Mother Teresa biographer’s new calling

Chawla says he was inspired by a report on vocational rehabilitation and social integration of leprosy patients released by Mother Teresa in 1987.

‘‘I got her permission to write somewhere around the same time,’’ says Chawla. In fact, Chawla also looks after an NGO, Lepra Indian Trust, which aims at imparting vocational training to leprosy patients. ‘‘It’s a cause dear to me,’’ he says.

Chawla says he’s now trying to finish his second book—‘‘a travelogue’’—which he has been trying to pen for the last several years.

But right now, all eyes are on how he would handle his new assignment to the hot seat—at a time when the Commission is under a virulent attack mounted by a fellow bureaucrat.

But for Chawla, the road ahead is clear: ‘‘I will uphold the highest traditions of the Election Commission.’’