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‘I Love Food And Doesn’t It Show?’ Late evenings usually find him busy at work. Does the man ever pause to relax? How does he ‘destress’ himself? One late evening, last week, at his office in Mumbai, Mr Damodaran laughed at the query. “Am I under stress?” he counterquestions. “I am never under stress,” he smiles. “Compared to other situations, maybe it is stressful now, but it is not an absolutely stressful condition. Isn’t life about managing stress? It definitely is not about eliminating stress. The proverb, ‘When winter comes, can spring be far behind?’ is a good philosophy to go by.”
It’s rather interesting to see what the man is like when he is not working. Mr Damodaran says he loves doing crosswords. “I do it daily. In fact, I have been doing that for years now.” Would he, for instance, find time to watch television? “Yes, I do. In fact, one likes to pretend one has a wide range of interests. I don’t watch serials as it is difficult to follow them daily and I don’t have the time for it. I also read a lot. Most of the time, I pick up books from the airports. At one time, one read Wallace and Sidney Sheldon. I like Arthur Hailey, too. Now I like to read Grisham. I have read all his books.” What is he reading now? “Actually, I am re-reading a book, The Barbarians At The Gate. I read it 10 years ago. I like re-reading novels.”
Mr Damodaran is known for his love for sports. In fact, the very mention of the word makes him grin. “I watch a lot of sports as well as news channels.” And what is his favourite sport? Poker-faced he replies, “Whether politics in sports or sports in politics, I watch both in a dispassionate manner.” Well, what about “proper” games? “Oh that! Well, I enjoy football, tennis and everything else. Necessarily in that order. Recently, I have been watching a lot of hockey.” Does he watch films? “I have not been to a theatre in a long while now. But I do watch the films they show on TV. I watch a lot of Malayalam films. In Malayalam films, besides the main actors, even the supporting cast is extremely talented.” Who are his favourite actors? “Well, besides the most liked Malayalam actors Mammooty and Mohanlal, I like Jayaram, who has been doing some good films. I also like the actor Tilakan. He has an unconventional talent.” What about the actresses? “Oh, they are good, but their names don’t register,” his voice rings with laughter.
Besides watching TV and reading books, is he into the corporate fad of “working out”? He looks down at himself and asks, “What do you think?!” In that case, is food a weakness? “No, it is my strength. I love food and doesn’t it show?!”
Looking back on his career and the immense strides that he has taken, was it a path he chose for himself? “Firstly, I don’t think the strides have been immense. I am average in terms of effort and absolutely average in terms of results. Being here does not mean I represent success.” Rewinding to his school days, he recalls being “very naughty”. But he’s quick to add, “I was a topper in school and then joined Loyola College, Chennai, for my pre-university. Later, like others of my age, I appeared for entrance tests and got through IIT Madras. There I did everything except attend classes! I dropped out of the course as I found that was not what I wanted to do. Then I joined the Madras Law College. I was there for eight months before dropping out. By this time, my father had retired and I was firm that I would not depend on a pensioner.”
Did breaking off his studies in any manner undermine his confidence? “No. Dropping off the courses that I was taking was not an impulsive action. The first time that I did it, I asked myself the question, ‘Is this what I want to be?’ and the answer was in the negative. When one is younger, one can afford to take such risks and then go on.”
After applying to several banks for a job, Mr Damodaran finally joined the State Bank of India as a probationary officer. Six months later, he joined the IAS and also completed his law degree. From postings in Central ministries to being India’s youngest chief secretary in 1992, to his current posting, how has it been? “Whatever be the common perception of the IAS, to me, it is wonderful. It has given me a range in terms of the fields I have worked in and the challenges one gets is phenomenal.”
With a schedule as busy as he has, does he find time for his family? “Yes. But let me tell you, for one to succeed, one must have an understanding partner. My wife, Thulasi, is very understanding. I have been undeservingly lucky to have her.”
Speaking with Ms Damodaran later, there are more discoveries. “He is a fantastic guy. Now don’t tell him this. But I find him very considerate and he also gives me a lot of space to do what I want. A long time ago, when our elder son was five years old, he came down with a viral fever and was admitted to the ICU in a government hospital. My husband was extremely busy, but I was unreasonable and asked him to be with me at the hospital. He would attend to his work in the day and at night, sleep outside the hospital with pigs licking at his feet, as only one of us could sit in the ICU. I never knew about it until a relative pointed this out to me. After that incident, I have never made any such demands.”
Who buys Mr Damodaran’s clothes? “Oh, my wife does. Earlier, I loved wearing half-sleeved shirts, but now, the job restricts all that. Once I reach home, my wife takes over. She has the final say,” he says amidst laughter. Is he a believer? “One is deeply religious, but not a regular temple goer. I have my short conversations with God every night about the day’s activities. And as long as I can say I haven’t been worse today than yesterday, then it is all right.”
Is he superstitious? “Oh, one touches wood. But I respect others’ feelings. The day I took over as the UTI chief, a board meeting was scheduled to be held at 4.30 pm. An official said that Rahu Kalam began at that time that day. I began that meeting at 4.25 pm.” Has that been good for him? “Only time will tell!” | ||
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