Abhay K.'s Nalanda: How it Changed the World becomes a national bestseller

 

Nalanda

Nalanda : How it Changed the World 

"Abhay K. has written a wonderfully accessible introduction to early India's most important centre of philosophy and learning, the great monastery-university of Nalanda. Setting his story within a seductively-sketched panorama of the golden age of early Buddhism, Abhay celebrates Nalanda's dazzling libraries, scholars, teachings, doctrines and finally, its global influence. Sympathetic, scholarly and poetic, Abhay K's Nalanda fills an important gap and deserves to be widely read."--- William Dalrymple

"Even as he resurrects Nalanda from the embers of history, Abhay K. does not simply eulogise it; instead, he transforms this wellspring of scholastic endeavour into an emblem of humankind’s quest for knowledge. In my view, Abhay K.’s Nalanda, stunning and scholarly, is an outstanding starting point." -- Shashi Tharoor

"Son of the soil, Abhay K., tells the story of Nalanda Mahavihara’s revered scholars, groundbreaking philosophies, and the vibrant life within the world’s first residential university. He traces how it shaped the intellectual landscape of its era, influencing generations of thinkers and spiritual leaders."-- Rana Safvi

"For 700 years, Nalanda was considered the greatest university globally. Attracting students and grants from around the world, it would have been the envy of a modern Ivy League. In his simple and readable style, Abhay K. puts together what is known about this remarkable institution from a range of sources."-- Sanjiv Sanyal

Times of India, Patna edition on Abhay K.'s visit to Bihar in Sept 2018

Asia Literary Review to publish Hiuen Tsang (Xuanzang) by Abhay K.

Nalanda Poems by Abhay K.

Archaeological complex of Nalanda Mahavihar has been designated as a ‪World Heritage Site‬ by UNESCO. On this great occasion sharing Nalanda Poems by poet-diplomat Abhay K first published by Poetry at Sangam.

1. The Day of Massacre at Nalanda

Bakhtiyar and his men
play buzkashi in my alleys today
monks are being burnt alive; and
those who try to escape are beheaded.

Dharmagunj – the nine storied library
has burst into flames
smoke and ash from burning books
have turned the day into night.

The sun has disappeared from the sky today
and even my bricks bleed,
sacred chants that once purified Magadha
have turned into shrieks of a falling humanity.

The light of the world is fading today
to face ravages of time alone
abandoned, scorned, forgotten
or perhaps, to be reborn into many Nalandas.

2. The Rise of Nalanda

Forlorn under the red earth
buried for centuries
I rise today like a phoenix,
eight hundred years later
from ashes of my burnt books.

I open my arms today to embrace you
whoever you are, from wherever you are
come, walk into my enlightened fold
as once Buddha and Mahavira did
seeking shelter in my groves.

I remember Hiuen Tsang and Faxian –
the seekers from the East,
I hear footsteps of Aryabhata and Charaka
in my ancient compound today
you too come; come as I rise again.

View from Gridhakut -The Vulture Peak, Rajgir, Nalanda, Bihar

Pic (C) Abhay K

View from Gridhakut-the Vulture Peak where Buddha taught the Transcendental perfection of Wisdom sixteen years after attaining Enlightenment.

Nalanda University Rises Again

Abhay K. with a few first batch Nalanda University Students at Tathagat Vihar, Rajgir on 25 Oct 2014

Nalanda University was destroyed in 1198 by Bakhtiyar Khilji. But great institutions, ideas never die. Nalanda University has risen from its own ashes like a mythical Phoenix in 2014 with 15 students from different countries coming together to study Ecology and History.

Interview of poet-diplomat Abhay K to DD National

In an interview with Jasleen Vohra on DD National- India's national television channel in the programme AAJ SAVERE, poet-diplomat Abhay K. talks about his growing up in a village in Nalanda, Bihar, his initial days in diplomacy in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia, his poetry, his passion for the planet, his Earth Anthem and his vision for a better world...