“As a bureaucrat you are at the driver’s seat. The chauffeur may at best avoid the potholes, show the boss the shortest possible way to his destination but the chauffeur cannot tell the boss that his destination is wrong” Vijay Bakaya
At some point in his life he was called Dilip Kumar of Rajasthan and many were mesmerized by his skills on the cricket field. A multifaceted Vijay Bakaya landed in the bureaucracy when he qualified the prestigious IAS examination in 1970. The 66-year-old Bakaya retired as the Chief Secretary of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and then joined politics. Currently member of Legislative Council in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Bakaya feels that the youth of the valley should shun the sense of victimhood and make a mark.
While talking to
Jamsheed Rasool of The Kasmir Scenario
Bakaya feels that Panun Kashmir is an elitist minority within the Pandit community and the prospect of a ‘Separate homeland’ is a surreal dream.
Childhood they say is a fascinating part of a person’s life. Tell us a bit about your childhood and about your schooling days?
I have had a fascinating childhood. I was born in Kani Kadal area of Srinagar in 1946. I do not remember much about my early childhood in Kashmir. In 1950 I left for Agra where my father taught English literature at a college. From there we went to Jaipur as my father was now the principal of a college there. From St.xavier’s College I did my B.A Hons in English Literature and then did my Masters in History from Jaipur University.
I cracked the IAS examination in 1970. My first posting in the state was in Reasi where I did not get a chance to learn my mother tongue but soon when I was transferred to north Kashmir I felt the need to learn my mother tongue. My siblings struggle with Kashmiri but now I feel I have ‘mastered’ it. Don’t lose sight of the fact that during vacations I would visit Kashmir where the elders of my family would compel me to learn Kashmiri. Credit goes to them as well.
Why did you leave other palatable options to join bureaucracy? Was there something else you aspired to be in your life?
During my college days I was quite active on the stage. In fact I was called “Dilip Kumar of Rajasthan”. Our batch played a pivotal role to establish a reputed theatre culture in Rajasthan. Let me tell you that I did not want to give up on acting.
(Has a giggle for a while) I was a cricketer also. But the fact remained that for humanities students options were limited. You would either become a professor or something else in academics. It was the time that the theory that IAS officers could be change bringers was in the currency. So I flew with the current. The IAS induction camp at Mussoorie was all fun. We got to learn a lot. Students from South-India who were regionally and ideologically much ‘localised’ mingled with the outgoing students from North India. It was ‘Integration’ in the real sense.
We have seen this trend that many bureaucrats ultimately jump into politics. Does it give credence to the theory that in democracy it is actually politicians who call the shots and not the bureaucrats?
How many people have actually left bureaucracy to join politics? I agree that Yashwant Sinha’s is a peculiar example. You see actually very few people from bureaucracy have jumped into politics.
As a bureaucrat you are at the driver’s seat. The chauffeur may at best avoid the potholes, show the boss the shortest possible way to the destination but the chauffeur cannot tell the boss that his destination is wrong. Having said that I believe that bureaucrat has to understand that he an unquestionable role. A bureaucrat must try to be proactive. You see as a bureaucrat people would flock to my office and my doors were open for any undisguised commoner on the street. I thought once I retired where will those people go? It was my love for my people that compelled me to join politics.
You have worked under many Chief Ministers. Who among them was your favourite?
I was fond of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and he was fond of me. He was a real inspiration and was undoubtedly the tallest leader Kashmir has ever seen. Then Farooq Abdullah was a charismatic leader with an insurmountable wit and a great sense of humour. There was this unwritten law that no non-Muslim can be a Deputy Commissioner of any district in Kashmir valley. Farooq Abdullah changed all that by appointing me as a deputy Commissioner of a district in the Kashmir valley. It was a great experience to work under Mufti Muhammad Sahab also-a real dedicated Chief Minister that he was.
What about Sheikh Abdullah’s son-in-law. Was it fun working under him too?
Ghulam Muhammad Shah sahib was a fair-mined and a rule-bound person. He would never compromise on discipline. (Smiles)At times, however, he was a bit short-tempered.
Of late there has been this unpleasant trend of young educated men joining the militant and the separatist ranks. Why in your opinion is it happening?
You see somebody has to sell a dream and show a sense of hope. Post 1990, militancy had had an adverse effect on the youth forcing them to think negatively. The youth have witnessed a nightmare from the last two decades and when the same youth shout for Azaadi, they actually want themselves to be freed from this suffocating atmosphere. Even the pandit youth who migrated from the valley have a twisted ideology.
Instead of dragging the youth into the tentacles of past, the government must try to haul them out of the past turmoil and push them towards a better future. The government should allow the wounds to heal and should not try to scratch the wounds. Unfortunately I do not see this happening.
Don’t you think state government is trying to reach out to youth with an open mind?
You see the current situation is a mixture of fact and faction. Time has come to sift one from the other. We are bombarding youth with violence. The job of the leadership is to start talking without any pre-conditions. You do not go to a dialogue with pre-conditions. There can never ever be a pre-condition to a dialogue. I sincerely believe that.
Panun Kashmir relishes the prospect of a separate homeland within Kashmir. What is your individual opinion about the ‘separate homeland’ demand of Panun Kashmir?
You see Panun Kashmir represents an elitist minority within the Pandit community. I wonder how many of them have actually lived in Kashmir from the last forty years. The problem, you see, is that during displacement the ‘hurt mentality’ of various migrant pandits was exploited by the hardcore Panun kashmir. Panun Kashmir gave the migrant Pandits dream of a homeland. This dream had to be realized and as time proved it, it was a surreal prospect which never saw the light of the day.
The Pandit brethren should learn to live with their muslim brethren. A separate homeland is a functional impossibility. You see even Panun Kashmir is a divided house split into three groups.
As we were discussing the unpleasant trend of young educated Kashmiri men joining militancy ranks, there has also been a pleasant trend of many Kashmiri students cracking the prestigious civil services examinations like KAS and IAS. How do you react to that?
There was a lot of cynicism in Kashmiri students that IAS selection was biased. Not many appeared in the examination thinking they would never be selected. When Shah Faisal topped the prestigious IAS examination, it opened doors for other Kashmiri students to emulate his feat. A sense has dawned on Kashmiri students that IAS selection process does not discriminate on the basis of religion, region, caste or creed. I think it is a great omen for the state.
Coalition Government is seen by many political observers as the weakest form of democracy. What is your opinion about the coalition governments?
Whatever the inadequacy of the coalition governments, we cannot lose sight of the fact that development has taken place wherever coalition governments exist. At least the sense of being dominated by a monolithic group is not there. I believe coalition has made democracy more colorful.
Which political party of the state touches the chords of the undisguised commoner on the streets? And would you care to sift the natives’ bias in your answer?
(Leaves out a suppressed laugh) National Conference is probably the only cadre-based party of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. You see the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) despite its political weight and clout is a valley-specific party. It is only National Conference which has roots in all three regions of the state-Ladakh, Kashmir and Jammu. Though occasionally people are disenchanted with National Conference but it is mere ephemeral bouts of disagreement which settle down quickly. Sometimes we are not happy with the food on the dinner table but that does not mean we don’t love our family.
Ratanpuri has given tough time to National Conference of late. Is he discussed in the party meetings?
Ratanpuri is not discussed in the meetings. You see people may have grievances but such things can be discussed in the party meetings. There is no reason to go to town about some small ideological differences.
New employment policy of the state has raised many eyebrows. Don’t you think a wrong signal is going to educated youth vis-à-vis government jobs?
I am totally opposed to the new employment policy. Yes I feel youth would be disenchanted from the government jobs. A government job should retain its prestige and value. If you devalue government jobs then youth are bound to take an alternate route.
What is your message to the youth of the valley?
Move on. Move ahead. Come out of the sense of victimhood. You have the potential to move ahead and make a mark.