India, Japan reaffirm support for Nalanda EAS as a forum for dialogue

Acknowledging the significant role that the East Asia Summit (EAS) can play as a forum for building an open, inclusive and transparent architecture of regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, India and Japan today reaffirmed their support for the EAS as a forum for dialogue on broad strategic, political and economic issues of common interest and concern with the aim of promoting peace, stability and economic prosperity in East Asia.

"They (Indian Prime Minister and Japanese Prime Minister) acknowledged the significant role the EAS can play as a forum for building an open, inclusive and transparent architecture of regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. They welcomed the participation of the United States of America and the Russian Federation in the EAS," said a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after the meeting between Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Yoshihiko Noda here today.


"They expressed support for the EAS as a Leaders-led forum with ASEAN as the driving force. In the context of the Declaration of the East Asia Summit on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations and the Declaration on ASEAN Connectivity adopted at the 6th EAS, the two Prime Ministers reiterated their commitment to the promotion of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia (CEPEA) as a step towards attaining economic integration in East Asia," the statement adds.


The two leaders welcomed the progress to establish ASEAN Plus Working Groups and decided to cooperate in the Groups.They also expressed their support for ASEAN Connectivity and considered the possibility of having a "Connectivity Master Plan Plus" which would develop further linkages between ASEAN and its partners, with appropriate reference to the "Comprehensive Asia Development Plan", and welcomed support and inputs from Economic Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) for attaining economic integration in East Asia," the statement said.


"They noted with satisfaction that CEPA between India and Japan is an important step for regional integration," the statement adds.The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed the commitment of India and Japan, as two maritime nations in Asia, to the universally agreed principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other relevant international maritime law.


They affirmed expansion of cooperation in maritime security including safety and freedom of navigation and anti-piracy activities, by promoting bilateral and multilateral exercises, and through information sharing, as well as dialogues. In this context, they also welcomed the joint exercise between the Indian Coast Guard and the Japan Coast Guard to be held in January 2012.The two leaders appreciated the progress made with regard to the establishment of the Nalanda University and reiterated their support to its revival as an icon of Asian renaissance and as an international institute of excellence.


"India welcomed Japan's intention to provide tangible contribution to this initiative including through measures to enhance academic exchange and human resource development," the statement said.The two Prime Ministers noted with satisfaction that three rounds of India-Japan Dialogue on Africa have been concluded.
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Karmapa Lama keen to Join Nalanda International University project !

Buddhist Kagyud Lineage 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorjee has expressed his willingness to get associated with Nalanda International University Project if he gets an official invitation. "Nalanda International University project is an important attempt to revive Buddhist knowledge and culture. I am ready to associate with the project provided I get an official invitation," Dorjee said while talking to reporters here last evening. He, however, clarified that he had not received any formal invitation as yet but he was aware of the project.

"Is is a good effot to revive the historic Nalanda University. I thank all those who have joined the project at present. It will not only benefit the followers of Budhdhism but also enrich the people with Buddhist tradition, culture and religion," Dorjee said. Karmapa further said Nalanda and Vikramshila are two centres of knowledge and efforts must be made for their revival. Born in Tibet, Karmapa said the Himalayan country lives in his heart. To another question on ED action at a monastery in Himachal Pradesh, Dorjee said it had affected the freedom of movement of Agyen Trinley Dorjee, another Karmapa.
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NIU and Educacation Experts for better higher education in Bihar

A two-day international conference on 'Quality in Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunity in India', organized jointly by the state HRD department and Institute of Public Enterprises (IPE), Hyderabad, for preparing a road map for higher education in Bihar commenced here with state HRD minister P K Shahi appealing to the academics to find out solutions to meet the challenges of higher education in the state.

He stressed on improving the academic environment and imparting quality higher education of international standard in the universities in Bihar. The 64-year-old practice of governor being the chancellor of universities had to be reassessed, he said.

"Efforts are on to develop 50 colleges in the state as centres of excellence," Shahi said, adding that migration of Bihari students to other states for higher education can be checked only by improving the higher education scene in the state. He said that non-availability of competent faculties was a hindering factor which had to be addressed properly. Expressing serious concern over the decreasing number of students taking up studies of languages and literature, he said the talented new generation had to be motivated to study these subjects to create a base of good and talented teachers for higher education.

Pleading for increased outlay on higher education, he said that with mere Rs 12,000-crore budget, including for plan and non-plan schemes for human resources development in Bihar, a judicious use of the resources was needed for positive outcome. This could be achieved only with sound planning, he said. The state alone cannot bear the huge cost of quality higher education and so the opening of autonomous institutions should also be worked out, he said.

Principal secretary, HRD, Anjani Kumar Singh, said that in last 6-7 years, the government was able to revive primary education by reducing the dropout rate from 25% to 3%. Steps had been taken to improve secondary education and now effort is on to better higher education, including technical education. He said that a mismatch in demand and supply of faculties for higher education had to be solved for creation of centres of excellence in higher education. For this, the Aryabhat Knowledge University and Nalanda International University had been established.

IPE academic Mridula Sahay said that the theme of the international conference is "Passion for Higher Education" to bring qualitative and quantitative development in the field of higher education. In his inaugural address, the head, School of Economics and Statistics, Bond University, Australia, Kuldeep Kumar, said that awards should be given for innovation in teaching technology, teaching excellence, research supervision, outstanding service award. There should also be a review of teachers' commitment towards the profession, he said.
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Buddist Pilgrims flocking to Nalanda University

Thousands of Buddhist pilgrims from Thailand and worldwide are flocking to the holy sites in northern India and Nepal in what is becoming one of the travel industry's biggest growth sectors: religious tourism.

The numbers are growing in line with significant improvements being made in infrastructure as well as the quality of supporting travel and transport arrangements. Roads, airports and railway services are being upgraded. Dozens of hotels have emerged. One of them in Bodhgaya is appropriately named "Thai International".

The circuit incorporates various holy sites in Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Rajgir, Varanasi, Nalanda, Lumbini, Kushinagar and Sravasti, all associated with places where the Buddha was born, preached, attained enlightenment and died.

Known as "Following the Footsteps of the Buddha", the sites attract several hundred people a day. Most appear to be Sri Lankans who also come in the low-season summer months to enjoy lower hotel rates and airfares.

In the winter, from October-March, the regular traffic includes Thais and visitors from industrialised countries, both regulars and new Buddhist devotees. Last week, my group alone included people from Mexico, Mauritius, Italy, Hong Kong, the UK, Canada and India.

Separately, two other large all-Thai groups were also travelling on the Mahaparinirvan Express, a special rail journey organised by the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation, a division within the massive Indian railway system that caters to foreign visitors.


The rolling stock is leased from the railway enterprise and the price of US$150 to $160 per person per night is affordable to a middle-class market, preventing it from becoming too elitist.

Leading one of the groups was Narierut Pantong, managing director of Nisco Travel, which specialises in Buddhist tours. She says that everything is getting better by the year: the roads, quality of hotels, food and the tour arrangements.

"When I started these tours several years ago, the toilets on the train were always in a mess, and the hotel food was terrible. Now the Indian Railways people have evaluated the feedback and taken positive steps," she says.

Nalanda, site of what is claimed to be the world's oldest university, has been cleaned up extensively, with security guards posted to stop graffiti scrawling, one of the biggest problems at the sites.

Thais are coming in droves, to the extent where the young urchins in one village near a holy spot can even now count in Thai. The entire area is dotted with numerous Thai temples and monasteries that are well-maintained, thanks to the huge funds coming in via donations as well as purchases of souvenirs, amulets and Buddha images.

At one stop just before crossing the border to Nepal, a temple that functions as a rest and refreshment stop is manned entirely by Thai monks.

In Sravasti, Uttar Pradesh, where the Buddha spent 25 monsoon seasons, a huge Buddha image and a 110-metre stupa now under construction are under the aegis of the World Peacefulness Foundation, whose chairman and patron is Maha Upasika Sitthipol Bankot.

The entire area of several thousand square metres began with the planting of 9,999 banyan trees, creating a natural forest and a fresh-water reservoir. A huge meditation centre houses six large halls of 3,000 capacity each.

The area boasts several more temples and monasteries of various Buddhist denominations from Sri Lanka, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Tibet. Some are supported by governments but many are self-funded via donations.

But there is a considerable way to go. Some hardship is a necessary part of being on a pilgrimage. The Buddha sought to keep the focus on human suffering, and there is plenty of that in India, both in the villages as well as all along the roads and pathways.

Signage and waste disposal facilities are still poor. Civic sense remains a challenge. Garbage is strewn in many places, with plastic bottles even floating in the ponds at some sites. Beggars and vendors wait outside the holy spots, ready to swarm over pilgrims.

Carrying capacity will soon become an issue. The temple at Bodhgaya, the site of Buddha's enlightenment, can barely cope with the numbers and will soon face more pressure as the hundreds of daily visitors soon become thousands.

Indeed, Bodhgaya should see much improvement following a change of government in Bihar, long impoverished by the corrupt former administration.

Navigating this itinerary requires a good tour-management system so that devotees can remain focused on their primary purpose for being there.
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Reviving Ancient India Glory : Nalanda University !

Students and scholars from all over the world will soon be converging again at ancient capital of Magadha kings - Rajgir, Bihar to study at the new Nalanda International University.

The name “Nalanda” in Sanskrit means “giver of knowledge”: a combination of “nalam” (lotus, representing knowledge) and “da” (“to give”). Nalanda University of yore was founded according to historians in the fifth century (427 A.D.) as a place of learning for Buddhist monks and is known to have been one of the first great residential universities in recorded history. Today Nalanda is a World Heritage site. The ruins of the monastery are located about 55 miles south east of the modern Indian city of Patna.

The University taught a wide range of subjects besides Buddhism including fine arts, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, war tactics, and politics. Over ten thousand students were taught by a faculty of 2000 in the idyllic forested green surroundings. The ruins at Nalanda even today attracts a large number of tourists.

As part of an international effort the world renowned ancient Nalanda university is now being revived with the setting up of a modern university as an international centre of excellence.

The Nalanda International University is scheduled to begin academic activities from the 2013-14 session from rented premises with two subjects - Historical studies and Environment and Ecological studies - till the construction of its own campus is completed work on which is continuing.

Way back in 2006 former President APJ Abdul Kalam while addressing the Bihar Legislature on March 28,2006 stressed the need for establishing a new Nalanda University that would be a place for meeting of minds from the national and international arenas, to carry out research that would link philosophy to science, to technology, economy and spirituality and integrate both ancient and modern thinking.

As Bihar Government was also toying with the idea it unanimously passed the University of Nalanda Bill in March 2007. In the mid-March 2006 Singapore showed interest in the development of Nalanda as part of Buddhist circuit for the growth of tourism and as a site for a twenty first century learning institution linking South and East Asia.

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It was in the East Asia Summit held in Thailand in Oct 2009 that a decision was finally taken by the member countries which included the ten ASEAN countries and Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand, to set up the university. Later several other countries including the US too has given its support to the move.

The Nalanda University Bill was cleared by the Indian Parliament in 2010 to set up the University with a cost of Rs.1005 crore.

The University is initially going to have schools for Buddhist Studies, Philosophy and Comparative Religions; Historical Studies; International Relations and Peace Studies; Business Management in relation to Public Policy and Development Studies; Languages and Literature; Ecology and Environmental Studies. There are also plans to add one on Information Technology.

Initially the Planning Commission has allocated Rs. 50 crore as endowment fund in the form of a special grant for the commencement of activities and till such time the Nalanda University becomes sustainable on its own.

Both the External Affairs Ministry which is acting as the nodal Ministry for this project and Bihar government are closely monitoring the development of this prestigious international project. The government . of Bihar has already acquired about 500 acres of land in Rajgir close to the original Nalanda. An international architecture competition is to be held to finalise the design of Nalanda International University.

It is envisaged that the revival of the University will lead to the growth of Buddhist circuit giving a boost to the tourism industry.

Harking back to the time when Nalanda University was the biggest centre of learning in the Magadha empire the modern university too would like to associate and build linkages with the people living in the 200 odd villages surrounding Nalanda since ancient times. Setting up cottage industries and teaching students of the villages is being undertaken.

The University shall function as a public-private partnership and the funds shall be provided on voluntary basis by the Government of Member States of East Asia Summit.

The Nalanda International University planned to be a seat of learning, scholarship, philosophy and statecraft will be a non-state, non-profit, secular and self-governing international institution with a focus to attract the brightest and the most dedicated students from all countries of Asia. The objective of the university is “aimed at advancing the concept of an Asian community...and rediscovering old relationships.”

Several countries like Thailand, Australia, Singapore, Japan ,China, have shown interest in funding the University. Singapore has pledged US$4-5 million for building a library at Nalanda University. The huge library of ancient Nalanda University had been burned down. On December 16, 2010, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao contributed US$ 1 million dollars for the Nalanda University during his visit to India.

Eminent Sociologist Gopa Sabharwal has been appointed the first Vice Chancellor of Nalanda International University. Professor of Sociology at Lady Shri Ram College, Dr Gopa Sabharwal is an alumnus of Delhi School of Economics and had set up the Department of Sociology in Lady Shri Ram College of Delhi University in 1993.

The Nobel laureate Amartya Sen who is the Chairman of the Governing Board says, “Excellence and fairness in educating people in courses which are intellectually challenging and practically useful would be the guiding principles of the university.”
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Nalanda International University - the Buddha factor and India

The 17th Karmapa's monastery in Himachal Pradesh is among the highest seats of Tibetan Buddhism in the world. There is an air of unease here after the state police filed charges against the Karmapa for possessing unaccounted foreign currency. But commentators say the case will have little impact on the strategic nature of India's hospitality for Tibetan monks.

After the Dalai Lama fled Chinese-controlled Tibet to India in 1959, several key monks of Tibet have followed suit. “The presence of all the religious heads of Tibet on Indian soil gives India a kind of power that China cannot match... India hosts the emotional and cultural core of a vast part of Chinese territory,” said Tsering Phuntsok of Norbulingka Institute for preservation of Tibetan culture.

Sources in the Tibetan Government in Exile say China is faced with a unique security concern, as it fears that the Tibetan followers of the India-based lamas can unsettle Tibet any moment. About 30 per cent of the Tibetan refugee population in India constitutes lamas or monastic students. In Tibet, the students are initiated into the schools of the four top India-based lamas. The Chinese media claims that the network among the lamas leads to sedition in Tibet. A spate of self-immolation by Tibetan monks in China in recent months has affirmed this fear in the state-backed Chinese media.

The Chinese have been wooing Tibetan refugees to reduce the Indian influence. “The Chinese embassy in New Delhi will issue a fresh Chinese passport to any Tibetan who wants to return to Tibet or visit relatives for a short while,” said Phuntsok. However, the Embassy of China did not comment on this. Refugees in India complain they cannot speak to relatives in Tibet frequently, as the Chinese agencies regularly hack international calls. Last month, India-China border talks were postponed after China objected to the Dalai Lama speaking at a function on Buddhist philosophy in Delhi.

India's stand can be seen as a means to utilise historic ties with Buddhism to re-warm its Greater Asia policy, according to Ravni Thakur, associate professor at Delhi University. As part of South Block's Buddha-intensive policy, India is reviving the Nalanda University with Buddhist nations in East and Southeast Asia. Communist China is also playing the Buddha card by offering to develop Lumbini, birthplace of the Buddha, in Nepal and donating $1 million for the Nalanda University project.

Tibetans question this when China denies religious freedom in Tibet. Commentators point out that Buddhist ties have been a key factor in India-Sri Lanka relations and now Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Japan are also on the same page with India's Buddhist focus. “Our silent hosting of the Tibetan spiritual leaders has boosted India's image and indicates our willingness to play the cultural card actively to forge durable partnership with other neighbours of China,” said Shashank, former foreign secretary and a veteran of India's Look East policy.
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Let's build on Mauryan inspiration, says APJ Kalam

That modern India has been inspired by the Mauryan concepts of statecraft and governance is one of the significant insights provided in “The Dancing Girl: A History of Early India,” by Balaji Sadasivan (1955-2010), a neurosurgeon and Singapore's former Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

Capturing this facet of the author's findings, the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who launched the book at a function organised by The Hindu and SRM University here on Wednesday, said Chandragupta Maurya had built an empire based on a strong central government and a large, powerful army. “This model is virtually akin to the model being followed after our Independence.”

Another contribution of the Mauryas during the reign of Asoka, the former President noted, was the provision of moral and ethical dimension. “He defined that the primary purpose of the government was to provide peace, prosperity and welfare to all the citizens. The author rightly brings out that modern India looks to the Mauryan Empire for inspiration and has taken Mauryan Lion as the state emblem.”

Attributing the attainment of Independence to the phase of the freedom struggle which was led by Mahatma Gandhi, Mr. Kalam said people had to cherish and nurture Independence with the ethics and value system of the era of Chandragupta Maurya.

Quoting the author, Mr. Kalam said the Bhakti movement in India developed from Tamil-speaking south to Sanskrit-speaking north. The spiritual development of Hinduism was based on devotional songs, expressing ecstatic love for God. The compositions were mainly in Tamil, though the numbers of popular hymns were in Sanskrit. The Bhakti movement, encompassing Saivites and Vaishnavites, made Hinduism accessible to Indians of all States in both Sanskrit and regional languages, the former President pointed out.

S.R. Nathan, former President of Singapore, who presented copies of the book to donors, said it was labour of love written by an author who was captivated by the history of his ancestral homeland.

Pointing out that the rise of South Asia, like East Asia, was a civilisational one — though attention has been focussed on the economic potential — and the history of civilisations provided profound insights into their contemporary standing and the possible road ahead, Mr. Nathan said that from this perspective, the book offers much not only for the Diaspora but also for those who are in India itself.

Ma Swan Hoo, wife of Balaji Sadasivan, who accompanied him on numerous visits to historic sites across India, provided the rationale for naming the book ‘The Dancing Girl', which refers to a bronze statuette excavated from Mohenjodaro and a showpiece in the National Museum in Delhi. This 10.8-cm statue, a symbol of an advanced civilisation that existed about 4,500 years ago, was important to the history of India, she said.

Balaji Sadasivan, whose roots were in Arcot of Tamil Nadu, was a great lover of the history and civilisation of many countries. He chose to write on the history of India, a country he was so much in love with. He had originally planned to cover the history from ancient times to the present period over five volumes. This book is a combination of the first two volumes of 30 chapters and covers the ancient period up to the start of the decline of the Mughal reign in the 17 century.

Addressing the gathering, N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, praised Balaji Sadasivan's approach to history, and said the author regarded himself as an amateur but he was a gifted amateur. He instinctively realised that history was not an “unending catalogue of dull facts.”

By reading “The Dancing Girl,” one could learn a good deal about the mind and interests of the neurosurgeon and professional politician-turned historian. “He selects; draws out facts of significance, ignoring the dross and the trivial, and invests them with meaning. He provides interpretation. All interpretation is disputable but the historian must venture out to recreate, even trans-create, the historical picture. This is what this gifted amateur does in an engaging, accessible, enjoyable manner,” Mr. Ram added.

He appealed to Mr. Kalam to provide a push and use his moral influence for the Nalanda University revival project as there were reports of slow release of funds by the Union government to the project although the Bihar government had been very supportive.
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