India, Feb. 19 -- In the state government, a good officer is expected to know many things about the state and its people. A great officer must know almost everything. But a legendary officer? He must know it all.

One such moment of knowledge-testing happened while we awaited the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his official visit to Himachal Pradesh a few years ago. Ram Subhag Singh, the chief secretary, and I (as director general of police) found ourselves seated with Jairam Thakur, the then chief minister of the hill state.

As we waited, our conversation meandered from one topic to another, eventually settling on the state's economy and ways to improve its financial standing. The chief minister was keen on increasing revenue...