Hindu Educational Trust University (HETU): A Viewpoint

Credit By: PROF.S.SAPRU

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• 16 Apr 2026

We do need to develop the vision collectively, and equally important is the need to execute the same collectively

On November 15, 2009, our community held a conclave at SIRI FORT AUDITORIUM, New Delhi, where the concluding statement was:

“Acutely aware of the continuing trauma faced by the Kashmiri Pandit community, even after 20 years of its displacement, leading to the erosion in their social, political and economic rights. While appreciating the efforts made by the Central Government in providing some incremental economic relief, especially in the shape of the Prime Minister’s Package, though far short of our expectations, the Conclave maintains that the survival of the community, and its eventual return to the Kashmir valley, is closely linked to its political empowerment.”

Thereafter, 08 resolutions were passed, with a pledge to struggle for their achievement. The last resolution reads as:

“AIKS Conclave 2009 acclaims and expresses its pride in the Kashmiri Pandit Community’s intellectual acumen and academic excellence, which constitute the core strength of the community as a whole and has bestowed on them a place of pride in the country and abroad. To harness this vast acumen and the divine grace of Devi Saraswati, this Conclave resolves the setting up of an Institution of Excellence by Kashmiri Pandits themselves. Its main objective will be to promote multi-dimensional academic, scientific and technological advancement that benefits the Community, the Nation and the World at large.”

With the recent passage of the Jammu and Kashmir Private Universities Bill, 2026 (L.A. Bill No. 08 of 2026) in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly it is perhaps the most appropriate time for Hindu Education Society Kashmir (HESK) to Leverage this bill and think of establishing a University, as the bill facilitates the establishment, incorporation, and regulation of private universities in the Union Territory, with a focus on enhancing the quality of education and protecting student interests. The legislation facilitates the realisation of a long-held dream of the community, establishing the Hindu Educational Trust University (HETU).

As was very rightly resolved in the 2009 conclave, this institution must have excellence. However, I feel it should also fit into Joel Barker’s criteria of innovation and anticipation. In his book titled “FUTURE EDGE”, Joel Barker, one of the earliest and most articulate promoters of the concept of “Paradigm Shift” and its effect on organizations, establishments, services, etc., lists three key capabilities needed by them to be constantly successful in the future: EXCELLENCE, INNOVATION and ANTICIPATION. If you don't have the components of excellence, then you figure nowhere as a competitor because excellence is the base of success in the 21st Century.  Innovation helps you gain the competitive edge, and Anticipation provides the information that you need to be in the right place at the right time.

 For an educational institution to confirm to the norms of excellence, it is important to have the state-of-the-art infrastructure (buildings, laboratories, libraries, connectivity, landscapes & play fields, etc.) and, more importantly, an excellent faculty, which may be drawn from across the world. In order to put these two components in position, the institution needs to have a very solid economic base.  The idea mooted in some quarters, that the community members who are doing exemplary work in their respective disciplines can be invited to join the institution in the capacity of visiting faculty and guide students, along with the preposition of consultancy work, is very well taken, but we need to have an institution of our own. 

An important dimension that needs to be thoroughly debated is the location of this institution. An institution of excellence has to be located at a place which is very close to a fully developed city having excellent connectivity, as otherwise we may not be in a position to attract the right kind of faculty. In addition to the best academic environment, the faculty needs include good schooling and growth opportunities for their children and an excellent social environment for their families.

However, once the location is identified, the initial seed money of around 100 crores may be required for the startup, and thereafter, recurring costs shall have to be met. While the recurring costs can be managed by proposing a suitable fee structure, I believe the initial seed money may also be possible, should the community support the proposal. Central and State Governments can be approached for the purpose.

We can even request the Central Govt for this money under the Prime Minister’s Economic Package.  As pointed out by Sh. M.K. Kaw, the initiative taken by the Kashmir Education, Cultural and Science Society may be revisited and reframed to try for the possible launch of the University. Furthermore, the suggestion put forth by him that we could gain control over the funds if, as and when the temple bill is passed seems excellent and therefore all-out efforts need to be made to ensure that the temple bill is passed, and passed soon.

Assuming that we are in a position to put in place the right blend of human and physical resources in our institution of excellence, we need to be innovative in selecting the courses of study, which have to be based on anticipation, i.e., imagining what could be the best fields of study in the next 20-30 years. A suggestive list of subjects could be chosen broadly from the frontier and prospective branches of:

• Management Studies.                           
• Genetic Engineering and/ or Bio-Technology.
• Computer software and hardware.   
• Space Technology & Marine Engineering.
• Climate Change.                                     
• Space & Marine ecology.
• Industrial Mathematics.                        
• Nano Technology.
• Artificial Intelligence.

However, in order to inculcate the Kashmiri Pandit Philosophy in the minds of our youth, a special course should be designed which would focus on the   Kashmiri Pandit Ethos, Philosophy, Culture and Religion. All the students may compulsorily have to take this course.

The University may have a cafeteria course structure based on credits and having a strong interdependence between various disciplines, which would allow the benefit of building strong foundations of Kashmiri Pandit values and ethics by taking courses in Kashmiri Pandit Philosophy, Culture and Religion, while building cutting-edge analytical skills in the above-referred-to (suggestive) technical and management courses.

I have talked about merit-based admissions because I believe that it is better to have 100 excellent brains than a large number of mediocre ones. However, we shall have to confirm to the other two important norms for education, i.e., Equity and Access. While providing the facility of equity and access to our students, it is important to ensure that these parameters are not misused, and therefore, I would propose that the student admitted to the institution may have to pay a very heavy tuition fee, say of the order of Rs 50 lakhs per annum. This may look ridiculous, but my idea is to equally provide around Rs 49 lakhs as free shipping to all the students admitted, with the condition that if a student does not do well in his/her courses (a benchmark to be defined), he/she loses the free shipping. (The figures are representative only. 

In view of the financial involvement of the suggested magnitude, in addition to the students, the parents shall also ensure that their children do well. The student performance shall therefore conform to the very purpose of the institution and the resolution of the community, i.e., to provide the best brains to the community, the Nation and World at large, who have attained multi-dimensional academic, scientific and technological advancement.

My notion of the university conforms to that of Prof. Bhim Singh Dahiya (former Vice-Chancellor Kurukshetra University), who in his recently published book titled ‘MESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION’ says, and I quote ", The idea of the university envisages dealing with ideas, not training; with research, not skill. The idea is not to collect a crowd of raw minds but to have a small community of scholars exploring new areas in the respective fields."

Though difficult, but not impossible,  the dream of a HETU  is achievable provided we follow a leader or a group of well-chosen people, ignore and forgive their mistakes even if they make some. It is said that leadership emerges when crisis erupts. We, the Kashmiri Pandits, have gone through the worst type of crisis, and all of us suffered; only the type of suffering and the magnitudes differed, but we suffered. Let us allow a leadership to emerge and let us support it.

The words of Prof. Surendra Munshi are very befitting and reassuring when he says, and I quote, “We need a vision of our collective future, and for that we need to go beyond immediate concerns, though they are important in their own spheres. A vision that is developed collectively, drawing upon our best resources, will unite us and show us the path.”

I conclude by saying that we do need to develop the vision collectively, and equally important is the need to execute the same collectively.

(The Author is a former Fellow of the United Nations University)