A committee of 17 members has been established by Delhi University to establish a centre for Hindu Studies, which will offer courses on the "History of Hindus," according to an official. However, a member of the university's academic council has raised questions about the necessity of such a centre. The committee will be led by Prakash Singh, Director of the South Delhi Campus of DU.
Singh stated that there is a need for a Hindu studies centre at the university and that many other universities in India already offer courses in Hindu studies, as per a PTI report.
"We have a centre for Buddhist studies but not a centre for Hindu studies. We thought let's see whether it is viable to open a centre for Hindu studies," Singh added. Further, he emphasised that the panel would focus on first checking the viability of the centre and then introducing courses accordingly.
Providing additional information, Singh stated that the centre will initially offer postgraduate and research courses and may introduce undergraduate courses in the future. The committee will determine which courses will be offered and when they will be introduced, with the possibility of courses being offered this year or next. The committee also plans to present the centre's framework to the academic council in the near future.
However, an opposing member of the academic council argued that other religions, such as Sikh and Muslim, should also have centres and courses offered at the university. In response, Singh stated that linking the centre to any religion is incorrect, as Hinduism is a way of life. He added that the centre will focus on the historical and cultural aspects of Hinduism, rather than solely its religious aspect.
The committee, led by Singh, is composed of the following members: Prof. Payal Mago, Director of the Campus of Open Learning; Prof. K Ratnabali, Dean of Academic Affairs, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Social Science, and Faculty of Arts; Prof. Seema Bawa, Head of the Department of History; Prof. Sangit Kumar Ragi, Head of the Department of Political Science; Prof. Anil Kumar Aneja, Head of the Department of English; Prof. Ranjan Kumar Tripathi, Joint Dean of Colleges; Dr Jaswinder Singh, Principal of SGTB Khalsa College; Prof. C Sheela Reddy, Principal of Sri Venkateswara College; Prof. A K Singh, Head and Dean of the Faculty of Commerce; Prof. V S Negi, EC Member of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Evening College; Dr Aditya Gupta, from the Department of Philosophy; Dr Prerna Malhotra, from the Department of English; and Sh Jay Chanda, Joint Registrar (Academic).
