A product of the Presidency College, Calcutta and Delhi School of Economics, Shri Bibek Debroy worked under Frank Hahn in Cambridge University on integrating information into the general equilibrium framework.
In India, Shri Debroy taught at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune, the Presidency College of Calcutta and the NCAER. He contributed many papers on applied economics and policy research in diverse fields and served in the Niti Aayog (2015-19), chaired the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, was President of Indian Statistical Institute and was Chancellor of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics till recently. For his contributions to Indian society, he was awarded the Padma Shri in 2015.
Since 2009, Shri Debroy started translating Indian scriptures into English beginning with Mahabharata. He succeeded in combining literal translations with good prose. In the last decade and a half, he completed translating the Mahabharata in ten volumes (somewhat abridged), Valmiki Ramayana, Harivamsha, Bhagavata Purana (3 vols.), Markandeya Purana, Brahma Purana (2 vols.), Vishnu Purana, Shiva Purana (3 vols.) and Brahmanda Purana (2 vols.).
The sheer volume of his output is staggering. And very helpfully, he provides referencing to the original sanskrit hymn-chapter, so that a critical reader may cross reference and form his own view of the treatment.
This last leg of the life’s work of Shri Debroy was a lasting tribute to his childhood almameter — The Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Narendrapur, where he received his school education. ‘The child is the father of the man’ ‘tis said. His childhood exposure to the benign sanctity of Guru Maharaj seems to have returned Shri Debroy to spread the shoots of our sacred scriptures for those among us who are more comfortable with English. May his efforts bear rich fruit.
Padma Shri Bibek Debroy passed on, on November 1, 2024, at the age of sixty nine years. His passing on is a loss to the nation.
Hariḥ Aum! Sadgatiḥ praptiḥ astu!
-Dr. Rahul Shastri
President, Samvit Kendra