Sharks in the Water

There are three types of civil servants in India: those who join the government purely to enrich themselves; those who start out with integrity but soon succumb to the temptation and pressure to join the ranks of their corrupt colleagues; and those rare individuals like Raghbir Bawa who are determined to be incorruptible and remain steadfastly so, despite every attempt by their corrupt peers, subordinates and ministers to destroy their career. This memoir, which recounts Bawa's...
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There are three types of civil servants in India: those who join the government purely to enrich themselves; those who start out with integrity but soon succumb to the temptation and pressure to join the ranks of their corrupt colleagues; and those rare individuals like Raghbir Bawa who are determined to be incorruptible and remain steadfastly so, despite every attempt by their corrupt peers, subordinates and ministers to destroy their career. This memoir, which recounts Bawa's remarkable experiences in Indian government as an urban planner over nearly thirty years in Delhi and Patna, shows the perilous path trod by anyone who is idealistic enough to believe that public servants should serve the public rather than themselves.By turns dramatic, funny and heartbreaking, it is as much a primer for the aspiring civil servant who seeks a window into the machinations of politicians, babus and government officials as it is a personal recounting of the challenges, victories, and defeats faced by Bawa as he navigates the treacherous waters of the Indian Babu-ocracy.