Jawhar Sircar

Summary

Jawhar Sircar (22 March 1952) is an Indian civil servant with 41 years experience, and last served as Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati( Doordarshan & All India Radio) of Prasar Bharati (Doordarshan & All India Radio).

Before this, he was Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India from late 2008 to February 2012, where he reported directly to the Prime Minister for most of his tenure. He resigned, to take over his current position, for which he was chosen by an eminent panel led by the Vice President of India and Supreme Court Judge. As Culture Secretary, he initiated long-pending reforms and took up the modernization of museums, archives, and libraries for which he was awarded the British Museum Medal.

As CEO,Prasar Bharati, he supervised India’s public service broadcaster, which is among the largest such networks in the world and cover well over a billion people, through 483 stations of All India Radio (AIR) & Doordarshan (TV). As a large orthodox organization of government servants, it is difficult to modernize, but Sircar has been able to break new grounds and introduce digital technologies and cut down obsolescence. He has received three Awards for this in three years. He has been elected as Vice President of the world's largest Public TV and Radio organization, the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union, on which 67 nations are represented.

Education

Jawhar Sircar studied at St. Xavier’s School, Presidency College and Calcutta University - all in Kolkata. He did his Masters in Ancient Indian History and Culture from Calcutta University and a second Masters in Sociology, with Social Anthropology. He graduated in Political Science from Presidency College, standing 2nd in Calcutta University. He also studied at the University of Cambridge and the University of Sussex in the UK.

Career in Administration

After joining the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1975 in West Bengal (India), he held several postings in the districts of Burdwan and 24 Parganas where he made a name for himself in tackling very difficult problems including communal riots. In 1980, he took on the coal mafia of the Asansol-Raniganj belt. He had to face 27 different contempt cases filed by the Coal Mafia in the high court, but he saw to the end of this 'mafia raj', at least till his departure.

He handled the huge manpower management of pilgrims during the Ganga Sagar Mela (which is second only to the Kumbh Mela) for two successive years. He had a one-year stint in Handicrafts and Handlooms, where he helped revive some of Bengal’s traditional skills and was instrumental in saving/re-introducing the dying forms of ‘Baluchary Sarees’ and Traditional ‘Kantha-stitch’ textiles of the State.In 1984 he became the state’s youngest Director of Industries; during his stint here he vigorously promoted Small and Medium Enterprises.

He next took charge as District Magistrate and District Collector of Burdwan (Barddhaman), one of the most populous and problematic districts of India, which covered Raniganj coal field area, Asansol and Durgapur, as also the richest agrarian belt of the State. He also served as private secretary to the commerce minister underwent specialised training in Foreign Trade in NY World Trade Institute and the IIFT in Delhi.

In 1986, he moved to New Delhi, and served as Director, the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, looking after Agricultural Exports and Foreign Trade with specific regions like Africa and East Europe.

On his return to West Bengal in 1992, he first served as Secretary of the Food Processing Industries Department where he could help start several industry. He took over as the Ist IAS Commissioner of Stamp Duties and was instrumental in introducing Circle Rates for the basis of registration and stamp duty. This brought in an additional source of revenue to the State which has gone up in leaps and bounds since then he broke new records in revenue collection in sales tax and property duties against veritable opposition from builders'lobby. After this, he moved on to become the Secretary in the Finance Department looking after Expenditure., he was appointed Sales Tax Commissioner of West Bengal where he could secure the highest rate of growth in the 1990s.

He was selected as the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, where he conducted the 1997 and 1998 Parliamentary Elections during challenging periods, which included the devastating 1997 floods; many voters got to exercise their franchise in makeshift polling stations that were innovatively set up on boats. He was specially commended by the Election Commission of India for the successful conduct of two Parliamentary Elections.

In 2000, he was selected as Industry Secretary of West Bengal, and he embarked on the uphill task of turning around the industrial climate and image of West Bengal, which he could accomplish during his tenure.

In 2003, he was entrusted with the task of modernizing the Higher and Technical education sectors in West Bengal, as Principal Secretary. In the delivery of his responsibilities, he introduced several wide-ranging reforms, and had to confront powerful unions and other entrenched opposition.

In May, 2006, Sircar was called to the Government of India in New Delhi, on promotion as Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), a term that he helped introduce through a new Act of Parliament. He is known as the pioneer of 'Cluster Development', as well as for grass-roots financing of tiny industries, including Micro Finance and also for initiating several reforms in the sector.

In September 2008, he was elevated as Secretary to Government of India, and moved on to head the Ministry of Culture, where he served as its longest-serving Secretary till early 2012.He initiated long-pending reforms and took up the modernization of museums, archives, and libraries. He is credited with introducing many new programmes to assist cultural organizations and their expressions. Jawhar Sircar was successful in forging a significant number of cultural partnerships between India and other countries, and among his major credits are the Anish Kapoor exhibition from the UK and the holding of seven unique overseas exhibitions of the original paintings of Rabindra Nath Tagore which had not left India shores for more than 80 years.

He also had two short stints as Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.

Sircar has worked in the fields of Finance, Commerce and Industries for 17 of his 38 years in public service, where he has managed large corporations, including the multibillion-dollar Haldia Petrochemicals.

On the other hand, he has also worked in the field of public communication: i.e., in Education, Culture and Media related assignments, for over 11 years.

His Association

Jawhar Sircar was a Member of the Governing Councils of Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), Consortium for Educational Communication, Film & Television Institute of India and also Trustee/GB Member of IIM, Kolkata, Victoria Memorial Museum, Indian Museum, National Museum, National Library, National School of Drama, IGNCA, the Three National Akademies,etc.

Recently he has been nominated in the National Advisory Council of Spic Macay., also nominated on the National Executive Council of CII & He is also among one of the Board of Governors of MRUC. He has also joined the Advisory Board of CEMPD ( Centre for Environmental Management and Participatory Development.

Jawhar Sircar is Vice President of the All India Tennis Association, the President of India's pioneering Children's Little Theatre. Sircar is also a Trustee Member of PSBT (Public Service Broadcasting Trust)

He is a Life Member of the 240-year-old Asiatic Society, Indian National Confederation and Academy of Anthropologists, & Cultural Heritage, Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, Indian History Congress and several other well-known institutions.

He was the moving spirit behind the Kolkata International Film Festival from 1997 to 2005, and has organized several film and media related programmes, with participation of many countries.

Sircar was instrumental in the management of world's largest Book Fair, in terms of attendance, i.e., the Kolkata Book Fair in its early years.

Academics & Publications

He has carried on research and publications on cultural, historical and anthropological subjects for several years. He has published several articles & research papers on the subject like history, culture, media & society.

He has also delivered talks on the subjects of history, culture and media. His monograph: The Construction of the Hindu Identity in Medieval Western Bengal: The Role of Popular Cults was well received in India and abroad.

His writings are both available in Bangla as well as English newspapers.

Late Prof TK Raychaudhuri of Oxford University has commented on "his exceptional analytical power and depth of knowledge in diverse fields", while Ralph W Nicholas, Professor Emeritus, Chicago University calls him “an outstanding historical and interpretive anthropologist, with a brilliant career in administration standing in the way of his scholarly work”.

Honors, Awards and Accolades