‘Jai Shri Ram’ not part of West Bengal’s culture

Economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has said the affinity towards the slogan, 'Jai Shri Ram', was a recent development in West Bengal and not part of Kolkata's culture.

 "It [Jai Shri Ram] is a recent import used as a pretext to beat people up," he said in an interaction with students of Jadavpur University in Kolkata, where he was a professor of economics in the mid-fifties, on Friday.

Earlier in the day, at a seminar in the city on advancement of education through teachers' capabilities, Professor Sen said when "someone is asked to alight a rickshaw, told to repeat a particular phrase [and then] hit with stick if the person refused to say so [then] then I am alarmed."

At least a dozen cases had surfaced since the declaration of the recent general election results when members of a minority community were beaten up in the state allegedly even after saying 'Jai Shri Ram.' On Wednesday, an 11-year-old boy was thrashed in Hooghly district allegedly for refusing to say 'Jai Shri Ram.'

Professor Sen, however, did not mention any particular incident but indicated that such incidents were growing.

"We do not want to discriminate between various castes, religion or communities, but it is increasing," he said at the seminar.

Later in the evening, at Jadavpur University, Professor Sen reiterated the issue of discrimination.

"These days, when I hear that members of a particular community are scared and going out of their houses in this city with an element of fear, then I fail to recognise this city…the city of my pride. We need to ask questions now," he said.

Professor Sen was interacting with eminent scholar Professor Chatterjee on 'Kolkata after Independence: A personal memoir' that is possibly part of his forthcoming autobiography.

BJP State president Dilip Ghosh, however, said that "nobody is listening to intellectuals like Amartya Sen." He said, "Everywhere, people are raising both their hands to say 'Jai Shri Ram.' Communists are finished."