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The Honest Always Stand Alone
Speaking straight from the heart, the narrative is well-knit and crisply put together. It goes back to the exciting days of Rajiv Gandhi’s prime ministership and gives a glimpse into the discussions that took place at the highest political level.
- GenresBiographyNonfictionIndia
273 pages, Hardcover
First published July 10, 2010
52 people are currently reading
607 people want to read
About the author
C.G. Somiah
1 book6 followersCodanda G Somiah was born on 11 March 1931 as the son of a forest officer who belonged to a family of Kodavas from Madikeri in Kodagu. He obtained his honorary bachelor's degree in Science (Chemistry) from Loyola College, Madras University. He then served as a faculty member of that college briefly before he cleared the Indian Administrative Service examination and joined the service in 1953. He was then made part of the Orissa state cadre.
Somiah was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Fellowship and did his sabbatical at the Oxford University in 1974–1975. Somiah declined an offer to join the Indian Foreign Service.
He retired in 1996 and settled down in Bangalore. After retirement he became an avid golfer.
He died on 13 September 2010, aged 79, after a brief illness.
Somiah was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Fellowship and did his sabbatical at the Oxford University in 1974–1975. Somiah declined an offer to join the Indian Foreign Service.
He retired in 1996 and settled down in Bangalore. After retirement he became an avid golfer.
He died on 13 September 2010, aged 79, after a brief illness.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 14, 2013
It is different book to read. A book by ex Home Secretary, CVC and CAG. He is definitely finest of the officers India has produced. And he is from a noble background and very much proud of his achievements and fearless, quite suitable to his Kodava background.
But that does not necessarily make this book an innocuous one. Rather far from it. What I disliked about this book is that Author has straight forward made personal comments on lives of others. that is something I call as rude. If he has reservations about them, expressing them in the personal book denies the right of explanation to those people. He might have told us only his version of the story, other side, we may never know.
He has been very careful while making remarks about people who are still very very powerful in politico-economic arena, such as Ambanies, Sindhias. He has been diplomatically polite towards them while being ruthless towards those who have lost their glory, such as few of the retired diplomats.
Nevertheless, the book is an excellent account of life in the Civil Services. And he always managed to be on the right side of the history.
But that does not necessarily make this book an innocuous one. Rather far from it. What I disliked about this book is that Author has straight forward made personal comments on lives of others. that is something I call as rude. If he has reservations about them, expressing them in the personal book denies the right of explanation to those people. He might have told us only his version of the story, other side, we may never know.
He has been very careful while making remarks about people who are still very very powerful in politico-economic arena, such as Ambanies, Sindhias. He has been diplomatically polite towards them while being ruthless towards those who have lost their glory, such as few of the retired diplomats.
Nevertheless, the book is an excellent account of life in the Civil Services. And he always managed to be on the right side of the history.
September 3, 2018
Just stumbled upon dis piece while shifting my room. And to my amazement I still remember the story line of CG Somiah sir. Am not being boastful but the powerful story dat imprinted when I read it. Power corrupts wen misused, but Somiah made sure it doesn't corrupt him and his character. His indomitable spirit to stand alone when his intuition is right is incredible. Justice never escaped in his tenure while serving multitude designation and position. Incredibly motivational book.
March 8, 2018
2.5 stars.
Mr. Somiah has undoubtedly lived an extraordinary public life and it was evident in his tremendous journey to the pinnacle of bureaucratic hierarchy.
He usually talks about his achievements, which is acceptable when one rights an autobiography. However, the title couldn't MISLEAD me more. I expected that he will mention the dilemmas faced by civil servants, which he actually did, 'superficially'. He is sometimes very harsh talking about some individuals.
We will see a change in attitude in his narrative, being very humble in the first and then growing more officer-likely as the chapters unfold. At the end, this book became less of an 'inspirational biography' of a civil servant and more sort of a 'blowing your own trumpet'.
One-time quick read, but don't go for it, only for an intriguing title.
Mr. Somiah has undoubtedly lived an extraordinary public life and it was evident in his tremendous journey to the pinnacle of bureaucratic hierarchy.
He usually talks about his achievements, which is acceptable when one rights an autobiography. However, the title couldn't MISLEAD me more. I expected that he will mention the dilemmas faced by civil servants, which he actually did, 'superficially'. He is sometimes very harsh talking about some individuals.
We will see a change in attitude in his narrative, being very humble in the first and then growing more officer-likely as the chapters unfold. At the end, this book became less of an 'inspirational biography' of a civil servant and more sort of a 'blowing your own trumpet'.
One-time quick read, but don't go for it, only for an intriguing title.
Read
September 9, 2019A very well description of the work of an officer of Indian Administrative service. The author very nicely puts up his personal experience and gives us a first-hand view of the system as an insider.
January 3, 2018
CG Somiah : Mr. All rounder
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1) The first thing which i liked about this book is the very fine quality of pages and the outer cover.
2) CG Somiah former CAG (comptroller auditor general) of india described his story with complete honesty.
3) He described his story from his birth as he belongs to the Kodava community who traces their ancestory to Greeks , about his school days,Love for tennis and bridge and he himself won many tournaments ,about his college days and than selection to the prestigious IAS(indian administrative service) , his first posting in odisha where he worked in forest department and his struggle to remove the corruption and cleaning the system and administration and his days in Oxford.
4) From odisha he was transferred to New Delhi and here he works with various ministries as under secretary like first in the ministry of finance, planning commission, home ministry (as home secretary GOI). As he was posted in new Delhi when indira gandhi declared the emergency and than the forming of janta party government in 1977 with morarji desai as prime minister and later when Ms Gandhi was assassinated he described the brutality of the mob who are killing the sikhs with impunity and he himself saved the life of a sikh family. He was home secretary to GOI when rajiv gandhi was the PM and here he shares his interactions with the PM and the than home minister buta singh , and how they ban the controversial book 'Satanic verses' of Sulman Rushdie and his experience of defeating the terrorism in Punjab with the help of super cop KPS gill.
5) As the author was a renowned bureaucrat he shared his brief encounters with various eminent personalities like his meeting with mother teresa, Founder of reliance Dhirubhai ambani and super star amitabh bacchan.
6)Mr Somiah was the first indian who as elected unopposed as a member of UN (United Nations) audit board , he described his meetings with various dignitaries and traveling to various countries like Pakistan,china, South east Asia, Europe, Africa.
7) At last I will say to write in a tough language is very easy but to describe a story in a simple way is very tough and the author had written in a very simple way which makes the reading more pleasurable.
I hope u like the review, thanks for reading, Jai Hind.
------------------------------------------
1) The first thing which i liked about this book is the very fine quality of pages and the outer cover.
2) CG Somiah former CAG (comptroller auditor general) of india described his story with complete honesty.
3) He described his story from his birth as he belongs to the Kodava community who traces their ancestory to Greeks , about his school days,Love for tennis and bridge and he himself won many tournaments ,about his college days and than selection to the prestigious IAS(indian administrative service) , his first posting in odisha where he worked in forest department and his struggle to remove the corruption and cleaning the system and administration and his days in Oxford.
4) From odisha he was transferred to New Delhi and here he works with various ministries as under secretary like first in the ministry of finance, planning commission, home ministry (as home secretary GOI). As he was posted in new Delhi when indira gandhi declared the emergency and than the forming of janta party government in 1977 with morarji desai as prime minister and later when Ms Gandhi was assassinated he described the brutality of the mob who are killing the sikhs with impunity and he himself saved the life of a sikh family. He was home secretary to GOI when rajiv gandhi was the PM and here he shares his interactions with the PM and the than home minister buta singh , and how they ban the controversial book 'Satanic verses' of Sulman Rushdie and his experience of defeating the terrorism in Punjab with the help of super cop KPS gill.
5) As the author was a renowned bureaucrat he shared his brief encounters with various eminent personalities like his meeting with mother teresa, Founder of reliance Dhirubhai ambani and super star amitabh bacchan.
6)Mr Somiah was the first indian who as elected unopposed as a member of UN (United Nations) audit board , he described his meetings with various dignitaries and traveling to various countries like Pakistan,china, South east Asia, Europe, Africa.
7) At last I will say to write in a tough language is very easy but to describe a story in a simple way is very tough and the author had written in a very simple way which makes the reading more pleasurable.
I hope u like the review, thanks for reading, Jai Hind.
December 4, 2010
Nowadays the headlines in the newspapers of India mostly are about stories of all sorts of corruption. New scandals seem to be revealed almost every day and it is easy for people to lose hope in the future of our nation. Reading the book ‘The Honest Always Stand Alone’ by C. G. Somiah was a relief for me in this time of scams. Somiah was an honest IAS officer who worked as Home Secretary, Central Vigilance Commissioner and Comptroller and Auditor General of India in his career. He describes in an inspiring way how he fought against corruption, handled many troublesome situations and still managed to reach the top of India’s bureaucracy. This book offers the readers interesting information about how India’s government machinery operates. The writer shows that it is not impossible to remain committed to sincere service even when surrounded by corrupt people.
Want to read
August 24, 2010attended the book launch. Now waiting to read this book .
March 30, 2025
The autobiography presents GC Somiah's extraordinary bureaucratic career.
It provides accounts of various events in the author's distinguished career as an Indian civil servant. However it doesn't cover any event in much detail.
The book felt unorganised at times. The author mentions the decisions they took but rarely describes the thought process behind them in detail. It lacked occurrences of difficult decisions and dilemmas one would find themselves in when working in high commanding bureaucratic positions. All the situations presented in the book were simply analysed as white or black.
The title of the book was extremely misleading. There was not a single event where the author was 'alone' in their stand for the 'truth'.
I also felt the author lacked humility, or maybe they just weren't able to portray that in the book, which makes it difficult to continue reading at times.
All the mentioned events portray the author as rightful, and it feels like a 'list of achievements by GC Somiah' and makes the author unrelatable.
It provides accounts of various events in the author's distinguished career as an Indian civil servant. However it doesn't cover any event in much detail.
The book felt unorganised at times. The author mentions the decisions they took but rarely describes the thought process behind them in detail. It lacked occurrences of difficult decisions and dilemmas one would find themselves in when working in high commanding bureaucratic positions. All the situations presented in the book were simply analysed as white or black.
The title of the book was extremely misleading. There was not a single event where the author was 'alone' in their stand for the 'truth'.
I also felt the author lacked humility, or maybe they just weren't able to portray that in the book, which makes it difficult to continue reading at times.
All the mentioned events portray the author as rightful, and it feels like a 'list of achievements by GC Somiah' and makes the author unrelatable.
January 4, 2018
Rating: 4.5\5
Modest account of audaciously bold professional life.
C.G Somiah professional and personal life is filled with many historic accounts of India as he worked when India was taking-off to new era.
Author takes reader from his early childhood to student life to narrate his illustrious career timeline with accounting some of the historic events [Tragedies as well as fortunes] - It's very engaging to go through this Book.
On the other side, He never lecture about morality, integrity or professional ethics: But, He makes his cases with example.
Some very important lessons for To-be, wanna-be Civil servants in this Book.
Modest account of audaciously bold professional life.
C.G Somiah professional and personal life is filled with many historic accounts of India as he worked when India was taking-off to new era.
Author takes reader from his early childhood to student life to narrate his illustrious career timeline with accounting some of the historic events [Tragedies as well as fortunes] - It's very engaging to go through this Book.
On the other side, He never lecture about morality, integrity or professional ethics: But, He makes his cases with example.
Some very important lessons for To-be, wanna-be Civil servants in this Book.
July 1, 2020
Great memoir by the eighth Comptroller and Auditor General of India. I appreciate him for his candor and the way he has shared his experiences in various top bureaucratic positions. It was good weekend read
November 4, 2020
I am sure this autobiography could have any name but " The Honest Always Stand Alone"...Some incidents mentioned are funny yet providing a valuable learning. But most of the book turned out to be self gratifying exercise. If not for the name, I would not have read this.
September 26, 2022
Sir had an extraordinary life. Even then he remained logical and honest to his values. He has created an example to new officers.
I was particularly amazed by his determination to follow within the system even system has wronged him several times.
I was particularly amazed by his determination to follow within the system even system has wronged him several times.
February 23, 2024
I am an IT Business Analyst by profession. Reading this book got me insights into the world of bureaucracy and bureaucrats. Fantastic book for somebody who is outside the world of bureaucracy and is keen about that topic.
Kindly familiarise yourself with politics of India between 1950-2000 to understand the various references about incidents given by Mr. Somiah.
Kindly familiarise yourself with politics of India between 1950-2000 to understand the various references about incidents given by Mr. Somiah.
October 3, 2017
It is an average read. The author could have talked more about his experiences rather than explaining the job profiles of various positions he held. Lots of self glorification.
October 26, 2017
An insight into the opaque world of Indian bureaucracy
December 8, 2017
A great read about the journey of an honest civil Servant.Gives a view about the working of administrative services ranging from assistant district magistrate to CAG of India.
April 8, 2018
an interesting journey of an ias officer.liked it the way it has been put throughout the book.
May 27, 2021
This memoir has many messages which an administrator can imbibe while serving the public under a political setup.
December 31, 2021
It's a good read for those who want a glimpse into the administration in India, its highs and lows. Written by one of the eminent administrators India has seen.
March 4, 2017
Makes one realize what a Civil Servant must be like !!! A must read for Civil servants & aspirants.
The book gives a clear insight of what it takes to be an honest civil servant, the problems that a civil servant faces in his career and how sticking to 'honesty' might increase troubles for him but pay off greatly in the end. The writer has written the book with great factual details that will intrigue any civil service aspirant, and to which all civil servants would be able to relate to somehow. The writer emphasizes how doing the correct thing, holding your own ground every time, even when pressurized by superior position holders in office (bosses), might make things worse for an officer somehow, but prove good for him later, in line with his quote-'all my seeming reverses in life turn out to be blessings in disguise'. He has aptly highlighted what exactly the job of a civil servant in India is, the challenges they face and their mesmerizing solutions.
The book gives a clear insight of what it takes to be an honest civil servant, the problems that a civil servant faces in his career and how sticking to 'honesty' might increase troubles for him but pay off greatly in the end. The writer has written the book with great factual details that will intrigue any civil service aspirant, and to which all civil servants would be able to relate to somehow. The writer emphasizes how doing the correct thing, holding your own ground every time, even when pressurized by superior position holders in office (bosses), might make things worse for an officer somehow, but prove good for him later, in line with his quote-'all my seeming reverses in life turn out to be blessings in disguise'. He has aptly highlighted what exactly the job of a civil servant in India is, the challenges they face and their mesmerizing solutions.
July 2, 2013
superb...
such a good book / autobiography but I'm sure that very few people would have read. Hard rock truth about the Indian politics (national and state both), his career achievements and a very adventurous life journey of very strong minded guy with hard core principles exploration was just awesome. Coorg guy with some Coorgi culture and the truth of the past Orissa is also nice to know..........Feel like reading again!! Definitely this one is to try ..........
Few hard truths about the earlier IAS stuff ......
Guy is just crazy and awesome man.............
Has done almost everything in his career ---- has touched all the hierarchy and that also without any cheating or bribing.........excellent!!!!!no words for this guy.......Definitely a role model ...............
Learnt for first time about our national auditing system CAG (Comptroller audit general.....)
Hats off to you sir!!!! your parents are blessed to have you as a son!!!!!!
such a good book / autobiography but I'm sure that very few people would have read. Hard rock truth about the Indian politics (national and state both), his career achievements and a very adventurous life journey of very strong minded guy with hard core principles exploration was just awesome. Coorg guy with some Coorgi culture and the truth of the past Orissa is also nice to know..........Feel like reading again!! Definitely this one is to try ..........
Few hard truths about the earlier IAS stuff ......
Guy is just crazy and awesome man.............
Has done almost everything in his career ---- has touched all the hierarchy and that also without any cheating or bribing.........excellent!!!!!no words for this guy.......Definitely a role model ...............
Learnt for first time about our national auditing system CAG (Comptroller audit general.....)
Hats off to you sir!!!! your parents are blessed to have you as a son!!!!!!
January 29, 2014
Somiah tries his best to explain how he had the spine to stand by things that he felt were right and of public interest.His work while he was Home Secretary and CAG are his peak performances.He manages to disclose as much as he can about the events that transpired in the power corridors and how he handled them.
March 5, 2015
A proud officer! I felt like watching a commercial movie.
October 26, 2016
It is the journey; starting from the collector in several districts of Odisha to CVC, CAG; of a man who always upheld the truth.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews