Bibek Debroy, a key economic adviser to the Prime Minister whose prolific work included translations of the puranas and the vedas, passed away on Friday. He was 69.
Photograph: Utpal Sarkar/ANI Photo
Debroy, who had a history of diabetes, hypertension, and a blockage in the heart for which he had a pacemaker, was admitted to the AIIMS emergency late on October 31 and died around 7 am on Friday.
“He was admitted with subacute intestinal obstruction. He also suffered from hypertension and diabetes mellitus,” an official source at AIIMS, Delhi said.
An empirical economist and a Padma Shri awardee, Debroy was the chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council since September 2017.
A columnist to several newspapers, he had four days before his death sent a piece to The Indian Express newspaper, with a note: “Unusual Column. Short of a requiem”, according to the daily.
In the article, which was not published yet, he wrote about life after coming out of cardiac care centre (CCU) at AIIMS nearly a month ago.
“There is a world outside that exists. What if I am not there? What indeed?” he wrote according to the article posted by the newspaper on its website on Friday.
“A few condolences, perhaps even from important people. ‘Irreparable loss’. Perhaps a posthumous Padma Bhushan or Padma Vibhushan. A few obituaries,” he wrote.
A prolific writer, Debroy authored and edited several books, including translations of the puranas, the four vedas, and 11 major Upanishads.
Educated in Ramakrishna Mission School, Narendrapur and Kolkata’s Presidency College, he went to the Delhi School of Economics and Trinity College, Cambridge.
He worked on trade issues in the 1980s and law reform in the following decade.
He was also a full-time member of NITI Aayog from its constitution in 2015 until June 2019.
His work included authoring and editing several books, including translations of the puranas, the four vedas, and 11 major Upanishads as also Valmiki Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
Debroy was awarded the Padma Shri in 2015.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Debroy as “a towering scholar, well-versed in diverse domains like economics, history, culture, politics, spirituality and more”.
“Through his works, he left an indelible mark on India’s intellectual landscape.
“Beyond his contributions to public policy, he enjoyed working on our ancient texts, making them accessible to the youth,” Modi said in his condolence message on X.
“I have known Dr. Debroy for many years. I will fondly remember his insights and passion for academic discourse.
“Saddened by his passing away. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti.”
President Droupadi Murmu said in the demise of Debroy, the country has lost an eminent public intellectual who enriched diverse fields, from policy making to translating great scriptures.
“His understanding of India’s social, cultural and economic landscape was exceptional.
“For his extraordinary contributions, he was honoured with Padma Shri.
“I convey my condolences to his family, friends and admirers,” the President said in a post on X.
While India’s G20 Sherpa and former CEO of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant said the country has lost one of its “brightest minds”, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh described Debroy as a “man of unusually wide-ranging interests” and one who had skill for “lucid exposition”.
Member of the PM’s EAC member Sanjeev Sanyal said he has lost a “friend and a mentor”.
Debroy had worked in Presidency College, Kolkata; Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune; Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi; and also as the Director of a Ministry of Finance/UNDP project on legal reforms.
He authored/edited several books, papers and popular articles and had also been a consulting/contributing editor with several newspapers.
In September, Debroy resigned as chancellor of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) after the Bombay high court extended interim relief to Vice-Chancellor Ajit Ranade, who was earlier removed from his post.
He was appointed as chancellor of GIPE, a deemed to be university, in July.
