Mr C.K.Banymandhub, known to his close colleagues in the Public Service as CKB or Kaneti, passed the difficult written examination for the post of Administrative Assistant in 1961 and was posted to the Colonial Office. He went on to serve as Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Principal Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of External Communications and Health, then as Principal Private Secretary to SSR in the Prime Minister’s Office, Permanent Secretary at the PMO with occasional oversight of the Ministry of External Affairs, thus becoming the youngest Permanent Secretary at that time. To crown it all, he acted as Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Public Service.
Kaneti obtained a Masters degree in English at Edinburgh University in 1958 and a Diploma at Moray House College of Education. After he joined the Civil Service and, as part of his overall training, he spent two years at the Tata Institute of Social Studies in Bombay and was awarded a Diploma in Social Service Administration in 1963. At the time of Independence, he was nominated for a course on Local Government at the University of Birmingham. His high level training in Public Administration, coupled with his vast educational, social and cultural background, moulded him to become a very strong pillar in the Public Service.
I was appointed Administrative Assistant at the PMO in 1972 and must have met CKB fleetingly in a number of working sessions, chaired by my Permanent Secretary, Sir Dayendranath Burrenchobay for whom I have the greatest respect. I saw Kaneti more frequently when he was appointed Principal Private Secretary and daily when he became my Permanent Secretary in 1976. What an enriching journey with Kaneti since then! He generously shared his knowledge, experience, acquired from his encounters with SSR and senior Ministers and his numerous official missions overseas with me and other colleagues, namely Cyril Nicolas, Jean Claude Rivet and Clency Rosalie to enable us to achieve the greatest efficiency expected of us. It was a blessing to work as a close knitted team under his guidance.
Kaneti relished doing things in his own peculiar way. On many occasions, when he chaired meetings with senior colleagues of other Ministries and Departments, he would ask me to give the kick off by saying ‘Krish, start the meeting”. Much to the surprise of everyone! I would welcome the members, list the agenda of the day and proceed with the confirmation of the previous meeting, but very soon Kaneti took over the reins, displayed his mastery of the subject, impressed us by his immense vocabulary and quoted from famous administrators, poets, writers, philosophers and artists. He was a man of parts.
Occasionally, Kaneti asked me during lunch time to walk down the roads of Port Louis just to get some fresh air and talk freely on any issue of national concern. As a caring father, he would proudly speak about the educational progress of his children, Anil and Urmila and advised me to follow closely the educational path of my two children, Dhiren and Kobashni.
A dramatic event occurred after the June 1982 general elections. A Constitutional amendment was swiftly voted by the new Government to enable it to fire inter alia top Public Officers appointed by the previous government. Kaneti was compelled to retire at the age of 51. That was a dreadful time for him, his family and other Officers who suffered the same fate. I did my best to remain in touch with him. He courageously coped with the unexpected turn of events, but remained focused on the education of his children. Anil became a successful Consultant in Psychiatry in the UK and Urmila a bright barrister at law with her own legal practice.
Kaneti did not drop his formidable pen! He decided to gather all his notes and write a book on his time long journey. “The Ubiquitous Royal” was launched in April 2007. Mohamad Vayid had this to say “The book is also an intensely personal account of events of the last 3 scores and ten years. Kaneti was a strategically placed officer, close to SSR, Dayendranath Burrenchobay and other mandarins of the time”. The book contains useful references to the important chapters of the pre and post independent period and I consider that it is a must read for all Public Officers.
He autographed my copy with the following words “To Krish, le chemin que tu as parcouru, tu l’as fait en marchant. I am happy to mark your book with the appreciation how you avoided the pitfalls in your climb. You fully deserve it. Plenty of love and affection to Sharmila and the children. With warm personal regards, Kaneti.”
Kaneti and his wife Champa had so much to contribute to the betterment of the society that, along with like minded couples, they formed a small, but effective organization called Civil Responsibility Working Group (CREW). After my retirement as Senior Chief Executive, Kaneti invited me and Sharmila to join CREW. We renewed contact with so many good friends, including former Vice President Raouf Bundhun, one of Kaneti’s students, and Michael Atchia. CREW monthly gatherings were a real treat for all the members and also the special guests, invited to address a topic of concern to the society. Each meeting was hosted, in turn, by a member at his residence and the discussions were held in a very friendly and warm atmosphere, especially with the homemade refreshments and snacks. Unfortunately for CREW, Lady Burrenchobay, Dr Charles Yip Tong and Don Runghen passed away and for the last two years we have been unable to meet normally because of the Covid pandemic. During the recent months. Kaneti who was the soul of CREW, faced some health problems but managed to keep in touch with us by phone.
On Saturday the 5th March 2022, I received a call at 3.30 p.m. from Vandana, sadly informing me of the demise of her grandad at the age of 90. Kaneti died during the auspicious period of Maha Shivaratri and was cremated on the 6th March. CREW members paid their respects to Kaneti at a special call on Champa at her residence on the 10 March and recalled his achievements, his joys and also his sorrows. Kaneti’s feelings can best be summarised by himself in his book:
“Some lovable persons, whom I was privileged to get to know very closely, impressed me by their utmost care, assiduity and discretion with which they assumed their duties and responsibilities. Others, whose path I was unfortunate to cross, were far from being honourable in accordance with the measure I was brought up to use. They also left a mark on me while rendering questionable service to the country.”
Rest in peace, dear Kaneti. You served the Public Service and the country well.