Smart People: Vittaldas Leeladhar

SMART EYE

Vittaldas Leeladhar

Here is a bureaucrat with a difference. Vittaldas Leeladhar, 58, the recently designated deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India, does not carry a mobile phone. What is more, he is also a diploma holder in oil painting.

Given a choice, Leeladhar would love to dedicate more time to his passion, but considering the onerous task that awaits him, that will have to wait.

How does he see the road ahead? For starters, he is pleased with the changing face of the banking industry with regards to technology and rural credit.

While he does acknowledge that there are still a whole lot of issues that need to be addressed, Leeladhar is optimistic about the future of the Indian banking sector. What would be his priorities? "Technology upgradation in urban cooperative banks," for one.

With 35 years of experience, his credentials are obvious. A chemical engineer from Kerala University, Leeladhar started off his career in banking in 1969 as a trainee officer with Syndicate Bank, Manipal.

His long banking career has seen him serve various banks, such as Corporation Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Vijaya Bank, Union Bank of India and finally the RBI. In addition, he is a fellow of the Indian Institute of Bankers and serves as a director on the boards of National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (Nabard) and National Housing Bank.

Though time is a constraint, Leeladhar is an avid fan of pop fiction. "I usually catch up on reading while waiting at airports."

But whatever be the demands on his time, he is loathe to miss his vacations (last time he toured Malaysia and Singapore) with his wife and two daughters.

So when his banking career is over and done with, where would he like to settle? "Pune because of its vibrant culture," comes the reply. But for now, it is the RBI, where he will oversee the departments of information technology, human resource development, rural planning and credit and urban banks. Pune can wait.