Amartya

Sen Biography
Amartya Sen is a much-admired, award winning economist,
writer and philosopher. Read this biography to learn more about
his childhood, profile, life and timeline.
Quick Facts
Famous
as

Economist & Philosopher

Nationality Indian
Born on

03 November 1933 AD

Zodiac
Sign

Scorpio

Born in

Santiniketan

Father

Ashutosh Sen

Mother

Amita Sen

Spouse:

Nabaneeta Dev Sen (m. ?1971)

Children

Antara Dev Sen, Nandana Sen

Education

Trinity College, Cambridge, University of Calcutta,

Presidency College, Kolkata, Visva-Bharati
University, University of Cambridge, St Gregory's
School

Quick Facts
1998 - Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
for his work
1999 - Bharat Ratna Award
2000 - Leontief Prize for his outstanding
contribution to economic theory
2000 - He was awarded the Eisenhower Medal for
Awards

Leadership and Service USA

2002 - International Humanist Award from the
International Humanist and Ethical Union
2003 - Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indian
Chamber of Commerce
2011 - T he National Humanities Medal
- Life Time Achievement award from UNESCAP

Amartya Sen is a much-admired, award winning economist,

writer and philosopher. A voice of the poor and malnourished,
tirelessly engrossed in the problems of the societys poorest
people, he has devised practical solutions to prevent food
shortage and starvation. This Nobel laureate has helped create
the United Nations Human Development Index and was featured
on Time Magazines list of World's 50 Most Influential People
Who Matter. A leading intellectual, Sens books have been
translated in more than thirty languages across the world. Some
of his noteworthy publications include, Development as
Freedom, Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlements and

Deprivation, On Economic Inequality, Inequality Reexamined,

The Argumentative Indian and The Idea of Justice. Currently
a Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University,
Sen has also been a Professor at the London School of
Economics and The University of Oxford. He has won an array
of laurels including the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award
in India. Committed sincerely to the cause of ending poverty
and deprivation, this celebrated economist, is the sixth Indian to
receive a Nobel and the first Asian recipient of the Economics
Prize. To learn more interesting facts about his childhood,
personal life and achievements in the field of writing and
academics, scroll down and continue to read this biography.
Childhood & Early Life
Amartya Sen was born in Santiniketan, West Bengal, India
to Ashutosh Sen, a Professor, who later served as the
Chairman of the West Bengal Public Service Commission,
and Amita Sen.
In 1941, he was enrolled at the St Gregory's School,
Dhaka and after the partition of India, his family moved to
India, where he attended the Visva-Bharati University
School.
In 1953, he graduated from Presidency College, Kolkata
with a First Class Honours in B.A Economics. T hat year,
he attended Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned
another B.A.
In 1956, at the age of 23, he was appointed as the
Professor and head of the Economics Department at the
Jadavpur University, Calcutta. After two years, he went
back to Cambridge University to pursue his Ph.D.
In 1959, he submitted his Ph.D. thesis titled the choice of
techniques, after which he was a visiting Professor at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
From 1961 to 1972, he was a Professor at the Delhi
School of Economics, after which he was a Professor of
Economics at the London School of Economics. He also

taught at the University of Calcutta.

Care e r
In 1970, his first book titled Collective Choice and Social
Welfare, which is considered as one of his most
influential monographs that addressed the issues of basic
welfare, justice, equality and individual rights.
Published in the year 1973, his book On Economic
Inequality, was a study of the theory of welfare economics
in relation to the study of economic inequality.
His 1982 essay, Poverty and Famines: An Essay on
Entitlements and Deprivation, highlighted the cause of
lack of food supply, malnutrition and an analysis of
famines.
In 1984, his work development economies, Resources,
Values, and Development was published. T he publication
focussed on the investment design, shadow rating,
employment policy, and welfare economics.
His 1987 publication On Ethics and Economics, was a
critical piece of writing that argued that welfare economics
and modern ethical studies can benefit from each other.
In 1990, he authored a controversial essay for the T he
New York Review of Books, titled More T han 100 Million
Women Are Missing. T he essay throws light on the
gender imbalance and the reasons for it.
In 1992, his book Inequality Reexamined was published
by the Harvard University Press. T he book examined the
notion of inequality and focussed mainly on the capability
approach.
In 1998, his Nobel Prize Lecture publication titled T he
Possibility of Social Choice, in which he declared that
welfare economics was a core theme in social change
theory.
In 1999, he came out with the publication titled
Development as Freedom, in the book he focussed on
the

concept

of

international

development

and

developmental economics.
In 2002, he came out with his book titled Rationality and
Freedom, which is divided into two volumes on rationality,
freedom, and justice. He brings a clear, clarified insight
into each of these concepts.
In 2005, his popular book, T he Argumentative Indian was
published. T he book is a collection of essays on history
and identity of India and the need to understand
contemporary India and its argumentative tradition.
In 2009, his book T he Idea of Justice was published by
Allen Lane and Harvard University Press. T he book was a
highlight on economic reasoning and a critique of John
Rawls book, A T heory of Justice.
In his 2011 publication, Peace and Democratic Society,
he explores the relationship between violence, peace and
democracy. He delves into the concept of organised
violence and war, genocide and terrorism.
He is currently working as a Professor of Economics and
Philosophy at Harvard University and also the T homas W.
Lamont University Professor.
Major Works
His publication Development as Freedom was recognised
by the Nobel Prize committee as an important contribution
in the field of economic development theory.
One of his seminal 1992 works Inequality Reexamined, is
an acclaimed book that brought together all the important
themes of his work from over a decade. In this book he
addresses some of the most important concerns of
inequality.
Aw ards & Achie v e m e nts
In 1954, he was awarded the Adam Smith Prize.
In 1998, he was the recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize
in Economic Sciences that he received for his contribution
to the field of welfare economics.
In 1999, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, which is the

highest civilian award in India'.

In 2011, he was awarded National Humanities Medal.
Pe rsonal Life & Le gacy
His first wife was Nabaneeta Dev Sen with whom he had
two children, Antara Sen and Nandana Sen. T he marriage
ended in 1971.
In 1973, he married Eva Colorni and they had two children
together. She died of stomach cancer in 1985.
In 1991, he married Emma Georgina Rothschild. T he
couple often vacation in their Cambridge home in
Massachusetts.
Triv ia
T his admired Indian Bharat Ratna awardee and writer has
been a permanent resident of the U.S for almost 50 years
but choose to retain only his Indian citizenship.