Home in the World

Why does one read this book?- May be to know a first rate thinker in his own words.Why do most of the Indians buy the book?- May be not to read but to boast of an 'Indian' Nobel Laureate.Why does most of the Bengalis buy the book?- May be not to read but to boast of a 'Bengali' Nobel Laureate.Why does an English muttering English medium Bengali student read the book?- May be to learn the kind of English to earn a Nobel prize.Why does a Bengali babbling English managing Bengali student read the book?- May be to sneer that there is nothing called outer Bengal, outer India, outer World.Why does a mono-lingual non-English speaking buy the book?- May be to see a book, see a language, see a man of power, never to achieve, never to reach, never to share.

I began reading with guarded skepticism, because Nobel Laureates are not known to be provocative in their writing styles, let alone being too critical of Western civilization that gives the medal.But Dr. Sen tackled the challenge with finesse. He gave an example of how he was scolded indirectly in his student days at Cambridge, then used the same technique to scold the British Empire for systematically looting India for 190 years, maintaining double standards at home and colony, and, in some absolute worst cases, killing millions of Indians, as they did during 1943 Bengal famines.The book occasionally criticized the British, yet stopped short of exposing the whole scam of how Europeans first got rich by pillaging their colonies, then used that money to fund their industrialization, and only after two bloody wars among themselves got civilized.It also provides some interesting tit-bits of Indian history, and ancient Sanskrit literature from a non-traditional and open-minded perspective, apparently with the objective of building bridges rather than breaking them. Even if you don’t agree with all the advice, you won’t probably dislike it much either.It provides a comprehensive account of some economic paradigms in simple language. It is an easy read. I finished all 407 pages in 10-12 hours over 4 days despite my busy schedule.Overall, more than worth the Rs. 650 price for a brand new hard cover from a global visionary who is proud to maintain his Indian passport .. not to mention it teaches you how to be diplomatic !

Enjoyed reading this memoir of Amartya Sen’s early years till 1963, when he turns 30. He describes his schooling in Dhaka and Shantiniketan and then his years at Presidency College in Calcutta before he goes on to Cambridge at the age of 19 for further studies leading to his Ph.D. At the age of 23 he returns to India to set up the economics department of Jadavpur University in Calcutta! By the age of 30, he has already taught at MIT and Stanford and Cambridge before he returns to India to teach at the Delhi School of Economics. The book takes you through an intellectual journey of these formative years of his life and gives you an insight into how Sen’s experience shaped his ideas—about economics, philosophy, identity, community, famines, gender equality, social choice, and the power of discussion in public life. The name of the book “Home in the World’ pays homage to Rabindranath Tagore, whose ideas shaped Shantiniketan, which in turn shaped Amartya Sen. In fact, it was Rabindranath Tagore - the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 - who suggested the name “Amartya” to Sen’s mother. 😊

What a sublime read. What an insight into a truly great mind.Sen is a wonderful person, economist, and as this memoir shows, a fabulous and entertaining writer as well. Growing up in a crazy period (30s and 40s undivided India) shapes a person very differently. More so if it is in a place like Bengal, which in that time saw much that was very good and very bad about this place. Add to that a few formative years in the influence of Tagore, and you have a heady mix.By the time he was 30, Sen had probably lived a fuller life than most people do in a 100 years. He is now 88 and going strong. What an influence this man has been on development economics. A gem. Most fitting that he and the person who named him have Nobels to their name.Do get this book and read and re-read it.

Every person shall and will read Amartya Sen once in their life time. The book is a window into the soul of a person who has given the world a philosophical connotation to economics. What a treat to read the various snippets that formed him so. Thanks so much for your book. God bless you Amartya Sen and May your sane voice light up the Indian diaspora which needs such voices all the more given the decaying nature of our present society. Thanks to all the delivery personnel and their families who expose themselves in these pandemic times. God bless them and keep them safe. Because of their services I can sit safe in my house and get all that I want online. Thanks and God bless.

This book is the memoir of Amartya Sen for the first thirty odd years of his life. It provides us a view of the rich intellectual environment in which Dr. Sen grew up. Importantly it gives us a glimpse of a time-slice which was very vital for modern India and also introduces us to some stalwarts of that era. We notice the wide range of books , especially in Sanskrit classic literature and grammar, mathematics and philosophy which the author read with great interest in his early teen age. He also gives us a view of the everyday human sides of luminaries from varied fields who were his close associates and mentors. We get a view about his views on the world and how a person of his stature can easily be "at home" across various places in the world. The book is particularly enjoyable for the wit and humor of the writer which helps the layman reader to digest complex concepts with ease. In summary, this can be called a must-read book for people who want to understand the environment, influencers and individual talent which gave us this amazingly brilliant person.

I liked the historical context the book provided, but the name dropping became a bit wearying.

This is a deeply engrossing, often rather touching, always interesting short book. Its only drawback is that it leaves one wanting more.

This is a beautiful book not just about the author's memoir, but about how we are all connected as humanity, the beautiful history of India, and the wealth of knowledge they have. The forward-thinking of the Indians and the fact that the earth is not something that needs to be divided up into countries and separate us by borders.

Very interesting to read the life of a great thinker

Very evocative writing.