Raghuram Rajan Birthday Special: Lesser-known facts about the former RBI Governor

Raghuram Rajan was born on 3rd February 1963 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. One of the most famous financial figures in the country, the economist and former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor turns 59 this year. At the age of 50, he became the youngest in charge of India’s central bank it’s governor.

He was born to Tamilian parents when they were living in Madhya Pradesh. Rajan always had a penchant for things finance and his skill, knowledge, and ease with the world of money and numbers can never be forgotten.

As the economist turns a year older, here's a look at some of his interesting facts:

Educational History

Raghuram Rajan holds degrees from the most prestigious institutions in India and abroad. He attained a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT , Delhi. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from IIM Ahmedabad and he is a PhD in theory of financial decision from MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, United States.

Career

Rajan worked as an assistant professor of finance at Booth School of Business at University of Chicago in 1991 and became a full time professor in 1995. He also worked as a visiting faculty at Stockholm School of Economics, MIT Sloan School of Management and Indian School of Business.

Back in 2008, he was appointed as an honorary economic adviser by Dr. Manmohan Singh. He then became the Chief Economic Adviser to India's Finance Ministry. His policy recommendations were highly praised and as a result, Rajan was appointed as the Governor of RBI in 2013.

His policies were mainly focused on brining down inflation and deepening the financial markets. Rajan played a major role in taking the banking facilities to the population which were deprived of it by giving approval to as many as 11 payment banks.

Named by the Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016, Rajan wrote award winning books like 'The Third Pillar' and 'Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy'.

Raghuram Rajan served as the Governor of RBI for three years. The highly acclaimed author and economist now works as a Professor at University of Chicago.