HEC Distinguished National Professor of Economic & Director formal Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology. Islamabad, Pakistan.
This modest contribution honours the memory of Dr. Tarlok Singh, who worked tirelessly for the betterment of Asian societies. Along the thorny road of knowledge he travelled far and wide with complete familiarity and confidence. As Chaucer once remarked “he knew the taverns wet in every toun”. Free from all kinds of prejudices, he cultivated deep friendships wherever he went. A truly outstanding Indian, he epitomized the spirit that fired the hearts and souls of the great men of action who secured the Indian sub-continent's Independence from Colonial Rule. Holding a lantern across the divide between right and wrong, he illumined social consciousness about what ails our societies—a creeping insensitivity to the widening gulf between the rich and poor and to the frustrations caused by rosy promises turning to dust. So that his work does not go to waste, he inspired a whole generation of economists and social scientists to think about problems that affect the lives of the “voiceless millions”, especially in the Asian region.
For an indefatigable worker that he was, it was a befitting end to die literally in harness, with all his intellectual faculties intact. He would have hated to dry up like the “raisin in the sun” before being picked up by the Angel of Death. It is to be hoped that others will follow the trail he lighted with courage, modesty and wisdom that were the highly visible traits of his person. I am among those who profited from his generosity, unfailing courtesy and culture. And I mourn his death, perhaps more than many.
