The Childhood Bond of India’s Chief Electoral Reformer T. N. Seshan and India’s Metro Man E. Sreedharan: How They Grew Together and Later Shaped India

Key Points:

India’s road to development has been shaped by several pioneers who came before, along with many who are yet to come. From contributing to the nation’s infrastructural growth to reforming India’s electoral system, some of these pioneers share a special connection that is often overlooked.

One such lesser-known bond exists between the Metro Man of India, E. Sreedharan, and former Chief Election commissioner (CEC) T. N. Seshan, the man who reformed Indian elections like no other in his tenure as CEC.

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Sreedharan and Seshan both had humble beginnings in small towns; however, little did they know what destiny had in store for them. The duo were academic rivals in their younger years. From intense academic competition to later crossing paths and working together for the betterment of the country, they ultimately became a driving force for each other.

Seshan breathed his last on 10 November 2019 after a notable career spanning decades. On 12 November 2019, Sreedharan shared heartfelt tales of his childhood with Seshan and remembered his old friend, who was once his competitor.

Sreedharan recalled that he and his old friend shared fierce academic competition despite being close friends. Their paths first crossed when Sreedharan joined the Basel Evangelical Mission School in Palakkad, Kerala after completing his primary schooling.

He joined the second form for the academic session 1942–43, while Seshan had already been studying at the BEM School since Class 1. Recalling those days, Sreedharan wrote, “I used to top the class when it came to academic proficiency.” Seshan was always close behind Sreedharan’s academic milestones. “From second form till fifth form, I bagged first place in general proficiency, and Seshan used to come second,” Sreedharan wrote.

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He described Seshan as a short-statured boy who always sat with his books on the front bench. A couple of years later, the academic rivals found themselves right next to each other in the SSLC examination, scoring 451 and 452 marks respectively.

The duo studied at Government Victoria College, Palakkad, for their intermediate education between 1947 and 1949 and were later selected for engineering in the Madras Presidency college. Their paths eventually diverged as they pursued their individual goals. Seshan, the youngest in his family of six brothers, aspired to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother, T. N. Lakshminarayan, and became an IAS officer.

He later joined Madras Christian College to pursue a B.A. (Hons.) in Physics while preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination. Sreedharan and Seshan went on to succeed in their respective fields and built highly distinguished professional profiles.

Among his many achievements, Seshan was widely recognised for his integral role in shaping electoral reforms in India during his tenure (1990-1996) as Chief Election Commissioner. He enforced a series of electoral reforms to curb malpractices that had been commonplace prior to his appointment.

As part of his efforts toward national betterment, he introduced several key directives, including the strict enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct. He also mandated voter ID cards with electors’ photographs, appointed polling officials at election sites, and imposed bans on bribery, liquor distribution, and other forms of electoral misuse and misconduct.

Sreedharan’s career is widely known for his contribution to the vision behind the introduction of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). The inspiration for the iconic metro system came from the Calcutta Metro, which was built in the 1970s and whose framework served as the fundamental structure for the DMRC. He was also known as the metro man of India.

Decades later, Sreedharan shared his cherished bond with Seshan, whom he had interacted with only a handful of times during their professional careers.

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