M. Vijayanand, former Chief Secretary of Kerala, on Wednesday (October 22) said that former IAS officer the late S.R. Sankaran, widely known as people’s IAS officer, was a saint among civil servants and that civil service aspirants should follow in his footsteps.
Mr. Vijayanand was speaking as chief guest at a programme organised by the S.R. Sankaran Memorial Trust in association with Andhra Loyola College (Autonomous) at the college here to mark the former IAS officer’s 91st birth anniversary.
Speakers also included G. Haragopal, renowned intellectual and visiting professor at National Law School of India University(NLSIU); G. Narendra Kumar, director-general of National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad; and P.M. Sowjanya, assistant regional director at Indira Gandhi National Open University, Hyderabad. Also present was T. Vijay Kumar, Advisor to the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
They said Sankaran dedicated his life for the welfare of the poor and the downtrodden and won the hearts of many though his simplicity and humaneness. His contributions to abolishing bonded labour in the country and eradicating manual scavenging also were recalled.
“Sankaran never fell for the temptations of money and power. He never gushed about what he did for the people,” remembered Mr. Vijayanand.
While many administrators derive power by virtue of their position, Sankaran’s power was his moral authority, Mr. Haragopal said. “Many of us have certain values in life, but not many of us practise them. Sankaran did not just talk about them, but stood by them and practised them,” recalled Mr. Haragopal, explaining why in the current era, where dehumanisation is becoming more common, remembering Sankaran, whose message was ‘humanise the world’, is important.
Pointing out that Sankaran had the courage to challenge the status quo and transform and better the lives of people, Mr. Narendra Kumar urged students to look up to his life as an example and have a set of principles and purpose in life.
Published – October 22, 2025 06:42 pm IST
