A solemn ceremony was organized at Akashwani Rang Bhawan on Monday evening to remember the life and work of Padma Shri Bibek Debroy, Chairman,

Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), who passed on the November 1.Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dr P. K. Mishra remembered his old days while working with him on policies, discussing various issues of economy and how they could be addressed.

The ceremony, drew wide participation from eminent economists, Sanskrit scholars, colleagues and public policy theorists and practitioners alike.

Speaking at the function, Mishra said that Debroy was a formidable personality whose intellectual pursuits ranged from economic to Sanskrit literature to history and so on.

He also mentioned that Debroy was always polite and very understanding during his interactions with him when the latter was a member of the DPIO and subsequently chairman of the PM’s Economic Advisory Council.

Speaking on the occasion, Member (EAC-PM), Dr. Shamika Ravi noted that Bibek Debroy was like a mentor and a guide who always encouraged exploring new dimensions of work. Sanjiv Sanyal, Member (EAC-PM) fondly recalled his long conversations with Debroy and how he always supported independent thinking.

Recalling his impressive body of work on English translations of various Sanskrit epics, Prof. Shrinivasa Varakhedi, Vice Chancellor, Central Sanskrit University, informed that Debroy was the second person to translate the Ramayana and the Mahabharata from their original Sanskrit texts.

Eminent economist, Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, spoke about the rich and varied legacy that Debroy leaves behind - whether it is his policy work or his work on the epics.