Padinjarethalakal Cherian Alexander (20 March 1921 – 10 August 2011) was an

Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. The IAS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian ...

officer of 1948 batch who served as the

Governor of Tamil Nadu The governor of Tamil Nadu is the head of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Governor (India), Governors in India have similar powers and functions at the state level as those of the president of India at the central level. They exist in the Sta ...

from 1988 to 1990 and as the

Governor of Maharashtra The governor of Maharashtra is the ceremonial head of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The Constitution of India confers the executive powers of the state to the governor; however, the de facto executive powers lie with the Council of Minister ...

from 1993 to 2002. He was considered as a candidate for the post of the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

in 2002. During his time in Maharashtra, he had additional charge of

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

from 1996 to 1998. He was also a member of the

Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...

representing Maharashtra as an independent candidate from 29 July 2002 to 2 April 2008. His career included extended stints with the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

and India's Ministry of Commerce and his high-profile appointment as the powerful

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India (PS to the PM; ISO: ''Bhārat Ke Pradhānmantrī Ke Pradhān Saciv'') is the administrative head of the Prime Minister's Office. The officeholder is generally a retired civil servant, mostl ...

during his years with

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

. He also served as the Indian High Commissioner to the

Court of St. James's The Court of St James's serves as the official royal court for the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The court formally receives all ambassadors accredited to the United Kingdom. Likewise, ambassadors representing the United Kingdom are formally a ...

. His autobiography is ''Through the Corridors of Power''. His other works include ''My years with Indira Gandhi'', ''The Perils of Democracy'', and ''India in the New Millennium''.

Family history, early life and background

P. C. Alexander was born to an aristocratic Malankara Orthodox Christian Padinjarethalakal family on 20 March 1921 to P. J. Cherian and Mariamma. He studied at Bishop Hodges Higher Secondary School, and gained his post-graduate degree in History and Economics from the

University of Travancore University of Kerala (formerly known as University of Travancore) is a state-run public university in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chithira ...

(now

University of Kerala University of Kerala (formerly known as University of Travancore) is a state-run public university in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chithi ...

). During this period he also remained President, Travancore University Students Union.

Career

Alexander started his career as a civil servant in 1949, entering the IAS on 15 October of that year as an emergency recruited officer. He held several high positions during his career, and also involved himself in public life. Alexander was the principal secretary to Indira Gandhi and virtually served as her shadow and policy adviser for the years after her return to power in January 1980. On 18 January 1985, he resigned as the principal secretary to the Prime Minister

Rajiv Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian statesman and pilot who served as the prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the Assassination of Indira Gandhi, assassination of his mother, then–prime ...

owing to the Coomar Narain spy scandal wherein his private secretary TN Kher, personal assistant Malhotra among others was implicated as supplying top secret defense and security documents Coomar Narain who was a Bombay-based businessman with the Maneklal group of industries which was involved in government military contracts. Coomar Narain's sources were tactically placed within various Indian government agencies and was unveiled when the Intelligence Bureau started the surveillance of numerous civil servants and diplomats. Narain supplied sensitive information which included India's defense and internal security documents to major superpowers like France and the Soviet Union which were the major defense suppliers to India. He was sent as India's High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom (1985-1987). He was considered a potential candidate for the 2002 presidential elections. His candidacy was opposed by the Congress party. However, Abdul Kalam was chosen instead. He was also a member of the

representing Maharashtra as an independent candidate from 29 July 2002 to 2 April 2008.

Illness and death

Alexander died at the Madras Medical Mission hospital in Chennai at the age of 90. He was undergoing treatment for cancer. His dead body was taken to his native land, and was buried there with full state honours.

Personal life

He was married to Akkamma Alexander, and had two sons and two daughters. His son, Jawahar Alexander was named after

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

. His other son,

Ashok Alexander Ashok Alexander is the Founder-Director of The Antara Foundation, a non-profit focused on public health. Prior to establishing Antara Foundation in 2013, Ashok headed the India operations of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He led the crea ...

is the Founder-Director of The Antara Foundation, a non-profit focused on public health.

Bibliography

* ''My Years with Indira Gandhi'' by P. C. Alexander, Orient Paperbacks,

References

External links

An interviewAn interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, P. C. 1921 births 2011 deaths Governors of Goa Governors of Maharashtra Governors of Tamil Nadu Malayali politicians Rajya Sabha members from Maharashtra People from Alappuzha district Annamalai University alumni High commissioners of India to the United Kingdom Indian autobiographers Deaths from cancer in India Alexander, P. C. Indian Oriental Orthodox Christians Indian Administrative Service officers from Kerala