Casual reading of untouched books in the gargantuan MSR Library at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana while waiting for my dad pulled me to a field I had hitherto no idea of. It was a magnetic pull indeed- chancing upon books like the iconic ‘Economics’ by Paul Samuelson and ‘On Ethics and Economics’ by Amartya Sen.
As I flipped through the pages of the recent edition of Paul’s Economics in my Class 12, I felt the immersion with which the book had been authored. It was written to address dilettantes like me with hidden enticing motives. It undoubtedly could transform any inquisitive seeker to an econ undergrad student!
For the first time I was exposed to a geographic interpretation of the same old indifference curves I had been taught in class. Like a zombie climbing a mountain, IC1 represented a contour – moving along the same contour did not give him additional height or utility on the graph, climbing up to IC2 made him gloat with glee as he went higher and attained higher utility. I learnt that all those curves and graphs sat still only in textbooks and that the field I had encountered was ever dynamic and alive with changes. Throughout my summer vacations in 2010 I had plans of writing to Sam about how effective an economist he was until I gave up on 13th December when I read about his demise at the age of 93. He had silently ignited in me love for economics.
Thanks Sam – nowadays when some conceptual understanding strikes me on the study table like a sudden spark of lightening, I silently thank you for the enlightenment.
