Why I Feel Rohith Vemula's suicide: It's an ugly truth of campus politics in student life

The world of student politics is not for the faint hearted. It is vicious precisely because the stakes are so small. Many believe university politics can offer a route to Downing Street. But while some have followed this path to Westminster - Margaret Thatcher and William Hague from my own university society, for instance - countless more have fallen by the wayside.

It is better, instead, to view it as a path to an impressive CV. To lead is a noble thing, and student politics will teach you vital life skills….Joe Cooke, former President of the Oxford University Conservative Association.

The above words were explained by Joe Cooke star of a new BBC Two documentary on "today on university politics /student politics" few years back while offering his five-point guide to mastermind the partisanworldof student elections for those students who are determined to climb the greasy pole of student politics.  

College/university campuses have always been a plinth of playing creepy game of politics. I remember in my graduating years, at the time of student union elections how the invisible Mr. Indias would totally control the atmosphere inside the campuses with money, manpower etc. leading to the victory of the candidate with less merit if not totally undeserved than the win of a deserving one with merit.  

Once it was really disappointing for me to see someone losing out despite been very active in addressing the real issues of students only because he had fought independently with the support of his few friends. He perhaps couldn't manage fund to do all those attractive banners, pamphlets etc and of course those "night before the voting day's things" to win the minds of students.  The student who had won was having the tag of ABVP and that's how I heard the name of the organization for the first time.

Subsequently I was made aware of the fact that how impossible it was for the college administrations to go against some students who would enjoy the strong political backing in spite of the unruliness they create inside the campus. Many times I had headed home as the college would stop lectures abruptly in the wake of a "student group clash".

We would enquire about the reopening dates from the local students and would return to resume our classes. The story would be same for other colleges and universities while the name of political backing system would be the only differentiators. I have some friends who opine that they shouldn't have wasted some of their productive years in all those nonsense.

Politicians from various political outfits literally use students as per their need and throw them out once their utility is over. Young, naive and aggressive minds are easy to be ignited a passion and that favors established politicians and political parties to push their ominous agendas…I guess. But in the process, careers, family and lives of many students actually face a disorder at some point of time. Baring few not many could make politics a career. Some would return to the track while some would lose themselves eternally.

Coming to the Rohith Vemula, the young PhD scholar from University OfHyderabad(UoH) - Dalit or not…as the debate is still going on - had been a victim of loathsome campus politics…I feel.

A clear case of student conflict (between groups) took an ugly turn with the "big boss" political interventions.  I wish had he not been a part of ASA or at least had not been one who assaulted another student of another political outfit landing him in the hospital that lead his expulsion from some vital part of the University Campus along with other four students.

I wish he would have been supported by his own sympathizers and supporting political bosses when he and the four others were through all those consequences, valid or invalid before becoming so much vulnerable. I wish the students and the politicians who are crying foul now and demonstrating nationwide against the disciplinary action taken by the University would have raised their voices then when he was alive. At least there should have been some noise when "Caste identity" was used as a divider among students that had made 9 more Dalit students commit suicide in the same campus in last decade.  

I wish Rohith Vemula wouldn't have lost hope in the ideology he was following and wouldn't have felt isolated. The irony  is the man who aggressively had protested against the "Hanging" of 1993 Mumbai blast accused, Yakub Memon, couldn't find strength to fight and protest against his own internal chaos that finally lead him to "Hang himself".

I can understand his anger against the discriminating University Administration but I still haven't figure out about his frustrations and hopelessness from his own people who didn't raise their voices and supported him. At least someone should have taken care of his finances keeping his humble background in eye….at least the Organization that he was fighting for.  The truth is when he was in the utter vulnerability; no one was there to stop him from taking that extreme step.

I wish being a bright research scholar Rohith Vemula should have gone through some really good books and articles to understand the twists and turns of politics in student's life, if not points given by Joe Cooke. I wish he would have been guided by some really good people about the multi-dimensional reality one might have to face when step in to the ugly world of politics. Had it been so…I think he would have fought well against his inner turmoil that lead him to hang himself and perhaps would have emerged victorious as well?  In short he would have been "alive" today though not enjoying the nationwide identity.

I know Rohith Vemula isn't the first nor will be the last being the victim of nasty campus politics. The politicians and political parties should at least now refrain from using students as the pawns to push their agendas (i know it's impossible for them) if they really feel bad for Rohiths. I wish there should be no more Rohith Vemula who would be pushed to an edge because of politics, discrimination and isolation.

I hope the culprits who are responsible for abatement of suicide of Rohith will be stringently punished so that it acts as a deterrent in future. I also hope Rohith Vemula will be a lesson for all those young aspirants who dream of stepping into politics from the dais of their colleges. At least they will do a research on themselves if they are fit into it or not before jumping on the podium. Till then…let the stillness of graveyard resonate in the commotion soul of Rohith Vemula....I feel.

#ShaniShingnapur temple: Who says women are not allowed inside, I had been there

While the entire India was busy in celebrating 67th Republic Day on 26th January 2016, a group of women from Bhumata Ranragini Brigade, a women organization, created law and order issue at Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district in the name of "equal status for women to do worship".

Of late the Shani Shingnapur Temple has been hitting headlines for all wrong reasons. It started with a CCTV footage going viral few months back showing a girl climbing to the sanctum of the Shrine and touching the Deity Shani Maharaj (which is in the form of a Black Rock). After that the Temple Trust did a "Shhudhhikaran (Purification)" of the God as it has been a tradition there that "Women are not allowed to touch the idol".

Well…I'm a strong believer - if not a Feminist - of Equality, no gender discrimination and equal status for women in all spheres of life. But what I couldn't really understand about the controversy surrounding the Shani Shingnapur Temple is the "timing of the protest".

Before coming to my opinion over the controversy let me share my personal experience at this temple. A decade ago (in 2005) I had been to this place for the first time. We had a "Shiridi trip" along with four friends of my husband. After the morning Aarti at Shiridi…we headed for Shani Shingnapur temple and reached there in the afternoon. There I was told that ladies were not allowed inside the temple premises. I stayed inside the vehicle while all men took bath wearing a typical saffron cloth available there and proceeded with wet cloths to temple for prayer. That's how I came to know about the tradition. After that also we had been there for many times and followed the same.

However 4 years back when we shifted to Mumbai from Delhi…we again had a trip to it (2011) and were surprised to see the change. There was no restriction for women to enter inside the temple premises and no "compulsory" wearing of that typical saffron colored wet cloth for men. We went inside the premises. I saw a unique open temple which had no walls or roof. A self-emerged five-foot high black stone stands on a platform and is worshiped as Lord Shani.

Everyone was in queue for their turn to handover the "sesame oil" which is used to pour on the deity as a part of the ritual" to the priests who were doing so on behalf of the people. Nobody (both men and women) were allowed to climb that platform.

So the "fact" is both men and women are allowed to enter the temple while "no one" is allowed to climb the platform for any reason by the temple trust. That's what I have seen personally.

That's why I was surprised to hear the controversy on "Women Entering the Temple" which was there ten years back and not now. One can check out the Congress veteran Shashi Tharoor performing rituals at Shani Temple with Sunanda Pushkar (when she was alive).

Also had women not allowed to enter in the temple, how could the CCTV girl climbed onto the platform?

Well…coming to the protests by the women brigade of Bhumata Organization, I feel it's just an attempt to get "Recognition" and not at all getting any "Reformation" in such tradition. Had it been an attempt for reformation, they would have been taken the path of debate and discussion and not the confrontation.

By creating a law and order issue which they called "protests" they only ruined the sanctity of that place and the peace of those people who were staying there. Also it appears to be an attempt to malign the image of temple itself.

Shani Shingnapur is also a village known for "not having doors in the houses" as the people believe that there would be no theft as the Lord Shani himself protects the houses. I know it may sound bizarre to many but it is a reality and a matter of faith of the people of that place. The politics has only ruined the peace of the local people here.

I am really amused at the hashtags "#RightToPuja or #RightToPray - which I believe the media and the activists in India have found a new muse these days.

Okay, Okay…they are putting across the Right to Equality - Article 14 of the Constitution that says "Equality before the law -The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India". But does it ensure "Equality before Religious Practices?" Because Article 25 of the Constitution says freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.

Every temple (in fact places of worship) has their own code of conducts and guiding rules which are ensured by the Constitution. Many temples (for example Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha) don't allow "Non-Hindus", given to the insecurity they have since ages, as in past various Non-Hindu forces attacked the temple. You can't force them to allow everyone as it doesn't come before any law for that matter.

I personally believe there should be no such rules that women can't be allowed inside the inner sanctum of a Place of Worship or any rule that differentiates between man and woman or Humans in general as I feel before God…everyone is equal. Change can be brought out with healthy debates and discussions and not at all "Confrontations" that to selectively. Remember even Gandhiji never approved "Force Entry of Harizans" in the temples though he was against the idea of not allowing them inside them.

I have been taught from my childhood that "Jadya Narjasthya Pujyanti, Ramyanti Tatra Devata". If I need to force myself inside a place, I don't believe it remains a "Place for worship" at all. I would respect the religious feelings of others. I hope good sense prevail on Trupti Desai and her tribe who wants gain recognition through such acts. 

Dear Aamir Khan, India has actually become incredibly intolerant!

"India will remain incredible with or without me – Aamir Khan." The "Perfectionist" actor Aamir Khan recently accepted his exit as the "Incredible India" campaign brand ambassador, quoting the above line.

So, better late than never!  At last, Aamir "Intolerant" Khan has been kicked out from the "IncredibleIndia campaign" (Okay, I can read between lines "contract not renewed" to be politically correct). But more than to it, I really wonder why didn't he break the contract by himself, with all those repercussions when he and his wife had found that "India had become Intolerant" few months back? I mean how could he still remain a face of "Incredible India" while in reality he believed it was "Intolerant India"?

Let me clear, before anybody tags me with anything opposite to "Liberal or Adarsh Liberal (I hope you all are aware of these terms)" how I define "free speech". My definition of free speech is very simple- You are always free to move your hands the way you wish to and at any speed if you're standing alone. But if someone is standing near in less than a hands distance, you need to restrict the movement of your hands because it may hurt the person near you. Because in that case there will be an immediate reflex action and you can't say that your freedom is restricted.

In simple terms there is always a sense of "responsibility" attached to "free speech".

But human are humans. It seems that some people have forgotten this sensibility may be because of abundance of fortunes bestowed upon them in terms of wealth, accomplishments and affluence. Our age old wisdom says "too much of everything is always bad". It's a universal truth that everything should fall into a range. You can reach the boundaries of the range but as soon as you decide to cross that boundary, you just end up disturbing the general balance of life. For example…Excessive drinking leads to falling down a lot and cursing yourself in the morning. Excessive eating leads to bellyaches and obesity. Excessive speed leads to cliff edges and telephone poles. These are aspects that most people would agree are harmful.

I wish the perfectionist Aamir Khan would have given some nit-picker thought to his "specific and substantial" utterance in terms of "perfection" before imperfectly making his "private" conversations with his wife Kiran Rao "public".  Before jumping into the podium to play the sinister game of "Intolerance", he should have thought about the mega success of his movie Pk that had released on 18 December 2014. At least after seeing the public reactions to Shah Rukh Khan's statement he should have restricted the movement of his tongue thinking that it would badly hurt the already wounded fans. Sigh!! He didn't do anything like that.

When he said "India has become Intolerant and his wife wants to leave" it was clear at that very moment that the "intolerance misadventure" itself had crossed all boundaries.

Believe me, I had felt like he had tight slapped me particularly because I was the one of the few who had defended the controversy over his movie Pk on this platform before. I always believe "art, culture or any creative venture" is beyond any religion, cast or creed and the people involved with them have no religion other than the "religion of humanity". But probably my belief is wrong.

Well, as force breaks inertial the first law of Newton goes, I must agree that the "intolerance misadventure" was a really a boon for people because it broke their siesta and it was actually something that made people wake up from their deep slumber of "tolerance".

We know about the aftermath. The immediate reflex action was seen in terms of cacophonous outrage on Twitter. People realized that "speaking sensibly" was no more a rule of "free speech".  It was one of the most surprising and ironical moments for the Indian public to see "the brand ambassador of Incredible India" terming "India as an Intolerant nation". The first target of anger of people was Snapdeal, which had engaged Aamir as its brand ambassador. Millions down rated the Snapdeal app and uninstalled it. Snapdeal was late to react and issued a statement for damage control when the damage had already been done. The protest continued till Snapdeal was forced to remove Aamir from its Twitter home page. May be it was a recreated moment of "Ashahayoga Andolan – The Non co-operation movement" for Indians in recent times. It was the first time such severe commercial damage had been inflicted over a mere public statement.

Well, the positive side of this insidious episode of intolerance was that people broke their inertia of tolerance. It also cured the "Ghajini" symptoms (short term memory loss) of Indians who normally forget any kind of offence after a few days. People haven't forgotten about it so far. Recently the Shah Rukh starrer "Dilwale" fell flat at the box office and was not that successful like previous Shah Rukh movies. Irrespective of an apology note from the King Khan (though it was a business move) people were seen "tolerantly showing intolerance" in front of theaters urging movie goers to boycott the film. Never before the winning argument had to donate the ticket money to charity instead seemed to be catching the spirit of public.

 #BoycottDilwale and Snapdeal fallouts were clearly successful campaigns, resulting into commercial disasters and it was perhaps the first time shown what happens when people lose their tolerance and become "intolerant". Similar fate is perhaps waiting for the upcoming movie of Aamir Khan "Dangal" as well.  People now understand that "they should hit where it hurts the most".

Aamir Khan did not spare a thought before crossing the line, as if there was something waiting for him more valuable than the "pride of the nation".

India was always incredible with its pluralistic culture that was the hall mark of its "tolerance". But a few lost hypocrites (read the gang of people who jumped into the "intolerance debate") perhaps couldn't digest it and scratched it for mere self interests.

Moral of the story is "Dear Aamir Khan – India has really become incredibly intolerant, because it has stopped its "tolerance" to be taken for granted".

Well, while people are rejoicing the ouster moment of removal of Aamir Khan from "Incredible India" campaign, is there going to be any more award wapsi for this ouster?

#justasking