Ravi Sawhney came across as a dashing young man with a smiling face when I first met him in Delhi’s Golf Club with some friends. A youthful septuagenarian. I’m not an ageist, but I wonder why some people do not look their age. In the case of Ravi, I’m certain, his youthfulness is a reflection of the fact that he’s still excited about life like a teenager, open to what comes his way and challenges that life has to offer.
His father migrated to Jalandhar a year before partition to set up a sugar mill. In this way, they were protected from the difficulties of partition, yet, as Ravi says, “psychologically, we grew up to face adversity with confidence and realise values of the family.”
He's a doer, makes things happen, has accomplished a lot in varied roles he has played in a fireball of a career spanning nearly five decades. When not working, he likes to spend quality time with friends, plays golf. An active and lively life with gung-ho attitude is a recipe for youthfulness. Age, then, as they say, is just a number. The choices he has made in life, his openness to challenges and change, his indefatigable spirit is a good lesson on LIVING A LIFE–is the title of his memoir, I’d add to it ‘to the fullest’.
Born in Abbottabad, in Pakistan, Ravi belonged to the family of traders. His greatest inspiration is his father—an adopted child, his biological father gave up all claims on his behalf to secure his life, as a result he was denied inheritance from both biological and adoptive families. He was non-interfering in the lives of his three sons, Ravi being the eldest. He had faith in his sons, that they “would do no wrong.” They never betrayed his faith in them.
His father migrated to Jalandhar a year before partition to set up a sugar mill. In this way, they were protected from the difficulties of partition, yet, as Ravi says, “psychologically, we grew up to face adversity with confidence and realise values of the family.”
Giving his best to challenges that life has to offer is almost intuitively to Ravi. The insatiable energy integral to his being, has kept him in good stead. A good upbringing helped. A prodigy of Bishop Cotton School—Shimla and St Stephen’s College—Delhi. He was an athlete with an excellent academic record (was awarded the President’s medal for both academics and sports in school).
Life unfolded in most unexpected ways. He opted to become a lawyer, then a diplomat but became an administrator, Later, did become a diplomat and always was an institution builder. Ravi joined the coveted Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1968, after briefly practicing as a lawyer. Though reluctant to join the IAS, it turned out to be a rewarding experience in varied capacities.
His latest stint was two decades with the United Nations. Lives in Bangkok with his life partner Madhu in a beautiful house with an exquisite collection of art he has picked from across the globe over a lifetime. “It was a ‘20-20’ career, having spent 20 years in the national scene and then almost 20 years at the international level,” Ravi Sums up.
Things kept happening to him for he was open to experiences, and what life had to offer. A quick
learner, transitions, in his case, were rather smooth. Reading his memories, one gets the impression that life was kind to him, and opportunities kept coming his way. His positive attitude to challenges made him accomplish a lot. There doesn’t seem to be any insurmountable roadblocks in his life. Life was open to him because he was open to life, invariably, accomplished what he set his heart and soul to. One cannot attribute it entirely to destiny, but his firm self-belief, pragmatism and courage to follow his heart with alacrity. This is the secret of his eternal youthfulness.
In that sense he’s a karma yogi. He stood out in the bureaucracy for his proactivity and the penchant to get things done. For he explains, in plain words, with the benefit of hindsight, ‘it’s easier for the bureaucrats to justify not doing a task than to accomplish it or sticking one’s neck out.’ In other words: babus are maestros when it comes to the art of deflecting responsibility and maintaining the status quo. To the contrary, Ravi remained a harbinger of change for the better. “Working as a civil servant can be very challenging,” he says, and unlike the popular perception, “it’s possible to exercise discretion based on conviction and courage,” he adds.
He was entrusted with weightier assignments because he always delivered, be it implementing a rural development scheme, or setting up village cooperative societies, or running a corporation to hasten industrial development, commerce, or for that matter setting up of multilateral institutions like BIMSTEC and SPECA, or implementing UN mandate outside of India. Last not the least, founding a world class NIST International School in Bangkok. His reputation seems to precede him.
Ravi’s family is not just his strength but a source of inspiration. He married Madhu, daughter of Ramesh Bhandari, a diplomat of repute, in 1977. They have three adorable daughters—Ravina, Aushima and Raisa—Indian values and cultural ethos are ingrained in them despite living in foreign countries since their formative years. “Madhu is a perfect companion,” he says, “she is full of energy and is action oriented.” Her ‘do it now’ approach got rid of traces of vacillating and procrastination whenever mushroomed in Ravi’s otherwise active life.
Ravi has never lost touch with beauty in life manifested by art and artistic endeavours. Madhu’s family is a collector of art and antiques, and have one of the finest collections. Ravi did the same in his own quintessential way. His job entailed frequent travels across the globe, also gave him the opportunity to explore and collect art, reflecting the variedness in the way humanity has evolved across different parts of the world. While a collector chooses his art, it’s also true that art chooses its collector, or a new home. In that sense, he is an art magnet. “The painting of my life would be figurative,” he says, and after a pause, adds, “art has been a passion in my life.”
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