Reviving Nalanda !!

Best introduction to IIT's were given by its alumni gathering in 2003 :

"Put Harvard, MIT, and Princeton together, and you begin to get an idea of the status of this school in India."

In the same tone to define "Nalanda" -

"Put 10's of IIT's together & u might start getting the Idea of how nalanda was !!"

What made Nalanda greatest besides Taxila in its hay day ??

Nalanda(in Bihar)was built during the Ancient Gupta period. It's alumni boasts to many intellectuals like Chanakya, Chandra gupta maurya, Huen-Tsang, Charaka, Susruta, Nagarjuna & many more buddist scholars. Breadth of the subjects dealt was lengthy - Philosphy, chemical,
structual engg,astronomy, geomentry, logic, music, literature .. Believed to have been a city unto itself, like today's Oxford or Cambridge ! One of the historical evidence of how advance out intellect was. Scholars were gifted with a oceanic ilbrary adding to other sea of options !

Nilanjana Roy in her Article "Invisible Indian Library" mentions :

"There were at least three separate libraries: Ratnasagara, Ratnadadhi and Ratnaranjaka. "

The cost analysis is intresting :

"Creating and running an institution like Nalanda wasn’t cheap. It required, according to some accounts, “the revenues of 100 villages”—a sum not so far removed in scale from the bequests of $2.4 million and $5.2 million made respectively by Samuel J Tilden and Andrew Carnegie to establish what would become the legendary New York Public Library"

A quick estimate in the Indian context. The total budget of IIT's put together amounts to 2000 Cr per year ! It is roughly $45M !And can easily be covered by Income Tax collection of a state like TN or Karnataka !!

When I read about Nalanda as a student I was immediately attracted by it ! In years to come it would refuse to goaway from my memory, ultimately cherishing the Dream of "Reviving it one day if I had the power !!"

Recent news of it revival definitely raised my Spirits ! What more it is expected to generate revenue for 200 villages surrounding Nalanda ! Thats neo-economics @ work !!

Mind its potential : "Will it become next cambridge"

This step is an important in the context of today's Knowledge economy ! We have potential of becoming next educational destination with a host of World class Institutios ! But as of"Nalanda" I wish it to be part of "Great Indian Legacy" than just another world class learning centre !! Hope dreams will come true !!

Well some respite for now with e-nalanda : !!