Pragjyotishpur University: A Ray of Hope

Dr Jagadindra Raychoudhury

(Secretary, Vidya Bharati Purvottor Kshetra)

Like a relentless river, time flows forward, changing everything in its path without being able to stop its flow. The traditional gurukul system was drastically transformed with the introduction of a new system by the British rulers of India, which unfortunately stripped away the essence of Indianness from our native learning. To reinstate its originality, the first Saraswati Shishu Mandir School in Gorakhpur was established in 1952, under the leadership of Nanaji Deshmukh. The institution was named Sarswati Shishu Mandir, signifying a temple of the Goddess Sarswati dedicated to the children. The formation of its national body came in 1977, and Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan was established with its registered office at Lucknow and functioning headquarters in New Delhi. In its present status, Vidya Bharati runs over 12,754 formal schools across India, serving more than 3.2 million students.

The Vidya Bharati family pragmatically educated our children in all-round development along with the Bharatiya parampara and led a very successful story not only in Assam but also in the entire Northeast India since 1979 and the institutions which are much more popular, especially in Uttar Assam, as ‘Sankardev Sishu/Vidya Niketan’. Establishing a university had been a dream that knocked repeatedly in the minds of many karyakarta and adhikaries, where students might not delink with their educational barometer. The long journey of the dream was conceived with the formation of the Sankardev Education and Research Foundation Trust on 7th September, 2021, whereby all eminent educationists were invited to provide their well wishes and fruitful suggestions. The positive response encouraged us to hold a two-day North Eastern Conclave on NEP 2020, which was inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister of Union Government Dharmendra Pradhan in the presence of the Chief Minister of Assam, the Education Minister and many more dignitaries from the North Eastern region. The concluding session was attended by the then Hon’ble Governor of Assam, Professor Jagadish Mukhi.

That programme instilled the desire to move further. Following an extensive discussion and interaction with distinguished dignitaries, it was decided to start our proposed university, i.e., Pragjyotishpur University, with some undergraduate programmes. The schools offered were like B.A. with majors in Assamese, Sanskrit, Economics, Political Science, History, Sociology and Psychology. The B. Com programme with a major in Accounting, Taxation and Fintech. The other programmes included a B.Sc. with majors in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and Data Science. In the second year, we started pharmaceutical programmes with B. Pharm. and D. Pharm. with modern laboratories along with normal science sections. This year, we have initiated postgraduate classes in several disciplines, including psychology, economics, M. Com and performing arts, especially Xatriya dance. Practising yoga is in our normal course curriculum.  The hostel facilities for both boys and girls are available on the university campus with modern amenities. The main vision of our university is to create global knowledge leaders for the holistic development of humanity. It is to be noted that this university will be a nonprofit university which follows the norms of NEP 2020 in a true sense and extends its spirit to the Indian value system. The university will be a ‘people’s university’, intending to connect 20 lakhs of people across the northeastern region for that noble cause. Notably, acharyas, students of our niketans, which number around 600 across Assam, have already been contributing voluntarily since the university’s inception.

Initially, their efforts helped establish the university, and later, government funds supported the enhancement of its infrastructure. On 17th October, the university will celebrate its foundation day with a two-day programme. The first day will feature the inauguration of the main entrance gate, cultural complex and pharmaceutical buildings. On the second day, October 18th, the university will host the second phase of the N.E. conclave, bringing together a galaxy of eminent scholars and personalities from across India. The conclave will include parallel academic activities followed by a cultural function.