When Gopalan sir said that he had ordered a book for me, I thought it will be a difficult stuff related either to Western History or an in-depth understanding of the English language. I was very much apprehensive about how I will finish reading such a stuff.
Then in the face book, he had made a post linking me. The name of the book got revealed there. 'Collector Bro'. The Tamil poetic prose written by him in the post did not either give me a hint as to why he decided that I should read the book or rather that I would love reading it. I said I reserve my comments, awaiting to see what lay in store.
When the book came and I started reading, I was thrilled that he had chosen me to read it. Rather, it showed his great opinion about me, because the author, Shri. Prasanth Nair, who had been Collector of Kozhikode had narrated some of the highlights of his tenure there.
As the author himself says at the outset, usually first person accounts tend to be tedious and self praising, thereby making the reader lose interest, unless of course the author is a well known celebrity, whose personal life, one would be inclined to peep into.
And there have been thousands of Collectors earlier and there will be thousands to come too. What a big deal?
But I should confess that after a very long time, I found a book totally engrossing, which I completed from wrapper to wrapper, without touching any other for a break.
I do not know whether the author was known as Collector Bro as in the tile of the book or Collector Chettan, at Kozhikode during his tenure. But, the idealism of youth and maturity given by an innate wisdom alone appears to have allowed him to venture into things usually people only dream of and to accomplish them where people leave in between, after a mere beginning. Keralites have the notoriety of being Great Beginners (meaning not great finishers) which is called in Malayalam as “Aramba suratham’.
The author obviously has broken that ill fame for the Keralites. The steps he took to carry out is all about the book.
In the early pages itself, the Talisman of Gandhi gives out the very purpose of the book and the guiding light of the author. It was a gratifying moment for me personally to come across this talisman because, it had been one of the touch stones in my own heart for a very long time, right from child hood. And for those who had not come across this talisman, our actions look like ‘Communism’. After all, where has there been a greater socialist in action that the great Mahatma himself, in the recent past?
The depth of the feeling of the author for the suffering of people of different walks of life and in different situations is heartening.
Only a real compassion and understanding of the mental turmoil of the persons in the Kudiravattom home for mentally disabled could have made him get an entire chapter printed in black with letters in white. It shows the gloom in their lives – for example where one person has crossed just two days in 15 years. The author puts his finger on the very crux of the issue, these inmates, have no relations to claim them, look after them, no groups to take interest because they are not going to be useful to them. The funds allocated to them do not get translated into any benefit. Even their menu had not been changed since 1979! They cannot be hospitalized because there are no bystanders to take care of them during post operative care. Even when declared medically cured, there is no one to take them back home, into the society. The squalid conditions in which these helpless being are forced to live in, would bring tears to anyone who would go through the chapter. And to just see that by the end of the chapters, several have been rehabilitated and joined with the families and the conditions in the hospital made much better, some light could be seen at the end of the tunnel and a great relief, as if one had been associated with the efforts oneself.
Similarly in the case of the orphaned children.
Another major effort of the Collector had been in addressing poverty. The novelty in dealing with it and the difficulties to be overcome in introducing a scheme, even at the cost of dishing out a very costly lie, are unbelievable. But true. It worked.
The incident describing a self respecting woman partially paralyzed and having to take care of her completely paralyzed father, reluctantly taking the food coupon, the author and his assistant becoming emotional about the success of their endeavor in reaching out to the really needy, is poignant. The heaviness of the moment had been broken perhaps by the author with his impish comment on how wide tables can save people from scandals some times.
The other heavy moment comes when a senior chides the author for a delay of around 10 minutes in attending a meeting, pretty well knowing the humanitarian issue which had caused the delay. The heaviness again is cast aside by casting away the image of the senior into the dust bin of history.
There is the other instance of how a way was found for the parents of autistic children to take care of their children as well as themselves. The author magnanimously gifts away the credit for the entire effort to the beneficiaries themselves, for having come to him and goaded him into action!
Throughout the book, there are pictures, figures, narrations etc of artistic nature. It requires the reader not only to read but pause and absorb the feelings behind the words and the actions.
I deliberately do not want to detail all the great deeds that the author along with his dedicated team had managed to accomplish in Kozhikode during his tenure because, it may be doing injustice to the efforts of these noble souls. One has to read and live the moments, oneself. Only then one would be able to see, what novel ideas could come to open minds and how daring spirits find ways even in dense jungles.
The book gives a hope to those hearts which look forward to breaking the red tapes and for administration to reach out to the poor and needy.
Only a daring mind and a stout heart can stop the Collector’s residence from being approachable only by the rich and mighty and throwing it open to all.
We see a people’s Collector, an activist administrator and a philosopher performer all rolled into one in Shri. Prasanth Nair. He would have definitely been seen as self styled, for a person self propelled alone would dare to do such things, out of the book and out of the box. I do not know how the strict confines of the codes, protocols, etc would have permitted him to go ahead with his projects. He should have been called a maverick. He himself terms it ‘quixotic’. There is also the instance of his having a clash of egos with a politician. That is how society generally deals with such people who dare to be different.
He dedicates the book to the Universal Mother. Undisputedly only that Mother could give the strength and wisdom to a young mind to take upon the huge demon of vested interests, without practically any support of the state, but his faith only in the people of the District.
Yet, I feel that the book deserves to be dedicated to ‘that’ Cultured IAS Officer, whom the author had met as a child along with his mother, but for whom the author may not have aspired to become an IAS Officer himself and but for which the society could have lost the services of such a great personality. Of course, for a person with so much vision, zeal and idealism, he would have performed even without being an IAS Officer. Only this post gave him easy access to resources, which most others use for their own fulfillment alone.
Looking forward towards meeting at least some of the great persons who had been of assistance to this author, some day, if not chance permits me to meet the author himself.
Heart felt Pranams to his parents. Their purpose of life is indeed fulfilled by bringing forth such a Cultured human being. And with prayers to that Universal Mother that the author continues to make such path breaking services throughout his life and that may many more such noble souls get born and flourish.
This book should be prescribed as a guidance book for every aspiring young person entering whichever walk of public life.
A great thanks once again Gopalan sir,
for having thought me fit to come across this treasure.
