While everyone was overjoyed with the arrival of Obama, there was a small news piece in the thrid page of a leading english daily mourning the death of Sidhartha Shankar Ray. My earlier memories of S.S. Ray was of him being the Indian Ambassador back in 1994, where he had forecasted a tighter Indo US relationship and how he see that coming. It was irony that he died on the Obama arrived India as his first State visit confirming to what Ray had predicted about decade and a half ago.
Definitely his work merited a lot of people mourning his death and at least a front page news. To sum up some of his key achievements:
1.) Chief Minister of WB during 1972-77 and successfully dealt with the maoist rebellion.
2.) Right hand man to Indira Gandhi and was said to be the brain behing the 1977 emergency
3.) Governer of Punjab (1987-89) who along with KPS gill quelled the Khalistan revolution.
4.) Planned the Calcutta Metro, the first in this country back in 1970's.
5.) US ambassador,(1992- 1997), was intrumental of change of India's policy of allying with US and was instrumental in putting business on the India - US agenda.
Ray's sharp verbal duels with his personal friend but political foe - then chief minister Jyoti Basu- is etched in golden letters in the state's legislative history. He also happens to be the grandson of Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das ( C R Park !!!)
I believe this is a massive loss and 1 salute to this great personality.
