https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Just Transferred: The untold story of Ashok Khemka

The author duo have painstakingly written down precise details of how and why this bureaucrat has been transferred so frequently
Indian Masterminds Stories

The man, who has suffered 53 transfers in 27 years and is still in service, must have been made of a very different soil . ‘Transfer’ has become the synonym of Ashok Khemka for his bold decisions and fearless reports in and about the Indian bureaucracy. This is probably because he respects the ‘system’ and the ones who run it despite facing personal grudges and official assaults.

Bhavdeep Kang and Namita Kala listened to Khemka earnestly sketching precise details in this carefully written biographical account. The authors’ note reads: “His story is an uncomfortable mirror that faithfully reflects the bleak truth of all governments: they come, they go; nothing changes.”

Born in 1965 in an ordinary Marwari family in Kolkata, Khemka, the ‘anti-corruption icon’, finds, after joining the Indian civil services, that his childhood was not the only difficult phase in life. Junior to Arvind Kejriwal by a year in IIT Kharagpur, he was never an average student.

While in service, bureaucrats and ministers have despised his sight and yearned for his good riddance. His story tells the importance of short term reforms and reengineering of Indian bureaucracy. It is the tale of a fight put up by Khemka in public interest.

Ashok Khemka Book Cover

The book focuses, in detail, on the infamous land mutation case of Robert Vadra and DLF that made Khemka famous in 2012. His family was a huge support when the Vadra-years haunted him. Khemka admits he was scared every time he took a step against the government and was ready to face the consequences, but he did not want fear and greed to overcome his conscience. He got used to it and found every transfer a déjà vu.

The hardcover edition of the book adds to the sincerity and gravity of it. The cover picture shows Khemka sitting on a suitcase on the road and portrays just rightly the ‘in-transit’ theme of the book. The book feels like a suspense thriller due to the hardcover binding, fictional yellow pages and exciting turn of events between a prologue and an epilogue. It contains two appendices telling the anatomy of land scams in India and the history of the Indian Civil Services respectively.

The detailed alphabetical index at the end of the book provides an easy access to the important names of people, places and things, and significant events and reports. A list of 137 references in footnotes reveals the sources of information as well as the extensive research of the authors. The narration is also sprinkled with quotations from Orwell to Austen.

Readers who have a penchant to know about the lives of Indian administrative officers or who keep an opinion about Indian government would enjoy the nail-biting instances in the book. The students who wish to crack the civil service examinations would be able to prepare themselves of what they are to face while in service. The book is also a must-have in the reference section of university libraries across the globe. Every reader would love the story-telling in general.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Raj DGP
Rajasthan: New DGP Rajeev Sharma Aims to Make Rajasthan a Model for Policing in India – Know His Future Plans for Policing in State
Leopard Threat on Kanwar Yatra
UP: Leopard Threat Looms Over Kanwar Yatra in Bijnor; Administration Steps Up Vigil with Drones and Patrolling
Ladli Behna Yojana Housing
Ladli Behna Yojana: 1.30 Crore Urban Beneficiaries to Receive Houses Alongside Financial Aid, Announces MP CM Mohan Yadav
Mohan Yadav
Rs 8,682 MSP for Moong: CM Dr Mohan Yadav Requests 40% Procurement Amid Surge in Cultivation
Gwalior Chambal development pic
MP CM Mohan Yadav Flags Off Rs265 Cr Projects, Inaugurates ISBT & Sports Complex; Gwalior-Chambal Set to Become Powerhouse of Progress
Tribhuvan Sahkari University Anand
Tribhuvan Sahkari University Foundation Stone Laid by Amit Shah and Bhupendra Patel in Anand, Empower India’s 30 Crore Cooperative Workers
Mohan Yadav CM MP
MP Govt Committed to 27% OBC Reservation: CM Mohan Yadav Reaffirms Stand Based on Factual Data
cm mohan yadav
Cooperatives Empowering Youth, Driving Growth: MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav on International Cooperative Day
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-03 at 13.33
IRS Sanjay Bahadur: The Officer With a Pen That Bites | Video Interview
Inderjit Singh Air India
Is Air India Carrying The Burden of Split Before Privatisation?
Ex IRS C Rajendiran
Ex-IRS Officer C. Rajendiran Illuminates Thirukkural’s Timeless Wisdom in Exclusive Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IPS Deepak Meghani
Deepak Meghani, IPS: A Journey of Focus, Failure, and Quiet Discipline
A passionate writer, he has authored several books in Gujarati, ranging from exam strategy guides to...
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
Social Media
PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu’s Visit to NADT Turns into a Wholesome Tribute to Legacy—and ‘Moolchandj
The Olympic champion shared nostalgic memories, met aspiring IRS officers, and sparked viral laughter...
Shailaja Chandra
“Nanis & Dadis Have a Brain”: Former IAS Officer Shailaja Chandra Weighs in on 1970s vs 2025 Life Debate - “This Generation Has It Better”
Responding to Viral Post on Middle-Class Struggles, Ex-Bureaucrat Offers Candid Reflection on Then and...
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Raj DGP
Rajasthan: New DGP Rajeev Sharma Aims to Make Rajasthan a Model for Policing in India – Know His Future Plans for Policing in State
Leopard Threat on Kanwar Yatra
UP: Leopard Threat Looms Over Kanwar Yatra in Bijnor; Administration Steps Up Vigil with Drones and Patrolling
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-03 at 13.33
Inderjit Singh Air India
Ex IRS C Rajendiran
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT