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Journalism of Courage
With experience in documenting the Indian bureaucracy over 15 years, Delhi-based senior journalist Ashwini Shrivastava has written a book, Decoding Indian Babudom, on Indian bureaucracy. Highlighting what ails the Indian bureaucracy, the author presents 15 sutras of good governance to ensure effective and efficient administration in the country. Published by Vitasta Publishing Private Limited, the book was launched recently and is the author’s first book.
On the ideation of the book, Shrivastava, who is an Assistant Editor with the Press Trust of India (PTI), said, “It was a suggestion made to me by bureaucrats themselves, to pen down a book on the Indian bureaucracy from the perspective of the common man. While I did once wish to spice up the book with incidents within the bureaucracy, I chose to write the book from the point of view of the one who has limited resources to make his or her way through red tape, corruption, dilly-dallying etc.”
Shrivastava consulted former bureaucrats, some commissioned in 1964, retired and serving bureaucrats across service, journalists and non-government organisations for the book.
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A common person will find the book relatable, said Shrivastava. “One of the issues I have highlighted is that of data mis-entry and the hassle one has to face. I quoted my own example, of how my name was misspelt on my Aadhaar…My question about such issues is why not streamline the process.”
As for the title, the author said bureaucracy is difficult for an outsider to understand. “I thought that we are a sort of a kingdom, governed by ‘Babus’ and it is where the word Babudom comes from. It is a term we loosely use to describe how things do not work in the manner and pace they should. The book focuses on unravelling the layers and nuances of Indian bureaucracy and decoding it for the common person,” he said.
“The book is recommended for civil services aspirants and those in governance to have a realistic view of the system that governs us and to understand the problem confronted by many in accessing the governance,” he said.
