It was only two months ago that Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya became unpopular for "confining" minor girls. The revelation happened after Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) rescued 46 from the ashram who accused the godman Baba Virendra Dev Dixit of raping them on several occasions.
This "university" claimed to be teaching the values of Gita and ancient Indian education. With their primary campus in Delhi, AVV claims to be teaching "Original Murli Tunes" through videos and texts. It also has lectures recorded on Shrimad Bhagvat Gita that can be accessed on its website.
The ambiguous nature of AVV came to light during the raid. To reiterate the same and create awareness, DCW chief Swati Maliwal had tweeted: Can't understand how is this ashram in Rohini called 'Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya'? Have they been recognised by UGC to call themselves a University? They don't have any documentation of who stays here, where they came from, what they do and they call themselves a University?
Recently, Delhi High Court, in its orders, have asked them to lose the tag of "university" because "they don't look like one".
To sum it up we scoured through the "university" website to find out contrasting differences between its objectives and authenticated UGC guidelines. Here are a few examples:
What is a university?
WHAT UGC SAYS: A private university shall be a unitary university having adequate facilities for teaching, research, examination and extension services.
WHAT AVV DOES: Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya (AVV) is a Divine (Ishwariya) family, whose aim is to establish a new world filled with the feeling of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam’ (the world itself is our family) through the Divine knowledge and easy Raja Yoga that the Supreme Father Supreme Soul Shiva is teaching.
Location trouble
WHAT UGC SAYS: A private university established under a State Act shall operate ordinarily within the boundary of the State concerned.
WHAT AVV DOES: The service centres of AVV are spread not just in every corner of India but worldwide as well in the form of mini madhubans, Gita schools, Shakti Bhavan and Pandav Bhavan.
Where's the money coming from?
WHAT UGC SAYS: In case of off-shore campus(es), the remittance of funds shall be governed by the rules and regulations of the Reserve Bank of India.
WHAT AVV DOES: The activities of the AVV are managed just with the financial help given by the surrendered members of the AVV, their relatives or the brothers and sisters of the Divine family i.e. the other members of the AVV voluntarily and according to their capacity.
The student-teacher dynamics
WHAT UGC SAYS: The admission procedure and fixation of fees shall be in accordance with the norms/guidelines prescribed by the UGC and other concerned statutory bodies.
WHAT AVV DOES: Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya isn’t an institution but a Divine family based on a gurukul system (seminary) of ancient India.
(With inputs from agencies)
