NDTV | DU is country’s most successful university, but much more can be done: Union minister Hardeep Puri

Sep 27,2022

Delhi University is the most successful “centre of excellence” in the country but much more can be done, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the launch of a book celebrating 100 years of the university, the housing and urban affairs minister reminisced his time in DU’s Hindu College and noted that a good institution is defined by its student body.

“Great institutions are made up of great faculty members. A good institution is defined by its student body. Institutions are celebrating and we are having the first in the series of that celebration,” he said.

“The university is the most successful university in the country. It is the most successful centre of excellence. But there is much more that can be done,” he added.

Edited by Puri, ‘Delhi University: Celebrating 100 Glorious Years’ is a collection of personal narratives and reflections of some of the university’s most distinguished alumni and faculty – Amitabh Bachchan, Kiren Rijiju, Dinesh Singh, Meenakshi Gopinath, Shashi Tharoor, Bibek Debroy, Imtiaz Ali, Raian Karanjawala, Sanjeev Sanyal, Arnab Goswami, Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, Lakshmi Puri, Namita Gokhale and Vijay Shekhar Sharma.

The event was also attended by other contributors to the book – former DU Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh, former assistant secretary-general at the United Nations Lakshmi Puri, lawyer Raian Karanjawala, writer Namita Gokhale and film director Imtiaz Ali.

During his address at the event, the Union minister said he is proud and honoured that he could brought together some of its most illustrious alumni to collective reflect on its rich history, vibrant student life, and influence on India’s public discourse today.

“This anthology was conceived with the intention of celebrating the 100 years of our alma mater and the role it has played in furthering world-class education. It has successfully captured a spectrum of viewpoints that covers five decades of studying or teaching at the university,” he said.