Mysuru, Oct 2: Gita Gopinath, the daughter of an agriculturist from Mysuru, has done Karnataka proud with her appointment as IMF chief economist.
The 46-year-old is the first woman and second Indian to take up the position at the Washington DC-based IMF, after Raghuram Rajan (2003-06), the former Reserve Bank of India governor.
“Gita is one of the world’s outstanding economists, with impeccable academic credentials, a proven track record of intellectual leadership, and extensive international experience,” Christine Lagarde, the IMF’s managing director said in an Oct. 01 release announcing the appointment. “All this makes her exceptionally well-placed to lead our research department at this important juncture.”
The John Zwaanstra professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University since 2015, Gopinath will take over from Maurice Obstfeld, who retires in December.
Through her work as an academic—her specialisations are macroeconomics and trade—and an economic advisor to large financial institutions and governments, Gopinath has built a credible name for herself over the years.
Her father T V Gopinath, an agriculturist turned entrepreneur is now vice-president of Mysuru-based Raitha Mitra Farmer Producer Company Limited.
He recalls that his daughter was hardworking and focused right from school days. “She wasn’t scoring marks during her initial years of education. We wanted her to be a civil servant but she chose a different area. She initially was a science student, but shifted her interest to economics. We’re proud of her achievements,” he said.
“She was born in Kolkata (1971) and we came to Mysuru in 1980. Gita was nine years old. Earlier, we were in New Delhi and Hyderabad. She studied at Nirmala Convent School up to SSLC and finished her PUC at Mahajana’s College, Mysuru,” he recalled.
“To facilitate her desire to take up UPSC exams, I admitted her to Lady Shri Ram College for Women in New Delhi. Gita obtained a BA (Honours) degree in Economics. She had studied science at the PUC level," Gopinath recounted.
Gita's elder sister Anita was studying at Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE). So, medicine was one option before Gita.
"But, I did not fancy medicine. I asked her to study economics and pursue IAS. The subject was new to her. Due to sheer hard work and dedication, she excelled in the subject and topped Delhi University in all three years of her undergraduate course. She obtained her master's from the Delhi School of Economics,” Gopinath said.
“Gita took the CAT exam and joined the University of Washington in Seattle (USA), for her PhD. She took CAT again and joined Princeton University after two years. Meanwhile, she married Iqbal Dhaliwal, a UPSC topper (1996 batch, Tamil Nadu cadre). He was her classmate at Delhi School of Economics.
When Gita wanted to return to India after her PhD degree, she was retained and Dhaliwal was offered a scholarship in Public Affairs at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
Currently, Dhaliwal is Executive Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They are blessed with a son Rohil, who is 15 years old,” Gopinath informed.
“In school, she was good at sports and would practice running in the Oval Grounds. But, she stopped running after a while. Her reasoning was, that unless she was a topper in her chosen sport, she would not be recognised. So, she focused on studies instead. She was fond of cricket but did not watch the game on TV. She would take breaks while studying and ask us for cricket updates and go back to study. Nowadays, she likes editing articles for journals. She works 15 hours a day,” Gopinath remarked.
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