Beyond Nehru-Gandhis: UGC to name research centres after ‘unsung’ heroes like S Radhakrishnan and others

NEW DELHI: For decades, the Nehru-Gandhis have ‘made’ their names in centres of excellence, but it’s now the turn of a whole new lot to lend their glory to India’s best research chairs and institutions.
In what would mark a fresh change in the education iconography of the country, the University Grants Commission is embarking on a mission to identify a host of unsung social figures/thinkers and recognise their contribution by dedicating research centres in their name.

ET learns that Jan Sangh stalwart Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda, educationist and founder of Banaras Hindu University Madan Mohan Malviya, former presidents S Radhakrishnan and Zakir Hussain, religious and social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy, and philosopher-queen of Malwa Ahilya Bai could figure on this list, which could have as many as 50 names.

The government, however, has no plans to rename centres and institutes that currently carry the name of members of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

UGC Chairman Ved Prakash told ET that the regulatory body would soon set up a committee to propose the names of social reformers and thinkers. “The committee will draw up a list based on the contribution made by them in different fields. Once the personalities are finalised we will either name chairs or centres of excellence after them, which will propagate their work and conduct further research in their area of expertise.”

UGC will start each centre of excellence with an initial grant of Rs 7.5 lakh. The move, according to government sources, is aimed at correcting the previous regime’s “bias” in naming educational centres after the Nehru-Gandhi family and honouring those ignored under Congress regimes. According to an RTI reply of 2012, there are 99 educational institutions named after Nehru-Gandhis.

Ved Prakash refused comment on whether the decision had anything to do with the predominance of the Nehru-Gandhi name in the education sector.

Modi regime’s first budget featured a host of schemes named after Upadhyaya, Shyama Prasad Mookerji and Malviya.