Shri LV Subramanyam belongs to the 1983 Andhra cadre of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). After a teaching stint in Brindavan in 1981, he pursued a career in the prestigious civil services and joined the Andhra cadre as Assistant Collector. Brother Subramanyam did his BA in Brindavan in 1976-1979 and MA in Political Science from Bangalore University from 1979-1981, while staying in Brindavan.

Brother Subramanyam has held many posts in his 36-years long illustrious career. Some of the positions he has held are: Sub Collector (Warangal), Joint Collector (Guntur), Collector (Mahbubnagar), Secretary (Commissioner Excise) and Secretary (Finance). He went to the UK in 1993 for an MSc in Economics specializing in National Development. He has also headed a number of state government entities including Andhra Pradesh Housing Corporation, AP Metro Board, Sports Authority and Industrial Infrastructure Development Company. He was the Principal Secretary heading departments such as Infrastructure Investments, Medical & Health and Finance. He was also the Special Chief Secretary – Youth Affairs. Recently, he has been appointed as the Chief Secretary to the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

Sai: His Guiding Light

Professionally, the value close to his heart is honesty. He says, there is no need to have sharp memory if one is truthful. Sathyam Naasti Paro Dharmah is the maxim he has followed in his career. By being truthful and straightforward, he has gained respect of his subordinates given he can stick to his stance and decision without any fear or enticement of favour being offered. Of course, there would resistance from different levels of power when one is truthful; there would be factors that limit the opportunities for growth when one sticks to principles in work. Having had a spiritual bent of mind has helped him tide over such situations.

As a student, he handled various responsibilities in the hostel, especially in the kitchen and stores department. These opportunities taught him the value of taking responsibilities at an early age. Swami’s emphasis on discipline and duty helped shape his personality and career. Swami has said there is only one caste, the case of humanity. Having come from such background, he was not aware of the caste structure prevailing in the state of Andhra Pradesh. He would serve people and do his duty irrespective of anyone’s background. He served in the welfare sector with great satisfaction. Be it staying in tribal areas or serving in backward regions, he had no difficulty in reaching out to people and helping them.
As he approaches his retirement in April 2020, he says he can look back at a career with many satisfying moments when he served the society. There have been moments of failures too, but then he keeps reminding himself of what Krishna says, “Karmanyevadhikareste, maaphaleshukadachana…”

Memories from Brindavan

As a student in the hostel who served in the kitchen and stores department, he fondly remembers the work he would put in for procuring provisions for the hostel and in the loading and unloading of materials from the truck. The wonderful wardens that were there during his times, such as Dr. Lakshmi Narasimhan, Dr. Sudarshan and C Srinivas, shaped his personality.

Memories with Swami are still very fresh in his heart. Swami would guide him on how to serve food and how not to spill while serving. In fact, He would walk behind him while he served food in the dining hall. His memories are filled with wondrous experiences such as Swami taking students for the movie ‘Shirdike Sai Baba’. He also remembers himself acting in the drama ‘Kingdom of Heaven’. Once Swami asked boys to cultivate crops in the fields between the hostel and college. They grew paddy and after getting it processed took it to Bhagawan to offer Him. Swami lovingly accepted the offering and gave them money for their personal use.

Message to brothers

Brother Subramanyam would like to convey that as students and alumni, we have received a very balanced perspective of life from Bhagawan and his educational institutions. We have exposure to culture, heritage, spirituality, ethics and have been taught to appreciate the fact that success is a function of human effort and divine blessings. The world today has, what he calls, ‘half baked professionals’ – people depending only on commercial logic and maths while Swami’s education helps people become all round personalities. Today there are CEOs and billionaires who don’t know what is respect for parents, value of family rituals mean and they have no connect with family or spouse. Their life is centred on the professional title they hold. They have never done a cleaning activity or a hospital Seva or attended an Akhand Bhajan. Their charity is restricted to 80G-benefit-inspired donations. We should hold firm to the values Bhagawan has taught us while excelling in our fields of work.

In April 2011, when Prashanti Nilayam and the entire Sai community was going through a turmoil, he was appointed as the Andhra Pradesh state government representative to provide any medical support that the government could offer to the Central Trust. At the time of Mahasamadhi, like all of us, he too went through an emotional turmoil – having seen Swami in the glorious days of Brindavan. But he had to do his duty – assisting in the organisation of VVIP movements that followed. As the finance secretary of the state government, he had to allay fears of any state intervention in the working of the Trust. Someone with no background of Swami would not have been able to handle this responsibility in the way he did. It is another testimony of Bhagawan’s master plan and how He has a role in mind for each one of us. Vidyullekha wishes him well for all his future endeavors.