Gurcharan Das becomes first Indian writer to win Lifetime Libertarian Award

Kathmandu,UPDATED: Aug 8, 2026 19:10 IST

Renowned author Gurcharan Das was awarded the Lifetime Libertarian Award on Saturday for his "lasting contribution to the advancement of liberty", becoming the first Indian writer to receive the honour. The award was presented by freedom advocacy network Liberty at its 40th World Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Accepting the award, the 82-year-old author said he was "delighted" to receive the honour and spoke about the idea of "inner freedom", which he described as "India's unique contribution to the Western idea of liberalism". "How often does life reward you for something you believe right in your bones?" he said.

According to a statement issued by the organisers, the award caps a career spent shaping India's economic and moral discourse in defence of freedom, entrepreneurship and individual responsibility, themes that have run through Das' work for more than three decades. The statement said the cornerstone of his literary contribution is a quartet on the four classical Indian aims of life, which he interprets as a "timeless ideal of human flourishing in the contemporary world".

These books include India Unbound, The Difficulty of Being Good, Kama: The Riddle of Desire and Another Sort of Freedom. He has also written a novel, a book of essays and an anthology of plays. Das has also edited a 17-volume economic and business history of India for Penguin.

Das previously chaired the Board of Trustees of the Centre for Civil Society, one of India's leading public policy think tanks, and remains a member of the board. Speaking on Liberty 's mission, he said, "At a time when freedom is shrinking in the world, the work of Liberty is more relevant than ever".

Liberty , founded in 1982, has organised 40 world conferences, building a global network of scholars, entrepreneurs, policymakers and advocates committed to advancing the ideals of a "free and open society", the statement said. Das served as CEO of Procter & Gamble India before turning to writing full-time, and graduated in philosophy with honours from Harvard University, where he was awarded Phi Beta Kappa for "high attainments in liberal scholarship".

The award recognises Das' long public and literary engagement with ideas of liberty and individual responsibility, while also marking a first for an Indian writer at Liberty 's global gathering.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends