Dr. Vijay Pandurang Bhatkar, a great Indian computer scientist,  who is considered the father of the Indian Supercomputer, has been appointed the new Vice-Chancellor of Nalanda University, Rajgir, in Bihar. Hon'ble President Pranab Mukherjee named Bhatkar for the post with effect from January 25.

He will hold the office for a three-year period from the date of his appointment as per the Nalanda University Act, Sec 11(3).

He is Born on October 11, 1946 in Pune, and completed his education from  IIT, Delhi, Sir Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur and MS University, Vadodara. He is known as the architect of India’s initiative in supercomputing, the Centre of Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in Pune founded in 1988, leading to the development of the first indigenous supercomputer Param 8,000 in 1991, followed by Param 10,000 in 1998.

Bhatkar has served as a member, Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet at the Centre, and the governing board of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. He has also been honoured with the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, the fourth and third highest civilian honours in India.

Established in November 2010 as a Central University, Nalanda University is spread over a 443-acres campus and started offering academic programmes in 2014.

Several international personalities like Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, George Yeo, former Foreign Minister of Singapore, Sugata Bose of Harvard University, Lord Meghnad Desai of London School of Economics and other dignitaries have been involved with Nalanda University since its founding.

History of Nalanda University:

As per Wikipedia

Nalanda University was one of the first universities in the world, founded in the 5th Century BC, and reported to have been visited by the Buddha during his lifetime. At its peak, in the 7th century AD, Nalanda held some 10,000 students and 2000 teachers when it was visited by the Chinese scholar Xuanzang.

Historical studies indicate that the University of Nalanda was established during the reign of the Gupta emperorKumaragupta. Both Xuanzang and Prajñavarman cite him as the founder, as does a seal discovered at the site.

Facts about Nalanda University:

• Nalanda University is located at Bihar. It is about 88 kilometers away from Patna.
• Nalanda University was established during the Gupta Dynasty. It remained as a best university for a long time until Bakhtiyar Khilji destroyed it.
• About 10,000 students and 2000 teachers were there in the university. Students were come from all over the world (Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, and Persia). The admission process of the university was very strict. Students have to go through different tests to prove their ability.
• The university covered a large area about 14 hectares. University had 10 temples, many classrooms and meditation centers and a big library. Many people even today get astonished by the architecture of the building.
• Library of the Nalanda University was divided into three buildings- Ratnasagara, Ratnadadhi and Ratnaranjaka. Among this building, Ratnasagara was nine-storeyed building. The library did not only contain religious manuscripts but it had a large collection of books on literature, astrology, astronomy, and medicine. Vastness of the library can be understood from the fact that it took three months to burn down when invaders set fire to it.
• The Nalanda University had a great influence of Buddhism. Many Buddhist taught at Nalanda. It is believed that Buddha stayed at the university many times.
• It is reported that India with other countries planning to revive the university and A P J Abdul Kalam is helping in that.