Nalanda University reopens after 800 years

Nalanda University (NU) in Bihar's Rajgir started its first academic session on Monday nearly 800 years after the ancient education institution was destroyed. The first day saw four study sessions for the students from 9 am to 1.30 pm, NU vice-chancellor Gopa Sabharwal said. “The students had a chance to explore the neighbourhood during their three-day orientation programme earlier,“ she said. The first batch of the university is called the `Nalanda Pioneers' by the administration.
Congratulatory messages started pouring in from the morning. Nobel laureate and NU chancellor Amartya Sen was the first to call up and wish good luck to the students. Members of NU governing body -Wang Bangwei, Wang Gungwu, N K Singh, George Yeo and Anil Wadhwa -also sent their laudatory and good luck wishes to the students and the faculty members.
At present NU has started with two schools of the seven schools planned -School of Ecology and Environment Studies and School of Historical Studies. So far the university has 15 students and 11 faculty members. Besides professors from foreign nations, two of the students are from Bhutan and Japan.
While the classes will be held at Rajgir's International Convention Centre till a makeshift campus for classrooms, offices and semi-furnished faculty residences is refurbished.