It would not be a walk in the park for the kaptaan to see through a high-level audit of agreements of the Establishment Division for reasons well-known to all and sundry. But that a sitting government finally decided to clip the wings of the colonial-era engine–liking the limelight way too much to be reduced to its original role of operating from the shadows–is definitely proof of change being on its way even though this one, too, has been trying its hand at the conundrum for apparently forever and a day. The ongoing multi-million rupee scam over factitious stationery purchase has further cemented the writing on the wall: nothing, however insignificant, remains safe from the itching palms of some rings and pistons. While corruption alone is enough reason to call for reforms that free the Civil Service from the iron grip of power hunger, sheer callousness, perpetual temptation to indulge in blame games on top of the undying babu culture are all just as important considerations when looking at the future of bureaucracy. British colonisers preferred grooming superhuman tendencies in their representatives who were brainwashed into cultivating a divide between them and the general public. Far removed from their textbook responsibilities, the masses were supposed to be at the disposal of their superiority complex; something, which cannot be allowed to thrive in a civilised country, that too, in the 21st century. The backwards-looking Rules of Business 1973 needs to be slammed shut and sent packing to some archive beyond the black stump. Talk of innovative and specific measures as indispensable to effective governance has been churned for far too long now but given the present administration’s resolve to put an end to the cumbersome constraints blocking the path of foreign investment, reformed bureaucracy has become a de rigueur matter. How can we compete with countries like China, where one-window operation reduces the long-drawn-out process of registering a company to mere 45 minutes? A single day painfully spent knocking an office window here and pushed to a bureaucrat there–as those in charge very passionately dilly-dally–for the most ordinary of requests overwhelmingly trumps endless volumes on administrative failures. Simply pushing the pedal without keeping an eye on the direction would only make a racket; not lead to anything worthwhile. *