A leader of good conduct and good conscience
Dr. Manmohan Singh's humility, genuine interest in tribal issues, and integrity left a lasting impact on civil servant M. Damodaran during their encounters.
I first met Dr Manmohan Singh when he visited Tripura as then member-secretary of the Planning Commission to understand the problems of the state’s tribal communities. Even though we had ploughed our way through muddy roads on a rainy day, he showed considerable interest in understanding the seemingly minor issues placed before him. He had a number of questions for me. Later, he casually remarked that what struck him was not the mastery of information but the passion with which it was communicated. There could have been no better encouragement for a young civil servant in a remote state.

A few years later, he, along with two other Union ministers, AK Antony and PM Sayeed, visited the northeastern states to understand the problems of the civil services and get an idea of the developmental challenges there. I took the three ministers around. At a dinner hosted by the Governor, Dr Singh took me aside and said that when I became due for central deputation, I should meet him. I did not take it seriously at that time. One had heard of Union ministers and other leaders making rich promises to civil servants in the North East cadre, only to forget these on their way back to Delhi. I was to discover that Dr Singh was a glorious exception.
Then, came an instance when I had accompanied the chief minister to Delhi — by then, Dr Singh had become the Union finance minister — to lay down the demands of the state for support. After giving us a sincere hearing, he asked me to follow these up with ministry bureaucrats. Then, with his characteristic humility, he insisted on walking us to the lift as we rose to leave. The Marxist CM, a staunch ideological opponent of Dr Singh, could not help but remark on his essential goodness.
When the state government, for its own reasons, decided to release me for central deputation, I visited Delhi but had no serious intention of calling on the finance minister. When I ran into him in the corridors of North Block, he enquired whether my name had been offered for central deputation. When I confirmed this, he asked me to meet him later that day. He would ask me then whether I would like to work in the ministry of finance. Rejecting, in an uncharacteristic fashion, a panel of names that was already with the ministry to fill an existing vacancy, he asked his officers to get another panel and to ensure that my name was among the three included. When the revised panel came to the ministry, it had, in addition to mine, the names of two officers who were senior to me, and had reasonably good credentials. Against the advice of his senior officials, he recommended my name for appointment. In my first meeting with him thereafter, I attempted to thank him, but he disarmingly brushed it aside.
On one occasion, I found him in a somewhat pensive mood at his office. With some prodding, he indicated that Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then an Opposition leader, had brought to his notice the fact that the State Bank of India (SBI) had gone back on its commitment to open a branch in a rural area, leaving the people there crestfallen. He added that he could not afford to disappoint a respected person like Mr Vajpayee. However, when he brought the matter up with SBI, he was told the branch was not a viable proposition. I brought up this matter with then-SBI-chairman, Mr PG Kakodkar, who said he would get the matter re-examined. A couple of weeks later, SBI reconsidered its decision. I requested Mr Kakodkar to mention this to the finance minister. When I met the minister a couple of days later, he referred to SBI’s decision and said he hoped the decision was taken on merit and not because he had expressed an interest.
When the position of chairman of the Securities and Exchange Bureau of India (Sebi) was to be filled, he ignored the various pressures brought on him, and based on the recommendation of a committee, I was appointed to that post. I must add, for good measure, that in the none of the assignments for which I had his blessings, any request was made either by him, or on his behalf, to get any matter attended to.
Soon after I demitted office as Sebi chairman, he asked me over to the PM’s residential office and said that he was very keen that I should accept some assignment in order to put my experience to good use. I declined the offer since I had no savings, and I needed to do work which would get me a reasonable income, without sacrificing my principles. He responded saying that that was a legitimate expectation. There could be no better exemplar of good conduct and good conscience than Dr Singh.
M Damodaran served as chairman of Sebi, UTI, and IDBI. The views expressed are personal
