|
Please
have a look at the
New York Times op-ed page article.
I could not but help notice the sharp contrast
between the article in Times of India with its
propagation of regional chauvinism of a very low
order vs the very enlightened view expressed in
the NYT post.
I would like to quote:
"But Nalanda represents much of what Asia could
use today — a great global university that
reaches deep into the region’s underlying
cultural heritage, restores many of the peaceful
links among peoples and cultures that once
existed, and gives Asia the kind of soft power
of influence and attraction that it doesn’t have
now. The West has a long tradition of
rediscovering its ancient Greek and Roman roots,
and is much stronger for that. Asia could and
should do the same, using the Nalanda project as
a springboard but creating a modern,
future-oriented context for a new
university.....
The problem is that the key Asian officials are
not thinking big enough. There is more talk
about making Nalanda a cultural site or a center
for philosophy than a first-rate modern
university. The financial figures being thrown
around are a fraction of the endowments of
Harvard, Yale or Columbia today. A bolder vision
is in order.....
But the bigger issue is imagination and
willpower. It is not clear that the Asian
nations are prepared to unite behind anything
concrete except trade agreements,.......... "
Hope we also learn to think BIG and think VISION
than mire ourselves in a quagmire.
|
Comments: |
|
No comment so far. |
|
Discussion on this topic is now
closed. |
Return to previous Page |
