'What if I'm not there?': Bibek Debroy's obituary before death
Bibek Debroy, a celebrated economist and chairman of Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Committee, died at AIIMS, Delhi on Friday. He was 69. Four days before his demise, he had penned his own obituary. In the article titled "What if I am not there? What indeed?" published in The Indian Express, he reminisced about his time in a cardiac care unit at AIIMS and thanked his wife Suparna and the doctors for helping him recover.
Debroy's reflections on life and legacy
Debroy also pondered existential questions about life and legacy in his column. He wrote that he wasn't interested in television news and debates in his final days, calling them so "transient and puerile." "But so am I, transient and puerile, a dot that might have been wiped off. In that event, what would have happened? A few condolences, perhaps even from important people. "Irreparable loss." Perhaps a posthumous Padma Bhushan or Padma Vibhushan. A few obituaries."
What will they mention about me: Debroy
"What will they mention? Trade work of 1980-s, law reform of 1990s, State work of 2000s...even resignation from Rajiv Gandhi Institute in 2005? Who remembers? Nothing seminal about such work." "Perhaps the Purana Project, left incomplete. Manmatha Nath Dutt was reborn, to finish the Purana work. I'll be reborn. But I hope not for this. Irreparable loss at the age of 70, when life's productivity is as good as over? In another ten years, what social value will I bring?"
Debroy's musings on personal loss and social impact
Debroy also shared thoughts on personal loss versus social impact in his obituary. He noted while there might be a private loss for his family, especially Suparna, there would be little social loss. His sons lived abroad and were more American than Indian. He mused about leaving behind digital imprints rather than physical photographs, saying "That was physical photographs; I will leave a digital imprint."
Debroy's significant contributions to economic discourse
Throughout his career, Debroy enriched economic discourse through his columns in newspapers. He wrote about economic continuity amid uncertainty, disparities in education quality across India, among other topics. In one such column from August 2024, he spoke about Bangladesh's departure from its Bengali identity due to theocratic politics. Debroy had also advocated for addressing hidden hunger through rice fortification in September 2023. He had stressed the need to tackle micronutrient deficiencies which have severe health consequences.
Debroy's advocacy for rice fortification and constitutional reform
He had also argued for embracing a new Constitution to reflect contemporary democratic desires better. In 2015, Debroy was awarded the Padma Shri for his work in literature and education. He was also lauded for translating classical Sanskrit texts such as the Mahabharata into English. He served in key positions at several academic and research institutions including Presidency College, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune, and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.
