Fall from Grace - Memoirs of a Rebel IAS Officer, the autobiography of V. Balasubramanian, an officer of the 1965 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) belonging to the Karnataka cadre, is ready to have a release in Kannada, following the popularity of the English book since its release in March, 2022.
Mr. Balasubramanian worked under different Chief Ministers of Karnataka from Veerendra Patil, Devaraj Urs, Gundu Rao, Ramakrishna Hegde, S.M. Krishna, and others. He held various posts that helped him see history unfold, such as Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate for six years in Bengaluru during the Emergency. The book is a reflection of his experiences working with these political leaders and other bureaucrats for several years.
With eight CMs
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Balasubramanian said, “The book was written two years ago and released last year. The title Fall from Grace reflects the fall of the so-called four pillars or four estates of any State. It is about the fall of the political establishments, the bureaucracy, and the judiciary, and the fourth pillar being the press or the media. I have worked with close to eight Chief Ministers of Karnataka, from the time of Veerendra Patil from 1967 to S.M. Krishna. Post my retirement I have also worked with Chief Ministers like B.S. Yediyurappa and H.D. Kumaraswamy.“
“In the IAS you get a chance to closely observe Chief Ministers, Prime Ministers, MLAs, and other bureaucrats. One gets to witness incidents that never come out in the open. When we are being trained to become an IAS Officer, we are asked to keep our eyes and ears open, but our mouth shut. But post-service or retirement we have no restrictions, which is why I have written this book. Putting together instances from the last five decades and my varied experiences before and after becoming an IAS officer,“ Mr. Balasubramanian added.
Proudly calling himself a “rebel”, Mr. Balasubramanian said, “An IAS officer is usually a very compliant person... they go along with the tides and take whatever benefits the job has to offer.” He cited instances from his career when he bucked this trend and did what he thought was right. For instance, as Assistant Commissioner in Lingasagur, Raichur district, he caught a cabinet minister for non-payment of government dues. The person took the issue all the way to the then chief minister Veerendra Patil asking that he be transferred, but he latter did not oblige.
Why in Kannada
Sharing why the book was translated to Kannada, Mr. Balasubramanian said since most of the incidents cited in the book happened in Karnataka, it made sense to release it in the language of the state, “Once the book was released last year, it got very good reviews and response from across the State. Many of my close friends and ex-colleagues said the book was very interesting, had a journalistic touch to it, and it was important to have the book released in Kannada as I have cited many incidents that happened in Karnataka.”
Titled Kalyana Keduva Hadi in Kannada, the book has been translated by well-known Kannada author N. Sandhya Rani. The book will be released on October 2, at 10 a.m., IAS Association Hall, Infantry Road.
