Over sixty years since he stepped down as Chief Minister of the erstwhile Madras state, the memory of K Kamaraj continues to exist in the collective consciousness of the state. In Tamil Nadu today, it is cited as a standard, a memory of a time when different lineages of leaders walked the earth. His simplicity and integrity are honored in an era when the public perception of politicians is “quite different,” to say the least.
Kamaraj’s admirers remain diverse – from common people, politicians, industrialists and students – and his contributions to the country’s development in sectors including education, economy, industry and infrastructure are far from forgotten.
The discerning reader may also note Kamaraj’s shrewdness as a politician. His relationship with the bureaucracy and unique style of communication with administrative officials is one of the best examples of the approach of elected political leadership towards professional civil service in a political democracy like India.
Kamaraj was known for his pragmatic, people-centred approach, administrative judgment and political decisiveness in decision-making. He wanted the bureaucracy to explore and identify appropriate administrative and legal solutions whenever officials stated that existing government rules prevented a particular policy initiative involving social welfare measures and irrigation projects.
His midday meal scheme for children in government schools still continues today. The Vaigai Dam Project demonstrated its political leadership and commitment to a scientific approach to governance when it chose to respond to senior officials and engineers who expressed reservations about the suitability of the proposed site based on their initial assessments of geological conditions or abandon the project. They were asked to conduct a new study and further scientific investigations along with verifying their previous conclusions with evidence, and then advise the government. A more detailed geological survey, hydrological study and soil investigations were carried out to verify the previous assessments and found that the chosen site was suitable for the construction of the dam. Today, Vaigai Dam is one of the most important irrigation projects in southern Tamil Nadu.
There is another socio-economic dimension to the construction of the Vaigai Dam in the Madurai-Theni region. There have been many complaints about highway robberies in Madurai-Theni district and the government was expected to take strict action. Kamaraj believes that the construction of Vaigai Dam reduces the crime rate in the area. He believed that if farmers had access to water and job opportunities, crime and violence would naturally decline, because he believed that economic development was the long-term solution to problems of law and order.
Another episode concerns a group of senior officials who wanted to visit some European capitals to study urban planning and local administration. An official memorandum was submitted to obtain government approval for the visit. Kamaraj called the officials and listened to them patiently before advising them to visit Madurai city first and asking them to study how its streets, sanitation, water management, markets and public facilities worked.
It is important to note that development studies increasingly recognize the need to preserve and enhance local knowledge systems and best practices rather than looking for solutions from elsewhere. Although this incident is often cited as a sign of Kamaraj’s financial wisdom, there is much more to his original wisdom and management philosophy. There is a growing debate in modern public administration about whether successful policies can simply be copied from one country to another without adapting them to local geography, culture, institutions, and social and economic conditions. Good governance begins with understanding our society before looking for solutions elsewhere and applying them at home.
Kamaraj was a patient and thoughtful listener. He reminded the bureaucracy to abandon the colonial style of administration, review outdated procedures and reach out to the masses.
He neither undermined officials at meetings nor formed a secret lobby of loyalists. He believed that the elected government must determine its social, political, economic and administrative agenda.
This is Kamaraj’s administrative legacy. Political leadership since his time have largely defined their governance agendas through him, at least in theory if not in practice. It remains to be seen what we will do with it.
(Professor Ramu Manivannan is a political scientist – researcher and activist in the fields of education, human rights and sustainable development. He is currently the Director of the Interdisciplinary Center – Center for Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Kurumppalayam Village, Vellore District, Tamil Nadu).
