Ladakh | In the stark, silent stretches of Ladakh where snow-capped peaks meet the sky, a quiet but significant milestone unfolded as 14 students graduated across three postgraduate programmes during the first convocation of Sindhu Central University (SCU) here.
At Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, 14 students from the first batch of Sindhu Central University were felicitated on Tuesday during the institution's maiden convocation ceremony in presence of Chief Secretary of Ladakh Pawan Kotwal and other executive members of the university.
Director of IIT Madras and Chair of Executive Council and Academic Council of SCU, V Kamakoti, recalled that the university was established under the Central Universities (Amendment) Act, 2021, and its foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 20, 2024.
"SCU is envisioned as a centre for non-conventional, interdisciplinary learning aligned with India's 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The university is expected to become fully operational by 2028. Until then, classes for around 60 students are being held at a newly inaugurated transit campus in Ladakh, which includes facilities such as a library, a multifunctional lab, classrooms and hostel," Kamakoti said.
IIT Madras is the mentor institute for Sindhu Central University. The permanent campus of the university is coming up in the village Khaltsi, located at an altitude of about 3,500 metres above the sea level.
In its inaugural academic session in 2024, the university launched three postgraduate programmes -- MTech in Energy Technology and Policy, MTech in Atmospheric and Climatic Science and MA in Public Policy.
The university has recently introduced an MA in Buddhist Studies and Philosophy. Classes for the programme will begin at the transit campus, with internship opportunities in local monasteries to foster immersive learning.
Students said the university offered more than just degrees, it gave them purpose rooted in their homeland.
Tenzin Zengking, a graduate from Leh, said he came across the university on social media and was drawn by its focus on sustainability and energy.
"The course felt purposeful, especially in a place like Ladakh where sustainability is part of everyday life," he said.
"Now I want to stay back and continue my research here. This is just the beginning," Zengking added.
For Shakeel Ahmed, whose academic path has now led him to IIT Delhi, the journey began with a suggestion from his sister.
"The learning experience was similar to IITs. If I managed to get into IIT Delhi, it's because of the foundation I received here," he said.
Speaking a the event, Kamakoti also said that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the university, prepared and presented by the Government of India, has proposed the launch of over 15 integrated programmes, 20 postgraduate courses, and various doctoral-level programmes across multidisciplinary fields.
Citing the budget alloted for the university construction, he said, "The total project cost has been estimated at Rs 955 crore, with Rs 725 crore earmarked for infrastructure including state-of-the-art, high-altitude research laboratories and Rs 230 crore allocated for academic and operational activities." Additionally, SCU is also in the process of establishing four specialised schools the School of Basic and Natural Sciences, the School of Interdisciplinary Management Development, the School of Environmental Energy and Sustainable Development, and the School of Endic Systems and Studies to support its innovative academic framework, Kamakoti said.
Sindhu Central University in Ladakh, the world's highest university situated around 3,500 metres above sea level, now has a transit campus which will function as an academic centre till the construction of the permanent campus is completed.
The university is named after the ancient river Sindhu and is also India's first trans-Himalayan central university.
