Beyond lies-Nalanda, China & Dalai Lama

Today, I received documents pertaining to the revival of Nalanda

University from public authorities in India after a three month
battle of wits. This is a Pandora box of lies and more lies. I applied
under the right to Information Act to the concerned public
authority seeking answers on revival of Nalanda University on 13th
April. It is mandatory to send or reject information sought within
30 days. There was no response for almost 45 days. I filed an
appeal before the Secretary and then I was sent a letter stating that
requisite information is enclosed. There was no enclosure at all. I
sent written request, called on phone and requested public
authority to supply the enclosures. All efforts were in vain. I could
sense there was attempt to hide some wrongdoing. There was no
way but to lodge a formal complaint against misguidance and
within a week I have received a big packet containing documents.
The perusal of documents expose the lies chummed by the
Chairman of the Nalanda Mentor Group, Nobel laureate, Amartya
Sen.

Learning nepotism!
A prominent news item was flashed on 12th April, 2010 mentioning
how with seven departments, Nalanda varsity will take shape. It
was mentioned that Dr. Gopa Sabharwal would be the inaugural
Rector.
Remember- idea of Nalanda University was mooted to signify
Asian renaissance. East Asia Summit nations had pledged their
support. The Inaugural Rector is supposed to have the necessary
background and should be of international eminence, who would
be welcomed by the participating countries. That was the agenda.
But, who is Dr. Gopa? Not even a Professor at Delhi University &
popular more for co-writing quiz books for the Penguin publishers.
What is her expertise in Asian affairs? Or in philosophy, or
Buddhism, futurology, technology..? A fieldwork in a small town
of Belgaum in Karnatka, India! Can she hold the rein of a varsity
in the lineage of great thinkers like Nagarjuna, Naropa,
Pdamsambhava, Chandrakirti, Santarakshita, Kamalshila or Dalai
Lama?

I had written a piece on 14th April itself that this appointment

exposes the nepotism being practiced at the highest level. The
documents in my hands confirm the allegation. In the very first
meeting of the Nalanda Mentor Group at Singapore( 13-15th April,
2007); an Advisory Council of scholars was appointed that
contained two names from India-one of them happens to be the
daughter of the Prime Minister, another her friend from same
campus in same subject. The inaugural Rector being appointed is a
colleague & close friend of the aforesaid “scholar” in the same
campus. Mind it, the NMG Chairman Amartya Sen has long-
lasting friendship with the current person in the highest Chair of
India. Where are the names of the contemporary Asianist thinkers
from India like Professor Ranabir Samaddar, Rustam Bharucha,
Brij Tanka, Professor C. Mani, Dr. Nawang Samten, Dr. Lokesh
Chandra, Samdong Rinpoche, Prasenjit Duara, Sujit Dutta, or
persons like Ravindra Panth who is steering Nav Nalanda
Mahavihara University, brilliantly in Nalanda.

Pushing up the Inaugural Rector

The Nalanda Mentor Group was constituted by the Southern

Division of Ministry of External Affairs in May, 2007 that
included 8 terms of reference. The last term of reference gave a
time frame of nine months from the date of constitution of the
NMG to submit “Final Recommendations” in a report to the
Government of India. In the 4th Meeting of the NMG (12-13
August, 2008; New Delhi), the NMG recommended the legal
framework necessary for setting up of Nalanda University, as
follow:
 (i) Agreement between Member countries of East Asia
Summit
(ii) Host country Agreement between Government of India
and Nalanda University; and
(iii) The Proposed Bill to be introduced in the
PARLIAMENT of India.

I had written in my article on 14th April that the 4th EAS at Cha-Am
Hua-Hin, Thailand cold- shouldered the project by mentioning at
point 14 of the EAS statement:
“EAS express political support to India’s efforts to revive Nalanda
University.”
This was mere lip-service by the EAS. EAS is now wary of
associating with the project mired in nepotism and non-concerned
with genuine tradition of Nalanda and revival of Asian
connectivity. The project has now been reduced to mere India’s
efforts and there is no more likelihood of financial sharing by the
EAS states. This was a loss of face for the ‘Look East’ policy of
the Government . The first two legal framework lie buried even
before inception and the Government has now declared in April
that the Bill to set up the University will be introduced in the
current session of Parliament.

The proposed Bill contains the provision of a corpus fund of

merely Rs. 100 crore(20 million dollar). As per the EdCIL Report
prepared in 2007, an estimate of Rs. 1007 crores was made. Now,
the public authorities admit that these estimates are outdated and a
fresh estimate will be prepared in future.

Strange! The Government doesn’t have an estimate for the

University even though the Bill is being introduced in the
Parliament. It is also a pittance of even the outdated estimate. The
Inter Government Agreement ,as recommended, has never been
signed. A Bill is to be introduced .Yet, the Inaugural Rector has
been chosen and her salary has been pre-fixed at hopping Rs.3.5
lakh per month, more than the Secretaries and Parliamentarians in
India! Can something be more absurd & biased than that?

Lies that Amartya Sen tutor

Nalanda Mentor Group is headed by Amartya Sen, a close

colleague of the current occupant of the highest administrative
chair in India. In the Third meeting of the NMG at New York (2-3
May, 2008); the time line for International Treaty was set up as
December, 2008. In February, 2009, Sen declared that the Report
would be submitted in April, 2009. And then, at the East Asia
Summit in Thailand in October, 2009 became new excuse. Now,
the Government of India confirm that no Final Report has been
submitted. The Executive Summary provided is dated December,
2009 i.e. post-EAS . Sen has been thoroughly lying and lying.

The NMG had to submit the Final Report within 9 months of

constitution i.e. February, 2008. But, it was never done. And what
was the expenditure incurred by the Government of India in this
futile exercise? Rs. 1,71,12,999. It is to mention that Japan and
Singapore had footed separate bills . Spending crores without even
a Final Report even after lapse of more than two years of the
expiry of time frame was not merely a futile exercise , but
intentional derailing of Asian integration by certain wolves in the
Asianist mask.

To hide the incompetence of the NMG, the public authorities have

lied that “no time-limit was prescribed for submission of the
Report.” The Appointing authority of the NMG mentions that the
NMG was constituted in 2007, while even a layman journalist
knows that the same was constituted in May, 2007. The public
authorities evade the issue of presentation of ‘any” report to the
East Asia Summit.
I had protested against the donations made by the Indian
government to Cambridge and Harvard University amounting to 5
million dollars to merely establish certain Chairs in the honour of
Amartya Sen, only for the reason that Cambridge University had
established a Chair in the name of current Indian Prime Minister.
But, the Government has empty purse for grandiose project like
Asian integration & reviving its most potent symbol, Nalanda
University. Now there is an attempt to even shift the venue to open
the campus in Delhi itself since all three ladies & close friends
associated with the proposed University teach in same campus in
Delhi. What a public display of nepotism by shy & suave people in
power!

China meets Dalai Lama

I took up the issue of revival of Nalanda University and authentic

Nalanda tradition for pan-Asian integration project in late 2008. I
met HH Dalai Lama in January, 2009 and we requested him to
actively participate in the revival of this dream project since he is
the living Nalanda master. The Government of India preferred a
bunch of women-friends dfrom Delhi University, all closely linked
to the NMG chairman, who himself is outlandish in his public
acclaims for all-weather friend now occupying the highest
executive Chair in India. Today, HH Dalai Lama told Claude Arpi,
a well-known Tibet expert that he welcomes the news of
rebuilding of Nalanda-type Buddhist Institution in Xian, the
ancient Chinese capital in Shanxi province by the Chinese
Buddhist society. He also stated that “the Nalanda University with
the help of the Chinese government is a good thing”. Hopefully,
the Chinese Buddhists will seek advice of HH in this great
endeavor.

But, it’s a cruel joke that the living master of Nalanda tradition
was never consulted by the NMG. The NMG and the advisory
council consists of mostly Oxbridge brown troopers and the
Chairman lacks the virtue of Sila and sangha, the characteristics of
Nalanda tradition. Singapore has already established Nalanda-
Srivijya Centre. Its functioning smoothly and ghas a clear vision
and objective to connect Asia. China is building own Nalanda in
Xian in memory of Tripitika Master Xuan Tsang, the famous
traveler to Nalanda during seventh century. Even, Pakistan is
showcasing its Buddhist heritage of Taxila at Shanghai Expo.
Indian government doesn’t care for the Look East policy, since the
present occupants are born squints. Moreover ‘Nalanda’ was a
centre of excellence for more than a millennium in the present
state of Bihar, which is mired in poverty and underdevelopment.
The ruling power elite in Delhi is obsessed 24x7 with lip-
movement of all and sundry across western border where their eyes
are permanently fixated and mind dwells.

Today is the 75th Birthday of HH Dalai Lama. Let there be a

movement to reappropriate the task of Asian integration.
O!East, when shall Thou arise!

(written by Niraj, 5-6th July, 2010)