Candid notes
THE WEEK|July 18, 2021
Kaushik Basu’s book is a fascinating journey into the heart of the ‘babu Dilli’
MANDIRA NAYAR
Candid notes

RABINDRANATH TAGORE PEERS over his shoulder as a silent spectator to the conversation. In fact, Tagore seems to be a constant companion, beyond his pride of place on the wall in Kaushik Basu's study. A former chief economic adviser (CEA) who has not hit controversy—a rarity these days—Basu is back in academia at Cornell University. His morning has been “punishing” and the Zoom interview has been pushed back 15 minutes for him to grab a coffee.

Basu's stints in the government (CEA from 2009 to 2012) and the World Bank (chief economist from 2012 to 2016) have been turned into a rather dauntingly titled Policymaker's Journal: From New Delhi to Washington, DC and he is bound to make headlines for his rather candid take on the economy. “An economy which is on the rise, it is too early to tell, but it is floundering right now,” says Basu, who recently received the prestigious Humboldt Research Award.

He faithfully kept a diary; hurried, and sometimes, illegible notes detailing his experience—slightly wide-eyed, baffled with the vivid colourful descriptions of life in North Block. His observations are delightful, honest, philosophical and always amusing. “I decided right at the beginning that I have to record it,” he says. “It was the shock of life in government and North Block, which was completely different to my world, the flat world of academia where I had spent my career.”

この記事は THE WEEK の July 18, 2021 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は THE WEEK の July 18, 2021 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

THE WEEKのその他の記事すべて表示
William Dalrymple goes further back
THE WEEK India

William Dalrymple goes further back

Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.

time-read
3 分  |
November 17, 2024
The bleat from the street
THE WEEK India

The bleat from the street

What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.

time-read
2 分  |
November 17, 2024
Courage and conviction
THE WEEK India

Courage and conviction

Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case

time-read
2 分  |
November 17, 2024
EPIC ENTERPRISE
THE WEEK India

EPIC ENTERPRISE

Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus

time-read
4 分  |
November 17, 2024
Upgrade your jeans
THE WEEK India

Upgrade your jeans

If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.

time-read
2 分  |
November 17, 2024
Garden by the sea
THE WEEK India

Garden by the sea

When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus

time-read
4 分  |
November 17, 2024
RECRUITERS SPEAK
THE WEEK India

RECRUITERS SPEAK

Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates

time-read
3 分  |
November 17, 2024
MORAL COMPASS
THE WEEK India

MORAL COMPASS

The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape

time-read
5 分  |
November 17, 2024
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
THE WEEK India

B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH

INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode

time-read
3 分  |
November 17, 2024
COURSE CORRECTION
THE WEEK India

COURSE CORRECTION

India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI

time-read
8 分  |
November 17, 2024