The other quality, Subbarao's colleagues say, is his political correctness.
Never does he speak ill of anyone, not even those who may have harmed him, and will actually close conversations that tend to veer in that direction.
A junior colleague of his in the Indian Administrative Service describes Subbarao as a gentleman.
These are the very qualities that will stand Subbarao in good stead as he battles the demon of rising prices.
Having controlled the levers of the fiscal and administrative fight back to dampen inflation, he will now command the levers of monetary policy to control inflationary expectations.
In a few short weeks, the nation will get to see how he walks the tightrope between maintaining India's economic growth and keeping prices in check.
Over to Mint Road.
Image: The outgoing governor Y V Reddy | Photograph: Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images
Also view: The 30 titans in Dow Jones' India index
Advertisement
