More tolerance in my college days: Amartya Sen

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Wednesday said that though the government's help is needed to run the Presidency University, it should not dominate the institution.

"Presidency would certainly want government's help, but (it should) not (be) dominant," Sen said at a lecture at the university in Kolkata.

At a special convocation, Sen was given an honorary D Litt by the university where he had studied economics at the undergraduate level and is now adviser to the chairman of Presidency University Mentor Group.

Talking about his college days, he said the general idea during that time was to accept any kind of belief that would come from any side.

"Tolerance is a very great virtue and right now in India, we need it very badly," he said, adding that there was a need for sceptical tolerance just like poet Henry Louis Vivian Derozio who didn't have enmity with any group, but questioned every group.

During his lecture, the economist said democracy was not the same as majoritarian rule.

"Now if you think about India, when we say that democracy may be under some threat ... what are the issues? Well first of all, democracy is not just a majoritarian rule, it also involves minority rights, it involves liberty and liberty of expressions and so on," he said.