JNU to start Chhatrapati Shivaji centre to shift from Western Anglo-American curriculum

NEW DELHI: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) vice-chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit has announced plans to start Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Centre of Excellence from next semester. "We wanted to bring a paradigm shift in the Indian knowledge system as well as alternative models to the study of India's security and strategic thought,” the JNU VC told the ANI.

“The current curriculum at JNU is mainly Western Anglo-American models... We thought of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, especially his Naval wing, guerrilla warfare, and his concept of Hindavi Swarajya, which was a socio-political movement for the self-rule of the Indian people and freedom from foreign rule,” she said.

The Maharashtra government has given the university Rs 10 crore in corpus to establish the Centre of Excellence. The vice chancellor said: “We thought that these unsung heroes would also be brought to the mainstream and the Government of Maharashtra has shown great enthusiasm for this initiative because Chhatrapati Shivaji is an icon.”

“The funds were allocated in February and we expect to get the interest of one year on it so we can start courses, organise national seminars, and bring out books as well as research articles,” she said while talking about the initial steps taken by the university. Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit also pushed for an all India-level strategic thought for new narratives to develop.

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The university is planning to commence with two to three courses to begin with and plans to expand as it grows and turn it into a full-fledged programme. Giving details on the suggested courses under the Centre of Excellence, she said: “We are thinking of starting optional courses at the masters’ level and maybe PhDs because we need a lot of resources from which we have to collect the archives in Maharashtra and you should note that the Marathas for over 30 years ruled over Delhi, making it all the more important.”

The university has suggested the following courses under the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Centre of Excellence.

• Indian strategic thought
• Maratha military history
• Shivaji naval strategy
• India’s internal security
• India’s maritime history
• Intelligence studies
• Guerilla warfare
• Evolution of warfare from Indian context.
• India foreign security policy
• Geo-politics and national security
• Diplomacy and alliance building
• Knowledge, history, and intelligence as a force multiplier.