Time and again Amartya Sen, one of the polymaths of our times, has stirred our thoughts and world-views through his writings and speeches. Intrigued by the questions of social justice and welfare, he argues, in this work, some of the fundamental issues--poverty, hunger, education, globalization, freedom of speech, injustice, inequality, exclusion, exploitation--that we negotiate with in our day to day lives.

With a passion and conviction masked by a gently persuasive style and characterised by an undogmatic engagement with differing points of view, Sen's The Country of First Boys asserts that public policy should swing sharply towards the poor, the illiterate, and those suffering from ill health and malnourishment. Written in non-technical and easy to understand language while at the same time relying on rigorous intellectual and academic analysis, this volume would open a window to the ideas of an internationally renowned Nobel laureate to a wide spectrum of readers.