C.T. Kurien, distinguished economist and former professor at Madras Christian College, is no more. He died due to age-related ailments at 11 p.m. on Tuesday. He was 93.
Kurien received a Master’s degree in Economics from the Madras Christian College (MCC) in 1953. He had pursued Economics as major field of study in college with the hope that through the study of Economics, he would be able to understand the causes of poverty and contribute to its eradication. But he was disappointed with mainstream Economics as there was no serious discussion on poverty, and decided to pursue higher studies in Economics. He secured a Ph.D. from Stanford University (1958-1963) on the subject ‘Factor Market Structure and Technological Characteristics of an Underdeveloped Country: An Indian Case Study’.
Also read: Poverty has been the dominant theme in my writings: economist C.T. Kurien
Kurien was a Visiting Fellow at Yale University in 1968-69. He served as Professor at Madras Christian College between 1962-1978, and then at the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS) from 1978-1991, where he also served as director from 1978-1988. He also had stints as a National Fellow at the University Grants Commission and Indian Council of Social Science Research. Kurien served as president of Indian Economic Association in 2000.
He authored 15 books on various aspects of Economics and approached Economics from the viewpoint of fighting poverty .“From the very early days in my life, I was aware of the grim poverty that surrounded my rather comfortable life,” Kurien said in an interview published in The Hindu in July 31, 2021. “Poverty has been the dominant theme in my writings. I knew it was wrong to proceed on the assumption that as growth takes place, poverty would be automatically eradicated,” he added.
“One of my writings, ‘What is Growth?’, published in the EPW (Economic and Political Weekly), led to some discussion. And in Poverty, Planning and Social Transformation (1978), I explained my position. In other papers I wrote, brought together in Growth and Justice (1992), I developed the theme further. In The Economy: An Interpretative Introduction, I attempted a different perspective on the economy, which I continued in Rethinking Economics,” Prof. Kurien had noted. “After that, I felt I was ready to retire from Economics. However, the growing gulf between the rich and the poor during the period after the 1991 ‘reforms’ made me think that the phenomenon must be explained to those who are not familiar with Economics. That was the background to the writing of Wealth and Illfare . The reception it received showed that a reworking of economics was called for,” he had recalled.
“Apart from being an erudite scholar, Prof. Kurien has also been a columnist on social and economic affairs. He has been a consistent supporter of policies which benefit the vast majority of people,” Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a message on the economist’s 90th birthday a few years ago.
N. Ram, director, The Hindu Publishing Group, and former editor-in-chief of The Hindu, paid tribute to the economist on social media platform X. “My salutations to CTK, an outstanding scholar, a beloved teacher, a progressive public intellectual who always spoke out on issues that matter, a wonderful friend; he dedicated his long life to the study of how to eradicate mass poverty and deprivation and how to make the lives of millions of our people better,” Mr. Ram said.
Historian and writer A.R. Venkatachalapathy lauded Kurien as a great economist and institution builder.
The Madras Christian College (MCC), where Kurien was a faculty member, paid rich tributes to him. The college lost one of its most powerful advocates for poverty eradication through his brilliant work in Economics, a statement from the institution read.
“His tenure in various administrative responsibilities in MCC bore his stamp of originality and inclusive leadership. He introduced a new undergraduate curriculum under autonomy for the first time in the country and trained generations of students to critique mainstream economic theory. The MCC Alumni Association had felicitated him as a Distinguished Alumnus a few years ago for his contribution to the college as well as the world of academia,” the statement added.
“Among my fondest memories of Prof. Kurien is his inspirational address to our faculty as part of the MCC Research Colloquium in 2021,” college principal and secretary P. Wilson said. U. Sankar, former director of the Madras School of Economics, remembered him as “a very good scholar, original-minded, who cannot accept conventional Economics and questions everything”.
Paul Appasamy, former director of MIDS, recalled being appointed as visiting faculty and later a full-time faculty member when Kurien was the director. “He was the chairman of the committee which selected me (as visiting faculty). Under him, MIDS became an institute of national importance. He felt MIDS must be much more involved in research, focus on issues relating to Tamil Nadu,” he added.
J. Jayaranjan, vice chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission, who was his last doctoral student, remembers his professor as a patient man. “He was a man of great values. He will make you conceive the position and write it out. He made me write the introduction to my thesis 20 times. On the day of the viva, he said, ‘Now you will know why I made you write 20 times’,” he recalled.
“His analysis of social and economic issues will remain as an important reminder to teachers of economics that the reality of society and economy is as important as an appropriate analytical or theoretical framework in their research,” M. Suresh Babu said in a tribute on behalf of the MIDS published on X.
