More than a week after he won the Nobel Prize in Economics along with his two co-researchers Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty, the city today welcomed Dr. Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee amidst much fanfare and excitement. Mayor Firhad Hakim and state IT minister Bratya Basu felicitated Dr. Banerjee on behalf of the state government at Kolkata airport where he landed at 7.20 in the evening. The mayor presented him with a bouquet, shawl and sweets before he was escorted out of the airport with tight security while an enthusiastic crowd cheered him.

Hoardings in Bengali, English and Hindi were put up across the city bearing pictures of chief minister Mamata Banerjee welcoming the Nobel laureate in the city. The KMC also put up a banner congratulating him in front of his residence at Saptaparni apartments. His mother Nirmala Banerjee has been receiving a stream of guests, well-wishers and neighbours ever since his name was announced last week. Abhijit Banerjee, who is the sixth Nobel laureate with links to Bengal, received his education in South Point High School and Presidency College (now a University) where he completed his B.Sc. in economics in 1981.

Later, he went on to pursue a Master’s degree in economics at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi in 1983. He moved to the United States to obtain a PhD in Economics at Harvard University in 1988. Both South Point High School and Presidency University have sent him felicitation invitations for tomorrow. However, it is still not known whether Dr. Banerjee will find time to visit his former school and college to attend the felicitation programmes. Dr. Banerjee will spend a day in the city before leaving for the United States on Thursday morning. Earlier, in the day Dr. Banerjee had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I had a cordial and good meeting. PM Modi started by cracking a joke on how media is trying to trap me into saying anti- Modi things… He has been watching the TV and he has been watching you guys. And he knows what you are trying to do,” he told the media after his meeting with the Prime Minister. He had been asked about the meeting taking place against the backdrop of a debate over his comments on an economic slump in the country. He also attended a meet organised by Liver Foundation, West Bengal.