The Hindu : Adieu to a titan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 23, 2003

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National

Adieu to a titan

N.R. Krishnan, former Secretary to the Government of India, writes: "Have you heard this before? Two goats grazing on a French mountainside came upon a videotape of `The Day of the Jackal' discarded by a picnicker. After they chewed up the tape, one of the goats let out a hearty burp and observed `Ah! It tastes good.' The other added thoughtfully `Yes, but the book was better". Starting with an innocent joke like this one was the usual manner in which the late C.V. Narasimhan would begin any friendly conversation. Humour and conviviality were his visible forte throughout an eminently successful career in international civil service.

Behind Narasimhan's beguiling charm lay a quicksilver intellect and a mental poise that impressed Dag Hammarskjold at their very first meeting. The result was Narasimhan's appointment as Executive Director of the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE; now ESCAP) in Bangkok. Here, his Indian Civil Service background and his stint in the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, stood him well as he devoted himself to developmental matters. The project to turn the destructive Mekong river into a boon for the Lower Mekong basin spread over more than 200,000 square miles was conceived during his tenure in the ECAFE and the completed project of today is a testimony to his developmental dynamism.

From Bangkok to New York was a quick hop where Narasimhan found himself elevated to the role of the Under-Secretary General to the UNO. That marked the beginning of a dream run during which, as Chef de Cabinet, he became the conscience keeper of three Secretaries-General, Hammarskjold, U Thant and Kurt Waldheim. A shrewd judge of men and matters, Narasimhan could not fail to compare his tenures under these bosses. In his book "United Nations at 50" he is all praise for the first two for their grace and magnanimity but quite critical of Waldheim's boorish behaviour towards colleagues. As he notes ruefully "My life as Chef de Cabinet to Waldheim was no bed of roses..." and "by the middle of 1973 it became increasingly clear to me that Waldheim found my presence in the post of Chef de Cabinet somewhat uncomfortable, to say the least."

Narasimhan's grace to accept any just comment on his work was yet another of his endearing qualities. When this writer pointed out to him that it was odd that in his book on the U.N., he had made no mention of Hammarskjold's considerable standing as a litterateur and Hammarskjold's "Vag Maarken" and his translation of the French poet St. John Perse's works into Swedish had earned him much literary praise, Narasimhan was quick to regret the omission and wondered how he could have let such a slip occur.

Anyone who had the good fortune to speak to C.V. Narasimhan for a while would not have failed to notice two things, his deep religiosity and love for Carnatic music. He recited unfailingly everyday the glories of Lord Vishnu, Hayagriva (God of learning) and Surya. On one occasion, he prayed to the Lord throughout the night for the joyous conduct of some festivities in his household the next morning and his prayers were answered. Such was his faith in God and prayer.

C.V was a connoisseur and a patron of Carnatic music having had the great Musiri Subramaniya Iyer as his guru. For once, his absence would be felt keenly in the coming music season in Chennai.

"He was one of nature's aristocrats", that was how C.V. described Dag Hammarskjold in September 1961 of the latter's demise on a trip to Congo. C.V. Narasimhan was no less.

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