It is the third week of my Orientation Programme (OP) at the Human Resource Development Centre (HRDC), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. The first few days were packed with motivation for all of us. It was the second week onwards that attendance started slipping. We realised that this programme was merely a formality for both stakeholders- the organisers and the participants. The former is in-charge of organising OPs, Refresher Courses (RFs) and other interaction programmes throughout the academic year. The latter, me included, have travelled all the way from different corners of this country to fulfil the conditions required by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to get promoted from Level 10 to the subsequent levels.
I made a fleeting visit to JNU a few months ago to collect my Ph.D certificate. This visit will be the first time in years when I have spent more than a few days on campus. I received quite a number of messages from concerned friends and family when they got to know I was attending this OP course. Their concerns were regarding the hostile situation on campus and other universities. Little did they know that most of the news being flashed in all the 'supposedly' news channels glorified a certain viewpoint and campus was back to normalcy.
This time I did notice that there was a sea change in the way campus life has been organised and, I dare say, limited in terms of student movements, discussions etc. The famous 'Ganga Dhaba' now closes before midnight. Personally, I made only two visits to this dhaba during my seven year stint in JNU. The present time restriction has been very strategically planned given that Ganga Dhaba is synonymous with active student participation in political debates and other issues of immediate concern. Imposing such a restriction means that the night owls will no longer walk that extra mile till the dhaba to satisfy their hunger, which automatically curtails any future discussion on burning topics. Additionally, the administration seems to have the upper hand over faculty members. Teachers are scared to voice their opinion because speaking against the existing regime means they will be tagged as Leftist (a common term in this campus if you did not know already), even if that might not be the case. The tag itself is not of concern but what it entails in present times is what is holding back the academia from speaking their mind. The speakers for the OP also projected a certain viewpoint.
It seems to me that this premier institution for higher education excellence in the country no longer encourages creative or alternate thinking. The critics have been silenced for now but it is a loss of the country in the long run.
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