It has been two months since Uttarakhand got its new governor , Dr.Krishan Kant Paul .He has brought with him a vast experience of public service, a quiet discipline ,resolute decisiveness , great organisational ability and a dedication to work which spells wonders for the hill state.
The aura of goodness , calm and grace that surrounds him emanates from a simplicity and modesty that are his inherent qualities . It is obvious that he is a man of few words and extremely soft-spoken .But the strength and determination in his words is far from soft.
Meeting him at his office in Raj Bhavan on a beautiful March evening, I came to know several dimensions of Dr.K.K.Paul’s life and personality. People of the state are, no doubt , getting gradually familiar with his vision for the state . “Uttarakhand is a very progressive state with immense possibilities and potential for growth.It is surrounded by developed areas and this increases its potential”, the governor toldThe Pioneer in an exclusive , interview .
Talking about the recently held annual Vasantotsav at Raj Bhavan, the governor said that flowers from Uttarakhand could find a ready market in New Delhi . “The flower market In Delhi opens at around 2 a.m and by 5 a.m. , everything is sold out. If the flowers from Uttarakhand can be taken from here in the evening , they can reach this market in time , “ said the governor. “Flower growers need to have proper tie-ups and transportation.” He said that if they could have a co-operative , it would help them greatly.
Asked about his recent meeting with Vice Chancellors of state universities, the governor said that he believed that a lot needed to be done in the sphere of higher education in the state. “ Universities have to be definitely different from colleges and one of the things that makes them different is original research .This is missing .However, the Vice Chancellors have shown great enthusiasm and we have decided to set up centres of excellence at all state universities.”
Another area which the governor feels needs to be developed are the facilities that can be provided to film makers ,both from India and abroad, to shoot at the numerous picturesque locations of Uttarakhand. “Places like Corbett Tiger Reserve and Terai landscapes have a great potential in this regard which has not been exploited.
The governor said that if a good five star hotel is made available where a film unit could stay comfortably, things would begin moving in the right direction. “Foreign film makers are extremely fond of such locations ,especially wilderness,” he said.
Cinema is very close to Dr.K.K. Paul’s heart. He loves to watch old Hindi films and films from Hollywood. “ A good film is that which one would like to watch again and again,” he says with a smile.
Among his many hobbies is reading and listening to old Hindi film songs , the classics of the golden age of Indian cinema. From K.l.Saigal to Mohammad Rafi, from Mukesh to Talat Mehmood , from lata Mangeshkar to Gita Dutt-they are all well-preserved in his song collection that runs into thousands. “ I am extremely fond of music and I believe that I survived my tough police service years only due to music and my other hobbies,” says Dr. Paul. “These old melodies are immortal and eternal. I grew up with them.”
In this context, he spoke of the occasion two years ago (March 8, 2013) when a stamp was released on famous Urdu poet and film lyricist Sahir ludhianavi(on the birth anniversary of the poet). Dr.Paul was kind enough to let me watch the video clip of the function where he profusely quoted the great poet while anchoring the proceedings. “Sahir was a class apart and I believe he is a peoples’ poet .”
When Dr. Paul wrote “Brass Tacks”, a fortnightly column in The Tribune as well as “middles”, he gave full expression to his creativity, writing about his hobbies and interests . “ I never wrote about the police.” His columns and middles were about a variety of subjects like cricket, films, film songs , science and astrology. Dr.Paul is a qualified astrologer too! (He did Jyotish Alankar from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan).
A major hobby of Dr.Paul has been philately .He has an amazing stamp collection of more than 30,000 stamps collected over a period of sixty years . “Some very rare stamps are part of my collection, especially the pre-independence India stamps. Sadly , there are few stamp collectors now. Philately is a dying art.,” said the governor.
With a Ph.D in Chemistry and a long and distinguished police career , Dr.Paul has retained his deep love for his varied hobbies and interests . He is indeed a many-splendoured personality , each dimension being rich and wonderful.