E D I T O R I A L   P A G E

EDITORIALS

Not by law alone
When official actions of even lawmakers have to be regulated on the pain of law, there is something seriously wrong with the polity of a country. That, unfortunately, has been happening in India for far too long. They make a mockery of every law that they themselves frame by misusing it with impunity. The anti-defection law was one such piece of legislation.

Arrogance doesn’t pay
Capt Amarinder Singh made two statements at a press conference in Chandigarh on Wednesday which do not behove a seasoned politician like him, much less a chief minister. Performing their professional duty, presspersons do tend to ask unpleasant questions, but a mature leader is not expected to lose his cool.

Back to jungles
The decision of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to suspend talks with Colombo is bound to disappoint those interested in seeing the return of peace and normalcy to the island nation. The Tigers’ latest move was not entirely unexpected, given the manner in which they have been conducting themselves in the past seven months.

Case for new school system
Time to end frequent teachers’ transfers
Amrik Singh
Teachers in government schools and colleges get transferred every now and then. When the system was first instituted by the British, the numbers involved were very small. Therefore, transfers were few and it did not bother many people. After 1947 when the system of schooling began to expand, it became a nuisance and an obstacle in the way of competent performance.

The cricket virus
Iqbal Singh Ahuja
One fine night as I was sleeping, I heard a loud shriek. Before I could figure out what was happening, a leg struck me in the abdomen. I shook my son and before I could fire him he screamed: “Dad, Bhajee has struck a six.” “Bhajee who?” I asked. My daughter who also woke up said: “Dad, he means Harbhajan Singh.” I did not know what to say except to look at my watch. It was 3 in the morning.

IIAS shifting: Director to seek legal opinion
Sanjeev Singh Bariana
Being the Director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, is just another achievement of Prof Bhuvan Chandel, who has already made a name for herself in her subject (philosophy) at the international level. Professor Chandel is currently the only Indian elected to the International Federation of Philosophical Societies. She is a member of the core of directors of the organisation.

For research or heritage?
Rakesh Lohumi
SHIMLA: Thirtyeight years after its inception, the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), the dream institution of President S. Radhakrishnan, is struggling to establish its identity, specially after the Supreme Court ordering the institute to vacate the Viceregal Lodge.

EDITORIALS

Not by law alone

When official actions of even lawmakers have to be regulated on the pain of law, there is something seriously wrong with the polity of a country. That, unfortunately, has been happening in India for far too long. They make a mockery of every law that they themselves frame by misusing it with impunity. The anti-defection law was one such piece of legislation. It was brought forward avowedly to curb horse-trading, in the hope that the rider that at least one-third members of a party were needed to cause a split would discourage rampant indiscipline. Nothing like that happened and various ingenious stratagems, continuous split being one, were devised to make it ineffective. In fact, it institutionalised mass defections. And now, the bar has been raised from the one-third mark to the very top. A Bill will be introduced during the current session of Parliament to amend the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution (anti-defection law) and to delete para three of the Schedule, pertaining to exemption from disqualification from a split. On paper, it may appear to be a firm measure to deal with a serious ailment, but morality in public life being what it is, there is a very real danger of this remedy being worse than the disease. For one thing, it will stifle dissent within the party with an iron hand, so much so that the party leader will become a dictator for all practical purposes. As it is, “leave it to the leader” has been the rule of the thumb in many parties. Now it will get expanded to “leave it to the leader, or leave the party” diktat!

And as far as curbing defection is concerned, the desired results may not be forthcoming. Those engaged in the lucrative trade of horse-trading will now find it easier to ignore the horses and buy the stable instead, lock, stock and barrel. That is the price the country has to pay for the erosion of moral values. Every piece of legislation runs the risk of being subverted. The sad, inside fact is that new rules are framed because of ulterior political motives. The result is that they do not command the kind of respect that they should. Unless all parties agree to honour the spirit of the law, it is bound to be ineffective, nay, counter-productive. There is merit in the other reform restricting the size of ministries at the Centre and in the states by fixing an upper limit of 10 per cent of the House strength. The decision to make the 2001 census as the basis for the ongoing delimitation of parliamentary and Assembly constituencies is well-meaning, but will imply that the Assembly elections this year will be on the basis of existing constituencies because census figures will be available only in September.

Arrogance doesn’t pay

Capt Amarinder Singh made two statements at a press conference in Chandigarh on Wednesday which do not behove a seasoned politician like him, much less a chief minister. Performing their professional duty, presspersons do tend to ask unpleasant questions, but a mature leader is not expected to lose his cool. Even if one ignores the contentious Mukul Joshi issue, which led the chief minister to react in an undignified way, his statement on the use (or misuse) of the state helicopter, if reported correctly in the media, speaks of arrogance which is an undesirable trait in a democratic leader. When asked to comment on the alleged use of the helicopter by his party leaders for a political function, the Captain reportedly dismissed the question as “irrelevant”, saying “I am the CM and I have full authority over it”. He could have honestly and truthfully answered the question, and the issue would have been settled, unless, of course, there is more to it than meets the eye. He is certainly authorised to use the helicopter, but only for performing his duties as the chief minister, not for personal or/and political purposes. It has already been reported that the chief minister’s chopper flights, on an average, cost the state exchequer Rs 1.44 lakh daily and the issue has already figured in the Assembly. The taxpayer has a right to know if such a whopping expenditure is justifiable, particularly when the state treasury is almost empty and, on that pretext, he is being asked to bear the additional tax burden.

The second objectionable statement is about his offer to participate in the farmers’ dharna and demonstration in Delhi to protest against the freezing of the minimum support price for wheat and the alleged discrimination against Punjab on account of the non-lifting of sugar stocks worth about Rs 800 crore from the state as a result of which the mills have not been able to clear the sugarcane growers’ dues. No doubt, the two issues are significant and the state farmers have a strong case, but what is the chief minister up to? No one likes to see a chief minister in the role of a street protester. It won’t get him anything more than cheap publicity, as it did during his previous dharna in front of the prime minister’s residence. Instead, it will be better for the CM to address the larger issues of diversification and wheat-paddy-potato glut in the state. He should first meet the farmers’ demands that come under his jurisdiction like the much delayed payment of paddy bonus. The exemption of pesticides from the 4 per cent sales tax, which leaves the exchequer poorer by Rs 40 crore annually, is more a concession for the pesticides makers than for farmers, who already overuse chemicals, polluting food and water resources. The public expectations that Capt Amarinder Singh had aroused in the beginning of his term with his anti-corruption drive are wearing off. He has to refurbish his image and revive the public confidence in his administration by focussing on development, instead of playing politics.

Back to jungles

The decision of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to suspend talks with Colombo is bound to disappoint those interested in seeing the return of peace and normalcy to the island nation. The Tigers’ latest move was not entirely unexpected, given the manner in which they have been conducting themselves in the past seven months. First, there has been a lack of sincerity and earnestness on their part during the series of negotiations held so far. Secondly, they have been pursuing one-upmanship and adopting a tough posture with the Sri Lankan government. Against this background, their decision to suspend talks with the government that marks the end of their “soft approach” is not surprising. More important, one cannot take at its face value the Tigers’ assurance that they are “not for resuming war”. From Day One, they have been boasting that their military strength provided them with the necessary “bargaining power”. Norway’s special envoy Erik Solheim has stated that he was not surprised by the terrorist outfit’s decision. Nonetheless, he will appreciate the fact that having refused to reduce their combat potential, the Tigers have made it known from the very beginning of the negotiations that they would be free to revive their “militarism” if they do not see any substantial development on the political front.

While the LTTE’s latest move is bound to be seen as a serious setback to the ongoing peace efforts, some interlocutors to the Sri Lankan government still seem to be optimistic. This positive approach is welcome, but considering the fact that there are reasonable apprehensions about the Tigers’ intentions, the interlocutors would do well to be wary of the terrorist outfit’s larger gameplan. The issue of the resettlement of internally displaced civilians is one. Linked to this is the understanding that there should be a reduction of military personnel on both sides — the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government. The other and more important is the question of the opening of the northern high security zone (HSZ). It is feared that if the zone is thrown open, the LTTE might try to infiltrate its cadres. As peace is bound to be elusive in the coming days following the Tigers’ decision, the government should not compromise on security while simultaneously pursuing the negotiation route. The interests of the war-torn island should be the main concern of both President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Both should work in unison to meet the challenge posed by the LTTE.

OPINION

Case for new school system
Time to end frequent teachers’ transfers
Amrik Singh

Teachers in government schools and colleges get transferred every now and then. When the system was first instituted by the British, the numbers involved were very small. Therefore, transfers were few and it did not bother many people. After 1947 when the system of schooling began to expand, it became a nuisance and an obstacle in the way of competent performance.

A second dimension to this problem was that till the late 1950’s school education was controlled by the district boards. The transfers, as and when they took place, were within the district. Once it became clear that, under the pressure to revise the scales of pay for which the district boards did not have enough resources, there was no option except to provincialise school education. In consequence, the situation underwent a qualitative change. In a number of states the problem became so unmanageable that some of them evolved different variations of the system. Transfers are no doubt made but only within certain specified areas.

While the real problem is at the school level, colleges are not exempt from this nuisance. It was earlier suggested how while the government might continue to finance the school operation, the management could be transferred to managing committees which may be set up locally. This system can apply both to schools and colleges.

As already explained, the system of transfers is found in India and not in the UK. In that country, no teacher can be transferred. Appointment to one of the government-aided schools does not mean that the teachers are rendered liable to transfer. On the contrary, getting appointed to one of them means getting selected for what would correspond to a private school in our country.

In plain words, there is no sanctity about the system which we inherited from the British. Had we been more agile in dealing with our administrative problems, this change could have been carried out 30-40 years ago when the numbers involved were relatively small. But at that time the focus was on getting higher scales of pay for teachers working at the school level. This had become possible only when the state governments underwrote the funding liability. Nobody at that point of time stopped to raise the question why funding and management could not be separated from each other.

A stage has now been reached where this kind of separation has to be formalised. The main opposition will come from the Department of Education. It has got used to a certain system of functioning wherein decision-making is vested in its officers who are not above mismanagement, influence, bribery and what not. Secondly, MLAs have got used to pulling the wires and exercising patronage in the way it suits them. As far as teachers are concerned, they should prefer the end of the existing system. If some of them still have misgivings, that is because they are unable to visualise how the alternative system would function. In course of time, people would come to like the new system — it may be reiterated. In any case, it is time to shift over to a system where teachers do not have to suffer the indignities and hassles of frequent transfers.

That apart, some people can have genuine misgivings whether the local managements, as proposed already, would have the right sense of responsibility. Or would they cave in under pressure of a few teachers who would know how to successfully manipulate things? Sometimes such things happen. But, as we know from experience, gradually things find their own level. In the case of government-funded but locally managed schools, such things can happen and would have to be guarded against.

As proposed, the managements will have to be vigilant as also determined about these things. For one thing, the chairman would be nominated by a serving Vice-Chancellor; this arrangement should prove more satisfactory than what is to be encountered today. For another, let it be recognised that responsibility is not something which descends from above. A sense of responsibility has to be learnt and cultivated. Those who are given responsibility have, therefore, to be given a chance to manage according to their light. Today, things are distinctly unsatisfactory. At the same time, it must be acknowledged that in more than 50 per cent of the cases the right decisions are being taken. With the passage of time and with the delegation of more and more responsibility to local managements, the picture will begin to change and that is what democracy is about.

What has been stated above is, therefore, a plea for a decisive delegation of responsibility. In any case, some of the safeguards have already been thought of. For example, a substantial number of the members of the management would be ex-academics. Also, there would be one or two women as also a couple of retired officials. In other words, the choice of the members should be made in such a way that no single group will have the right to unduly dominate decision-making. In the ultimate outcome, right decisions are made only when different social and political interests are balanced against conflicting pulls and pressures and, above all, the interests of students are given prime importance.

While it would be too much to claim that the panchayat system has already succeeded, nobody disagrees with the need to promote it. The hard fact is that people are slow to take to the new system. In certain states the panchayats are doing well, in others they are not. The situation varies from state to state. In most of northern India, it is not doing well, and this must be acknowledged. It has been argued already that the way to succeed is to promote delegation rather than curb it. Appointments of teachers and the issue of transfers are to some extent linked with the success of the panchayat system. If a particular locality can give evidence that its educational management is better than that of the neighbouring unit, this in turn will exert the right kind of pressure.

Two other issues may also be referred to here. One is the issue of the appointment of local teachers. In certain cases, local persons, if they get appointed as teachers, begin to misuse their position. This is a danger which cannot be overlooked. Secondly, some areas are dominated by particular castes particularly in the countryside. In addition to other things, therefore, the caste bias would begin to create problems. Here also some safeguards would have to be provided and these should be devised in consultation with the teachers. The managing committee would also have a role to play and if these are constituted as projected above, the situation would sooner or later get stabilised.

When off and on transfers of teachers are banned by certain states, it is an implied condemnation of the existing system. It is necessary to go further and abolish the system altogether. Having said this, it must, at the same time, be acknowledged that in that case the final decision will be made on political, not educational, grounds. Educational grounds too are, however, important. These can be made more powerful and indeed decisive provided the teachers conduct themselves with a greater sense of responsibility than they have given evidence of so far.

— The writer is a well-known educationist

MIDDLE

The cricket virus
Iqbal Singh Ahuja

One fine night as I was sleeping, I heard a loud shriek. Before I could figure out what was happening, a leg struck me in the abdomen. I shook my son and before I could fire him he screamed: “Dad, Bhajee has struck a six.” “Bhajee who?” I asked. My daughter who also woke up said: “Dad, he means Harbhajan Singh.” I did not know what to say except to look at my watch. It was 3 in the morning.

As a doctor I realised that cricket is a virulent infection. From the servant to the master everybody is infected. This virus produces such a concentration in the mind that everybody thinks in one direction. Nobody tolerates any disturbance. If God gives me the strength to isolate this virus, the first thing I will do is to genetically engineer it and mutate it to the literacy mode and then spread it in the entire country. I am sure this will help our political powers to eradicate illiteracy and poverty — the fronts on which the highest powers have failed.

I don’t know much about the history of cricket but somebody told me that it has a British origin. Cricket has pushed kabaddi, football and hockey behind the curtain. No wonder once a champion of hockey, India has now been washed away from the scene. A friend of mine recently remarked: “You know, Britishers only popularised the drinking of tea in India. Poor milk and lassi went into oblivion.” Being an Indian I sympathised with him and myself.

Sunday ( March 23) was a very fine day and I wanted to spend it in clearing my backlog. “Dad, today every Indian, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, is expected to cheer up the Indian players and give them moral support. They must bring the World Cup to India. Do you know that it is worth Rs 32 lakh,” said my son. I said to my children: “I appreciate your concern. And if by my praying India can be richer by Rs 10 crore, I don’t mind praying. But I wonder whether they will donate a part of their kitty to their poor Indian brethren. Even the Indian Government is not going to gain anything as it will be tax-free. I also wonder whether my cheering will reach South Africa — thousands of miles away.”

Any way I agreed and told my children that I will devote myself and my special Sunday for this patriotic cause. The game started. Our captain won the toss and decided that the Australians should bat first. In the heart of hearts I wanted to see the Indian players bat first but then I did not have any telepathic connection with Saurav Ganguli. How could I tell him that a tired horse does not run with the same speed?

The match started with a bang. Each time a four or a six was hit, I felt as if the ball was hitting my forehead. With the prowess the Australians hit the ball, it could have easily reached India. I felt as if it was an anti-aircraft gun firing the missiles. By the end of their innings, I was feeling very tired and exhausted as I had been flogged 359 times.

I wanted a break, I took my friend for a long drive. As we were passing by the theatre, we saw a big rush. I told my friend: “Look, so many people are not interested in the match.” My friend laughed and said: “They are also seeing the match. It is being shown in the theatre.” I was surprised. This was something which had happened for the first time— a cricket match in the theatre. I thought for a while that real threat to cinema was not from video piracy but from cricket. Beware Sunny Deol and Amitabh! Better make your sons cricketers than film stars.

I spotted one of my friends near the theatre. He looked very grim and sad. Before I could ask him he muttered: “India do baar bhi khel ke itna score nahin bana sakta.”

I reached home to see my Indian players performing miracles. It was very difficult to see a crumbling empire. I could see my children upset. At one time I felt that they would cry. I could not tolerate this. As I was thinking hard how to change their mood, my son got an SMS message. He cheered up and I was anxious to know what the message was. “Dad good news! Vajpayee agrees to back America if they bomb the stadium at this crucial moment.” I laughed and told him to pray to God for our victory. Let us pray to Rain God, “the mighty Indra”. We prayed and, lo, it started raining. The match was stopped. But the play resumed. The end result was predictable. Everybody was sad. The best side had won. But alas! India lost Rs 5.76 crore.

I cheered up my children: “Look, we are next to the best. One team has to win and one has to lose. Being number two in the world is not a small achievement.” As I was telling them how to face failure in life, my son cheered up. He said: “Dad, I have found out the cause of India’s defeat. There was a technical sabotage. “Sehwag Ki Maa Ka Message Ponting Ko Pahunch Gaya”.

THE TRIBUNE INTERVIEW

IIAS shifting: Director to seek legal opinion
Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Being the Director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, is just another achievement of Prof Bhuvan Chandel, who has already made a name for herself in her subject (philosophy) at the international level. Professor Chandel is currently the only Indian elected to the International Federation of Philosophical Societies. She is a member of the core of directors of the organisation.

Bhuven Chandel was born in Bilaspur(Himachal Pradesh) where her father served as a "wazir". Her long journey of success stories in the academic world started during her days at the prestigious St Bede’s College, Shimla. Following her graduation there, she landed on the Panjab University campus in Chandigarh with an aim to join the English Department. However, the promise of a scholarship and better guidance goaded her to join the Department of Philosophy from where it was a point of no return for this " subject expert.

Earlier, she had gone to Amritsar after her matriculation in order to make her way into the medical profession. Nature ordained it differently and she found herself on the path of a never-ending journey into the world of teaching and research. She travelled worldwide in pursuit of and for disseminating knowledge. She has travelled, among others, to China, Africa, Turkey, France, Switzerland, Hawai and several Mediterranean countries.

Her association with Panjab University has continued since her student days. After joining as a lecturer, she was appointed a Professor in 1984. Professor Chandel has been a former Dean of Foreign Students and a Dean of the Arts Faculty. She is currently also the Dean of the Faculty of Arts.

Incidentally, she attended the first conference on "Religion and Society" organised by the IIAS in 1965 in which leading lights of the academic world participated.

She was nominated a member of the Senate, the governing body of the university, in 1976 where she continued till 1992. She is currently also a member of the Senate.

Professor Chandel was the first woman Syndicate member of the university in the late 70s. She was the youngest lecturer nominated to the Academic Council. She has been associated with the PU Research Journal as editor. She also happened to be the first woman secretary of the Panjab University Teachers Association.

Professor Chandel has a long association with the Indian Council of Philosophical Research(ICPR). During her long association, she was elected the Chief Executive of the ICPR from 1992 to 1994. She is also a member of the International Institute of Philosophy, which is the oldest body on the subject, and she happens to be the second Indian on the premier body. She will be delivering an address later this year at a conference of the institute.

In an interview to the Tribune News Service, Professor Chandel spoke on issues she would like to take up during her tenure as the Director of the IIAS. She said she would be better equipped to speak on the institution after she saw the ground realities. However, she had a broad framework in her mind to chalk out her activities. Excerpts:

The building was gifted to the IIAS by President S. Radhakrishnan for the noble cause of academic excellence. This is a 123-year-old building which does not really need protection by the Archaeological Survey of India. This is a clear case of difference of opinion between the Supreme Court and the government. It may be remembered that the Cabinet had decided that the IIAS should continue at the existing site. We will seek legal opinion on the issue.

I am not connected with any political party in the country— whether left, right or centre. Having done my thesis on Karl Marx during my PhD does not make me a leftist. My academic credentials found favour with those in power because of my academic activities in the field which was borne out by my work. I am progressive, alright, but I have my feet grounded in the glorious past of my country.

The declining level of education, particularly in social sciences, is of immense interest. Under the existing world conditions the "liberal arts system necessary for sustaining the fabric of society" has weakened. Social sciences cater to all needs of society. The planning, which comes through the interpretation of empirical data, is of paramount importance to policy-makers. Political science, sociology, economics and philosophy are very critical areas to handle. Research that helps in providing alternative solutions should be given prime importance.

It is not surprising to find that premier engineering institutes, including the IITs, have regular departments of social sciences. Prof T.V.Ramakrishnan is among the handful Indians who are Fellows of the Royal Society, a premier international body of scientists. He is an internationally acclaimed speaker on scientific topics. During a conversation with me recently, he said his creative insights are based on his understanding of Buddhism, Jainism and the six Indian doctrines.

As far as I know, the institute has inadequate infrastructure available for research in natural sciences. I feel there is a great need for clubbing of the independent research in social sciences with the natural sciences keeping in mind the human interest at large. I would like to explore the possible areas of tie-ups with leading scientific institutes, including the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), to have a closer interaction between the two fields.

I have a plan to go in for the appointment of a core faculty at the institute against the existing practice of appointments for a couple of years only. The tenure of the core faculty can be minimum of six years. I am trying to rope in leading lights from all the fields concerned. The length of stay often lends more seriousness to the subject and the researcher. The appointment of the core faculty would remain an area for interference of the highest administrators of the institute to maintain the high standards of faculty appointments.

Providing a larger number of scholarships than now is also at the back of my mind. I am aware of only 28-odd residential quarters on the complex that I think was a deterrent for the newcomers. An attempt will be made for more residential facilities or even for an alternate arrangement of stay for the faculty.

Whatever is your own is your own. A study of one’s past does not need support of names like "saffron". We are closely associated with the study of our past which is with an aim to rediscover our past minus any political glorification. I was surprised at the depth and the areas covered in our ancient texts through my recent academic programmes. Sizeable portions of our ancient texts covering a wide range of subjects, including humanities and sciences, are still under study and need to be taken up for a detailed study.

This is an unfair statement because writers in the Indian languages have etched out a permanent name for themselves in the world of letters. Not all writers are great, even on foreign lands. Leading writers in regional languages, particularly Hindi, Bengali and Marathi, just to name a few, have made memorable contribution to the Indian society. Hariprasad Dewedi is just one among several literary legends that linger in public memory and he is not alone. I will try my best to promote the regional writers who have stores of untapped talent which needs a forum for expression and recognition .

The institute, gifted by President Radhakrishnan, had a mission. During the mid-70s the institution had to be closed down. It was visionaries like Prof D.P.Chattopadhayaya, who was close to Mrs Indira Gandhi and Mr Kreet Joshi, an educational adviser to the Indian government, who helped in the revival of the institute. I plan to carry out their dreams in whatever small way I can under the guidance of Prof G.C.Pande, another leading light who currently is the Chairman of the premier institute.

For research or heritage?
Rakesh Lohumi

SHIMLA: Thirtyeight years after its inception, the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), the dream institution of President S. Radhakrishnan, is struggling to establish its identity, specially after the Supreme Court ordering the institute to vacate the Viceregal Lodge.

Recurring controversies over its continuation in the majestic Viceregal Lodge complex had over the years pushed the academic achievements of the institute to the background. Every time it came in news, it was because of some development regarding its closure or shifting from the splendid heritage building, which has been a witness to the most momentous periods of the country’s freedom struggle.

Every possible effort was made to altogether close down the institute or shift it out to some other place to pave the way for converting the heritage building into a five-star hotel which, it was pleaded, would ensure its proper preservation.

The institute has been in a state of suspended animation ever since the Morarji Desai government took a decision to close it down in June 1979. However, before it could be implemented the government changed at the Centre and the new Congress regime constituted an expert committee under the chairmanship of Mr Krishna Kriplani, to examine the issue. The committee recommended that the institute would remain at Shimla but on a different premises. Subsequently, the Centre decided to hand over the property to the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Human Resource Development was asked to find a suitable premises to house the institute. Thereafter, some buildings in and around Shimla like the Bilaspur House at Summer Hill and Mandi House at Mashobra were inspected by the Secretary, Education, but he did not find these suitable and instead recommended shifting of the institute to the Wildflower Hall, which was later gutted in a fire.

In 1986 efforts were made to shift the institute to Delhi in the Asiad village but the Prime Minister’s Office later did a volte-face by informing that the premises could not be made available to the IIAS. The search did not stop here and the HRD Ministry requested the governments of Maharashtra, Gujrat, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh to make suitable land or built-up property for housing the institute.

In 1989 the governing body of the institute initiated a move to purchase 10 acres of land in Chandigarh to build a new campus. In the meantime, the Cabinet committee on trade and investment decided that the entire 126-acre complex be developed as a major tourist resort by the ITDC and the institute be shifted to an alternative site to be provided by the Himachal government.

While the search was on for a site, Mr Rajiv Mankotia, a conservationist, filed a public interest litigation pleading that instead of making it a tourist resort, the premises should be preserved as a national monument. In 1997 the apex court ordered the government to hand over the sprawling premises spread over 90 acres to the Archaeological Survey of India for preservation as a national monument. It also directed that the main Viceregal Lodge building and the 25 acres of land be preserved as a heritage zone and that no alteration or new construction, which could effect its architectural ambience, should be undertaken. The fate of the institute has been hanging in balance since.

During its chequered existence, the institute saw a significant growth in the size of the faculty and academic activities. It started with a dozen research fellows and the number has increased to 40 today. Besides, the system of having honorary fellows was introduced only last year on the pattern of the Royal Asiatic Society to take advantage of the intellect of renowned scholars. The present lot of honorary scholars includes Dr E.C.G. Sudershan, a renowned physicist, Dr R. Narsimhan, Director of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and Dr P.N. Tandon, a world famous neuro scientist and a pioneer in brain research in the country.

Of late an effort has been made to establish the Indian identity of the institute. A centre for study of Indian civilisation has been set up. The institute has had 11 Directors over the period. The present incumbent, Dr Bhuvan Chandel, took over only last week. She is the second woman Director. Earlier, Dr Margaret Chatterjee had a three-year stint from 1986 to 1989. Mr Nehar Ranjan Ray , an eminent historian, was the first Director, who completed a five-year term (1965-70). He was followed by Dr V.K. Gokak (1970-71), Mr Yusuf Husain Khan (1970-71), Dr S.C. Dube (1972-77), Dr B.B. Lal (1977-84), Mr M.N. Sinha (1984-86), Dr Margaret Chatterjee (1986-89), Dr J.S. Grewal (1989-93), Dr Mrinal Miri (1993-2000) and Dr V.C. Srivastav (2000-03).