The death of Shri P S Krishnan is a big blow to the forces of social justice in India. He was a man of great convictions who always stood with the side of the Dalits, Aadivasis and OBC communities all through his life. A man who was responsible for developing the SC-ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, Krishnan was also part of the Ministry of Social Justice, during V P Singh’s short tenure when Mandal Commission Report was accepted by the Prime Minister to be implemented.
P S Krishnan held high offices but it is also a fact that he was nurtured by those politicians who were considered to be honest and pro social justice. Under V P Singh he was defining many things including organising centenary Celebrations of Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar and late Arjun Singh as Ministry for Human Resource Development, sought his services for the implementation of reservation at the higher level which was barred.
After his retirement, P S Krishnan continued with his support and advise to various organisations. He guided many budding new officers and telling them about social justice issues, reservation issues and other things. He was a regular with activities of many organisations and was down to earth, a very humble and simple person, a rare breed to found in today’s world where bureaucrats are arrogant and absolute casteist.
I have despised sitting with sitting officers in their chambers as I feel suffocated. They too are overcharged with phone calls and it look India only work on phone calls and nothing. No officer has time to sit and listen to the people as they are always flooded with calls. I am amazed how will officer function in a such a scenario. Most of they are surrounded by their darbaris who dont allow the spaces for the common person.
P S Krishanan was of the generation and breed of another gentleman who I admire the most, S Shankaran and K Balagopal ( who was not a civil servant but people’s hero) who dedicated their lives for people and had no caste prejudices. They remain true to their convictions and constitution of India. We need more and more bureaucrats and lawyers who are dedicated to the spirit of constitution of India and do not suffer from the caste mind prejudiced towards the marginalised sections of society. The issue of the Dalit Adivasis and OBCs can not be seen from the prism of being a ‘patron saint’ but issue of their fair representation at every layer of our administration as well as our socio-political and cultural life.
P S Krishnan lived a full life but there was not a single day he was not busy or concerned with the issues of the marginalised. He was a guiding force for all those who believed in social justice and human rights of the marginalised. His presence will be missed at various forums and spaces where his guidance meant a lot for the benefit of the people historically denied justice.
