During a meeting with faculty members on December 9, VBU vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty claimed that Amartya Sen had identified himself as “Bharat Ratna Amartya Sen” and requested that hawkers around his house not be evicted as his daughter, who visits Santiniketan often, would be inconvenienced. The vice-chancellor further claimed that Prof Sen suggested giving space to the hawkers inside his property in Visva-Bharati University campus upon which the Nobel Laureate hung up the phone. Prof Sen wrote, “I am very surprised to hear about what the Vice-Chancellor of Visva-Bharati apparently has declared in an online faculty meeting. Sen grew up in Pratichi, the house built by his father in Santiniketan, and visits it frequently. Addressing Sen as “Respected Amartya da”, Banerjee wrote in the letter, “We are all aware about your family’s deep and organic linkages with Santiniketan.

Source: Indian Express December 26, 2020 09:20 UTC