Sen and Nalanda

February 23, 2015 01:10 am | Updated November 16, 2021 05:16 pm IST

I am glad to see Dr. Amartya Sen stepping down (“ > Won’t reconsider decision: Sen ,” Feb.22). This will pave the way, potentially, for theoreticians rooted in modern quantitative analyses and free market economics, and those who are more in tune with the ongoing globalisation of industry and commerce, and with more precision in thinking. I only wish he had gracefully stepped down without firing parting shots at the government.

Vembar K. Ranganathan,

Irvington, U.S.

While Professor Sen accuses Narendra Modi of being opposed to him and for having brought politics into academia, can he deny that there was no politics in his appointment as Chancellor in the first place? Dr. Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister then. I also find it strange that most intellectuals are free to criticise Mr. Modi, but are not willing to face the consequences for it.

Ratish Nair,

Thiruvananthapuram

Nalanda University may have been vulnerable from the start, as it is a very different university with the high-profile members of its governing board from various parts of the world. The temptation to meddle in its affairs may have been great. Therefore, one is in agreement with Dr. Sen when he says that “academic governance in India remains so deeply vulnerable to the opinions of the ruling government.”

It is a sad day when the political class decides the fate of academic matters and shows no respect for excellence and merit. Politicians should also ask themselves why there is no single university in India in the top 200 world educational rankings.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,

Faridabad

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