Karnataka - Mangalore   

‘Experiment' baffles students

MANGALORE: An “experiment” conducted by “two Germans” at a college in the city over the span of seven to 10 days has raised the curiosity of students of the college as well as made some of them uncomfortable about the purpose of some of the questions asked.

College authorities have denied any knowledge of the whole affair, maintaining that they only “provided the space”.

Students who spoke to The Hindu said that they could register for the experiment and that they were paid amounts between Rs. 150 and Rs. 600 for it. All the students who spoke to The Hindu said that they were only told that it was an experiment, but were kept in the dark about its purpose. They were also told that their responses would be kept confidential.

Arjun (all names changed), a Christian, said that he took the test on the second day, when there was no restrictions along religious lines.

Those who took the test later said that the experiment was meant only for Hindus and Muslims, and that there would be a separate test for Christians at a later date.

The experiment comprised three components: a game, and two separate sets of questions.

When they entered the room, Hindu students were asked to choose one from “mantra,” “trishul,” or “tulasi” and Muslim students were asked to pick one from “namaz,” “haj,” or “zakath”. However, the students, which included both Muslims and Hindus, said the choice made no difference to the game that they got.

The third part contained questions on the students views on political leanings (whether they had rightist or leftist leanings), systems of governance (whether they preferred military rule, dictatorships or democracy).

Students of the college said that the president of the student's union raised the matter with the Principal on Thursday.

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