Gopal Gandhi at the Khudha Baksh Library in Patna. Picture by Deepak Kumar`

Patna, Jan. 31: Bengal governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi today took charge of Bihar, the state where his grandfather had conducted the very first experiments in Satyagraha.

Though bureaucrats were upbeat about the former IAS officer?s appointment, they rued the fact that Gandhi?s tenure in Bihar would be short-lived.

?It is after a long time that an inspiring personality has entered the Raj Bhavan in Patna. But the Bengal governor is merely holding additional charge of Bihar. Considering the volatile nature of the state?s political scenario, it is most likely that the Centre will appoint a politician as the governor,? a senior IAS officer said.

Earlier, Patna High Court chief justice J.N. Bhatt administered the oath of office to Gandhi at a simple ceremony.

The Bengal governor arrived here yesterday with his wife and paid homage to the Mahatma?s statue on his death anniversary.

Gandhi was given the additional charge of Bihar after former governor of Bihar Buta Singh was indicted by the Supreme Court on the matter of dissolution of the Assembly, last May.

?It is my fortune that I visited this unique library today. I am very happy to see that rare manuscripts have been preserved here so carefully. These treasures are more precious than all diamonds taken together. These manuscripts keep us abreast with our culture and history,? the governor who went to visit the Khuda Baksh library after the swearing-in ceremony.

The library, a central institution, has an impressive collection of old Islamic works on literature, culture and history and also stores a seventh-century handwritten manuscript of the Quran.

The 61-year-old Gandhi, who graduated from Delhi?s St Stephen?s College in English, joined the IAS in 1968 and was allotted the Tamil Nadu cadre, a state he served in different capacities.

He was secretary to the vice-president from 1985 to 1987 and joint secretary to the president from 1987 to 1992.

Gandhi quit the IAS in 1992 and became minister (culture) in the Indian High Commission in UK. He was appointed the Indian high commissioner to South Africa in 1996.

A year later, he became secretary to the president and in 2000 was appointed as the Indian high commissioner, Colombo. Gandhi was also the Indian ambassador to Norway in 2002. He took over as Bengal governor on December 14, 2004.