Auroville welcomes new Secretary

Mr. Chunkath was born in Thrissur, Kerala, on March 10, 1956. He holds a post-graduate degree in Zoology. He belongs to the 1978 batch of IAS officers.

As Additional Chief Secretary, Mr. Chunkath has been heading the Tamil Nadu State Department of Environment and Forests since December 2012. He was promoted Chief Secretary in May 2014 and held this post till December, 2014, when he became Additional Chief Secretary / Director, Anna Institute of Management and Director General of Training. He retired from this position on March 10, 2016.

Mr. Chunkath has held various positions, including that of Collector of Dharmapuri district and Secretary in charge of Higher Education Department. As the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency from January 2008 to May 2009, he identified solar energy as an area to be promoted vigorously. He served as an Independent Non Executive Director of Seshasayee Paper and Boards Ltd., from February 2, 2013 until July 2014. He was ex-officio Director of Tamil Nadu Water Investment Company Limited, nominee director of the Tamil Nadu Forest Plantation Corporation Ltd., ex-officio Director of the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. and ex-officio Director of Adyar Poonga.

Mr. Chunkath is a well-known scrabble player and he has won many tournaments. Three years ago, his publication Nature Rambles (Mover Books) was launched and the former Chairman of the Governing Board of the Auroville Foundation, Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, hailed him for showcasing urban biodiversity heritage through 200 examples of the variety of nature in Chennai.

Mr. Chunkath and his wife Mrs. Sheela Rani Chunkath (who was then additional Chief Secretary TN and Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu handicrafts Development Corporation, now retired), were the Chief Guests at the presentation in Auroville of the book Economics for People and Earth – The Auroville case 1968-2008 authored by Prof. Dr. Henk Thomas from The Netherlands and Chartered Accountant Manuel Thomas, on October 2nd, 2013.

The Working Committee invites all Auroville residents to meet Mr. Chunkath on Tuesday June 21st at 4 pm at the Unity Pavilion.

AVToday: Mr Chunkath, why does someone with your educational background opt for a career in the Indian Administrative Service?

Chunkath: I did my Masters in Zoology at Delhi University with specialisation in entomology. But it so happened that I was under-aged for my Masters degree, being just 20 years old. There was a rule that you had to be older to do research and start your Ph.D. A very confusing period followed. I joined a research lab, did some field research on solitary bees – bees that don’t live in colonies – I contributed to editing a research journal and became a lecturer at a college. But when I tried to register for my Ph.D. some months later, I was told that direct admission to Ph.D was no longer possible as the Delhi University was introducing an M.Phil. degree which had to be completed before joining the Ph.D. programme.

This unexpected blow led to introspection. I decided to resign from the college and lab and say goodbye to an academic career. Instead, I decided to write all the competitive exams, the Forest Service exam, the State Bank of India exam, the Agricultural Research Service exam and the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) exam. I passed all. The first one I passed was the Agricultural Research Service, and I got a posting in Kasaragod in Kerala with the Coconut Research Plantation Institute. I was all set to join, when the IAS results came in. I was invited for an interview. My father was quite keen that I join the IAS. I qualified and then was in two minds what to do. But my family and friends convinced me that the IAS was the best thing that could happen to me. So I dropped the idea of joining the Agricultural Research Service and instead joined the IAS.

Any regrets?

That’s a tough question. I’ve found that one’s career is never smooth, it always has ups and downs, and in those down moments you are inclined to question your decisions and wonder if you did the right thing. And so it was for me. But on the whole, good things have prevailed. At the IAS Academy in Mussourie, I met my wife, Sheela. We met in July, I proposed in November and we got married in January of the next year. That was a big bonus from the service.

I would say that in a career spanning roughly 30 years most officer would have 10 good, 10 bad and 10 mediocre years. Mine was a long career as I joined the IAS very early, when I was just 22, as an IAS probationer in Mussoorie. My original cadre allotment was Uttar Pradesh, but because I got married, I was able to apply for a cadre transfer. Sheela had been posted in Tamil Nadu, her home state, and my request was granted. Our district training was together, and we both went to Trichy as trainees. Thereafter I went as a Sub-Collector to Mannargudi near Thanjavur, my wife went to Cuddalore, and after a year and a half both of us were transferred, I to Coonoor in the Nilgiris district, and she to Coimbatore district.

It is the plight of IAS officers to be regularly transferred, and it often means living apart from one’s wife and family. Now again, you are living apart from your wife as she has started a 5-year study of Ayurvedic science in Chennai.

Yes, but we were lucky that we could spend a lot of time together. The difficult times were when we were posted as Sub-Collectors and later as Collectors in different places; but, later, we were both serving in Chennai. In all, I think we have been living apart for about 4 or 5 years. The present separation is due to the fact that Sheela had started her ayurvedic studies just before I was sounded whether I would be interested in taking up an assignment as Secretary of the Auroville Foundation. Sheela wants to complete her ayurvedic studies and this will take her 4-5 years. During this period we hope to be able to meet during weekends.

You both have been living and working in Tamil Nadu all the time?

No. At one point I took a sabbatical and went on a study-leave in the USA and did a Masters in demography at the University of Southern California. Sheela came to the USA one and a half years later. She had got a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship and studied in Minnesota – and again we were apart. But my 6-year old daughter Anupama was with me; I was looking after her in Los Angeles and she went to a Magnet school there.

My daughter fell in love with the USA. After studying biotechnology engineering at the Anna University in Chennai, she went to Cornell to do a course on computational biology, and later she became an actuary. She is now living and working in Boston, married to a Belarusian. In fact, it is because of a pre-planned visit to see her that I will not be able to attend the forthcoming meetings of the Governing Board and International Advisory Council this September.

Your interest in zoology has continued in many of your postings. In particular, you were connected to the Adyar Poonga project in Chennai, where part of the estuary, a dump site, was transformed into a nature park. This was a joint project of the Tamil Nadu Government and Auroville.

In some capacity or the other I was always associated with the Adyar Poonga – later renamed the Tolkappia Poonga. When I was Environment and Forest Secretary of the Government of Tamil Nadu, I was director of the project, but before that I had already met Joss from Pitchandikulam Forest through my friend Manuel Thomas. Manuel had told me about the project, Joss was having some problems and I set up some meetings for him. The Adyar Poonga was a very nice project, and a beautiful example of a successful collaboration between Auroville and the Tamil Nadu government.

The Adyar Poonga has had some beautiful offsprings. The 100-crore Chepauk beautification project was clearly inspired by it, as was Adyar Poonga II. Now they are talking about cleaning up the entire Adyar river itself, closing sewage outfalls, and, similarly, the river Cooum. It will take time, for sure. But it is bound to happen.

Your background as zoologist was useful for your posting as Environment and Forest Secretary?

Yes. I had done an earlier stint as Director Agriculture and another one as Secretary Animal Husbandry. I found that my life-sciences background gave me a better start. But at the same time, there is so much to learn, for what you learn from textbooks is very different from what you discover in the field.

You have had a great many postings. Was this disturbing?

I have had my share of both long and very brief postings. They taught me to take things as they come; for if you wait for things to be ‘just right’ and only then take a decision, it tends to become very difficult. So I’ve learned to take decisions much quicker.

This is in line with a change in the nature of governance. Earlier, there used to be more interest in long-term projects, but nowadays the project-cycles are short. This is partly due to the change in election cycles, which are out of sync. Earlier, the local elections and assembly elections used to run together; now they are out of phase by about 2-3 years, which means that every 3 years you are gearing up for an election. As a consequence, the type of projects that are taken up by the government are much shorter.

You met more Aurovilians during your time in Chennai?

Yes. I had contacts with Harini and Lucas through Manuel Thomas, and I met Toine when I was Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency. I share Toine’s interest in developing alternative energies, such as wind and solar, and am happy that this interest is now picking up at the government level. Tamil Nadu is a pioneer in wind generation and wants to similarly succeed in promoting solar energy.

My regret is that in India, research on solar thermal power generation hasn’t picked up as much as it should have considering the plentiful sunshine. A lot of research is done in Australia and Germany, and some large hotels in Dubai already have air-conditioning systems using solar thermal energy. Solar thermal energy would be very suitable for the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Research has shown that the ideal solution would be hybrid systems of solar thermal with gas or biofuels. The Indian Institutes of Technologies should take a lead role in this. I’ve mentioned to Toine that maybe Auroville could start doing field research in solar thermal for air-conditioning and refrigeration.

Would you as Secretary of the Auroville Foundation promote research into this kind of energy generating system for Auroville?

Promote, no. As Secretary of the Auroville Foundation I cannot allocate funds for research – the Foundation doesn’t have that type of money. But I would love to stimulate it, and help find research budgets.

How do you see your role as Secretary of the Auroville Foundation?

I have two areas of direct responsibility: looking after visa formalities for Aurovilians and as custodian of lands belonging to the Foundation. In all the other areas, I think the Foundation secretariat can play a supporting and stimulating role but, in essence, the Aurovilians should be left free to run the show and resolve their own problems. If the Foundation comes in to decide on issues, it would most probably muddle things up. The Secretary may help the Aurovilians find long-term solutions for the problems they are facing but the role is primarily that of a facilitator. For the Secretary is essentially a bird of passage, who is here for three or maybe five years. Institutional mechanisms need to be built by the Aurovilians themselves.

You could have retired and enjoyed life. What made you decide to join Auroville?

Auroville has always fascinated me. To mention a few of the strands that attract me: organic farming, alternative energy, and what happens in a system such as this – the ‘what is making this place tick’ intrigues me. I am not religious, but I feel that there is something very special about this place. So when the offer came – I hadn’t applied for it, but I was asked – I said yes. It sounded a really interesting assignment.

Are you familiar with Auroville’s spiritual background?

I have very little knowledge. I know a little more about The Mother than about Sri Aurobindo. I would like to first get an overview of their work. I have started reading – I am quite a voracious reader – but I’ve found Sri Aurobindo’s books tough, not simple to grasp. Paulette gave me a whole bunch, and I have started with an easy one, Sri Aurobindo’s Humour by Nirodbaran.

Your first your impressions after joining?

I was quite elated to come here. My only regret is that I haven’t been able to give as much attention to Auroville as I would have liked, as my mother is not keeping well. I have been going up and down to Chennai very frequently, but I will need more time to interact with the Aurovilians. I keep an open office – people are welcome, preferably with an appointment – and I have done many early morning walks with Hemant. This is a good way to get to know some aspects of Auroville. But I haven’t been able to get the full picture as yet.

What I have seen has made me very happy. It was what I expected, in fact a little more than I expected. I have been made very welcome by many people, (laughing) to the extent that I’ve started wondering if I can live up to their expectations. So it has been a sweet entry into an organisation which I believe I can grow into. I think I’ll be here for the long haul.