Biography

Ajay Singh Yadav was born in 1954. Truly at heart he was a man of letters. If we go by his own account in  his first book, WHY I AM NOT A CIVIL SERVANT, he made it to Civil Services with the subjects he had been deeply in love with, English Literature  and European History as his optionals. With his level of mastery in the subjects of his choice he made it to the IAS almost effortlessly.

He joined the Indian administrative service in 1976 and served as a Civil Servant in various capacities. An Alumnus of the Scindia School, Gwalior he studied in Hansraj College Delhi and Hamidia College Bhopal before getting into IAS.He left the Indian Administrative Service on 1 st Jan 1998 basically to devote himself entirely to writing and other pursuits. He wanted to be free from bondages and wanted to experience total freedom. He always said that my best is yet to come.

After Resigning the service he did many things. He set up an Old Age Home, he contested 1999 Lok Sabha Election. Arguably the finest English language columnist in Madhya Pradesh, his column in HT, Bhopal was very well appreciated. Ajay was also the first breed of Indians writing English in the state. His Novel Wolves of Asltha” and “Why I am not civil servant” are widely appreciated. He turned to publishing and started a magazine The IDLER. His work received praise from Kushwant Singh.

If we throw a glance over his administrative career again through his own point of view as he amply describes in the same book we find him more a man of heart and of deep human values rather than a man of reason with a matter-of- fact outlook on life and society. Not that he lacked in reason but he often employed his robust power of reason to the upkeep and enhancement of deeper human values like his love and compassion for the weak and the deprived sections of society. He often went to great lengths to protect and safeguard their well being.

It was this urge to serve the society in true humane sense of the term that made him give it a try at politics. But he was too good and truthful at heart to be pragmatic and clever enough to come out victorious at his political innings. But certain defeats are brighter than victories because they bring out the unassuming simplicity and honesty of the contestant. Such was the loss of election for him as it made him realize that he was too simple, sincere and straightforward to take the necessary twists and turns often indispensable in the course of politics to lead one to victory.

His urge to serve the weak and the unprivileged kept burning and led him to serve the old by opening a home for them.  All through the course of the years post-superannuation the writer in him found its way out and his creative and humane energies shaped themselves into various forms of literature. Poetry came to him as easy as essays and stories.  His first hand experience of various situations and circumstances of human life and society found dramatic and narrative expression in his plays and novels

He was a great Philosopher and Poet. He Published a poetry book called Forty Four Poems. His Philosophy was sometimes misunderstood by common man. That is why his analysis and arguments generally ended up in hot discussions. But he was always sure of himself and was right.His other interests were travelling. He could travel to any part of India and would be happy in a place which is isolated, peaceful and scenic . His favourite destinations were Pachmarhi and Kasauli. He was so fond of Darjeeling tea that he used to travel to Darjeeling to get the best tea. He was also actively involved in teaching English to the Students of Green Valley Sr. Sec. School.

A connoisseur of English language, he was a thorough gentleman. His command over Hindi was equally good. “Why I am not a Civil Servant” has been translated by him into Hindi as "मैंने आई. ए. एस. क्यों छोड़ी" Occasionally he wrote articles in Hindi Dailies also.

He was a man whose life cannot be looked at in plain terms of joining elite services and seeking early retirement or trying and losing in politics. Beyond the narrow compass of success and failure his mighty personality genuinely sought its own larger than life frames to fit in and its justification and success lay in its utter simplicity and sincerity, its unbridled vitality and its unhindered creative expression, its deep rooted love for the common man and their ordinary life.

His last wish was fulfilled by God when he took his last breath on 7 th Aug 2012 at home and all the family members were by his side.