'highly respected on the IMF Board'

He was very knowledgeable -- very friendly and very soft spoken -- we had to very often open the dictionary to find the word and spelling of the specific word dear Gopi ji used during his dictation. He always wanted to find the correct and true information before he spoke in the [IMF] Board -- he would often ask his Technical assistant to search a specific quote or reference from a specific chair so that he could bring the past fact to light.

Especially whenever there was interruption in the dictation--he would start exactly from where he left the dictation. His dictation was so clear and concise that when we transcribed the same--he would just sign the letter.

I am told whenever dear Gopi ji spoke in the Board -- all listened to him very intently. He was highly respected by his colleagues in the IMF Board.


He was a thorough gentleman--we all loved him a lot and will miss him.


Ashwani Sharma

'an accidental career'

Here is another episode in Gopi's life as narrated to me by Mr. Vinod Dubey, Gopi's contemporary and friend in the Allahabad University, and a former director in the World Bank. Gopi had a passion for scholarly pursuits and his choice for a civil service career was accidental. This was brought out in sharp relief when he reluctantly decided to appear for the Administrative Service examination because his rightful claim for the lecturer's post in the history department for which he was recommended by the faculty members on the basis of his stellar performance in the examination was turned down by the professor of the history department. The reason was simple: the professor wanted to have a dynastic rule with his nincompoop son to occupy the post.In those days when good jobs were few and far between, Gopi's willingness to forsake the lucrative and power-laden civil service was indeed remarkable.

D Khatkhate

'a fine human being'

I just heard that Mr. Arora passed away a few days ago. We just cannot believe it. Mr. Arora was like a father to us. When we were in Washington when Susmita was posted there and I was working for him in the IMF we got to know him much better.

He was such a fine human being always willing to help and guide. I know of many situations when he went out of his way to assist people. He was terrific human being whose loss can never be replaced. Please do accept Susmita and my sincere heartfelt condolence.

Ravi and Susmita Thomas

"Gopi was a warm-hearted individual'

I was indeed a very close friend of Gopi. I knew him from 1989 when I joined the GOI as Economic Adviser, Commerce. We always kept in touch since then. He invited me for dinner on September 12, 2009. We spent 2 1/2 hours talking about global and Indian economic issues.

Gopi inspired me to work in India. He read everything I wrote, and provided detailed insightful comments. He had an excellent command over the English language.
Gopi and I spent hours discussing India's economic policy and what are its shortcomings. Governance, lack of transparency, massive transaction costs were the things that worried most.

We both were thrilled when UPA won this time with a massive public support. I indicated to him that UPA would surely now address these issues since they have the total support of the voters. He was not as optimistic. He said

"Indeed, it was a very very big surprise. I had speculated that the UPA will be the largest pre-poll aliance but this is a landmark election result. I don't know whether the Congress will have the gumption to do what needs to be done to fix the economy in the short- run and to lay the foundations for a strong medium-term growth and to restore some degree of transparency in economic decision making. they have the opportunity and the mandate. We shall know in the next few months. The temptation to relapse into the business-as-usual will be very very strong."

That was Gopi. He knew that Indian Governments are basically risk averse.

I learnt from my IAS friends and relatives that Gopi was a model IAS officer. A Defence Ministry Joint Secretary told me that Shri Pronab Mukherjee (he was the Raksha Mantri then) told them that when he was the Finance Minister, he had a Joint Secretary named Gopi Arora who was so brilliant that the Minister could blindly sign on the notings put up by him. He could rarely add a word. It was so perfect. Gopi could put this thoughts so beautically in the best prose. Some people, including my wife, felt that he was a great loss to English literature.

With all this brilliance Gopi was a warm hearted individual. He listened to my problems, and always offered the best guidance. He could feel what was bothering me.

With his untimely departure, I lost one of my real few friends. I wanted to spend many more evenings with him, drinking single malt, albeit in moderation, and discussing how India could attain its top spot in the global economy.

Jayanta Roy

'A nonpareil scholar'

Gopi was someone special to me. He was much more than a civil servant though very illustrious.He was a non-pareil scholar with a rare gift of carrying his profound knowledge lightly. His command over English language was unparalled,interspersed with imaginative use of words with a philosophical sweep. His vast reading and uncanny insights into human nature would have made him a foremost literary personage,if only he had earmarked his career that way. I give below one small speciman which will bear out what I mentioned above. This is taken from his mesmerizing farewell address he gave on the eve of his relinguishing office as the Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund. It was a memorable speech,unique one which, according to the cognoscente, no one in the history of the IMF ever matched.

Here it is:

"Mr. Chaiman, Dostoyevski has written somewhere that God has a special soft corner for sinners who repent.It is difficult to judge the empirical validity of this observation for God`s actions with respect to former sinners have not been scientifically catalogued and analyzed.However, in the Fund there is living proof that there is a welcome with open arms for those who see the truth after a long and dark night of travail. There is some delicious irony here because at a time when so many who trusted the doctrine of perfectibility of man under Plato's guardians seek enlightenment in the anonymity of markets, those who considered it to be their sacred duty to spread the gospel begin to doubt whether it is such a good thing after all to actually practice what the gospel says. Uruguay Round is a case in point"

[Exracted from Gopi`s Farewell Speech to the Executive Board of the IMF,March 12,1993.

I can do no more than to memorialize the immemorial!

Deena Khatkhate