BEIJING, CHINA, May 21, 2015 (Times of India): The head of Center for Gandhian and Indian Studies (CGIS) that Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated at Shanghai’s Fudan University last week has said he is facing problems in finding Indologists and Gandhian studies experts for it. “Most Indologists in China are experts in Buddhism. We need variety. The best option is to get from India,” CGIS dean Liu Zhen told TOI. The situation is stark in the case of Gandhian studies.
Liu said he would push for Hinduism and Jainism studies, but there are no scholars on these subjects in China as well. He said the formation of CGIS is the first step and that an essential framework had been created. “I hope it will evolve into a proper university faculty,” Liu said. He said everyone knows the importance of the Center. “There are so many Sinology institutions the world over. But so few Indology faculties although both are countries with similar population sizes and depth of history and culture,” he said. “We will work hard to make this Center a success.”