Oxford centre drops Indira’s name, ‘wasn’t pressured’
LONDON: A centre established by the Somerville college in the University of Oxford in 2013 with a £3 million grant from India and named after Indira Gandhi has seen the name of the former prime minister dropped after the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014. The Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development (OICSD) was named the Indira Gandhi Centre for Sustainable Development at its launch during the tenure of the Manmohan Singh government. Gandhi, an alumna of the college, studied Modern History there in 1937.
The memorandum of understanding was signed in 2013 after the then minister for HRD MM Pallam Raju visited the college. The Indian grant of £3 million was matched by the University of Oxford.
An ‘Education Brief’ of the Indian government dated December 1, 2016, suggests that the name was changed during the year. College officials, however, told Hindustan Times that there had been no pressure or suggestion from New Delhi to change the name. The brief says: “Indira Gandhi Centre for Sustainable Development (IGCSD), established at the College with Government of India providing seed money of ₹25 crore (£3 mn), has begun work.
“The Centre is now called Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development. The Centre would be housed in a new building on Oxford University’s Redcliff Observatory Quarter adjacent to Somerville College.
The Centre will be fully established in time for the centenary celebrations of Gandhi’s birth on November 19.” About the name change, Alice Prochaska, principal, said: “We are using our best endeavours to achieve the funding for a building that will indeed house the Indira Gandhi Centre.