Nobel laureate's friend recalls his love for western music

Nobel laureate Abhijit Binayak Banerjee was fond of English classics and Western music, his friend in the Presidency College here said on Tuesday.

Abhijit Pathak said Banerjee had a select group of friends in the premier institute, of which he was a part.

Indian-American economist Banerjee his wife Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer jointly won the Nobel "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty."

"Banerjee had an abiding interest on wide-ranging issues and not solely in academics. From English classics to western music to films, he had deep interests and undoubtedly he was better informed than me on these," Pathak told PTI.

He recalled one incident when he was taken to a special show of Charlie Chaplin's 'Modern Times' and 'Great Dictator' at the American Center by Banerjee.

Pathak said he was introduced to Bob Dylan and western music by him.

Revealing their divergent interest in the fields of arts, Pathak said, "while I knew the names and songs of most