Six things D. Subbarao wants to do after retirement

Llive Mint:Tamal BandyopadhyayWed, Sep 04 2013. 04 26 PM IST

What does Subbarao, who steps down as RBI’s 22nd governor on Wednesday, want to do after retirement?

There are six things on his wish list:

• Studying mathematics and linguistics

• Learning the Salsa dance

• Travelling

• Re-reading some of the books he has already read like Catch-22by Joseph Heller and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig.

Subbarao also plans to open a tutorial class in which he will give special lectures on how to take baby-steps; how to switch from being a dove and a hawk; and how to flip-flop.

Finally, he will renew his relationship with his 94-year-old mother-in-law, who stopped talking to him after inflation started inching up. She has not spoken to him for the past three years.

There are quite a few things he will miss after demitting office.

They are the feeling of being important; being mollycoddled at every function; big luncheons; and being well taken care of during air travel.

What will he enjoy after his five-year stint at the corner room of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) headquarters on Mint Road in Mumbai?

First, his personal autonomy.

He will not have to try and talk profoundly every time he meets somebody.

Finally, he can go to see a matine show of Chennai Express.

His advice to his successor Raghuram Rajan?

Well, he has only one piece of advice: Take every important decision personally and depend on the RBI staff for seemingly unimportant or trivial issues. The important decisions include deciding on the menu for lunches thrown in honour of dignitaries, what gifts should be given to such dignitaries and the sitting arrangements at such functions.

The staff should be consulted while making monetary policy.

Banker’s Trust Realtime is a frequent blog by Tamal Bandyopadhyay, who writes a popular weekly column Banker’s Trust.