[Reader-list] Such A Long Journey dropped from Mumbai University's SYBA English Syllabus - St Xavier's College expresses dissent

[geeta seshu]

  Withdrawal of acclaimed book from Mumbai University curriculum: A cowardly
move
 A groundswell of opinion is building up against the move by the Mumbai
University’s Vice Chancellor to withdraw Rohinton Minstry’s book ‘Such a
long journey’ from the curriculum for undergraduates.  A Free Speech Hub
report

http://www.thehoot.org/web/freetracker/story.php?storyid=165&sectionId=9

On Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 4:41 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net>wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> Apropos of the barbaric move to drop Rohinton Mistry's 'Such a Long
> Journey' from the SYBA English Syllabus of Mumbai University - here are a
> set of links. And an online petition, that I would urge everyone to sign and
> circulate.
>
> best,
>
> Shuddha
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: peter griffin <zigzackly at gmail.com>
>> Date: 11 October 2010 4:31:26 PM GMT+05:30
>> To: "Griff's Picks" <griffspicks at googlegroups.com>
>> Subject: Such A Long Journey dropped from Mumbai University's SYBA English
>> Syllabus - St Xavier's College expresses dissent
>>
>> See also:
>> http://stxaviers.net/noticeboard/node/230
>>
>> http://www.hindustantimes.com/Citizens-protest-dropping-book-from-varsity-syllabus/Article1-611114.aspx
>>
>> http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/15/20101010201010100933117653add10bf/Xavier%E2%80%99s-principal-takes-on-Sena-and-his-own-student.html
>>
>>
>> And the letter below is also at
>> http://www.petitiononline.com/SYBAban/petition.html should you wish to
>> sign it.
>>
>> To:  Governor of Maharashtra (Chancellor of the University of Mumbai)
>> Dear Friends,
>>
>> Please find included in this email is a letter that has been drafted to
>> express dissent with the manner in which the Vice-Chancellor of the
>> University of Mumbai has flouted administrative procedures and bypassed
>> academic bodies to omit a novel from the syllabus of English Literature for
>> SYBA in response to pressure from a political group.
>>
>> It is addressed to the Governor of Maharashtra, who is the Chancellor of
>> the University and copies will be marked to the VC and to the Chairman of
>> the University Grants Commission.
>>
>> If you strongly feel that voices of dissent need to emerge against the
>> shrinking democratic spaces within the university and the city of Mumbai in
>> general, then please lend your support by endorsing the statement and
>> signing the letter, and replying to the person who has sent you the email so
>> that signatures can be collated.
>>
>> Please feel free to forward this to friends and colleagues who will be
>> interested, and get back to me when you get signatures from them, latest by
>> Wednesday the 13th of October, 2010.
>>
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> Shashank
>>
>>
>>
>> The letter:
>>
>>
>>
>> To,
>>
>> The Governor of Maharashtra,
>> Address
>>
>>
>> Cc:
>>
>> The Vice Chancellor,
>> University of Mumbai,
>> Address
>>
>> The Chairman of the University Grants Commission,
>> Address
>>
>>
>>
>> Subject: Statement of Opposition Against the Vice-Chancellor’s Decision to
>> Drop Such A Long Journey from the SYBA English Syllabus of Mumbai University
>>
>>
>>
>> We, the undersigned condemn the undemocratic manner in which Rohintion
>> Mistry’s novel Such A Long Journey has been omitted from the Second Year
>> Bachelor of Arts (SYBA) English Literature syllabus of the University of
>> Mumbai.
>>
>>
>>
>> We are disturbed and alarmed by the manner in which the Vice-Chancellor of
>> the University, Dr. Rajan Welukar, bowed down to the demands of the
>> Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena (the student wing of  the Shiv Sena) and had the
>> novel dropped from the syllabus overnight, purely on account of the group’s
>> displeasure with “anti Shiv Sena passages”; “derogatory references” to
>> Mumbai’s dabbawalas, the Marathi Manoos and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru; and
>> “extremely obscene and vulgar language in its’ text”.
>>
>>
>>
>> While we do not deny that the BVS and its’ supporters have every right to
>> be outraged by the contents of the novel, we strongly oppose the means which
>> they have chosen to express their dissent, which includes burning copies of
>> the book and the issuing of ultimatums not only for the VC to omit the text
>> from the syllabus within 24 hours, but also to exclude the professors who
>> included to text in the syllabus from any university work in the future.
>> Furthermore, being keenly aware of the immense bureaucracy involved in the
>> decision-making processes of the University, we question the nature of the
>> administrative process which led to the book being dropped from the syllabus
>> and demand that the details of the said proceedings be made public.
>>
>>
>>
>> Lastly, in the interest of upholding the democratic principles enshrined
>> within the Indian Constitution, we demand that the novel be reinstated in
>> the syllabus and urge the BVS and its’ supporters  to initiate healthy and
>> democratic debate regarding whether it deserves a place in the syllabus or
>> not.
>>
>>
>>
>> Yours sincerely,
>>
>>
>> Your name, College/Organisation name, Position/Department/Year, etc.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>>
>>
> Shuddhabrata Sengupta
> The Sarai Programme at CSDS
> Raqs Media Collective
> shuddha at sarai.net
> www.sarai.net
> www.raqsmediacollective.net
>
>
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