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"There’s a lot of history in economics. The economy of today is truly built upon events in the past. History pervades all forms of decision making, whether we are aware of it or not,” says Dr Farrokh Langdana, professor in the department of finance and economics at Rutgers University and director of its Executive MBA Program since 1996. What he does not say is that he has infected his happy students with his own passion for history, public finance and economic theory so that for years without number he has bagged the University’s Excellence in Teaching award, starting with the Warren I. Susman Award for Excellence in 1994.

Teaching subjects like aggregate economic analysis, macroeconomic policy and international trade and macroeconomic policy which might be described as dull or esoteric depending on the predisposition of the evaluator, his students have described his course content as "current, relevant and fascinating,” his presentation style as "fantastically interactive.” "He is an absolutely outstanding professor. He is well versed in his field and very organized. He has a tremendous sense of humor and knows just when to inject it in order to get the group to relax or power up,” says a student. The Rutgers Executive MBA Program publication notes that Langdana uses no textbook for his subjects. "He uses the Wall Street Journal, his considerable insight and knowledge, and the experience of the executives and managers who are his students.” 

"We discuss the whys and hows of the news of the week — why the Federal Reserve (the US’ central bank) is changing interest rates for example,” Langdana refers to his teaching style. "His approach to teaching economic theory not as an intellectual ornament but as a necessary tool for understanding the world around us and hence his interspersing lessons in theory with practical examples, seems entirely appropriate to me,” argues a referee of Langdana’s work. According to his department’s unanimous recommendation for promotion, "his teaching files indicate an uncanny ability to explain macroeconomic policy with careful attention to abrupt institutional and policy changes in the global macroeconomic environment. The department considers his teaching to be outstanding and many regard Prof Langdana as the best instructor in the School.”

With three scholarly books, one textbook and seven refereed articles, mainly on public policy implications, the impact of budget deficits and consumer confidence upon economic performance, Langdana is said to have demonstrated how lack of confidence by consumers in an economy strained by unsustainable budget deficits can result in high levels of inflation. Covering as they do new ground and throwing new light on complex policy issues, the research-oriented work shows that Langdana is "not just a contributor to the literature but also a clear expositor,” notes another referee.

The department summary notes that under Langdana’s leadership enrollment in the Executive MBA program has increased significantly, adding, "He has actively encouraged faculty to develop new courses for the program. Consequently, such new courses as forensic accounting, ethics in leadership and cross-cultural executive etiquette have been introduced.” Langdana also edits the Executive MBA newsletter which reaches 800 alumni of the program and has found a mention in the respected journal Business Week. These time consuming activities in broadening the program have added to its visibility on the nation’s economic horizon. Additionally Langdana serves on nine other committees of the school and department, is a member of its executive and peer evaluation body since 1996, works with Rutgers’ affiliated school in France where a two-week summer program is on offer to day and part-time students and was one of the designers of the Rutgers’ joint MBA exchange program with Dalian University of Technology in China. His academic involvement has found him a place in Who’s Who in the World (22nd edition — 2005).

An alumnus of Bombay’s Cathedral and John Connon High School, the son of Keki and Dr Zarrin Langdana received his bachelor in civil engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur. "He was generally very hardworking and studious but it was at the IIT that he did very well in maths,” recalls his father. Within months of his graduation he was pursuing his MBA in finance at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blackburg, Virginia and continued there with his masters and doctorate in economics.

In her profile of the economist Kath-leen Brunet describes his office as "decorated with models and drawings of old railroad cars and engines. Two walls are devoted to photographs of such former leaders as Stonewall Jackson and Abra-ham Lincoln. On any given day the table behind his desk will be neatly covered with piles of current events articles that he plans to pass out to students. These disparate items vividly reflect his strongly intertwined passions: an appreciation of the past and a concern for the future... As he views it, even in economics, a true understanding is gained only by recognizing the interconnectedness of the past and the present.”

"When they start bringing me stuff, I know I have hit home,” Langdana told Brunet. Compelling his students to unearth ever deeper patterns of understanding, he requires his macroeconomics class to follow the economy for several months and develop their own short term forecasts as part of their final exam, notes Brunet. Emphasizing the "confidence variable,” Langdana has used the example of the Southern Confederacy in the American Civil War in his book Budget Deficits and Economic Performance to show that during times of good news, the economic indicators were positive; when the news was bad, they turned negative.

Langdana ascribes his fondness for history to his father, a marine electronics engineer by profession, who took him to war movies and movies about historical events. "He even took me to see a movie about the Zulu wars. Now, how many people would be interested in that? But he was,” recalls the son affectionately. Despite his heavy workload or because of it, Langdana says he reads to relax, usually after finishing his work, late at night. "Reading history is almost therapeutic for me,” he notes in an e-mail response to Parsiana. As for his assessment of the greatest military strategist of all time? "It would have to be Genghis Khan — he presided over the largest land empire in human history.” He is however loath to assess the US’ Iraq venture in terms of history, categorizing it as "too hot a potato!”

The eldest of three brothers, Farrokh is married to Mary Wills since 1987, describing her as "an intrepid traveler.” To her he ascribes his love of traveling. Their son Christopher is doing his PhD in natural resource management at Cornell University. Farrokh’s two brothers seem to have been inspired by their gynecologist mother. Fali is also a gynecologist; Burjor, a maxofacial surgeon. Both of them live and work in New Zealand.