Tribute: Man with a Difference

Although he had retired as an Assistant Director, Development, Haryana, the people of Kurukshetra knew him as the BDO, since he had served on this post there. He would never hesitate to take up cudgels with senior bureaucrats. This earned him adverse ACRs leading to his retirement at the age of fiftyfive instead of fiftyeight. He took pride in defying powerful political leaders but he had to pay for it by his ten transfers in five years. He was large hearted enough to withdraw his claim over ten acres of canal irrigated land in favour of his less fortunate brothers. He was not afraid of infectious diseases and employed a leper as a farm hand and got him treated. He would not mind standing as a surety for those getting loans from the banks and had to himself pay that amount with interest. He would stand by his followers so much so that when one of them was falsely implicated in a case by the police, he took up the matter right up to the Supreme Court. He even did not mind breaking his relations with his IPS nephew who was shielding the accused police officer in this case.

But he was a man with strong views and held that there is only one definition of straight line – shortest distance between two points. He was of the strong conviction that offence was the best defence. He would argue: “Where wisdom fails, power prevails.” He was regular to the extreme extent and would not entertain even his own children from 12.00 to 14.00 hours and after 20.00 hours. He was very Spartan in his eating and drinking and would never take more than fixed quota of everything. He was fond of doing physical labour and churned milk and cut the fodder manually. He loved his buffaloes and dogs no less than his own children. He brooked no interference in his life and lived all alone for twenty years in his farm house as his wife had died in 1965. He respected his step-mother more than his father and his step-brothers and sisters more than his real brothers and sisters. He was highly self-respecting and would stay only in guest houses instead of staying with his relatives and friends. He was a combination of a tribal, a feudal and a liberal. He neither forgave his enemies nor neglected his friends. He used harsh language with his servants but extended them liberal financial help whenever they needed and he was above caste and creed. He was always a man in a hurry. I told him, your name should be Hurry Singh instead of Hari Singh.

Be that as it may, my father was a man of principles and character. Although he had been suffering from cancer for six months, he neither cried nor ever complained of pain. He died a peaceful death on July 23, 2009 at the age of 93 years. He was, indeed, a man with a difference.

The author is a Consultant, Haryana Institute of Rural Development, Nilokheri.