In Memoriam
Sushma Ganguly (1949 – 2022)
Sushma Ganguly passed away on November 1, 2022, at the age of 73, after a long illness. Left grieving for her are a son, daughter-in-law, three grandchildren, relatives in India and the USA, and many friends.
Sushma joined the World Bank as a Young Professional (YP) in 1980, after completing two post-graduate programs in India, and a PhD in Applied Economics at Clemson University of South Carolina. Years later she told a colleague that she wanted to be part of a hands-on effort to fight poverty, motivated by a scene she observed in her childhood, of a poor man digging for food scraps in a trash pile, along with a stray dog doing the same. A facet of her character was revealed in the course of her YP candidacy interview: She was asked how she would conduct herself if she were to participate in a World Bank mission led by a person who did not like Indians, women or young professionals. Her response: “If these are the kinds of people the World Bank hires, I am not interested in joining the World Bank”. Evidently the interviewers were impressed by her forthrightness.
Upon graduating from the YP program, Sushma joined the old EMENA Region, working on Yugoslavia’s and Turkey’s agriculture. In one of the project appraisal missions she participated in, her analytical work indicated that a component was not economically viable. She insisted to the task manager that this component be dropped, which he reluctantly agreed to do after protracted discussions. He wrote in her performance evaluation that she was “feisty”, probably meaning it as a negative trait. But we know this episode was consistent with her commitment to always conduct herself honestly and professionally. Similarly, she wrote a sector report on Yugoslavia that candidly criticized certain government policies and forms of investment that the Bank went along with in earlier years. The government resented these comments, but Sushma’s director praised her for finally lifting the “curtain of obfuscation” that characterized earlier Bank reporting on the sector in Yugoslavia.
In 1986 Sushma transferred to the East Asia and Pacific Region of the Bank, as a Senior Economist (and later Principal Economist) in the agricultural division dealing with Indonesia. At the time, she was one of very few women assigned to agriculture in the Bank. She was away from home traveling 3-4 months every year, relying on a live-in nanny to take care of her young son. Her dedication to work and high standard of performance were rewarded in 1993 when she was promoted to the level of division chief responsible for agriculture in the Bank’s East African Region.
As a manager, Sushma was well liked by her staff. She instituted an “open door” policy, whereby she dedicated one day every week in which she would have no scheduled formal work meetings, so that any staff member could walk in to discuss anything, whether personal or work-related. She devoted time for mentoring younger staff, and enjoyed this aspect of her managerial position. During her assignment in the Africa region (until 2001), Sushma represented the Region in the Bank’s Rural Sector Board. There she consistently took principled positions that reflected Bank-wide perspectives and commitment to the Bank’s overall mission, rather than parochial considerations. Her practical, problem-solving approach to the issues facing the Board was greatly appreciated.
In 2001 Sushma transferred as sector manager to the Bank’s central agriculture and rural development department, where she enjoyed dealing with global agricultural issues and with Bank-wide policy and strategy initiatives. She retired in 2006.
Upon retirement, Sushma did some volunteer work, and finally had the time to engage in active social life, which was more difficult when she was travelling extensively in the course of her Bank assignments. She maintained an interest in global development issues, reading pertinent analyses and commentaries and discussing these with her ex-Bank colleagues. Her greatest joy was interacting with her three young grandchildren, who lived near-by and whom she tried to see often. She was a loyal friend to her Bank colleagues as well as to old friends from her school days in India, travelling often to her home country to visit family and friends. Deteriorating health curtailed the travel, and the COVID pandemic put an end to it as well as to most social interactions, although she continued to meet regularly a group of Bank friends on Zoom.
Sushma’s personality was a rare combination of great pragmatism, coupled with a gentle, accepting and generous nature, always lifting up those around her to become better human beings. She is sorely missed by her many friends. May she rest in peace.
G. Feder, J. Anderson, S. Barghouti, D. Byerlee, H. Aladerman, A. Dinar, P. Hazell, J. McIntire, W. Martin, U. Wiesner, and A. Wahi.
