Getting to know Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen
During my recent stay in Kolkata, almost daily there was news about a property dispute between Dr. Amartya Sen and Visva Bharati University. I have no knowledge about this subject, but it was disheartening. I would rather see articles about his contribution to the poorest citizens of the world. And that brought back some wonderful memories . . .
Growing up in India, especially as a Bengali, I had heard of Dr. Amartya Sen and his work in economic theory. I knew that Indian poet and writer (and Nobel laureate) Rabindranath Tagore had suggested the name “Amartya,” which means “immortal,” to Sen’s parents. However, I did not realize the impact of Dr. Sen’s work until I launched the US office of SNV Netherlands Development Organization in Washington, DC, in 2007. I learned about his extensive work on famine and inequality from my Dutch colleagues, particularly from Dirk Elsen, SNV’s global CEO at the time. I was rather amazed to learn about Dr. Sen’s popularity globally and that even Queen Máxima of the Netherlands had expressed an interest in meeting him. Dr. Sen was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory and for his interest in the problems of society’s poorest members. Over his 65-year career, Dr. Sen’s research and ideas have touched many areas of the field. He is credited as one of the founders of modern social-choice theory with his landmark 1970 book, Collective Choice and Social Welfare.
In December 2013, I was visiting my parents in Kolkata with my son, Ryan. One morning, I noticed a newspaper report that Dr. Sen was visiting the city, and I immediately decided to attend the Netaji Bhawan session, along with Ryan. As expected, the place was crowded, as many were there to hear him speak. We made our way through the crowd, and I was able to have a brief conversation with Dr. Sen about SNV’s work in poverty alleviation and good governance. My journey to know this amazing person began that evening. Soon after, Dirk Elsen and I devised a plan to ask Dr. Sen to join the SNV Global Advisory Board. We reached out to his office, and they agreed to allocate some time for a brief meeting between his teaching commitments at Harvard University. We traveled to Cambridge, MA, and patiently waited outside his classroom. When Dr. Sen was finished with the class, we accompanied him to the cafeteria. He listened carefully about the work SNV was doing in more than thirty countries with smallholder farmers, particularly SNV’s work on women’s empowerment in this area. He was impressed and agreed to join the SNV Global Advisory Board with two caveats: we needed to send him regular updates on SNV’s work and not demand too much of his time! Of course, we agreed instantly.
As the founder and executive director of SNV USA (now DevWorks International), it was my job to manage the relationship with SNV’s Global Advisory Board members. I kept Dr. Sen abreast of key developments and sought guidance when needed. He wanted to know more about me and was intrigued to learn about my father’s social activism work in West Bengal. Ever since our meeting at Harvard, I had been trying to meet with him again, and finally that opportunity came. In April 2015, we met near his home in Harvard Square for lunch. The discussion that afternoon was wide-ranging — from SNV’s work on global poverty alleviation and my work with the younger generation to combat violence, to his books, his engagement with Nalanda University, and his views on various political parties in India, especially TMC, BJP, Congress, and CPI(M). It was one of the most stimulating and rewarding lunches I have had in my entire life!
One memorable moment during that lunch was when I asked him when we could expect his memoir. His response reflected his unique life journey, as he explained that the memoir needed to capture his life not only in the US but also in India, Bangladesh, and the UK, and that would take time. Six years later, in 2021, Dr. Sen’s memoir, Home in the World: A Memoir, came out. It is a most thought- provoking book, touching on his childhood (in Dhaka, Myanmar, and Santiniketan), the rivers of Bengal, Bengali society, the Second World War and its impact on the world, and liberty and freedom. Edward Luce of the Financial Times captures Dr. Sen perfectly: “Sen is more than an economist, a moral philosopher or even an academic. He is a life-long campaigner, through scholarship and activism, via friendships and the occasional enemy, for a more noble idea of home―and therefore of the world.”
I am most fortunate to have stayed in touch with Dr. Sen. I am drawn to him for his moral clarity, his compassion, his belief in a secular India, and his lifetime of work to empower vulnerable communities. Dr. Sen continues to inspire me not just for his ideas, his intellect, and the impact he has had globally but also for his passion and relentless desire to improve the lives of others, even at an age when most people have long since retired.
After reading Dr. Sen’s memoir, it is clear to me that my own retirement may have to wait much longer than I had originally planned. So much still needs to be done.
Lesson from Dr. Sen: We all have a role in making the world a better place; keep contributing in your own way as long as you can.
Neil Ghosh, president of MGR Professional Services, advisor to Ousri Family Foundation, and former chief executive officer of SOS Children’s Villages USA, is an advocate for vulnerable children and climate action. He focuses on advancing nimble and agile cross-sector collaboration systems to foster sustainable development.
