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Why I Am Not A Civil Servant is the autobiographical memoir of a former civil servant, highlighting the pithy state of the Indian civil services. Summary Of The Book In his book, Why I Am Not A Civil Servant, the author talks about his disillusionment and is threadbare about the reasons that led to him quitting the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), even though he had 16 years left until superannuation. Quoting various instances that almost seem like a part of every officer’s career, he talks about cases of interference by ministers at the time of evicting encroachers, and seniors overruling well thought of proposals put up by junior officers for various reasons. All of this left him disappointed at the way things worked and eventually led him to quit the IAS and come out with this book, which is a strong statement against the officers and politicians who make up the system. Why I Am Not A Civil Servant gives the readers an idea of the author’s frustration when he speaks about seniors who would lick the boots of the officers hierarchically above them and kick those who are below them. However, the book is not all about the author's rants about the system. It also brings about his suggestions to overhaul the entire system, like making ministers a lot more accountable so that the officers are not at fault for following their orders. During his tenure as an IAS officer, the author also observed a yawning gap between the powers vested with the politicians and bureaucrats, as compared to that of the ministers. Keeping this in mind, he goes onto recommend that ministers should be given certain executive powers too. To improve the quality of counsel available to ministers at a higher level, the author brings forth the idea of lateral entry at the policy-making level. He further adds that this position should be awarded purely on merit, so that even a “gifted amatuer” can compete with technocrats and scientists. About Ajay Singh Yadav Ajay Singh Yadav is a former IAS officer and author. His other works include Forty Four Poems, The Man Eating Wolves of Ashta, and Darkness Before Dawn. Yadav contested as an independent candidate in the 1999 elections. He lives in Bhopal, and is fighting for causes like abolition of the caste system.