Pramod Kumar Gupta, an alumnus of the Jawaharlal Nehru University and a former IRS officer, recounts his memories and experiences at Dhanbad, the ‘Coal Capital of India’, where he was posted as Assistant Director of Income Tax (Investigation) in the early 1990s. Much has changed since then, but he wonders whether the ethos has and whether the coal industry can be seen in isolation. It needs a national character and a resolve to make a difference, he feels.