Two memoirs from THE STEEL FRAME

Mukund Behari Kaushal and Tejendra Khanna both served with distinction in two diverse streams of the country’s steel frame—Kaushal as an IPS officer in Delhi, Goa and elsewhere while Khanna spent the bulk of his career as an IAS officer in Punjab and Delhi. What stands out in the two careers is their probity, the desire to help the largest possible number and an unshakable belief that doing the right thing is more important than pleasing one’s masters. Both books are an invaluable addition to the growing number of retired officers’ memoirs.

One of Delhi’s longest serving Police Commissioner ( during the Narasimha Rao era), the smooth as silk, Mukund Behari Kaushal has peened what he describes as his experiences and not a memoir — Sailing on My Own Compass — A Policeman’s Diary. It recollects the ups and downs, the trials and tribulations and the wide array of cases he handled during his four-decade-long career as an IPS officer.

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Amongst the events include the 1996 elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), some of the most sensational crimes in Delhi, post-Babri Masjid demolition challenges in a polarised Delhi, negotiations with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), Harshad Mehta’s multi-crore securities scam and the management of the exposition of the holy relics of St Francis Xavier Perhaps his longevity in top jobs is a reflection of not just his ability but his polished and sophisticated demeanour that saw him not just as CP in Delhi (he retired in 2001), but as DG of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and, as Special Secretary (internal security) in the Union home ministry. For a period, he served with the redoubtable N N Vohra who was the Union Home Secretary at that time.

In his introduction, Kaushal states that is a ‘lockdown child. A lockdown so long it almost seems like a dark dusty never-ending tunnel. The lockdown field everyone with strange nostalgia longing for the past far gone and thus extremely valuable.

while trying to recollect some old incidents I started noting down whatever I could remember and that was the starting point of this book……… This book is not only a narration of what happened to me but also what life has taught me. I treat these incidents as opportunities to test myself and to do what I thought was correct. I owe it to various circumstances that influenced my thinking and attitude and to the incidents which helped me complete this part of my journey smoothly and to my utmost satisfaction’’. It will take away from the fun of reading this book if one recollects the events here. But most of them, as former Niti Ayog CEO, Amitabh Kant said art thew launch ‘will make for a blockbuster Bollywood movie’. That’s how interesting and anecdote-filled this book is.

Tejendra Khanna who was the Chief Secretary of Punjab when it was at the peak of militancy has written his life story that is much like Kaushal’s: a strong family, a commitment to truth, honest and professional ethics. Most of all to be of service to society. In ‘An Intent to Serve – A Civil Servant Remembers, Khanna a gentle, unassuming, soft-spoken civil servant who served with dignity recollects key millstones of his time as a Punjab Cadre officer and his many postings in Delhi. Why did he write this book? ‘’ Chanakya’s exhortation in the Arthastra that everyone should write a book and record their life’s meaningful experiences, to share them with fellow human beings, now when hereafter, also induced me to put pen to paper’’, said Khanna in answer to the question in his preface to the book.

In the same chapter, he summed up his life’s philosophy: ’I never sought any particular posting nor acted against my inner commitment to fair play equity and justice. Giving respect and due consideration to my political or civil service superiors never implied yielding to any pressure or crossing the line of ethical propriety.’’ No surprise. That was the reputation. That he had through and through during his four decades in the civil service. Both Kaushal and Khanna were fortune ate that they served in a period when the lines were not so sharply drawn and the political masters, by and large, let the steel frame get along with the job at hand.

In large measure, the Punjab militancy was sorted out thanks to officers like Tejendra Khanna, Julio Ribeiro and K P S Gill who were left to take the call on key issues with the masters of the day breathing down their necks. A 1961-batch officer, he was Chief Secretary in Punjab, during 1991-92. The key official who lead the electoral process in the state and conducted the 1992 assembly elections as Chief Election Officer, Khanna was instrumental in the return of an elected government in the state after a long period of President’s Rule.

SAILING ON MY OWN COMPASS
Author: Mukund Kaushal
Publisher: Rupa
Pages: 288
Price: ` 495

AN INTENT TO SERVE
Author: Tejendra Khanna
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 400
Price: ` 899

AGAINST ALL ODDS:
THE IT STORY OF INDIA
Author: S, Krish Gopalakrishnan M. dayasindhu Krishnan aryanan
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 320
Price: ` 799

THE SONG OF THE CELL:
AN EXPLORATION OF MEDICINE AND THE NEW HUMAN
Author: Siddhartha Mukherjee
Publisher: Penguin Allen Lane
Pages: 576
Price: ` 799