As a rule, bureaucrats are the unlikeliest class of people
who are able to impart inspiration to young ones and be a role model to them.
With tales of corruption, whose corrosive tentacles threatening to weaken the
national edifice itself, coming out day by day in which bureaucrats go in
cahoots with unscrupulous politicians, it is no wonder that the public servants
have denigrated themselves to the status of a ‘necessary evil’. Rarely do we
find a gem sparkling among the litter that pass for administrators nowadays.
Meet K Jayakumar, IAS, the Chief Secretary to the state of Kerala,
superannuating today after decades of scintillating service. Though he is the
topmost bureaucrat in the state as of today, anyone living here know that
posterity is going to remember him not for his meritorious service, which would
surely make only a footnote in the descriptions about this man.
Jayakumar is a great lyricist, poet, painter, translator and
what not! The sweetness of his film songs excel all the present day lyricists
of Malayalam film industry so conspicuously that not even with a very large pole they could reach anywhere
near him in caliber. (An exceptional talent may be budding in the form of Rafiq
Ahmed, but it is too early to say anything for the time being). Being the son
of Shri M Krishnan Nair, a noted film director, it is no wonder that Jayakumar
naturally gravitated to film industry. His earliest songs were whetted by the
great Vayalar Ramavarma himself and shows glimpses of poetic talent that lay
hidden beneath his inexpressive visage which usually presented a stoic
detachment from worldly pursuits. Hardly fitting for a rough-and-tumble
bureaucrat, but adorably impressive for a poet.
How Jayakumar becomes a role model for us is the canny
dexterity with which he managed to merge the gifts of higher education, poetic
talent, painting and a high flying career in the Indian Administrative Service
(IAS) so effortlessly, without pomp and ceremony. Even when busy untying the
knots of red tape which is a curse of administration, he found time to pen the
forever mesmerizing ‘Chandanalepa sugandham…’. When he steps down from
officialdom to begin a new lease of life as a creative artist finally freed
from the shackles of official responsibilities, Malayalam expects a lot more
from his pen, and may be also from his brush. For his fans, the anticipation is
impatient as well as exhilarating.
Though he steps down from official duties today, he would continue
as the special officer for Sabarimala and is slated to become the first
vice-chancellor of the about-to-be-constituted Malayalam University. Though the
academy is definitely poised to be served by a worthy intellectual, his
literary fans could only hope that these assignments don’t unduly deter him
from creative pursuits. It would also be prudent for him to clearly identify
friends from foes, or else the new responsibilities might end up miserably in a
few months’ time. This apprehension takes substance from the unsubstantiated
allegations levelled against just a week ago for his alleged failure to award a
work in time while in charge of administration of Veterinary University. Even a
cursory glance at the charges prove that the allegations are motivated by
nothing but personal animosity, and its real intention was to hinder his
appointment as Vice Chancellor to the new Malayalam university.
To sum up, I wish the noted lyricist every success in his
all endeavours in the future and request him not to divert his precious, but
short time unnecessarily to other ventures. It would be definitely worthwhile
here to remember his unforgettable lines for the film Ozhivukalam (1985)
reproduced below, which also implies undiminished talent even after the lapse of
considerable time. Incidentally, these are the poet’s favourite lines too!
സായന്തനം നിഴല് വീശിയില്ല,
ശ്രാവണപ്പൂക്കളുറങ്ങിയില്ല,
പൊയ്പ്പോയ നാളിന് മയില്പീലിമിഴികളില്
നീലാഞ്ജനദ്യുതി മങ്ങിയില്ല.
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