[Reader-list] Politics of Scholarship, Imperialist plot, and Consent of Administration and JNUSU

[Shuddhabrata Sengupta]

Dear all,

I would like to thank the 'Dismayed Research Scholars of JNU' for  
this post., which I fine very revealing. How is it that a premier  
university like JNU can get on in life without a serious publishing  
house, how is it that it does not pay attention to the day to day  
needs of students and research scholars, and how is it that so many  
factions of student political organizations in JNU (of the right,  
left and far left) can cry themselves hoarse on issues as diverse as  
Hindutva and Venezuela, and still not have the time to pay attention  
to the fact that the JNU does not have its own publishing imprint.  
Should we take this form of education, this form of university  
administration, and this brand of student politics at all seriously?

curious

Shuddha.



  However, the *transformative* ambition of
administration is not visible in spheres of more hostels, increased
scholarship, more relevant books suggested by teachers and students  
in the
Library, facilities for differently abled students, water  
availability in
place of the directive to the students to move for the home in the  
absence
of water, internet facility in hostels , renovation of existing hostels
especially infrastructure and publication opportunity for the research
scholars.
On 06-May-09, at 11:32 PM, Dismayed Research Scholars of Jawaharlal  
Nehru University wrote:

> Dear All
>
> This is an attempt to sensitise the representative of Jawaharlal  
> Nehru Nehru
> University Students' Union. JNUSU has been known for its stand
> against imperialist onslaught , caste practices or gender  
> discrimination
> issueHowever, the recent several incidents suggest something else.  
> JNUSU is
> busy with the administration to send the scholars from JNU to USA
> and countries through organising the workshop and interactive  
> session with
> the  representatives of Fulbright Foundation and so on.
>
> in place of fighting against these sources of imperialism and  
> funding and
> elitist interactive sessions wherein poor are blatantly  
> discriminated, JNUSU
> and administration are busy to organise these sessions. the  
> scholars, OBC
> reservation, seat cut in SC/ST seats , total bypassing of  
> differently abled
> people, JNUSU has abdicated its responsibility and administration  
> in absence
> of any struggle and demotivated and co-opted union , is not bother  
> about the
> extension of facilities.
>
>
> *The Politics of Scholarship, Imperialist plot, and Consent of
> Administration and JNUSU** *
>
> The Research Scholars of Jawaharlal Nehru University evince their  
> anguish
> and perturbed conditions over several issues prevailing in the  
> campus. There
> are various actors responsible for the dismay of research scholars.  
> The
> first and foremost player is the administration. The administration
> incessantly eulogises Jawaharlal Nehru University for being a world  
> class
> university. Therefore, the administration has selected certain  
> aspects of
> University which could be turned into as world class. They are:  
> Garden,
> Benches, Colourful signboards, Digital notice boards, parking ,  
> massive
> denudation of rocks and forests like PSR  , several barricades on  
> link roads
> to make people visible on main roads not on link roads (bypassing the
> sensibility concerning differently* *abled  students ) and so on. The
> physical* *transformation of JNU perhaps, according to our dear
> administration especially *economist* vice chancellor, would place it
> amongst word class institutions . However, the *transformative*  
> ambition of
> administration is not visible in spheres of more hostels, increased
> scholarship, more relevant books suggested by teachers and students  
> in the
> Library, facilities for differently abled students, water  
> availability in
> place of the directive to the students to move for the home in the  
> absence
> of water, internet facility in hostels , renovation of existing  
> hostels
> especially infrastructure and publication opportunity for the research
> scholars. The administration has vouched for ominous licence vis-a-vis
> aforesaid issue which are intrinsically linked to the every day  
> life of the
> research scholars.
>
> The administration conceives of these issues as moribund demands  
> and not
> necessarily vital aspects in the schema of world class. Furthermore,
> non-implementation of OBC reservation, seat cut in SCs/STs seats  
> and total
> marginalization of differently abled students are the *core*  
> initiatives by
> the administration concerning march towards to the world class.
> Nevertheless, we are not surprised. This has been the nature and  
> attitude of
> the structures led by the ruling class. For this purpose, students  
> of this
> university has continuously reposed their belief in the struggle  
> led by
> JNUSU.  JNUSU has been pioneer not only confronting the  
> administration but
> also ensuring the social sensitive and social justice aspect of the  
> campus.
>
>
> The closer look into the functionality of incumbent JNUSU surprises  
> the
> research scholars. The mandate to JNUSU directly by the student  
> community
> and later on by subsequent GBMs is not only about legitimacy of  
> JNUSU but
> extension of the struggle for the students by this body. The  
> incumbent JNUSU
> promised us scholarship from 2005, increased scholarship, better  
> library
> facility, more seats for OBCs, no interference in SCs/STs and  
> differently
> abled seats, hostel for all and so on.  The net outcome suggests  
> bizarre
> outcomes. These issues have been buried by JNUSU and constant ominous
> silence is the direct answer to the research scholars who are not  
> worried
> about the UPSC preparation and results and are entirely focussed on  
> the
> research. JNU is perhaps the last bastion in the third world wherein
> independent research takes place and does influence from decision  
> making
> process to the thousands macro and micro movements , struggling for  
> the
> social change. No wonder, the fund banks and funding agencies have  
> an eye on
> this University. The idea is very simple: if you cannot control the
> resistance movements simply control the places wherein the  
> movements get
> sustenance and inputs.
>
> Our torch-bearers who are leading JNUSU could not comprehend this  
> simple
> ploy. In place of fighting for improvements for the students  
> through waging
> a struggle against administration, JNUSU and administration are in  
> concert
> in the *transformative endeavour *of JNU into the world class  
> institutions.
> JNUSU extended its support to the three days ‘*workshop’* for  
> students how
> to get jobs in NGOs/Civil Society. The grotesque aspect of this  
> workshop was
> the lecture by the representatives of the Fulbright Foundation. The
> Fulbright Scholar Program, established in 1946, has been  
> administered since
> then by the *Council for International Exchange of Scholars* which  
> is the
> scholar division of the *Institute of International Education*, the  
> United
> States flagship academic exchange effort, as directed by the United  
> States
> Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural
> Affairs<http://exchanges.state.gov/>
> (ECA).
>
>  The message is simple: abandon the issue of social change, do not  
> have hope
> in JNU, migrate to the developed countries in search of a lucrative  
> space.
> JNUSU’s brazen and culpable initiatives suggest a lot about the  
> state of
> affairs of JNU. Due to JNUSU’s collaboration with imperialist  
> stooges and
> the administration , the politics of JNU and its participants have to
> contemplate what went wrong and what should be done to remind JNUSU  
> that in
> place of fighting imperialist stooges like Rhodes and Ford  
> Foundations , who
> has authorised it to become a fellow traveller of these forces.  
> More than
> JNUSU, the onus is on the student community to think about the   
> future of
> JNU and its democratic agenda and how liberate it from exploiter in a
> scenario when our *representatives* are not being ashamed to extend  
> their
> support to organise such elitist and imperialist ploy.
> -- 
> Dismayed Research Scholars of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delihi:
> 110067
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Shuddhabrata Sengupta
The Sarai Programme at CSDS
Raqs Media Collective
shuddha at sarai.net
www.sarai.net
www.raqsmediacollective.net