e's donned many an administrative hat, swears by yoga and loves languages. But Bharat Lal Meena's schedule has changed, thanks to his new posting as BBMP commissioner

Even as a college student, Bharat Lal Meena believed that `city commissioners descended from above'. And now, he's actually there, right on the hot seat.

He loves being alone and is to the point both in public and private spaces. But his sudden, spontaneous humour can spring a surprise and elicit laughter. And there's more to this seemingly shy introvert than what meets the eye.

At 52, he swears by yoga and is a hardcore Federer fan. It's always been pure veg, less oil and salt for him. With his tall, lean frame with no sign of greying hair, it's quite impossible to guess his age until you meet his two college-going daughters -- Anju and Manju.

Born to a poor agricultural family in Sundary, a small village in Rajasthan's Sawai Mandhopur district, Meena was the second to graduate from his village. Civil service just happened by chance for this 1985 batch IAS officer.

"While doing an MA in political science, my seniors, who were working hard for it, inspired me. And whenever I would visit the collector's office, I would sub-consciously tell myself: I must occupy this place one day... be famous and wanted.''

Over the years, he's worked in various capacities and at many institutions that's also taken him to places across the country. He travelled all the way to UK to study rural development. And in between, he also turned author with `Life and Peace' which he wrote during his stay at Karwar in 1999. Inspired by his humble upbringing and armed with his UK experience, Meena went about starting an NGO called Apna Desh in Belgaum which takes up development work. "This is my way of giving back to society. There is so much to do in India,'' he says.

It was in 1989 that he came to Bangalore with his family. The city he then saw as serene has become quite the boom town thanks to rapid development and urbanization. But for him, "Bangalore is Bangalore. Never compare it to other cities like Singapore.''

MEENA THE PERSON

A strict disciplinarian at work and a doting, lenient father at home: it's a contrasting combo of interests and his innate nature that make him different. Although he's not god-fearing, he believes in a supernatural force in nature. He loves silence but enjoys the regular wildlife safari. "I am an atheist. I only believe there is something supernatural. That's about it''

Old music, films and film stars -- he rather enjoys those good-old times. "Dilip Kumar and Shabana Azmi are some of my favourite actors,'' he says. Ask him about current heroes and he quickly replies, "Aamir Khan''.

Despite his modern approach to problems, he still has a firm belief in traditional values. Much of it stems from memories of his childhood, watching his parents -- Sukhji Ram and Ratani Bai -- their struggles and sacrifices. His role models are his parents. Interestingly, his younger daughter Manju, who studies law, also aspires to become an IAS officer like him. Yet another interesting facet is his love for languages. Kannada was among the first few new languages he learnt. He has a collection of books in almost all languages now. "It's not that I know all these languages, but I sure plan to learn to read most of them,'' he says. Currently, he's also doing his diploma in French and spends his free time reading French literature. However, his new assignment as BBMP commissioner has kept him away from it in the last few days.

THE BEST JOB

He's been in many departments in the past -- the ones at KPTCL and Bescom being his longest stints. He was first posted as a clerk-cum-coin note examiner in 1980 at the RBI head office in Mumbai. He then moved on to various other areas including tourism, mass education, and ministry of steel. He has also been a housing commissioner, and was principal secretary of the social welfare department before he was given charge of the hot seat.

Ask him about his best posting and pat comes the reply: "All my jobs so far have been the best. I always believe it's not the post but the individual who should make a difference.''

FOND MEMORIES

"I come from a family that's doesn't have a very good educational background. And women hardly stepped out of homes. But today, times have changed. My daughters are doing what they want to. Even back home in the village, women and girls now get an education. Surely, times are changing for the good. Much of it needs a mental transformation. And children also learn values from their parents.''

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Role model/inspiration: parents, freedom fighters

Favorite food: dal baati (Rajasthani special)

Hobbies: learning languages, reading (mainly non-fiction)

Stressbuster: playing tennis and yoga

Favourite movies: Sholay, Munnabhai MBBS


Favourite place: Mainly nature. Loves wildlife safari


Field of specialization: Rural development, international affairs, social issues


A TYPICAL DAY IN HIS LIFE


He wakes up early, sometimes as early as 4.30 am to clear files. An hour-long tennis session follows, and 45-minutes of compulsory yoga. After a quick breakfast, he heads to work. Weekends are spent with family. But ever since he took over as BBMP commissioner, his schedule has changed. "Ab to, Sundays bhi bahar...'' as his wife Jagani puts it in a nutshell.

Bharat Lal Meena, the Bangalore Development Authority Commissioner, is a perfect role model for young students who are struggling against odds to make their mark.

Born in a remote village of Sundari in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan, young Meena used to trek for more than 5kms to Karauli to attend school. He didn’t know then where his determination to study was taking him. None of his family members were learned enough to tell him the importance of education.

“I was inspired by all the educated people around me who were placed well and guiding the society. I used to tell myself that one day I would also become like them. This thought made me forget the strenuous trek from my village to Karauli under the hot sun and biting winters,” says Meena.

Though illiterate, Meena’s parents were determined to encourage him in his endeavours. His parents were hard working and since Meena studied in the government school, the only expenditure then was books. Therefore, it was not difficult for them to generate sufficient money from their agricultural lands to fund his education.

After Class 12, Meena moved to Barnala for his graduation. He did his PG in political science from Rajasthan University. This was the turning point in his life. “It was in Jaipur that I got to know about the civil services. My curiosity led me to find out more about the services and I decided to take up the exams,” recollects Meena, who is one of the most eminent bureaucrats of the Karnataka cadre today.

Meena was so confident and determined that he decided to appear for the civil services exam in English though he had studied only in the Hindi medium till his postgraduation. He worked hard on his English skills while simultaneously studying for the other UPSC papers and also working as a clerk in Reserve Bank of India.

In 1984, Meena cleared the UPSC and was posted to Karnataka. He later obtained a master’s in rural development from the University of East Anglia in England.

“If one can asses one’s capabilities, strengths and limitations and sets practical goals, nothing is impossible if you work hard and is determined. It also helps if you think of how to contribute to the society once you reach your goal,” says Meena.

The commissioner hasn’t forgotten his humble beginnings and the means — determination, perseverance and hard work — through which he reached the position in which he is today.

In 1999, Meena began a self-help movement called Apna Desh. It aims to create leaders in villages and motivate them. Meena planted the seeds of this movement in Belgaum, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and Karwar districts when he was posted there.

Meenaspeak

Meena introduced the Apna Desh movement wherever he was posted in Karnataka. It is very active in Belgaum, Uttara Kannada, Karwar and Shimoga districts

None of his family members were learned enough to tell him the importance

of education. Meena encouraged himself

to become a bureaucrat for the Union government

Though initially Meena had difficulty with English, his hard work helped him get a master’s degree from University of East Anglia, United Kingdom.

— madhusudhan@expressbuzz.com

This morning, we had our first interview with our first IAS officer, Bharat Lal Meena. Meena is currently the Principal Secretary for the State of Karnataka’s Department of Agriculture. Given that elections are fought and won (or lost) based on agricultural policy and action, Meena is in an important spot. The decisions he makes in this leadership position will affect literally millions of farmers.

I first met Bharat Lal Meena when he was the Commissioner for the Bangalore Development Authority, and there’s some type of drive in him that motivates him to keep going in the civil service despite the red tape and the pressures from above (political bosses) and below (angry citizens). Not that we want to distill principles down to the individual level — which is not a principle at all — but we do want to understand how folks like Meena have been shaped, encouraged, and motivated to act where other men (and few women) prefer to keep comfortable by doing nothing. Then we want to know just how he brings change to multiple stodgy, somewhat stifling organizations whose previous managers wanted to keep the status quo.

Today we talked about his childhood journey and his motivations to join and sustain a career in civil service. Unlike some of the other officers, Meena comes from a disadvantaged background and grew up in the poorer state of Rajasthan. A lot of these experiences push him to make the most of any position he’s in. And within these positions, he knows how to manage . Although he may not have the technical expertise for urban development or agriculture, he understands how to incentivize, encourage, or move people to get things done (his degree in political science, he says, helped him to understand power). This includes working with vested interests in the form of politicians and industry, community members (whom he helps organize behind the scenes so that they apply the right pressure on the local government; Meena excels at coalition building), and his own staff, whom he is usually not allowed to fire.

For better or for worse (well, likely the latter), politics and bureaucracy are inextricably intertwined. In this context, a successful manager knows when to press on and when to let go so that people benefit and so that he/she doesn’t get moved to a new position in the boonies. And that is a lot harder than it sounds.

BBMP’s new commissioner Bharat Lal Meena has always been known for his progressive outlook and clean track record.

Hailing from a tiny village, Sundari located in Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan, the tale of Bharat Lal Meena, an IAS officer is the stuff textbooks are made of.

After finishing his schooling in his home town, Meena went on to do his post-graduation in political science from Rajasthan University.

He got another masters in rural development from University of East Anglia in England. He began as a clerk in the Reserve Bank of India in 1980 and four years later passed the civil services exam.

When he was posted at Karnataka, his first task was to learn the Kannada language so that he could understand his work area better. Meena has worked in different districts in Karnataka and has spent 14 years as deputy commissioner of Mangalore. In 1999, he came up with a mission called ‘Apna Desh’, a self-help movement, which encouraged people to take up leadership roles in their villages, becoming their own best motivators.

Speaking about ‘Apna Desh’, Meena had once said, “If the onus to keep a place clean or save energy is upon locals, then people take would pride in themselves as they are the key stakeholders. They would also tend to be less critical of the government in such a situation.” He did introduce ‘Apna Desh’ formula wherever he served, including in Belgaum, Uttara Kannada, Karwar and Shimoga districts.

When Meena was in charge commissioner of BBMP for a brief period (43 days in January-February, 2009 when Subramanya was on leave), he had suspended two engineers for inefficiency, putting on alert the entire officialdom of the city civic body.