Vedanta University: Anil Agarwal’s dream project
Following Vedanta’s purchase of a huge stake in Sesa Goa there have been a few profile articles on its Chairman Mr. Anil Agarwal (230 in Forbes list of 2007).
- Rediff: How a small trader became a metal king
- Daily News India: A long journey from Bihar’s badlands to London’s Mayfair
The second article has a brief paragraph on Vedanta University. Following is an excerpt.
Struck by the munificence that created Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, and Stanford, Agarwal wants to do something similar in India. So, he is making an endowment of up to $1 billion (Rs4,435 crore) to establish a “world-class, multi-disciplinary universityâ€. His dream project is called Vedanta University and will be set up in the state of Orissa. AT Kearney is the consultant for the project. Agarwal had told DNA Money: “We (the family) have decided to give our wealth back to society,†he said.
Forbes profile of Anil Agarwal says the following about Vedanta University:
“Plans to build Vedanta University, India’s answer to Stanford, in eastern India; has pledged $1 billion.”
In this regard one may read how Stanford University was founded and the history of Carnegie Mellon University(CMU). The rag-to-riches story of Andrew Carnegie, the founder of Carnegie Tech (that later merged with Mellon Institute to become CMU), has some similarity with that of Mr. Anil Agarwal’s life story so far.
April 29th, 2007