India at Crossroads | World Leaders Forum - Columbia University | April 2, 2019

Akeel Bigrami: The World Leaders Forum Akeel Bigrami: was created by Lee Ballinger Akeel Bigrami: to bring to our university Akeel Bigrami: women and men, Akeel Bigrami: not just with political authority, Akeel Bigrami: but also intellectual authority, Akeel Bigrami: to present their thoughts to us Akeel Bigrami: without fear Akeel Bigrami: of anything except Akeel Bigrami: public engagement and discussion. Akeel Bigrami: It is in that spirit Akeel Bigrami: that Amartya Sen and Prabhat Patnaik Akeel Bigrami: have been invited Akeel Bigrami: to speak today at this event Akeel Bigrami: for which we've all been keenly waiting. Akeel Bigrami: The theme today is Akeel Bigrami: "India at Crossroads" Akeel Bigrami: -an apt topic, Akeel Bigrami: since one meaning of crossroads is, Akeel Bigrami: in my dictionary, Akeel Bigrami: a crucial point, Akeel Bigrami: especially when a decision is to be made Akeel Bigrami: And as we know, Akeel Bigrami: the General Elections in India Akeel Bigrami: will be underway this month Akeel Bigrami: -an election that will decide Akeel Bigrami: whether India will continue Akeel Bigrami: even more steeply down the path Akeel Bigrami: of right-wing religious nationalism Akeel Bigrami: or return to some of its past ideals Akeel Bigrami: of secularism and economic policies Akeel Bigrami: intended to uplift the lives Akeel Bigrami: of poor and working people. Akeel Bigrami: But, of course, Akeel Bigrami: a proper concern for the decisions Akeel Bigrami: we are about to make for the future Akeel Bigrami: depends, widely, Akeel Bigrami: on how we understand our past Akeel Bigrami: and our present. Akeel Bigrami: And so, it's really to provide Akeel Bigrami: that analysis in depth, Akeel Bigrami: that we've brought our two guests here. Akeel Bigrami: I'm going to introduce our speakers Akeel Bigrami: with much more brevity than they deserve and command. Akeel Bigrami: This gives them as much time to speak themselves. Akeel Bigrami: We really want to hear from them, Akeel Bigrami: not about them. Akeel Bigrami: They are both figures of international renown Akeel Bigrami: with a brace of awards and prizes Akeel Bigrami: and honorary degrees between them. Akeel Bigrami: Amartya Sen is the Lamont professor Akeel Bigrami: at Harvard where he teaches both Akeel Bigrami: economics and philosophy. Akeel Bigrami: He is a Nobel laureate in economics, Akeel Bigrami: has been the Master of Trinity College in Cambridge, Akeel Bigrami: as well as the Drummond Professor Akeel Bigrami: of Political Economy at Oxford. Akeel Bigrami: Before that, he taught at Akeel Bigrami: Jadavpur University, Akeel Bigrami: University of Calcutta, Akeel Bigrami: and the Delhi School of Economics. Akeel Bigrami: His books include Akeel Bigrami: Collective Choice and Social Welfare, Akeel Bigrami: Poverty and Famines, Akeel Bigrami: Development as Freedom, Akeel Bigrami: and, most recently, The Idea of Justice. Akeel Bigrami: Prabhat Patnaik, Akeel Bigrami: who went to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, Akeel Bigrami: taught economics at Cambridge University Akeel Bigrami: for some years before responding to a call Akeel Bigrami: to join and help set up Akeel Bigrami: the Center for Economic Studies Akeel Bigrami: at the newly-formed Akeel Bigrami: Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, Akeel Bigrami: nobly forsaking Akeel Bigrami: a most promising international Akeel Bigrami: academic career to serve his own country, Akeel Bigrami: where he has taught ever since Akeel Bigrami: until retiring last year. Akeel Bigrami: His books include Akeel Bigrami: Accumulation and Stability under Capitalism, Akeel Bigrami: The Value of Money, Akeel Bigrami: Retreat to Unfreedom Akeel Bigrami: and most recently, Akeel Bigrami: An Economic Theory of Imperialism. Akeel Bigrami: They are both here Akeel Bigrami: because they are, Akeel Bigrami: as this event's nomenclature has it, Akeel Bigrami: world leaders of human thought Akeel Bigrami: about public life. Akeel Bigrami: By which I mean that, Akeel Bigrami: what makes them stand out Akeel Bigrami: apart from the measurable Akeel Bigrami: productions and achievements that I have just mentioned, Akeel Bigrami: is that they believe something that most leaders Akeel Bigrami: increasingly have ceased to believe: Akeel Bigrami: that ideas make a difference Akeel Bigrami: to politics and public life, Akeel Bigrami: that it makes all the difference to politics and public life, Akeel Bigrami: whether you put truth in the first place Akeel Bigrami: or the second. Akeel Bigrami: I will hand over things now to Ruchira Gupta Akeel Bigrami: who has very kindly agreed to moderate and chair Akeel Bigrami: the proceedings this evening. Akeel Bigrami: Miss Gupta is a very important public figure herself, Akeel Bigrami: a journalist and activist Akeel Bigrami: of deep and consistent commitments Akeel Bigrami: to women's issues. Akeel Bigrami: She has worked over the years with the United Nations, Akeel Bigrami: the BBC and the wide range of international newspapers Akeel Bigrami: before she became the founder and chair Akeel Bigrami: of the remarkable NGO called up Apne Aap, Akeel Bigrami: whose work has been recognized with honors both Akeel Bigrami: by the House of Lords in Britain and Akeel Bigrami: the Clinton Foundation in this country. Akeel Bigrami: Her scholarly writing is focused Akeel Bigrami: mostly on human trafficking Akeel Bigrami: and the legal and moral resources Akeel Bigrami: with which it must be confronted. Akeel Bigrami: Columbia is very privileged Akeel Bigrami: to have the speakers tonight and Akeel Bigrami: I ask you to join me in welcoming them. [applause] Ruchira Gupta: Good evening everyone. Ruchira Gupta: I'm very honored to be chairing this discussion today Ruchira Gupta: at a very critical time in India. Ruchira Gupta: India is going to polls on the 11th of April Ruchira Gupta: and the election results will be declared on 23rd of May. Ruchira Gupta: In an extraordinary exercise of world momentum, there are more than 450 parties Ruchira Gupta: which will be fighting elections this time Ruchira Gupta: and more than 500 million people Ruchira Gupta: who will cast their votes. Ruchira Gupta: The unfortunate part of this great exercise Ruchira Gupta: is that we have found that 21 million women Ruchira Gupta: are missing from the electoral rolls this time Ruchira Gupta: and more than 12% Muslims and Dalits. Ruchira Gupta: These are challenges that the Election Commission