Mr. Ray, about a couple of years younger to me in age and a valued colleague in the civil service, had been one of my close friends for almost four decades. He was a self-effacing person with courage of conviction in servicing the cause of the poor with great integrity and objectivity.
I also happen to know his wife, Mrs. Nandita Ray, particularly in terms of her association with the Centre for Economic and Social Studies. Together, they worked for a better society and the betterment of the downtrodden.