Student Movements
We’ve all heard about how lucky we are to study in a premier institution like IISER Mohali, and how we should be responsible with the taxpayer money that funds our education/research habitat. There is more to that responsibility than simply churning out degrees and research papers. The environment in a public institute or university is symptomatic of the progress of the nation and the democratic health of the country. There is a great long history to student movements in India and all their effects. Hopefully, little by little, we can get into it. But for this piece, let’s just look at why student politics and student movements are worth taking seriously.
Higher education in India has come a long way in the past 30 years. In 1991, the enrolment of students in higher educational institutions was less than 5 million. In 2015 – 2016, there were almost 35 million enrolments. That’s a 7 fold increase in just 25 years! As the sheer sizes and number of public universities grow exponentially, there is a comparable amplification of student politics, in terms of demands and influence. Even intuitively one understands the gravitas of a large protest held by students, and the attention it gets from the media and the government.
Student unions are fertile grounds for politicians of the future. They’re also indicators of the political beliefs and allegiances of the youth of the country. This means that these unions have immense backing from the all-powerful national and regional political parties. Popular examples of such party-supported unions include the Student’s Federation of India, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad among others. This by itself should give one reason to pay heed to them.
One expects student movements to be progressive, right? Student movements have spearheaded third-wave feminism in India, from Pinjra Tod, which was sparked by a letter to the VC of Jamia Millia Islamia, to the raging, four-month-long protest in Jadavpur University following the molestation of a female student, to the #MeToo list on social media of male figures of authority in academia who were accused of sexual harassment.
Student movements have also led the anti-caste movements, from the formation of the BSP’s student wing to the intense protests following the death of Rohith Vemula.
Now, let’s look at why it is important that we do not stay silent as students, but instead remain involved in student politics and movements.
Firstly, the democratisation of higher education institutes is extremely new in India. Students in many institutions finally have a say in the rules that govern their living spaces, the policies implemented both on an academic and an institutional level. This fact should hit close to home. When our Student Representative Council members are present in Academic Senate meetings, we have a say in what new policies are implemented, and these policies are not in any way permanent. Our absence in such crucial discussions simply prevents us from seeing a rollback (or even worse) coming our way.
When we are vocal about our privacy, or about the ecosystem on campus, that is when we can affect our institute. The status quo is not maintained with silence, because silence is complacency. Any opposing views disappear in silence. That’s the fundamental law of a large democracy.
Let me argue this point using the example of the Assam Agitation, which also highlights how we are just a drop in the ocean of student politics in India. This was a movement against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, from 1979 to 1985, led by the All Assam Student Union (AASU). The ensuing chaos resulted in so much violence that after the death of one GenSec of AASU, modern India faced one of its most brutal massacres, the Nellie massacre. Over two thousand suspected immigrants were beaten and hacked to death in 14 villages. The inertia of this movement is as strong as ever. Last year, 4 million people in Assam were left out of the NRC draft.
It is important to remember that involvement does not mean fighting the administration of a college. In fact, it is far, far bigger than that. It is about standing up for what we believe in. As students, we have the added advantage of having strength loop in numbers, and a lot less to lose, and it shows! Students have achieved unimaginable feats in our country and all over the world. We may think that no one is listening; we may feel like we can’t make a change. But that’s the thing; we are part of something bigger than ourselves. Our stories are loud and tangled and result in the great fabric of the history of student movements.
If not us, then who? If not now, then when?
Higher education in India has come a long way in the past 30 years. In 1991, the enrolment of students in higher educational institutions was less than 5 million. In 2015 – 2016, there were almost 35 million enrolments. That’s a 7 fold increase in just 25 years! As the sheer sizes and number of public universities grow exponentially, there is a comparable amplification of student politics, in terms of demands and influence. Even intuitively one understands the gravitas of a large protest held by students, and the attention it gets from the media and the government.
Student unions are fertile grounds for politicians of the future. They’re also indicators of the political beliefs and allegiances of the youth of the country. This means that these unions have immense backing from the all-powerful national and regional political parties. Popular examples of such party-supported unions include the Student’s Federation of India, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad among others. This by itself should give one reason to pay heed to them.
One expects student movements to be progressive, right? Student movements have spearheaded third-wave feminism in India, from Pinjra Tod, which was sparked by a letter to the VC of Jamia Millia Islamia, to the raging, four-month-long protest in Jadavpur University following the molestation of a female student, to the #MeToo list on social media of male figures of authority in academia who were accused of sexual harassment.
Student movements have also led the anti-caste movements, from the formation of the BSP’s student wing to the intense protests following the death of Rohith Vemula.
Now, let’s look at why it is important that we do not stay silent as students, but instead remain involved in student politics and movements.
Firstly, the democratisation of higher education institutes is extremely new in India. Students in many institutions finally have a say in the rules that govern their living spaces, the policies implemented both on an academic and an institutional level. This fact should hit close to home. When our Student Representative Council members are present in Academic Senate meetings, we have a say in what new policies are implemented, and these policies are not in any way permanent. Our absence in such crucial discussions simply prevents us from seeing a rollback (or even worse) coming our way.
When we are vocal about our privacy, or about the ecosystem on campus, that is when we can affect our institute. The status quo is not maintained with silence, because silence is complacency. Any opposing views disappear in silence. That’s the fundamental law of a large democracy.
Let me argue this point using the example of the Assam Agitation, which also highlights how we are just a drop in the ocean of student politics in India. This was a movement against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, from 1979 to 1985, led by the All Assam Student Union (AASU). The ensuing chaos resulted in so much violence that after the death of one GenSec of AASU, modern India faced one of its most brutal massacres, the Nellie massacre. Over two thousand suspected immigrants were beaten and hacked to death in 14 villages. The inertia of this movement is as strong as ever. Last year, 4 million people in Assam were left out of the NRC draft.
It is important to remember that involvement does not mean fighting the administration of a college. In fact, it is far, far bigger than that. It is about standing up for what we believe in. As students, we have the added advantage of having strength loop in numbers, and a lot less to lose, and it shows! Students have achieved unimaginable feats in our country and all over the world. We may think that no one is listening; we may feel like we can’t make a change. But that’s the thing; we are part of something bigger than ourselves. Our stories are loud and tangled and result in the great fabric of the history of student movements.
If not us, then who? If not now, then when?
By Lakshmi Ramesh
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