Ms. Revathi Bedi, Finance Officer, JNU
interviewed by Bhoomika Meiling for JNU News

Bhoomika: When did your join JNU as the Finance Officer?

Ms. Bedi: I belong to the Indian Audit and Accounts Service and I joined JNU as Finance Officer in August 2005 on Deputation. Before this I was a Member Audit Board in New Delhi itself.

Bhoomika: But of course your association with JNU goes many years back….

Ms.Bedi: Yes, I did my M.A and M.Phil from here. Before coming to JNU, I went to Lady Shri Ram College for B.A.(hons) in English. Then I joined D.U., South Campus for an M.A. in English. I came to JNU in 1978 as a student for M.A. in Sociology. I went on do an M.Phil under the guidance of Prof. Yogendra Singh. While I was doing my MPhil I appeared for the Civil Services like many others! And got selected into the I.A&A.S.

Bhoomika: You have been in the services for a long time and you must have had exposure to different types of working atmospheres. Is JNU experience different from your other experiences? How does it feel being part of JNU as an administrator?

Ms.Bedi: I am extremely proud to be a JNU alumnus. It is a part of my identity which can not be taken away from me. I feel that JNU leaves a mark on the lives of all its students. I belong to that school of people who believe in the ’once a JNUite, forever a JNUite’ theory. As far as administration is concerned, my kind of work is not an easy job. It is a path full of all sorts of obstacles and this job, to be very honest, is not liked by many people. It does not generally fit into very happy combinations. But in JNU the atmosphere is quite different. The rigidity one might experience elsewhere is not there in JNU. In my department the rules have to be followed very strictly and the deviations can not go above plus/minus 10%. But here, one may become a bit more flexible. If something needs to done, we do try to find space within the rules in order to get it done. It is not simply set aside just because it is difficult or it needs a lot of thinking and going through rules and regulations..
I think JNU administration is like a very happy family. We work as a core group. If there is a problem, we do not send file notes back and forth to resolve it (which actually aggravates the problem in most cases). It is resolved by talking to the concerned sections. This is something that is special about JNU administration and I think it must be carried out elsewhere too. We try to resolve any impasse through dialogue and discussion. Financial issues are very important and we can not afford disagreements in this regard. In this context, I think, the JNU tradition of dialogue has not left the Administration untouched. The environment of this building is as amiable, cordial and co-operative as it is outside.

Bhoomika: Tell us about some landmark incidents of your life that took place while you were a student here?

Ms.Bedi: I think the biggest landmark is my entry into the Civil Services. Whatever I am today, I owe it all to JNU, my alma mater because the core values that I learnt here have shaped my perception and my way of working entirely. As a bureaucrat, you can not typify me as stiff and rigid. The teacher-student relationship in JNU has always been informal and I have carried that value to my own area of work where I prefer to let the method of dialogue flourish between me and my subordinates and superiors.

Bhoomika: Who has been the source of inspiration in your life?

Ms.Bedi: My mother is my inspiration. She is a renowned Indian English writer who has written a number of books. She is also a well-known translator. She is very strong-willed. Even at this age she has a grueling schedule which I can’t keep up to. She is an absolutely wonderful person.

Bhoomika: Didn’t you ever feel like writing?

Ms.Bedi: I did do some amount of writing as a student (mostly articles). But it got discontinued after I joined the services. It is not that I don’t want to take up writing. It is just that I could not find time for writing. But I would like to write. I don’t know how capable and competent I would be as a writer, but I would definitely like to write.

Bhoomika: there has been a great transition in your life form literature to Finance. How do you find the balance between the two parts of your personality so to say?

Ms. Bedi: I don’t think these are two air tight compartments as such. Creativity that comes as part and parcel of literature and academics can not be done away with even in Services and a department as boring as finance. Even there it shows in one’s method of communication, and expression and one’s ability at inter-personal skills. A lot depends upon how well you can articulate yourself. My academic background has helped me in these areas. I think it is a very fine balance that I have been able to maintain between the two aspects.

Bhoomika: Do you find time to read? What kind of literature do you like to read?

Ms.Bedi: I read a lot and I’m very eclectic in my choice of books.

Bhoomika: Which is the latest book you’ve read? And what about movies?

Ms.Bedi: Khalid Hosseni’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. I read The Kite Runner before that. I watched Khuda Kay Liye recently. It reminded me of A Thousand Splendid Suns. I liked it very much though it was quite disturbing.

Bhoomika: Which aspect of JNU do you like the most?

Ms.Bedi: There are many lovely things. If you ask me to choose one as the best, it would be very tough. I like the faculty of JNU. Some of my friends are here as teachers now. It is an interesting mix of people from diverse backgrounds. Interaction with them is very enriching. Of course, since I’ve been a student here, I feel transported to the olden days whenever I talk to them. It is so not only here. When you meet a JNUite anywhere, you are bound to get back to old times. All other identities cease to exist when JNUites get together. They all become just ex-JNUites for those moments- no hierarchies, no pretensions, no airs. Such is the bonding this place lends us. The campus also is so beautiful. I have never seen anything ever as beautiful as bougainvilleas in bloom on JNU campus. The brilliant fuchsia colour is splendid. I also love the students- they are a lovable lot even though I do not get to interact much with them. (They come to see me only when they have some problems!) but it is great to see such young people so aware and so concerned about the burning issues of the day. When I see them I feel that the university has not changed at all. Even we used to be like this when we were students here though I was never associated with any political party. But that was a time when you could be involved in the political discourse of the campus without actually joining any political party. The slogans, the posters, the pamphlets- it has all survived all these years. I think the credit also goes to the teachers who have managed to preserve the JNU culture.

Bhoomika: If you ever get a chance to return to JNU as a student, what would you like to do?

Ms.Bedi: I would like to do my Ph.D. And also to get back to literature and sociology.

Bhoomika: What message would you like give to the JNU community?

Ms.Bedi: I hope and wish that the JNU culture is preserved as it is. It must be preserved because it is unique. It is a timeless kind of a university. And it is becoming better and better with growth and expansion. It would be excellent if with all this development and growth, the core values of JNU do not change. A JNUite has in herself something that does not change even in the worst of situations.. It is a rare quality which JNU instills in us. I hope the students understand this and preserve this core quality of JNU.