The Hindu : New Delhi News : Intolerant to differing point of view

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 17, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Intolerant to differing point of view

Just about a dozen in number, they were the talk of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) this Monday, and for reasons that will clearly not be counted with pride in the history of JNU's students' politics.

It may not have been the first time that JNU's student community insisted on being heard and not hear the other side, but with the campus being the only one in the Capital where dignitaries often face the chance of being stopped by one group or another, a liberal thought process continues to be more of talk than action here.

The All-India Students' Association (AISA) may not be regretting its decision to disrupt a speech that ironically enough hailed an individual's right to speech and the right to be heard, but with common students without any political stand being the end losers, questions are finally being asked on the campus.

From the disruption caused during the visit of RSS chief Sudarshan and the trouble seen during the time of S.A.R. Geelani's visit to the Prime Minister's visit on Monday, the JNU student community has time and again shown signs of being not just intolerant but also closed when it comes to hearing people with a view point different from theirs.

What makes it worse is the fact that more often than not, the decision not to hear a certain leader is only the perspective of a few. For a campus that is always projected as the hub of political thought, JNU is probably expected to be a little more tolerant, but what often ends up showing signs of just the opposite.

"Just because you don't want to hear a leader doesn't mean you won't let them speak. If you have a problem, boycott the event, but don't act as a nuisance for others. They say they are exercising their right to freedom of speech, but are they really respecting that of others," is what an angry student had to say after the disruption caused during the Prime Minister's visit.

Interestingly enough, this Monday was also one of those few occasions when the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) got together to fight a common `cause'.

A rare sight, what brought them together was the demand for better behaviour and show of respect from representatives of the Left's radical wing. And one that proved yet again that JNU is a place where the unexpected does often happen.

* * *

The Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication, Dwarka, recently organised a faculty development programme on "understanding television ratings". Aimed at making students understand the methodology and rationale adopted in tracking audience behaviour, the workshop saw the presence of TAM Media Research CEO, V. Krishnan.

Around 25 lecturers, readers, and professors from various mass communication and management institutes of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh participated in the programme.

* * *

The Eiffel scholarships awarded by French Universities are now inviting entries. Awarded to foreign students wanting to pursue a master's degree in the three areas of engineering, economics and management and law and political science, 400 scholarships are offered every year under the programme.

The scholarships provide recipients with a monthly allowance of about 1,000 Euros, with selected students also getting health coverage, travel expenses and cultural activities.

Founded in 1999, over 8,000 candidates have applied so far for the scholarships and 2,600 chosen. The Eiffel Doctoral scholarships were introduced this year, providing a monthly allowance of 1,400 Euros. These 80 "mobility" scholarships complementing the Eiffel scholarship program are awarded to foreign doctoral students for ten months for thesis on a joint-management or joint tutorship basis.

For more information, students can log on to www.diplomatie.gouv.fr

* * *

The Wigan & Leigh College will be opening 20 campuses in the Middle East and Africa in the years to come. An agreement to this effect was recently signed, during the visit of Jim Crewson, the Principal of the UK College to India recently.

To be managed and run by the Wigan & Leigh College, India, the new campuses in Middle East and Africa will offer specialised professional education in the fields of Business Management, Fashion Technology, Advertising and Graphic Design and Media studies.

The Indian branch has also tied-up with the British Council to administer the Wigan Aptitude Test (WAT), to measures the academic abilities of aspiring students. As per the agreement between WLC and British Council, the latter will administer WAT across the country.

Students who have finished or are giving their Class XII examinations or are in their final year of college are eligible for the course.

Headquartered in New Delhi, Wigan & Leigh, India has campuses in New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Indore, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Chennai.

-- Lakshmi B.Ghosh

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi