I Am Sorry

by P.K.; Vittal N. Agarwal

Hard to find

280 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 2005

Reviews

[Deepak Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a good read for aspiring bureaucrats and even general public. The book is a collection of articles and speeches made by stalwarts in Indian bureaucracy over the time. It is great to read the speeches made by towering figures such as PC Alexander, PS Appu, CN parkinson etc. The relevance lies in the fact that these writings throws a light on the way Indian bureaucracy has evolved over the years, what are the maladies that plague it currently and in some areas -suggestions for reform are also mentioned. Being written by bureaucrats, the articles invariably puts the blame on politicians for the deplorable condition for the present day working of 'babus'. Yet the book illustrates the real malaise of Indian administration- be it political patronage, nepotism, corruption, lack of initiative, impersonal attitude, erosion of neutral character and so on. Each articles are well laden with ample case studies and real life experiences from which one could learn a lesson or two especially the article by Harsh Mander about Godhra riots.There is a tad repetition of the factual data such as the constitutional position of civil servants in almost all of the articles. Other than that,the book would be handy and can act as a guide to trainee officers, policy makers and aspiring civil servants.