Venkat Forever; Edited by T.P.Sreenivasan and James.M.Peck ; Published by Konark Publishers; Pages 217 ; Price Rs 595/- ************************************************************* When the definitive history of the Indian Administrative Service comes to be written Shri.A.P.Venkateswaran (APV hereafter) will be accorded a place of pride. William Shakespeare –in “The Twelfth Night” wrote-- “Some are born great ; some achieve greatness; some have greatness thrust upon them”.Perhaps this applies to notoriety too! Notoriety was thrust on APV. Rajiv Gandhi had in his arrogant way belittled him—announcing in a Press Conference----in a seemingly casual way APV’s removal. “You will see a new Secretary next week.”,he said. APV resigned within hours before Rajiv got a chance to put his pronouncement in paper. The Indian Foreign Service Association in an unprecedented move criticised the Prime Minister’s action. APV declared with his bubbling sense of humour, “I was a distinguished diplomat once ; now I am an extinguished diplomat.” The book under review has two Editors. One is Shri.T.P.Sreenivasan,ex-Ambassador and a distinguished IFS Officer currently busy with a Think-Tank.The other Editor is APV’s son-in-law Mr. James Peck,an international oil explorationist. APV’s father Shri.A.S.Panchapakesa Ayyar was himself an ICS Officer who became Chief Justice of Madras and was noted for his sense of humour. Two examples. At his ICS board interview the British members wishing to rattle him asked, “If a lion chased you, what steps would you take to save yourself?”. Without batting an eyelid Ayyar said, “Long Steps!”. It appears that when he was watching the Travancore sisters—Lalitha,Padmini performing Bharat Natyam, before a foreign delegation, the wife of a dignitary asked Ayyar “why the ladies on the stage were lifting their left leg and then their right leg” during a dance. With a straight face Ayyar told “Madam,if they lifted both their legs together, they would surely fall on their bottoms’ . APV’s son-in-law James Peck described the ceremony in connection with Venkat’s ashes which were immersed in a strong current of three swollen rivers. True to his nature, the ashes initially travelled upstream against the current. After that brief act of mischief the ashes cajoled by the currents,sashayed along the water’s surface toward the sun”. The book ,under review,perpetuates APV’s memory by compiling the extensive folklore of his anecdotes ,witticisms and pithy statements which remain green in the minds of his colleagues . Books by retired civil servants—the IFS -- like K.P.S.Menon,B.K.Nehru--are well-documented records of India’s relationships with countries and regions, different social, political and cultural settings and are rich in limning commanding Indian and foreign personalities. A book of this type is unusual since it is dedicated to one individual , who served with distinction in the IFS and occupied its highest office. It could be the first of its kind. Some of the contributors are contemporaries of APV and they reveal the quintessential diplomat. Shri.K.S. Bajpai, APV’s batchmate contributes an illuminating Foreword. Bajpai was ambassador of India to China and the United States,High Commissioner to Pakistan and a secretary in the ministry of external affairs. He refers to Venkat’s unflagging sense of humour, “the ready aptness of his sallies being born of a sharp mind quickly focusing on what mattered” and informed by a wide range of knowledge. He adds, “We have had many clever people in our service, but few could match Venkat’s gifts”. The chapter titled "A life lived well by the family"--by Usha(wife),Kalpana(daughter) and Peck(son-in-law) recounts APV’s life from his youth. A graduate in chemistry from Madras Christian College, he took his master’s in economics from Presidency College, stood first in his class and got a Tata scholarship to pursue further studies at the London School of Economics. However, A.S.P. Ayyar compelled him to attempt the civil services examinations where he succeeded and joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1952. In those years, entrants to the service were sent to either Oxford or Cambridge for courses in foreign languages, international relations, economics, etc. APV learned Russian. After seven years in the service, he married Usha, an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer. Their first posting together was in Ethiopia. Here, Usha proved to be the genuine asset she was in showcasing the fine arts from India . Fully supported by her husband , Usha became well known and admired in various posts in Moscow, Fiji, Washington, Geneva, Beijing and Damascus. One could take the Indian Foreign Service out of Venkat after his voluntary retirement, but not his deep passion for India’s domestic and external policies.Towards the late ’90s, Usha and Venkat decided to move to Bengaluru from Delhi. Here he founded the Asia Centre along with like-minded people in 1996. It became, under his guidance, a respected institution with thought provoking debates on contemporary issues of national and international importance. APV’s inputs inspired the next generation of officers to be fearless, patriotic and widened their horizons to look into the future. Former foreign secretary Sujatha Singh points out that “through his participation in the IFS email group, he allowed many younger colleagues, who may have never had the opportunity to meet him in person, to benefit from his wisdom and experience.” The book is enriched by APV’s recorded oral history, where he frankly expands on the various stages of his career to his interviewer who is also a distinguished diplomat--Ambassador Kishan Rana. Students of politics, international relations and India’s external relations would find this section hugely rewarding. The book has good photographs of APV in the company of leaders from India and abroad, and some pleasant family portraits. The book is highly recommended to all interested in diplomacy. It has a detailed account of a major contretemps by a former Prime Minister by well-known journalists. There is a section of ‘Venkatisms’ like the reference to Rajiv Gandhi, under whom he served, that one can inherit good looks, also intelligence, but not experience. The tributes occupy well over half the book, ranging from a two liner which describes him as caring and hospitable, to much longer ones which recount in some detail what it was like to work with him with greater or lesser closeness, to know him socially, to enjoy his hospitality and, in more than one case, to encounter him in other circumstances. Some of the contributors knew him well, others hardly at all.The keenness of his intellect and the sharpness of his wit are the qualities that come in for most attention; one after another, the tributes refer to his humour, his capacity for quick repartee. An enjoyable read,indeed. P.P.Ramachandran 8/11/2020.