Raghuram Rajan, an eminent Indian economist and former Governor of Reserve Bank of India, turns 57 today. Raghuram Rajan, who was born on February 3, 1963, is credited was instrumental in controlling inflation after introducing the target system during his tenure as RBI Governor from 2010 to 2013. Dr Rajan is currently a professor at the Chicago Booth School of Business. On his birthday, LatestLY lists down some interesting facts about Raghuram Rajan. Raghuram Rajan, Former RBI Governor, Supports Deepika Padukone For Her JNU Visit.

1- Raghuram Rajan was appointed RBI Governor by the Congress-led UPA government in 2013. He reportedly wanted a second term, but he was not offered an extension — which most of his predecessors got — by the current BJP-led NDA regime. Raghuram Rajan on Joining Politics: ‘My Wife Will Leave Me If I Do So’.

2- In 2012, Dr Rajan was appointed as the Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, replacing Kaushik Basu.

3- Before heading the RBI, Dr Rajan had worked as Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the three years between 2003 and 2006.

4- In 2005, Dr Rajan had predicted possible global risks in the financial system. Three years later, the global recession started in the US, leading to the collapse of major banks like Lehman Brothers. Accurate prediction brought a lot of fame for Rajan.

5- Raghuram Rajan was appointed as Vice-Chairman of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in November 2015. In 2019, he was among the top contenders for the job of Bank of England Governor. However, he didn't pursue it.

6- In 2018, Dr Rajan was reportedly approached by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for a Rajya Sabha seat. The former RBI boss, however, declined the offer.

7- Dr Rajan was also among the top contenders for the high-profile post of International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Managing Director in July 2019 when Christine Lagarde resigned. The IMF, however, later named Kristalina Georgieva as Managing Director.

8- Dr Rajan won the Director's Gold Medal when attaining his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from IIT-Delhi. He also won a gold medal at IIM-Ahmedabad after getting his PGD in Business Administration. He earned his PhD from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1991 for his thesis 'Essays on Banking'.

9- Dr Rajan, who co-authored the book 'Saving Capitalism from the Capitalist', is married to his fellow classmate from IIM, Radhika Puri Rajan.

On joining politics, Dr Rajan said that his wife won't stay with him if he does so. “First, my wife has said she will not stay with me if I join politics… Politics everywhere is similar. It is not particularly noisy or whatever, I don’t have any taste for it. Somebody else can give the speeches and gain the votes,” he had said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 03, 2020 08:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).