Restoring
Liberal Intellectual Tradition of JNU
Dr. Santishree D. Pandit,
Vice Chancellor,
Jawaharlal Nehru University,
New Delhi
Madam,
As you are aware, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a premier
public national university, reputed for liberal intellectual tradition.
During the tenure of your predecessor, its image had suffered
irreversibly, like never before since its inception in 1969. A former Professor of JNU Avijit Pathak in
his article Healing a Campus in The Indian Express, February
18,2022, has highlighted how rapid the University culture deteriorated in
recent times. He says, “While the administration is often seen as a non-reflexive
instrument of power that is never tired of issuing circulars, charge sheets and
show cause notices from the Kafkaesque castle, the authorities tend to see a
significant section of students and teachers essentially problematic or politically motivated. This broken communication causes a toxic environment
filled with fear, doubt, suspicion and anxiety.
It negates the soul of a learning community”. Dr. Jagadesh Kumar’s tenure saw many
unpleasant controversies, inter alia, including the sedition row, the
disappearance of a student, a mob attack on students in the campus and irresponsible handling of protests by students. All this could have been avoided by little compassion and imagination.
And when I read online on 7th February,
that you were appointed as the new Vice Chancellor, I was exuberant that the
JNU at last got a social scientist as the VC who could restore its vibrant
academic culture. But the exuberance
evaporated when I read about your background in newspapers the next morning. It
was alleged in the media that you have extreme ideological credentials of having
taken extreme right-wing positions, describing liberals and activists as
‘mentally-ill- jihadists’ and ‘Naxal- Jihadists’; condemned ‘love jihad’ as a
form of terror; supported calls for genocide of a community; interpreted Godse’s action as a
‘solution for a united India' and that you were a vocal critic of NCERT text
books for ‘focusing too much on the Mughals and the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty’. If these allegations are true, then you are only
reinforcing the ideological prejudices of the Sangh Parivar, which is not expected of an
academic serving a public university. I would like to believe all that is said against you is not true. That
you were penalized by Pune University for ‘misconduct and moral turpitude' is
another matter.
A University is a temple of learning where students
and teachers are bound to hold divergent social, economic and political
views. It is wrong to categorize them as ‘leftists’ and ‘rightists’ and ‘naxals’ and judge them. After all, a university is a place where all shades of opinion and
ideologies find expression, being a symbol of intellectual growth. There is no room for intolerance of
dissenting views and attempt to control the minds of youth in an open
democratic society as diverse as India.
As someone, who served as the founder-Principal of a
state aided ‘A’ Grade college, affiliated to the University of Mumbai, for nearly
two decades, and fought many a bitter battle to uphold the integrity of the Institution
of Principal, I believe the best way of running an academic institution is to
have an open mind and absolute transparency in our conduct. It is important to involve all stake holders-
the students, the teachers and the deans- in the decision-making process and consider
their views, before making any policy decision, reflecting collective wisdom. In
fact, dissent and disagreement strengthen the decision-making process. Conversation and discussion, and taking
everybody along, are an integral part of a consensus decision. The Head of an
Institution should be humble enough not to assume to be infallible.
I never understood why the Head of an Educational Institution
should insist on everyone else listening and following his or her diktat. If the
Head makes impersonal decisions, reflecting the law of the situation, that are just
and fair, rising above petty considerations, his or her decisions are bound to
receive consent and acceptance. The people who resent need to be heard without
any pre-conditions and without bias and prejudice. Imposing unilateral decision will invite
resentment and antagonism. In management, a conflict is defined as a difference
of opinion and therefore every conflict, in that sense, could be resolved by integrating
the conflict. That is to have open mind and
willingness to discuss and listen to the dissenting voices, however unpalatable
they may be, accommodating others’ point of view, and thus winning the opponents, by
showing grace and magnanimity. Then what is considered a conflict
actually turns into constructive feedback.
The Vice Chancellors used to be distinguished eminent
educationists and administrators, who would not bring their politics into
governance and instead bring lustre to their office by sheer weight of their
personality. As an alumna of JNU and its
first woman Vice Chancellor, you have an opportunity to turn one of the iconic Universities into a model institution by not allowing hyper-nationalism to influence your
actions. You are in an enviable position
to restore the University’s liberal intellectual tradition, and prove your
detractors wrong.
With regards,
Yours truly,
Dr.G. Ramachandram
______
A Professor of
Political Science and retired Principal, holds a doctorate on Pandit Nehru;
authored the book Nehru and World Peace; has to his credit the book Quaid-e-Azam-
a translation of biographical novel ‘Pratinayak’, based on the life of
Muhammad Ali Jinnah; published his magnum opus The Trial By Fire: Memoirs of
a College Principal.
Email Id: g_ramachandram@yahoo.com : Blog: https://nehrusideaofindia.blogspot.com
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