A man who had a genuine concern for Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “How are things in Kerala?,” the loud voice from the Chennai hospital bed is still echoing in the ears of A Ajith Kumar, secretary to MOH Farook, deceased Governor of the state, who has now become memory. This was when Ajith Kumar, a senior IAS officer who is also the state secretary of Taxes and Housing, was summoned by Farook a few weeks ago to the Apollo Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for renal failure.Ajith Kumar, who has now been deputed as the observer to the Jalandhar Central and Adampur Assembly segments in Punjab  for the January 30 poll there, told ‘Express’ over wire that it was amazing that the late Governor was so meticulous in addressing details of a given matter and was quick at taking decisions.“What’s the concern of the cabinet?’’ was the poser often raised by Farook whenever a crucial file from the government came up for his consideration.“His outstanding democratic spirit is worth mentioning. He had a clear idea of  every topic,’’ the secretary said.Unlike many of his predecessors, Farook had surprised Ajith Kumar by directly dialling him whenever he had something important to discuss. When Ajith told that he was burdened with three duties  including Taxes Secretary, Housing Secretary and hence sought relief from the Raj Bhavan, Farook politely objected and asked him to continue.“He was so kind and displayed a sincere concern for all those around,” he recalled. He was fond of Kerala cuisine and dishes and had a special liking for the state’s environment and architecture.“After assuming power in August, he took a bold step to renovate the Raj Bhavan apartments after a gap of 25 years. He was very particular to adopt Kerala’s architecture style, but which was also strong and modern. He held discussions with well-known architect Sankar as well as PWD officials, and even began to personally monitor the renovation works with an outlay of `20 lakh,” Ajith Kumar said.“At the time of taking over as the Governor itself, he had severe health problems. But he was very particular that none should know about it,” said Ajith Kumar. “He was always accessible, even during nights. There were instances when will go through the files late in the night, which was rare for a Governor to do under normal circumstances,” he said.No wonder, not even a single file was pending for the Governor’s assent during his short stint as the state head despite his failing health, till he fell critically ill some time ago.Ajith Kumar recalled that when he met him last in his hospital bed, he was keen to hear on the Mullaperiyar issue.“What’s the state of Mullaperiyar?, Farook probed, before kickstarting a detailed discussion lasting more than 15 minutes. “He was so emotional when he had left for  Chennai for treatment last December.”He had a feeling that something bad awaited him,’’ he observed.  Ajith Kumar is sad that he cannot attend the funeral of Farook, as he is held up with his assigned deputation role in the poll scene of Punjab.