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Plea for a Buddhist University in Himchal

Staff Reporter

MPs from hill States meet PM, submit memorandum

NEW DELHI: A delegation of parliamentarians, led by educationist and Buddhist scholar Swami Buddhanand, from the hill States of Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this past weekend and presented a memorandum seeking support of the Government for a broad-based Buddhist University in Himachal Pradesh.

The proposed Buddhist University would not be a religious institution but would imbibe the ancient Indian wisdom within the modern education system. It would cover all courses and subjects offered by prestigious universities like Benares Hindu University and Aligarh Muslim University, it is explained. It would, however, be developed as an international centre for excellence in Buddhist studies and would coordinate with the Buddhist study centres in India and abroad.

According to Swami Buddhanand, such universities already exist in most Asian countries. The estimated budget of the university is said to be Rs. 2,000 crores.

The leaders also sought support of the Prime Minister's Office to hold an international conference on Buddhism and East-West cultural relations. Also, they sought monetary help from the Government for setting up the proposed university in Himachal Pradesh. A suggestion has also been made to seek funds from UNESCO.

The Prime Minister welcomed the suggestions made in the memorandum but asked the budget to be revised, said Swami Buddhanand. "Dr. Singh also assured the delegation that the matter would be referred to the Ministry of Human Resources Development for further examination."

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