With a heavy heart, I want to reminiscence the memory and some incidents related to one of my father's friend and a very senior bureaucrat BN Yugandhar Ex-IAS 1962 batch.  He left for heavenly abode day before yesterday and today the cremation must be taking place, after the arrival of his now-famous son Satya Nadella, CEO Microsoft, from the US. I remember my father saying that Mr. Yugandhar had always stood for values and principles, a very upright officer. As I understood, he was a man with left -orientation, energetic, generous and very impatient with red-tapism and at the same time, a critic of left-criminalisation. He was with United AP CM, NTR also worked with P.V. Narasimha Rao in 1990s. I had genuine doubt, regarding his “surname”. He was popularly called as B N Yugandhar, but originally it was only “Nadella” which his son retains. I'm told that they got migrated from Guntur District (Nadella) to a place known as Bukkapuram, in Anantpur District, about 4/5/decades back, and he used to retain  Bukkapurm also with original Nadella. I had the opportunity to see him once when he was Secretary of Rural Development. He had been picked up by Narasimha Rao because his attitude to always work for helping poor, lead a life with dignity. 

At this point, I would like to share an unusual incident narrated by a friend of my father, bureaucrat Mr. K R Venugopal. 

Venugopal and Yugandhar are of the same batch. When Yugandhar ‘s son Satya engagement ceremony to Venugopal's daughter was underway, Narasimha Rao (PM at the time) got to know of the same and he wanted to surprise them with an impromptu visit. So he took Ramu Damodaran, his PS; he took only an ambassador and a police jeep and no one knew PM moving in an Ambassador. He had bitter experience of traffic snarls, but finally, when he reached the venue the joy of both Yugandhar and Venugopal knew no bounds.

The socialist in Yugandhar found a mention in the latest Vinay Sitapati’s book “Half Lion”. How Narasimha Rao transformed India. Describing the role of bureaucrats around him, played, in informing welfare policies during Narasimha Rao's tenure. Sitapati said "when Rao was a Minister in AP in the 1960s he too believed in the obligation of the state to transform India’s ills. That Rao had morphed into a pragmatist when it came to Economy.  But when it came welfare schemes his choice of stubborn socialists as point men indicated which mode he had in mind” 

It’s reported that Mr. Yugandhar passed away having suffered from Asthama, and other breath related health problems. My deepest condolences to his family and near and dear. May his soul rest in peace.