India does not love its Nobel laureates. Nor does the rest of South Asia | The Indian Express

India does not love its Nobel laureates. Nor does the rest of South Asia | The Indian Express

Written by Shastri Ramachandaran |Updated: November 1, 2019 11:12:28 am

The writer is an independent political and foreign affairs commentator. He was invited to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo in 2014.

India does not love its Nobel laureates. Nor does the rest of South Asia

South Asian laureates are treated in a shabby manner at home, as if they are undesirables, best got rid of. This year, the response was somewhat mixed.

Nobel award winner Abhijit Banerjee. (File/AP)

Every year when the Nobel Prizes are announced, Indians lament that they have been deprived of their “due recognition”. Yet when an Indian, such as Abhijit Banerjee, is awarded the Nobel Prize, Indians, as a whole, take no pride in it. India does not love its Nobel laureates. Nor does the rest of South Asia. Pakistan and Bangladesh too, berate and belittle their laureates. South Asian laureates are treated in a shabby manner at home, as if they are undesirables, best got rid of.