Kolkata: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Saturday said India has the tradition of Hindus and Muslims working and living together in cohesion. Sen, a noted economist, was speaking at a programme at the Alipore Jail Museum to foster book-reading habits among underprivileged youth. “Going by the history of our country, Hindus and Muslims have been working together in harmony in perfect coordination and synergy for ages.
This is ‘Juktosadhana’ as underscored by Kshitimohan Sen in his book. We need to stress on this idea of ‘Juktosadhana’ in our present times,” he said. In this context, he flagged the word “religious tolerance”, saying that should not be the sole emphasis.
“It is not merely like allowing the other community to live and not beat up anybody. Perhaps that has become a necessity in the present situation as people are being beaten up. But most crucial is to work together,” he added.
Sen, who is known for his liberal views, said that children need not be inculcated with the values of tolerance as they are not affected by any “divisive toxicity” and grow as friends because they are not imparted “bad education” which can poison their minds. Elaborating on ‘Juktosadhana’, he said it is manifested in politics, social work, and art. “Can you differentiate between Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar on their religious identities? They can be differentiated for their own genre of classical music,” he said.
Cautioning against any attem.