I have had the privilege of working with Sushma Swaraj ji as her Officer on Special Duty (OSD) between 2001 and 2004 when she was the Union minister of Information and Broadcasting, Health and Family Welfare, and Parliamentary Affairs in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
This assignment was incidentally my first with a minister in my 37-year-long tenure as a CSS (Central Secretariat Service) officer. Despite my initial reluctance to accept the assignment, my tenure with her was nothing short of memorable. I am glad that I took the decision to accept the assignment keeping her reputation as a politician in mind.
I vividly remember the first day of joining my office when she warmly welcomed me saying, “Aapka mere office mein swagat hai (Welcome to my office).” She told me that I was an honest officer, and also made any shred of reluctance in me disappear by asking to work honestly and fearlessly without worrying about making genuine mistakes. “All of us are prone to making errors,” she had told me.
My three-year experience of working with her was a learning curve. Her dedication to the work at hand, soft-spokenness and sharp memory made her stand out as a minister, and also loved by politicians across the political spectrum.
I distinctly remember her ability to deliver extempore speeches and even when she needed feedback on certain issues, she always wanted them in bullet points. Since she was a good orator herself, she used to read and write on her own and was strict with her timelines. She preferred to prepare all her meeting schedule and other things one day in advance.
She was a hard taskmaster and was much disciplined. On my selection as OSD, I clearly remember her asking me if I was comfortable working with her. When I said, “I am comfortable”, she said, “but you are a raw hand” and added that “we can work together.”
On festivals, she was joyful and used to celebrate with everyone in the office and didn’t care much about designations. Whenever she went abroad, she used to bring candies and chocolates with her and distribute them among the staff.
As far as other engagements are concerned, she used to read and write herself. Most of her Parliament speeches were written by her.
She used to read a lot at home and in office and had a wide collection of books on politics, religion and culture. She used to visit Lal Krishna Advani and the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee at their homes regularly. She was very fond of them.
Sudheer Verma
OSD to Sushma Swaraj from 2001 to 2004