Imagining the Indian University of the 21st Century: A Contest of Ideas

Do you have a vision for the ideal Indian University of the 21st century which you aspire to be a part of? What courses would you take in such a University? How would the teaching be? Will it be any different from what you experience now? What would your dream campus look like? What are the activities you would have within and without the curriculum?

In short: How do you envision the 21^st century University in India?

Share your ideas on this question with us by writing them down in an essay, or by painting a picture or putting them in an illustration, clicking a photograph, or maybe even recording your own song!

Irrespective of the medium, structure your thoughts in a narrative that you think will best explain your vision of the new-age Indian university and send them to us.
 

Why you should participate

Selected candidates and their schools will be entitled to exciting prizes and opportunities including a chance to participate in The Ashoka Winter Programme.

The Ashoka Winter Programme

A jury comprising eminent faculty members at Ashoka will select fifty compelling entries out of a final shortlist of a hundred. Entries will be evaluated based on:

• Clarity of thought
• Thoroughness of analysis
• Inventiveness in concept
• Effectiveness of communication

Selected candidates will get to attend The Ashoka Winter Programme, a three-day critical thinking, creative expression and leadership summit where the brightest students from senior high schools across the country will engage with renowned academics, artists, intellectuals and leaders in an environment of intense thought, discussion and learning. The event will be held in New Delhi on the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th of January, 2013.
 

The 'Popular Choice' Contest

In addition to applying for the Winter Programme, you can also choose to submit your entry for the Popular Choice contest. Students across the country will vote for their favourite entries. The ten most popular entries will receive year-long subscriptions to acclaimed magazines including

• Granta
• Harvard Business Review
• Practical Photography

Make your School proud!

We recognize the role of educational institutions in nurturing critical thought, creative expression and innovative design in its students. To acknowledge schools’ contribution to students’ excellence, we will have awards for exceptional schools.

Five schools with the most number of entries in the last shortlist (of hundred) will

• be conferred the title of an Ashoka University-recognized ‘Institution of Liberal Learning’
• receive a complimentary box-set of collected works of Academic Council members and Faculty at Ashoka University, for their school library
• receive a certificate of recognition signed by the Vice-Chancellor, Ashoka University
   

Deadline for acceptance of entries is 11:59 PM, Saturday, the 30^th of November, 2013.