Historic Nalanda was built on the bedrock of socio-political churning, which not only gave credence to the secular pursuit of knowledge but also gave semblance to the notion of tolerance ( >Editorial, March 11 ). In its backdrop were politically powerful and economically confident empires. So, only time will tell whether the present project of Nalanda is a vision or rhetoric. But, with the meteoric rise of intolerance towards knowledge production and the pathology of “hurt sentiments” in India, it is very unlikely that a futuristic Nalanda can stay “loyal” to the legacy of historic Nalanda.
Lalatendu Keshari Das,
Hyderabad