'Tagore principles more important'

KOLKATA: Nobel laureate and noted economist Amartya Sen did not even look at his medallion after the day he received it. He felt it was more important to work towards a better future by imbibing the great ideas which had fetched the award.
Referring to the theft of Tagore’s Nobel medallion, he said on his arrival here on Sunday: ‘‘There is indeed a sense of tragic and sad loss.But it will be a great mistake to concentrate on just the medallion and not work to implement Tagore’s ideas and shape the nation according to the vision the great poet.�
‘‘I myself have not seen the medallion after the day I received it. It must be in some wardrobe of my wife. I do not look at it every day after I get up in the morning,’’ Sen said. He said adhering to the philosophy and vision of Rabindranath is more important than the medal.
Tagore’s vision and idea of nation has taken a serious beating in recent times, he felt. ‘‘The riots in the name of religion, hunger, poverty and the way the future of democracy is threatened have been contrary to the views of Tagore. I feel the view he had of India as a secular democracy needs to be upheld.’’
Regretting that this philosophy is waning, he said: ‘‘We do not often see a reflection of his ideals in the current scenario of the country. People need to know what he actually thought about our country and what he wanted this nation to be. His idealism needs to be seriously contemplated.�