Nalanda University: It is to be revived as Harvard of Bihar !!

Nalanda emerged as a University much before the learning centres were set up in Europe. The ruins tell the story of learning cum monastic centre which had students from Korea,Japan,China,Tibet, Greece,Turkey and many other countries.

The Bazar shadowing the entry to the ruins is filled with Tum Tums,Tata(cars) and Tibetans.During the time i.e.end of Dec.2011when we went to this unforgettable place, there were about 90% of the tourists from Budhist countries.The Bazar is rich source of money to the exchequer of Bihar. The Nalanda University is an architect's delight. During its heyday, the university offered Sanskrit,public health,medicine and economics in the truly Budhist traditions. The Centre had eight compounds,10 temples,meditation halls, classrooms,lakes and parks. It accommodated 10,000 students and more than 2000 teachers.

The idea for Revival of Nalanda as a centre of higher learning was proposed by the then President of India,Shri A.P.J.Abdul Kalam in 2006. The Nalanda University Bill 2010 was passed by both houses of Parliament and became an Act. The first phase of this reconstruction and revival is likely to begin by mid 2014. It will be different from today 's Oxford or Standford.It will not be modern materialistc centre of learning. It will be rather be a path to Nirvana.

The new Campus will be designed through global design competition.It would be committed to a sustainable environment and one of the first school will be the one on ecology and environment Each section of the new interdisciplanary buildings will "speak to each other the way scholars would like do".

It could be that the revival of this Varisty and other religious places like Ayodhaya,Thiruvananthapuram and other heritage places (as envisaged) could be regeneration of new India where there is no materialism,secterian hatred and misunderstandings. Perhaps there would be no sunset.

Bihar could be once again Vihar of Buddhists values, of middle path, away from excruciating pain and mindless ecstasy. It could be as Green as this as this route to Nalanda shows.
Read more: http://goo.gl/HCeho

Nalanda University and Buddha's last sermon

Nalanda - the first university of the world - is close to the place where Buddha delivered His last sermon. Ruins of Nalanda stretches out below us, a poem in red. The remains of this ancient monastic university, located on the way from Patna to Rajgir consist of classrooms, stupas, monk's cells and temples. The crimson of the bricks glows in the light of the midday sun,” said Kauusalya anthanam writing a news feature on the world’s first university, the Nalanda.

“Some of the bricks look worn with age while others look bright and new; one admires their quality and endurance for the university is said to have flourished from the 5th to the 12th Century A.D. I have only to shut my eyes to think of the robed monks making their way across the impressive structures to attend classes in logic, grammar or medicine, and above all Buddhist studies. All the subjects Nalanda was famous for and that brought students here from many countries” the journalist from the Hindu said further.

Spanning dynasties

Nalanda was believed to have been visited by Buddha and Mahavira in the 6th Century B.C. Mahavira is said to have often spent the rainy season here, according to Jain texts. The ruins conjure up a panorama of planned and well-executed architecture. During the excavations, nine levels of construction were discovered, contributed to by the various dynasties - the Gupta, Sunga and Pala rulers. The ruins are at various levels. Presiding over them all are the grand ruins of the great temple with the shallow stepsleading up to it. Our guide,Santhanam said an elderly man, has a Masters in Pali.

“The curved shape that forms the base on the ground is typical of the architecture of the Gupta dynasty while the bricks in the reconstructed ruins are an intermingling of various centuries,” he says.

“As one walks up the steps to a reconstructed parapet or down to the granary or the cell of the monks with its stone beds, it is easy to visualise their way of life. The Chinese pilgrim Fa Hien perhaps visited Nalanda in the 4th Century A.D. while Hiuen Tsang did so in the 7th Century A.D., our guide goes on. Hiuen Tsang's lyrical description when he came here during the reign of King Harshavardhana who was a great patron of Nalanda matches the poetic name of the university that derived from the lotus, the symbol of knowledge: “where an azure pool winds around the monasteries, adorned with the full-blown cups of the blue lotus…”

“Nalanda spread its fragrance till the invasion by the Turks destroyed it in the 12th Century. The university was also devastated by fire. It vanished from view, an obscure mound till Francis Buchanan discovered it in 1812. But it was Sir Alexander Cunningham who identified it as Nalanda in 1861. The Archaeological Survey of India took up the excavation in a big way in the early years of the last century. At the archaeological museum nearby we see magnificent images of the Buddha, terracotta figures and artifacts recovered from the site. But what is unique is the image of Trailokyvijaya trampling over Siva and Parvati, testifying to the tussle between Buddhism and Hinduism.

“From Nalanda we hop over to Rajgir, just 12 km away. We stop at the base of the hill at the small ropeway station. A chair car appears swinging before me, someone thrusts me in, slams the horizontal bar and before I know it I am airborne with only my prayers to keep me company. Eyes shut, I manage to reach the top. But is it worth it! The domed white structure that houses images of the Buddha in the four corners is striking.

“But more impressive is the fact that the Buddha would climb up here to Griddhakuta or Hill of the Vultures to deliver his sermons to his disciples and to the crowds gathered below.

“After descending the hill and travelling a short distance, we are brought to earth with a nasty thud as we near the remnants that are claimed to have been a royal jail. It is believed King Bimbisara of Magadha was imprisoned here by his son Ajathashatru in an unforgivable hurry to get the throne.

The last sermon

“We soon come upon a magnificent sight in Kolhua — a huge stupa surrounded by smaller ones. Towering above them is the Asokan pillar mounted by the lion — he sits there firmly, lord of all that he surveys and witness to the events of the past 2,300 years! The plaque says this was where Buddha preached his last sermon and announced his approaching nirvana.

Nalanda the first University of world !!

“The ruins of Nalanda stretch out below us, a poem in red. The remains of this ancient monastic university, located on the way from Patna to Rajgir consist of classrooms, stupas, monk’s cells and temples. The crimson of the bricks glows in the light of the midday sun,” said Kauusalya Santhanam writing a news feature on the world’s first university, the Nalanda.

“Some of the bricks look worn with age while others look bright and new; one admires their quality and endurance for the university is said to have flourished from the 5th to the 12th Century A.D. I have only to shut my eyes to think of the robed monks making their way across the impressive structures to attend classes in logic, grammar or medicine, and above all Buddhist studies. All the subjects Nalanda was famous for and that brought students here from many countries” the journalist from the Hindu said further.


Spanning dynasties

Nalanda was believed to have been visited by Buddha and Mahavira in the 6th Century B.C. Mahavira is said to have often spent the rainy season here, according to Jain texts. The ruins conjure up a panorama of planned and well-executed architecture. During the excavations, nine levels of construction were discovered, contributed to by the various dynasties — the Gupta, Sunga and Pala rulers. The ruins are at various levels. Presiding over them all are the grand ruins of the great temple with the shallow stepsleading up to it. Our guide,Santhanam said an elderly man, has a Masters in Pali.

“The curved shape that forms the base on the ground is typical of the architecture of the Gupta dynasty while the bricks in the reconstructed ruins are an intermingling of various centuries,” he says.

“As one walks up the steps to a reconstructed parapet or down to the granary or the cell of the monks with its stone beds, it is easy to visualise their way of life. The Chinese pilgrim Fa Hien perhaps visited Nalanda in the 4th Century A.D. while Hiuen Tsang did so in the 7th Century A.D., our guide goes on. Hiuen Tsang’s lyrical description when he came here during the reign of King Harshavardhana who was a great patron of Nalanda matches the poetic name of the university that derived from the lotus, the symbol of knowledge: “where an azure pool winds around the monasteries, adorned with the full-blown cups of the blue lotus…”

“Nalanda spread its fragrance till the invasion by the Turks destroyed it in the 12th Century. The university was also devastated by fire. It vanished from view, an obscure mound till Francis Buchanan discovered it in 1812. But it was Sir Alexander Cunningham who identified it as Nalanda in 1861. The Archaeological Survey of India took up the excavation in a big way in the early years of the last century. At the archaeological museum nearby we see magnificent images of the Buddha, terracotta figures and artifacts recovered from the site. But what is unique is the image of Trailokyvijaya trampling over Siva and Parvati, testifying to the tussle between Buddhism and Hinduism.

“From Nalanda we hop over to Rajgir, just 12 km away. We stop at the base of the hill at the small ropeway station. A chair car appears swinging before me, someone thrusts me in, slams the horizontal bar and before I know it I am airborne with only my prayers to keep me company. Eyes shut, I manage to reach the top. But is it worth it! The domed white structure that houses images of the Buddha in the four corners is striking.

“But more impressive is the fact that the Buddha would climb up here to Griddhakuta or Hill of the Vultures to deliver his sermons to his disciples and to the crowds gathered below.

“After descending the hill and travelling a short distance, we are brought to earth with a nasty thud as we near the remnants that are claimed to have been a royal jail. It is believed King Bimbisara of Magadha was imprisoned here by his son Ajathashatru in an unforgivable hurry to get the throne.

The last sermon

“We soon come upon a magnificent sight in Kolhua — a huge stupa surrounded by smaller ones. Towering above them is the Asokan pillar mounted by the lion — he sits there firmly, lord of all that he surveys and witness to the events of the past 2,300 years! The plaque says this was where Buddha preached his last sermon and announced his approaching nirvana.

:We also visit the stupa now in ruins, which marks the spot where one eighth of the relics of the Buddha were buried. As we drive back to Patna, the past seems more potent than the present and the intervening centuries, a mirage.”
Read more:http://goo.gl/jtUpH

Panel spoils varsity office shift plan of Nalanda University !!

A parliamentary panel has slammed South Block and the Nalanda Mentor Group’s attempt to set up an important department of the upcoming Nalanda University in New Delhi and not in Bihar.

In its report tabled in both the Houses on the functioning of the external affairs ministry (MEA), the parliamentary standing committee directed the ministry to review its plan to have a school of international studies and a project office in Delhi.

In the report tabled on May 8, the committee recommended that the school “be set up on the main university campus”. The report did not name Nalanda University vice-chancellor Gopa Sabharwal but “desire(d) that the responsibility to develop this institution should be given to those who are devoted, genuine and committed to make selfless efforts for development of this prime institution while sitting at the location of the institution and certainly not in Delhi”.

It said it was “not at all convinced with the reasons furnished by” the MEA about the location of the school and project office in Delhi. The committee “strongly” felt that the idea to set up the school and project office in Delhi “will defeat the very purpose of setting up the Nalanda University and are against the spirit of the idea of setting up of the university at the ancient place of knowledge”.

The MEA had put forth the governing board of the university’s reasons to shift its VC’s office and the school to New Delhi in front of the committee. The board has cited lack of toilet facilities, sewage connections, water supply and other basic amenities in Rajgir as reasons for the shift.

MEA officials had told the parliamentary committee that having a project office in Delhi would make it easier for its officials to interact with the university. They also argued that the roads between Patna and Rajgir were very narrow and congested and it can take upto five hours to cover the nearly 100km stretch.

In the governing board meeting, it was argued that the VC office and its staff cannot function out of the building in Rajgir provided by the Bihar government as a camp office because of the absence of toilet and sewage facility and that extensive construction work is required to make the premises habitable. Nobel laureate Amartya Sen heads the governing board.

Responding to media reports that she was trying to shift the vice-chancellor’s office to Delhi, Sabarwal said such reports were based on certain presumptions, which were far from truth. “The commitment of the governing board and the university to Rajgir and Bihar is unquestionable and absolute. University officials are frequently in Rajgir and also Patna, and are closely monitoring the progress on the site and on other related issues. The fact that the university is launching its academic programme with the schools of historical studies and ecology and environment, proves beyond doubt that Nalanda University is rooted in its setting. Both schools have a resonance with a rich historical legacy of Bihar and the bucolic setting of the university,” she said.

On the plan to set up the school of international relations and peace studies in Delhi, she said it was too early to talk about a school that is not being set up in the immediate future. “The justification for having some part of that school in Delhi, when it is founded, is that the Diplomatic Corps and the MEA are both in Delhi and it makes sense for Nalanda University to draw upon both these groups for the school,” she said.

“Moreover our Act permits that the university can open centres anywhere in India or abroad,” Sabharwal told The Telegraph over phone from Delhi.

She said that an office of the university needed to be set up at Delhi because it was an international project and having an office was a must for liaison purpose. “We want to make things clear at the outset that the university would be located very much in Bihar and there was no point making an issue out of things which are being done at present to secure the foundations of the project,” added the VC.

The parliamentary panel also berated the MEA for projecting a huge outlay of nearly Rs 600 crore for the university for the fiscal 2012-13. The Planning Commission approved only Rs 15 crore for the sam fiscal.

The BJP MP Ananth Kumar-headed committee “noted” that during the 11th Five Year Plan period, there were several instances of the plan panel making “inadequate allocations”. It blamed the MEA for making “inappropriate projections” that led to the Planning Commission allocating less funds.

The committee said it was “dismayed to observe the lack of progress” on Nalanda University. It said it was “not at all convinced by the ministry’s justification in making such huge projections” of Rs 598.5 crore for 2012-13 when the university is yet to embark on the Global Designs Competition.

The parliamentary panel said it was “concerned about the contents of the curriculum and the standards and quality of the academic courses to be introduced in the Nalanda University”.

It said the university should emerge as a valuable resource for promotion of studies and research in oriental cultures, literary tradition and languages and civilization based on the native knowledge systems and it should act as a living repository of cultural and literary traditions of the region.
Read more: http://goo.gl/FRws0

Dr A.P.J Kalam Dissociates Himself From Nalanda University

Former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has dissociated himself from the upcoming Nalanda International University in Bihar, says his aide.

The former president's personal secretary R.K. Prasad told IANS over telephone from Delhi that Kalam dissociated himself from the university, which is coming up in Nalanda district, about two months ago.

"Kalam is no longer connected with the university," Prasad said. He had earlier been appointed the university's first visitor, a key post.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's office could not confirm the news. An official in his office told IANS: "We have no information of any such thing."

Media reports here say Kalam was not in agreement with some of the decisions of the Nalanda Mentor Group (NMG).

Kumar himself is yet to say anything on the issue.

An official associated with the proposed Nalanda International University said three months ago Kalam had refused to be the visitor.

"Kalam turned down the offer in mid May when a letter from the external affairs ministry reached him in this connection, nearly seven months after the gazette notification was issued and the Nalanda University Act came into force," an official said.

According to officials, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, who headed NMG, requested Kalam to accept the offer. The latter said he would teach and have other engagements, but not as a visitor.

The idea of the university was first mooted in the late 1990s but it was Kalam's initiative in early 2006 that gave shape to the project.

Later Kalam was appointed the university's first visitor who was to play a key role in the constitution of the governing body, the varsity's supreme body.

The visitor will also have the power to inspect the varsity and appoint one or more people to review its work and progress.

In February 2008, Kalam accompanied by Nitish Kumar visited the site where the land was acquired for the university.

In July this year, it was decided in the meeting of the NMG that the university would begin in 2013 with two schools - the school of historical sciences and the school of environment and ecology - if the Bihar government provided suitable accommodation.

Officials said the state government had acquired nearly 500 acres of land and infrastructure work was on at the site.

The university will be fully residential, like the ancient Nalanda. It will have courses in science, philosophy and spiritualism along with other subjects.

The new university will be built in an area of 446 acres in Rajgir, 10 km from the site of the ancient university in Nalanda district.

A fifth century architectural marvel, the ancient centre of learning was home to over 10,000 students and nearly 2,000 teachers from the world over. Though it was devoted to Buddhist studies, it also trained students in subjects such as fine arts, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, politics and the art of war.
Read more: http://goo.gl/kHvoC

Bihar Government sets terms for President mentor group

The Presidency University mentor group, with Harvard University professor Sugata Bose as its chairman, doesn't want the new university to be just another addition to the list, encaged within the run-ofthe-mill Act passed in the West Bengal assembly during the Left regime.

The Nalanda mentor group will be looking at complete overhaul, right from setting up search committees for recruitment of teaching staff and officers up to the level of the vice-chancellor, and streamlining the admission procedure to attracting the best talents. The group is also leaving open the option of keeping the newborn varsity a state one, or giving it a central university status, or recommending the "new innovation university" tag for it. At least, that is what the terms of reference for the mentor group indicate.

The Harvard professor and chairman of the mentor group handed out the terms of reference to the media on Wednesday after he called on chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Writers' Buildings. Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen has agreed to advise the chairman. "The chief minister will be meeting Sen when he comes to Kolkata on July 8. As you know, we are both in the Nalanda mentor panel," said Bose.

Jadavpur University emeritus professor Sukanta Chaudhuri has been included in the 10-member mentor group, despite his resigning from the committee set up for improving higher education as a whole. During his meeting with the CM, Bose also took note of the suggestions made by the illustrious Presidency College alumni and teachers in several platforms, the latest being a seminar organised by the Presidency College Alumni Association.

The aim of the mentor group would be to suggest ways to groom the new university into a centre of excellence with emphasis on merit and high quality teaching that was once the USP of the premier education institution. While charting out the terms of reference in consultation with Sugata Bose, the chief minister took care to plug all possible loopholes that might frustrate the goal.

For instance, the state government wants the mentor group to come out of the confines of the Act, and suggest a model university governance structure appropriate to pursue "excellence and equity." They include introduction of multi-disciplinary studies, electronic access to library, cross-registration agreements with research institutes in West Bengal and India and also develop international partnership with select universities all over the world.

In a bid to achieve all these, the new university needs an outstanding and diverse faculty who can foresee and innovate changes in the curricula and make amends to it from time to time to keep abreast with the latest changes in the academia. At the administrative level, the mentor group will try out ways to remove all sorts of "red tapism" as far as possible that had stunted the growth of the teaching staff in terms of conducting research, attending international seminars and also getting grants from several funding agencies. The mentor group also leaves room for participation of the alumni in the development of the university, both academic and financial. The university vice-chancellor Amita Chatterjee, while speaking at the alumni seminar, referred to some of the teething problems such as space constraint, dearth of sanctioned teaching posts, a rich library and state-of-the-art laboratory, apart from teaching staff.

According to chairman Sugata Bose, the 10-member committee will submit some short-term and longterm recommendations and progress reports to the government in phases beginning August 2011. The next four reports will come in January 2012, August 2012, January 2013 and June 2013. The mentor group has eight members at the moment with a provision to co-opt two more members adding up to a total 10. They include Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, Harvard professor Sugata Bose, Isher Judge Ahluwalia of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, MIT professor Abhijit Banerjee, director National Library Swapan Chakraborty, Jadavpur University emeritus professor Sukanta Chaudhuri, Freiburg professor Himadri Pakrasi, Allahabad University professor Ashoke Sen.

Nalanda University will take time to grow: Amartya Sen !!

The grand vision of resurrecting the ancient international glories of Nalanda University may take some time to fulfil as ambitions are being tailored to current financial limitations, admitted Amartya Sen, chairman of the Nalanda Mentor Group.

The Group concluded its two-day meeting here on Tuesday, having worked on a blueprint to set up the international venture. The first big step toward making the dream a reality is likely to be taken this week, when the Nalanda University Bill, approved by the Union Cabinet last month, is introduced in Parliament.

However, Dr. Sen admitted that the University would be starting relatively small — and the growth could be relatively slow. “The building work will begin as soon as the Bill passes…I should imagine that within a couple of years, there will be buildings and we will begin faculty appointments. You must understand that a university takes a long time to establish.”

He pointed out that it was unclear when the ancient university was started, with a section of historians saying that it probably began life as a local institution in the 4th century and grew to an international stature in the 5th century. Its heyday came only in the 7th century.

Money — or the lack of it — is part of the reason for the slow growth envisaged. Answering a question of the international nature of the student body, Dr. Sen said that while the University was committed to a globally diverse population, it would be “feasible when the funding comes up.”

Similarly, when asked about the lack of science courses in an institution that was renowned for its mathematicians and astronomers in ancient days, Dr. Sen pointed out that the study of science required expensive equipment in modern days.

“It is much more expensive than setting up literature or business schools. The feasibility question did influence the choice of subjects,” said Dr. Sen, adding that the Bill allowed for the addition of new schools later. “If we were to raise more money, could we start a new School of Mathematics or Astronomy? Of course, yes.”

In fact, his repeated phrase was “in the fullness of time,” curbing the impatience of questioners demanding a deadline for the project.

The only money currently available is the Rs.50 crore, allocated by the Planning Commission as an endowment fund in the form of special grant for the commencement of activities. However, the Bill puts the estimated cost of establishing the University at Rs.1,005 crore. Funds are being welcomed from private donors, as well as the governments of the east Asia region, which have initiated the project in the first place.

Read more: Nalanda University will take time to grow: Amartya Sen

Nalanda university to get $4m grant !!

Buddhist organizations in Singapore have committed to give almost $4 million to rebuild the famous library in Nalanda University but the UPA government is yet to pass legislation in Parliament that will give life to this project.

The Nalanda mentor group on Tuesday announced Gopa Sabharwal as the vice-chancellor-designate and hoped that the project would get underway within the next couple of years. Amartya Sen, chairman of the mentor group, said the group had crafted a plan to revive the educational institution, which had attracted students from across the world in ancient times. Sabharwal is a professor in sociology at Delhi's Lady Sri Ram College.

George Yeo, visiting Singapore foreign minister and member of the mentor group, said he hoped "that by the East Asia summit, the bill will be passed and work will begin". Nalanda University is a pet project of the Indian government as a showpiece diplomacy in Asia, resurrecting an ancient seat of Buddhist learning at its original site in Rajgir, Bihar.

Sen said they were looking at both public and private funding for the university. Planning Commission has promised funds for the university, he said. The seat of learning and excellence plans to have partners from universities in the western world, as well as institutes like Chulalongkorn University of Thailand.

Along with Buddhist studies and religion and divinity, the university plans to offer studies in humanities and contemporary sciences like information technology and environment.

Read more: Nalanda university to get $4m grant