Past perfect, present tense

Will Nalanda University rise from the ashes as a proposed International University in 2013? Will its ancient glory as a famed Buddhist temple of learning, which attracted students from far and wide, most notably from south east Asia, beginning fifth or sixth century and ending in 1197, be restored?

Theoretically, the situation is ideal. It has Nobel laureate Amartya Sen as chairperson of a distinguished Mentor Group, which has played a key role in trying to turn this ancient centre into a modern global educational hub.

It has in Bihar CM Nitish Kumar a keen patron of the idea of restoring Nalanda to its ancient glory. It is his pet project, partly because the proposed varsity is in his Lok Sabha constituency.

But as it tends to happen with such projects, there are many slips between the cup and the many lips involved. Topping the list of controversies is the appointment of its vice-chancellor (VC) designate, Gopa Sabharwal of Delhi's Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College.

Sabharwal was appointed VC in early September on the recommendations of the mentor group. Other members of the Nalanda Mentor Group (NMG) include George Yeo, ex-foreign minister of Singapore, Lord Meghnad Desai, Professor Emeritus, London School of Economics, NK Singh, deputy chairman, Bihar State Planning Commission, and a secretary-level officer of the MEA.

Among its other members are top academic minds: Prof. Wang Bengwei of Peking University, Prof. Tansen Sen, City University of New York, Prof. Susumu Nakanishim Emeritus, Kyoto City University of Arts, Prof. Sugata Bose, Harvard University, Prof Wang Gungwu, National University of Singapore, and Prof. Prapod Assavavirulhakarn of Chulalongkorn University (Thailand).

The group, set up in 2007, was asked to submit a final report to the government within nine months but is yet to do so. Parliament enacted a law for it in 2010, which was notified on September 22, 2010. At a 2007 meeting chaired by TK Nair, principal secretary to the PM, it was decided to give MEA the lead in this project. On August 25 this year, the MEA told Rajya Sabha that no vice-chancellor has yet been appointed.

But documents with TSI reveal that MEA presented Sabharwal the terms and conditions of her service as VC-designate as early as on September 9, 2010, a full two months before the Nalanda University Act received presidential assent and later made operational from November 25.

In a letter to Sabharwal, Latha Reddy, then secretary east (currently deputy national security advisor in the MEA), wrote, “As member secretary of the Nalanda Mentor Group, I am directed to inform you that the competent authorities have concurred with the recommendations of the selection committee and the NMG to appoint you as the vice chancellor-designate..."

This was further confirmed in an RTI (filed by Priyadarshi Dutta) reply on November 22 last year by joint secretary MEA, Nagendra Kumar Saxena, who revealed that on the recommendations of the NMG, Dr Gopa Sabharwal was formally appointed vice chancellor.

So what is so controversial about the appointment? In a case of the devil lying in the details, it surfaced that the appointment of a ‘vice-chancellor designate' actually preceded the notification of the Act.

Additionally, Sabharwal was deemed to be a reader in the department of sociology and had little to do with Buddhist studies or other Asian connectives for which the university is proposed.

It was also alleged that the VC to-be failed to meet the mandatory qualification set by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for vice-chancellors of central and state universities to be distinguished academicians with a minimum of ten years experience as a professor in a university.

Nevertheless, Sabharwal has been a prolific writer and has produced more than half a dozen books, including The Indian Millennium,India Since 1947: The Independent Years and The Penguin India Desk Companion.

What seems to have angered opponents further is her whopping salary, Rs 5.6 lakh, which is being paid from the Consolidated Fund of India and is more than any central university VC. The GK Chadha Committee report had recommended a fixed scale of Rs 80,000 for a vice-chancellor, equivalent to that of a secretary to the Government of India.

As the figure led to heartburn across academic circles, Amartya Sen, in an open session on Nalanda held at New Delhi's Teen Murti House, asked Sabharwal to consider a salary cut.

“We had filed a salary structure as it was believed that the vice-chancellor need not be Indian. This is to allow international experts to become vice-chancellor. It is still less than what the head of SAARC university is getting,” Sen had said.

The puzzle as to who authorised the Mentor Group to recommend her name and why the MEA accepted the sole name proposed without seeking a panel of names required for such an appointment, remains intact.

Sabharwal, however, dismisses all such talk as a figment of the imagination. "I have no idea where all this is coming from. I've been appointed by the governing body, which has its own mandate and follows rules and regulations."

Despite missing deadlines, she is confident the University will begin its first academic session in 2013. "The University will begin functioning within the stipulated time frame," she asserted.

Some scholars like former head of the department of history, Patna University, Surendra Gopal, have expressed surprise that no scholar from Bihar finds a place in the NMG. Others believe the exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama should have been included. Such confusion has perplexed independent observers like French-born Tibetologist Claude Arpi, who says people behind the creation of Nalanda University have no clue about the Nalanda tradition. By the looks of it, there are one too many of such people.

Chequered history

1996: Janata Dal Leader George Fernandes announces revival of Nalanda University during election campaign.
1999: Project gets Japanese support.
March 28, 2006: President APJ Abdul Kalam tells a joint session of Bihar vidan mandal to revive Nalanda focusing on not just the Buddhist tradition but also as a centre of science and technology.
November 2006: Singapore organises “Nalanda Symposium" where its foreign minister George Yew gives a call for reviving Nalanda.
March 2007: Bihar government passes an act on the Nalanda University.
February 13, 2007: TK Nair, principal secretary to PM Manmohan Singh, decides that MEA would take the lead.
June 28, 2007: Nalanda Mentor Group is set up by the centre.
July 13, 2007: The first meeting of Nalanda University is held in Singapore.
August 24, 2008: Bihar government appoints ex-president Kalam as visitor of Nalanda University.
December 14, 2007: NMG holds a second meeting in Tokyo.
May 2, 2008: Third meeting of NMG is held in New York.
August 12, 2008: Fourth meeting is held in the capital.
February 28, 2009: NMG wind up meeting held at Gaya.
December 2009: NMG submits executive summary of final recommendations.
July 8, 2010: Union Cabinet approves Nalanda University Bill.
August 2-3, 2010: NMG announces Gopa Sabharwal as VC.
November 25, 2010: The Nalanda University Act 2010 comes into force.
December 16, 2010: Chinese leader Wen Jiabao contributed US $1 million during his visit to India.
February 4, 2011: Bihar government transfers 446 acres of land to Nalanda University.