During his lifetime, a man can have several identities. That was the subject of an entire book titled Identity & Violence—the illusion of destiny by Amartya Sen. He cited instances to establish how the same person can have different identities in his lifetime and how these identities assume importance over others at different times. The book made me think afresh about my own identities—one as a Bengali who is a Muslim as well, one who grew up in a village, was educated in urban centres, who now has a doctorate degree and who is associated with a research institute.