Isher Judge Ahluwalia's Memoir Breaking Through

Suresh Kumar

Most of us have risen in our lives with grit and determination, but not everyone remains as truthful as Isher Judge Ahluwalia is in her book, ‘Breaking Through — A Memoir’. It is a lucid story of a middle-class girl who grew and changed with circumstances without being overawed by the riches of the people or prevailing circumstances. Paving her own path in education, family and profession, she fully convinced her peers and more importantly her father, who felt proud of his ninth child of a total of 11.

With no hesitation, Isher Judge Ahluwalia writes of her background and how she faced social and financial difficulties for being the daughter of a pickle maker (achar wala). She crossed all hurdles to achieve scholarship and distinctions in Calcutta’s Presidency College, Delhi School of Economics and the MIT in USA. An accomplished economist in IMF and an economic policy researcher in her own right, she did not allow the arrogance of an elite education and status to reflect upon her personal, social or professional conduct.

The author remained true to her roots, both social and religious. Admitting her Saptah Path of Sri Guru Granth Sahib when she was waiting for her admission to MIT with a scholarship is clearly a testament of her being a genuine person. She says she prays at Gurdwara Sri Bangla Sahib even now.

Her marriage to Montek Singh Ahluwalia, a Sikh, who she feels had a cosmopolitan veneer about himself, was predestined. It happened without any premeditated efforts. As a dedicated wife and a mother, she cared for her husband, two sons, and family elders while maintaining a fine equilibrium between her social and professional life. Of course, she still rues her absence when her father died in 1970.

Isher Judge Ahluwalia did not use the position of her husband, who along with their mentor Dr Manmohan Singh we all know for changing the economic landscape of India. She had been keen on the Indian economy ever since her days at Delhi School of Economics. But, her understanding was upscaled owing to her unique ability to build relationships, institutions, networks and think-tanks, while peeking through the gross inadequacies of the systems and structures in order to find solutions. The book sums up all such efforts and accomplishments. Dr Udham Singh, Dr Manmohan Singh, Mrs Kincaid (a local guardian at Boston), Prof Paul Samuelson at MIT, Walter Robineck at IMF-Washington, LK Jha, IG Patel, CPR and ICRIER are some that she fondly and repeatedly mentions in her memoirs. She also had a brief teaching experience at the University of Maryland before immersing herself in urban policy, planning and development in India. She has been a constructive critic of the non-liberal school of thought, though she has acknowledged their viewpoint as well.

A quote from sage Yagyavalkya —“In Bhartakanda, everything is policy. From policy, policy arises and into policy it returns. Take away policy and policy remains” — seems to have left an indelible impression on her. Her practical economic policy research was seen more prominently after 1991 when an era of economic reforms was ushered in by Dr Manmohan Singh, who had by then risen to the position of Finance Minister and later as the Prime Minister in 2004, ably assisted by Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Her interests in social pursuits, music, culture and travel are eloquently stated, but efforts to remain away from allurements of power that her husband enjoyed were more noticeable. Polite denials to accept gifts, remaining away from attractions of business houses, and refusing to get into insider trading or promoters’ shareholdings speaks volumes of the value system she cherished and nourished. She, of course, admits her mercurial temperament, which we had experienced when she was the Vice-Chairman of the Punjab State Planning Board in 2005-07.

Despite the pain of her illness, she has penned these memoirs with stellar literary and linguistic prowess, for which she acknowledges research assistance from her husband. The book is an inspirational read and can motivate the younger generation who are struggling to find their way through life and a respectable place in society. It is an authentic telling of the tremendous contributions of Isher Judge Ahluwalia to society and the nation.

— The writer is Chief Principal Secretary to CM, Punjab