By Swami Ranganathananda
Based on a speech delivered by Swami Ranganathananda at the Indian Institute of Public Administration New Delhi in 1977
The happiness and welfare of the people in a state depends upon the type of administration they get and on the quality of administrators.
We have achieved political freedom. But, we have a vast un-developed population to whom not even elementary level of existence is available. What does this freedom mean to all these people who do not have basic necessities of life? This question should stimulate not only administrators, all organs of state legislature, executive and judiciary, but all sections of our citizen.
Being and Function
Every administrator is primarily a citizen of India and he should always be aware of what it means. Some of the mature citizens, who choose to be and are called upon to become, become our administrators for some years of their life. This means that they are essentially citizens of free India called upon to perform particular function in service of our nation. Hence, Citizenship constitutes our primary being and what do we do as administrators merely constitutes the function that we discharge, deriving inspiration from that being. Hence, we should not treat ourselves merely as functionary, for we will become defunct without any dimension, reduced to nothing when we retire or cease to perform function otherwise. “If one centers around being and pours his/her being into his/her functions, those functions become enhanced and glorified with the energy and grace of that fullness of being ; he / she continues to be full even when one ceases to be functionary.” This is fruit of a profound philosophy of man which we have in our own Vedanta.
The fullness of being of every one of us consists primarily as our inalienable status as Citizens of free India: all other functions performed by us are terminable and are like ‘zeros’ which get their value from the figure before them. It is by this awareness of basic being that one becomes a focus of intrinsic worth and dignity; and by thinking merely in terms of one’s functions, one tends to reduce oneself more and more to the status of ‘Zero’.
Hence, we should be aware of our primary being and allow that being to flow into and fill all our functions; such function will, thus, achieve new and significant new quanta of energy and grace.
We should find a motive that can enliven and energize our administration for its effective functioning and for being development oriented. A functionary need not be bureaucrat, static and wooden while working as a bureaucrat. A bureaucrat is wooden and static because he has no imagination and is only guided by rules and manuals, and can not respond to the human situation and urges.
A dynamic tradition inspired of the national urges and patriotic motivation can make a functionary responsive to human urges and aspirations. A functionary attitude makes one a mere careerist and job seeker, making him defunct even while functioning.
Bureaucracy: Static vs Dynamic
The difference in above two is of attitude. Static bureaucrat reflects low and poor state of man, as a mere functionary who draws from his functions to enrich his inner being which is otherwise empty. Such state of mind is prone to succumbing to corruption.
The dynamic bureaucrat represents a man inwardly rich in his being, in his strength of citizenship awareness and patriotic impulse and pouring out that richness into his function. This attitude fosters the spirit of service and retains much innate strength to resist and overcome corrupting influences.
A change of attitude can produce tremendous results. An attitude can be controlled, manipulated and can be made to grow. It can enrich both, one’s being and function. It can make one alive, vibrant, responsive and responsible.
We cannot but admire people who are moved by ideas and visions and who respond to human situations. It is they, who become great administrators, with imagination as their greatest asset. “Imagination’ is a remarkable value, making person dynamic and giving purpose to his life.”
Even after achieving freedom after long struggle, being ruled by sterile bureaucracy is a serious tragedy which has taken away poetry of life and ecstasy of freedom and has converted administration into prosaic business of seeking money, power and pleasure. It has brought in its wake social evils like corruption, various malpractices and unconcern for common man and his welfare.
We can transform the administration and society with dynamic functioning of bureaucracy where actions are surcharged with vision, energy, joy and enthusiasm for human growth and development, giving meaning and significance to all the actions.
Social life and administration should be conducted with spirit of service as a constant feature of one personality which expresses itself in inter-human relationship with spontaneous “What can do for you? How can I help you?”attitude.
When this learning is internationalized that person has achieved profound education and has achieved first stages of his spiritual growth “atma vikasa”.
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