In a recent social media post, renowned Indian origin American physician and author Dr. Deepak Chopra voiced his strong support for industrialist Anil Agarwal’s longstanding vision of establishing a world-class university in India. Recounting a fascinating conversation with Agarwal at London’s historic Riverside Studios a couple of days back, which the Vedanta Chairman now oversees, Chopra reflected on India’s civilisational heritage as a beacon of knowledge. He emphasized how India’s ancient educational institutions once led the world and expressed optimism about the country reclaiming its global stature in higher education.
Amid current geopolitical uncertainties and debates around Harvard’s reconsideration of foreign student policies, Chopra lauded Agarwal’s plans to create an institution in India that matches the scale and quality of a Harvard or Stanford. He noted that most top American universities were founded by philanthropists, not governments, and stressed that visionary individuals like Anil Agarwal can create institutions that endure for generations. Offering his personal support, he stated, “I am enthused to offer my help and support to this great idea.”
The social media post has been well received with engaging comments from renowned filmmaker such as Shekhar Kapur hailing this a great idea. While another user commented on how this will be good for India to have a leading institution that is on par to Stanford or Harvard which is needed to challenge the young minds of the country.
First proposed in 2009, the plan was to build a not-for-profit, multidisciplinary Vedanta University in Odisha. According to the Vedanta University Bill 2009 introduced in the Orissa Legislative Assembly, the university was envisioned as one of the largest philanthropic educational initiatives, with an investment of ₹15,000 crore. This figure exceeded the then combined initial establishment costs of six new IITs, six IIMs, three Central Universities, six IISERs, and six AIIMS. Designed to host over 1 lakh students and 10,000 faculty members at launch, and eventually scale to 2 lakh students, the university would have included state-of-the-art research parks, global convention & exhibition centres, and departments ranging from science and engineering to medicine, law, public policy, and humanities. The proposed University would include a research and development centre for critical and affordable medicines. The institution aimed to offer admissions to students irrespective of any financial constraints on a not-for-profit basis.
The proposed University would have transformed the higher education landscape of Odisha and positioned India as a destination for top-tier global learning and innovation. In the current context, where students are increasingly uncertain about studying abroad due to geopolitical shifts, the vision for Vedanta University becomes even more relevant. Such an institution would help retain talent within the country and create a thriving ecosystem for research, entrepreneurship, and inclusive development.
Deepak Chopra’s social media post concluded with a reaffirmation of his support: “I am looking forward to collaborating with Anil Agarwal and his team to set up an institute for consciousness studies in India. World-class universities set up by philanthropists such as Anil Agarwal can be a game changer for India.” As India aspires to become ‘Vishwaguru’ a global knowledge leader, the Vedanta University project represents a unique opportunity to realize that ambition.