2 hours ago
1
It is simply a measurement of Bibek’s accomplishment that his towering feat of translations volition basal retired for the ages. Many five-star economists person got much recognition for India’s economical reforms. But fewer had the benignant of interaction successful changing our default sensibility to economical liberalisation arsenic Bibek did. (C R Sasikumar)
When Bibek Debroy resigned from the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies and PHDCCI, the Centre for Policy Research smelled an opportunity. I instantly called him up and offered a professorship. He was gracious capable to judge it. But helium had 1 concern. He said helium was readying to give overmuch of his clip to the translation of the Mahabharata. He would proceed to bash argumentation work. But helium needed abstraction for this project. I was successful awe of his audaciousness. I said thing to the effect that this made him adjacent much charismatic to the Centre for Policy Research (CPR). But I told him I had 1 concern. Since the 19th century, nary 1 who had attempted an English translation of the full of the Mahabharata had lived to spot it completed. I did not privation him to tempt fate. He replied, “I consciousness I was calved to bash this. I volition defy the odds.” He joined the CPR immediately.
Much volition beryllium written astir Bibek’s intelligence brilliance, his preternatural grasp of astir each subjects, his photographic memory, his bid of factual detail, his artistry successful photography, and his myriad contributions to nationalist policy. The connection polymath seems to lone circumscribe the scope of his achievements, not picture it. What struck maine astir successful that speech astir the Mahabharata was his character: His bonzer tenacity, a consciousness of being possessed, arsenic if helium were pursuing immoderate interior instrumentality of his ain being. By sheer determination, helium defied the likelihood and how, not conscionable producing a translation of the Mahabharata, but adjacent much ambitiously, the Puranas. For those who saw him up close, the sheer physicality of this task was daunting: Producing thousands of words per time for astir 2 decades. Even successful meetings helium was typing distant connected his Blackberry oregon phone, awkwardly drawn adjacent to his already strained eyes. The sheer grit of the task would merit an grant each its own.
But ultimately, helium could not defy the calling of Yama. I had a fantastic Diwali connection from him astatine 9.15 am, the time earlier helium passed on, the time helium called, “panchotsava.” But you got the sense, astatine slightest from the outside, that it was an eventual telephone helium was successful nary temper to defy, leaving america overmuch excessively soon astatine the property of 69. I saw small of him the past fewer years since some of america moved connected from the CPR. He had been earnestly sick past year, but had recovered. At our past gathering a fewer weeks agone helium was talking astir arsenic if helium had a premonition that helium mightiness beryllium moving to a higher station. At slightest connected that occasion, helium had a consciousness of radiant calm astatine the prospect.
We were discussing 1 taxable that we had incessantly touched connected for years. Texts were important to the betterment of Indian traditions, and helium had done much successful this vein than anyone successful his generation. But we besides had a sense, successful antithetic ways, that dealing conscionable with texts was not enough. The consciousness of these texts was clear, but the references were not. It was a spot similar speechmaking doctrine of subject texts, without immoderate consciousness of what the signifier of subject mightiness beryllium like. It is similar speechmaking a meta sermon astir an entity without experiencing the entity itself. He took disconnected from that constituent to accidental that helium was practising a caller signifier of Shiv Aradhana, and was opening to yet person a consciousness of luminescence. Hope helium finds it.
To uncover this is not to betray immoderate confidences. But it is to constituent retired that successful a metropolis similar Delhi, wherever intelligence beingness has a batch of glittering surfaces, Bibek ever seemed to person unplumbed depths. You peel 1 furniture disconnected and different emerges. I did not cognize him arsenic good arsenic galore others, and did not regularly bent retired with him. But arsenic you turn older you realise what matters is the prime and extent of encounters, not their frequency. I astir got the consciousness that it was intolerable to truly cognize Bibek, determination was thing enigmatic astir him that the encyclopedic cognition of facts, droll humour, argumentation wonkishness, his emotion of pens, photography and dogs, candour astir people, the torrent of written words was lone disguising.
It is simply a measurement of Bibek’s accomplishment that his towering feat of translations volition basal retired for the ages. Many five-star economists person got much recognition for India’s economical reforms. But fewer had the benignant of interaction successful changing our default sensibility to economical liberalisation arsenic Bibek did. There is nary facet of economical betterment which was not touched by his intelligence prowess: Trade reform, ineligible reform, regulatory betterment and his shepherding of the committee of betterment of the Railways. He was 1 of the uncommon economists who consistently maintained a liberalisation-oriented outlook, but could truly dive into arcane details of instrumentality and regulation.
We utilized to tease him by saying that helium secretly had a bureaucratic mind: No 1 extracurricular the bureaucracy could retrieve sub-clause X of clause Y of sub-section Z of thousands of statutes and excavation them up erstwhile necessary. In retrospect you tin spot the continuity with his translation work: He had a shastric mind, a practitioner of the mnemonic arts who could sorb full bodies of texts. It is besides bonzer to deliberation that determination was a infinitesimal successful Indian intelligence beingness erstwhile the astir superb constellation of economical liberalisers was with the Congress and a Bibek Debroy was heading the Rajiv Gandhi Institute.
Bibek’s outlook was broad-minded. His governmental allegiances were ever enigmatic. It was his co-authored study portion astatine the CPR wherever helium laid a batch of the intelligence groundwork for decimating the Left’s economical exemplary successful Bengal that helped pave the mode for the TMC. Even erstwhile helium joined this government, but for the awkward spectacle of having to support demonetisation, helium managed the artful feat of staying supra the fray: Writing much betwixt the lines. But much miraculously, dissimilar astir everyone successful this government, helium did not succumb to the way of fertile communalism to beryllium his allegiances. In some partisan alignments, archetypal with Congress and past the BJP, helium managed to stay his ain person, arsenic evidenced successful the outpouring for him.
His ain idiosyncratic helium remained: Self-driven, mysterious, funny, but ever industrious. He could besides be, connected occasion, rather exasperating, making nary country for norms different than his own; his silences could sometimes beryllium strategic. But the magnitude of his interaction is casual to miss, paradoxically due to the fact that it was truthful far-reaching crossed truthful galore domains.
The writer is contributing editor, The Indian Express
.png "indianexpress.")
.png "khaleejtimes")
.png "arabnews")
.png "gulfnews"){kind=logo}
English (US) · 
Hindi (IN) ·