GLOCAL February 2014 | Page 21

The great library of Nalanda University was so vast that it is reported to have burned for three months after the invaders set fire to it, ransacked and destroyed the monasteries. Even today we do have universities. But the point is how much they are able to pick the best of the talents of the nation. Where It is regrettable that so-called democratic parties are becoming the protectors of primarily the strong, failing to address the issues that increase periodic economic and political exploitation to the weakest. Liberalism is the concept or belief in freedom and equal rights generally associated with such thinkers as John Locke and Montesquieu. Liberalism as a political movement that influenced the history of Europe for the last four centuries, though the use of the word liberalism to refer to a specific political doctrine occurred in the 19th century. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 in England laid the foundations for the development of the modern liberal state by - Constitutionally limiting the power of the monarch, Affirming parliamentary supremacy, Passing the Bill of Rights Establishing the principle of 'consent of the governed'. 19 Development is a long-term process and democratic development is a matter of participation and awareness among the larger society. Literacy is a factor to facilitate this. However, we cannot simply copy the development theories and paste it in sub continental context. We need to add insight of the problem and prospects. We need to take the best out of subcontinental history and analyze the best possible way to implement the solutions from both our own context and that of the developed world. Like the Nalanda in the Pāla era. At its peak, the university attracted scholars and students from as far as Tibet, China, Greece, and Persia. Nalanda was ransacked and destroyed by a Turkish Muslim army under Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193. many don‘t even get the chance to complete their primary and higher education, due to poverty and its side effects. A democratic political party has the liability and responsibility to nurture the weakest and ensure the well being of the fittest. Page In developed countries, irrespective of which political party comes to power, this party has some unique policy to develop the education system and in the process develop society. This is not always the case in developing countries.