The composition of the steel in India’s steel frame is changing, thanks to the Narendra Modi government. Flaunt a foreign degree and get a plum posting, for the IAS officers under the UPA government, is passé. Now, with the NDA Government giving equal or more consideration to those with expertise in traditional knowledge ranging from medicines to the Sanskrit language, top mandarins are busy working on their ‘Indian side’.
There are many senior IAS officers with strong backgrounds in yoga and Sanskrit who are steering major positions in the government. And juniors are trying to learn a thing or two about ancient Indian wisdom.
It was Hasmukh Adhia, Secretary-Financial Services who shifted from Gujarat to Delhi along with Modi, who has kick-started this trend. He holds a doctoral degree in yoga from Swami Vivekananda Yoga University, Bengaluru, and is playing a crucial role in “Indianising” the bureaucracy. “It is not that Adhia has no exposure to ‘modern’ education. He is a gold medalist from IIM Ahmedabad and has also undergone workshop training at Maxwell School of Public Affairs, Syracuse University, US. But the crucial thing is that he values his traditional wisdom. It’s all about attitude,’’ said a an IAS officer in Adhia’s department.
This senior bureacrat, interestingly, has got hooked to yoga and meditation after joining the Union Government earlier this year. He is said to be planning a Gujarat model ‘Karmayogi Abhiyan’ for the bureaucrats.
Back to Roots
■ A Gujarat model ‘Karmayogi Abhiyan’ is being planned for the bureaucrats under which they will be trained in pranayam and yoga
■ The Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan has expressed its willingness to train teachers with post graduate diploma in Sanskrit who could then be posted in Indian embassies
■ A new Joint Secretary post for Sanskrit language has been created in the Ministry of External Affairs