Univ inks pact with Oxford, to offer temple management courses

Mumbai: The University of Mumbai will soon offer certificate, diploma, and master’s degree courses in temple management in collaboration with the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this effect was formalised on Friday between the University of Oxford and University of Mumbai’s Center for Hindu Studies and department of Sanskrit. It was signed by Shaunak Rishi Das, director of the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies, and Ravindra Sangurde, director of the Centre for Hindu Studies at the University of Mumbai.

“Under the agreement, the two university departments will develop joint curriculums with the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies, encompassing both offline and online formats,” said professor Sangurde. The courses will equip students with various aspects of temple Management, ranging from crowd management to efficient fund administration, including for societal purposes such as building schools and hospitals.

Meanwhile, the department of Sanskrit and the Centre for Hindu Studies at the University of Mumbai will contribute to the Bhagavata Purana master project of the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies.

University of Mumbai vice chancellor professor Ravindra Kulkarni was optimistic about the global impact of the new collaboration. “Through this MoU, both departments will be able to make a mark on the world stage,” he said.

Kulkarni said the idea of starting courses in temple management germinated during a meeting with the former chairman of Shri Saibaba Sansthan, Shirdi, Suresh Haware. “We discussed various aspects of temple management at Shordi, which led to the conceptualisation of courses. Subsequently, we held discussions with the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies, resulting in the collaborative design of course modules,” he said.

In the initial phase, the course will be offered exclusively at the University of Mumbai campus. “We plan to offer the course in university departments, and based on demand, we will consider expanding it to affiliated colleges,” said Kulkarni.

Associate professor and course coordinator Madhuri Narsale said the certificate course would be offered first, followed by the diploma and master’s courses.