KNOWLEDGE AND INTELLECTUAL BROKERING OF AMARTYA SEN!
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Will Bihar miss yet another golden opportunity of setting up Nalanda International University in Nalanda on the ruins of aancient Nalanda University? The ambitious university, which is to be established in Nalanda ,Bihar,under the aegis of East Asia Submit, mainly comprising China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand etc, as a regional initiative ,is gasping at its infancy stage because of "knowledge and intellectual brokering" by the chairman of the mentor group of the university, Amartya Sen, professor of Harvard universityty! With the idea conceived by the former President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, was deeply interested in opening of the university, the union and Bihar government completely agreed to revive the old civilisation and culture and set up the university of international standard nearby the ruins of the ancient Nalanda university, existed in Nalanda from 5th century CE to1197CE.The union government enacted a law for setting up university and Bihar government also provided lands, measuring over 443 acres of land for the university and handed over to the centre about one year back.The Bihar government also informed the mentor group for starting office of the university temporarily and for which a government building was also provided to the mentor group for office of the university at the nearby site.Sadly, today in reply to my e-mail APJ has said that he was now in no way connected with the proposed university!(pls see bihar times.com)
Ssubsequently, the union government constituted a mentor group in 2007 under the chairmanship of Sen. Other members of the group are Sugat Bose, Professor ,Harvard University, Wang Bunwei, professor of Beizing university,Meghnath Desai, professor of London School of Economics,George Geo, ex-minister, Singapore, Tansen Sen,AP.Baruch, CUNY, and N K Singh, a former IAS and MP of JD(U) from Bihar. The mentor group, which was entrusted to examine the frame work of international cooperation and proposed structures of partnership, for governing and establishing the university as an international centre of education and learning. The group was to submit report within two years of its constitution and recommend the start of functioning of the university by 2013. But even after the lapse of nearly four years, the mentor group led by Sen is yet to submit the report to the union government despite over a dozen meetings of stake -holders countries in different parts of Asia!
The university, a dream project of APJ, is being funded by stake -holders countries. Japan and Singapore are financing for construction with contribution of over US$ 100 million. China donated US$ one million with assurances and promises of more and more assistance for the university.Over US$ 500 million will be required to create new faculties. Another US$500 million will be spent to sufficiently improve surrounding structures. Everything was going on smoothly over nine months back.
Suddenly and surprisingly, the mentor group chairman Sen appointed glamorous one Gopa Shabarwal , who is reader in the Lady Sri Ram College, Delhi, as the vice-chancellor of the university in illegal manner and also opened office of the university in one of the posh colonies of Delhi when Bihar government was ready to hand over building to locate temporary office at nearby site of the proposed university!. Has Sen ignored members of mentor group in appointing Gopa as V-c of the university?Here I am not throwing blame on other members of the mentor group as one of the important members of the group N K Singh has e-mailed me ,"--------certainly bring its contents to the notice of the next meeting of governing board." I had e-mailed Singh the copy of my open letter to Amartya Sen about his un justification in appointing a reader as V-C of the international university, violating all norms, rules, laws, UGC guidelines etc and also drawing Singh's attention on critical fate of the proposed university in Nalanda in Bihar! Only a professor of ten years experiences of professorship can be V-C of any university in India not a reader like glamorous Gopa Sabharwal.
More over, Gopa has also appointed one of her close friends and "sakhi" from Delhi university one Ms Sharma as officer on special duty. Sen is so kind and magnanimous that he has allowed monthy salary of over Rs five lakh to Gopa and over Rs 3.5 lakh to Ms Sharma . Not only that Gopa is allowed frequent tours of foreign countries on so called university work-currently she is perhaps in Japan on so called university work. Anybody can imagine the clouts of Gopa and her mentor Amartya Sen in the corridor of power in Manmohan Singh govt in Delhi and Nitish Kumar Kumar government in Bihar!
All these facts have come to notice with a reply to Right to Information Act petitioner from human resource and external affairs ministries. Apart from that the union minister of state for external affairs E Ahmed has also informed the Parliament recently that no V-C has been appointed for the proposed international university. Apart from resentment among people of the country, particularly from Bihar, every bodies are stunt over such nefarious game of Sen and "golden silence of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the issue". Strangely, the state,national and international media are also silent surreptitiously over the issue. However a news website Bihar Times .com is keeping posted the people of all related development on Nalanda university. IS it really the fact that media are under under declared censorship in Bihar under Nitish Kumar regime"?
The proposed university was to start with seven schools of learning and more to be expanded later on. Before I conclude my story about nefarious design of vested interests to torpedo in the opening of proposed world-fame university, I must recall the facts about ancient Nalanda university. Historically ,the university was initially established during the reign of a King, called Sakradityas. This ancient university in Nalanda attracted the students from Korea, Japan, China, Indonesia, Turkey, Greece, and Persia etc The Tang dynasty Chinese pilgrim and scholar Xuanzang had studied and taught in the ancient university for 15 years. He had depicted the detailed account o f the university in the 7th century!The gradual destruction of the university, which used to impart learning and teaching to over 10, 000 students with 2000 teachers from different parts of the globe during those period, started firstly by Huns under Mihirkula in the reign of Sakandgupta(455-467AD), second attempt to destroy the university was made by Goudas in early 7th century and final blow to destroy the university completely was initiated by Afghans invaders by Bakhtiyar Khilji -1193 and finally the ancient university was converted into ruins in Nalanda. Currently, the ancient university sites are under excavation by ASI and unique things are being discovered from dug up earth at the sites!
Now the dream project is being ruined nearby the site of ruined ancient university by our own men, led by Sen before it becomes a reality! Thanks to the Manmohan government and Nitish Kumar government, a silent spectators of naked drama of destruction!
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Will Bihar miss yet another golden opportunity of setting up Nalanda International University in Nalanda on the ruins of aancient Nalanda University? The ambitious university, which is to be established in Nalanda ,Bihar,under the aegis of East Asia Submit, mainly comprising China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand etc, as a regional initiative ,is gasping at its infancy stage because of "knowledge and intellectual brokering" by the chairman of the mentor group of the university, Amartya Sen, professor of Harvard universityty! With the idea conceived by the former President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, was deeply interested in opening of the university, the union and Bihar government completely agreed to revive the old civilisation and culture and set up the university of international standard nearby the ruins of the ancient Nalanda university, existed in Nalanda from 5th century CE to1197CE.The union government enacted a law for setting up university and Bihar government also provided lands, measuring over 443 acres of land for the university and handed over to the centre about one year back.The Bihar government also informed the mentor group for starting office of the university temporarily and for which a government building was also provided to the mentor group for office of the university at the nearby site.Sadly, today in reply to my e-mail APJ has said that he was now in no way connected with the proposed university!(pls see bihar times.com)
Ssubsequently, the union government constituted a mentor group in 2007 under the chairmanship of Sen. Other members of the group are Sugat Bose, Professor ,Harvard University, Wang Bunwei, professor of Beizing university,Meghnath Desai, professor of London School of Economics,George Geo, ex-minister, Singapore, Tansen Sen,AP.Baruch, CUNY, and N K Singh, a former IAS and MP of JD(U) from Bihar. The mentor group, which was entrusted to examine the frame work of international cooperation and proposed structures of partnership, for governing and establishing the university as an international centre of education and learning. The group was to submit report within two years of its constitution and recommend the start of functioning of the university by 2013. But even after the lapse of nearly four years, the mentor group led by Sen is yet to submit the report to the union government despite over a dozen meetings of stake -holders countries in different parts of Asia!
The university, a dream project of APJ, is being funded by stake -holders countries. Japan and Singapore are financing for construction with contribution of over US$ 100 million. China donated US$ one million with assurances and promises of more and more assistance for the university.Over US$ 500 million will be required to create new faculties. Another US$500 million will be spent to sufficiently improve surrounding structures. Everything was going on smoothly over nine months back.
Suddenly and surprisingly, the mentor group chairman Sen appointed glamorous one Gopa Shabarwal , who is reader in the Lady Sri Ram College, Delhi, as the vice-chancellor of the university in illegal manner and also opened office of the university in one of the posh colonies of Delhi when Bihar government was ready to hand over building to locate temporary office at nearby site of the proposed university!. Has Sen ignored members of mentor group in appointing Gopa as V-c of the university?Here I am not throwing blame on other members of the mentor group as one of the important members of the group N K Singh has e-mailed me ,"--------certainly bring its contents to the notice of the next meeting of governing board." I had e-mailed Singh the copy of my open letter to Amartya Sen about his un justification in appointing a reader as V-C of the international university, violating all norms, rules, laws, UGC guidelines etc and also drawing Singh's attention on critical fate of the proposed university in Nalanda in Bihar! Only a professor of ten years experiences of professorship can be V-C of any university in India not a reader like glamorous Gopa Sabharwal.
More over, Gopa has also appointed one of her close friends and "sakhi" from Delhi university one Ms Sharma as officer on special duty. Sen is so kind and magnanimous that he has allowed monthy salary of over Rs five lakh to Gopa and over Rs 3.5 lakh to Ms Sharma . Not only that Gopa is allowed frequent tours of foreign countries on so called university work-currently she is perhaps in Japan on so called university work. Anybody can imagine the clouts of Gopa and her mentor Amartya Sen in the corridor of power in Manmohan Singh govt in Delhi and Nitish Kumar Kumar government in Bihar!
All these facts have come to notice with a reply to Right to Information Act petitioner from human resource and external affairs ministries. Apart from that the union minister of state for external affairs E Ahmed has also informed the Parliament recently that no V-C has been appointed for the proposed international university. Apart from resentment among people of the country, particularly from Bihar, every bodies are stunt over such nefarious game of Sen and "golden silence of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the issue". Strangely, the state,national and international media are also silent surreptitiously over the issue. However a news website Bihar Times .com is keeping posted the people of all related development on Nalanda university. IS it really the fact that media are under under declared censorship in Bihar under Nitish Kumar regime"?
The proposed university was to start with seven schools of learning and more to be expanded later on. Before I conclude my story about nefarious design of vested interests to torpedo in the opening of proposed world-fame university, I must recall the facts about ancient Nalanda university. Historically ,the university was initially established during the reign of a King, called Sakradityas. This ancient university in Nalanda attracted the students from Korea, Japan, China, Indonesia, Turkey, Greece, and Persia etc The Tang dynasty Chinese pilgrim and scholar Xuanzang had studied and taught in the ancient university for 15 years. He had depicted the detailed account o f the university in the 7th century!The gradual destruction of the university, which used to impart learning and teaching to over 10, 000 students with 2000 teachers from different parts of the globe during those period, started firstly by Huns under Mihirkula in the reign of Sakandgupta(455-467AD), second attempt to destroy the university was made by Goudas in early 7th century and final blow to destroy the university completely was initiated by Afghans invaders by Bakhtiyar Khilji -1193 and finally the ancient university was converted into ruins in Nalanda. Currently, the ancient university sites are under excavation by ASI and unique things are being discovered from dug up earth at the sites!
Now the dream project is being ruined nearby the site of ruined ancient university by our own men, led by Sen before it becomes a reality! Thanks to the Manmohan government and Nitish Kumar government, a silent spectators of naked drama of destruction!
v good article sir..
ReplyDeletethanks for compliments, kksingh
ReplyDelete