Centre for J&K studies at CUHP

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, November 20

The Central University Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) has established a centre for Jammu and Kashmir studies. The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has approved the establishment of the centre in the university. The basic purpose of establishing the centre is to offer MPhil and PhD in Jammu and Kashmir studies.

The CUHP has become the first university in the country to have a centre for Jammu and Kashmir studies. Sources said that the Centre was being established to rewrite the history of Jammu and Kashmir from a right wing perspective.

The CUHP has been specially focusing on J&K. Recently, the tourism department of the university made an effort to revive a religious pilgrim to a temple located in Doda area of J&K. The university has also published information brochures regarding the old Hindu kings of J&K.

The CUHP was also establishing a centre for studies on Deen Dyal Upadhyay, the founder member of Jana Sangh. The university would be offering M Phil and PhD on studies on Deen Dyal Upadhyay. Sources said the university would promote research on thought and ideology of Upadhyay.

The VC told The Tribune that the university was also establishing a centre on Tibetan studies in which research would be carried out on ancient Indo-Tibetan relations and how Buddhism spread from India to other parts of Asia and Tibet. The VC said not much research had been conducted in Indian universities regarding the age-old relations of India and Tibet. He expressed hope that the researchers would be able to bring out new facts on the subject.

The CUHP has also set up a department of Punjabi and Dogri languages. It would be offering postgraduate courses in Punjabi and Dogri languages in the university. The CUHP is among a very few universities outside Punjab that would be offering masters programme in Punjabi.

The VC said Punjabi was an important language as it was spoken in the northern part of Indian sub continent that includes most of Punjab state of India and Pakistan and many areas of India states of J&K, HP and Haryana. “Dogri and Punjabi languages are also interconnected on linguistic basis. So we decided to offer postgraduate sources in both languages,” he said.

Other initiatives 

• The CUHP is also establishing a centre for studies on Deen Dyal Upadhyay, the founder member of Jana Sangh, and will offer MPhil and PhD in the field
• The VC said the university was also establishing a centre on Tibetan studies in which research would be carried out on ancient Indo-Tibetan relations
• The CUHP has also set up the department of Punjabi and Dogri languages