The only one...
There was only one person who was completely relaxed, amidst tense faces of myriads around. The phones in the Capital buzzing constantly with the top law & order machinery closeted on the strategy sessions, while political leadership sitting on tight edge. The Home Ministry in Delhi was all but ready to dismiss the (inimical) State Government, had anything happened to the officers in the captivity.
Gurtedu....the remotest corner of the Rampachodavaram tribal area in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, the karmabhoomi of all of us committed to bring smiles on the faces of the poorest of the poor, was the scene for the kidnap of (8) IAS officers of AP who have been camping there for reviewing the development activities.
Those days it was considered the basic mandate of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (set up for a multi-pronged attack on poverty and backwardness in the tribal areas) to go and camp in the remotest tribal habitations and take up developmental activities working with the tribals. Many schools got opened, the medical centres refurbished, lands were developed, irrigation organised, horticulture raised – with the sole aim of ensuring that each tribal household gets at least rupees one lakh income every year. That means at least 4 times increase for most tribal household incomes.
On the fateful day of 27th December 1987, as the officers led by the legendary SR Sankaran, who inspired many younger officers to work for the poor, made their way into the deep forests through near non-existent roads, crossing rivulets, they faced smiling faces all round - the sole certificate of appreciation. The day went meeting and talking the tribals, reviewing and improving the programmes. As the party started its 5-hour-long return journey to the Agency headquarters, the vehicles labouring on the non-existent roads got stopped by a strong group of uniformed and fully-armed naxalite ‘dalam’. They ordered everyone out and the greatest kidnap drama has begun unfolding. As they sent demands for release of their fellow comrades arrested recently by the East Godavari police through one of the officers, the kidnap drama moved deep into the impregnable jungles.
In 1987, in the tribal areas, there were no mobile phones and the landlines scarcely worked. The only way news makes way was by physical communication. The wary journey of 6 hours to the district headquarters carrying the message to the head of police force in Kakinada saw all hell broke loose. This was a challenge to the State Govt ....to resolve the crisis without any catastrophe. For the police, who were celebrating the biggest cache of naxalites in the history of the State, this was an unexpected set-back. For the Central Govt sitting in Delhi, it was an opportunity to hit at the State Govt for break-down of the constitutional machinery when the District magistrate was kidnapped by naxalites. For the families of the officers inside, it was a calamity, since there is a definite and imminent threat to the lives of their loved ones.
The Radio (the sole means of communication those days) and the Newspapers screamed nation-wide and non-stop about the sensational kidnap (also tried to plant a story that the officers went into the deep forest to have a party!). The focus was on the State Government to get the officers safely back, and later think about the action to follow.
And they had turned to their most trusted person! Shri B N Yugandhar – who has eliminated the naxalism in its strongest-hold, Srikakulam – not by bullets, but by taking development to the fullest best. He entered the celebrated service the year I was born, and has been a celebrity wherever he was. As an able administrator who knew exactly what worked, and what didn’t; who knew the minds and pulse of people; who was so well-read, yet grounded in reality; who was a nervous bundle of energy combined with clarity of thinking.
As the whole police battalion descended on Gurthedu, amidst maddening buzz of hundreds of Govt and Police vehicles, there is only one man in command! While everyone was tense or morose, there he was... trying to entertain everyone with jokes full of wisdom. He was of course on the centre-stage, tasked with solving the most sensitive situation that NTR Govt has ever faced. He was very clear that the mandate on hand is to get back the officers in good shape and save the blushes to the Govt.
Like no task given to him has ever remained incomplete, he achieved the safe release of the officers and ensured that the exchange took place with no bloodshed. Gurthedu kidnap ended peacefully and let the young officers to take to their duty with renewed vigour.
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As the Director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussorie, the training ground of young IAS officers, he has turned the place around. New buildings came up, infrastructure upgraded; and more importantly, a new purpose has been drilled into the IAS officers - to be proactive, upright, empathetic and strong. He did this with a nervous energy, often threatening to the non-serious officers. The products of his time still carry the sense of purpose and have helped in transformation of the Country in their own way.
Never to stop, he had re-written the development story of the Country combining with the legends like SR Sankaran. A new creed of positive and proactive administration has been unveiled. As the celebrated Secretary of the Rural Development Ministry, he had redone the watershed programme, the one about which this Govt is also talking.
As the Secretary to Prime Minister of India, he had been privy to the decisions which changed the destiny of the Nation. As the member of Planning Commission, he came back to strengthening the Common guidelines of Watershed programmes. He dreamt of making watersheds a national movement, away from being a Govt programme.. and even today, we use these guidelines in implementation.
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He retired and came back to Hyderabad. For me, it was an opportunity to resume our association. A pleasant phone call one day took me to his home for lunch. The same energy, the same scholarship, the same laughter, and more wisdom. He wanted me to write about a major campaign I ran as the District Collector of East Godavari Dt against the people who have violated land ceiling Act, and how we tried to give land to the landless poor. By then, I was deep into implementing the rural development programmes in AP, trying to improve the implementation processes. I didn’t find time, and I regret it. But he found time to come to all our meetings, sat together, strategised, gave sane advise, encouraged with a pat on our backs – and we always felt highly charged.
He helped in setting up the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) which I was fortunate to be the Chairman many years later. The vision that he gave is still the leading light to lakhs of poor women who transformed themselves from being helpless poor into transformational leaders.
It was the poor which attracted his attention. He always said, “focus on the poor, others can take care of themselves”. And we were enriched by his vision. The entire society emerged much stronger, better administered, more educated and prosperous.
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(R. Subrahmanyam IAS (AP-85), presently Education Secretary, Government of India, on the eve of Sri BNY passing away on 13th Sept 2019)
