“Science has to fight parochialism, and Nalanda was committed to doing that”
Science has to fight parochialism, and Nalanda University (which existed in Bihar during the early fifth century and the 12th century) was firmly committed to doing just that, according to Amartya Sen, Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University in the U.S. and chairman of the Interim Governing Board of Nalanda University.
Recalling that the university was “violently destroyed” in an Afghan attack led by Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193, Prof. Sen, who addressed the Indian Science Congress at SRM University in Kattankulathur near here on Tuesday, said it was being re-established through an Asian initiative, involving India, China, Singapore, Japan and Thailand.
Delivering a talk on Nalanda and the pursuit of science, Prof. Sen, the recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economics, said Nalanda stood for the passion of propagating knowledge and understanding. This was one reason for its keenness to accept students from abroad. “If the seeking of evidence and vindication by critical arguments is part of the tradition of science, so is the commitment to move knowledge and understanding beyond the boundaries of locality.”
Noting that Nalanda had attracted students from many countries, particularly China, Korea and Japan, he said there were students from Turkey too. It was a residential university and at its peak, it had 10,000 students, studying various subjects. “Incidentally, Nalanda is the only non-Chinese institution in which any Chinese scholar received higher education in the history of ancient China.”
Citing the accounts of Chinese chroniclers such as Xuangzang and Yi Jing, Prof. Sen said that among the subjects taught in Nalanda were medicine, public health, architecture and sculpture, in addition to religion, history, law and linguistics. Going by Indian accounts, logic was a subject taught and “my guess is that eventually, evidence would emerge on this part of the curriculum in Nalanda as well.”
Noting that the mixture of religion and science was by no means unique to Nalanda, he said the Buddhist foundation made much room for the pursuit of analytical and scientific subjects within the campus of Nalanda University.
The faculty and students in Nalanda loved to argue and very often, they held argumentative encounters. “There were plenty of organised argumentative matches going on in Nalanda and this too fits, in a very general way, into the scientific spirit that was present in Nalanda,” he added.
Keywords: Amartya Sen, science, parochialism
The notice board inside the Archaeological site that narrates the demolition of university by the Islamic invader rouses more religious hatred than love for the past. An invader can can only destroy the physical structure and written books. But who was responsible for the loss of spirit that founded the university. Invisible invasion through cultural hegemony is more dangerous than bombing a nation. What is the explanation for the best Indain brains being trained as back office engineers supporting real life technology while Indian villages are starving due to lack of apt technique for livelihood.
It is wonderful that Nalanda University, an internationally renowned centre of higher education in India is going to be re-established under a joint Asian initiative.Hopefully under the leadership of Professor Amartya Sen it will revive its intellectual traditions.
How does one fight parochialism in the 21st.century.This is the burning question of our times.How is the modern avatar of Nalanda going to approach this problem? If it is just another University offering the usual curricula in Arts and Sciences,Research etc,it will not solve the problem to defeat parochialism. The best brains in the world will have to meet and chalk out a programme so that the new Nalanda Univesity will be a centre for positive and visionary thinking.This is a tall order,and I dont think it will happen.They can't even agree on Climate change!
Not sure what Julius mean by U.S. Flawed policy? Is that also responsible for destroying Bamiyan Budha Statutes despite requests to abstain from world over!
Afghanistan requested membership in SAARC and is now a full-fledged SAARC state. Iran has also requested membership and it should also be accepted. All the nations of SAARC have a long and rich history from the days of Nalanda and earlier. Nalanda is a South Asian original and will be an important centre of learning again.
Debate and Arguments(Tark and Vitark in Hindi) have always been prominent tools of education in Indian culture.It shows mutual respect for different and diverse opinions.As Amartya Sen has pointed out through his study on Nalanda University, how students from different ethics,region and religion used to come there.In this contemporary world, the need for mutual respect and exchange of knowledge has become very important in view of rise of intolerance and extremism towards different religion and region.A grand university with same ethos as it had, should be built at Nalanda.Let the history repeat itself.
@Raj -- a fallacious argument, at best, and at attempt to foment hatred, at worst. India has seen many instances of historical violence, and we see violence today. Does that mean we are a violent nation? What is happening in Afghanistan today is largely a reflection of flawed US policy in dealing with it. What's happening in Pakistan today is the consequence of a feudal hangover of a government. What happened in the past, is by no means unique. There were plenty of instances where Indian kings slaughtered and killed people.
I knew little history about Nalanda, may be I forgot what I learnt in my history class. But to learn that Nalanda university was destroyed by an attack by Afghans in 1193 seems like nothing has changed in 800 years. It is like history repeating itself with the goings on in Afghanistan and Pakistan nowadays. The more we think that there are changes, in fact the more it is the same old thing again and again. When will the humanity learn NOT to repeat the same mistakes again and again and again?
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