It was the best of times for us aspiring to join the IAS, it was perhaps the worst of times for India since Independence. We had been preparing for the competitive examination conducted by the UPSC during a most turbulent phase of our political history, and we joined the service on 13 July 1975, the Emergency having been proclaimed barely three weeks earlier, on account of the prevailing ‘internal disturbances’.

While we were enjoying the newly found freedom in the hills of Mussoorie, it took us time to realise fully the despair that engulfed the nation. However, for us in our early to mid-twenties, life was full of hope when we boarded the Doon Express from Howrah, and made ourselves comfortable on the non-AC sleeper berths. There were about half a dozen of us in the train, largely unknown to each other, impatient to reach Mussoorie on the appointed date. Immediately after the joining formalities had concluded, a few of us were asked by Mr. V. Chari, Deputy Director, to rehearse for the Academy Song, to be sung in chorus.

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The original Bengali number by the renowned composer, lyricist and singer, Atul Prasad Sen (1871-1934) of Lucknow, was slightly modified with the refrain translated in Hindi, Marathi and Tamil as well, to give it an all-India character. This popular and patriotic song celebrated our unity in diversity, called for action and courage, instilled hope in the future of Bharat and faith in God – that stood for the idea of India, and hence an appropriate choice for its premier civil services. Personally speaking, I was fortunate to have spent two spells at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, first as a probationer for about a year during 1975- 77 (barring the district training phase) and later as a member of the directing faculty during 1987-90.

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There were many perceptible changes in the Academy during this period. India started making rapid strides, preparing for the liberalized order from the early nineties. Understandably, the training curricula, at the induction and later stages in one’s career sought to keep pace with the emerging challenges. Recruitment policy and selection methods to the All-India and Central Civil Services were getting reformed with a view to attracting a fair share of the country’s most talented youth, especially since the implementation of some key recommendations of the D.S. Kothari Committee (set up in 1976).

In 1975, our batch had the largest block of trainees with background in liberal arts and humanities, and very few with an engineering degree like me. This situation started reversing gradually from the early eighties, with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) graduates constituting the majority. At one time, products of St. Stephen’s, Presidency and such renowned colleges, and of Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, Allahabad and Jawaharlal Nehru universities, formed a substantial core, steadily giving way to pass-outs from IITs and other wellranked engineering institutions.

In 1975, our director, Rajeshwar Prasad (1948 batch) symbolized the best of an era, belonging to the old school; in 1988-90 it fell on the shoulders of B.N. Yugandhar (1962 batch) to influence the new breed of civil servants with a more........

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