Free-dom(n) of (im) Morality

Universities and colleges in India have been busy in unique fests and shows. Strangely, they are not academic but they are getting big support from all walks of life. Teachers, students, media, intellectuals, activists, NGOs etc. are all with them in their mission. The majority of these supporters have left leanings.

 
Famous Indian universities organise hugs and kiss fest in the campus and they march on the roads showing their so called bold acts. Parades by LGBTs and their supporters are a common feature in the campuses. Now the exhibitions of undergarments like bras and panties have also become a freedom of expression. A college of DU organised a play which resulted in a big controversy for using and showing two words and items those symbolises women’s undergarments means bra and panty. But the principal and teachers have to retreat when the show got a huge support. Supporters even argued that bra-panties are not bombs. These are new liberals. 

 Noted columnist Malini Nair mentioned an interesting tradition of shyness in this regard. In the classic work of Aparna Sen, there was a brief but brilliant scene in the middle of 36 Chowringhee Lane. A young poet, who is looking for some intimate relationship with his girlfriend, got an offer to use her drawing room from the ageing and lonely Violet Stoneham (Jennifer Kendall). Violet asks for pardon, hastily goes to the clothesline and shoves off her bra and panty and shoves them into a laundry bag. (TOI, New-Delhi)

 

All the viewers laughed in the dark cinema halls; it was old granny’s bra and panty and Violet were also old enough to feel shy, but the audience also understood the hidden sex undertone. It was strong family and social moral that Indians inherited from mothers, grandmothers and aunts. It was deep and clear code in our sensibility that woman’s underclothes cannot be openly visible or talked about.

People cannot forget Lucille Ball – famous actress, comedian, television actress, asking her daughter: “Where is my B-R-A?” looking embarrassingly at her son who tells her expressionless: “It is hanging on the L-I-N-E mom.”

Decades have passed but we Indians believe in those sanskars. The panel judging a university theatre festival hosted by Sahitya Kala Parishad of Delhi government rejected a play produced by Kamala Nehru College for using the words bra and panty along with ‘other cuss words.’

Ironically, the world has rejoicing Beyonce’s famous baby bump photo, in burgundy bra and ruffled panty. Indian actress Kareena Kapoor also used her baby bump for publicity.

The new liberal brigade and messiahs of freedom of expression are not happy with the age-old moral sanskari and sarkari decision. They loathed of any ‘hai-hai’ question attitude of women’s unearthings and hidden treasures. These new moralists want total transparency. The sarksri order was withdrawn after widespread support from professional protesters. Bra-panty brigade emerged victorious in this tug of war.

An alumnus and a product of college dramatics, theatre actor Mallika Taneja, has left bra and panty far behind. She appeared on the stage stripped down to her underwear in her scornfully humorous 10-minute act, ‘Thoda Dhyan Se.’ She further mocked the traditional clothes and proceeded to wrap herself in a suffocating shroud of clothes to ‘stay safe’ on the roads. The audience had a free laughter on this free and funny show. (TOI, New-Delhi)

She further says, “I find it embarrassing that the judges are embarrassed. We put a panty on the stage for our play on incest more than a decade ago when I was in college, for heaven's sake. University theatre is a place for bold experiments that challenge all kinds of stereotypes. This is just another episode in the increasing clampdown that all arts are facing.” (TOI, New-Delhi)

It is the values and sanskars which create a sense of shyness about such underthings. It is unwritten and accepted social convention about such modesty. The bra and panty have to be covered with a towel. They can’t be hung openly. They are hung in dark corner or in the bathroom itself. Even women are more comfortable with women staff when they go to purchase such stuff.

Indian women still face uneasiness to buy such stuff from male staff. Such undergarments are sold with bindi, bangles, pins and lotions in the general ‘Ladies Fashion Stores’ usually sold by some aged uncleji of young chotu or bhaiyya. After talking about ‘Size’ and ‘Trial” they literally run to hide the shyness with whatever they get. It is just not underclothes those make them feel shy. There are other things like condom, sanitary pads/napkins those make them red.

Here a very funny scene from the classic ‘Chalti ka Naam Gaadi’ of the 50s, starring Anoop Kumar is worth mentioning who was very shy of women, took the lipstick of Madhubala by mistake. He jumped in horror and screaming ‘Kartooooos!’ So for ordinary Indian men and women bra, panty, condom, sanitary napkins, vagina cream are no less than kartoos (bullet). These are Indian values.

Famous film actress turned columnist Twinkle Khanna wrote in her Sunday Times column, sanitary pads are treated like radioactive isotopes at shops, to be packaged first in newspapers and then handed out in a black plastic bag in case anyone saw it and figured that you bled once every month. The other “kartoos“ is all mention of blood in periods ¬ recall the online spoofs last year on the clean blue “blood“ in all sanitary napkin ads? Then there is vagina, lactation...the list is a long one.

Commenting on this tendency, US entrepreneur Miki Agarwal had this to say: “We were talking about what happens to half the world's population here.“Indeed, half the world's population uses, washes and changes you-know-what and you-know-(TOI, New-Delhi)

It is very difficult to understand what is academic in bra-panty show or discussion? University and colleges are not for such vulgar display. They are poisoning the young and innocent minds and destroying the future generations.

But ironically, these warriors support burqa, hijab, triple talaq, halala and unequal laws for Muslim women. All are silent on the denial to pass the film “Lipstick under my Burqa.” These free thinkers support Nihalani’s Victorian morals.

A film that has won honour and awards across the world is being denied permission where there are millions of free thinkers in universities and colleges. Here a creative freedom is curbed but there is total silence on the campuses and roads. In the same nation, CBFC is equating sex with sin and desire with guilt.

BRAVE RAJPUT AND THE TREACHEROUS EMPEROR

This popular tale is related with the brave, loyal but simple Maharaja of Jodhpur Maharaja Jaswant Singh, his nine faithful ranis and deceitful Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. According to the Hindu calendar, the month of Kwar comes after the monsoon season is over. There is a very popular tale related with this month. A former priest from famous Hindu temple Nathdwara in Udaipur, Rajasthan, narrated this tale to a person. The priest came to Delhi some decades ago. Although, this tale seems very strange, but it narrates the bravery and loyalty of Rajputs on the one side and narrates the treachery of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb on the other side.


The story is related with the nine faithful Ranis and valiant Maharaja Jaswant Singh who was the Maharaja of Jodhpur and who was a very brave and important Senapati of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb appointed Maharaja Jaswant Singh as governor of Jamrud, which is now in Islamic Pakistan. Incidentally, Maharaja Jaswant Singh took his last breath in Kabul.


Few months before his death, the Maharaja visited Delhi and met the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Whenever Maharaja visited Delhi, he never missed paying his obeisance to famous Hanuman temple built by Swai Man Singh, the Maharaja of Jaipur and very famous Senapati and one of the Navratnas of Mughal emperor Akbar.


This famous and ancient Hanuman temple is situated near another famous monument the Jantar Mantar, on Baba Kharag Singh Marg. But during the days of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, it was almost in wilderness and ruins near the Raisina hills, like any other Hindu temple, of that period. The only human habitat near the temple was the palace of Mirza Raja Jai Singh of Amber.


Maharaja Jaswant Singh used to stay in Chandni Chowk. Later on, he started to stay in the famous haveli of a bania trader, which was converted by Sikhs in Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. The Maharaja had come to know that the high priest of the Hanuman Temple can forecast about the future of someone with great exactness by just reading the lines of the hands of a person. The priest was very old and frail but his eyes and personality had the shining and burning aura of a saint who had the passion of devotion and spiritualism. His tangled hair was curled up on his head like the hood of a serpent.


Maharaja Jaswant Singh had come to meet the priest with expensive gifts, carried by a number of men. As it was the characteristic of Hindu clergymen to renounce worldly pleasures, he refused to accept the gifts but finally accepted them to honour the Maharaja and not to dishearten him.


The Maharaja revealed the reason for his call and opened his palm to the seer, priest. It was the month of Kwar, according to Hindu calendar and the time was late afternoon or before evening. The priest observed the lines of the majestic palm very deeply and from many angles. After studying the palm for several minutes the frail priest asked the Maharaja to go back to his palace and not to worry about his future. But Maharaja became adamant that without knowing the future he would not go back.


On this, the priest said with a sigh that this was his last visit to Delhi and he would die in a far-away land and far away from your motherland and no near and dear ones would be present with you when you breathe your last. Again the priest said that fate cannot be challenged but you refuse to accept the emperor’s offer of the governorship in a remote hilly state but retire and settle in your native State.


With a very heavy heart and gloomy face, the Maharaja heard the prediction of the priest and returned to the Walled City of Delhi. Next day he met Aurangzeb and told him that he was not interested in the governorship of Jamrud. Perturbed on this refusal, the emperor asked the reason. The Maharaja feigned that his nine ranis now want him to shun the army career of bloodbath and killing and settle down in Jodhpur peacefully. He hid the prediction told by the priest of the Hanuman Temple who had advised him to decline the offer and not to go to that far away region.


The emperor was very cunning and shrewd. He knew it very well that it was only the chivalry and leadership qualities of Maharaja Jaswant Singh which can control and tame the bloody and violent Afghan warlords. Aurangzeb has great persuasive power. He used his best to befool the simple, honest and loyal Maharaja. Cajoling the hand of Maharaja, Aurangzeb promised to the Maharaja that this would be his last assignment; he would give to his brave Rajput friend who had been very loyal to him who once defeated unconquerable Maratha warlord Chatrapati Shivaji in a very decisive battle in 1665 while commanding the Mughal forces.


The wolf minded emperor knew that the strategically important and notorious Jamrud and its barbarous habitats can be controlled and ruled only by a man of the Maharaja’s competence. He further assured him that he will be recalled as the hazard of any possible invasion is receded. Failed to understand the trick, the brave and loyal Maharaja could not say no to his friend and to this challenging task and after few days left for Jamrud, but never to return.


The Maharaja did not take his nine ranis with him and assured them of his early return within few months. He asked his ranis to stay at Agra where the Maharaja had a palace. As the priest predicted Maharaja Jaswant Singh died at Kabul and his body could not be brought to his native place and was cremated there and his nine ranis committed sati on the banks of river Yamuna, where a chhatri or a canopy was constructed as the memorial of great, loyal and brave Maharaja.


However, there is another tale linked with the family of Maharaja after his death. It says that two of his ranis were pregnant and did not commit sati to save the lives of yet to born children and travelled to Lahore, at the emperor’s behest. There both the ranis were blessed by a son each. The treacherous emperor said that he wanted to bring up one of them. The intelligent and strong character ranis substituted for the Maharaja’s posthumous son with another infant boy and quickly returned to their native place to save their chastity. Actually dirty mentality Aurangzeb had in his mind to keep a Rajput rani in his harem. He thought that if he got the charge of a son of Maharaja Jaswant Singh, his one of the ranis would naturally live with him as his dasi.


It is also said that Rani Handa, wife of legendary Amar Singh Rathore who slayed uncultured and ill-mouthed Salahat Khan, cousin of Nur Jahan, at the court of Shah Jahan in 1644, committed sati at the same chhattri constructed in memory of Maharaja Jaswant Singh. Every year in the month of Kwar the hereditary temple priest of historical Nathdwara Temple visits the famous Chhattri to perform puja and follow the almost 350 years old tradition to honour the brave Maharaja, his nine virtuous and faithful ranis and Rani Hada. Unfortunately, in this secular nation, Aurangzeb is remembered as a great emperor and nobody remembers The Maharaja, his nine ranis, Amar Singh Rathore and Rani Handa.


This story gives a message that Hindus are in general and Rajputs, in particular, were victims of their own wrong decisions and misplaced loyalties. For centuries they remained loyal to Muslim rulers and in return got Hindus and Rajputs slaughtered, plundered and women raped. After Muslims, they worked for Christian rulers of England and again they were very brutally treated. Again after independence, they vote for secularists and again they are oppressed. According to Chanakya a race tolerant and apathetic cannot survive for long. It is bound to perish. It is a sigh of death and decay.


In the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna advises Arjuna to fight and annihilate the sinners and wrongdoers. It does not mean that Krishna is supporting the validity of war. War happens to be the occasion to clean the society of sinners. But Hindus take pacifist attitude like Arjuna, before the war, and do not take any decisive step to protect them. In the name of tolerance, non-violence they become highly apathetic even to all the crimes committed against them. Maharaja Jaswant Singh was a victim of error of judgment and paid very heavily and lost his life and his wives narrowly escaped by being raped by the Mogul King Aurangzeb. Hindus like Arjuna take a suicidal human view of the situation which represents the extreme of non-violence and tolerance and ignores the harsh reality in the name of tolerance and non-violence. We must fight against what is wrong.


Source:
1-R.V.SMITH in, The Times of India, New Delhi.
2-Srimad Bhagavad Gita

Feminism and Hindu Scriptures

Open a newspaper or any news channel. Rape and gang rape news items are always there. After the Nirbhaya gang rape-murder all sections of society, now take it a brutal crime. The outburst of protests and grief that followed the Nirbhaya gang rape-murder rattled the nation and forced us to make a society in which women are free and safe. In speeches all fully accept that women have the fundamental right to equality and to take independent decisions but nobody is ready to give them equal rights even in the matters of their love, romantic and sexual lives or the pursuit of education and employment.

Ours is a society that not only discourages violence against women but given them equal right in every step of family life. If violence occurs, it is not the slip of a woman but it is the fault of man. The society cannot stigmatise the woman victim or fault her for somehow provoked the criminal or violence but offer her support and sympathy and condemn the criminal, i.e. the man.

This is Indian society. But such a concept about a society appears like a utopian imagination. Still, our nation is plagued by khap panchayat, triple talaq, burqa, hijab, halala, Sharia courts etc. which are the basically anti-woman concept and in some cases these kangaroo courts ordered rape and gang rape as a punishment for blaming so called ‘inappropriate relationship’ and politicians supporting rapists and blaming the woman for rape.

However, for this utopia, we wouldn’t have to move far. We simply need to study and understand Rigvedic period India. The Rigveda mentions a rape. The victim is Ushas (Dawn), who escapes to a cave, shocked and distressed. She is then befriended with minstrel or junior rishis who track her to her secret abode and tender praise and support. Singers and musicians gather in front of Ushas’s cave praising her beauty, sparkle and gleam and cajoling her to come out in open, which she eventually does.

It was informed in one of the hymns that the rapist is punished and an arrow is shot at him. Society did not punish Ushas. It rallied behind her and supported her boosting her self-esteem and helping her come out from post-traumatic despair into a happy and normal life.

In the Rigveda, physical, mental and psychological violence against women is discouraged besides sexual violence. This is demonstrated in the famous hymn, sung at the time of funeral and death. It was narrated in the hymn that a woman who cries and lies down, sad and dejected, beside her dead husband is urged and encouraged to get up and hug the world and life of the living with happiness, amusement, delicious food and melodious music and song. She is even encouraged and advised to take the hand of a good suitor who could be a prospective second husband.

Other Vedic hymns mention illustrate a woman fighter, Vishpala, the warrior queen of the Rig-Veda who participated and fought at night in the Battle of Khela. She was not pertified or stopped even after losing a leg. She rejoined the battle after getting an iron leg.         (Rigveda)

Hindu scriptures are first and greatest feminists. The society and description of the scriptures never stigmatised neither the rape survivor nor the children born as a result of rape or children born out of wedlock. But the father or the offender who deserted child in this manner was looked down upon, whosoever he might be.

Several Puranic texts also record and discuss another rape. The Great rishi Brihaspati rapes the Mamta, the wife of his brother. Although Brihaspati was a very powerful rishi but nobody hid his name. The child was raised by his maternal grandparents without any stigma before being accepted and adopted by king Bharata. He also became exceptionally learned. He and his descendants composed the hymns that comprise Book 6 of the Rigveda. While the child thrived, Brihaspati was reviled. Mamata was neither stigmatised, nor deserted by her husband.
                                                                                                                                   (Puranas Story)

In the Ramayan, due to the crime of rape, an entire clan perished. In the great Hindu epic the Ramayan, Danda, a Suryavanshi prince was a serial rapist but he was exiled and disowned by his father to the Dandakaranya forest. There he again raped Abja, the daughter of his teacher, Shukracharta. Infuriated Shukracharya curses Danda-he and his entire clan perishes.

Meanwhile, ruling people come to know that Abja had conceived and became pregnant from the rape. They bring her to Ayodhya, the capital of Suryavanshis, with grand honour. She becomes queen and her child, Harit, later ascends the throne and became the ruler. The rape victim and her child both flourish and no one questioned their rights to the throne. Illegitimacy carried no stigma and shame.

In the Ramayan, it is mentioned that women had the full authority to choose their husband. Swayamvars were organised and men had to prove their merit and talent to get married. Ram himself participated in a Swayamvar and broke the bow of Lord Shiva to win Sita. Even the mighty King Ravan was afraid to touch Sita without her consent, fearing disaster.
                                                                                                                            (Ramayana Tales)

Swayamvara, in ancient India, was a practice of choosing a husband by the girl, from among the suitors. Swayam in Sanskrit means self and vara means groom in this context.
The girl has full freedom to choose a husband. In the famous Hindu epic the Mahabharat it was illustrated that women have higher powers in deciding about their husband. Draupadi’s marriage was also solemnised in this manner.


It was also illustrated that some Vedic women were strong and very martial. Far from being helpless women and meek victim like those women were very strong and soldierly. In a legendary and popular hymn about Mudgala’s wife, cattle robbers steal all his cattle. The couple is left with an old and weak bull and a rusty farm cart with only one wheel. Mudgala makes some temporary and quick repairs. The couple chased the robbers, his wife holding the wheel and driving the cart pulled by the old and weak bull. Robbers were captured due to her strength and skill. Not only this they capture all their own cattle but they took some of the cattle of the robbers.

In this matter, the views of Vatsyayana and his Kamasutra must be mentioned. Vatsyayana was against the forced sex and warns the husbands not to have sex when wives are unwilling:

“Women, being of a tender nature, want tender beginnings, and when they are forcibly approached by men with whom they are but slightly acquainted, they sometimes suddenly become haters of sexual connection, and sometimes even haters of the male sex. The man should, therefore, approach the girl according to her liking.”

Vatsyayana also warns men against any type of sex with the women without their consent. He points out that woman doesn't like “forcibly enjoyed” by “one who does not understand the hearts of girls”: girls starts hating not only the sex but mankind in general. In such cases, all blame lies with the man or the rapist and no disposition to blame women for being raped or gone forceful sex.

Hindu sages knew to position sensuality in the true perspective. The illustrations and positions of the Kamasutra are women oriented. In the very first chapter of the book, an imagery interlocutor asked rishi Vatsyayana about the basic role of humans. Rishi Vatsyayana replies that there are four Pu rush Arthas ( a goal with action) in the life of a human: dharma, artha, kama and moksha.        (Kamasutra)

For a happy and successful life, each of the first three Pu rush Arthas ( a goal with action) must be pursued in the right and proper proportion. Fourth, the moksha (liberation of the soul), leads automatically to a part or reward of balanced and disinterested life.

According to Vatsyayana marriage does not give a man an absolute right to his wife’s self and body. It was a great and revolutionary thought when marital rape is not criminalised even in modern society. Both Vatsyayana and Kautilya, the author of the Arthashastra, uphold that wives have the right to divorce, break the marriage or remarriage under such situation. Women have many options to come out violent marriage.

Recently Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) denied clearance certificate to Prakash Jha’s film ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha.” The Board says that it is a “lady oriented film”, focussing on their “fantasy above life”. It is far from clear why a film that is “lady oriented” is bad, or why women’s fantasies can only have a certain altitude. But Hindu mythology is full of such fantasies.

Since Nihalani and his team have a problem with a “lady oriented film”, perhaps it may in the fitness of things for them to read some Hindu mythology.
Once, Lord Shiva was meditating. Kamadeva, the god of love, disturbed Shiva. On this, Lord Shiva burnt the god of love, Kamadeva. Lord Shiva asked Parvati for a boon. Parvati the goddess replied:

“Now that Kama has been burnt, what can I do with a boon from you today? For, without Kama, there can be – between man and woman – no emotion, which is like ten million suns. When emotion is destroyed, how can happiness be attained?” Parvati said, revive Kamadeva because without him she did not yearn to demand anything at all. Shiva had to revive Kama as Pradhyumna, the son of Krishna and Rukmini.
                                                                                                                 (The Bhagwata Purana)
Rebirth of Kamadev was “woman-oriented” desire for love and sex. Kamadev declares:
There is no hero, no proud woman, no learned man too powerful for me. I pervade the whole universe, moving and still, beginning with Brahma the Creator.” (The Saura Purana)

In another Hindu scripture it has been described that woman is the real master of sexual urge and all the sexual organs are meant for her:

“Woman is fire, Gautama: the phallus is her fuel; the hairs are her smoke; the vulva is her flame; when a man penetrates her, that is her coal; the ecstasy is her sparks.”
                                                                                                             (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad)

Famous Hindu scriptures, the Harivamsha, the Vishnu Purana, and the Bhagwata Purana, narrated in explicit detail about forceful and uninhibited desire and “lady oriented” love games (leelas) played by the gopis (sakhis) with Krishna (sakha) in Vrindavana. The gopis frolicked different leelas with Krishna without any concern about whether Sawaria (Krishna) likes the leelas or not.

In the Gita Govinda by Jayadev, immortal and glorious love play between Krishna and Radha is the main theme. In the story Krishna was Sringaramurtimam, the quintessence of the sensual mood; Radha was Raseshwari, his full-blooded equal. Bihari, Chandidasa and Vidyapati wrote immortal and sensual love poetry during the medieval period.

The 18th century Basohli and Kangra of the Gita Govinda paintings or the Erotica drawings in Odisha on the palm leaf are also worth mentioning here. In the paintings of Khajuraho and Konarak, where ladies are equal partaker in all kinds of sexual and love acts and “fantasy above life”, is also highly appreciable work. The graphic erotic descriptions of Kalidasa are of significance here.

The result is that in a country where the vast majority idolises Shakti as the supreme female power, feminism is not needed.

Early every morning, millions of Indians begin their day hearing family elders chanting the names of the panch kanyas or five virgins – Ahilya, Draupadi, Kunti, Tara and Mandodari – from the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. Hindus believe that uttering the names of these five (pious) women every day can destroy the greatest of sins. Some other names like Sita and Savitri and Arundhati here also come in this category.

In fast-changing India, where people, especially the new generation moving beyond religious divide, inhibitions are left behind, cyberspace is omnipresent, women are freely and sself-confidentlyof their sexuality and desires, fake and foolish feminism is not loved.
It would be idyllic if violence against women simply didn’t exist. A woman’s self-worth and honour must be respected. Hopefully, we can use our ancient ancestors’ social norms for inspiration and insight in moving towards such a society.

Minority Institutions- 21st Century Madrasas

Minority institutions always make high claims but they are always wrong. They are always in the news but for wrong reasons. Recently teachers and students of St Stephen College were on the roads. Delhi University Teachers Association and Delhi University Student Union both supported the teachers and students. Governing body, controlled by the church is considering a proposal to turn the college into an autonomous institution.  

St Stephen’s College is stuck at the level of madrasa compared to its splendid potential and position, thanks to church’s resistance to the secular character. Teachers, employees and students are harassed in different ways, only to silent the dissent. Even DUTA President Mrs.Nandita Narayan has to face regular harassment for not towing the line of the authorities.  

Only a few days ago, noted social activist and BJP leader Shazia Ilmi was not allowed to speak in a discussion at Jamia Milia Islamia University on controversial Triple Talaq. Not only this, the authorities cancelled the booking of the hall to stop her.

Similarly, in the month of February 2017, controversial JNU student leaders Shela Rashid and Umer Khalid were not allowed to speak at Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. AMU authorities also filed a case against FEDCUTA and DUTA President Mrs.Nandita Narayan on baseless grounds, only to intimidate her and harass her. 

It is assumed that the apparent calm on the campuses of these minority institutions is beguiling and nothing significant being contributed contemplated by these institutions.

Even uploading a photograph on the net by anybody is enough a cause for future harassment. This is true to form. Even if teachers or students ask for better infrastructure and improvement in working conditions, the same set of authorities was dissolutely agitated. A scene can be created against such voices. Authorities are always ready to silent such voices. In most of the cases, authorities have no rational. Teachers were harassed even for writing some article that was not liked by the authorities, even some face dismissal. They use these minority institutions as their private property.

Come now to the direct threat: the ghost of autonomy. The people who control the minority institutions argue vehemently in favour of autonomy. But every progressive move by teachers, universities, UGC and HRD was damned and rejected as an assault on the minority character of the institution. They want all the rights but they are not ready to give any right to students and teachers. Even reservation to SC, ST and OBC, etc., is not implemented by so many minority institutions. Even the same phalanx damns the idea of secularism, social justice, debate and discussion. They like a nation within the nation, separate islands controlled by the dictatorship.  

It is frightening that to the ruling band on minority character means to license and the unfettered rights and privileges as they please! They want all the autonomy to them but zero autonomy to teachers and students. Complete freedom to rule-administrative, finance, academic, appointments, admissions…but no freedom to others. Even teachers have to write and publish an article according to their whims and fancy. Big no to academic freedom.

But freedom is such a bad idea that they don’t want to give any iota of freedom to others. That should compel us to think about the idea of minority institutions in a secular and democratic nation. The problem with freedom is that they do not want any responsibility. Even the audit by the constitutional authorities is not appreciated by them.  They even do not follow the guidelines about the minimum academic qualifications. Even people from administrative services, police services, army, church, gurudwara etc., were appointed as the Vice-Chancellors, principals and chairmen.

Academic freedom – the freedom to design their own courses, conduct their own examinations (degrees, mark sheets), appointment and admissions – is loved by them but they hate to give freedom to teachers who fear that this could infringe upon their minority rights. Even any national test for appointment and admissions is abhorred by them.  

The semester system, CSIR-UGC JRF/NET Exam, National Eligibility cum Entrance Test- NEET, are resisted tooth and nail, for the very same reason. 

Life is no better in autonomous colleges. The agitated teachers are very well informed that there are nearly 500 autonomous institutions in India already and about the working conditions there. In Kerala alone, there are at least a dozen autonomous colleges. Affiliated and constituent colleges are far ahead of them. Teachers are surprised; some taken aback, to see the workings of affiliated undergraduate colleges.

Many autonomous colleges and minority institutions have postgraduate, MPhil and doctoral programmes, professional courses, etc. But the standard is very poor in comparison of University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Allahabad University, IITs etc.

The workings of the autonomous institutions and minority institutions can be compared with the madrasas. They are run on public money but the administration is controlled by Churches, Maulanas, Gurudwaras or the clergies. Politics of vote banks is to blame for this but students, teachers and nation have to suffer. They are now an absolute disgrace in the 21^st century.

Each time examinations are conducted, evaluations done and results announced, one can hear innumerable tales of corruption and nepotism in the media and all complain bitterly against the shoddy arbitrariness inherent in the system of autonomous and minority institutions. A few years back in an entrance test conducted for the admission for medical admissions (MBBS), for a minority character university, almost 90% of pass students were from a centre alone.

Media reports are enough to prove that the interests of our students and teachers suffer in such institutions. Complaints about malpractices in exams, the substandard syllabi formulated and imposed by the un-academic power groups on the institutions have been heard far too often.

Now, again such elements emerge from the woods to hound the teachers. Not everyone speaks against them. About 90% of the faculty members and students suffer silently. Hardly 10% gather the courage to speak. But if any power czar of them is called separately and asked on the grounds for their informed and principled support, one can see the fun.

Secularism is not the creation of a private mind. Nor is it a conspiracy hatched by a group. Studies done by the independent body world over came to the conclusion that standards of education will improve only if educational institutions are liberated from the stranglehold of caste, religion and private regulatory bodies. Regulatory authorities were established to standardise and upgrade the quality of education but not to establish caste and communal institutions which have become, instead, huge hindrances.

Dissent of teachers and students, debate and discussions are justifiable for improving education.