AN OPINION By Arun Kumar Pendyala
(Private Secretary to
Leader of the Opposition, TG Legislative Council
And Former Private
Secretary to Former CM KCR)
On ‘PROFESSIONS,
CHECKERED CAREER, AND LESSONS’
Book Authored By Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao
Professions, Checkered
Career, and Lessons is not merely an autobiography; it is a layered document of
lived governance, institutional memory, and moral inquiry. Vanam Jwala
Narasimha Rao’s narrative spans more than seven decades of Indian public life,
moving from a remote Telangana village to the highest corridors of
constitutional authority. What makes this work distinctive is not the variety
of positions the author held, but the reflective integrity with which he
examines each phase of his journey.
At its core, the book
explores how individuals are shaped by institutions and how institutions, in
turn, are shaped by individuals who choose conscience over convenience. The
author’s life from a Khangi school education to working with Governors, Chief Ministers,
and building institutions such as EMRI and Chetana becomes a prism through
which post-Independence India’s administrative evolution can be understood.
One of the book’s
greatest strengths lies in its unembellished honesty. Jwala Rao does not
present himself as a flawless achiever or a conventionally “successful”
academic. On the contrary, he openly acknowledges academic setbacks, third
classes, compartmental, and abandoned degrees and juxtaposes them with moments
of intellectual awakening and professional excellence. This candor lends
credibility and relatability to the narrative, especially for readers
conditioned to equate merit only with linear success.
The early chapters,
describing a rural upbringing amid communist-influenced villages and orthodox
family traditions, are particularly significant. They establish an enduring
ideological duality, socialist humanism and spiritual grounding that continues
to inform the author’s worldview. His early exposure to rural exploitation and
governance failure explains his lifelong ‘Quest for Meaningful and Acceptable Governance,’
a phrase that recurs throughout the book like a moral compass.
Equally compelling is
the author’s portrayal of education as character formation rather than
credential accumulation. Accounts of single-teacher schools, rigorous higher
secondary education, and intellectually demanding university systems stand in
sharp contrast to contemporary learning environments. These sections are not
nostalgic indulgences but subtle critiques of diluted academic rigor and
weakened teacher-student relationships today. The transition from science to
the humanities, and eventually to public administration, marks a philosophical
turning point.
The influence of
teachers such as Professor VS Murthy and Professor NGS. Kini is narrated with
both reverence and analytical depth. Their ideological disagreements
particularly on Marxism and Indira Gandhi, are presented as lessons in
intellectual pluralism rather than partisan rivalry. Few autobiographies
capture the classroom as a crucible of democratic thinking as effectively as
this one. Professionally, the book is strongest when detailing the author’s evolution
through institutions rather than positions.
Whether as BHEL Higher
Secondary School Librarian, Dr MCR HRDI Faculty Member, Chetana Administrative Officer
in Raj Bhavan, PRO and CPRO to Chief Ministers, Jwala N Rao repeatedly
underscores that authority flows from competence, trust, and ethical clarity
not designation. His emphasis on ‘Task Accomplishment and Target Fulfillment’
even at the cost of procedural discomfort, raises enduring questions about
bureaucratic rigidity versus outcome-oriented governance.
The Raj Bhavan chapters
are among the most powerful in the book. Governor Kumud Ben Joshi emerges not
merely as a constitutional figure but as a humane leader who dismantled
hierarchy through personal example. The account of efforts to eradicate the
Jogini system, including the historic registered marriages conducted at Raj
Bhavan, stands as rare documentation of moral courage translated into
administrative action. These chapters alone justify the book’s relevance for
students of public administration and social reform.
Similarly, the chapters
on EMRI 108 emergency services offer an insider’s view of how institutional
discipline, rigorous review mechanisms, and visionary leadership particularly
under Venkat Changavalli can transform a public-private partnership into a lifesaving
national model. These passages read like management case studies while
remaining grounded in human consequence rather than corporate abstraction.
The author’s tenure as
PRO to Chief Minister Dr Marri Channa Reddy and later as CPRO to Chief Minister
K Chandrashekhar Rao adds another critical dimension: the ethics of political
communication. Jwala Rao rejects propaganda-driven public relations, advocating
instead fidelity to thought, nuance, and constitutional responsibility. His
reflections on power, insecurity around authority, and silent sidelining are
written without bitterness, revealing maturity shaped by long engagement rather
than short ambition.
K Chandrashekhar Rao
(KCR) is presented as a leader of uncommon stature, as observed through
sustained and close association. What stands out is his clarity of vision,
disciplined decision-making, and deep respect for institutional processes. The
book reflects how KCR’s leadership blends cultural rootedness with modern
governance, driven by rigorous review, consultation, and system-building rather
than impulse. His ability to convert public aspirations into long-term welfare
and development frameworks earns him admiration across the administrative
spectrum.
As portrayed in the
book, KCR emerges not merely as a Chief Minister, but as a statesman committed
to durable, people-centric governance. Stylistically, the book is dense and
occasionally repetitive, reflecting its origin as lived memory rather than curated
literature. Yet this density is also its strength. It preserves texture, names,
contexts, and institutional detail that future historians and administrators
will find invaluable. The narrative demands patience but rewards attentiveness.
In conclusion,
Professions, Checkered Career, and Lessons is a rare genre-defying work: part
autobiography, part governance manual, part ethical meditation. It neither
glorifies power nor offers simplistic prescriptions. Instead, it reminds
readers that public life, at its best, is an exercise in restraint,
responsibility, and relevance.
For young
administrators, journalists, policy thinkers, and anyone interested in the
moral architecture of Indian governance, this book is not just worth reading it
is worth revisiting. It teaches that careers may be checkered, but values need
not be compromised; that institutions matter, but people matter more; and that
dignity, once earned through integrity, outlives office and authority.
{{From
my Forthcoming Book
Professions,
Checkered Career, and Lessons
(From Librarian to CPRO to CM KCR)
A
Journey from Khangi School to Center for Excellence}}
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