‘Don’t dwell on the words’. It was his mantra for writing. Basically, move on. How does one not dwell on the words while reminiscing about a loss and life…and Bibek Debroy lived many lives in one life — just the bibliography of his writings and the books he authored would take up this page and more!
Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the PM, Bibek passed away at AIIMS, Delhi, on Friday. He was 69.
I first met Bibek in the 1990s while researching water—over cups of tea we discussed the chemistry, geography and therefore the politics of water. It set the stage for a treasured friendship, exchange of thoughts, information and oddities—for instance the role of Lord Linlithgow in cattle farming or Shakespeare’s thoughts on money.
Bibek embodied the term genius—he could infuse Kasparov’s opening gambit to explain implications in global trade, induct the concept of dharma while debating on taxation and present economic policy as a game with many outcomes. The skill and talent to make things simple was accompanied by felicity of language from Russian to Sanskrit—on one occasion, at a function hosted by the RSS, unsure of his Hindi, Bibek spoke on the global economy in Sanskrit.
His ability to traverse across a tapestry of subjects effortlessly reflected extraordinary curiosity and therefore grasp of knowledge. He could quote chapter and verse from dense texts and decode them—whether it was nuances from the Constitution, provisions of WTO, or delineation of Kuznets Curve. Fiercely independent Bibek reserved the right to differ and disagree without being disagreeable and often termed his disagreements as disappointments.
Bibek will be remembered as the quintessential interpreter of maladies and a repository of hopeful resolution. He brought forth deep analysis of the cause and consequences. For decades, he was the go-to person for governments at the Centre and across states on complex issues. This is manifest in the spectrum of his work - the challenge of deprivation in districts, economic freedom and competitiveness, restructuring of the railways, impact of judicial delays and corruption in governance.
He was a rare raconteur of history with an uncommon sense of humour and a huge collection of anecdotes—he once recalled how while in the ministry of finance he was admonished for answering a Parliamentary question! Always willing to share, you could dial him with doubts or for a hearty chin wag on anything from the potential for an Indian version of Yes Minister to quirks of politicians to parallels of King Lear in Indian politics.
India will miss his scholarship. I will miss the friendship. I wish I had met him earlier, known him longer.
Shankkar Aiyar
Author of The Gated Republic, Aadhaar: A Biometric History of India’s 12 Digit Revolution, and Accidental India
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