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Jul 01, 2022

'Indian Judiciary Often Overlooks Dangers of Fragmentation, Which Is Scary': Amartya Sen

'India has an inherent culture of being tolerant but the need of the hour is that Hindus and Muslims should work together,' the Nobel laureate said in a speech that came down heavily on divisiveness.
Amartya Sen. Photo: PTI/File

New Delhi: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has said that the country’s state has left him afraid, noting – with an aside on judiciary’s less than active role in tackling divisions – that it is “extraordinary” that laws from colonial times are being used to incarcerate people in present day India.

At the inauguration of a research centre named after him near Kolkata, the economist expressed concern over the current state of affairs in India, coming down upon a majoritarian manner of thinking.

Sen said he was afraid of the situation in the country now.

“I think if someone asks me if I’m scared of something, I would say ‘yes’. There is a reason to be afraid now. The current situation in the country has become a cause for fear,” Sen said.

“I want the country to be united. I don’t want division in a country that was historically liberal. We have to work together,” he said.

“India cannot be of Hindus only. Again, Muslims alone cannot make India,” Sen added.

Mere tolerance will not help at this juncture, he said, according to Times of India.

“India has an inherent culture of being tolerant but the need of the hour is that Hindus and Muslims should work together,” he said.

Sen cited the fact that Jews, Christians and Parsis have co-existed in India “for ages” as example of India’s culture of tolerance.

He went on to speak on the recent efforts to reclaim places of worship by stating that he did not think that Hindus would be “able to take credit for the Taj Mahal” as a group.

Sen also cited examples of syncretic cultural output, mentioning Dara Shikoh, Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan.

Dara Shikoh, Shah Jahan’s eldest son, translated 50 Upanishads from the original Sanskrit to Persian and this enabled the world to know about Hindu scriptures, Hindu culture and Hindu traditions. The ragas and music by Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan are also evidence of people of different religions collaborating to create magic. Such collaborative work is necessary in today’s India where (only) speaking of tolerance will not address the dangers of fragmentation,” Sen said, according to TOI‘s report.

India had an inherent culture of tolerance because “Jews, Christians and Parsis had lived with us for ages”, he added.

Laws and the judiciary

In his address, Sen also came down upon the judiciary and its passive role, also referring to without mentioning the role of sedition laws in curbing dissent.

“The Indian judiciary often overlooks the dangers of fragmentation, which is scary. For a secure future, there needs to be a balance between the judiciary, the legislature and the bureaucracy, which is missing in India. It is extraordinary that colonial laws are being used to put people behind bars,” the economist said.

Sen has, earlier too, been vocal against laws that curb freedom of dissenters. Speaking to The Wire earlier this year, he had said that the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is extremely bad for individual freedom as it allows for people to be arrested where there is no crime or enough to indict them in court, but they are kept in prison on grounds they ‘could’ do something wrong.

(With PTI inputs)

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