Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know NATIONAL AFFAIRS 10 CITY VIEWSS August 1, 2025 First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath Leaving IMF To Rejoin Harvard T he International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced July 21, that Gita Gopinath, First Deputy Man- aging Director (FDMD), would be leaving the Fund at the end of August to return to Harvard University. Gopinath was the first female Chief Economist in IMF history. At Harvard, Gopinath will be the in- augural Gregory and Ania Coffey Profes- sor of Economics in the Department of Economics, Harvard University said in its press release. Gopinath joined the Fund in January 2019 as Chief Economist and was pro- moted to First Deputy Managing Director in January 2022. The IMF Managing Director Krista- lina Georgieva is quoted saying, “Gita has been an outstanding colleague—an exceptional intellectual leader, dedicated to the mission and members of the Fund, and a fabulous manager, always showing genuine care for the professional standing and wellbeing of our staff.” Georgieva added, “She (Gopinath) came to the Fund as a highly respected academic in macroeconomics and in- ternational finance. Admiration for Gita only grew through her time at the Fund, where her analytical rigor was paired with practical policy advice to the membership during an especially challenging period, which included the pandemic, wars, the cost-of-living crisis, and major shifts in the global trading system.” Gopinath oversaw the Fund’s multi- lateral surveillance and analytical work on fiscal and monetary policy, debt, and international trade. She is credited by IMF of making a “a strong contribution to systemic country surveillance and to Fund country programs, including those for Argentina and Ukraine.” Georgieva also praised Gopinath for her role in international forums like the G-7 and G-20, and for ensuring that the annual World Economic Outlook report “remained the preeminent report on the global economy”; spearheading the Fund’s work on the Integrated Policy Framework (IPF); co-authoring the Pan- demic Plan on how to end the COVID19 crisis – especially important for laying out targets to vaccinate the world at a feasible cost. “I am truly grateful for my time at the IMF, first as Chief Economist and then as First Deputy Managing Director, Gopinath said, praising her colleagues, and Geor- gieva “I now return to my roots in academia, where I look forward to continuing to push the research frontier in international finance and macroeconomics to address global challenges, and to training the next generation of economists,” Gopinath added. She first joined Harvard in 2005. She will begin with a new slate of course offer- ings next spring, Harvard said in its press release. “I am the guilty one who raided Harvard University from one of their top talents, Gita Gopinath, a class-act econo- mist, and a wonderful person, gracious, kind, elegant and of course extremely smart,” the Harvard press release quotes former IMF Managing Director Chris- tine Lagarde, saying. Lagarde, who is now president of the European Central Bank, went on to say, “She (Gopinath) also proved a great leader at the IMF, a demanding institution, also full of smart economists.” By a StaffWriter PHOTO:X @GITAGOPINATH Gita Gopinath Mayor Eric Adams Visits Hindola At Flushing Swaminarayan Temple “Y ou believe in what I believe in and what Rep- resentativeWeprin believes in. You believe in fairness. You believe in faith. You believe in public safety. Your entrepreneur spirit has al- lowed businesses to grow. We must continue to stay on that path. We must lift each other up and pray for each other,” said NewYork City’s Mayor Eric Adams. Adams was speaking to more than a thousand devo- tees at the weekly Sunday Sabha at Flushing’s Swamina- rayan Temple on July 27, 2025. Praising the Indian community and their contribution to NewYork City and America, Adams lauded doctors and medical professionals for working hard during Covid. Adams also spoke of Queens’ Indian community, their lifestyles and beliefs, recalling how they started building temples and houses of worship upon arrival in NewYork City. “It has not only benefited here, but has cascaded to benefit the entire city,” he said. Adams has visited India during this time. In his ad- dress, he particularly recalled his visit to Shantivan in India where he paid respect to Gandhi at his Samadhi. He said he was impressed by seeing Gandhi’s footsteps etched into the concrete which made him thoughtful. “I reflected on our responsibility and our obligation…. We have an obligation to follow those steps. They are not just there in India; they are here in Queens and through- out our entire country,” Adams said. Mayor Eric Adams (second from right) pulling the Hindola chain at Flushings Swaminarayan Temple as Dr. Vipul Patel (extreme right) looks on. During his visit to the temple, Adams met with gurus and swamis. He also performed the ritual of Shanti Path and Abhishek, and pulled the chain of the Hindola swing and prayed for blessings for the upcoming elections. The meeting was also attended by Assemblyman DavidWeprin and Pastor Gil Monrose who is the execu- tive director of the Office of Faithbased and Community Partnerships. He is also the Faith Advisor to Adams. Swami Nilkanthseva conducted the regular Sabha speak- ing about Guru Bhakti and how to imbibe it in daily life. Leaders of the Indian community were also present. Dr. Vipul Patel, Administrator of the External Affairs Committee of the Swaminarayan Temple told Desi Talk the Swaminarayan Temple runs a regular weekly voter registration drive to encourage people to vote. “Indian people sometimes are too shy and sometimes too lazy to go and vote,” he said. The temple sets up a vot- er registration desk on their premises every Sunday when thousands of devotees and their friends visit the temple for the Sunday Sabha. The temple also holds a voter awareness and educational presentation, he informed. The month of Shravana is auspicious for Hindus and Gujarati temples hold Hindola Utsav, decorating the temple with a special swing for the image of Krishna. The Swaminarayan Temple holds Hindola event for the whole month of Shravan. The Sunday Satsang Sabha generally has inspirational talk by Swamis and other cultural pro- grams presented by children and young adults, followed by a dinner. The weekly Satsang has been reportedly drawing between 1,000 and 3,000 devotees. The same evening, Adams also visited the Hindola Ut- sav at the Vaishnav Shreenathji Temple of NewYork which was attended by more than 200 people. Adams has been visiting Hindu temples during his cur- rent term participating in special events including Diwali, Hindu NewYear and the flag hoisting ceremony on India’s Independence Day. Adams has also supported Assembly member Jenifer Rajkumar in pushing for official Diwali holiday in New York public schools, but also participated in Diwali cele- brations with various organizations and temples, hosting a special Diwali reception in 2024 where he announced it as an annual event. By Archana Adalja Mayor Eric Adams (left) doing Abhishek at Flushings Swaminarayan Temple. Mayor Eric Adams (second from right) pulling the Hindola chain at Flushings Swaminarayan Temple as Dr. Vipul Patel (extreme right) looks on. PHOTOS:Provided byDr.Vipul Patel