Maiden Speech delivered by me in the Rajya Sabha on 21-08-2010 on Nalanda University Bill-2010

Maiden Speech delivered by Sh. Pramod Kureel, Member Of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) on 21-08-2010 in Rajya Sabha


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SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (UTTAR PRADESH): Honourable Mr. Deputy Chairman, Sir, I feel very privileged and honoured to be here making this my maiden speech in this House and that too, on such a subject like Nalanda University. I think, I cannot think of a better topic than speaking on this subject.

Sir, Dr. Karan Singh, my senior colleague in this House, has spoken very beautifully about history, art, culture and architecture of Nalanda University as it existed hundreds of years back. He was referring to Nalanda University and he was comparing it with Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard of today. He said that Nalanda was Oxford or Harvard of that time. I think, we should call it the other way round. Oxford, Harvard and Cambridge are Nalanda of today.

(Contd. By RSS/1j)

RSS/1J/11/40


SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (CONTD.): There is a lot which has already been said by the earlier speakers, especially, Dr. Karan Singh ji, who is a very learned man, a man of high intellect. To my mind, Nalanda is not just a University in the normal sense of the word. To me, Nalanda encapsulates, epitomizes the universal values of global peace, brotherhood, fraternity and equality. Nalanda is not just another University, and I won't like to even compare it with Harvards or Oxfords. Maybe, they have their own value in the given time, in the present time. Nalanda was not just for imparting education to students from the world over. Its role was more in terms of creating a value system, and Dr. Karan Singh ji just pointed out a few minutes back that some miscreants, some people, they burnt it. The library of that University kept burning for almost six months or more. I do not want to go into the details as to who burnt it and why they burnt it. There can be many interpretations, many view-points on the subject. Whatever that may be, to my mind, the way again after hundreds of years, thousands of years, this Nalanda University is again going to become a reality, or, should I say, it is again going to rise like a phoenix from the ashes, literally and figuratively speaking, again, it is going to rise like a phoenix. In that sense, I congratulate the hon. Minister for introducing this Bill here in the Rajya Sabha. I thank him for the same.

Besides that, I would like to make a few points, a few suggestions. There are two aspects of the Nalanda University why it is famous the world over even today. One was, of course, the subjects which were taught there. It is very difficult to imagine that hundreds of years back, thousands of years back, subjects like Astronomy, Literature, Arts, Architecture, Management and what not, they were taught in that University when the Universities like Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard were not even born. Almost the whole of the world was living in dark ages, semi-civilized conditions. But here in India, in Nalanda, in the present day Bihar, we saw this University which came up, which attracted students from all over the world, specially, Asian countries. I think, it is something that we should all be very proud of, and in that sense, after hundreds of years, this University is again coming up. It should be a matter of great pride for all of us.

As it was pointed out by Dr. Karan Singh ji that this library was burnt, yes, it was burnt. We all know it. All the knowledge of hundreds of years perished in that fire. But my feeling is that one can burn a book or a library, but one cannot burn, one cannot perish the value system which has become a way of life for common masses.

(Contd. by 1k)
MKS-MCM/11.45/1K

SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (CONTD.): That is why even though Nalanda University does not exist as it existed hundreds of years back, the values it propounded, the value systems it propounded, they still lay in our country, in our hearts, in our minds, and these values and these value systems have, again, ensured that the Nalanda University is coming up again after a gap of hundreds of years. It is a matter of great satisfaction for all of us.

Sir, I would like to make, here, a few suggestions. My first suggestion is that this Nalanda University, which is coming up again, should be modelled in terms of, both its academic curricula and its architecture, and should be based on the historic Nalanda City so that the image of Nalanda University could still be seen by us. The new building or the new campus should take into consideration the architecture of old Nalanda City or old Nalanda University. We do not say that the Nalanda University is being created. Instead, we should say that it is being recreated. So, it should be a continuation of the same values, same architecture, same planning and same thought which existed in yesteryears and which is again coming up today.

Secondly, today, we are seeing that the students, especially from India, they take great pride in going to Oxford or Cambridge. We proudly call them, when they come back, 'Oxford Returned', Howard Returned' or 'Cambridge Returned'. I think there was a time, hundreds of years back, when students from all over the world used to claim that they are 'Nalanda Returned' and they used to take pride in that. Today, a lot of our talent is going to other countries. First, they go there for studies. Then, they stay there. They do not come back. It is causing 'brain drain' as it is called. I think, with the coming up of this Nalanda University, in a few years' time, we can convert this 'brain drain' into 'brain gain'. The students from other countries will take pride in coming to India to study in the Nalanda University, and this will not only stop 'brain drain' but will also enrich our society, our country further where you can stop the 'brain drain' and we can call students from other countries to come and study here, and continue this work.

Thirdly, in the proposed Nalanda University, -- this is my humble submission and suggestion -- the Buddhist religion, Buddhist philosophy, Buddhist art, Buddhist architecture and Buddhist value system should be the focus of academic curricula. Since we are saying that it is coming up again after a gap of hundreds of years, there should be a continuity of those values. It should not seem as if only for namesake you are repeating the name 'Nalanda' and the course content, and that the academic curricula should be entirely different from the earlier one. Instead, there should be continuity in terms of courses to be offered and the central theme of that University in terms of academic curricula should be Buddhist religion, Buddhist philosophy etcetera, etcetera.

As you know, Sir, in every university, there is a tradition, there is a system of establishing Chairs in the name of eminent personalities.

(Contd. by TMV/1L)

-MKS-TMV-GS/1L/11.50

SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (CONTD.): My suggestion is that in this University also Chairs should be established in the name of Dr. Ambedkar, Ashoka the Great, King Kanishka, Sariputta Moggalayan, Rahul Sankratyayan, Bhadant Anand Kosalyayan, etc., who were great exponents of Buddhism and who devoted their lives for the spread of Buddhism as a religion, not only just in India but also all over the world, especially for preservation and promotion of Buddhist arts, culture and literature. At the same time, when this University Campus comes up, various buildings like libraries, academic sections, hostels and gardens should be named after eminent personalities as it is a general tradition everywhere. Dr. Karan Singh has just referred to the Huen Tsang memorial at Nalanda. My suggestion is that important buildings in this Nalanda University should be named after important Buddhist personalities, both national and international, who were connected with this University in old times. Personalities like Fa Hien, Huen Tsang, Bodhi Dharma and many others were associated with this Nalanda University one way or the other. In their lifetimes they came to Nalanda, lived there, studied there, went back and spread Buddhist religion all over Asia. So, their contribution, especially, Fa Hien and Huen Tsang, is very important and, I think, we can only pay back a little bit for the work that they have done for the cause of Buddhism and the spread of Buddhism by naming a few buildings and structures in this University after them.

Another thing which comes to my mind is this. I have read in the newspaper reports that His Holiness Dalai Lama's name is not there in the panel. His name is missing from this University's panel. I can understand that the Government might have some problem because of certain reasons, because of certain neighbouring countries. But my humble suggestion is that His Holiness Dalai Lama should not be seen just as a head of Tibetan Government in exile or just as a religious leader. More importantly, he is a moral authority. He is not just a religious leader. He is a moral authority which is accepted and revered all over the world. My feeling is that he should be there as an important Member in the Governing Body. I hope that the Minister will try to see to it that His Holiness’ name is included in the list of Members of Governing Body of this University.

There is already a provision in this Bill -- it is a very good provision – that learned persons, who are exponents of Buddhism, religion, art, culture and architecture, from all over the world will be invited as guest teachers and professors. I think, it is a very good idea. The Nalanda University should truly be a global university and I welcome this step.

(Contd. by 1M/VK)
VK/1M/11.55

SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (CONTD): Sir, again, I am taking a cue from Dr. Karan Singh's speech. He was referring to the architecture of the Nalanda University. Somehow, I am also an architect by profession. I was practising earlier as an architect, but now I am in Rajya Sabha. So architecture for me is a special thing. Dr. Karan Singhji rightly said that such a prestigious, global, important University should not be handed over to an agency like the PWD or anything like that. My suggestion is that there should be an international design competition for designing the campus of this University. Architects, from all over the world, should be invited and they should be given a chance to contribute their intellectual and design input in the designing of this University. This is also a very important aspect because when we talk of education, I think and I know from my experience, architecture( i.e. physical environment) of a university greatly affects the learning environment. So, the proposed building, my humble suggestion is, should not be just steel and glass boxes that we see everywhere today. The architecture of this University should be based on old Buddhist architecture. This is my humble suggestion.

Sir, as you know, Buddhism in this country, is followed by everybody, all sections of the society. But, especially the SCs, STs and OBCs of this country, have a special place for Buddhism in their hearts. They may not be practising Buddhists; they may not be having the label of Buddhist, but Buddhism, as a value system, has a special place in their hearts. My humble suggestion is, the reservation quota for SCs, STs and OBCs, both in faculty and for students should be ensured as per the policy of the Government of India. Why I am saying this thing is because, of late, there have been some instances when the Government or the Ministry put a tag of 'Centre of Excellence' on a particular university, and from that university the reservation quota for SCs, STs and OBCs was totally scrapped. I hope the reservation quota for SCs, STs and OBCs, both in the faculty as well as for students, will be ensured and it will not be scrapped in the name of 'Centre of Excellence' from this great University.

Sir, the Nalanda University is going to be funded by the Central Government with a budget of around Rs. 1,000 crores. I think many other countries are also contributing in this budget. But I would like to make one suggestion. As this University is going to be funded by the Government of India and some other countries, there should be a provision -- I am just giving an idea for the Minister to work out or the people connected with it to work out – that contribution from everybody, right from the common man to the richest man on the earth, would be welcomed for the construction, management and maintenance of this University. Why I am saying this is, this University is not an ordinary University. It is not just a historic University.

(Contd. By 1N)
RG/12.00/1N

SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (contd.): It has a very important place. It is coming up for people all over the world. Everybody, all the citizens, the global citizens, should be made to involve through their monetary contribution, whatever little it may be. Maybe, the Government can put a cap, the minimum and the maximum limit. But there should be a provision that everybody, all the citizens of the world, from every country in the world, should be in a position to contribute a little bit from their pockets for the construction and management of this University. I think that will make them a real shareholder in the value system, which the Nalanda University is going to re-create. Then, this University, we can say, can be a project “of the global citizen, by the global citizen and for the global citizen”. In my view, that would epitomize the spirit of the historic Nalanda University, which is going to come up.

Finally, Sir, I congratulate the Minister for bringing this Bill in this august House. I hope that very soon, the Nalanda University will become a reality, will attract students from all over the world, and will regain its glory that existed hundreds of years back. And I hope that the spirit of historic Nalanda (University) will continue to flow in through this present day Nalanda. I can assure the hon. Minister that when this Bill comes for voting, you will get the loudest 'Ayes' from our side. And, I thank you, hon. Deputy Chairman, Sir, for giving me this opportunity.

Thank You

(Ends)