It Takes Two To Tango!

I attended a one-week capacity-building training programme sponsored by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) at Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, in 1993. During the course, I was particularly influenced by a lecture on ‘Synergy’. The professor explained: “Carbon occurs in pure forms only in two minerals, diamond and graphite. In diamond, each carbon atom is joined to four other carbon atoms forming a regular tetrahedral structure, whereas in graphite each carbon atom is joined to three other carbon atoms to form layers of hexagonal rings. While the diamond is the hardest material on earth, graphite is so soft that it is used as a solid lubricant. From this can you infer whether Carbon by itself is hard or soft? It is the bonding patterns amongst the same entities that make such fantastic distinctions in their physical characteristics. And that is, synergy.” He concluded by saying, “While every seed has the potential to bloom into a tree, it is only the few that get proper exposure to soil, moisture and light at the right time, right place and the right environment, manage to achieve their potential.”

I realized that individual excellence might be a major criterion for achieving personal goals, but for organisational efficiency, coordinated efforts are more important than individual brilliance. I was lucky throughout my career to get opportunities to be part of or lead teams where the members harmonized well. Particularly, I would like to acknowledge the contribution of all my colleagues in MoEFCC, where I served as the Director General of Forest (DGF), but for whose contribution it would just not have been possible to achieve anything substantial.

My batchmate and close friend Dr S.C. Gairola joined as the Director General of the Indian Council of Forest Research and Education (ICFRE) a few days before I joined as DGF and we continued in our respective posts for nearly three years. Both the apex-level posts are of equal importance. Gairola held a position that was to recommend a technical basis for policy interventions by the Ministry. From day one, we decided to maximize synergy by working in tandem. He was instrumental in revitalizing Forest research through the institutions under ICFRE spread across the country. I would like to cite one example: He initiated Catchment Area Treatment Plans for the main river systems of the country, a major step for soil and moisture conservation. This was later adopted and launched by the MoEFCC as a key strategy for achieving India’s international commitment of sequestering additional three gigatons of carbon-dioxide equivalent, by the year 2030. This will be one of the country’s major contributions towards global efforts to reverse the adverse impacts of global warming due to Climate Change.

I visited Dehradun, the Mecca of Forestry in India, almost once in a month during my tenure, as many of the National Institutes of Forestry besides ICFRE are located there. At Dehradun, Gairola and I invariably spent time together in the evenings. Besides discussing issues related to research and education, I picked his brains on all major issues that I was handling in the Ministry to get his dispassionate opinion and critical appraisal. On several occasions, we travelled together across the country to the institutions under ICFRE. The idea was to send a message that we seriously meant to transfer technology from the lab to land.

Another batchmate and good friend Brij Mohan Singh Rathore was also considered for appointment as DGF along with me and I believed he would beat me to the post. But at the end, I must have pipped him to that position by the skin of my teeth. At that time Brij, a recipient of the prestigious Indira Priyadarshini Vriksh Mitra Award for excellence in community-based forest management, was working as Chief Policy Adviser at International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu. And, I was confident that I could count on his support whenever needed. He came to Delhi at regular intervals and stayed at India International Center where I met him over lunch or dinner and discussed several professional issues. In most of the policy-level matters that I handled in the Ministry; I bounced my ideas off him and he was always more than willing to give his considered viewpoints.

Forest being in the concurrent list, the Government of India lays down policy guidelines and the states implement those and manage the forests. Therefore, seamless coordination with the states is critical for the implementation of policies. Field conditions and consequent managerial issues many times vary from state to state and a one-size-fits-all approach is not always feasible. Similarly, it sometimes takes time for the rationale behind the policies of the Union Government to sink in. Moreover, sometimes younger officers and other stakeholders are better positioned to provide critical inputs on several issues. I strongly believe there is no alternative to field visits and personal interactions for the exchange of ideas and getting feedback. During my 31-month tenure, I visited all the States and Union Territories of the country at least once. All the top Forest Managers were my contemporaries, quite a number of them being my batchmates and I got their unstinted and unconditional support.

I found WhatsApp groups very useful for getting ideas and criticism from Foresters, both serving and retired who were not in the loop. Before taking a final call on major policy issues I dropped ideas in these groups, which invariably resulted in constructive suggestions, sharp criticisms and even cynical views. Floating ideas on social media is also very useful to solicit suggestions and criticisms. But I realized there is no substitute for one-on-one interaction. Therefore, I preferred to identify individuals who are seriously concerned (both positive and negative) with the issues, engaged with them in person or over the telephone and found the efforts worth every bit.

Indeed, it takes two to tango!