Retired bureaucrats and their insipid memoirs

There are a substantial number of bureaucrats who after retirement feel aggrieved, and frustrated, often despising their former organization, department, colleagues, bosses, and subordinates. Reasons could be varied, ranging from losing an opportunity to head the organization, denial of an extension of service, a post-retirement sinecure, or a political assignment. There are also the lucky few who get all the above and much more. What do the aggrieved ones do? Most just fade away forever, a few manage to vent their anger in words and pages, hoping to get some publisher, to sell it to the disinterested public. Self-serving memoirs by retired bureaucrats are usually interesting only to their immediate family members or former colleagues hoping to see their names in print, with a complimentary reference here and there. Most memoirs of bureaucrats and politicians, end up as self-complimentary accounts of their lives, happenings, controversies, and surrounding events.  W.H. Auden once said, “Every autobiography is concerned with two characters, a Don Quixote, the Ego, and a Sancho Panza, the Self.”  What was said about autobiography applies equally to memoirs. Most such books turn out to be real snoozers, as the writers assume that the foibles and absurdities of bureaucratic life, make engrossing reading for everyone.

Many bureaucrats, nowadays, jump onto social media, and even start their own YouTube channel page to deprecate former political masters and colleagues in the bureaucracy. Recently, a top retired police lady bureaucrat was circulating her YouTube channel, wherein she was full of self-praise and was all ridicule about others with whom she had interacted. The comments about her post were not very complimentary. One participant pointed out that in another episode she was slut-shaming former women colleagues, while she, of course, was the epitome of virtue! 

All civil service aspirants should understand that the bureaucratic world does not believe in equality, liberty, fraternity, and transparency. These are only for preaching to outside ordinary mortals. Inside the bureaucracy, it is a kind of mellowed-down dictatorship, inflated and pompous egos, open favoritism, witch-hunting, protocol-obsessed, back-stabbing, religion-biased and caste-biased, crafty people. Each service within the massive bureaucracy spread out across the Central government and various State governments have their own quirky idiosyncrasies. What is important is to dexterously weave one’s way safely through this maze of veiled threats, cunning conspiracies, and petty rivalries. If not, one will end up, disgruntled, writing silly memoirs comprising a mélange of inaccuracies, vagaries, conspiracy theories, and shopworn accusations, against their former political masters and faceless former colleagues.

Retired bureaucrats have for a very long time been adding internal administration battles, policymaking failures, turf fights, policy disagreements, personal animosities, and even confidential discussions, in their memoirs, in order to make it saleable. Since the integrity of Executive Branch decision-making was under siege from virtually every direction imaginable, the Government of India was compelled to issue a new set of rules released on July 6, 2023, by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) warning that disclosure of confidential and sensitive information post-retirement could lead to the cancellation of pension and benefits. This was ostensibly done to keep unflattering facts from leaking into the public domain.

The DoPT notification also specifies that individuals who have worked in intelligence departments must obtain permission from the head of the organization before disclosing any information publicly. Sub-rule (4) of Rule 6(a) prohibits members of the All India Services who have served in security agencies or intelligence departments from making any publication without prior permission. This includes refraining from disclosing sensitive information about the organization's work area, personnel details, ranks, roles, expertise, and any other classified information witnessed during their tenure. The disclosure of such information which poses a threat to India's sovereignty, integrity, security, strategic interests, economic interests, or foreign relations, is strictly prohibited. The publication of data contained in records, documents, memoranda, emails, opinions, advice, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, or any other electronic form maintained by a member during their service will also be treated as a grave crime, as per the new rules. Effectively, it means that Indian bureaucrats, and intelligence officers of secret services will not be able to come out with their thrilling versions like the “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History” by former SEAL Chris Kyle. This book went on to become the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir and the source for Clint Eastwood’s blockbuster, Academy-Award nominated movie. 

However, accounts of retired bureaucrats will not brim with testosterone and manliness but will be a litany of their disappointments, grievances, and feeble attempts at self-glorification.  These post-retirement auto-biographists need to learn from former U.S. President Harry Truman’s famous words “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”