O
n a hot summer day, as we
walked onto the spanking new
grounds of Sister Nivedita
University, we were surprised at
the buzz and throb on campus, as the
University was barely a year old. We could
tell that placements were on, which was
also a surpise. And as we walked through
crowds of smartly dressed students, we
could hear talk of premium companies
such as a Amazon and TCS and whispers
of pay package offers of ` 26 lakh.
This seemed quite incredible, as SNU is
a new University, though it comes from a
long-established group with roots in
education that are both deep and wide. No
wonder this was the first question I asked
Satyam Roy Choudhury, Founder and
Chancellor of SNU.Q. We cannot contain our curiousity.
Were the students talking about a
pay package of rupees `26 lakh for
one of your student?
Yes (with a shy but proud smile). They
were. Amazon has offered ` 26 lakh to a
student of ours.Q. But it’s barely been a year since
the Univerity opened its doors to
students!
Yes. But we have planned and executed it
with our experience of more than 35 years
in education and we have brought to it our
heart-felt commitment. And these are the
results.Q. Congratulations! But, a full-
fledged University spanning the
entire range from Engineering and
Technology to Fine Arts, within less
than a year of conceptualisation.
How did this come about?
Yes, sudden is the word for the inception
of Sister Nivedita University. It would not
be wrong to say that it actually happened
in a matter of days and months. I was a
part of the delegation accompanying the
Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, toSatyam Roy Choudhury
Lessons of the past,
Foundation of the future
Chancellor of
Sister Nivedita UniversitySister Nivedita University
being unique of its own
kind is built on the path
of Sister Nivedita, blessed
under the shadow of Swami
Vivekananda. The university
offers educational programs
under the School(s) of SNU
namely; School of Science,
School of Engineering, School
of Business, School of Social
Sciences & Humanities,
School of Law, School of
Pharmacy, School of Fine
Arts & Design, School of
Hotel Management, School
of Nursing, and research
initiatives through the PhD
Programs.Educator and author, Satyam Roy Choudhury talks about
the past, present and future of education in West Bengal. In
conversation with Sukanya Das
London for the Blue Plaque ceremony at
Sister Nivedita’s house at Wembley,
London as part of the Vivekananda
Nivedita Foundation. I was asked to
organise a programme on Sister Nivedita
and Swamiji and there itself, the CM asked
me to do something in Sister Nivedita’s
name, abiding by her philosophy. As Sister
Nivedita was an educationist and we are in
education ourselves, we decided then and
there to set up a university. The Honourable
Chief Minister also announced it at that
point itself. The Sister Nivedita University
Act was passed with speed, we put in our
effort with dedication and 4th August
2018, we had a new batch of students.Q. That’s very impressive!
I am very happy with the way everything
has worked out and what we are trying to
achieve here.Q. What exactly is your vision for
SNU?
Our vision is to establish a University with
not just a global level of offerings, but a
global concept. We want this university to
be a microcosm of our world with students
from different countries, religions,
regions. We want the University to reflect
a philosophy of humanism, which is the
need of the times.
So, our goal is to be aligned with the
philosophy of Sister Nivedita and Swamiji
and what they stood for, but in the modern
context, in step with the times.
In tangible terms, Sister Nivedita
University is a dynamic organization with
a primary focus on reaching excellence in
research-oriented education. As a group,
we believe that India’s comparative
advantage in the global economy lie in
education and its assimilation with the
globalization process has challenged us to
offer programmes in tune with the current
changing needs. We plan to strengthen
our academic curriculum and course
offerings, maintaining our core ethics and
values.