Prabhat Patnaik. Pictures by Biju Boro

He is well known in the economic circles and there are not many who can deny his command over the subject.

Economist Prabhat Patnaik was in the city recently to attend the all-India special conference of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI).

A professor at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, he delivered a lecture on globalisation and society.

Prof. Patnaik spoke quite candidly about the economic scenario in the Northeast, particularly Assam.

This was the professor’s first visit to the city. “Though I have been to Shillong a number of times, I never halted in Guwahati,” he said.

With his salt and pepper hair, the tall, bearded Patnaik looks very much the stern professor. However, a closer study reveals his keen sense of humour.

On his tour of the city, Patnaik particularly enjoyed the sight of the mighty Brahmaputra and a long drive through the city roads. “I also managed to visited Kamakhya Mandir the other day,” he said.

Patnaik, an alumnus of Oxford University, believes that there is no dearth of brilliant students here.

“The students are very interactive and enthusiastic about their work,” said Patnaik, who interacted with students of Gauhati University.

Prof. Patnaik did his schooling in Delhi before graduating from St Stephen’s College. He completed his doctorate from Oxford University. Later, he taught economics at Cambridge University for five years before returning to India.

Patnaik, whose wife is also a professor at JNU, specialises in macro-economics.

“There is a lot of talent here in Assam. This is evident from the number of students who go to JNU from this state and by their performance,” he said.

Patnaik rues the financial health of the northeastern states.

“Assam has the capacity to be on a par with the other developed states of India because of its petroleum reserves. However, the lackadaisical attitude of the government has hampered the state’s progress,” he said.

He believes the government’s apathy is the main reason why the state is lagging behind in infrastructure.

He feels the solution to the problem lies in a “planned vision”, which should be endorsed by both the Centre and the state government. The reason for the lack of development here lies partly with the Union government’s attitude, the professor added.

“The government does not release funds equally to all the states. While one state may receive an abundance of funds, the grants to others may be inadequate,” he said.

The lecture Patnaik delivered to the packed hall enthralled the audience. He dealt at length on the phenomenon of globalisation, its perils and advantages.

He spoke on India’s position in world economics and provided viable solutions to problems haunting the economy.

Explaining the bureaucracy of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation, Patnaik said these organisations are made to surrender to the whims of the First World countries, as a result of which Third World countries like India were left with very few options.

Patnaik has managed to leave a lasting impression on the citizens of Guwahati.

His knowledge of economics makes him a visionary and places himon a par with some of the greatest economists of our times. Guwahati definitely looks forward to his next visit.

Shaheen Salma Ahmed