By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, Oct. 14: The Nepalis from both the United States and Nepal came together virtually on Monday to pay homage to renowned economist Dr. Sukhdev Shah.

Dr. Shah passed away in the US on Sunday at the age of 78.

Association of Nepali Teraian in America (ANTA) hosted a virtual gathering, to condole the demise of Dr. Shah, hosted by ANTA president Aprajita Jha and attended by Ambassador of Nepal to the US Dr. Arjun Karki.

“Dr. Shah has undoubtedly been the most profound leader of the Nepali community in the US with his original thoughts, convictions and relentless pursuit of beliefs,” said the participants of the gathering.

They also said that Dr. Shah was an iconic figure who deserved the Nepali diaspora’s tribute to his immense contribution to and indelible impact on the community.

Participants from the US and Nepal - Dr. Shyam Karki, Roger Adhikari, Kiran Sitaula, Dr. Arjun Banjade, Annapurna Deo, Medini Adhikari, Parmendra Bhagat, Lalit Jha, Jay Nishant, Dr. Dharmendra Thakur, Rakesh Mishra, Dr. Rajan Pant, Dr. Chakradhar Mishra, Dr. Bijay Kumar Jha, Amit Kumar Jha, Balkrishna Jha, Subhash Baitha, Amarendra Yadav, Binod Shah, Shyam Karki, Mukesh Karna and Dhiraj Chaudhary - had joined the gathering to express their grief and sorrow on his demise.

Talking to The Rising Nepal ANTA president Jha said that Dr. Shah’s passing away had left an irreparable void in the Nepali community in the US.

Dr. Shah was born at Ekarahi, a village near Janakpur, in Dhanusha district. He had obtained Master’s and PhD degrees in economics from University of Hawaii in the US. He had served at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC between 1973 and 2002.