Opinion A meticulous mind combined with old-world courtesy

B.G. Deshmukh,former cabinet secretary and principal secretary to three prime ministers,died on August 7 in Pune,aged 82. He was indisputably among our most distinguished civil servants. He held an array of responsible posts in his native Maharashtra, rising to become its chief secretary,when he was plucked from the state by the then-prime minister,Rajiv Gandhi,and brought into the mainstream at the Centre. Most of those who knew him,and certainly those who worked with him,would testify to his meticulous mind,his sharp understanding of seemingly intractable problems and capacity to keep the larger picture in view. His ability to analyse and spell out issues was often clinical,but he combined this with an old-world courtesy. He belonged to the 1951 batch of the IAS,and the correctness of his era remained with him well into his retirement from affairs of state. That he was not conferred a Padma award was not a subject he ever raised,and any form of “lobbying” was anathema to him.

I happened to serve as deputy secretary in the ministry of labour in the 1980s,when he was appointed secretary to that ministry. The paths of deputy secretaries and a secretary do not often cross,until one day I was appointed to the International Labour Organisation desk and became a backbencher at his meetings on that subject. One day I was informed that I would accompany him to a conference at the ILO headquarters in Geneva. I had mixed feelings,excited to accompany the secretary and trepidation because he was known to be a hard taskmaster,which turned out to be the case. I had to be on hand through the day,and evening duties were cut out for me. After every session,bundles of papers had to be collected for deliberation the next morning. It was my task to read them (into the early hours) and brief him at 7 am sharp. The pattern was repeated on each subsequent visit. Prior to his being appointed chairman of the ILO’s governing board,he trusted me with other related responsibilities. Later,when his eyes began to give him trouble,he ordered me to sit in the delegate’s chair,while he sat at the back,always providing quiet reassurance. In retrospect,there could not have been better training ground for a young officer. To my complete surprise,and with no forewarning whatsoever,he arranged for me to serve the ILO in Bangkok,a posting he said I well deserved.

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Personal tragedy did not spare him. He lost his only child,a daughter,when he was cabinet secretary. A few years later,his wife Vijaya passed away. With his strength and stoicism,he did not allow himself to slip into despondency. By now he had retired from the government,but was invited by the Tatas to serve on their board handling their corporate social responsibility programme. He also served dozens of organisations as chairman or member; the causes ranging from heritage and conservation to finance,education,environment,and health,which included a concern for the leprosy-affected. With my wife Rupika,he enjoyed discussing issues of restoration and heritage and his involvement with the Gallery of Modern Art and the Asiatic Society of Bombay. With such a wide spectrum,he never actually retired from public life.

By his own admission,an occasion that he never forgot occurred in 1987 when,as cabinet secretary,he released a report I had written on the rehabilitation of leprosy patients. Mother Teresa,who inspired the work,had travelled specially from Calcutta to be present. Prior to the function,the Deshmukhs spent a quiet 20 minutes with Mother Teresa.

In his book,A Cabinet Secretary Looks Back,he describes how he was able to sort out,with the ease of a deft player,a problem involving a diplomatic issue. He wrote this book,and two others,with remarkable restraint. The picture that emerges is that of an elegant mind and quiet determination,and while tragedy and setbacks were also fellow travellers with high office,he brought to his duties an unusual sense of commitment,which I was rarely to witness again.

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The writer is a former chief election commissioner of India