The Hindu Business Line : Harvard varsity plans office in Mumbai

HARVARD University is unleashing a major initiative on South Asia. Among its plans is a programme that allows faculty members to visit countries like India for gaining greater experience.

The famed US institution has proposed to set up an office in Mumbai to spearhead its liaison activities. The office, expected to come up shortly, will help Harvard create key partnerships in India.

Prof Sugata Bose, Gardiner professor of history at Harvard, referred to the university's proposal of establishing a presence in Mumbai as well as the programme to award grants to twenty members of its faculty to visit India.

Among them will include the chief of the child development unit of Harvard's medical school, he said, adding that the interest shown by his colleague is quite an encouraging sign.

Prof Bose was addressing a plenary (Partnerships with NRIs) at CII Partnership Summit 2005 on Thursday.

The university is fast becoming aware of the need to concentrate on South Asian nations, it is felt. A new Web site will soon come up to address issues concerning the region.

Harvard, incidentally, has recently offered a course on India, conducted by Prof Bose and Prof Amartya Sen. The course has drawn a number of students from many nations, which is said to reflect a growing trend.

The recently-mooted Knowledge Commission should become an effective instrument of reform in India, Prof Bose said. He also stressed on the need to create better and revamped infrastructure at local academic institutions. The latter should actually try to attract eminent alumni who are otherwise engaged abroad. Also, Indian Diaspora should learn from overseas Chinese on ways of building partnerships with the motherland, he commented.

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