A Chronicle of Democracy, A Companion in Governance
Perspective of a Master Trainer on Journey of a Visionary
BY M P Sethy
Advisor, SHRM, IIM Kolkata; Advisor, TMCD, IISSM
Senior Consultant SDMC
And former Chief Consultant and JDG Dr MCR HRDI
{(At a time when Dr MCR HRD Institute launched the
State Training Initiative (STI) when N Chandrababu Naidu was Chief Minister of
Erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, and was in search of a high-profile Master Trainer,
the then Director General PVRK Prasad, initiated a proposal to bring in MP
Sethy, the country’s top-ranked Master Trainer, who had undergone advanced
training at Thames Valley University (United Kingdom). By then, Sethy was already
responsible for designing many of India’s Trainer Training Programs and played
a pivotal role in drafting the first National Training Policy (NTP). Later he
was also associated in framing the second NTP.
He joined the Institute on deputation from his parent
cadre, the Indian Naval Material Management Services (INMMS), where he held a
senior leadership position. At MCR HRD Institute, Sethy worked as Joint
Director general, and was instrumental in operationalizing the NTP guideline of
‘Training for All’ (TFA) in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and later in
Telangana. A landmark contribution of Sethy was the design, development, and
implementation of the unique three-day ‘Orientation to Management of
Training’ (OMOT) module, jointly conceptualized by him and the author of
this book.
Even after the completion of his deputation, he
continued to serve as MCR HRD Chief Consultant (Training and eLearning),
enriching the Training-Learning ecosystem with his vast knowledge and
innovative ideas. He retired from the Indian Naval Material Management Services
as Senior Director (Stores), leaving behind an enduring legacy of excellence in
capacity development and governance reforms.
Beyond MCRHRDI, Sethy’s distinguished career includes:
Senior Consultant at the SAARC Disaster Management Center (SDMC, Advisor in
Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) at the IIM Kolkata, and Advisor
(Transformation Management and Capacity Development) at the International
Institute of Security and Safety Management)} - Author’s Note
This book is a compendium of seventy-five articles
published over the last decade: essays that were written almost in real time,
concurrent with events as they unfolded, or sometimes in anticipation of
developments that were imminent. The compilation offers readers a rare
opportunity to revisit significant happenings, critical decisions, public
declarations, political intentions, and analytical interpretations of an
ever-changing and fast-evolving democratic scenario. Each article carries the
freshness of immediacy, while together they form a larger mosaic of India’s
political and governance landscape.
It is often said, ‘the past is a closed door, the
present an open one, and the future an approaching one.’ But what happens
when the past becomes the present once again? In this book, the many dimensions
of democracy and governance seem to reappear, sometimes vividly, sometimes
through blurred glasses, forcing us to look deeper. The past provides a vital
lens to interpret the present, offering context to seemingly random events that
mark the democratic journey of our times.
In a vast and diverse country like India, with its
vibrant democratic traditions, the present often appears chaotic, an endless
stream of events, sometimes disjointed and difficult to connect. Yet, the past
allows us to comprehend, relate, and make sense of this complexity. Through
this compilation, Jwala Narasimha Rao (affectionately known to all of us as ‘Jwala’)
offers a platform for readers to watch, observe, and interpret contemporary
events, discerning in them the emerging patterns and trends that shape our
nation’s story.
I have had the privilege of knowing Jwala for more
than two and a half decades. When he brought out his book Governance with a
Difference in 2017, I was invited to write its epilogue. That exercise
proved both enriching and challenging, for the book attempted to capture the
multidimensional and multi-layered efforts of a newly carved-out State’s
governance journey. I recall going through it several times to absorb the
overall picture, the ‘Defining, Designing, and Delivery Phases’ of various
schemes. I also remember urging Jwala, whenever he could, to bring out an
updated volume that would focus on implementation and execution.
He did exactly that with his next work, ‘From
Trail-blazer to Country’s Numero Uno- 51 Months of KCR Governance with a
Difference,’ which brilliantly complemented the earlier volume. While the
first dealt with the planning and design of welfare and development programs,
the second captured the actual delivery of those schemes, and how they reached
beneficiaries in a time-bound manner.
This present book, however, is more than a
continuation; it is a consolidation. It provides summation, perspective, and
reflection through a series of articles that document events of enduring
relevance, offering readers a framework to interpret our present with a
sharpness born of lived experience.
Jwala’s style is distinct and compelling. His ability
to weave current events into larger contexts, to examine their ‘Defining,
Designing, and Delivery Aspects’ with clarity and smooth narrative flow, makes
his writing accessible both to scholars and to lay readers. The fact that many
of these pieces were published in leading newspapers ensured their immediacy;
the fact that they are collected here ensures their permanence.
Both of us, having worked together as trainers at the
Dr MCR Human Resource Development Institute of Telangana, share a passion for
contextualizing content for training and capacity building. Our discussions
over the years often revolved around the professional imperatives of governance,
designing and implementing programs, understanding their linkages, and studying
the responses from field implementers and beneficiaries. Such exchanges
enriched our perspectives and helped us translate real-world governance into
structured formats useful for civil service training. It is therefore both a
matter of professional privilege and personal satisfaction for me to write this
introduction to his present work.
On a more personal note, I must add that my
association with Jwala at the Institute has been one of deep professional
camaraderie and lasting friendship. I have admired his perseverance as a
writer, his ability to transform observations into thoughtful reflections, and
his passion to share them widely for the benefit of society. Watching his
journey come full circle with this landmark compilation fills me with pride, as
it not only represents his intellectual rigor but also his unwavering
commitment to documenting the many shades of democracy and governance. In many
ways, this book is as much a chronicle of his dedication as it is of our
nation’s democratic evolution.
This book, in my view, will serve as a valuable
resource for a wide spectrum of readers; enlightened citizens, politicians,
economists, journalists, bureaucrats, academicians, researchers, and students
preparing for competitive examinations. It offers lessons in democratic
functioning, policy design, governance models, and capacity development
initiatives that are both multi-dimensional and replicable. For all those
interested in understanding the interplay of democracy and governance in
contemporary India, this work will be an enduring reference point.
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