Through the Looking Glass
- Akhilesh Tilotia
We all must have thought at least once in our lives that if I were the one in power, how swift and easy it would be for me to bring about change in my government’s functioning. In this book, the author explains why such a viewpoint may be flawed. The author, an MBA graduate from IIM Ahmedabad, a banking professional who later moved to public service, gives us a tour inside the ‘corridors of power’.
He explains the system’s strengths and mostly limitations from a practical viewpoint and through personal anecdotes. He argues that change can be difficult, given conflicting interests of 1.4 billion Indians, a world filled with news media sensations, pressure to comply with rules, and the political responsibility of ensuring access to public goods - personal capital (roti, kapda, makaan), physical capital (bijli, sadak, paani) and human capital (shiksha, swasthya, suraksha).
He further explains the roles of the ‘agents of change’ - the politician, who sacrifices her private life for the nation, the bureaucrat, who is forced to rely on process compliance rather than outcomes, and You, a member of the civil society, who should not just 'check-in' by paying taxes and by voting, but also should engage with the society through public discussions, and create awareness to bring about internal change.
After explaining the huge complexities of processes, guidelines, and checks and balances, the author goes on to compare the cultural nuances of public service with that of his previous life - public vs private, process compliance vs KPIs, Delhi vs Mumbai, seniority vs merit, power vs money.
The reader would be able to understand not just the world of public service and the expectations from the system, but also figure out why an extremely heavy entity such as the ‘system’ of India would require a lot more force, time, and political will to bring about the desired shift through the ‘agents of change’, including You.