Amartya Sen to mentor Presidency University
Noble laureate economist Amartya Sen has agreed to be chief mentor of the Presidency University. Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee has announced the formation of a mentor group on the lines of the newly revived Nalanda International University in Bihar to bring positive changes in the ailing university.
The university that has churned out luminaries like Swami Vivekananda and Satyajit Ray will be revived by grand nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Sugato Bose, who has agreed to be the chairman of the mentor group to revive the Presidency University, said the group will have distinguished people from diverse fields.
‘I believe most members will be Presidency (University) alumnus, but other distinguished personalities may also be there, said Bose.
‘Higher distinction in any particular field will be the yardstick for selecting the group members.’
Bose, who teaches at Harvard, said the group would be small.
‘We have decided to constitute an outstanding and diverse group and seek the advice of famed alumni/alumnae. The group will be formed after careful consultation.’
The renowned Kolkata based Presidency College was upgraded to a university in 2010. The institution, has faced criticism recently about falling standards due to alleged politics in teacher recruitment and frequent student unrest.
The college’s alumni include Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Satyajit Ray, Marxist star Jyoti Basu and scientist Satyendranath Bose. India’s first president, Rajendra Prasad, and former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee also studied in the college.
[Source: Sify]