Interview

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Wednesday 29 Sep 2010

‘DMRC Is Not An Organisation, But A Culture’

Dr. Sreedharan discusses how there is an imperative need for change in the way Indian society functions and the efforts needed to bring about a resurrection of traditional values

By Alokita Datta (alokita.data@abp.in)

The respect and admiration Dr. E. Sreedharan commands due to his achievements in completing  the Konkan Railway project as well as steering the leadership of the Delhi Metro is unanimous. What makes his accomplishments remarkable is his ability to maintain a standard of efficiency in management even as corruption and red tapism seem to be characteristic of Indian public administration. In the face of what he calls  a ‘value decline crisis’,  the ‘Metro Man’ has played a key role in the formation of  the Foundation for Restoration of National Values and has also co-edited a book titled Restoring Values: Keys To Integrity, Ethical Behaviour And Good Governance (Sage Publications) In an interview with Alokita Datta, Sreedharan discusses how there is an imperative need for change in the way Indian society functions and the efforts needed to bring about a resurrection of traditional values.

Interview starts next page. Highlighting and italics added by Prakash Waknis. Downloaded and circulated by email to MBA 10-12 and 09-11 batches.

What was the idea that led to both the conception of Restoring Values and the Foundation for Restoration of National Values?

The inspiration for the foundation came from Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha who guided the establishment of the Centre for Inner Resources Development and whose disciple I am. It has been increasing felt by thinkers and intellectuals in India that there has been a steady decline in ethical values—honestly, integrity, moral conduct—which have been part of India’s ancient tradition. The collective concern towards creating a value based society is how the foundation came into being. In November 2008, we had successfully...