UNESCO hosts discussion on Abhay K's book 'Nalanda': How it Changed the World

In an Interview with ANI, Ambassador of India to Azerbaijan and Author, Abhay K said, "Today UNESCO and the United Nations in India, hosted a programme on conversations on Nalanda. As you know, Nalanda is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is now gaining considerable attention across the globe. And today we talked about the history of Nalanda. What was it? How did it become such a great centre of learning? How the idea of university itself was born at Nalanda and travelled across the world".

The session featured a conversation with Abhay K and Professor D Venkat Rao, Nalanda University, moderated by Radhika Kaul Batra, focusing on Nalanda Mahavihara's historic role as a global hub of knowledge and intellectual exchange.

Professor D Venkat Rao, Dean, Nalanda University, said, "It's a very interesting book & an extremely readable book. It provides us accurate and also contemporary latest kind of information it brings together and clarifies a large number of issues with regard to an important theme about the older Nalanda, how it was, what it gathered, what kind of knowledge it provided and what have been its historical phases, who visited Nalanda, all these things in an accessible way he provides us".

During the discussion, Abhay K highlighted Nalanda's wide-ranging academic traditions, spanning astronomy, mathematics, medicine, philosophy and poetry.

He also underlined the institution's interdisciplinary approach, diverse faculty and merit-based scholarships, describing these features as a potential model for contemporary education systems. The discussion also drew attention to the modern revival of Nalanda University and its renewed role in India's educational landscape.

The new campus of Nalanda University at Rajgir was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024, marking a significant milestone in the revival of the ancient institution's legacy. (ANI)