MALAYALAM
Reminiscences
B. R. P. BHASKAR
ADHIKARATHINTE ETANAZHIKALILOOTE: by P.C. Alexander, Translated by Pala SK. Nair, Current Books, Round West, Kottayam-686001. Rs. 240.
THIS BOOK, which is a Malayalam translation of P. C. Alexander's account of his passage through the corridors of power in English, is a valuable document of contemporary history since he straddled the worlds of bureaucracy and politics during a momentous period as the principal secretary of the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
She picked him for the post on her second coming, and he acknowledges that the days in the Prime Minister's office were the most memorable and satisfying period of his working life, spanning five and a half decades.
After quitting the job assuming moral responsibility for the conduct of some members of his staff, who were arrested on a charge of selling official secrets, he served as High Commissioner to the U.K. and Governor of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
At one stage the President's post appeared to be within his reach, but the Congress dashed his hopes by refusing to endorse his candidature.
As a bureaucrat who looks back on his career with justifiable pride, Alexander may have written the story of his life anyway.
The book gives readers glimpses of the pettiness that prevails in high places.
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