As a child, I played a game called ‘Saap Seeri’ (Snakes and Ladders). It was a simple pursuit: except for an occasion or two – having not mastered the “art of throwing dice” – I climbed the ladders of progress only to be swallowed by a snake that pulled me back to the threshold. No more a child, I have meandered through the circuitous routes and sharp curves of a journey spanning 72 years and 6 months. Having served the Government of India for 40 years, I retired on 30 September 2013. Post-retirement, when most would have preferred the tranquillity of morning walks and afternoon siestas, I remained in the arena as a guest faculty and a National Facilitator for Ethics and Values in Public Governance – a subject very close to my heart.

I spent years in classrooms interacting with the future of our bureaucracy. We spoke with pride of our cricket team winning the World Cup, the legacy of Sardar Patel, our landing on the moon, and our commitment to becoming the world’s third-largest economy. Above all, we spoke of a Constitution that owes its origin to “We, the People,” securing justice – social, economic, and political – to every Indian. Yet, lamenting the huge gap between preaching and practicing, I did not mince words regarding the casual approach to disposal. I spoke of the RTI Act, 2005, the strengthening of CPGRAMS, and the creation of Tribunals for “speedy” justice. Yet, after throwing the dice in various forums, a citizen often finds himself back at the beginning of the board.

What I am sharing here is not a figment of imagination; it is a sobering reality. Apart from the classroom and now courtroom, I have been actively taking up issues with the Delhi Police, MCD, and DDA. The........

© The Statesman