Last week, when a friend of mine made a video call, it seemed as if he was standing in a valley with lush green hills. But he was in a monastery class. The students were sitting cross-legged on the floor with their eyes closed. Bells were ringing in the distance, the room was silent and a Buddhist monk was starting his first class of the day with meditation. While speaking in Tibetan, he would pause after every few sentences so that the translator could explain what he was saying in English. After he finished his meditation, a Canadian anthropologist started a history class. My friend came out of the class and asked, where was I? I could not answer in the first attempt. When I asked ‘How come students from so many different countries are sitting there?’ Then he explained that hundreds of students from 40 countries, including the United States, come to study Buddhism at Ka-Ning Shedrub Ling Monastery, just a few minutes’ walk north of the great Bodhnath Stupa. Then we started talking about how every year thousands of Nepali students go to universities in Australia, India, UK, USA and other countries in search of degrees and opportunities that are not available in Nepal. But a small educational migration is also taking place in the opposite direction, of which we are not aware. These students come to Kathmandu to study Buddhism. Some enroll in short-term summer intensive courses and later transfer those credits to foreign universities. Some students stay at Rangjung Yeshe Institute (RYI) to study under the semester exchange program run by the Kathmandu University Center for Buddhist Studies. Established 30 years ago, the institute began as a small group of students who wanted to study with Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Soon its founders realized that if Buddhist education was to gain international authenticity, it would have to be brought into the university framework. In 2002 the institute formally partnered with Kathmandu University to establish the Center for Buddhist Studies. Then there were only 36 students here. Today, 169 students are registered in its recognized degree courses and about 100 students also take summer intensive courses every year. My friend was praising the study of Buddhism by students of different religions. Seeing this work of the students, I remembered a song sung by the great singer Mukesh in the 1968 film ‘Anokhi Raat’ – ‘Oh Re, Taal Mile Nadi Ke Jal Mein, Nadi Mile Sagar Mein, Sagar Mile Kaunse Jal Mein, Koi Jaane Na.’ I was wondering how well the lyrics of this song fit the changing education patterns around the world. Take the example of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jammu, which has started a new B.Tech program called ‘Unified Engineering’ this academic year. It is designed for students who want to go beyond traditional single-discipline engineering. The program is open to JEE Advanced aspirants and its curriculum is completely re-designed and practical, combining multiple areas of engineering. It aims to prepare graduates for cross-functional roles such as systems engineers, product development engineers, automation specialists and AI professionals. Wondering why such cross-functional roles are necessary? Take the electric vehicles that are becoming popular these days. To ensure that these vehicles perform well in the market, you need experts in mechanical, electronics, robotics and AI. Similarly, smart cities also require civil engineers, data analysts and sustainability students. This means that the avenues of engineering education are becoming wider than ever before. The bottom line is that if you really want to become knowledgeable, you will have to get out of the ‘pool’ and take the help of the ‘river’, so that you can reach the ‘ocean of knowledge’.
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N. Raghuraman’s Column: If you study rhythm then river is degree, but knowledge is in ocean only.
