AN eminent historian and a well-respected academician, Prof. Chandi Prasad Nanda dons both the roles with élan. Prof. Nanda was appointed as 39th Vice-Chancellor of Utkal University by Governor of Odisha Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati on Monday (April 6), raising rays of hope for all stakeholders of the institution.
Under his steward leadership, the state’s premier university is expected to get a new lease of life with a boost in research and innovation. While the university holds a NAAC A+ grade since 2016, it struggled to retain A+ grade in the reassessment under third cycle in 2023. From poor research output to weak administration and lack of maintenance of academic infrastructure, the university has been bogged down by critical issues including academic delays, examination hassles and staff crunch.
A multi-purpose examination centre built at a cost of Rs 5 crore still lies unused, three years after its inauguration. Once expected to ease exam pressure, the grand building now stands neglected — moss on walls, cracks in structure, and dust on furniture. The deserted hall has turned into a hangout for drinking and anti-social activities after dark. Many similar infrastructures including old and new buildings are lying neglected and unused. While the university seriously needs motivation to strengthen its research ecosystem, unchecked entry of non-students into the campus and growing drug-related activities are other concerning areas.
These challenges need to be addressed first with a ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’ approach which is missing on the campus. The state public universities need to collaborate with each other for research and innovation which will contribute towards the development of Odisha by 2036 and India by 2047. ‘Let us go together to grow together’ should be the central point of decision making process. Hence, high expectations are placed on Prof. Nanda to navigate these issues and imbibe a fresh motivation for academic excellence in the university.
Currently serving as the Director of Odisha Research Centre (ORC) in Bhubaneswar, Prof. Nanda has been promoting research, education, and awareness related to Odisha’s history, culture, and heritage since its establishment in November 2023. In a pioneering move to safeguard and explore Odisha’s rich historical and cultural legacy, the ORC under Prof. Nanda’s vision has launched an ambitious mission aimed at epistemological engagement and knowledge dissemination. A collaborative initiative of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Indian Knowledge System (IKS), Union Ministry of Education, IIM Sambalpur, IIT Kharagpur, and IIT Bhubaneswar, the ORC is dedicated to investigating critical knowledge practices that address issues of identity, community, region, and development.
Previously, he served as Professor of history at Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV) in Vadodara and Ravenshaw University, Cuttack. He did his Intermediate Arts (1980) and subsequently completed his graduation (1982) in the erstwhile Ravenshaw College. He obtained his Masters (1984), M. Phil (1987) and Ph. D from Center of Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 1997.
His research thrusts span a variety of interdisciplinary subjects with focus on exploring the genealogy of modernity, identity and politics based on the registers of critical historiography and postcolonial theory. He has participated in Orissa Research project of German Research Council (2001-2005) and International Association for Global Project on the History of Leprosy of Oxford (2001-2003).
He has been the recipient of prestigious international awards, grants and fellowships including LEAP (Leadership for Academicians Program) hosted by Harvard Graduate School of Education at the Cambridge campus of Harvard University Boston, USA and IISER, Kolkata in 2019 under sponsorship of MHRD, India, Aarhus University (Denmark) Global Research Grant in 2019, Erasmus Mundus Interdisciplinary Bridges for Indo-European Studies (IBIES) Fellowship in 2015, Wellcome Trust (UK) Grant in 2012-15, and Charles Wallace Fellowship in 2007.
While Prof. Nanda has several books to his credit, he has gone on academic visits to a number of universities/ institutions in UK, Germany, US, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland (including WHO, Geneva) and Japan.
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