What Amartya Sen said on 'Juktosadhana' for Hindus and Muslims in India

At a recent event at the Alipore Jail Museum, Nobel laureate and economist Amartya Sen emphasized the historical tradition of Hindus and Muslims living and working together harmoniously in India.

Highlighting the concept of 'Juktosadhana' from Kshitimohan Sen's writings, Sen stated, "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."

Sen argued that merely promoting "religious tolerance" is insufficient and stressed the importance of collaborative coexistence: "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."


Reflecting on the intrinsic innocence of children, he noted that they are naturally unaffected by "divisive toxicity" and form friendships easily because they have not been exposed to "bad education."

He elaborated on 'Juktosadhana' by pointing to its manifestations in various fields, saying, "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."

The Nobel laureate also warned against attempts to undermine India's pluralistic heritage, citing Dara Shikoh's translation of the Upanishads into Farsi as an example of interfaith scholarship: "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."

Addressing ongoing controversies, Sen remarked, "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."