It is used to be said of the members of the Indian Civil Service that for the most part they were not Indians and they were neither civil nor servants. The inexorable forces of history have made their successors completely Indian; but whether they are servile before people who matter and civil towards  junior colleagues and subordinates are questions they can ask themselves. On various occasions and on various platforms we have argued that the IAS is the premier service of the country and we should, therefore, be entitled to various things based on this primacy. If we belong to a premier or an elite corps, is it not for us to set examples which others can emulate? Most of us have the singularly good fortune of travelling between home and office in exclusive official cars. Yet do we always reach office punctually? Some of us tend to take subordinates to task for their late attendance. This is necessary if discipline and a healthy work culture are to be maintained. But should not care be taken to avoid the retort, "Physician, heal thyself"? For maintaining a proper working environment in Government, it is we who have to give the lead; it is we who have to show how work can be done or ought to be done. In short, we must prove the competence on the theory of which we claim superiority over others and primacy in a field of many contenders. One has always believed that the rot always starts at the top. Therefore, if there are ills within the governmental system, we must remove them by dint of hard work, discipline, sincerity, honesty and devotion to duty. Didactic? Yes - unashamedly so.