India International Center hosts discussion on Abhay K's book 'Nalanda: How it Changed the World'

During the discussion, Abhay K said that he wrote the book because he hails from Nalanda and thought it was his responsibility to give a detailed and comprehensive account of the history of Nalanda in an easy-to-read narrative format which could be accessible to all.

He shared that he did not know much about Nalanda, though he was born there. Talking about the book, he said, as the book title suggests, the focus of the book is on the contributions made by Nalanda Mahavihara, which have shaped our world, which includes the birth of the idea of the university itself in Nalanda, the number zero, among others.

William Dalrymple, speaking on the occasion, said that only ten percent of the area occupied by Nalanda Mahavihara has been excavated; more must be excavated, and a world-class museum must be built at the site.

He also added that Nalanda represented the peak of India's soft power, which attracted great monks such as Xuanzang and Yijing, who travelled thousands of miles to arrive there. He said that the world needs to know more about the contributions of great Indian mathematicians such as Aryabhata, who discovered that the Earth revolves on its own axis a thousand years earlier than others.

Abhay K further said that Nalanda has left its footprints across the globe and now in fact there are institutions named after Nalanda in New York, Toulouse, Thailand, Malaysia and even Brazil. Thus the idea of Nalanda is not only alive but thriving.

The event was attended by eminent people from various walks of life who engaged in lively discussions towards the end of the conversation.