This was shared with me by a classmate of mine from Maharashtra who is quite passionate about the preservation of Buddhist archaeological sites in India. If you know anything about the current situation, for the most part, other than the internationally famous ones, many Buddhist sites are gravely endangered. Poaching, vandalism, lack of funding, and just general apathy are the biggest problems. Brahmin-Buddhist tensions have not abated even after 2,600 years; and, without going into details, I think most here are probably aware at least somewhat of the current Indian political climate. So, Deccan University not being an Ambedkarite, Dalit, or in any way Buddhist-friendly institution, the professor running this course, Dr. Shrikant Ganvir, has had to struggle to keep the course open.
Anyway, that’s the backdrop. For anyone who may be interested, the course will run from 4-6 p.m. IST every Saturday & Sunday beginning the 25 and 26 of this month and ending in June. (Sorry, I don’t have the end date.) The cut-off date for applications (Sept 15) may be disregarded as it has been waived–as has the age limit–for any foreign applicants. Foreign participants will also receive certificates upon course completion.
(I don’t have any final figures, but you can rest assured they will certainly not be offering a one-year course to foreigners for 5,000 rupees [approx. $85 USD]. Anyone who’s been knows that this is just how it is in India. I plan to enroll, so I am trying to find out myself and will inform as soon as I can.)
If there are any questions, you can ask me and I will try to answer the best I can.