Wit and charm were just a couple of traits of one of India’s first practitioners of economic reforms

On June 21, 2012, precisely a year to the day after Suresh Tendulkar passed away, India lost another of its leading light of economic reforms, Dr Abid Hussain. Affectionately known to his friends as Abid Bhai or Abid Sahib, he was a warm, wise and witty gentleman. His conversations and speeches were peppered with humour and memorable anecdotes. Those who came into contact with him or heard him speak invariably came away with interesting material for future conversations. 
My own first substantive interaction with Abid Sahibfollowed a brilliant speech he delivered at the World Bank in 1990, soon after his arrival in the United States as India’s ambassador. The speech narrated how protectionism and licensing had hurt India. Among other things, he noted the detrimental effect the controls have had on the quality of products, graphically illustrating the point by reference to Indian-made fountain pens that flowed more like fountains than pens. But his message was filled with optimism and hope for India. That inspired me to send him a note the same day stating that his speech had been electrifying, but would our politicians and bureaucrats let go of the controls? He wrote back saying that the two hundred million strong middle-class would force the change. In retrospect, I wonder if even he thought at the time that his prophecy would come true so soon. 
A man of many parts, Abid Sahib began his career as a civil servant. He joined the prestigious Indian Administrative Service in 1949 and rose to the top, serving as secretary in the ministries of commerce and heavy industry before formally retiring. Such were his diplomatic skills that the government felt compelled to eschew the normal practice of appointing a member of Indian Foreign Service or a politician as the Ambassador to the United States and chose him for the post instead. His command of economic policy making earned him a membership in the Planning Commission at a time when such appointments were reserved for the best in the trade. Then again, he wrote prolifically on such diverse subjects as trade policy, the role of bureaucracy in Indian democracy, science and technology, and attributes of a good society. 
Abid Sahib practiced liberalising reforms well before most civil servants became converts to them. Two key committees had guided some of the earliest trade policy reforms in India: PC Alexander Committee on Import Export Policies and Procedures in 1978 and Abid Hussain Committee on Trade Policies, 1984. While the former led to some piecemeal liberalisation of imports of selected capital goods and raw materials through the Open General Licensing, the latter advocated measures aimed at expanding India’s exports and making trade policy more predictable. Recommendations of the Abid Hussain committee led the government to adopt the policy of announcing the export-import policy for three years at a time instead of annually. The first such policy, covering the period 1985-88, was announced in 1985. The report also led to the introduction of several East Asia-style export incentives in 1985-86 and 1986-87. Complemented by substantial depreciation of the rupee, these measures more than doubled India’s exports in the second half of the 1980s. 
Abid Sahib remained involved in catalysing reforms after they became systematic in 1991. In the second half of the 1990s, he helped push one of the most difficult reforms: effective end to the Small-Scale-Industries reservation. 
The 1997 Abid Hussain Committee Report on Small Enterprises provided the intellectual foundation as well as a practical roadmap for this important reform. Recognising the political sensitivities in this area, the report carefully balanced its unequivocal recommendation of the abolition of the reservation policy by a strong case for support to the small and medium enterprises through alternative instruments. The process of trimming the list of reserved items got underway soon after and greatly accelerated under PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his finance minister Yashwant Sinha. 
Abid Sahib effectively deployed his wit to silence India’s critics. Once, when visiting a Middle Eastern country, a member of the royal family asked him if it was true that Muslims in India were an unhappy lot. Unperturbed, Abid Sahibreplied that this was indeed true but went on to add that in India Hindus were equally unhappy! On another occasion, confronted with particularly hostile questioning on a foreign TV channel, he could diffuse the situation by remarking, “Gentlemen, there seems to be some confusion here. I am Abid Hussain from India, not Saddam Hussain from Iraq.” 
My wife and I last met Abid Sahib over a memorable lunch this past March. He discussed serious matters such how India could build up its academic institutions while treating us to his trademark humour. A gem from the afternoon: When a highly successful man was asked what his greatest strength in life had been, he replied that it was his wife. When asked to name his greatest weakness, he answered it was his neighbour’s wife! 
With the passing away of this great son of hers, India has been left poorer in wisdom, wit and much else. 
(The author is a professor at Columbia University.)