New Delhi: Once mocked for scoring 42 per cent in his 10th-grade exams, IAS officer-turned-politician KJ Alphons helped drive Kerala’s literacy movement, earned the monicker ‘Demolition Man’ for razing thousands of illegal buildings as DDA commissioner, and later became a Union minister in Narendra Modi’s first government. Now, he’s also a self-help author.
“People accused me of being heartless, but governance is not about pleasing everyone—it’s about doing what’s right for the larger good,” said Alphons at the launch of his third book, The Winning Formula: 52 Ways to Change Your Life, at the India International Centre in Delhi last week.
The book features 52 stories—one for each week of the year—about people, including Alphons himself, who “achieved the extraordinary in their own way.” While 39 chapters are about people who inspired him, 13 are anecdotes from his own life.
The main IIC hall, where the launch was held, was full and many people were standing at the doors, straining to catch a glimpse of the stage, where the panel included Jitendra Singh, Minister of Science & Technology (Independent Charge), Chief Justice Manmohan of the Delhi High Court, and Rishabh Shah, founder and former president of India’s International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN). Each spoke briefly about Alphons’s achievements and shared their favourite inspiring moments from the book.
The event also featured a conversation between journalist and anchor Rini Khanna and Alphons, touching upon a range of topics, from life at the IAS Academy, his minimalist lifestyle, Delhi pollution, and lessons for politicians. Speaking about the ridicule he faced for his low marks in school, he recalled deciding, “I am not stupid, I have brains,” and setting out to prove himself.
As an IAS officer, Alphons had a high-profile career until he resigned in 2006 to join politics, serving as an independent MLA in Kerala until joining the BJP in 2011 and eventually being appointed as Minister of State for Tourism.
“I wanted to make a bigger impact,” he said, reflecting on this transition. “While bureaucracy gives you the tools to implement policies, politics gives you the platform to create them.”
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‘Demolition Man’ of Delhi
Alphons’s career as an IAS officer stood out for bold moves and controversial decisions.
In 1989, as a young district collector, Alphons helped make Kottayam India’s first 100 per cent literate town. He was also instrumental in establishing a cancer hospital, funded by contributions from 8.2 million people.
“History is made by individuals who decide to stand tall. The system doesn’t define us—we define it,” he said of his accomplishments during this time.
Then came his most career-defining appointment. As Commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in the 1990s, Alphons got 14,000 illegal buildings torn down, reportedly reclaiming land worth more than Rs 10,000 crore. It earned him the nickname “The Demolition Man”, which he still wears with pride. But it also earned him the wrath of the “mafia”.
“My wife was beaten up and left for dead, and my children were attacked. For eight years, I carried a gun to protect myself,” he said.
Despite the violence and threats, he refused to back down.
“Your hurters are your helpers,” said Alphons.
By the early 2000s, Alphons was tackling Delhi’s pollution. As part of a Supreme Court-appointed committee, he helped relocate polluting industries and pushed for CNG in public transport.
“By 2000, Delhi became much cleaner. Now, we’re back to square one,” he said.
Today, Alphons argued, stronger action is needed to address north India’s pollution crisis.
“Send me to Punjab for a week. I can stop this stubble burning,” he declared.
Pointing to Surat and Indore as examples of successful civic transformation, he criticised the lack of accountability in Delhi.
“What is the Delhi government doing?” he asked. “When we ask you, you say you don’t have law and order, you don’t have the police, you don’t have land. But isn’t pollution your responsibility?”
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The blue blazer
For Alphons, role models aren’t just powerful leaders, but people who make a difference with small, meaningful actions.
At the event, he spoke of people who inspired him and made it into the book, including Fatima Hashim, a blind girl who speaks 13 languages and dreams of joining the Indian Foreign Service.
“Fatima is a testament to human potential. She proves that limitations are merely challenges waiting to be overcome,” he said
Another inspiration for Alphons is his younger brother George Kannanthanam, a Catholic priest who has dedicated his life to humanitarian work—building homes for lepers; running centres for HIV patients, drug addicts, and alcoholics; and organising cornea donations for those with impaired vision.
“My brother manages hundreds of crores and runs the biggest leprosy home in Asia, yet he lives a life of simplicity and fulfilment,” he said.
When journalist Khanna asked how India could encourage more charitable work, Alphons didn’t hold back.
“We are the most uncharitable country in the world,” he said, claiming that only 2 per cent of Indians donate to charity, compared to nearly 40 per cent in the United States.
“See where they are, and see where we are,” he remarked, urging India to re-evaluate its priorities
Another ideal he has much to say about is simple living, and he demonstrated it with the blue blazer he was wearing at the event—bought for Rs 300 during his training at the Mussoorie Academy decades ago.
“This is my only blue blazer, and I wore it as a minister too,” he said. “We don’t need a wardrobe full of clothes to look good; we need integrity to feel good.”
During the Q&A session, Alphons answered audience questions with good humour, assuring them, “I’m here until every single question is answered.”
He ended with a clear message: public service is about making a difference, not seeking accolades.
“I have no regrets. My journey wasn’t perfect, but it was honest. That’s what matters,” he said.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)