T
o meet the increasing demand for professionals, private education trusts are now establishing colleges all over India. Often, the colleges are set up in isolation at inappropriate locations depriving students of an academic environment and synergy with other disciplines.
Inspired by the concept of India Habitat Centre initiated when I was CMD HUDCO during 1985-91, India Education Centre is an initiative to develop private university campuses of excellence in which various trusts can set up colleges in diverse disciplines creating a mutually supportive academic environment.
The university shall impart education largely in English medium as it has become the language of global communication, but based on India’s rich cultural ethos and its relevance today for realising a world order based on ethics and respect for all cultures.
SK Sharma, Senior Advisor
Development Alternatives
1. Location : Prime 12 hectares (30 acres) site in Noida Institutional Area on Hapur Highway seven kilometres from Delhi border with large residential area available in Gaziabad on the opposite side of Hapur highway.
2. Promoters : Housing & Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), India Habitat Centre, Lodi Road, New Delhi 110 003, Dr PS Rana, CMD, Project Manager: Rajesh Goel, Deputy Chief, Corporate Planning; Office: 2469-3022, Fax: 2469-7378, Email: .
3.The Concept : The campus will be developed with common facilities such as auditorium, theatre, seminar rooms, resource centre, guest house, student shops, foodcourts and sports suiting a university environment. It will be self financing developed through contributions collected from promoters that book space for various faculties.
4. Management : Registered as a society,CMD HUDCO shall be its ex officio Patron. Shri SK Sharma shall be its founder President in overall charge of its administration. Since he has conceptualised the India Education Centre it is important that he coordinates it in its formative years.
5. The Vision : Based on India’s several thousand years rich cultural ethos, the vision of the university will be to link science with spirituality for realising an egalitarian, peace loving world order in which all have equal social, environmental, economic and political rights and opportunities with social justice and equity.
6. Motto of the University:Einstein was the man of the second millennium; Gandhi is the apostle of the third. Science tempered with spirituality alone can nurture a just world order. The motto of the University shall be “Gandhi & Einstein for Global Sustainability”. The university will propagate that the long term objective of society is to attain high levels of spiritual development. Technology can change life styles but not necessarily the quality of human existence.
7. Theme Pavilion :The University shall have a theme pavilion“Gyan Vigyan Darshan”(Spirituality Science Experience). Through visuals and multimedia projectionsthe exposition will project India’s rich cultural and spiritual ethos and its relevance today for moderating science, capitalism and consumerism. It will explain how through grassroots empowerment, respect for the environment and concern for all life forms can be inculcated to realise an egalitarian world order with social justice and equity.
8. Sustainability Management :An International Institute for Sustainable Managementpromoted byDevelopment Alternatives, a prominent NGO in institutional development, appropriate technology and environmental systems will stress on a self reliant society with social justice and equity nurtured through egalitarian democracy with empowered local governments.
9. Plastic & Performing Arts : Promoters are invited to set up colleges in creative arts such as classical and modern singing, dancing, theatre, painting, graphic arts, photography and sculpture in materials such as stone, bronze, ceramics and stained glass. Such programmes will enrich the campus and sensitise others to various arts forms. We invite well wishers to support development of clusters of homes cum student dormitories for masters in classical arts based on guru-shishya parampara that nurtured our rich culture since ages.
10. School of Vedic Sciences : Promoters are invited to set up a School of Vedic Sciences with faculties such as rajnitikshastra (true democracy of village republics), ardhashastra (egalitarian economic system), ayurveda (medicine), vastushastra (scientific regional planning), vastu (orientation of buildings), and jyotish (astrology). Students of architecture and engineering can take electives in vastushastra and/or vastu and use it in conjunction with modern planning and architecture. Most families seek advice of astrologers for ceremonies such as marriage and setting up business enterprises. In view of the market demand, private universities need to grant degrees in such disciplines so that the community does not suffer at the hands of quacks.
11. Campus Design & Architecture: India Education Centre is an attempt to create a well knit academic environment in which students of science and humanities especially arts, have opportunity to interact thereby enriching each other. This will also enable students to discover their latent potentials. For instance, a student of engineering may like to take an elective in classical signing. The centre will nurture close student-faculty interaction and counselling for sound self development.
The built form shall be such as to create an informal environment while maintaining the integrity of each programme. To facilitate this, it will be desirable if various colleges share certain facilities to nurture interdisciplinary interaction. At each level, terraces with pergolas and snack counters may be provided common to nearby colleges. Elevated streets may connect different zones. While effort may be made to minimize air conditioning and elevators, it may not be possible nor desirable to do away with them. Effort may be made to make positive use of the roof tops. A part of the one level basement parking can be designed for positive use.
Charles Correa Architects are being invited to design the campus. TVB School of Habitat Studies, Delhi, will assist in analysis and research. A number of architects, engineers and academics will be associated in specialised studies such as landscape, appropriate materials, energy and water conservation measures, interiors and project management to optimise the project and ensure strict schedules. An innovative canopy deck bus as civic infrastructure, especially school bus, is being developed.
HUDCO will try to procure the land of Gaziabad Development Authority on the other side of Hapur highway facing the IEC site for facilities such as faculty housing, student hostels and sports fields. A cluster of homes each with dormitory for say 10 students can be promoted for education in classical and modern arts and sciences based on our traditional guru-shishya parampara. We invite NRIs to participate in such initiatives.
12. Collaboration:IEC will collaborate with Indian and foreign universities on (a) IEC advising on Gyan that is spirituality for nurturing an egalitarian society, and (b) seeking advice on Vigyan that is science for sustainability.
13. Invitation to Participate : Philanthropists, business houses, social organisations and individuals interested in participating in this unique progressive project are invited to get in touch with us. Those interested in setting up colleges will have to apply for built space based on their need. If their proposal is approved, they will be required to deposit the amount in instalments based on the progress of the development of the campus. If they need, HUDCO can offer them loan finance.
14.Promoting India Education Centres at other Places: Based on the experience gained, HUDCO can support development of similar India Education Centres in other cities and villages. HUDCO invites individuals and endowments interested in promoting such centres to get in touch with it. The title “India Education Centre” cannot be used withoutthe consent of HUDCO. We will appreciate suggestions for refining this initiative.
SK Sharma, PresidentDr PS Rana
India Education CentreCMD, HUDCO