The centenary year of the Champaran Satyagraha has sparked renewed academic interest in Mahatma Gandhi.

The Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University has decided to start a chair on Gandhian Studies at LS College, Muzaffarpur, and the East Champaran district administration has requested the Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Motihari, to introduce a course in Gandhian studies.

Ambedkar University registrar A.K. Srivastva told The Telegraph: "The university has decided to launch a chair on Gandhian studies at LS College. The university has prepared a proposal and it will be submitted to the University Grants Commission (UGC) for approval."

A chair is the highest academic award that a university can bestow on a faculty member, and it lasts as long as the university exists. A chair is in name of some historical personality or his teachings where research scholars and even teachers conduct research. In the state, universities have chairs in the name of Buddhist Studies, Jayaprakash Narayan and others.

LS College, established in 1899, has a rich list of alumni associated with it, including the country's first President Rajendra Prasad and noted poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar.

Gandhi stayed at the LS College for some time before launching the Champaran movement.

Srivastava claimed that the chair will mainly cater to research on Gandhian thoughts. Once the university gets financial assistance from the UGC, the chair will develop a research centre.

Earlier, the Motihari district administration had approached Mahatma Gandhi Central University with a formal proposal to launch a course in Gandhian studies as part of efforts to pay tribute to Bapu. Mahatma Gandhi Central University vice-chancellor Arvind Agarwal will add a subject on Gandhian studies in the existing undergraduate course.

The state government has decided to organise a series of programmes in Patna and other places to mark the centenary year of the Champaran Satyagraha. The year-long celebrations will be formally launched on March 22, which is also celebrated as Bihar Divas to mark its acquisition of statehood status in 1912 after being carved out of Bengal.

While the Nitish Kumar government has been preparing for the Champaran centenary celebrations for over a year, the Centre will also hold year-long celebrations to commemorate the Champaran Satyagraha in 2017-18.

The Bihar government, to mark the Champaran Satyagarha, has sent a couple of proposals to the Centre for infrastructure development at prominent places on the Gandhi circuit in Bihar, including Bhitiharwa Gandhi Ashram in West Champaran and Barharwa Lakhansen village in East Champaran. Infrastructure development at Motihari and Bettiah where Bapu started the Satyagarha Movement are also on the cards.

The state government is taking a keen interest on Champaran centenary year celebrations. Chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh is personally monitoring the preparations. Chief minister Nitish has also convened few meetings with officials reviewing the centenary year celebrations, which will be held on April 17 and18.