Matters of the Heart

Mr Budhalakoti left for Haridwar yesterday. After almost ten months of retirement, he commands greater respect that he commanded when he occupied the corner room in Baroda House. That is what happens with people who are intrinsically great. The love and respect for them grows with time and the official chair has no relevance whatsoever.

Most of the officers are feared, few are respected and only the rarest of the rare are loved. Mr Budhalakoti will always be loved.

The number of people who came to see him off at his residence today, while he was leaving for Haridwar was indication enough of the deep inroads he had made in the hearts of all those who came in contact with him, even if momentarily. I can recount a large number of very senior officers who after retirement have passed into oblivion, but Mr Budhlakoti shall never. Perhaps he was the only true General Manager that the Northern Railway ever had or is likely to have in the future.

There are two categories of officers, the majority belongs to those who are subservient to the chair they rest their backsides on and for the other category in the minority, the chair is subservient. That Mr Budhalakoti belongs to the second category is amply reflected in the radiance he exudes, radiance that is ever increasing as the days pass by.

Why are persons like Mr Budhalakoti a rarity in the bureaucratic setup of the nation? Why most of us bureaucrats are heartless, mean and self centered? Why almost all of us fail to appreciate in our entire bureaucratic careers that it is more important to be a good human being than anything else? Perhaps there are no answers to these questions and life has to be lived on regardless.

Giants and Pygmies

Perhaps my blog may have been successful in conveying an impression that there is much to be desired from all those who occupy apex level positions in the railway system. Yet despite the rot, I have come across many who would not fit the general bill of today as they stood out as stalwarts both as officers as well as human beings. It is indeed unfortunate that most of us do not appreciate the basic truth that the foremost  prerequisite for being a good officer is to be a genuine human being and therefore generally display tendencies and behavior suited for human beings fairly low in the pecking order in so far as humanity is concerned.

Shailendra Kumar Budhalakoti the only man who literally adorned the chamber of the General Manager of the Northern Railways is one such man, the likes of whom one does not bump into these days. His tearful farewell was also perhaps the first farewell that was shorn of sycophantic connotations when a boss is poised to move upwards or utter disdain when a boss is about to move into oblivion. A highly courageous man who had the ability to stand up for his subordinates unlike many others who lick their superiors and kick their subordinates, Budhalakoti shall always be remembered and revered for his humanity, humility and above all guts.

Romesh Chandra Sethi who retired as the top honcho of the diesel locomotive works at varanasi has been another person who hardly exhibited any of those qualities that the railway brass is generally known for. A terrific leader of men, he deeply touched the lives of each one of us who worked with him. A man who had the courage of his convictions and could therefore take setbacks in his stride, Sethi, a terrific speaker who can keep even large mobs spell bound with his oratory, shall always remain family for me and many. 

Ravindra, the Chairman of the Railway Board in the late nineties is another such leader of men who shall always remain an icon of perfection for many. His humanity and humility have indeed given him a halo that is difficult to gloss over. Clarity of purpose and guts to take uncharted decisions were his strongest qualities as the chief executive of the railway system.  A legendary figure who made almost all his successors appear like pygmies, he shall also always be remembered as perhaps the finest example of a chief executive of the railways in recent times.

Gujral with whom I never worked earlier has also left his impact on the railways, with his farsightedness and the uncanny ability to take bold decisions in the interest of railway operations. Crossing 200 million tonne mark is his own personal achievement .

The four giants who left an indelible impression on the lives of the people they interacted with and the fleet of pygmies that one bumps into these days, that is what contrasts are all about.

Amen!