A Tax Expert's Memoirs

Shome’s Handling Of Tax Reforms Is Legendary And His Autobiography Mostly Chronicles That; But You Will Also Find Glimpses Of Life’s Rich Hues.

- Dipak Mondal

IN JULY 2004, PARTHASARATHI Shome was at the IMF headquarters chairing a meeting with Venezuelan delegates when he received a call from P. Chidambaram, the newly appointed Finance Minister of the UPA government. PC, as Shome affectionately calls him in his latest book Virtus in Arduis (virtue in hard work), had connected at 3 a.m. Indian time and asked him to join the finance ministry as an advisor on tax matters. A short conversation followed, sprinkled with Chidambaram’s Wodehousian humour, and Shome agreed to pack his bags and shift to India in 15 days. It is one of the few anecdotes that would make you smile. The rest of the book features a detailed account of Shome’s tax reform initiatives (mostly as an IMF recruit) across the globe, a short but more personalised account of his alma mater days, descriptions of a few memorable trips and a rare glimpse into his childhood years.