India is reconstructing its glorious past. And I am not even exaggerating. India has been actually reinventing its glorious past in Bihar’s Nalanda. It all started on September 1, 2014, as Prime Minister Modi unveiled a grand project- restoring the ancient Nalanda University to its great glory.
And India is now about to inaugurate the key to its glorious past. Prime Minister Modi is likely to be invited for the inauguration of Nalanda University’s magnificent campus with state-of-the-art infrastructure.
PM Modi’s grand plans to restore the Nalanda University (NU) to its former glory
The grand project started on September 1, 2014, when NU started its academic session from a makeshift venue at the International Convention Centre in Rajgir, around 10 km from the ancient learning centre of Nalanda. On September 19, then Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj formally inaugurated it.
In its eight-year run, the varsity has been frequented by many dignitaries including former Presidents APJ Abdul Kalam and Pranab Mukherjee, as well as the incumbent President Ram Nath Kovind. A number of foreign dignitaries too have visited NU.
NU to move into a glorious era, once again
It is common knowledge that Nalanda University was the centre of knowledge and learning in ancient times. But in the year 1193, Bakhtiyar Khilji destroyed this University completely. And it remained in ruins for many years to come.
But in 2017, a major effort was made to restore it. The work for building a new, magnificent Nalanda University started in that year and is nearing completion now. Navbharat Times has given some interesting insights about the new NU campus.
It has been constructed with a high degree of sophistication and with due regard to the weather conditions of the region. The construction and design will keep the campus warm in the winter months, and cold in the summer months. Also, it will have many beautiful lakes creating a scenic view in which the campus will seem surrounded by water from all sides.
Prime Minister Modi to be invited to the inauguration of new NU campus
With the exquisite infrastructure of the Nalanda University campus ready, Vice Chancellor Sunaina Singh said, “We want the PM to give time and we will approach him soon with a request, as now 90% of the work on the administrative and academic side is complete. It is a Net Zero campus with water bodies spread across 100 acres in the 455-acre area. The work started in 2017 onwards only and it has taken shape in four years. It was former President APJ Abdul Kalam who was so closely associated with it and now, as the institution prepares to take off, it will be good to have the PM here, as it gels with his look-east policy.”
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The VC also made it clear that the University is already making great process. She said, “Now we have six schools. For regular courses, the intake is over 250, while overall it remains between 700-1000 due to the certificate and diploma courses we run. We have just launched a global master’s programme in Hindu Studies (Sanātana) and the response has been good not only from India but also from abroad. In 2014, NU started its academic programmes with two schools and just 12 students and we have covered a lot of distance to reach this far today, but it is just the beginning.”
The University is now at the cusp of reclaiming its glorious past. The M.A. programme in Hindu Studies has already grabbed global attention. The VC said, “We are the first university to launch it. The admission is still going on. Students from the US, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh etc. have already got enrolled. It is a global programme.”
When PM Modi inaugurates the new NU campus, he will not just open up a new era of academic opportunities for the country’s students but also start a new journey that will once again make India a world leader in academics and education.