Kolkata: Nobel laureate Abhijit Binayak Banerjee used to be fond of English classics and Western music, his friend from Presidency College (now University) Abhijit Pathak said here Tuesday.
Abhijit Pathak said Abhijit Banerjee had a select group of friends in the premier institute, of which he was a part.
“Banerjee had an abiding interest on wide-ranging issues and not solely in academics. From English classics to western music to films, he had deep interests and undoubtedly he was better informed than me on these,” Pathak told this agency.
Pathak recalled one incident when he was taken to a special show of Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times and Great Dictator’ at the American Centre in the city by Banerjee.
Pathak said he was introduced to Bob Dylan and western music by the Nobel Laureate.
Revealing their divergent interest in the fields of arts, Pathak said, “While I knew the names and songs of most Rabindra Sangeet exponents by heart, I heard the name of Bob Dylan first from him.”
Pathak recalled their initial days in college. “We came from different backgrounds. I came to the Presidency (College) from a Bengali medium school and was a bit introvert. We became close after around six months,” said Pathak, who is now a partner of a chartered accountancy firm.
It was clear that Presidency College, now Presidency University nurtured Banerjee and shaped his future, Pathak pointed out.
“We were regular visitors to the famous Promod-da’s canteen at Presidency College and spent hours debating on various issues,” informed Pathak.
He also said that he was in regular contact with Banerjee till five-six years back whenever the economist used to visit this city. “We would meet during his visit to Kolkata, but since the last 5-6 years there has not much contact,” Pathak informed.
Pathak recalled having visited Banerjee’s workplace at Harvard in 2017 when he went to the US to meet his son. “But as I went there without informing to give him a surprise, we found his room locked. I left my visiting card and he mailed me back inviting me to join him later. But I could not due to my tight schedule,” Pathak rued.
Agencies
Abhijit Banerjee, Nobel Laureate, Economics, Friend, Bob Dylan, Music