other; maybe for medical, political or police report. I was asked to join the IAS cadre in April 1953. True, my father was an educationist and a scientist too. I was attracted towards education, but since it all happened in my first chance, I preferred to join the IAS. Had it not happened so, I would have joined the Indian Audits and Accounts Service as I was the first person due to be appointed to the cadre being the 40th in the panel and would have retired as Auditor General. In the IAS cadre, I retired as Chief Secretary.
General public now have a feeling that our IAS officers need to be Indianised since most of them think themselves as a class apart from the social mainstream. What’s your observationIJ
Yes, I do agree to such observations. In our days, we were idealists. We got Independence in 1947 and I joined the cadre in 1953. We thought we could do something noble for our country and countrymen. Gradually, there occurred erosion in the value system. People who got into IAS began thinking they are superior to others. This is abominable. I am slightly different from others in this respect. Even when I was Chief Secretary, I used to attend the marriage ceremony of Class-IV employees. I and my wife never thought we were superior to others. I had the minimum intelligence to get into the IAS. There are people who are more intelligent but have not been able to get into the IAS. One should not think that he or she is more an intellectual and cannot mingle with people. Once you think this way, it makes you humble. Humility is the essence of culture. let me tell you one thing. I never used to make a clerk remain standing while I was looking into a file. Should not I ask a clerk to take his seat while I am workingIJ Why should today’s officers keep their clerks standing for hours while they are going through a fileIJ My answer is officers should first remember the word public servant, i.e., servants of the people. Then, they can be more humble and humane in their approach.
Please tell some of your memorable experiences in your administrative career.
I was posted in the P&S Department, now called GA Department. Those days, the civil society at Rourkela agitated demanding that the Government ensure their interest since they were discriminated against. So, the Government wanted to post a senior Odia IAS officer to look into the matter. I suggested the name of two persons, even senior to me, but they all refused on the ground that it was a difficult proposition. I got disturbed and asked the then CS to appoint me to manage the uphill task. I was posted, but I was cautioned to be aware of a person called BD Panda, now no more, who was a union leader and considered a trouble monger and a scoundrel. But when I met Panda, I discovered that he was the most principled person ever I have seen. He was ready to fight for the cause as long as he knew that he was fighting for the cause of justice. Hence, I realised that one should not prejudge a person. When I joined, there were nine Odia officers, but while I left there were 150 Odia officers out of a total 1,500 of the plant. By the time of my departure, you will be surprised to know, non-Odia officers made a beeline to my residence requesting me for my continuance. They argued that they felt protected so long as I was there and that I had done nothing contrary to their interests. Such was the reputation I enjoyed and I cherish it in my memory. I was above all narrow considerations like caste, colour and creed. At Rourkela, there was a feeling between coastal Odisha and western Odisha, but I never approved of it. Instead, I made the entire Odia community behave as one. I was also opposed to the idea of Brahmin-Karan antagonism and I never tolerated any discrimination on this ground in the State Secretariat. You can ascertain this fact from people you come across.
What is lacking in today’s administrationIJ
We are lacking in grace in today’s administration. After the age of fifty, the Government can serve any officer a three-month notice asking him to vacate. This practice has demoralised our bureaucracy. This came into force since Indira Gandhi’s days. Accordingly, I was asked to serve a three-month notice to one officer and I declined it arguing before the CS that the officer having served 30-35 years should not be given notice from; rather, he should be allowed to quit on his own. I tried to convince the officer that instead of the Government giving notice, he should have a graceful exit from his side. But the gentleman said he would lose three months’ salary if he gives notice; instead the Government should give the notice so that he would not be deprived of the salary. look at the ignominy he swallowed.
When I was the Addl. CS, the Deputy Secretary of a department informed me that a man was going to retire after two days being deprived of promotion owing to inordinate delay in DPC. I asked him to process the file at once and bring it to me. He was promoted to the higher post and enjoyed his position for one day before retirement. Grace and compassion are the key words to be followed in today’s administration.
It is observed that officers having topped the civil services examination and having secured first position in universities are occupying top positions in the corruption list. How could this syndrome be overcomeIJ
You are right. Everybody is after money these days. Even, officers are allegedly taking money openly for getting works done. This is because they are insulated from their faith in God which can only provide them the moral grounds restraining them from corruption. In our days, there hardly was one corrupt officer. Today, this is just the reverse. You are having possibly one honest officer against all corrupt. This makes me feel miserable. I think the word secularism has been wrongly interpreted. Secularism does not mean negation of God; it means I have belief in my own religion and I respect all other religions. All must have faith in God which alone can act as a deterrent against such syndrome.
What’s your opinion regarding those honest bureaucratsIJ
I’ll take you back to the last year’s Car Festival. The Puri temple administrator was incidentally an IAS officer who allowed a pass in favour of Shankaracharya alone. But the holy personality reacted and the media played to his tune maligning the officer who was more sinned against than sinning. The Government did not support him either. But when the High Court judgement came in, I went through it and found that the officer had no mistake committed since the Acharya had previously submitted in writing that only the Sevayats performing their rites, the Gajapati king and the Acharya alone should be allowed to climb up to the chariotIJ What mistake had the poor officer committed that he was transferred and reprimandedIJ
What’s your message to the present and future generation of IAS officersIJ
They need to be inculcated with honesty, dedication and compassion. I remember the words of a writer who says one should lead one’s life in such a way that when the final curtain falls the applause will continue. This is my only message to the working and future generations of IAS officers if they want to do something noble.