I am struck by the fact that the views of the JNU alumni and the views of those who are not from the institution are almost diametrically opposite to each other. While JNU alumni are alarmed at the systematic, planned defaming of their university, others seem to be absorbing the official view uncritically.
As an alumna of the university, I can speak on behalf of the students when I say that most JNU students experience a sense of self-transformation on the campus not because the place is “full of Left-leaning people”, but because they are freed from their narrow regional contexts when they come face-to-face with students from other regions, classes and castes.
In classrooms, we study about these places and people rationally and critically, and learn not to merely swallow whatever the media or the ruling party says. For instance, even when JNU students disagree with anti-India slogans, they try to explore where these views come from. JNU brings to its students a pluralistic, open vision of India that renders the country’s poorest and most underprivileged visible. As middle-class students, we learn that the Indian middle class ought to serve the poorest and keep them visible in the eye of the state.
However, this vision is precisely what a rabid section of the right wing wants to destroy. The middle class in India does not recognise even the existence of underprivileged citizens. Therefore, it becomes easy for them to swallow the right wing’s vision of India as a country of the Hindu upper-caste middle class. While people are critical of the debate on Afzal Guru’s hanging, no one seems worried that there are daily insults to our Constitution by some members of the Sangh Parivar, including MLAs and MPs. Why is there an uproar over JNU but not over these statements? It is sad that social scientists of repute are being targeted simply for taking the side of democracy.
J.Devika,
Thiruvananthapuram
It is very unfortunate that two sacred institutions, JNU and the Supreme Court, are being defiled by a few disgruntled elements. While the reputation of a prestigious university, which has produced a number of noted statesmen, is being tarnished by a group of students shouting anti-national slogans, the reputation of the court is also being tarnished as Afzal Guru was tried and convicted by the court and it is in support of him that slogans are being shouted. If this issue is used to stall Parliament, it will be a stumbling block in the progress of our country.
M.V.S. Murthy,
Hyderabad
The events unfolding in JNU are eroding the values ingrained in our Constitution. The government is muffling voices of dissent in the name of nationalism. Where are we heading? Dubbing every form of dissent as anti-national smacks of dictatorship. What is most astonishing is the cryptic silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is passively supporting the autocratic activities of his lieutenants.
C.Suresh,
Thrissur
It is distressing to note that pro-Afzal Guru slogans are now being chanted in Jadavpur University (“Jadavpur University: Pro-Afzal slogans”, Feb. 17). This would not have been possible without the support of the opposition parties. Protests against the nation amount to rebellion. They should be strictly controlled and action must be taken by the government. It is clear that the opposition parties simply want to criticise the government at any cost, even if that cost is the nation itself. Criticising the government is the same as criticising those who elected it to power.
S.P. Sharma,
Mumbai
Peter Ronald deSouza has clearly stated the role that the most socially sensitive campus of this country has played in producing excellent bureaucrats, politicians and intellectuals (“JNU, and the idea of India”, Feb. 17). I respect the freethinking and inclusive spirit that JNU inculcates in the minds of its students. The campus is known to have an in-built capacity to detect mild as well as serious versions of totalitarianism or quasi-fascism, and so the students of this university naturally speak up against such ideas or acts.
This campus has always remained a dream for many; I hope whatever defines this university will not change because of this crisis.
Bejoy Sebastian Xavier,
Kochi
There is no need to glorify JNU. No one is stifling dissent. We read about various issues and opinions everyday, but no is arrested for these opinions. What led to Kanhaiya Kumar’s arrest was something very serious. The governing dispensation feared that the speeches and sloganeering were inciting violence. Dissent and discussion cannot be used as terms to hide what is hate speech.
V. Lakshmanan,
Tirupur
The JNU incident cannot be seen in isolation; it is linked to what is happening in the rest of the country. There is a method to this madness. The Sangh Parivar wants to thrust a uniform culture on India instead of respecting and celebrating the country’s diversity, and this incident is a part of such efforts. It is strange that while sloganeering is not tolerated, violence is justified. Acts against the people of this country can be seen as seditious, not sloganeering against the ruling dispensation.
There is a fundamental difference between what happened during the Emergency and what is happening now. Democratic rights had been suspended then but now efforts are being made to stifle voices in a democratic set-up.
Gnana. Surabhi Mani,
Madurai
