AN AMBITIOUS ATTEMPT OF the Indian academy, ruined by six-plus decades of continuous Central and state government interference and over-subsidisation of tuition fees, to make a global impact, has suffered a severe setback.
In a letter dated February 19 addressed to the board of governors of Nalanda University, promoted to revive the ancient glory of the eponymous varsity which in the 5th century BCE attracted students from around the world, economics Nobel laureate Dr. Amartya Sen resigned his post as chancellor with effect from July when his first three-year tenure ends. In a subsequent statement, Sen clarified that he won’t reconsider his decision as he has reasons to believe that the newly-elected BJP-led government at the Centre is against his reappointment as chancellor.
Even though Sen had publicly criticised the majoritarian politics of the BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the run-up to General Election 2014 in which the BJP-led NDA coalition roundly trounced the Congress party, Sen’s decision has generated shock waves in Indian academia. However, given that the Central government (under the Congress dispensation) had pledged to contribute Rs.2,727 crore of the estimated project cost of Rs.3,000 crore of the new varsity assuming shape and form in the small town of Rajgir (pop.41,587), contiguous to the ruins of the ancient Nalanda University in the backward state of Bihar, Sen’s resignation wasn’t entirely unexpected.
But with the new Nalanda University having begun its operations with the admission of 16 students in two disciplines and 11 faculty members in rented accommodation last September, Sen’s departure has come at an awkward time when — inevitably — the fledgling institution is experiencing teething pains. Former president Dr. Abdul Kalam and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar who championed the cause of establishing Nalanda University-II, were conspicuous absentees at the inaugural function. Dr. Kalam is reportedly displeased with the appointment of Dr. Gopa Sabharwal, a reader at Delhi University’s Lady Shri Ram College, as the vice chancellor of the university at a salary of Rs.5 lakh per month.
Reacting to the news, Nitish Kumar who engineered a Bill through the Bihar legislative assembly allocating a massive land grant of 450 acres for the Nalanda University campus, described the decision as “unfortunate and a personal loss”. “I am sad because I took personal interest in bringing him to Nalanda University. I will talk with him. This is a very disturbing development, we will discuss it,” he told mediapersons in Patna on February 20.
Meanwhile, maverick BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy, weighed in with a volley of scandalous charges against Sen, accusing him of spending taxpayers’ money “recklessly” during his tenure as chancellor and called for the eminent academic’s prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 because he allegedly drew a salary of Rs.50 lakh per annum for himself “despite the fact that he lived in America and briefly visited India”.
On February 26 in a detailed statement, Nalanda University described Swamy’s charges as “false”, stating Dr. Sen has received “no salary whatever from Nalanda University” nor any perquisites of office.
Conceptualised as a pan-Asia university under the Nalanda University Act, 2010 to which several Asian countries, including Japan and Singapore, have pledged financial and academic support, Nalanda II has got off to an uncertain start. In the 12th century, Nalanda-I was razed to the ground by an army led by barbaric Central Asian warlord Bhaktiyar Khilji. Eight centuries later, it may be stalled before it can be raised by the sub-continent’s squabbling politicians with little respect for academic achievement.
Arun Srivastava (Patna)