India's tradition is Hindus and Muslims living, working together: Amartya Sen

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has said that historically Hindus and Muslims in India have been working and living together in cohesion and the same spirit must be displayed in the present times.

The renowned economist was speaking at a programme at the Alipore Jail Museum on Saturday (July 13) 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.

‘Religious tolerance mustn’t be 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.

Drawing an example from music which doesn’t discriminate on the basis of religion, Sen said 'Juktosadhana' 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.

Lessons from history

Cautioning against any attempt to subvert the pluralistic character of India, he said Mumtaj's son Dara Shikoh was one of the few who had translated the Upanishads into Farsi.

“This shows he was well-versed in Hindu scriptures and Sanskrit language. And now there are two schools of thought who are making certain comments against our pride and treasure Taj Mahal, which is a magnificent structure and built in memory of Mumtaj Begum," Sen said.

"While one school of opinion is against the Taj Mahal looking so beautiful and having so much grandeur, there is another school which wants the name of the monument changed so that it is not associated with a Muslim ruler," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)