How government departments function

I would like to give an extract from a book I am currently reading which would give readers an idea why things take time at government departments. Happy Independence Day!

On 13th April, 1999 a query came to the Department of Administrative Reform (DAR) from the ministry of steel: ‘Can officers use ink other than blue or black?’ It seems that a couple of officers in steel had made notings in green and red which had raised eyebrows.

• There were serious consultations in the DAR and it was decided that since the matter concerned ink, the Directorate of Printing had to be consulted and so an office memo was sent to it on 3rd May.

• On 21st May a reply came saying that the matter had been deliberated at the Directorate and since no rules were found, they opined that the heads of departments should be allowed to use coloured inks whereas other officers must confine themselves to blue or black ink. They suggested department of personnel in home ministry may be consulted

• The personnel department consulted and on 6th July replied saying that since the matter concerned the Manual of Office Procedures, and since it was regulated by the DAR, it was in their competence to decide. The ball was back.

• In the following Senior Level Officers meeting of the DAR the matter was discussed. It was agreed that since the longevity of inks was an issue of government records, a letter was sent on 12th August to Director General, Department of Archives, asking his opinion.

• On 27th August a reply came that as regards fountain pens blue/black to be prescribed but in case of ball point pens other colours could be permitted. But whatever ink was used its quality ought to comply with the Bureau of Indian Standards

• At the next Senior Officer’s meeting, the chairman of DAR felt that before deciding, the manual of armed forces should be consulted. Accordingly a letter was sent on 4th October to the joint secretary in the ministry of defense.

• On 22nd Dec, he replied saying that red ink is used by chiefs, green is used by principal staff officers and blue is used by all other officers.

• After several further months of deliberation, the DAR passed an order on 28th March amending the manual of office procedures. “Initial drafting will be done in blue or black ink. Modifications in the draft at subsequent levels may be done in green or red by the officers so as to distinguish the corrections made.’ Hierarchy was observed in the order: ‘Only an officer of the level of joint secretary and above may use green or red ink in rare cases.’

The Difficulty of Being Good by Gurcharan Das from where I have extracted this note is a book on dharma based on Mahabharata. It draws episodes from Mahabharata and their parallels in modern world with examples from the The Wall Street, the Ambani brothers, competitive markets etc. I have just completed 2 chapters and I am finding it very interesting.

8-day Ladakh Trek

Unlike most of my other entries related to travel, this one took a long time to pen down. Not that there was paucity of material. In fact the other way round. But I was not really sure what to write about this entire trip of 15 days. Finally I decided to break it into two entries - the 8 day trek and the lakes of Ladakh.

I will not go into the details of the trek. That is sure to bore you. I would however narrate a few instances and topics that you may find interesting.

The food: Breakfast and dinners were very interesting. At 15000 feet our cook would serve us mutur paneer, spaghetti, macaroni, egg curry, tuna koftas and such interesting stuff for dinner. Breakfast would be scrambled eggs, omelets, porridge, parathas, cornflakes and such items.

The lunches were however amusing. Every day we got ours in separate steel dabbas. The contents were unmistakably a boiled egg, a boiled patato, a chocolate(Kit Kat or Bar One), a fruit drink (Frooti or Jumpin), a slice or cube of cheese and one other item that would alter. By the third day of the trek, we would all open our dabbas to unveil this unpredictable item. Sometimes it would be two chapattis, sometimes a loaf of sweet bread, on one day it was a samosa like item stuffed with potatoes but shaped like a semicircle. Most of us would eat only part of the lunch, perhaps because of its contents. We would look for a village and stop near a water body and have the lunch. Then we would lie down for a while trying to take a power nap.

The potties: Pardon me for juxtaposing this item with food, but it was never the less an interesting experience. After we would land at each campsite every evening, we would invariably discuss the options. Sometimes it was the slumdog millionaire types, sometimes it was a dug out and sometimes it was purely a walk in the wilds! When it was a walk, we would demarcate our boundaries and zones in North, South, East and West. Sometimes I would wonder what would happen if there were more than four of us. A clash, once in a while, would have been unavoidable. We also came up with the idea of placing flags in the direction of where we went so that ‘trespassers’ would be warned by the color of the flag. On one day, I guess it was the second day only, when we were camping on a high-ground where one could spot things half a mile and beyond. Don’t ask how we managed!

The acclimatization: Normal treks and those at high altitudes are very different. One’s physical fitness takes a back seat when one is trekking at high altitudes. Lung capacity and how well one acclimatizes are the two the key factors. We realized that we were short of breadth on many occasions especially on day 3 and 7. These were the days when we were trekking at 17000 and 18000 feet. It is therefore very important that one takes steady steps and maintains a pace that one is comfortable with. Eventually your body adjusts to the pace. It is also important that you take minimum number of breaks, drink water frequently and not overeat or consume too much of alcohol.

The Nature: If I say Ladakh is beautiful, it is an understatement. The pictures that we have posted explain only half of its beauty. You have to be there to experience the rest. When you do such long treks, you tend to be far away from civilization. You see the natural world up, close and personal. The nature of rock formations, the sound of the flowing river, the smell of the gentle breeze are all pure bliss. Trek is one of the better ways to enjoy them. It takes you to places where cars and sightseeing trips can’t.

During these 8 days, we walked close to 110 kms. We started at 10000 feet and ascended upto 17000 feet, moved down to 14000 and again went to 18000 before finally descending. We were the only Indians trekking. Ours was the first Indian group that our guide took out on a trek in his 3 years’ career. On each day of the trek, we typically started with most other groups and we were always the last ones to reach the base. We however made it. We did it in spite of not being among the most physically fit and without any professional trekking experience. I guess you can do it too.

Whereas some see trek as an exercise of physical endurance, I have a different take. Trek is not the end, it is just a means to an end. Being close to the nature is supreme. It is the destiny.

My advice is that even if you are not in great physical shape, take a short trek or go even on a horse. Do it not to prove a point to anyone. Do it just for yourself.

Cause its worth it!