Fitting Epitaph
Jivtesh Singh Maini
J.P. IN JAIL: AN UNCENSORED ACCOUNT by M.G. Devasahayam Roli Books, 2007, 315 pp., 495
January 2007, volume 31, No 1

Civil Service officer’s career is like a dome of multi-coloured glass reflective of the varied experiences he straddles. Colonial administrators penned their experiences in the garb of memoirs generally for the benefit of their successors, as well as with the passag of time evolved a precious repertoire of the information they were privy to, ex-officio. This tradition continued amongst postcolonial administrators, as well, however, as hey morphed into hi-tech bureaucrats, penning down accounts became sparse and they succumbed to more pragmatic pursuits so as to ensure their survival in the consumeristic scenario. Early renditions remain invaluable primary source material for the reconstruction of history. Some bureaucrats like M.G. Devasahayam uphold this tradition.

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