This lecture discussed the philosophy of the historic Nalanda University and the challenges of transmitting its philosophical praxis in the revived Nalanda University. Dr Anjana Sharma shared about the ways which the university planners impart the Nalanda spirit and philosophy to its curriculum, from the design of the new campus to the crafting of a conference concept.
Tuesday, 12 July 2016 – The Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre hosted a lecture by Dr Anjana Sharma, Visiting Senior Fellow at Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.
Dr Anjana Sharma discussed the philosophy of the historic Nalanda University and the challenges of transmitting its philosophical praxis in the revived Nalanda University. Speaking from her experience as the Founding Dean (Academic Planning) of the new Nalanda University, she shared about the ways which the university planners attempted to impart the Nalanda spirit and philosophy to its curriculum, from the design of the new campus to the crafting of a conference concept.
Dr Andrea Acri, Visiting Research Fellow, Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute chairing the lecture by Dr Anjana Sharma on “Cultural Heritage and Inter-Asian Interactions” (Source: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute)
The historic Nalanda, presently located in the state of Bihar, was a destination for the pursuit of knowledge with a pan-Asian character. It was a fully-endowned university that also taught science and medicine. Although it was a Buddhist institution, it received support from the local communities who believed in the tenets of Buddhism without always being Buddhists themselves. They saw the site as a nucleus of inter-Asian connectedness. This universalist outlook is reflected in its present charter to open its doors to students based on merit from around the world.
Dr Sharma made scintillating analogies between the old and the new campus design. Amongst the ruins of the old campus are quadrangular structures that are believed to be multi-functional spatial configurations which synthesise sleeping, eating and learning needs. In the design brief of the new campus, the planners specified a university complex that is open, connected and integrated to maximise person-to-person interaction and to facilitate the exchange of ideas.
How are the core values of Nalanda inflected in the planning of a conference? Dr Sharma shared with the audience the considerations that went into organising Nalanda University’s inaugural conference in Nalanda in 2014, the year the university initiated its 1st academic session. Rajgir was chosen as the venue to host the conference. Despite the allure of holding an international conference in globalised Delhi, the organisers held steadfast to Rajgir as a symbolic gesture to re-sow the seed of international research and learning in the environs of Nalanda.
The conference entitled “Cultural Heritage, Environment, Ecology and Inter-Asian Interactions” focussed on the trans-regional dimensions of heritage. The organisers attempted to go beyond nation-state models in the way tangible and intangible heritage is conceived and articulated, typically with a bias to the national character of heritage and downplaying transnational dimensions. The conference examined the roots and routes of heritage in a pre-colonial Asia, including pilgrimmage and commercial circuits, and trading patterns that were determined by environmental factors such as the monsoon seasons.
Participants at the seminar. (Source: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute)
The conference also focused on the establishment of sites that were often the direct product of environmental or ecological conditions. An example is the historic Nalanda University. It thrived for eight centuries with the support of the various dynasties – the fecund agricultural land in the region generated the wealth and resources to support Nalanda’s extensive student and teacher population numbering to the thousands.
The perspectives discussed in the ninety-minute seminar offer the audience a refreshing glance into what it takes to conceptually bridge the planning of a third millennium Nalanda University to the core values of its predecessor.
Close to 20 participants attended the morning seminar.