Home in the World: A Memoir
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- Author：Amartya Sen
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Summary
The Nobel laureate Amartya Sen is one of a handful of people who may truly be called “a global intellectual” （Financial Times）。 A towering figure in the field of economics， Sen is perhaps best known for his work on poverty and famine， as inspired by events in his boyhood home of West Bengal， India。 But Sen has， in fact， called many places “home，” including Dhaka， in modern Bangladesh; Kolkata， where he first studied economics; and Trinity College， Cambridge， where he engaged with the greatest minds of his generation。
In Home in the World， these “homes” collectively form an unparalleled and profoundly truthful vision of twentieth- and twenty-first-century life。 Here Sen， “one of the most distinguished minds of our time” （New York Review of Books）， interweaves scenes from his remarkable life with candid philosophical reflections on economics， welfare， and social justice， demonstrating how his experiences—in Asia， Europe， and later America—vitally informed his work。 In exquisite prose， Sen evokes his childhood travels on the rivers of Bengal， as well as the “quiet beauty” of Dhaka。 The Mandalay of Orwell and Kipling is recast as a flourishing cultural center with pagodas， palaces， and bazaars， “always humming with intriguing activities。”
With characteristic moral clarity and compassion， Sen reflects on the cataclysmic events that soon tore his world asunder， from the Bengal famine of 1943 to the struggle for Indian independence against colonial tyranny—and the outbreak of political violence that accompanied the end of British rule。 Witnessing these lacerating tragedies only amplified Sen’s sense of social purpose。 He went on to study famine and inequality， wholly reconstructing theories of social choice and development。 In 1998， he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his contributions to welfare economics， which included a fuller understanding of poverty as the deprivation of human capability。 Still Sen， a tireless champion of the dispossessed， remains an activist， working now as ever to empower vulnerable minorities and break down walls among warring ethnic groups。
As much a book of penetrating ideas as of people and places， Home in the World is the ultimate “portrait of a citizen of the world” （Spectator）， telling an extraordinary story of human empathy across distance and time， and above all， of being at home in the world。
In Home in the World， these “homes” collectively form an unparalleled and profoundly truthful vision of twentieth- and twenty-first-century life。 Here Sen， “one of the most distinguished minds of our time” （New York Review of Books）， interweaves scenes from his remarkable life with candid philosophical reflections on economics， welfare， and social justice， demonstrating how his experiences—in Asia， Europe， and later America—vitally informed his work。 In exquisite prose， Sen evokes his childhood travels on the rivers of Bengal， as well as the “quiet beauty” of Dhaka。 The Mandalay of Orwell and Kipling is recast as a flourishing cultural center with pagodas， palaces， and bazaars， “always humming with intriguing activities。”
With characteristic moral clarity and compassion， Sen reflects on the cataclysmic events that soon tore his world asunder， from the Bengal famine of 1943 to the struggle for Indian independence against colonial tyranny—and the outbreak of political violence that accompanied the end of British rule。 Witnessing these lacerating tragedies only amplified Sen’s sense of social purpose。 He went on to study famine and inequality， wholly reconstructing theories of social choice and development。 In 1998， he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his contributions to welfare economics， which included a fuller understanding of poverty as the deprivation of human capability。 Still Sen， a tireless champion of the dispossessed， remains an activist， working now as ever to empower vulnerable minorities and break down walls among warring ethnic groups。
As much a book of penetrating ideas as of people and places， Home in the World is the ultimate “portrait of a citizen of the world” （Spectator）， telling an extraordinary story of human empathy across distance and time， and above all， of being at home in the world。
Reviews
Agni Guha
，
**Thank you to Net Galley for the ALC**This was stepping into nostalgia for me。 As a bengali， hearing Amartya Sen talk about Tagore， Bose， Shantiniketan， Presidency， college street and so on was so powerful。 He also talks a lot of politics， economics and the history of India。 Hearing one of the most well known intellectual from India share his life and living through books and thoughts filled me with pride and awe。 There's so much to learn from this book and this man。 Although I'd strongly advic **Thank you to Net Galley for the ALC**This was stepping into nostalgia for me。 As a bengali， hearing Amartya Sen talk about Tagore， Bose， Shantiniketan， Presidency， college street and so on was so powerful。 He also talks a lot of politics， economics and the history of India。 Hearing one of the most well known intellectual from India share his life and living through books and thoughts filled me with pride and awe。 There's so much to learn from this book and this man。 Although I'd strongly advice against the audiobook as the narrator has a very heavy British accent and mispronounces every single proper noun。 。。。more
Abishek Sekar
，
The message one can take away after reading this autobiography of Amartya Sen is that how people， conversations and books can develop an individual and his personality。 This humanitarian with wide ranging knowledge and powerful insights across various subjects is definitely one of the greatest minds living in our times。
LauraH
，
When the Nobel committee asked him for some artifacts to put in the Nobel museum he gave them two items。 An ancient Sanskrit mathematical text that he used and his bicycle which he had had since he was young。 The bicycle he used to venture into places it would’ve been hard to get to otherwise， as he did his research on human poverty， famine etc。Important to be around and spend time with people more knowledgeable than you。 He did this his whole life。In his 20s he developed cancer。 Throughout all When the Nobel committee asked him for some artifacts to put in the Nobel museum he gave them two items。 An ancient Sanskrit mathematical text that he used and his bicycle which he had had since he was young。 The bicycle he used to venture into places it would’ve been hard to get to otherwise， as he did his research on human poverty， famine etc。Important to be around and spend time with people more knowledgeable than you。 He did this his whole life。In his 20s he developed cancer。 Throughout all the treatments his parents wanted to give him something to look forward to。 Something for the future。 Though it was a stretch financially， they offered to pay for him to go to the London school of economics。After researching English universities he decided to apply to Trinity College at Cambridge and was… rejected。 They told him they had had too many good Indian applicants that year。 He had applied only at Trinity。 Later Trinity said some people had dropped out and he could come after all if he can get there quickly。I liked hearing about his variety of friends at Cambridge and beyond。 So many friends。 He is very left-leaning。 He is so respectful of people especially of those with different opinions。 Of one accomplished friend he said she was an enemy to all self advertisement。In his whole memoir he doesn’t even mention winning the Nobel prize in economics。 Just keeps talking about the pleasure of being able to teach such brilliant students。 。。。more
Muaz Jalil
，
As a development practitioner， I am a huge fan of Amartya Sen and his writings。 I saw him once at LSE。 For some reason this memoir reminded me of Russell's autobiography， may be the writing style and the fact that Cambridge played a major role in their lives。 I read Sen because it opens up new authors or books to me。 In this memoir I came across Maurice Dobb， Pieor Sraffa， Frank Ramsay， among others。 I also bought the book Karl Marx Greatness and Illusion， which was highly recommended by Sen。 He As a development practitioner， I am a huge fan of Amartya Sen and his writings。 I saw him once at LSE。 For some reason this memoir reminded me of Russell's autobiography， may be the writing style and the fact that Cambridge played a major role in their lives。 I read Sen because it opens up new authors or books to me。 In this memoir I came across Maurice Dobb， Pieor Sraffa， Frank Ramsay， among others。 I also bought the book Karl Marx Greatness and Illusion， which was highly recommended by Sen。 He was influenced by the idea of Objective Illusion， which is a fascinating concept。The best part was early years in Dhaka and Shanti Niketan， meeting with Tagore/Mujtaba Ali ， Kshiti Mohan and so many others。 He met Lal Jayawardena， as student in Cambridge， who was one of the founder of UN WIDER。 Then there was Mahbubul Haq， who developed the Human Development Index （ who is from Kings College。。。。my college 😊） ; Rehman Sobhan and finally Manmohan Singh was his junior 。 I did not know that originally Sen was rejected by Trinity and apparently that's the only place he applied！ He effectively finished his PhD in 1 year。 Published his papers in QJE （ best econ journal） just coming out of Bachelors and studied Philosophy when he was a Prize Fellow， again getting published in philosophy journals。 The guy is a genius， reminded me of Feynman！ The best memoir I have read in a while。I loved it！！ 。。。more
Matthew Alampay Davis
，
As a development political economist with a secondary interest in philosophy who moved between various Third World Asian countries growing up and received graduate economics training at Oxbridge and the US East Coast， I really thought I'd get more out of Sen's memoir than I did。 It's really let down by its bland writing and poor editing。While he does describe the political contexts of his upbringing and the histories and cultures of the cities and countries he's lived in， there is little truly p As a development political economist with a secondary interest in philosophy who moved between various Third World Asian countries growing up and received graduate economics training at Oxbridge and the US East Coast， I really thought I'd get more out of Sen's memoir than I did。 It's really let down by its bland writing and poor editing。While he does describe the political contexts of his upbringing and the histories and cultures of the cities and countries he's lived in， there is little truly personal engagement with them。 The pre-college part of the memoir drags at least 100 pages too long， an indulgence that frustratingly still does not reveal much about the author himself。 For example， that his experience as a privileged upper-caste member of the Indian elite amidst the Bengal famine would directly motivate his life's work in social choice theory and the capabilities approach to development should be obvious but it is not a connection he elaborates upon despite the 400+ pages he affords himself。 What is it like to grow up under the British Raj and then study inequality in Cambridge University of all places？ Not really touched upon other than to reminisce about high table traditions and exclusive membership in academic societies。 And as with a lot of geniuses， Sen doesn't understand how to talk about his own genius without dispassionately underplaying it and treating his accomplishments as things that happen to him almost passively。 This might be polite but unfortunately makes for a bad memoir。 Sen being one of my favorite economists， this squandered opportunity was a massive disappointment。The second half of the book is more interesting particularly in his critiques of the economic and philosophical works that most influenced his thinking。 But even these discussions are quite shallow for anyone genuinely interested in these topics and reads more like a phone book recitation。 It feels like 60% of it is some variation of "It was at this point that I met [academic]。 We had healthy debates throughout the years even though I think our main disagreements were based on their incomplete understanding of the topic。 They had this personality trait back then which would serve them well when years later they went on to teach at [elite university] or work in [government/think tank]。 I always knew they would be great and indeed they were very unspecifically successful at their job until they sadly died in 1989。"I'd recommend reading this excellent conversation instead。annualreviews。org/doi/abs/10。1146/ann。。。 。。。more
Jess Ferguson
，
Beginning was super interesting， but then it just became a book of name dropping who he knew， who he studied with， and dense economic arguments。 Sen spent more space discussing how he knew Kamala Harris’ parents than on his own marriage。 Also the book pretty much ends when he took a job at the Delhi School of Economics in 1963， and doesn’t really discuss his Nobel Prize。
Nancy
，
I enjoyed this autobiography detailing Sen's childhood and education in India and England。 He is an amazing man who I had no background knowledge of。 His experiences should be told。 His insight and thinking shared to those not familiar with his accomplishments。 He is an economist， a philosopher， a writer， a professor， and a man concerned on how societies should improve for all people。 So the reason for my rating has more to do with my lack of understanding his life and work than the value of thi I enjoyed this autobiography detailing Sen's childhood and education in India and England。 He is an amazing man who I had no background knowledge of。 His experiences should be told。 His insight and thinking shared to those not familiar with his accomplishments。 He is an economist， a philosopher， a writer， a professor， and a man concerned on how societies should improve for all people。 So the reason for my rating has more to do with my lack of understanding his life and work than the value of this book， and therefore recommend this book for those， like me， who are seeking to learn。"Furthermore， even though economic growth is important， the single-minded pursuit of it – while neglecting education， health care and nutrition – is not only terrible for people’s quality of life， but it is also a self-defeating strategy， since these crucial components of a decent human life are also important ingredients for human productivity。" Amartya Sen 。。。more
JORGE LAGOS
，
Amarty Sen， Premio Nobel de Economía en 1998。 Un libro donde cuenta su interés por la teoría de la elección social， y demuestra que su investigación estuvo influenciada por India， Inglaterra y EEUU。 Frase: “Las pasiones se reconcilian con las decisiones del intelecto”
Debjani Sengupta
，
This memoir is， of course， first and foremost， full of economics。 It is a first-hand account of actual happenings in the academic world of economics during the fifties into the seventies of the last century。 The author， Amartya Sen， outlines his life， beginning with his early years spent in Mandalay in Burma， then Dacca， finally settling into school without walls in Santiniketan， West Bengal in India。 He mentions how he was influenced by his scholar grandfather and the Tagorean philosophy and sy This memoir is， of course， first and foremost， full of economics。 It is a first-hand account of actual happenings in the academic world of economics during the fifties into the seventies of the last century。 The author， Amartya Sen， outlines his life， beginning with his early years spent in Mandalay in Burma， then Dacca， finally settling into school without walls in Santiniketan， West Bengal in India。 He mentions how he was influenced by his scholar grandfather and the Tagorean philosophy and system of education。 He attends college in Calcutta graduating to study further at Trinity College， Cambridge。 He returns back to India to teach at Jadavpur University。 Later， he teaches at D-School at Delhi， the capital of India。 The book is about a distinguished journey by a brilliant scholar and thinker who has more than one home in this world and is comfortable in all his diverse homes。This book is for economists。 There are many references to well-known economists of the mid-20th century and their work。 Books are referred to which will make for further reading， both for economists and for readers like us， who know no economics。 This book is for Bengalis， the people of the state of West Bengal， India and the people of Bangladesh。 There is a lot of history which they would find interesting。 The Rivers of Bengal and The Urbanity of Calcutta are particularly interesting to read。 Sen has spoken eloquently on them。 The ancient remains found scattered around the general Calcutta region indicates why the British founded the city in the place where they did。 And， if you happen to be a Vaidya then you definitely need to read this book written by the most globally honored Vaidya of all。Amartya Sen comes from a family of professors and scholars。 He says that he was more comfortable in expressing himself in Bengali and Sanskrit till he mastered English。 So， he proves that it is more important to be a good student of a language rather than to be a ‘native speaker’ of it。 The book is most eloquently written。 The style is simple and easy to read。 The tone is friendly and young。 One can go through the almost 400 pages quickly and easily。 This is a truly global book。 For world citizens this book is a must read， not only for knowing about economics from a Nobel Prize winner but for knowing about Bengal and about British India。 The book ends rather abruptly。 We hope that that means there will be a sequel soon。 。。。more
Appu
，
This book covers Sen’s life upto the age of 30。 So most of his great intellectual triumphs are still ahead of him。 But that does not take anything away from this book。 In this book we see a precocious child， clearly from a privileged （intellectually， if not economically） background slowly finding his feet in the world and carving out a niche for himself in the world of ideas。 The first thirty years of his life takes Sen from Rangoon where his father was a visiting professor to Santhiniketan ，whe This book covers Sen’s life upto the age of 30。 So most of his great intellectual triumphs are still ahead of him。 But that does not take anything away from this book。 In this book we see a precocious child， clearly from a privileged （intellectually， if not economically） background slowly finding his feet in the world and carving out a niche for himself in the world of ideas。 The first thirty years of his life takes Sen from Rangoon where his father was a visiting professor to Santhiniketan ，where Sen stayed with his maternal grandparents while attending the famous school， to Calcutta to Cambridge UK to Cambridge Massachusetts and to Delhi。 As the book closes， a still a very young Sen is teaching at the Delhi School of Economics。 Although the latter half of the book is about economic ideas and economists who mentored and shaped him， the first half of the book dealing with his childhood and boyhood is clearly the more attractive part。 Here the writing is lyrical and poignant。 One striking incident mentioned in the book can stay with the reader for a long time。 While he was an undergraduate student at Presidency College， a lump in his palette bothers Sen。 With typical thoroughness he reads up on the matter and becomes convinced that it is cancerous。 His doubts are confirmed。 The cancer is surgically removed and he is subjected to radium therapy at Calcutta。 The treatment is crude but effective and tumour does not recur。 However but for the young Sen’s initiative， he would not got the treatment that he did and the world would have been poorer for it。 。。。more
Larry Roberts
，
Simply wonderful！ And though covering the period of the first half of Sen's remarkable life， full of applicability to our present times。Chapter 25， Persuasion and Cooperation， was especially significant to me。 Simply wonderful！ And though covering the period of the first half of Sen's remarkable life， full of applicability to our present times。Chapter 25， Persuasion and Cooperation， was especially significant to me。 。。。more
Raveen Kulenthran
，
Amartya Sen is without question a hero of mine。 I have read most of his books， hanging on to every word as I did so。 This book has the same depth and humility as his others， with one added element: one gets a glimpse of the events that shaped his sweet and gentle nature。
Sujith Ravindran
，
Amartya Sen's memoir- the first 30 years of his life- Shantiniketan to Presidency college to Jadavpur University to Cambridge University and finally back to Delhi School of Economics in 1963- his battle with cancer - his acquaintance with several accomplished personalities - glimpses of making his worldview-his deep sympathies for the poor and disadvantaged。 On the whole a delightful read！ Amartya Sen's memoir- the first 30 years of his life- Shantiniketan to Presidency college to Jadavpur University to Cambridge University and finally back to Delhi School of Economics in 1963- his battle with cancer - his acquaintance with several accomplished personalities - glimpses of making his worldview-his deep sympathies for the poor and disadvantaged。 On the whole a delightful read！ 。。。more
Mugdha
，
A very inspiring and interesting read。 Traversing the history of Bengal， India and the world in general， Amartya Sen tells the story of his growing up in a wonderful and lucid prose。 The book has inspired me to learn more about many great individuals， for example， the author's grandfather， Kshitimohan Sen。 Highly recommended。 A very inspiring and interesting read。 Traversing the history of Bengal， India and the world in general， Amartya Sen tells the story of his growing up in a wonderful and lucid prose。 The book has inspired me to learn more about many great individuals， for example， the author's grandfather， Kshitimohan Sen。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
JUSTIN JOS
，
The book was a reminder for me to consider doctoral studies as a beginning of an academic career。 The book highlights Dr。 Sen's early life。 It is clear that Dr。 Sen came from a very privileged background but he used it to become more knowledgeable。 Dr。 Sen writes about a history which I do not know of。 He finished his PhD in 1950s。 My father was not even born in the 1950s。 It is about a different time where things were different。 The book takes you to a different time and it is nice to read abou The book was a reminder for me to consider doctoral studies as a beginning of an academic career。 The book highlights Dr。 Sen's early life。 It is clear that Dr。 Sen came from a very privileged background but he used it to become more knowledgeable。 Dr。 Sen writes about a history which I do not know of。 He finished his PhD in 1950s。 My father was not even born in the 1950s。 It is about a different time where things were different。 The book takes you to a different time and it is nice to read about his journey。 So jealous， that he got appointed as a Professor at 23 at Jadavpur University！ 。。。more
Pavan Korada
，
Fascinating account of not just the leading economist of our times but a glimpse into the social life of an elite section （Upper Caste-Upper Class） of India。 I'm glad that Dr。 Sen allowed himself to be poetic， demonstrated in some few elegant turns of phrases。 This book also lays out his major themes of economic and philosophical work including social choice theory and realisation-based ideas of justice。 The chapter on Karl Marx is one of the most lucid analysis of his ideas I have ever come acr Fascinating account of not just the leading economist of our times but a glimpse into the social life of an elite section （Upper Caste-Upper Class） of India。 I'm glad that Dr。 Sen allowed himself to be poetic， demonstrated in some few elegant turns of phrases。 This book also lays out his major themes of economic and philosophical work including social choice theory and realisation-based ideas of justice。 The chapter on Karl Marx is one of the most lucid analysis of his ideas I have ever come across。 Other minor interests of his including Sanskrit， identity and， most importantly， Buddhism which have been discussed in enough detail。 One disappointment is that for all his intellectual and moral commitment to the problem of inequality， there is very little discussion about the strictly social aspect of inequality in the Indian context， that is， Caste; more so considering his other major interest Buddhism， which was as much a rebellion against social inequity （read Caste System） as it was a tussle with the major metaphysical debates of the time。 I felt the book ended abruptly。 It ends when Dr。 Sen was 30 years old。 He is 88 now。 I hope there is another part coming up soon about the remaining 58 years， at least。 Strongly recommend。 。。。more
Patrick Kabanda
，
Simply put， this is a profound book。
Nikolai
，
Die Autobiografie von einer Person， die mich schon immer beeindruckt hat: Amartya Sen。 Gut geschrieben， die Details über seine Kindheit in Indien und seine Laufbahn als Economics-Student im Cambridge der Nachkriegszeit geben einen schönen Einblick。 Es empfiehlt sich ein gewisses Grundwissen im Bereich der Ökonomie， grundsätzlich aber auch so gut lesbar。
Vinayak Bhardwaj
，
Too beautiful， a most cherished read。 Amartya Sen's is a life to behold: at the confluence of so many important intellectual， political and economic trends about which his humane and fearsome intellect has had so much to say。 Thank you Amartya-Da for this excellent memoir。 Too beautiful， a most cherished read。 Amartya Sen's is a life to behold: at the confluence of so many important intellectual， political and economic trends about which his humane and fearsome intellect has had so much to say。 Thank you Amartya-Da for this excellent memoir。 。。。more
Lilisa
，
A significant contributor to the field of economics， Amartya Sen’s weighty memoir delves deep into his memory bank to give the reader insights into his home in the world。 Much of the book harkens back to his childhood in Dhaka， Mandalay， Calcutta， and Santiniketan， as well as his early formative years in school and university。 I found the early parts interesting as Sen describes his family’s association with the Nobel Poet Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Tagore’s significant contribution and in A significant contributor to the field of economics， Amartya Sen’s weighty memoir delves deep into his memory bank to give the reader insights into his home in the world。 Much of the book harkens back to his childhood in Dhaka， Mandalay， Calcutta， and Santiniketan， as well as his early formative years in school and university。 I found the early parts interesting as Sen describes his family’s association with the Nobel Poet Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Tagore’s significant contribution and influence on Bengal and India on numerous fronts。 Tagore’s groundbreaking philosophy on education and the cultural world were key factors in Sen’s education and outlook。 They left an indelible stamp on the author。 Also noteworthy is Sen’s focus on the struggle for India’s independence and the challenges of religious strife in a secular India， stirred constantly by politicians for their gain。 I particularly appreciated his ability to convey how people of different religions in India do live in harmony most of the time， despite the fact that we tend to frequently hear more about religious acrimony and conflict。 He waxed eloquently about his line of work， what influenced his thinking and approach， and his path to success。 From a writing style perspective， I found the book to be excruciatingly bogged down in overly minute details， a laundry list of names of who’s who in what seemed like every encounter he had in his entire life。 It felt like he wanted to acknowledge everyone he’d ever met or was testing himself on how many people he could remember going back to his childhood days， which works for him， but not to me， the reader。 Overall I found the book interesting in some parts， in others， not so much。 Many thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Farhan Hossain
，
Learnt so much of what it means to be a bangali。 Paradigm shifting experience in my life。
Meema
，
Home in the World is the wonderful title of Amartya Sen's first autobiography。The title is in itself an homage to Tagore's Home and the World， which was also immortalized by Satyajit Ray's later movie。 A taste of what is to come。 I was glued from thence。Written with the full force of his usual wit， in this wholesome book， Dr Sen captures some of the very early influences on his thinking and life's work。 It is particularly great for people with an interest in India， as the periods between thirtie Home in the World is the wonderful title of Amartya Sen's first autobiography。The title is in itself an homage to Tagore's Home and the World， which was also immortalized by Satyajit Ray's later movie。 A taste of what is to come。 I was glued from thence。Written with the full force of his usual wit， in this wholesome book， Dr Sen captures some of the very early influences on his thinking and life's work。 It is particularly great for people with an interest in India， as the periods between thirties and early fifties in the subcontinent is chronicled through a child's memory supplemented by an adult's analysis。 Readers familiar with Dr Sen's non-academic writing will be happy to find scrupulous details about important influences and repeated subject matters- Tagore， Shantiniketan， Sanskrit， Adam Smith， justice， inequality and more。 It was particularly enjoyable to read about his University days，as I suspect most memoirs about University days would be。 There is a lot of details and warm regard for two of his teachers at Cambridge and this section is great for anyone with an interest in academia。 I was pleasantly surprised to read about his political convictions in more detail and a whole chapter is dedicated to the complex question of what to make of Marx。 The book finishes as he is starting a job at Delhi School of Economics in the early sixties， leaving more to be wanted。 Inspired by one of many lessons this great philosopher taught me over the years， I will utilise no singular identity to identify with the remarkable answer this book provides to humanity's age-old question "who am I " or আমি কোথা থেকে আসলাম？Purchased new from @booktopiabooks Book I have been directed to from this book: The importance of being Awkward by Tam Dalyell 。。。more
Katy
，
I received my copy free through Goodreads Giveaways
Abhinav Anand
，
It is a beautiful journey through Amartya Sens's life， not limited to his personal accounts but expanding on those ideas that encompass India and the world。 The fascinating journey is eloquently sewn with intellectual exposition。 It is a beautiful journey through Amartya Sens's life， not limited to his personal accounts but expanding on those ideas that encompass India and the world。 The fascinating journey is eloquently sewn with intellectual exposition。 。。。more
Ujval Nanavati
，
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 p 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。 。。。more
Arun Pandiyan
，
This year I undertook a reading marathon of the books written by Dr。 Amartya Sen。 As I was finishing his previous literature one by one， curiosity filled me as to how such a novel approach to philosophy and economics was developed by Dr。 Sen which was heavily in contrast to the approach of his contemporary counterparts。 Much of his previous works had emphasized his relationship with Rabindranath Tagore and his formative years in Santiniketan as the root cause for his intellectual valor。 As I wai This year I undertook a reading marathon of the books written by Dr。 Amartya Sen。 As I was finishing his previous literature one by one， curiosity filled me as to how such a novel approach to philosophy and economics was developed by Dr。 Sen which was heavily in contrast to the approach of his contemporary counterparts。 Much of his previous works had emphasized his relationship with Rabindranath Tagore and his formative years in Santiniketan as the root cause for his intellectual valor。 As I waited patiently for the autobiography this year， when his memoir was first released， I quickly grabbed a copy of it and began reading。 In the backdrop of the 1934 earthquake with Bihar as its epicenter， tremors were felt in Kolkata where baby Amartya Sen was merrily asleep when his family was seeking protection。 This incident was the first-ever memory of his childhood， as told by his grandparents。 For the people who have read Tagore’s rebuttal to Gandhi’s proclamation that this earthquake was an act of God to punish the sinners， Dr。 Sen’s journey begins right there。 Much of this memoir has captivating references to Tagore's work and how the Santiniketan shaped Dr。 Sen’s intellect in his childhood。 At this time of ever-growing narrow-mindedness and parochialism， reading Dr。 Sen’s school life in Santiniketan makes us believe that true open-mindedness begins from exploring the world without letting it cloaked by jingoism and identity， rather by letting in tolerance， acceptance， and curiosity。 As the narration moves forward to his days in Presidency College， Dr。 Sen had penned relevant chapters on the history of West Bengal， Bengali， and Bangladesh starting from early India to the Battle of Plassey， followed by the rise of left-wing politics within the freedom movement and finally to the murderous Bengal Famine。 Even though he identifies himself as an atheist， his grandfather Kshitimohan Sen’s profound impact on him in the subject of Hinduism/Charvaka epistemology/Lokayata is yet another factor that molded Sen’s approach to Justice through the lens of Nyaay and Niti， which later got published in 2008。 Throughout the narration， Dr。 Sen makes the reader believe in two things: （a） his commitment to secularism from an early age and （b） his deep interest in seeing the world as a curator than as a clash of civilization or power struggle between the classes。 As far as I understood， this was due to the presence of multi-party adherents within his family， his multicultural connections in Santiniketan， and his conscious distance from active political engagements。 Astonishingly， when he turned twenty-three， he was ready to submit his Ph。D。 thesis and has agreed to set up the economics department at Jadavpur University。 Yet another interesting narration was on his willingness to try philosophy after economics when he quickly changed his domain working on philosophical arguments by continuing the idea from Kennet Arrow’s Social Choice Theory interlinking it with economics to further create a new field termed as welfare economics， which as a subject was though initially rejected by American Universities， but was later awarded Nobel Prize for it。 There is a particular chapter in the book titled 'What to make of Marx' which developed a rather peculiar interest in me to read a bit more of Karl Marx in the coming days， especially after reading Sen’s citation of the ‘Critique of the Gotha Program’ referring to Marx’s commitment to multiple identities， free speech， and liberty which the later communist powers failed to recognize and present post-modernists fail to promote。 This memoir was too small to hold all the names of men and women who influenced Amartya Sen， starting from Tagore in his childhood to his landlady with an aversion for brown people who later became a strong proponent of racial equality。 But this memoir is dense in detailing and carries sprinkles of wisdom from a wise man who learned his lessons from multiple people as he navigated his life。 Reading Amartya Sen had always ignited a passion for intellectual arguments in me that I can quickly point to him as an inspiration for my interests in economics， moral philosophy， and ethics。 There were many life lessons one could take from this memoir。 Firstly， it had deep insights on diverse subjects explained lucidly by a man who self-diagnosed his cancer at the age of eighteen with a few oncology books borrowed from the city library。 Secondly， it inspires one to learn， learn more， and learn without boundaries from everyone from the narration of a self-proclaimed atheist who took his idea of Justice from Indian origin religious texts and epics。 Finally， it persuades us to view the world as our home as Tagore once persuaded Dr。 Sen with his “Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls”。 。。。more
Atreyo Mitra
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A fascinating history of a fascinating person， who believes in equality， integration， and mutual respect for humankind。 The book transcends the confines of a memoir and takes the reader through a journey across countries， continents， schools of thought， and ever developing ideas in economics and philosophy。 The book for me primarily questions the understanding of one's identity， and allowing space for multiple identities to coexist together instead of falling into the trap of viewing it through A fascinating history of a fascinating person， who believes in equality， integration， and mutual respect for humankind。 The book transcends the confines of a memoir and takes the reader through a journey across countries， continents， schools of thought， and ever developing ideas in economics and philosophy。 The book for me primarily questions the understanding of one's identity， and allowing space for multiple identities to coexist together instead of falling into the trap of viewing it through a narrow and singular lens。 Hopefully， someday， the world will come together。 。。。more
Rupesh
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Waiting for part 2。。
Nirmal Ghimire
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Something to learn about the Nobel laureate。
Ingrid
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