A visit with V K Rao, ICS, the oldest living ICS officer

V K Rao, ICS (born July 1914; 1937 batch; Bengal; Madras; Andhra and then Andhra Pradesh cadre), hosted Professor Sumit Majumdar, of the University of Texas at Dallas, in Hyderabad on 28th December 2017. Professor Majumdar is completing his comprehensive history of the Indian Civil Service, from the perspective of all of its Indian members, and was uniquely privileged to listen to Mr. Rao’s unique reminisces. Mr. Rao remembers every little detail of his life and career, and his Bengali is still absolutely perfect 70 years after independence. Mr. Rao occupied positions in significant districts of undivided Bengal prior to 1947, such as Midnapore and Dacca, where as SDO Munshiganj he kept his sub-division absolutely calm and quiet while other parts of Dacca district, such as Manikganj and Narayanganj, were burning in flames. After 1947, he moved to the Madras cadre and was Collector of Vizag, and then Secretary to Government in Andhra and Andhra Pradesh, Member, Board of Revenue and finally the State's Chief Secretary, in which role he handled the ‘Mulki’ agitations. In between he had also been a Joint Secretary to the Government of India in the Planning Commission. In his post-retirement career he was Adviser to the Governor and later the Principal Secretary to the President of India.