The Mills of Government Grind Slowly

Those of you who follow these long and loquacious ramblings of The Man from Madras Musings will know that among his favourite subjects are the ways of Babudom aka the bureaucracy in this our State, which despite this slowness, clocks double digit growth consistently. It only makes you wonder as to how much more we could grow if the mills of government ground on a little faster. But be that as it may, MMM is thankful for whatever is done and at the same time, wishes it could be hastened a wee bit.

Take the task of recording the histories of the various departments of the government. The same task, in the private sector, is a year-long project at most. But with the government, there is no accounting for when it can begin, when it can lose steam, how many times later it is resurrected, and finally when, if at all, the findings are published. MMM is not going by hearsay. He knows, by experience.

The first time that MMM was commissioned to take on such a work was around 13 years ago. A landmark building of the city was approaching its centenary and though everyone in power must have known of the 100th birthday even on the day the structure was inaugurated, they woke up to the fact only a few months before the centenary! MMM was called in, asked to name his price, told not to expect any help by way of archival materials and make sure a book was ready by the date fixed for the celebration. MMM and team got down to it, worked with the officers and lesser bureaucracy, made plenty of friends, found tons of archival material and finally completed the manuscript and layout.

All would have gone as per schedule but there was one of those periodic transfers of just about everyone in the administration and with that the book went into cold storage. It would have languished had not the man up top in the pecking order consistently pushed for it. But even he was no match for Mater Dei who for some reason decreed that the book could come out later. And that was that.

Years rolled by. The strands of hair on MMM’s head greyed, those that were left that is, and he aged. One day there was a call – the book was being revived. But now there was a new political dispensation in place, Mater Dei and Pater Familias both having gone and the latter’s son being the head. MMM was asked if the photos that depicted Mater Dei and her partymen could be replaced by Pater and his extended brood, both familial and temporal. MMM, left with no choice, agreed. He reflected on how Mater Dei too, had scanned the photos and demanded the excising of Pater and his lot. The boot had since moved to the other foot. Mercifully, there was no tampering with content and the book was released. MMM got a shawl and a bouquet of flowers.

All of these memories came flooding back when MMM was contacted around six months ago by another department of the government. And now that this project too has gone into a limbo, its inside story can be told. It was as follows:

Taken at the Flood

The department that contacted The Man from Madras Musings had a hoary history as far as the city was concerned for it was one of those without which the city would breakdown. Or should MMM say that despite this department the city had not broken down? But anyway it was one of those that was best co-operated with, failing which your life could become a desert. And so, MMM was all attention.

The man up top had decreed that the department’s history had to be written, said the lead among a team of three visitors who trooped into MMM’s office one day. And he had also decreed that MMM had to be roped in. The lead, unlike in the previous story, was all eagerness to help. She had a fair bit of information with her and every once in a while, when in doubt would glance at her two assistants, who as befitting protocol, sat a little to the rear. MMM gave them a suitable chapter structure, asked them to go and scour for archival material and then come back for a review. Unlike in the previous episode, this request for archival resources was not met with shock. There was apparently plenty to work on and so the team promised to soon be back.

A couple of weeks later, they did come. And there was no prodding on MMM’s part. They came laden, rather in the manner of the Magi, with plenty of information and the discussion that ensued was rather fruitful. When they departed, it was with assured tread. They would soon be back they said, with the man up top, to discuss dates, deadlines and commercial aspects. And that was the last that MMM saw of the trio.

Subsequent enquiries revealed that elections had been announced. And that with the electoral code of conduct in place, no decisions could be taken. It was in vain that MMM suggested that work ought to continue, for commercial matters could always be discussed later and finalised, when the elections were over. To this, the reply was that such a pathbreaking decision was not within the purview of anyone’s powers. Clearly the writing of history was one of those subjects that could violate public peace when elections were around. MMM, having concluded that nothing could be done, pigeonholed the project and went on to other things.

The elections as we all know, brought forth the unexpected and that led to the expected – the usual transfer of IAS officers. MMM read that his man up top, vide GO No such and such was transferred from department X to department Y vide so and so, who was already transferred, or words to that effect. In short, the history project had gone into cold storage. But with experience, MMM knows it is not dead. Give it around a decade or so, and it will be back, dusted off the shelves and given a new lease of life. Only MMM is not so certain that the team of three that came to meet him will be around. They looked as though they were on the verge of retirement. But MMM does have a worry – will the archival material that the team collected survive the passage of time?

Tailpiece

There is a growing body of thought that with the change in regime, the incidence of posters disfiguring walls has come down. The Man from Madras Musings is not so sure. He would prefer to wait and watch. It is early days yet.

– MMM