Nalanda University revives ancient ‘Shastrarth’ tradition

Biharsharif: Nalanda University on Sunday organised “Shastrarth 2026” and the programme would continue on Monday, ahead of its third convocation scheduled on May 19, reviving the ancient tradition of scholarly debate linked to the historic Nalanda Mahavihara.

For the first time, the university has formally included Shastrarth in its academic calendar to promote intellectual dialogue, logical reasoning and research-based discussions rooted in the ‘guru-shishya’ tradition.

The event features public dissertation defences and thematic debates across subjects such as Buddhist studies, archaeology, ecology, international relations and philosophy.

Vice-chancellor Sachin Chaturvedi said education cannot rely solely on artificial intelligence and must develop through intellectual struggle and self-reflection.

The university is also instituting the “Nalanda Shastrarth Samman” for teachers and the “Nalanda Shastrarth Award” for students promoting excellence in intellectual discourse.

Nalanda University’s second convocation was attended by President Droupadi Murmu, while the first convocation was attended by former President Pranab Mukherjee. Its newly built net-zero campus at Rajgir was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024.