'Vision still remains a dream...': Anil Agarwal on his plans to build Vedanta University

On Wednesday, founder and Chairman of Vedanta Anil Agarwal shared on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) the vision behind his dream project, the Vedanta University, which is yet to come true and how he believes that with the advancement of technology, the university can even be a digital university now. The land on which the Vedanta group wants to construct the university is still struck in legal matters.

However, Agarwal is optimistic about his vision and believes with the progression of the technology and reforms introduced by the government the future of the university can be digital. “Now with the reforms introduced by the Government, there is an opportunity to extend scope of the university to become a digital university,” the businessman shared in his post on X.

Along with his thoughts, Agarwal also shared a video where the design and thought behind the Vedanta University were explained in detail.

Talking about his vision for the university, the Chairman wrote, “Aaj se 1600 saal pehle, with universities like Nalanda and Takshashila, duniya bhar se students Bharat aate the. Lekin aaj har saal university ki padhai ke liye, Bharat se lakhon students duniya bhar mein jaate hain (1600 years ago with universities like Nalanda and Takshashila, several students from across the world used to come to India to study. But today lakhs of students from India go abroad to study).  In 2022-23 this number was 10 lakh students. One study has estimated that by 2024 around $80 billion of foreign exchange will be spent by Indian students studying overseas, not just for fees but also living costs which can be substantial. This pains me.”

In his post, he talks about his first trip outside India and how the work culture there amazed him. “My first trip outside India, several years ago, was to the US where I had gone in search of equipment and funding for my own business. I was amazed at the speed with which things happened, the quality of entrepreneurship and the grand vision that lay at the core of everything they did. I hadn’t experienced this in India. I realised that the difference lay in education system. Their 40 top universities lay great emphasis on R&D, entrepreneurship and on enabling students to study with flexibility, subjects that were close to their heart.” he wrote.

“These universities have strong connects with the world of policymaking and both feed into each other, creating excellence in both academia and government. Fundamentally this is why America is where it is today,” he added.

He further shared that while working on Vedanta’s project in Odishsa, he decided to bring the idea of a world-class university to life in India. “I always carried this learning with me and when I was doing a business project in Odisha, I decided that I would create a world class university and education city in the state. While travelling between Puri, the home of the sacred Jagannath temple and Konark, the site of the historic Sun Temple, I saw the potential of creating this institution on the waterfront, like Harvard and Boston city,” he wrote.

Agarwal further added, “My vision was clear: to create a university that would be home to 1 lakh students and a city that would be home to 5 lakh people. While the university would have all courses available, there would be special focus on liberal arts, medicine and entrepreneurship. No meritorious student would be deprived of a place in university for lack of resources. 30% of students admitted would either be charged a subsidised fee or no fee at all. Although the government was willing to give the land free, I was determined to pay market price. I allocated $1 billion for the university from my own resources and committed to raising another $2 billion from other sources. We appointed renowned academic William Chace, President of Emory University in US to lead our university.”

In the end, he talks about how the project got stuck, but he is still hopeful that one day he will sit in the campus of Vedanta Univesity and interact with the finest minds. “Unfortunately, world doesn’t want India to become an education hub. Many NGOs got involved and took the matter to the Supreme Court. It has taken several years and the vision still remains a dream. I am hopeful that I will sit in the campus of this university in my lifetime and interact with the finest minds and best talent from all over India. What we can do in India, no one else can do.” he said.

Agarwal ends his post by asking for the support of the citizens of India to fulfil his dream project. “Kya aap mere saath hain (are you with me)?” he wrote in his post.

Also Read: ‘I wasn’t confident about setting up any industry in Kalahandi’: Vedanta’s Anil Agarwal on Odisha’s alumina refinery