JNU honours Sen amidst snatching of plates, spilt tea

The students were left out in the cold during the convocation. Faces pressed to the glass and fingers spreadeagled, they tried to get a peek into the auditorium to see the goings-on and catch a glimpse of the professor. The Nobel laureate accepted the Doctor of Letters degree from the Vice-President amid thunderous applause.

Prof Sen said, “I have made 22 convocation addresses after receiving the Nobel Prize. I don’t want to make any more addresses. But I will make this an exception.” He spoke of the subjectivity of the social sciences and described economics as a study concerned with the way our minds work.

The professor also made comparisons of the economy of various states in India. Talking of the Indian woman, he said: “The Indian woman does not have a concept of individuality. If you ask a woman residing in the villages about how she is doing, she will answer in terms of her family. When the individual question is dismissed in the unit of the family, it can be counter-productive.” The professor also explained the concept of social choice to the audience.

JNU-ites had arranged for tea with the Nobel laureate after the convocation. However, chaos reigned as people snatched plates from the table. Cups of tea and glasses of Pepsi fell on the floor. Prof Sen was mobbed and whisked away to the auditorium again, this time for an interaction with the students.

JNU students union president Vijoo Krishnan addressed the gathering. Guests who had left the auditorium to have tea with the professor fought to enter the building again. The huffing and puffing guests and the security personnel came to blows. The doors of the auditorium were also closed to the mediapersons.

Vice-President says Sen has raised hopes of poor people.