Legacy of a polymath

Bibek Debroy's extensive body of work includes over 140 books, 501 academic papers, and 3,370 newspaper columns

- ADITYA SINHA

In November 1, 2024, India lost a patriot, an economic thinker, and its foremost translator who brought ancient texts to contemporary readers. Bibek Debroy, a distinguished economist and scholar, passed away at the age of 69. As Chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council since 2017, he played a pivotal role in shaping India's economic policies.

Beyond his contributions to economics, Debroy was renowned for his translations of classical Sanskrit texts, including the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita, making these epics accessible to modern audiences. Notably, he was among the few individuals globally to have translated both the unabridged Mahabharata and Ramayana into English.

With the passing of Dr. Bibek Debroy, NDTV lost a columnist, and I lost a mentor, a co-author, and a guiding light. For years, we worked together on a column covering a spectrum of economic and geopolitical issues. Yet, Dr. Debroy was far more than just a mentor—he was my Guru in the truest sense, a teacher who imparted wisdom and instilled in me the art of writing with clarity and precision. When we first met in March 2020, at the peak of the COVID era, I had no idea how transformative that relationship would be. Since that day, he took it upon himself to teach me something new every day, from nuanced economic perspectives to the art of distilling complex ideas into lucid prose. His encouragement and insights remain invaluable, guiding me forward even in his absence.