The present needs the spirit of ancient Nalanda

Last week, I attended the first Nalanda Literature Festival at Rajgir, which is close to Nalanda, in Bihar.

- Pavan K Varma

Itis a commendable initiative, and Ganga Kumar, its prime mover, deserves our felicitations.The event was well attended, with danseuse Sonal Mansingh, parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor, historian Vikram Sampath, author Abhay K (who has written a well-received book on Nalanda), among many others, participating.

A festival of ideas in Nalanda’s name is a befitting tribute to the world’s first world-class university. Founded in the early 5th century CE during the reign of the Gupta dynasty — traditionally dated to 427 CE—it blossomed into a residential academic campus long before the medieval universities of Europe took shape. When the University of Bologna — often cited as the oldest in Europe — was established in 1088 CE, Nalanda was already over 650 years old. In its prime, it remained the jewel of India’s intellectual life for more than seven centuries.

I first visited the brooding ruins of Nalanda — a World Heritage Site — in ‘August 2012. My wife and I were the guests of chief minister Nitish Kumar, and he sent us on a tour to see Bihar Sharif (next in importance only to Ajmer Sharif), Pawapuri (where Jain founder Mahavir took samadhi), Bodh Gaya, and Gaya. It is amazing that within a radius of around 100 km are key sites of four of India’s major religions. That was Nitish’s way of emphasising to us the eclectic and inclusive ethos of Bihar.