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Life in the IAS - Lals of Haryana
On 1 November 1966, India saw the birth of its 17th state, Haryana, carved out of Punjab. Two years prior, Ram Varma had graduated from the prestigious IAS Academy and was allocated to Punjab. He was then transferred to Haryana, which was a state in turmoil and had within a year infamously been stamped as a land of political infidelity—‘Aya Rams and Gaya Rams’.
Having served in various capacities from subdivisional magistrate to chief secretary, Ram Varma relives the history of Haryana in the first three formative decades. An ambitious work, it covers the whole range of the state’s history—its inception, the chief ministers at the helm, the bureaucracy, the infrastructure reconstruction programme, including the innovative lift-irrigation projects and much more—as captured against the nation’s history which too was crafting a resurgent identity.
The book pivots its central narrative around the portrayal of the three Lals of Haryana—Bansi Lal, Devi Lal and Bhajan Lal—who dominated the scene. Barring a few years, Haryana was ruled by the Lals, who chased each other in and out of office. The author has watched this fledgling state grow during their respective reigns, had keenly observed the workings of each chief minister and was a witness to the fascinating drama of its transformation from a poor, resource-less state to a progressive, front-ranking state during his tenure.
Packed with interesting anecdotes, tongue-in-cheek observations, behind-the-scenes political happenings and personal recollections, Life in the IAS captures the extraordinary journey of Haryana, its three towering leaders—the Lals—and author Ram Varma who takes the ups and downs of his distinguished career in his rollicking stride, experiencing thrills and triumphs, trials and tribulations.
Having served in various capacities from subdivisional magistrate to chief secretary, Ram Varma relives the history of Haryana in the first three formative decades. An ambitious work, it covers the whole range of the state’s history—its inception, the chief ministers at the helm, the bureaucracy, the infrastructure reconstruction programme, including the innovative lift-irrigation projects and much more—as captured against the nation’s history which too was crafting a resurgent identity.
The book pivots its central narrative around the portrayal of the three Lals of Haryana—Bansi Lal, Devi Lal and Bhajan Lal—who dominated the scene. Barring a few years, Haryana was ruled by the Lals, who chased each other in and out of office. The author has watched this fledgling state grow during their respective reigns, had keenly observed the workings of each chief minister and was a witness to the fascinating drama of its transformation from a poor, resource-less state to a progressive, front-ranking state during his tenure.
Packed with interesting anecdotes, tongue-in-cheek observations, behind-the-scenes political happenings and personal recollections, Life in the IAS captures the extraordinary journey of Haryana, its three towering leaders—the Lals—and author Ram Varma who takes the ups and downs of his distinguished career in his rollicking stride, experiencing thrills and triumphs, trials and tribulations.
325 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 14, 2017
Life in the IAS…... My encounter with the three Lals of Haryana is a part memoir, part biography of Haryana, a North Indian state of India surrounding New Delhi on three sides, forming the northern, western and southern borders of Delhi. The State shares its capital city Chandigarh with Punjab and is one of the wealthiest states of India and has the third highest per capita income in the country.
The book has interesting anecdotes and encounters of the author while serving in various positions and performing his duties. He served for more than three decades and this book captures the extraordinary journey of Haryana in the first three formative decades. This book captures tongue-in-cheek observations, personal recollections and political ups and downs in the state make it a journey worth penning. A true account of his life in the IAS. A book worth a read and of your time.
https://thereviewauthor.com/
The book has interesting anecdotes and encounters of the author while serving in various positions and performing his duties. He served for more than three decades and this book captures the extraordinary journey of Haryana in the first three formative decades. This book captures tongue-in-cheek observations, personal recollections and political ups and downs in the state make it a journey worth penning. A true account of his life in the IAS. A book worth a read and of your time.
https://thereviewauthor.com/
May 20, 2023
The book is about three topics - The State of Haryana, or the 3 Lals (Devi, Bansi and Bhajan) who played a important role in the politics of the state and the author who served as an IAS under all of them. In some exceptions, the book follows a structure where the a chapter will follow the major political developments in Haryana in a time frame, while the next will cover the same time period but as the author's experience as a (key, as the books proceeds) actor.
August 22, 2020
Equal parts informative and entertaining. Ram Sahai Varma joined Punjab cadre as an IAS and then was transferred to the newly created Haryana cadre. The book traces Varma and Haryana's journey simultaneously.
Unlike other state partitions, Haryana didn't want to be separated (not as much as Punjab did, surely) despite the glaring inequalities constantly met out to people from this region. A state born with an existential uncertainty in mind, was doing much better than its parent state as soon as the turn of the century. The credit for this feat, rightly goes to the three Lal's (if you ask me, only two actually- Bansi Lal & Devi Lal). Varma has done a brilliant job highlighting these two father figures of Haryana whose legacy has been only misused by their progeny.
Must read !!!
Unlike other state partitions, Haryana didn't want to be separated (not as much as Punjab did, surely) despite the glaring inequalities constantly met out to people from this region. A state born with an existential uncertainty in mind, was doing much better than its parent state as soon as the turn of the century. The credit for this feat, rightly goes to the three Lal's (if you ask me, only two actually- Bansi Lal & Devi Lal). Varma has done a brilliant job highlighting these two father figures of Haryana whose legacy has been only misused by their progeny.
Must read !!!
January 7, 2018
A state that shares the capital with its rival state, from which it was separated, a state with a farmer community and majority of the land barren, a state where the politicians are interested only in pulling each other down, a state where the government changes time and again so fast that it took thirty years for a ministry to complete five year- to work in such a state as a civil servant is a herculean task. More so if you are straight forward and righteous. Ram Varma, through his book Three lals of Haryana lays bare the story of such an officer who worked in Haryana, which is the inconsistent state mentioned before. The civil servant is none other than the author itself. He gives us the first hand experiences with Devi Lal,Bhansi Lal and Bhajan Lal,who had been chief ministers on Haryana and played a major role in forming the state as it is right now.
The book starts with the enrolment to IAS, training and the circumstances that led to the formation of Haryana. The story of Haryana is never reserved to the state level politics alone. Haryana is such a state whose politicians have a major role in the central government. From the first posting to the last author has systematically pointed out each instance. His first experience is with Devilal which is not a smooth one. Author has depicted each incident without prejudice and has tried to point out the other person’s perspective. As a parallel plot, the happenings of the central government from the reign of Nehru to the demise of Rajiv Gandhi has also been portrayed with the deserving priority. Since the scenario is directly or indirectly connected to Haryana, readers would not feel the shift from one scenario to the other. Before explaining any incident involving himself author has given a backstory beforehand, which again increases the interest of the readers.
Author has sketched the characters of the three Lals without implicitly glorifying or criticizing anyone. Nevertheless the message is not lost on the readers. The book will surely be a sensation since some of the allegations like the appointment scam are exposed. The style of narration is the highlight of the book. Author has successfully added the requisite suspense. It was difficult to put down the book, which is a rarity with non-fiction. The forward by S.K.Misra is a review in itself. It has given an overall view of the book in abstract.
Another important aspect of the book is the style with which author has incorporated his personal life along with the professional and political tale. His marriage with Savitri, and their little beautiful world of love and compassion, Bharat Darshan, Daughters, Their studies- Author has subtly spread the message of how much his family means to him.
Overall it is difficult to define the book in a single sentence. But still I would like to call the book a non-fiction cliff-hanger.
The book starts with the enrolment to IAS, training and the circumstances that led to the formation of Haryana. The story of Haryana is never reserved to the state level politics alone. Haryana is such a state whose politicians have a major role in the central government. From the first posting to the last author has systematically pointed out each instance. His first experience is with Devilal which is not a smooth one. Author has depicted each incident without prejudice and has tried to point out the other person’s perspective. As a parallel plot, the happenings of the central government from the reign of Nehru to the demise of Rajiv Gandhi has also been portrayed with the deserving priority. Since the scenario is directly or indirectly connected to Haryana, readers would not feel the shift from one scenario to the other. Before explaining any incident involving himself author has given a backstory beforehand, which again increases the interest of the readers.
Author has sketched the characters of the three Lals without implicitly glorifying or criticizing anyone. Nevertheless the message is not lost on the readers. The book will surely be a sensation since some of the allegations like the appointment scam are exposed. The style of narration is the highlight of the book. Author has successfully added the requisite suspense. It was difficult to put down the book, which is a rarity with non-fiction. The forward by S.K.Misra is a review in itself. It has given an overall view of the book in abstract.
Another important aspect of the book is the style with which author has incorporated his personal life along with the professional and political tale. His marriage with Savitri, and their little beautiful world of love and compassion, Bharat Darshan, Daughters, Their studies- Author has subtly spread the message of how much his family means to him.
Overall it is difficult to define the book in a single sentence. But still I would like to call the book a non-fiction cliff-hanger.
June 21, 2020
This book gives a good overview about the state haryana since it's inception. The author of the book who is a retired IAS officer has maintained a nice balance between the personal and professional life. The book describes how the state of Haryana had progressed in its path of progress since it's becoming the 16th state of India.
How the three lals of haryana shaped the future of haryana. A goodreads
How the three lals of haryana shaped the future of haryana. A goodreads
June 3, 2023
It's a really great book that narrates the development of Haryana from the perspective of an IAS officer. The author narrates inside stories of his tenure, his interaction with CMs of Haryana (i.e. the 3 Lals) and their vision for the state. He also takes you through his personal life and you get to know the life of IAS officer. I found both parts pretty interesting. For anyone who believes that Delhi or Gurgaon is the reason behind development of Haryana, this book could be an eye-opener.
May 23, 2021
If only for the number of times Mr. Ram Sahai Varma elaborated again upon a few incidents, forcing me to lose my chain of thoughts, this was a clear 5.
P.S: Would anyday prefer to hear RS: the one who did, more than the one who wrote.
P.S: Would anyday prefer to hear RS: the one who did, more than the one who wrote.
July 30, 2020
I m speechless.
Such a beautifully written.
Content- true insider view of political life. True insider view IAS job.
Hr brief political history.
I am amazed at honesty of the author.
Such a beautifully written.
Content- true insider view of political life. True insider view IAS job.
Hr brief political history.
I am amazed at honesty of the author.
April 5, 2021
Get to know about the CMs of haryana whom people cant stop praising.
November 23, 2018
Since there are no reviews for this book, which may be because people aren't as much interested in the history of others states (more so for a small state like Haryana) or maybe because people are less interested in history as a whole, I am going to take a stab at it. Part of the reason could be my self-realized sense of duty towards Motherland owing to me being a Haryanavi.
Coming to the book, it is written by a career bureaucrat of Haryana cadre, Ram Varma. He was originally assigned to undivided Punjab and was assigned Haryana at the time of its formation. He starts from his own story of how he was selected in IAS and how he was assigned Punjab cadre. Then starts a tale of his long career in Haryana. Starting from circumstances of its formation, the author narrates various anecdotes and tales during the whole time he worked there. The author provides a peek not just into working and challenges faced by bureaucrats on professional as well as the personal front, but also the political history of Haryana and its march towards becoming one of richest state of the country from an undoubtedly disadvantaged beginning. Mind you, this was a state which was dealt a rough hand by God (which is ironical given how important this region had been in Indian mythology and how even the name Bharata comes from clan which was based here) and how owing to the dry lands in a major part which neither had proper irrigation facilities (partly due to indifference showed by majorly Punjabi speaking administration of undivided Punjab) nor any natural resources to speak of. Also, this was just a decade after independence when the whole India itself was starting to stand on its feet with a great difficulty. The book gives its readers a closer and first-hand account of effort and challenges faced in putting a landlocked, parched and natural resource deficient (not to mention a step-brotherly treatment meted out by relatively well of Punjab during it formation) state like Haryana, on the path to progress. It is a tale of how a state which was thoroughly disadvantaged on many fronts, not only managed to outperform its erstwhile ‘brother’ state (Punjab) which had more infrastructure and land/people but also became one of the richest states of the country itself, setting various benchmarks along the way.
A lot of times people assume that IAS is a privileged job with entails a cushy and luxurious life with very less trouble. I don't know how much of it is true today, but it certainly didn't appear to be so for the author at the start of his tenure. The author recalled how he was mocked, due to his transfer to a rather backward district of the state, by his counterparts posted in a relatively better part of the state (Gurgaon), about how is he was gonna get his salary when posted in such region!! The book also informs its reader that those big bungalows and cars that they associate with IAS weren't available to them and neither are they available to every officer at the start. He recounts various funny anecdotes of depleted condition of his assigned dwellings; and how, when a lawyer from a court he has just presided on, traveling in a car, joked, seeing the collector traveling by hanging on the entrance of roadways bus, “Look, there goes the court.”, he was compelled to buy a scooter!! The author recounts his dealing with first few chief ministers of the state (as is clear from the title), of whom he seems to be particularly inspired by Bansi Lal. Through various anecdotes, he elaborates on differences between working style and personality of various leaders. Along with that, he goes into a fair bit of details about the volatile political situation of shifting loyalties, manipulation and maneuvering as well as corruption by various scheming politicians of the new state, which resulted in the addition of an undesirable term “Aya Ram-Gaya Ram” to the political lexicon of Indian politics. Simultaneously, he provides us a view of what challenges and issues he faced while working in various departments and how they were overcome. The readers will get an idea of how the personal character of their elected political leaders influence not only progress of state and their own, but also how even officers of the level as high as IAS/Collector are affected by it. The author regales you with his tales and shares his opinion on various personalities he worked along with various interesting and humorous incidents from his professional and personal life.
The writing is lucid and engrossing. Once you start you want to finish the whole thing and given that it’s not a big book, it didn’t take me much time to finish it; partly due to its length and partly due to easy to read the writing.
I got a hardcover edition from an e-commerce site for a very good price. I can even say it was nearly a steal. I would suggest buying it (at least to Haryanavis). A very good book for a very reasonable price.
Coming to the book, it is written by a career bureaucrat of Haryana cadre, Ram Varma. He was originally assigned to undivided Punjab and was assigned Haryana at the time of its formation. He starts from his own story of how he was selected in IAS and how he was assigned Punjab cadre. Then starts a tale of his long career in Haryana. Starting from circumstances of its formation, the author narrates various anecdotes and tales during the whole time he worked there. The author provides a peek not just into working and challenges faced by bureaucrats on professional as well as the personal front, but also the political history of Haryana and its march towards becoming one of richest state of the country from an undoubtedly disadvantaged beginning. Mind you, this was a state which was dealt a rough hand by God (which is ironical given how important this region had been in Indian mythology and how even the name Bharata comes from clan which was based here) and how owing to the dry lands in a major part which neither had proper irrigation facilities (partly due to indifference showed by majorly Punjabi speaking administration of undivided Punjab) nor any natural resources to speak of. Also, this was just a decade after independence when the whole India itself was starting to stand on its feet with a great difficulty. The book gives its readers a closer and first-hand account of effort and challenges faced in putting a landlocked, parched and natural resource deficient (not to mention a step-brotherly treatment meted out by relatively well of Punjab during it formation) state like Haryana, on the path to progress. It is a tale of how a state which was thoroughly disadvantaged on many fronts, not only managed to outperform its erstwhile ‘brother’ state (Punjab) which had more infrastructure and land/people but also became one of the richest states of the country itself, setting various benchmarks along the way.
A lot of times people assume that IAS is a privileged job with entails a cushy and luxurious life with very less trouble. I don't know how much of it is true today, but it certainly didn't appear to be so for the author at the start of his tenure. The author recalled how he was mocked, due to his transfer to a rather backward district of the state, by his counterparts posted in a relatively better part of the state (Gurgaon), about how is he was gonna get his salary when posted in such region!! The book also informs its reader that those big bungalows and cars that they associate with IAS weren't available to them and neither are they available to every officer at the start. He recounts various funny anecdotes of depleted condition of his assigned dwellings; and how, when a lawyer from a court he has just presided on, traveling in a car, joked, seeing the collector traveling by hanging on the entrance of roadways bus, “Look, there goes the court.”, he was compelled to buy a scooter!! The author recounts his dealing with first few chief ministers of the state (as is clear from the title), of whom he seems to be particularly inspired by Bansi Lal. Through various anecdotes, he elaborates on differences between working style and personality of various leaders. Along with that, he goes into a fair bit of details about the volatile political situation of shifting loyalties, manipulation and maneuvering as well as corruption by various scheming politicians of the new state, which resulted in the addition of an undesirable term “Aya Ram-Gaya Ram” to the political lexicon of Indian politics. Simultaneously, he provides us a view of what challenges and issues he faced while working in various departments and how they were overcome. The readers will get an idea of how the personal character of their elected political leaders influence not only progress of state and their own, but also how even officers of the level as high as IAS/Collector are affected by it. The author regales you with his tales and shares his opinion on various personalities he worked along with various interesting and humorous incidents from his professional and personal life.
The writing is lucid and engrossing. Once you start you want to finish the whole thing and given that it’s not a big book, it didn’t take me much time to finish it; partly due to its length and partly due to easy to read the writing.
I got a hardcover edition from an e-commerce site for a very good price. I can even say it was nearly a steal. I would suggest buying it (at least to Haryanavis). A very good book for a very reasonable price.
May 9, 2020
This book is about a subject that is not very much researched so far. The Power circles of State of Haryana. For reasons not known much of the political history is unwritten and this book is an attempt in this direction by the writer.
This book speaks about the journey of an IAS officer and is written in the typical style which can be equated as and when a junior walks in the office of a senior and sermons starts. Often we tend to believe that story of an IAS would be something like of an outlier since they have came to the Service through a national exam but the writer in this book explains the ups and downs of it which is a reality. Shri Ram Varma the writer has made it amply clear that it is a journey.
13 chapters arranged sequentially from clearing the examination and the academy days, then joining the cadre and journey all along till his retirement as Chief Secreatry of the state. Writer had been successful in writing his part of story and the way he saw the three icons of state, Bansi Lal, Bhajan Lal and Chaudhary Devi Lal. All three contributed to the state in their own ways. Some of the parts in book are written in typical style called as politically correct answer, to which most of IAS officer tend to specialise as they grow. For me the famous quotes from the book being "Bhala ho Bhai Bhajan lal ka".
and It would be safe to call this book as "POLITICALLY CORRECT".
Book has been written in a lucid way so one need not to push himself to keep his interest with in. Rest it is a very racy book and easy read.
This book speaks about the journey of an IAS officer and is written in the typical style which can be equated as and when a junior walks in the office of a senior and sermons starts. Often we tend to believe that story of an IAS would be something like of an outlier since they have came to the Service through a national exam but the writer in this book explains the ups and downs of it which is a reality. Shri Ram Varma the writer has made it amply clear that it is a journey.
13 chapters arranged sequentially from clearing the examination and the academy days, then joining the cadre and journey all along till his retirement as Chief Secreatry of the state. Writer had been successful in writing his part of story and the way he saw the three icons of state, Bansi Lal, Bhajan Lal and Chaudhary Devi Lal. All three contributed to the state in their own ways. Some of the parts in book are written in typical style called as politically correct answer, to which most of IAS officer tend to specialise as they grow. For me the famous quotes from the book being "Bhala ho Bhai Bhajan lal ka".
and It would be safe to call this book as "POLITICALLY CORRECT".
Book has been written in a lucid way so one need not to push himself to keep his interest with in. Rest it is a very racy book and easy read.
July 16, 2019
Haryana Political Journey well told
The book provided a thorough, insightful and informative view on a bureaucrat journey through the formative years of haryana. Also an insight into haryana politics inside and outside. How politicians think, the vision of bansi lal and Devi lal ..machinations of chautala .
The book provided a thorough, insightful and informative view on a bureaucrat journey through the formative years of haryana. Also an insight into haryana politics inside and outside. How politicians think, the vision of bansi lal and Devi lal ..machinations of chautala .
November 22, 2019
A nice narrative of the “Games or Thrones” in Haryana politics from 1966-2000.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews