Dr PJ Thomas was one of the rare breeds of economists who made a difference in modern India’s history. A product of Oxford, he served as economic advisor to the governments of both, British India Government (1942-1947) and independent India led by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and represented India to sign the United Nations charter invites inaugural session held in San Francisco in 1945. He strode like a colossus in economic thinking on the eve of India’s independence. His observations in the sphere of general sales tax, population growth, rural employment guarantee, land reforms, green revolution, local self government, co-operatives and rural indebtedness turned out to be prophetic.