In the Service of Free India Memoir of a Civil Servant

DescriptionIn the decades following 1947, as the tallest national leaders were building anew India, they were supported by a band of idealistic civil servants fiercelycommitted to the country's Constitution and its people. Among these remarkableofficers was Bhairab Datt Pande, a young man from the Himalayan district ofKumaon, who joined the Indian Civil Service in 1939. Over almost forty years ascivil servant, and later as governor, he played an important role in the country'sadministration, and interacted with leaders like Indira Gandhi (as cabinetsecretary during the Emergency), Morarji Desai and Jyoti Basu. His memoir-which, respecting his wish, is being published posthumously-is a fascinatingrecord of his own life and that of India in the half century after Independence.Pande chronicles several landmark events and initiatives that he eitherparticipated in or witnessed. He helped increase food-grain allotment to thestate as food commissioner of Bihar in the early 1950s and drew up a newfamine code as land reforms commissioner. His work in the CommunityDevelopment programme some years later still has important lessons for today'sPanchayati Raj institutions. After retirement, he was governor of West Bengalduring the resurgence of Naxalism in the early 1980s, and of Punjab in 1983-84-a tragic and turbulent year in the history of the state and the nation. Pandechose to resign as governor rather than carry out unconstitutional orders. Hiscompelling narration of the behind-the-scenes events and negotiations leadingup to the Anandpur Sahib Resolution and Operation Bluestar is of great value.Engaging and inspiring in equal measure, this memoir is both a fascinating recordof an extraordinary life and an important and revealing historical document.