Calcutta: The release of a book written by a former bureaucrat at Calcutta Club on Wednesday evening offered a behind-the-curtain glimpse into the life of a civil servant.
The author, Ashok Basu, joined the IAS in 1965 and spent more than four decades in Bengal and Delhi From Jyoti Basu to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Basu worked with some of the tallest leaders of India.
The book - Power, Duty and the Game Changer - was released by Shyamal Datta, a former Intelligence Bureau chief and Basu's friend for over 50 years.
The session, chaired by the author and Datta, regaled the audience with delightful anecdotes, some of which have made their way into the book.
The book describes Basu's visit to Pakistan to attend a conference of the South Asia Forum for Infrastructure Regulation in 2004. Basu was a member of the forum.
During a stroll at a market in Islamabad, he came across a shopkeeper whose grandfather had moved to Pakistan from Amritsar during the Partition but his brother chose to be in India. The trader was desperate to contact his cousin in Amritsar but all he had was an old address where his relatives no longer lived. Knowing Basu was a government official, he sought his help.
Upon his return, Basu gave the address to the district magistrate of Amritsar and forgot about the incident. A couple of months later, he received a gift from Islamabad - a Pathan suit. It was from the Pakistani trader who had been able to trace his cousin to Bhatinda.
From a sub-divisional officer in Kalimpong to secretary of steel and power ministries, Basu's career spanned 42 years.
The book, divided into 15 chapters, reveals Basu's journey through the Naxalite movement, Emergency and the liberalisation of the Indian economy.
The book highlights the achievements as well as temporary setbacks, interspersed with a generous dose of humour.
The cover of the book includes a note by Yashwant Sinha, former Union finance minister. He mentions how three Union ministers (Pratap Chandra Chunder, Karan Singh and B. Shankaranand), all from different political dispensations, were willing to retain Basu as their special assistant.
"The takeaway is loud and clear - you can be a typical civil servant even in a highly politicised assignment and success will be yours," writes Sinha.
The book has been published by Mitra and Ghosh.
