Amartya Sen's The Argumentative Indian, is a Creative Interpretation of Indian Culture and History

chillibreeze writer — Shalini

There is no doubt that Indians have a long and colorful tradition of arguing. India grew as a center of learning partly due to this tradition and also due to the relatively high tolerance level amongst its people. Usually thought of only for its spiritualism and mysticism, Indian culture has in fact developed from the skeptical and reasoning nature of its individuals.

Being a country of vast diversity as well as disparity, with a wide range of cultures, languages, traditions and point of views, discussions often take the form of arguments. The voice of the people is essential for social equality and justice in a democracy.

Amartya Sen’s The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity, consists of sixteen essays on varied topics, which attempt to decipher and understand this tradition of arguing. They cover subjects concerning ancient India, our relations with China in the first millenium, contemporary Hindu politics, the Indian calendar system, films of Satyajit Ray and debates between Rabindranath Tagore and Mohandas Gandhi.

Take for example, the use of calendars in ancient India, which can be used to gauge the level of cultural sophistication of a society. Calendars required mathematical and astronomical skill for their calculation and give us clues in the development of society. Some of the calendars that have existed in India are the Kaliyug calendar, the Buddha Nirvana calendar, the Vikram Samvat calendar, the Saka calendar, the Bengali San calendar and the Kollam calendar. Each has a different zero point and length and is related to a specific religion.

The Argumentative Indian is a creative interpretation of India and its people, which examines how the Indian mind works, with its backdrop of thousands of years of history, intellectual, cultural and religious diversity. Pioneering reformer, Ram Mohun Roy considered not being able to argue back as the worst thing about death.

“Just consider how terrible the day of your death will be.
Others will go on speaking, and you will not be able to argue back.”

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—About our writer: Shalini writes for chillibreeze.

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