Kathmandu: Renowned author Gurcharan Das, 82, has become the first Indian writer to receive the Lifetime Libertarian Award for his “lasting contribution to the advancement of liberty”.
The honour was presented by freedom advocacy network Liberty International at its 40th World Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Saturday.
Accepting the award, Das said he was “delighted” and highlighted the idea of “inner freedom”, which he described as India’s unique contribution to Western liberalism.
According to organisers, the award recognises his more than three decades of work on freedom, entrepreneurship and individual responsibility.
His major works include India Unbound, The Difficulty of Being Good, Kama: The Riddle of Desire and Another Sort of Freedom. He has also written a novel, essays and plays, besides editing a 17-volume economic and business history of India for Penguin.
Das, who previously chaired the Centre for Civil Society’s Board of Trustees, said Liberty International’s work was increasingly relevant “at a time when freedom is shrinking in the world”.
Founded in 1982, Liberty International has held 40 world conferences promoting the ideals of a “free and open society”.
Das previously served as CEO of Procter & Gamble India and studied philosophy at Harvard University, where he received Phi Beta Kappa honours.
