Reclaiming India’s University Legacy: Autonomy, Excellence And The Demographic Imperative – OpEd |
The ruins of Nalanda University and Vikramshila University remind us that India was once a global beacon of higher learning. That civilisational memory is not merely symbolic; it underscores a truth — strong universities shape strong nations. In modern India, institutions such as University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Banaras Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences and Institute of Development Studies—along with several other central universities—have played a transformative role in nation building. They have produced distinguished academicians, senior civil servants, diplomats, jurists, scientists, corporate leaders, and political statesmen who have shaped public life for decades.
India’s administrative steel frame has been reinforced year after year by graduates of these universities. Many of the country’s top-ranking civil servants and diplomats are alumni of Delhi University, JNU, BHU, and AMU. Parliament and state legislatures include leaders who began their intellectual journeys in these campuses. Globally respected economists, social scientists, historians, and scientists have emerged from these institutions. Nobel laureates of Indian origin and globally cited scholars have either studied or taught in such universities, contributing to India’s intellectual reputation abroad. These institutions have not merely imparted degrees; they have cultivated debate, dissent, inquiry, and scholarship — essential ingredients of a democratic society.
Yet even as these universities continue to serve as pillars of........