The Amartya Sen Centre (ASC)

Given the wide variety of its activities and pursuits, a distinguished multidimensional organisation like Pratichi requires its own space for its distinctive work to attain greater efficiency and cohesiveness. Such a necessity was strongly advocated for long by all the well-wishers of Pratichi and Professor Amartya Sen. Consequently, the Trust acquired a plot of land, on lease from the Government of West Bengal, in the Salt Lake institutional area of Kolkata, neighbouring several educational institutions and libraries, with the intention of coming up with a multi-storey building of its own to be known as the Amartya Sen Centre (ASC).

The foundation stone was laid for the ASC – known at that time as Pratichi Bhavan – in July 2012, in the presence of Professor Sen and construction was started. The ASC was designed not only to accommodate the main offices of the Pratichi (India) Trust and the Pratichi Institute but also to have facilities like a modern library, digital archives, conference rooms with high class audio-visual equipment, a state-of-the-art auditorium, a green academic book store, a cafeteria and much more. The Amartya Sen Centre is envisioned as the future hub of all progressive thinking, meaningful research, discussions and debate as well as activities pertaining to social change and development.

The building is crucial to our efforts and should be completed very soon. This Centre would help Pratichi connect better with studies and scholars around the world and accomplish global standards of research. It will also act as a meeting point where the world can meet India at its grassroots. Once the Amartya Sen Centre becomes operational, Pratichi would be able to present itself as a modern organisation that is more cohesive, more mature and more professionally focused to scale up its dedicated service to development issues, social causes, research and people.