A Governor Like Us

Former police officer and Uttarakhand governor Dr Krishan Kant Paul in conversation with veteran journalist.

- Raj Kanwar

On a cold January evening three years ago, six of us sat in the spacious waiting room in the residential wing of Dehradun’s Raj Bhavan to keep our appointment with the new governor Dr Krishan Kant Paul. We respectfully stood up as he walked in with a rare grace and introduced ourselves as he shook hands with us, one by one. He looked at me for an instant and smiled, perhaps remembering that I had described him as “very much like us” in my letter seeking the appointment. I had also had the cheek to say, “We feel one with you.”

That was the beginning of our relationship. Two days later, I sent him a bunch of my articles and columns published in numerous newspapers, including The Tribune, to which he also contributed. He had written articles on poet Sahir Ludhianvi, a few playback singers and other topics. In fact, it was he who had inspired me to write on these singers of yore. Subsequently, my articles on Talat Mehmood, Geeta Dutt, Dev Anand and others were published in The Hindu and Sunday Midday, among others.

Indeed, Dr Paul’s personal demeanour endears him to all. Modest and incredibly courteous despite occupying such a high constitutional post, hospitality and solicitousness are his innate attributes. The handsome 69 year-old also has an impeccable sartorial sense, and is invariably attired in a well tailored suit with a tie or bandgala coat or Nehru jacket, depending on the occasion and the weather.