Imperial Bureaucracy: An Untold Story of a Stormy Voyage (1914-1947)

About the Author

Satyaki grew up in a suburban town and went on to complete his postgraduation in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 1991. He subsequently joined the Indian Railway Traffic Service. While soccer has remained a lifelong passion, his love for history blossomed one hot summer afternoon amidst the quiet, inviting ambience of the National Library. Gradually, Satyaki’s administrative experience began to resonate with the workings of colonial bureaucracy, culminating in his first book, Nation or the Empire: Indian Civilians at the Crossroads. The book chronicles the pioneering Indians who entered the Indian Civil Service (ICS), their determination to overcome societal taboos and the nuanced, often fraught relationships they maintained with their colonial superiors. The complexities of imperial governance continued to stir his curiosity, ultimately crystallizing into his current work, which serves as a natural sequel to the first. The practical Vedanta of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda awakened in him a deep inquiry into his true self and a yearning for liberation. Vivekananda’s evocative portrayal of India’s rich spiritual and cultural heritage stirred in him a profound longing. If not liberated in this lifetime, he would choose to be born again as a an Indian— with Indian Railways, once more, as his chosen path of service.