Kerala CM publishes an anthology of essays by former civil servants

Chief Minister VD Satheesan releases The Kerala Club: Keepers of the Flame, an anthology of essays by civil servants on Kerala governance, during a meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The need for fresh thinking on Kerala’s demographic, economic and development challenges came into focus during the release of The Kerala Club: Keepers of the Flame, a collection of essays by 29 retired civil servants, in the city on Wednesday.

Published by Bloomsbury India and edited by former Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekhar and former diplomat TP Sreenivasan, the book was launched by Chief Minister VD Satheesan. The first copy was received by Ashok Lahiri, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog.

Mr. Chandrasekhar said the volume was designed to preserve the wealth of knowledge and experience accumulated by senior civil servants over decades of public service. The book brings together officers who have served in different parts of India and abroad and offers insights into government, administration and public policy, he said.

Mr. Satheesan said Kerala was undergoing significant demographic changes, including a shrinking youth population, increasing life expectancy and migration trends, which required serious policy attention. He emphasized the importance of updating knowledge systems and said that education and skill development should be in line with changing global employment patterns. Initiatives such as the proposed Global Job Watch Tower and Kerala Knowledge Valley were aimed at positioning the state as a hub for higher education and knowledge-based industries, he added.

He also called for a shift from a remittance-based economy to an investment-oriented economy, arguing that NRI funds should be channeled more productively to stimulate economic growth and job creation. The insights contained in the book, he noted, could contribute significantly to discussions on the future trajectory of Kerala’s development.

Dr. Describing the volume as a valuable account of Kerala’s strengths, weaknesses and challenges, Lahiri said the state faced the paradox of having a highly educated workforce while witnessing large-scale migration of skilled people. Creating opportunities capable of retaining talent remained one of Kerala’s major challenges, he noted.

The collection contains essays by former IAS, IPS, IFS and IFoS officers including Shivshankar Menon, Vinod Rai, Amitabh Kant, EK Bharat Bhushan, SM Vijayanand, T. Balakrishnan, K. Mohandas, Alphons Kannanthanam, KB Valsalakumari and others, Sandhy Brandson, B.

SN Raghuchandran Nair, President, Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry, proposed the vote of thanks

Published – 24 Jun 2026 22:48 IST