Australia supports revival of Nalanda University

This historic University will emulate the same high standards of education as its original namesake

Nalanda is situated about 80kms south east of the city of Patna, capital of the state of Bihar in India, and is borne to the ruins of tbe ancient Na.landa University. Lord Buddha is said to have visited this site.

Historical sources indicate that the ancienr and original Na.landa University had a long and illustrious life which histed almost contiuually for 800 years from 5- 12 century CE Ir was !he first reside ntial international educational institution in the world which housed about 10,000 students a nd 2000 teachers. Its educational m odel. emphasized inter-civ ilizational connections and the develop ment of inte rAsian interactions. India at that time was cons idered a leading place for imparting knowl edge, and Nalanda's reputation attracted scho lars from distant countries such as China, Turkey, Korea, Japan, T ibet, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

Close to the end of the 12th century, Na.landa was destroyed by invaders. The period from which Nalanda ceased co exist was a time that the great universities of the western world came into being, marking the sbift in knowledge production and dissemination from the ease to the west. Only Al Azhar in Cairo (972 CE), Bo logna in Italy (1088 CE) and Oxford in the United Kingdom (11 67 CE) had been founded before the destruction of alanda.

Recently, d1e idea o f a new university has been mooted, at the sire o f this old institution of earning. ln June 2007 , d1e Government of India announced the establishment of a new unive rsity close to the sire of the original Nalanda.

A Nalanda Mentor Group was con stituted under the C h airmanship of Nobel Laureate and Bharat Ratna awardee Prof Amartya Sen. This incl uded members from Singapore, Japan, China, Thailand , UK and India. TI1e Parliament passed the Na.Ia.nda Univers ity Act in 2010 following \vhich d1e University came into existence o n 25 November o f the same year, as a non- state, nonprofit, secular and self-governing international institution with a continental focus that would bring together the brighte st and the most ded icated stude nts from all countries of Asia

The unique cl1aracter of Nalanda University is that its re viva l was we lcomed not only by lndians, but also by Member States of the East Asia Summit (of which Australia is a member) th.rough a Joint Press Statement iss u ed at the EAS Summit in Thailand in Ocrober 2009, co strengthen regional educational cooperation, understand ing and appreciation o f each od1er's heritage and history l alanda University is an international university and has been declared as an institution of national importance.

Inter- Asian linkages, such as those which grew out of Nalanda, had declined during the colonial period, but have been revived in recenr decades It is antici pated drnt L alanda will again play a major role in Asian connections sim.ilar to the one it played in the past. The University aims co build for contemporary Asia, an appreciation of Asian achievements and mutual learning as exemplified by tbe original Nalanda.

The University regards Easr Asian Summit member states as partners and sees their ro le as central to forming links berween nation s separated by geography, but linked to one another for centuries. The most obvious interactions will be through collaborative projects, University level tie-ups, and student exchanges. It is hoping to aru-act the brightest students and faculty from around the world and establish a global centre of scholarly excellence.

The si te of the University is located about 10km from the sire of the original Nalanda University. The Univers ity plans to embark on a new concept of campus building by emphasising sustainability and environmental sensitivity at all levels w hile developing the campus. As an integral part of this innovative approach, d1e develop menr will consciously 'wal k' the path of Net Zero. The ultimate aim i s t o achieve a campus that is Net Zero Energy, Nee Zero Emission, I er Zero Waste and Net Zero Water.

The University plans co stare the first two of its seven Schools - d1e School of Ecology an d Environment and the School of Hi sto rical Srucljes - in 2014. Other Schools will be started subsequently phases The Universi ty wiU reach its planned maximum intake of smd ems by 2021 - 22.

The estimated cost of establishment of d1e U niversity, exclurung che cost of land measuring about 450 acres, which has been provided free by the Government of Bihar, is expected to be R s 2 150 crores or $400 million approx. In d1e Jo int Press Statement, the member scates of EAS had e n couraged appropriate funding arrangeme n ts o n vol untary basis from governments and o d1er sources, includjng public-private partnership. Thoug h some EAS member scares have alread y made or offered so me contributions to the Universi ty, bulk of d1e funding at present is being provided by tl1e Government of India.

A u stralia, as an important Member State of the East Asia Summit, has been supporting the project. le was party to d1e Joint Declarati o n issued by EJ\S in ThajJand supporting tbe establishment o f Nalanda University. The Government of Australia has also offered co finance a Chair in the field of Eco logy and Environment at d1e U niversicy, and Prime J\,[inister

J Lilia Gillard during her recent visi t co India confirmed that chis grant would commence in 2013 i\forr detaiLr at 11111m• 1wla11d111mii1.td11.i11

The first gift to tbe University has also come from Australia in the form of a large collection of books o n mediev al Chinese and Korean history This is a collection by late Prof Ken Gardiner of Australian ationa.l University.

Ao incidental link of tbe Univers ity wid1 Australia pertains to personnel - d1e present High Commissioner of lndia, Mr Biren Nanda and the Consul Genera l in Sydney, Mr Anrn Goel were among the fuse few officers the Ministry of External Affairs to handle this project on behalf of the of India. Ir is hoped d1at they will maintain their liok wid1 Nalanda and encourage further close participation by Australia in this prestigious project.

Sudhir K1111111r is a Jor111er t11w1her of th,· Indian Pore{r,11 Serl'ire a11d had se,nd a.s a Co11s11/ }11 the C01wdatc General o/ Indi,1 Syd11tyJro111 1999 to 2002 _ lfier retimm11fJi om the service, he is prwwt(>' rrorki11g 11s a C1ms11/to11t with }\J11lt111d<1 U11i1·e1:ri!J•