By Biswaraj Pattanaik in Bhubaneswar, July 1, 2016 : June, 30, 2016, would be remembered as an eventful day in Odisha, at least for many of the serving and former administrators. Additional chief secretary Taradatt, a PhD scholar placed as Director General at the Gopabandhu academy will not come back to any state office from July 1 because he turned sixty today. Time flew like mad between 1983 and this day with numerous dramatic events happening to enter history books.

‘Taradatt’ meaning the ‘gift of stars’ is indeed a star by himself. From the day he embarked upon the coveted IAS cadre service domains, he vowed never to commit one violation of any administrative rule based on the prevailing laws and norms. Not once did he attend any fun or social event where he would have encountered parties that sought relief or were crazy to settle scores with him. The cardinal principle he maintained was to keep off scenes that might create embarrassing ‘conflict of interest’ situations.

His integrity, non-negotiable approach to quality service delivery and truly zero tolerance to corruption gave birth to a special class of administrators that believed in being ruthlessly upfront and straight in all their conduct and expressions.

Taradatt is thoroughly incapable of mincing words or sugarcoating bitter truths that cause hurt without fail, though temporarily. During personal meetings which happen very rarely, he would quip “I’m just a mercenary expected to do a job well justifying the huge salary I get from the public exchequer. So branding me honest, hardworking and candid only upsets me for without these attributes, no one can be considered a top-level administrator.”

The myriad positions he held as a top administrator have been highlighted because of his ‘no – nonsense’ approach to getting things well done in good time. The corrupt and unethical colleagues, political honchos as well as the unscrupulous media persons were mortally afraid of him lest he would hit them hard by invoking legal provisions with the sole view to protecting public interest and resources.

Big wonder, he never bore grudge against any detractor or critic. He would not display emotions of jealousy, intolerance or revenge no matter how bitter his opponents are. He would explain, when in relaxed mood, that a true administrator has no time to devote to mischievous machinations or designs for settling personal scores or chasing money not due to him.

He would say the more one depends on the backbiting whispers of junior colleagues over whom one has big control, the more one is likely to lose sense of natural justice, which leads to prejudices that cause irreparable damage to multitude of victims seeking relief from misery of any kind. Tara was so bolt upright in delivering relief to the needy that the even the sly ones in the straight-jacket system would christen him ‘Mr Terrordatt’.

The fearless approach to solving people’s problem made Taradatt so adorable that knowledgeable citizen considered him a saviour. Affected crooks and criminals in the system and outside demonised him with tales of crazy things. But Tara wouldn’t care a damn. He would move ahead with his fail-safe tools made after thorough scrutiny and perfect due diligence.

The best gift among several he gave the public is the reforms in the land sale registration act which virtually tossed nearly all the land sharks out of business. He got an act passed in the cabinet, which makes it mandatory to prove the vendors right, title and interest over the property before the sub registrar who then accepts the deed as legally flawless. In case the sub registrar permits execution of any sale deed without ensuring these three aspects, he would face penal action including dismissal and the associating rogues would be held criminally liable.

While serving as the Sales Tax commissioner, he found the elitist Bhubaneswar Club guilty of tax evasion and routinely slapped a huge fine, for which he had to suffer some hitback from the club authorities and sycophantic media guys who did stoop so low as to organise hoodlums ransacking his residence campus and carry stories of infamy.

When the most adored chief minister Naveen Patnaik assigned him the job of investigation into the land discretionary quota allotment issues, he delved too deep and came up with the most startling facts of illegality wherein even High Court judges and top politicians, lawyers and leading journalists were not spared. Tara had appealed to the CM to ignore him, but Naveen was insistent that he do the job. Consequently, best friends, colleagues, mentors and well-wishers turned enemies which Tara took in his stride. He would say ruefully, “I kept weeping when I was drafting the explosive findings and recommendations. But I couldn’t have done injustice to the job Shri Naveen Patnaik gave me to finish well.”

Interestingly, Tara is a son-in-law of the soil. He is married to co-alumnus Indulata Das of Bhograi in Balasore district, a great Sanskrit scholar herself. Tara and Indu had first met in alma mater Banaras Hindu University [BHU] where they began respecting each other for several common intellectual and human interests. They married and lead a happy life. God gifted them a brilliant son an IITian business manager placed in the United States.

But after the DQ quota report became public, the affected parties probably ganged up and waged kind of a war against Tara. They chanced upon a domestic issue and provoked Indulata to put the hard taskmaster and martinet to trouble. Indulata had her own health problems including some psychic ailments for which she had turned a cynic. The reason was Tara’s non-compromising attitude even to domestic and family issues. Enemies mostly affected due to vested interest problems, focused on the fragile mental conditions of Indulata and successfully broke a home.

Admirers had projected Tara on great light. An article in leading English daily carried a story praising Taradatt’s administrative courage. Instantly Indulata got provoked by some vested interests to react strongly. She came out in the open and declared Tara may be a superb, incomparable administrator, but he is not a praiseworthy family person. Silly adultery charges were levelled by her. The other woman had long been a sister to her as the bureaucrat lady’s parents had adopted Indulata as daughter since long.

Some headless media people carried the ‘dirty linen’ story and to sensationalize Taradatt’s make believe blemishes. Colleagues laughed off saying madam was out of her mind; even detractors said the move was insane and in bad taste. But some media people capitalised on the issue because they never intended to go beneath the skin to know that some women suffer from paranoid problems resulting in mad outbursts, despite the medical fact that they appear fairly normal in every other aspect of life except the particular issue they have espoused for some personal reasons.

When Tara was consulted, what he said in response was strikingly strange. “Indu needs most compassion rather than condemnation because she is not well. It’s only she who inspired me to become an IAS officer because I failed to get a job as college teacher. Her brilliant scholarly qualities have helped me pursue my intellectual interests all these years despite very hectic administrative schedules and deadlines. Whatever has happened to our family image today is the will of God. I have to accept that without grudge. Things will turn fine in good time. Life is like that. She is not to blame for any of the disturbing development. That my paid public service life has come to a close, I must now melt into anonymity and oblivion smoothly. I have no regrets or do I bear anyone grudge.”

Tara never ever was desirous of getting into any post retirement state position. He simply did not apply for any as others do madly. He will share time between home near Nainital and Bhubaneswar to enjoy the weather as nature gives and engage in some serious reading and writing activities.

What people may not know is the great fact that after thirty five long years, Taradatt in his last stint organised to bring in place the state ‘Gazette’ a most valuable document which projects all the regions of the state in absolute light giving basic information about the people, ethos, geography, traditions and trades, lifestyles and characteristic traits of tribes and castes of people and above all the development indicators as accepted by international agencies. Tara took up the job in the last six months and the Gazetteer is out in record time. It’s now available on the web. Unfortunately, the high level committee never unveiled it in style for the world to know. Maybe it will happen soon. But the master brain would not be there to take the credit which he shares among all anyway. Tara has walked away in a blaze of glory without ever knowing that because he never chased fame.

Most Indians would not know that it’s Taradatt who made the Common Wealth Games happen on time. When unscrupulous politicians and officials had eaten up most money and the idea was to shelve or postpone the great event, someone in the Cabinet Secretariat told the top bosses that one Taradatt serving as joint secretary may fix and straighten thing in record time if given the task. PMO authorities did so and CWG opened in time as promised, thereby keeping the prestige of India intact.

Kalmadis et al were exposed and thrown out and team members lead by Tara worked day in and day out to correct all wrongs, heal all ulcers and seal all leaking holes at magical speed and precision. CWG was a grand success. For this simple reason, the government of India sought the expertise of Tara yet again for the just concluded Asian Games at Guwahati. Friend and colleague Injeti Srinivas, now the boss of Sports Authority of India, availed the services of Tara to have the games preparations lined up and be over at least couple of days before the commencement of the extravaganza. History has already been written in this regard which any critic or detractor can look up to crosscheck.

The last eulogy was heard from a judge of civil courts, “My District forest Officer [DFO] wife tells me what a godly personality Taradattji is. Strong-minded and no-nonsense, he would take the best ever possible decision to ensure the public benefits and all the colleagues earn fame as worthy government servants. I feel proud that my wife has worked under a demigod whom the people have failed to recognise because the great administrator hated to be admired publicly. The only thing he says is that he is trying his best as a mercenary official to justify the out of proportions salary he gets from the public.”