Revision as of 19:38, 5 June 2021

Thus Spake Abhijit Banerjee
From: Oct 15, 2019: The Times of India

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Thus Spake Abhijit Banerjee

Early life

Schooldays and football

Prithvijit Mitra, Oct 15, 2019: The Times of India

Teachers and classmates at South Point High School — alma mater of Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee — remember him as a ‘skinny, sober boy who wore thick glasses and loved football’. As the news (of Banerjee winning this year’s Nobel) flashed on TV screens, they erupted in joy and got in touch with each other to celebrate. The school authorities invited senior teachers who taught Banerjee to share their memories. A congratulatory note will be sent to him after the school reopens from vacation.

“It’s a great Puja gift and nothing could possibly make the school feel more proud. South Point’s name has been etched in the international scene, thanks to Banerjee. It is an honour for us and the students that he walked down these corridors. This is the ultimate recognition and we are privileged to be associated with him in his hour of glory,” said principal Rupa Sanyal Bhattacharya.

Biology teacher Sharmila De Sarkar, a classmate of Banerjee, said she was overwhelmed with joy after hearing the news. “Abhijit had been in reckoning for Nobel for some years now and this was expected. But when I heard about it, I couldn’t hold my tears. We were classmates for four years till Class X, but the friendship and bonding remained intact till we left school,” said De Sarkar.

Although never a topper, Banerjee was a ‘good student who was very strong in mathematics’, recalled mathematics teacher Dipali Sengupta. “He stood out probably due to his demeanour and quiet nature. He wore thick glasses and was serious about his studies,” she said.

But the studious gait was misleading, claimed De Sarkar. “He was passionate about football and played regularly in his neighbourhood. He would invariably share his exploits on the field with us the next day in school. We would pull his leg but he took himself seriously as a footballer,” she added.

From the Indian Statistical Institute to Presidency

Zeeshan Jawed, Dwaipayan Ghosh & Somdatta Basu, Oct 15, 2019: The Times of India

As the news broke, Presidency — which has now produced two economics Nobel winners — was being talked of as “the college Abhijit Banerjee almost didn’t attend”. But the campus was bursting with joy at the feat of its famous alumnus.

Abhijit, who on Monday joined Amartya Sen in the hallowed ranks of economics Nobel laureates from Presidency College (now Presidency University), had initially joined the prestigious Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), but left it after a week to pursue economics at Presidency, where his father, Dipak Banerjee, taught the subject.

“We are overjoyed,” said Presidency vice-chancellor Anuradha Lohia. “Abhijit is a celebrated economist worldwide.” She mentioned how he had a deep relationship with the now 202-year-old venerable College Street institution, starting from his father’s contributions to the way he helped the college become a university. “Dipak Banerjee was a legendary professor of economics at Presidency College, and Abhijit has instituted a lecture series in his name. Abhijit himself has also been very involved and a guiding force as the college transitioned into a university. His writings reflect a deep sense of pride for his alma mater. In the bicentennial celebrations (of 2017), he wrote on how a college graduated into a university and how Presidency has always remained different because it was formed by secular citizens.”

Within an hour of the Nobel announcement, the university put up a congratulatory message on its website. It also congratulated Esther Duflo. “We will plan how to honour him once the university reopens,” said Presidency registrar Debajyoti Konar.

There were several stories being shared on social media — mostly by Abhijit’s contemporaries — about his campus days. One such tale goes that once, Dipak Banerjee, exasperated with his class, burst out: “Tomrashob gadhar bachcha (You are all donkey’s offspring).” Abhijit, who was in attendance, quipped: “Baba, amio ekhane achhi (I’m also here)” .... to which Dipak, without batting an eyelid, said: “Toke chhara shob(All but you)”.

“It is surreal — two Indians getting the economics Nobel from the same alma mater,” Lohia added. “Our institution is truly special.... We are proud of Abhijit. We congratulate Esther Duflo for her significant contribution.”

Abhijit was also a member of the university’s mentor group, which handheld the institution’s journey to becoming a university in 2011. Amartya Sen was the adviser to the chair of the group. He was also instrumental in organising the Dipak Banerjee Memorial Lecture every year, which have been attended by, among others, Amartya Sen and former RBI chief Raghuram Rajan.

“It is a tremendous feeling to know that professor Banerjee has been bestowed with such a great honour,” said Mousumi Dutta, professor and head of the economics wing. A proud alumni association called Abhijit’s achievement “monumental”.

Several of his classmates felt that the college knew how to groom the best students. “I clearly remember how Dipak Banerjee used to call me over to his residence. We both shared a passion for mathematics and two of our professors — Mihir Kanti Rakshit and Nabyendu Sen — took extra time out to explain how to merge economics with mathematics. We were even asked to share answer scripts to understand our strengths and weaknesses. Landing up at a professor’s residence was always welcomed,” recalled Abhijit Pathak, his close friend from college.

Contributions

Healthcare/ 2018

Oct 14, 2019: UChicago Center in Delhi

A group of economists, both from India and abroad, and both from industry and academia, outlined an economic agenda for the country over the next five years. By setting out some of the key challenges as well as outlining proposals well before the coming elections, the intent was to spur debate and discussion.

The economists were Abhijit Banerjee, Pranjul Bhandari, Sajjid Chinoy, Maitreesh Ghatak, Gita Gopinath, Amartya Lahiri, Neelkanth Mishra, Prachi Mishra, Karthik Muralidharan, Rohini Pande, Eswar Prasad, E. Somanathan, and Raghuram Rajan.