Imagine this, in the day you are taking decisions on amounts upwards of Rs 10 Lacs, your time is so important that you are not even disturbed for anything less. In the evening you come back home and are checking whether the list that your servant has given you has 1 KG sugar written twice!



Don’t frown just as yet; this is a day in the life of an upright District Magistrate.



This weekend while on a business trip to Sitapur, one of the quaint and timeless towns of India, I was a guest of the District Magistrate who was a college senior at IIT. As the jeep sent by my friend brought me to his residence I was impressed. The palatial bunglow and the long driveway reminded me of whatever little I have read about the times of the Raj. Just as I got down a couple of servants grabbed my luggage and settled me in the guest room. The attached bathroom was bigger than my bedroom in Delhi.



By the time I got adjusted to 20ft ceiling, I started to think that there is something odd. Besides the grandeur of the house the interior was devoid of any oplulence. The guest room had just one double bed and an old dressing table. Earlier I thought maybe I was in the ‘outsider’ room but then even the drawing room had only two set of non-matching sofa.



In last two years, I have met so many bigots that I thought all the bureaucrats who are high on idealism are actually minting money but this gentleman’s humble existence freed me of my prejudice. There are still hardworking, honest and upright bureaucrats who take pride in their jobs and their Rs 12,473 take home salary.



My friend has started a unique public online grievance redressal system and the good thing about this system is that unlike all others, this system actually works. Guess there are more motivators than money in this world. In the evening, a senior correspondent of TOI came to cover the story on how this new system is changing lives in Sitapur. She was married to a police officer who also happened to be an honest officer of the IPS cadre. There were suggestions from her to my friend how he should keep his wife busy so she does not feel desirous of all the worldly charms!



My faith in the Indian Administration system was restored but I wonder just how many of these people are out there anyways.