Cambridge University is celebrating 800 years of its existence this year.
After the downfall of Takshshila, now in Pakistan, Nalanda became most important international seat of learning in that era, where students from different countries were taught without any racial and other discrimination. (It has become so rampant in modern 'white' world). It is also very important to mention here that students from other countries not only came to learn Buddhist philosophy there, but also subjects like Astronomy, Mathematics, Medical Science and Linguistics. Nalanda was renowned seat of learning much before Buddha who had visited this place. Even after Buddhist dominance of this seat of learning, it remained as seat of learning for secular studies as well.
It was around same time (1189) when Bakhtiar Khalji, a Turkish invader, destroyed one of the oldest heritage seat of learning at Nalanda in India.
And, thus, the fate of East and West started changing in two different ways...the west which always looked towards east for everything...from pepper to paper and philosophy to scientific wisdom...they were now all set to reverse the gear...
Along with Oxford (established in 1167) Cambridge, as great seat of learning, started making base of scientific and industrial revolution in Europe.
After the downfall of Takshshila, now in Pakistan, Nalanda became most important international seat of learning in that era, where students from different countries were taught without any racial and other discrimination. (It has become so rampant in modern 'white' world). It is also very important to mention here that students from other countries not only came to learn Buddhist philosophy there, but also subjects like Astronomy, Mathematics, Medical Science and Linguistics. Nalanda was renowned seat of learning much before Buddha who had visited this place. Even after Buddhist dominance of this seat of learning, it remained as seat of learning for secular studies as well.
Although both Oxford and Cambridge focused on non-scientific subjects initially, but later people with scientific temperament made these institutions include scientific and non-religious subjects in the curriculum.
When Indian Kings, Nawabs, Rajahs and Samants were settling scores with each other and European companies had started infiltration in India, a Cambridge scholar Isaac Newton came up with the great book 'Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica' in 1687.
When India was fighting its first war of independence in 1857 with British 'Company' Army; another Cambridge scholar Darwin came out with his famous book 'On the Origin of Species'.
When I was in the campus of Cambridge this year with my friend Prashant Nikam, I was amazed to see the architecture of college buildings of Cambridge, very similar to Nalanda and Takshshila. You feel nostalgic when you imagine the life of these two oldest seats of learning of India...
Had not Hoons destroyed Takshashila and had not Turks destroyed Nalanda, the fate of East and West and the relation of East and West would certainly have been different...
Let us try to rebuild the knowledge tradition of India, which will form the base of real eco-friendly development with the social base of equal opportunity...
Beautiful article, I feel the same..
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