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Jawaharlal Nehru University

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Jawaharlal Nehru University जवाहरलाल नेहरू विश्वविद्यालय
File:UOHYD logo.png
TypeEducation and Research
Established1969
ChancellorProfessor Yashpal
Vice-ChancellorProfessor B.B.Bhattacharya
Academic staff
550
Students5000
Location
New Delhi
,
India
CampusUrban
AffiliationsUGC
Websitewww.jnu.ac.in

Jawaharlal Nehru University (जवाहरलाल नेहरू विश्वविद्यालय), also known as JNU or Nehru University, is located in New Delhi, the capital of India. Named after Jawaharlal Nehru (the first Prime Minister of India), it is among the premier universities in India. G. Parthasarathy was appointed as the first vice-chancellor of the university. Situated in a bush forest on a ridge of the Aravalli hills with about 1000 acres (4 km²) of land in South Delhi, the university is mainly a research oriented postgraduate University with about 5500 students. The faculty strength is around 550. The University is organized in ten Schools (each of which has several Centers) as well as four independent Special Centers.

History

Vice Chancellors

JNU was established in 1969, by an act of parliament, with the objective of promoting the study of principles of national integration, social justice, secularism, democratic way of life, international understanding and scientific approach in solving the problems of society. Over the years, it has been a model university in terms of academic excellence. Being unique of its kind in India, it is truly multinational and multicultural. A miniature India can be seen and felt in this residential university. Another objective of the founders of this university was to make it a premier institution of higher learning for students of the erstwhile Third World countries. The university from the very beginning was meant to be a centre for Third World studies. A third objective of the university has been to promote research and teaching leading to the increasing engagement of its students and teachers in higher level academic work and national and international policy making.

Schools

  • School of Arts and Aesthetics: This is one of the newest schools of the university.
  • School of BioTechnology: This is the youngest School of JNU, being formed in 2006 out of the earlier Centre for Biotechnology.[1]
  • School of Computer and Systems Sciences: This school has been attracting the largest number of applications as compared to other schools, since its inception in 1974. Apart from leading in the research in wide variety of areas, SCSS has also produced excellent professional software developers, IT-managers, and computer engineers for the IT-industry.
  • School of Environmental Sciences:
  • School Of Information Technology: Carved out of the erstwhile BIC, it is in a class of its own, catering to the ever growing need for the confluence of biological sciences with the technological know-how. It offers M.Tech in computational and systems biology and Ph.D courses.
  • School of International Studies: This is the oldest school of JNU. It predates the establishment of the JNU, as the Indian School of International Studies, which was set up in 1956. The centres in this school are the Centre for Canadian, US and Latin American Studies, the Centre for East Asian Studies, the Centre for European Studies, the Centre for International Legal Studies, the Centre for International Politics, Organisation and Disarmament Studies, the Centre for International Trade and Development, the Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies, the Centre for South, Central, Southeast Asian and Southwest Pacific Studies, the Centre for West Asian & African Studies and the Group of Comparative Politics & Political Theory.
  • School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies: This is also a high profile of the university and is only one to offer undergraduate courses. It also has several centres under it, such as the Centre of Arabic and African Studies, Centre of Chinese and South East Asian Studies, the Centre for French and Francophone Studies, the Centre of German Studies, the Centre of Indian Languages, the Centre of Japanese Korean and North East Asian Studies, the Centre for English Studies, the Centre for Linguistics, the Centre of Persian and Central Asian Studies, the Centre of Russian Studies, the Centre of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian & Latin American Studies.
  • School of Life Sciences: This school is also one of the oldest schools in the university.
  • School of Physical Sciences: It was formed in 1986. It has faculty in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. At present the degree programs that are offered are the M.Sc. (Physics) and Ph.D. (in Physics, Chemistry or Mathematics). The School has experimental facilities in a number of different areas that include soft-matter physics, low temperature physics, materials science, supramolecular chemistry, as well as extensive computational facilities with a dedicated Nonlinear Dynamics laboratory. [2]
  • School of Social Sciences: It has been best known of all the schools for its strong programme in the Social Sciences. It is the largest School (in terms of the number of faculty members) in JNU with 9 centres. These centres are the centres in this school are the Centre for the Study of Regional Development, which is accredited as Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS) by University Grants Comminssion and premier centre in the Field of Spatial Science (GEOGRAPHY),the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, [3], which is a premier institute in the field of economics, the Center for Historical Studies, which regularly brings out a reputed peer-reviewed journal, entitled "Studies in History", the Center for Philosophy, the Centre for Political Studies, the Centre for Studies in Science Policy, the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, the Zakir Husain Centre for Educational Studies, [1]

Special Centers

  • Center for the Study of Law and Governance
  • Center for Molecular Medicine
  • Center for Sanskrit Studies
  • Center for International Trade and Development(CITD)

Institutions affiliated to JNU [2]

  • The National Defence Academy, Pune
  • The Army Cadet College, Dehra Dun
  • College of Military Engineering (CME), Pune
  • Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME), Secunderabad
  • Naval College of Engineering (NCE), INS Shivaji, Lonavla
  • Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow
  • Centre for Development Studies (CDS) [3], Trivandrum
  • Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad
  • National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi
  • C.V.Raman Research Institute, Bangalore
  • International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi
  • Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh
  • Central Institute of Medicine and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow
  • Nuclear Science Centre, New Delhi (now renamed as the Inter-University Accelerator Centre(IUAC) [4]

Collaborators

The university has exchange programmes and academic collaboration through the signing of MoUs with 71 foreign universities around the world.[5]. This list includes

Infrastructure

File:Jnu.jpg
JNU Library
File:Jnss.jpg
School of Social Sciences

The JNU Campus

The university is an example of the new red brick universities to have been built in mid-twentieth century. The campus buildings are architecturally distinct and are dominated by a nine storied library and buildings housing lecture halls around it.

JNU is located in the southern part of New Delhi. Spread over an area of about 1000 acres (2 km²), the campus occupies some of the northernmost reaches of the Aravalli Hills. The campus still maintains large patches of scrub and forestland - this is the JNU ridge, home to over 200 species of birds and other wildlife such as nilgai, jackal, mongoose, peacock as well as a large number of snakes.

Modernization

Like any other university in India, JNU too has had its share of bureaucratic hassles . However, the university administration is modernizing itself by moving toward "paperless"[8] transparency and e-governance with the help of Wipro. Likewise, the campus is setting up a wireless network that will connect students and teachers to the library. But same time it's disopointing for JNU community to damage naturality of campus and wasting public money on the useless modernisation.

Students

Public Meetings

There is a long tradition of holding serious post-dinner meetings in the hostels to which the students often invite well known public figures, writers and intellectuals. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union [JNUSU] is primarily responsible for building and preserving a healthy political culture and an atmosphere of open debate on the campus. Students are kept informed about the various public meetings, discussions and other issues through pamphlets and notices. Eminent personalities including left wing politicians, such as Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury, Congress leaders such as Salman Khurshid, academics such as the historian Gyanender Pandey and journalists such as Arvind Narayan Das have participated in the public debates. Existing faculty members also participate in the debates using them as another platform for teaching outside the regular class hours. Well-known personalities from Delhi and the existing teachers of the university also speak at the election meetings, especially on the night of the Presidential Debate.

The JNU Students' Union

The Jawaharlal Nehru Students' Union election is a famous democratic convention of JNU and is conducted annually entirely by the students in a lively yet peaceful manner, without any intervention by the administration. The Students' Union has traditionally been a prominent leading voice of the left students' movements in India[citation needed].The JNUSU has a unique constitution, entirely drafted by the students. The elections to the JNUSU are administered by students as well. During the Emergency, the JNUSU protested against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's visit to the campus. Presently the union is led by the far-left All India Students Association (AISA). The SFI-AISF alliance has dominated the Central Panel in JNUSU over the years, nevertheless, in 2000 it has lost the president post to ABVP and in 2007, it has lost all the key posts of the students union by its rival, AISA. A large majority of JNUSU Presidents have come from SFI. On October 24, 2008, the Supreme Court of India has issued a notice to the JNU authorities for non-implementation of Lyngdoh Committee Recommendations on Students elections, (JNUSU)[9]

Foreign Students' Association

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a community of learning that is enriched by the wide variety of experiences and perspectives of its students, faculty and staffs. The prestigious varsity is deeply committed to building a diverse campus community to ensure that student, faculty and staff members can explore their interests, discover new academic and extracurricular pursuits, and just as importantly learn from each other.

JNU attracts students from all over the country and abroad, and from diverse strata of society. JNU has come to be deemed the best University in the nation and is among the best known Universities of the world. JNU has around 400 foreign students from around 50 countries from all over the world, a fair chunk of them coming from South Asia, South-East Asia, Central Asia, Africa and Europe. The Foreign Students’ Association (FSA) is an official Jawaharlal Nehru University body. It was instituted in 1985 with a view to promote friendly relations and cultural exchange among international students and with the host students of the university. FSA looks after the interest of the overseas students studying in Jawaharlal Nehru University. The association renders assistance to new entrants, solves problems of foreign students and ensures better facilities for international students.

Prof. R. K. Kale, the Dean of Students and Prof. Sushama Jain, the Foreign Students Advisor of JNU take care of the problems of the foreign students. All foreign students studying here agree that JNU has some of the best faculties, where teachers are very capable and helpful, both in terms of teaching as well as providing academic and moral support to the students. There is a close cross-cultural interaction of foreign students with students from India so that the atmosphere of the campus is that of a big family. However, one cannot deny the existence of certain problems of adjustment that foreign students have to face, even though the academic environment is congenial. One such problem is that related to food, but this problem gets tackled once the student spends some time in India and gets accustomed to the food here. There are other problems related to hostels, weather in India, water and sanitation too. But problems like these can be tackled.

The FSA has a constitution and elected executive, cultural, advisory and financial committees. In keeping with the ethos of JNU, the FSA functions democratically and regular General Body Meetings are held. All foreign students of JNU are also members of the FSA. The FSA is their space to communicate their ideas, discuss their problems and organize various inter-cultural activities. This year, for instance, the FSA held a welcome party for fresh students.

FSA also conduct Language and Culture classes free of charge for JNU students, which include Japanese, German, English, Arabic, Hindi and Urdu classes with the help of FSA members and Indian students. A Delhi sight-seeing tour was organized. Different tours, Picnics and Heritage trips are organized. International Film Festival screened films of different counties to show the cultures and life style around the world. “Thursday Forum” is the discussion session held in FSA for foreign students to come and discuss different issues, topics and interact. This year the Sri Lankan High Commissioner was invited to talk on the Sri Lankan Conflict.

The International Food Festival saw students from 21 countries participating with exotic dishes from their countries, cooked by them.

FSA organizes different sports activities between foreign and Indian students. International Cultural Festival, Farewell Party, Social Gathering, are the annual events of Foreign Students. ON different occasions, the diplomats of several countries, the Vice- Chancellor and Rectors of JNU, the Foreign Students’ Advisor, the Dean of Students, the Programme Director and staff of ICCR and teachers and students from other Universities are invited.

Cultural Activities

There are 9 cultural clubs in JNU.

The programs of these clubs are organized by the Convenor and the members of the respective club. They are the Drama Club, Music Club, Film Club, Fine Arts Club, Photography Club, Literary Club, Debating Club, UNESCO Club and Nature & Wildlife Club. Other cultural groups: IPTA (Indian Peoples’ Theatre Association), Bahroop Arts Group, Orissa Sanskrutika Parishad(OSP).

Annual Cultural Programmes

  • Northeast Nite: This is annually organized by the Northeast Forum during the early winter season. It is a cultural festival that celebrates the cultural diversity of people from Sikkim and the Seven States of India's Northeast. It offers a feast for the eyes, and a chance to get a taste of ethnic cuisines.
  • Kallol: It is the Annual Sports and Cultural Festival organized by the students of SLL&CS, JNU in the Monsoon Semester.
  • Summit: It is the Sports and Cultural Festival of the SIS organized in the Winter Semester.
  • Kalrav (International Film Festival): It is organised by the students of SLL&CS JNU in the Winter Semester with voluntary donations from the students.
  • Hostel Nights: It is organised by respective students hostels during the Winter Semester with slight variations from hostel to hostel. Usually organized over a stretch of 3 or 4 days, divided into occasion specific nights like cultural night or dance night, culminating with an all night disco after an invitee only dinner.
  • Utkal Diwas Celebration: The celebration of Utkal Diwas (Orissa Day) on 1 April every year, is one of the most attractive cultural functions of the University organised by Orissa Sanskrutika Parishad (OSP), a cultural association of Oriya Students at JNU.

Hostels

The residential character of JNU is unique and a strong component of the intellectual and cultural life of the campus. There are 15 hostels including one for married students. Of the hostels, 7 are for men only, and 3 are for women only, while 4 have both women's and men's wings. Most of the hostels are located in areas named after geographical directions (Uttarakhand, Purvanchal, Paschimabad and Dakshinapuram), while two are located in an area now renamed Saraswatipuram. and are correspondingly named after different rivers of India: Ganga, Yamuna, Jhelum, Sutlej, (in Uttarakhand) Kaveri, Periyar, Godawari, (in Dakshinapuram) Narmada, Sabarmati, (in Saraswatipuram) Tapti, Mahi-Mandavi, Lohit, Chandrabhaga, (in Paschimabad), Brahmaputra, and Mahanadi (in Poorvanchal).

Sports

There are various sports clubs in the university. The practice sessions are organised by the convenor with help of the Sport Office, which provides the necessary kit and other sport equipments. All the clubs organise annual tournaments in the winter semester. There are three main venues where the following games are played:

  • Sports Complex/JNU Stadium: For football, cricket, volleyball, lawn tennis, weight lifting/gymnasium, yoga & athletics.
  • Badminton Hall inside the Students Activity Centre (Tefla’s Building): For badminton and taekwondo (with a qualified instructor, Black Belt 4th Dan).
  • Central School Grounds Basketball Court' (near Tapti Hostel): Basket Ball.

Other centres where students can go for other sporting activities are:

  • Hostels: Each hostel has a badminton court, table tennis table, carrom board and chess board. Some hostels also have a gymnasium.
  • Mountaineering Club: This club regularly organises trekking, rock-climbing, cycling trips and other adventure programs.
  • Swimming: The university does not have a swimming pool but Students can join the JNU Central School or DDA swimming pool, which is close by.

Reputation

JNU is ranked high among universities in India and also among Asian universities. International league tables produced in 2006 by the London-based The Times Higher Education Supplement(THES) placed JNU among the world's top 200 universities. For life and biological sciences, JNU is ranked among the top 100 universities in the world. JNU's School of Social Sciences is at the 57th position among the world's top 100 institutes for social sciences.

Prominent Alumni

Eminent Faculty

Eminent Visiting Faculty

  • Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, Former Sri Lanka President; Visiting Lecturer, School of International Studies
  • Dr.Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India; Visiting Professor, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, School of Social Sciences
  • Shri Shilendra Kumar Singh, Governor of Rajasthan; Visiting Professor, School of International Studies

See also

References

  1. ^ JNU (1997) Silver Jubilee Commemoration Volume; A Profile of School of Social Sciences, New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University
  2. ^ Institutions affiliated to JNU
  3. ^ Centre for Development Studies (CDS)http://www.cds.edu/
  4. ^ Inter-University Accelerator Centre (IUAC)http://www.nsc.ernet.in/
  5. ^ Global Presence of JNU http://www.jnu.ac.in/main.asp?sendval=GlobalPresence#
  6. ^ List of Foreign universities which signed MOU for collaboration with JNU http://www.jnu.ac.in/Academics/MoU%20complete%20list.htm
  7. ^ http://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/news_details.php?news_id=966&year=2008
  8. ^ "JNU all set to go `paperless' ", The Hindu, 28 October 2006 [On-line] http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/25/stories/2006102519390300.htm
  9. ^ Source=ABC Live/ http://abclive.in/abclive_national/jnu-lyngdoh-committee-recommendations-supreme-court.html

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