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New Delhi,(BiharTimes): Better late than never, the Nalanda University has finally hosted its website. The absence of a website for close to a year has cast grave doubts on the transparency and accountability policies of the University. To an international audience of 21st century, it even called to question the genuineness of the project.
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The Nalanda University has chosen to allay some of those fears by launching its website www.nalandauniversity.org. Its launch coincided with Prof. Amartya Sen, the Chairman of Nalanda Mentor Group (now interim Governing Board) delivering an address on the Nalanda University at New Delhi’s prestigious Nehru Memorial Museum & Library on Friday (Oct 7). Prof. Sen’s visit to India was apparently provoked by the critical stories about Nalanda University propping up in the media all through September.
His damage control exercise appears less than effective. The ‘Black September’ for the Nalanda University has just got extended with launch of its website. It is literally so because the domain name is apparently purchased, rather hired, in black.The domain name nalandauniversity.org is registered in the name of one Ashu Gupta at the address J-93, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi-110076 through net4india Ltd. The MTNL telephone number of the registrant is 011-26952454. The registrant procured a one-year registration on November 9, 2010 which would expire on forthcoming November 9.
The surprising thing is that J-93, Sarita Vihar also happens to be address of Goonj, the NGO best known in India for distribution of clothes to the underprivileged especially during natural calamities including Kosi river flood in Bihar. Goonj won the ‘India NGO of the year’ Award in 2008. Its founder director Anshu Gupta, better known as Clothing Man, won laurels like CNN-IBN Real Life Hero Award in 2009, Jamnalal Bajaj CFBP Award for ‘Fair Practices’ and in November 2010 listed in Forbes magazine as one of the India’s most powerful entrepreneurs. His personal telephone number (011) 26952454 has been used by the registrant Ashu Gupta, apparently Clothing Man’s kin, to register three domain names related to Nalanda University registered on the same date last November. These are nalandauniversity.org, thenalandauniversity.org and thenalandaunivesity.com. Interestingly Goonj, though located in J-93, Sarita Vihar, notifies a different contact telephone number 011-26972351. The number is actually registered at the address Pocket H/111, Sarita Vihar in the name of Smt Meenakshi Gupta, Anshu’s wife and board member of Goonj.
It is difficult to conceive any relationship between Nalanda University and Anshu Gupta, who uses the personal telephone number and address of Anshu Gupta to register those domain names. It is evidently an act of cyber-squatting, meant to profit by selling it off at an inflated price to real Nalanda University should be they looking for it. It seems Ashu Gupta was biting the dust for nearly a year before Nalanda University decided to bite the bullet as a result of media campaign. It decided to launch a website to give some credence to its shadowy entity. Ashu Gupta’s parked inventory now has a buyer.
It is difficult to ascertain for what returns the registrant has ‘leased’ the Nalanda University to use it? It is most likely to be some monetary consideration than pure Buddhist benevolence. It is ironic that Nalanda University had to approach a cyber-squatter for domain name. It did so not as a disputant before ICAAN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) or before the courts of India to free that name. There are indeed cyber laws in India for protection of domain names. It would have been righteous thing to do though redundant for Nalanda University.
The University already has four qualified domain names immune to unauthorized squatting parked for months. These are - nalandauniversity.edu.in (registered by Dr. Gopa Sabharwal on December 16, 2010), nalandauniversity.ac.in , nalandauniv.ac.in and nalandauniv.edu.in (the last three registered by Dr. Anjana Sharma on May 18, 2011) at Nalanda University’s New Delhi address. Why should these be laid to rest when the government has paid for them?
Who is paying for this ‘black market’ deal? Is this a tribute to the administrative capacity of Dr. Gopa Sabharwal that Prof. Amartya Sen admires ungrudgingly? Why shall a University establish under a Central Act use .org domain either when more authoritative domain names are available.
Like always Nalanda University chose convenience and underhand deals over righteous and standard practice.
To search domain name registration-
http://www.whois.net/
Read previous Bihar Times story -
Nalanda International University: Four domain names, no website
comments...
Great , BT has exposed Nalanda University management and so called renowned NGO Goonj. Both organisations should clear their position. It makes us believe that Amartya Sen and his company virtually made a complete mess of this university.
Naveen Singh
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