Bibek Debroy, the man who changed the perception of trains, trade and religious texts, passes away

Bibek Debroy passes away at 69

That was from one of the finest economists in India with a subtle sense of humour and an unmatched wisdom. With Bibek Debroy breathing his last, the journey of an economist, translator, and author came to an end on November 1. The Padma Shri awardee and chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India was 69.

One of the country's top economic voices, Bibek Debroy would be remembered for shaping the contours of a new economy while keeping an eye on the past. In his long stint at Niti Aayog, his work on the railways heralded reforms for India’s largest public sector employer.

Along with Kishore Desai, Bibek Debroy was able to ascertain the social cost of running railway operations, leading to the rationalisation of subsidies at a time when the transporter was grappling with huge debt load.

“Dr Bibek Debroy Ji was 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," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on social media platform X.

An ardent supporter of the government’s push to manufacturing, Bibek Debroy wrote on post-Independence policies that led to an erosion of the manufacturing base using the fountain pen as a focal point. In his book, Inked in India: Fountain Pens and a story of Make and Unmake in India, he underlined how the country frittered away its competitive edge owing to its economic policies after Independence.

"Bibek was a scholarly giant. he was unique in his wide interests and scholarly pursuits. From his deep passion for translation work of Sanskrit texts to his dedication towards railways reforms, interests in fountain pens to some uncommon research interests like the role of dogs in Indian/Hindu life... He was much loved across spectrum of economists, policy enthusiats, and Sanskrit scholars in India," said EAC-PM, where Debroy worked as chairman, in a post on social media platform X.

Trade issues featured extensively in his writings. Those surrounding the concerns of developing countries with respect to the World Trade Organization were more common. His latest works surrounding governance and development are also considered a bedrock for discussions on reforms.

"Bibek Debroy passed away today at 7am due to intestinal obstruction," AIIMS Delhi said on November 1.

“As the chairman of the PM Economic Advisory Council, he profusely participated in policy making. His interests, inter alia, were—ancient texts, Vedic and classical Sanskrit, Devi, Railways. He was prolific in translating Sanskrit to English our epics and puranas. His book Sarama and Her Children showed his uncanny knack in extracting nuggets from our ancient texts. Bibek, you had so much more to do and to complete— for all our sake! Farewell! Om Shanti,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman paid her tribute.

Bibek Debroy was also known for his sharp critique of government policies, especially in terms of engagement with stakeholders. “Historically, the statistics ministry has not been good at communicating to the world what it has done and why it has done it,” he said in June at an event organised by the ministry, where he also mooted the idea of revision of a poverty line estimate for India.

Beyond economics, Bibek Debroy would be missed for his maverick five-liner limericks. His collection of short rhythmic poems, The Book of Limericks, offers a satirical view to a host of major economic, political, and social incidents. He is hailed for his extensive works on Indian mythology and literature and his translations of Puranas, Vedas, Mahabharata and Ramayana.

"In every sense, Bibek Debroy was a parental figure to me. He was my intellectual mentor, my guru, and the only person under whose guidance I co-wrote a book… Bharat has lost one of its greatest sons. We do not have another Bibek Debroy - the only man who was able to complete translating both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata in his lifetime - and we are unlikely to have another like him. He represented the best of India, a true scholar-sage. Completely selfless, temperamentally an ascetic. I will never fully accept that he is no longer with us," said Hindol Sengupta, historian and professor of international relations at OP Jindal Global University, who co-authored Life, Death and the Ashtavakra Gita with Bibek Debroy.