American mathematician David Bryant Mumford has written to IIT-Madras director Bhaskar Ramamurthi, expressing deep shock over de-recognition of the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle (APSC).
“I believe campuses must allow open discussion of divisive issues even when it offends some people so that all aspects of an issue are out in the open. Today's youth are tomorrow's leaders and one wants them to think deeply about the direction in which we are all headed,” he said in a letter that was made available on social media by students.
Professor Emeritus Harvard University, the leading mathematician said “Although, as a foreigner, I acknowledge that it is difficult to understand the complexities of local disputes, I write as a long term friend of many distinguished academics in India and especially in Chennai.”
Following the IIT-M management’s recent decision to de-recognise the APSC, a student body, different sections have condemned the ban, raising questions about free speech and expression on campuses.
Emergency meeting
Following mounting pressure, the IIT-M management has decided to convene an emergency meeting on June 5 where the issue is to be discussed in detail.
Prof. Mumford, observing that he had strong ideas about the importance of free speech and especially the importance of allowing students to discuss vital and difficult issues that confront society today, said: “I have also become increasingly aware, during my nearly 50 years of visiting India, of the deep social struggles that quite possibly are coming to a head as India takes a central role in the world.
For all these reasons, I was deeply shocked that the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle was “de-recognised.”
Pointing to “many similarities” between India's Dalit issues and the African-American problems in the US, he said: “I personally take Dr. Ambedkar as one of my heroes.”
