Humour is the spice of life—more so if it is served with tangy titles that come with mouth watering kebabs and delicious desserts.
Setting aside hostilities and tensions, the UP bureaucracy renewed the camaraderie in the cadre with their annual service dinner, held as a part of the “IAS Week”.
Political loyalties and differences, one-upmanship and bitterness melted away as the officers opened the menu card in which the titles were printed.
Though the titles relied almost completely on Bollywood songs, they effectively managed to convey the message.
For the amiable Chief Secretary Rajive Kumar, who returned from Central deputation to take over the top job, the title was “Aap aaye, bahaar aayi”.
Additional Chief Secretary R.K. Tiwari and Commissioner Commercial Tax Mukesh Meshram were jointly given the title, “Gabbar Singh Tax”. The two were responsible for implementing GST in the state.
Three senior IAS officers, R.P. Singh, Anup Chandra Pandey and Sanjay Agarwal got the title “Hum bhi khade hain raahon mein”, an obvious reference to the fact that they are strong claimants to the chief secretary’s post after the present incumbent retires.
“Raat baki, baat baki, file, meeting ho jaane do” was the title given to S.P. Goyal, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister. He is obviously overworked while Rigzian Sampheal, the officer, who was secretary in Akhilesh Yadav’s secretariat and has continued in the same post in the present regime, was given the title “Badal jaye agar mali, chaman hota nahin khali”.
The ever busy Awanish Awasthi, Principal Secretary Information and Tourism, got “Subho sham kaam hi kaam, kyon nahin lete piya pyar ka naam”.
Pilibhit district magistrate Sheetal Varma, who was recently seen wearing a saffron sari during CM Yogi Adityanath’s visit to the district, was aptly given the title “Rang de tu mohe gerua”.
Five senior officers who returned from Central deputation—Sanjay Bhoosreddy, Prashant Trivedi, Alok Kumar, Alok Tandon and Manoj Kumar Singh—were welcomed with “Tum aa gaye ho, noor aa gaya hai, nahin to chiragon se lau jaa rahi thi”. Three officers who have come to UP from other states’ cadres—Himanshu Kumar, Kalpana Awasthi and T. Venkatesh—were conferred the title “main to chhod aayi babul ka desh, piya ka ghar pyara lage”.