Late Shri Arvind Kumar, IAS (Retired)

By Dr. Kewal Raj,
Former Professor of Economics,
Govt.College Sector-11, Chandigarh

Arvind ji had been my student in the subject of Economics in Govt. College Chandigarh. He came close to me by virtue if his intelligence, sincerity and curiosity to learn. His comprehension level was quite appreciable in the sense that he never asked for clarification of the concepts in the class and could silently grasp what I taught. I recollect that his willingness and desire to learn is evidenced from the fact that despite being a student of junior most class (PREP), asked me the meaning of Deficit Financing, the concept which was not a part of his syllabus and used to be taught to the higher classes during Seventies. This instance I shared with my other colleagues also.

His speed to cover the syllabus was so high that he normally prepared notes of even those topics which were not covered in the class and handed over the note book to me for checking as he desired to leave for his native place CHHAPRA if I remember correctly.
During my research work, he was much helpful to me in the collection of material and noting it down by sitting in Punjab University Library. During those days the facility of XEROX was not available and the relevant articles were to be copied from the Journals. Arvind ji, being quite realistic and objective in his judgment was far away from the practice of sycophancy.

He was much clear about his ambition to become IAS during his college days. I found him a student with clear headed thinking and concrete analysis. After clearing his graduation, he joined Jawaharlal Nehru University for doing Master in Economics.
While studying at JNU, he came to Chandigarh and met me at my residence. He informed me that he was simultaneously preparing for IAS. I told him that he should focus upon his M.A. at first as preparation for IAS will divert his attention and his performance in post-graduation can be affected. His answer was ‘Marks may decrease by a small percentage which is immaterial.’
Finally he realized his ambition and served the nation with dignity and commitment.
He was one of those students whom I remember fondly and frequently . He has created a permanent place in my mind.
Unfortunately such a noble soul left so early .

Dr. Kewal Raj
Former Professor of Economics,
Govt. College Sector-11, Chandigarh