Contesting Guha on Sen

Author(s): Aruni Mukherjee

Source: Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 40, No. 46 (Nov. 12-18, 2005), p. 4774
Published by: Economic and Political Weekly
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4417368
Accessed: 18-10-2016 11:46 UTC

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted
digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about
JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
http://about.jstor.org/terms

Economic and Political Weekly is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to
Economic and Political Weekly

This content downloaded from 14.139.125.227 on Tue, 18 Oct 2016 11:46:12 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 Letters____ Subscription
Inland
(Rs)
Six One Two Three

Contesting Guha on Sen months year years years

Institutions - 1250 2300 3300
Individuals 500 935 -1750 2500
amachandra Guha provides an Sen's native Bengal. I see nothing
Concessional Rates
extremely interesting, albeit wrong in that except the possibility of
Teachers/Researchers - 685 - 1800
omewhat contentious, review of a major school of non-deliberative and Students - 450 -
Amartya Sen's The Argumentative non-pluralistic thought being ignored
Indian (EPW, October 8). I associate by Sen. Whether that is the case is notConcessional rates are availab
of concessional rates, certificat
myself with two of the points made by pointed out by the reviewer.
is essential. Remittance by m
the reviewer. First, Sen's grasp of Finally, Sen is not looking at just the preferred. Please add Rs 3
historiography - self-admittedly - is not past to understand the present, but he towards bank collection ch
comparable to his depth of knowledge argues for identifying a trail of thinkingNepal and Bhutan
in welfare economics and social choice that he believes is India's soul. Institutions - 1500 - 4150
theory or western political philosophy. Admittedly, Sen associates with the idea Individuals - 1250 - 3500
His factual errors, as mentioned by the of India, but it is not the imagined
reviewer, are a good example of this. community envisaged by the Hindutva Foreign
Second, the reviewer has a compellingideologues. Sen's India is a pluralistic (US $)
case when he agrees with Mohandas and argumentative civilisation. Air Mail Surface Mail

Gandhi in arguing that it was Hinduism ARUNI MUKHERJEE Institutions

which gave Mohammedanism its Akbar.
Sen ignores the cornerstone of the
"Vasudhaiva Kudumbakam" principle,
and fails to gauge the importance of
University of Warwick, UK lyr 2yrs 3yrs lyr 2yrs 3yrs
Sri Lanka, Pakistan
and Bangladesh 80 150 200 65 120 175
Doctors for People Other countries 150 275 375 90 170 240

Individuals
the inclusive nature of Hinduism that
First let us introduce ourselves - we Sri Lanka, Pakistan
distinguished the Indian version of Islam
and Bangladesh 50 90 125 30 50 75
from its counterparts in west Asia. For are medical professionals and Other countries 100 175 240 65 120 170
example, Sufism in India flourished asactivists working with the CPI(ML)
a mystic and unorthodox variant of the Liberation. Though we are associated All remittances to:
vigorously legalistic mainstream with a political party, many of us might Economic and Political Weekly
version of Islam prescribed by the like to serve the people primarily through
muftis vis-a-vis in west Asia where it our medical profession. We, along with
came under the influence of the sunni many of our like-minded friends, thoughEconomic and Political Weekly
and shi'a law schools to develop its small in number, would like to work Hitkari House, 284 Shahid Bhagatsingh Road,
Mumbai 400 001
own rigid and codified system. as a nucleus of a progressive people's
Phones: 2269 6072/73 Fax: (022) 2269 6072
However, this is not to grant the health movement in the country that epw@vsnl.com edit@epw.org.in
reviewer full marks, for there are issueswill link up with the other struggles of
Editor (December 1969-January 2004): Krishna Raj
that could be raised with his analysis ofworking people in the country.
Editor : C Rammanohar Reddy
Sen's work as well. First, his insistence There has been an increased assault
Deputy Editor : Bernard D'Mello
on the fundamental - and perhaps only on working people and health care
Assistant Editors : Anuradha Kumar,
- reliance on the proximate past whileprofessionals in the last two decades Vimala Subramanian, Sheba Tejani
understanding the present is misleading.with globalisation. The union and state Mukesh Gupta (EPW On-line).
While Sen would have done well to governments of all hues, busy in their Bharati Bhargava (Delhi)
neo-liberal privatisation spree, have Editorial Staff : Prabha Pillai
include a far deeper analysis of the
thoughts of Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar,drastically cut back public funds to Editorial Consultant : Gautam Navlakha (Delhi)
among others, the crux of his argument government hospitals, forcing patients Circulation : Gauraang Pradhan (Manager),
B S Sharma
lies elsewhere. Sen argues that the to go to multi-star private hospitals.
circulation @epw.org.in
essence of India is inevitably Recently, doctors, who have treated
Advertisement Manager : Kamal G Fanibanda
argumentative, and that can be seen inalleged Nepali Maoists have been advt@epw.org.in
its most distinct form in ancient India,charged with sedition in Bettiah and General Manager
not corrupted by the advent of Muzzafarpur in Bihar. This is a and Publisher : K Vijayakumar
colonialism. Yajnavalkya may have been dangerous trend and reflects the
EPW Research Foundation
a bigot, but he did debate with Gargi. increasing repressive measures by the
C 212, Akurli Industrial Estate, Kandivali (East)
How often did Aurangzeb or Lord government. The doctors have been Mumbai 400 101, Phones: 2887 3038/3041
Linlithgow do the same? penalised for merely fulfilling out their Fax: (022) 2887 3038.
Second, the choice of scholars is - Hippocratic oath. epwrf@vsnl.com

as the reviewer argued - primarily Director: S L Shetty

from north India and especially from (Continued on p 4860)

4774 Economic and Political Weekly November 12, 2005

This content downloaded from 14.139.125.227 on Tue, 18 Oct 2016 11:46:12 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms