Srinagar (Uttarakhand): Someone who has served as a high-ranking Army officer, has a doctorate in Rural Entrepreneurship and a three-decade-long stint as a bureaucrat will in most cases spend a comfortable retired life with a handsome pension. But this is not the case with Dr Kamal Taori.
Describing himself as a "non-conformist" Dr Taori despite the aforesaid achievements has chosen the challenging life of a monk after retiring as an IAS officer in 2006. Even as he has forsaken his worldly name and rechristened himself as Swami Kamalanand Maharaj there will always be one similarity between his spiritual and worldly life: the desire and determination to usher in reform across the social and economic spheres.
After serving for six years in the Army reaching the rank of colonel Taori became an IAS officer and a secretary in the Government of India in 1968. Such was his administrative acumen that even if he was transferred to a relatively unimportant department in so-called punishment postings he would improve the performance of the department and increase its importance.
Speaking to ETV Bharat Dr Taori said that in the last 16 years he has travelled across the world but found the problem faced by all the countries is related to agriculture. " The country and its people will surge ahead in terms of development if there is increased focus on agriculture. As a monk I will now spend my life with saints and encourage people in rearing cows," said Dr Taori.
He also said that he will encourage people to set up gurukuls (traditional Indian schools). Dr Taori said that instead of completely depending on the government for development people should be self-supporting. As for the Centre's short-term recruitment scheme for the armed forces Agniveer, Dr Taori said that similar schemes should be implemented in other government departments so that the right policy could be followed across the country.
