Dr. Bhashyam Kasturi
A Memorable First Meeting at the NSCS
On the 1 January 2015, I was sitting in my office in the National Security Council Secretariat when it was announced that the new National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval would be visiting all officers to greet them on the new year. Wow! All of us felt honoured. When Ajit Doval walked into my room, it was a moment of pride and honour. We shook hands and I recall telling him that we had shared the dias together for a programme on Pakistan by Lok Sabha TV, many years ago. I also recalled that when we met on Parliament Street as we were leaving, he said, “Professor, your knowledge of Pakistan is good.” Those words remained with me and I mentioned it to him on New Year’s Day 2015 in the NSCS. That Ajit Doval has contributed in myriad ways to India’s national security and while much of it remains classified is well known.
The bestowing of the Lokmanya Tilak National Award on Ajit Doval by the Tilak Smarak Nidhi Temple Trust in Pune, an organization created to preserve the memory and legacy of freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, is recognition of his quiet work, both in the government and outside it. Ajit Doval has always been an operative and operatives always remain behind the scenes.
Previous recipients of the Lokmanya Award have included, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2023, Tesse Thomas (DRDO scientist) in 2022 and other distinguished members of Indian society for their exceptional contribution to nation-building. Speaking on the occasion, Doval emphasized that true freedom brings a responsibility to prioritize national interest and duty above individual desires. Perhaps reflecting on the Gen Z protests that rocked the national capital and elsewhere recently, Doval said “Freedom does not mean doing whatever you wish; it is a responsibility to place the nation first”. It is not the first time that he has made such remarks, exhorting the youth to work for the nation. However, leaving aside his posturing on such issues, of far greater importance is his contribution to India’s national security, mostly working behind the scenes.
Reflections on Ajit Doval and the NSCS
Ajit Doval has been around so long, and that he kept India’s national security establishment intact, speaks volumes of his capacity and capabilities. In the NSCS, NSA Doval’s name worked like magic anywhere in government and if one wanted information or convene an inter-ministerial meeting, his name was sufficient to bring everyone to the table. This kind of respect was always evident. The plain fact is that as NSA, Ajit Doval has the ear of the Prime Minister and that always helps. One thing he always urged NSCS officers to prepare briefs or papers which he could take to the PM for a decision, rather than writing background notes. This was a difficult ask, but we tried to fulfil this ask in different ways under various situations of crisis.
The thing about Ajit Doval is that he is an operations man and he likes to be constantly active, even today. The tactical picture for him must always be complete, but he is a lone ranger who takes his own decisions. That is what has kept him going all these years. When one read about him, being given the Lokmanya Award, it felt as though he was honouring the award and not the other way around. That is the aura of Ajit Doval. There are many legends about this man, several can be accepted, some discounted and one needs not to detail them. The point is that he is the PM’s right-hand man and is there to take decisions when so required. He is a good listener, but uses his own judgement to arrive at the decision. More than that, his clarity of thought, which makes an understanding of issues under discussion quite simple. On most occasions, he spoke extempore, obviously with some prior preparation, but was able to convey his message clearly.
The Lighter Side of Ajit Doval
Ajit Doval is a man, who remained in the background for over 30 years. Today, his public profile is telling and he intends to continue service to the nation till the time it is possible. That gives him a unique vantage position within government, having been involved in almost every major government decision, from demonetization, Article 370 abrogation to Operation Sindoor.
As I close, I must relate another personal anecdote that occurred in Hyderabad House some years ago. NSA Doval was at lunch with some foreign dignitary. Lunch was on and it was getting late, so his staff requested me to go tell NSA that it was time for the gift exchange, a polite way of ending the lunch. When I gingerly went up to NSA and gave him the message, he quipped, “Arey Bhashyam, allow me to finish my lunch at least and finish the conversation” (a rough translation of his remark to be in Hindi) and shooed me away. Just as I moved away, I was called by Tapan Deka, who was also on the head table, saying NSA was calling me. When I came back, NSA looked at me and smiled, and said, “Accha, Bring the gifts”. That was the end of the matter. That is how I remember Ajit Doval.
Many more accolades to him.
