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UOH DISPATCH A LAB PUBLICATION OF DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION, UNIVERSITY OF HYDERABAD
October 2014, For internal circulation only
Volume 8, Issue 9, Pages 8
ELECTIONS 2014: UDA TRIUMPHANT Rewriting the political equations in the campus, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) won three key positions in the 2014 students’ union elections, giving a strong blow to the Students Federation of India (SFI) which was dominant for the past four years. UDA recorded a clear victory by winning the posts of President, General Secretary and Cultural Secretary. Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) maintained its share in the panel by winning two seats of Joint Secretary and Sports Secretary. While SFI had to satisfy itself with the post of Vice-President, Telangana Rashtra Samithi Vidyarthi Vibhagam (TRSV) had a bitter entry into campus politics by failing to win any seats. The new panel of the Students Union for the academic year 2014-15 comprises Vincent Benny as President (UDA),
Key Promises
Anil G. R. as Vice President (SFI), Daniel as General Secretary (UDA), Pranav K. (ABVP) as Joint Secretary, Suma Lavanya M. (UDA) as Cultural Secretary and Ruthwik Chowla (ABVP) as Sports Secretary.General Secretary - Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GS-CASH) positions were won by S. B. Sreelakshmi (SFI) and Mounika Pellur (UDA). The elected UDA representatives have promised to hold the administration responsible for channelising student welfare funds. United Democratic Alliance consists of Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA), Bahujan Students’ Forum (BSF), Tribal Students’ Forum (TSF) and National Students’ Union of India (NSUI).
UDA cadre in the mood of celebration
Vote share
• Increase the fellowship amount to Rs. 1,000 for all integrated and PG students. • Ensure 24/7 library, computer center and canteen nearby reading room. • Ensure health and other facilities for campus workers. • Effective functioning of placement cells. • Revoke early entrance exam policies.
Photo By: Priyanka Manikandan
Reported by Joyel K.Pious, Priyanka Manikandan and Aalekhya Tadepalli.
T H E N E W T E A M
Vincent
Anil G. R.
President (UDA)
Vice-President (SFI)
General Secretary (UDA)
Pranav K.
Suma Lavanya Cultural Secretary (UDA)
Ruthvik Chowla
Joint Secretary (ABVP)
Daniel B.
Sports Secretary (ABVP)
1,452 sprightly students celebrate graduation
Photo By: Priyanka Manikandan
Priyanka Manikandan Nidhi Gupta Looking towards new horizons of hopes and aspirations, 1,452 ig
nited young minds received their degrees at the XVI Convocation of University of Hyderabad (UoH) at the Global Peace Auditorium on Wednesday, 1 October.
Pavitra Molugu, a visually challenged student who pursued MA History, received two gold medals to the applause of a packed auditorium. Governor E. S. L. Narsimhan conferred her wtih Andhra Bank Medal and AP History Congress Medal Followed by an academic procession of students and dignitaries Vice Chancellor Dr. Ramakrishna Ramaswamy declared the convocation open. Honorary degrees were awarded to Prof. P. Rama Rao, Prof.. M. S. Valiathan, Prof. M. S. Raghunathan and the Late Zohra Sehgal (received by her daughter Kiran Sehgal on her behalf). Honerary degrees in Absentia were awarded to Sampooran Singh Kalra (Gulzar) and Dr.
Kapila Vatsyayan. The Chancellor’s Awards in recognition of overall contribution to the University in various spheres including research, teaching and mentoring of students were presented to five faculty members of the university. The awards were presented by Chancellor Prof. C. H. Hanumantha Rao to Dr. R Mrinal Kanti Bhattacharyya (Biochemistry) for research in Cellular and Molecular Biochemistry, Dr. S. Rajagopal (Plant Sciences) for research in Structural Biology and Proteomics, Dr. G. Vaitheeswaran (ACRHEM) for research in Material Science and High Pressure Studies, Prof. D. B. Ramachary (Chemistry) for research in Or-
ganic Chemistry, and Dr. Suvashisa Rana (Health Psychology) for research in Developmental and Educational Psychology, Social Psychology and Peace, Positive Psychology and Psychometrics. Delivering the convocation address, chief guest Prof. Mrinal Miri, Chairman of Indian Council of Philosophical Research, offered some advice “The core accountability of the university is moral accountability and students should realize that the pursuit of excellence in educational practices requires the exercise of virtues such as honesty, courage, justice, and open-eyed respect for the other whether the other is fellow practitioner or an idea or a community of ideas.”
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Campus thrown into frenzy over elections Saumya Painuli The University of Hyderabad (UoH) threw itself into a political frenzy, dissolving the former Students’ Union and electing a new union in less than two weeks. However, preparations for the election of a new Students’ Union, including campaigning efforts, have been on for a quite a while. The loudest of them was the launch of Telangana Rashtra Samithi Vidyarthi Vibhagam (TRSV) by Nizamabad MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha. TRSV was formed when Telangana Students’ Association (TSA) joined hands with the ruling political party Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). “We called Kalvakuntla Kavitha because she is the first woman MP from Telangana. As an MP, she is familiar with the issues of the region and she will be able to address the same in the parliament,” said Venkatesh Chowhan, TRSV President. “UoH was established to cater to the students of Telangana region. However, the university has not been addressing the needs of
the region in terms of accepting students or hiring faculty from Telangana. The sole purpose of TRSV is to seek reservation for students, teaching and non-teaching staff from Telangana. However, the party would address the needs and demands of students irrespective of their region,” said Chowhan.
The erstwhile TSA was exclusively working for the welfare of Telangana students. After being affiliated to TRS, the students of Telangana will feel secure. TRSV was not the only party to have popular personalities address students in an attempt to push forward their ideology. Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) invited Hyderabad MP
Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi and IPS officer R. S. Praveen Kumar, and Bahujan Students Front (BSF) invited Kancha Ilaiah to address students. “The students from the marginalised sections need inspiration hence we invited those who represent such sections in the society,” says ASA General Secretary Raju. Representatives of Students Federation of India (SFI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), on the other hand, say they are not in favor of such events aimed at trying to manipulate the mindsets of students by inviting prominent speakers propagating certain ideologies. “ABVP does not endorse the idea of bringing politicians to the university as it’s a tactic of altering people’s viewpoints. Even if we invite renowned persons from different fields, it would be labelled as a big threat to secularism by other parties in the campus. We believe that the students should decide for themselves. After analysing the party they should cast their vote,” says ABVP President N. Susheel Kumar.
India is no longer a participative but a majoritarian democracy. Muslims must learn from the Dalits’ struggle for identity formation Asaduddin Owaisi, MP Hyderabad
The Chief Minister of Telangana will meet students to fulfill their needs. As MP, I will help make UoH India’s top university. Kalvakuntla Kavitha, MP Nizamabad
The way to equality in the society is only by English education. Regional languages don’t allow you to communicate with the rest of India, or the outside world. Kancha Ilaiah, Political Scientist
Dissent reigns at UGBM India’s only When thinkers met researcher in Bulgaria Basha.P
UGBM 2014 in progress Aalekhya Tadepalli The annual University General Body Meeting (UGBM), which is held to dissolve the student body prior to the general elections concluded amid high drama, with the Vice President publicly announcing that he would vehemently oppose the student union. It was held on 16 September. Protests by various political parties including Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Ambedkar Students’ Association and Telangana Rashtra Samithi Vidyarthi Vibagham began when the president and the general secretary both belonging to the Students Federation of India (SFI), were presenting the annual report and the finance report for the preceding year. All parties criticised SFI equally, and each party maintained silence while the other parties were protesting. SFI supporters weren’t far behind in
Photo by: Priyanka Manikandan
supporting their party either. There was commotion when Vice President Manikanta, who was not participating in the discussion, was called upon the stage to answer a question asked by one of the opposing party members. “I did not prepare any annual report as I was never a part of the student union and let me be the first one to oppose this body” he announced. He says that the SFI dominated student union never included him in decision-making. He also continued to question the fulfillment of the manifesto. While the president tried to answer the questions raised by a member of the audience by stating that almost 60% of the manifesto was fulfilled, her answer was disrupted by slogans and protests. Despite this outcry, the student union was successfully dissolved with an attendance of 750 students, while the quorum was 600. The election procedure for this year was thus brought into action.
Prasheel Anand Banpur, a research scholar at the Department of Communication, presented his research paper titled Flesh, Metal, and Verse: Culture of Violence in Brahmanic Mythological Sign Systems and Meaning at the 12th World Congress of International Association for Semiotic Studies, which took place in Bulgaria from 16 - 20 September this year. His paper focused on the popular myth that Hinduism is a peaceful religion. By way of semiotic analysis, the paper exposed inherent contradictions and argued that in principle Hinduism is a violent religion and its way of life works on systemic oppression of women and the labouring populace. “For a society to be progressive, just, rational and thereby meritorious, the chains of religious dogmatism as forged by Brahmanism / Hinduism have to go. If my research paper can help tilt this socio-cultural equation, I will be pleased with my effort,” said Prasheel.
Sanjana K.K.
discussions. The event was inaugurated by Jawahar Sircar, CEO Globalisation facilitates the pro- of Prasar Bharathi. The keynote duction of knowledge in newer address on the topic Heterodoxy ways, but it aggravates inequality and Textuality was delivered by at the same time, said Prof. Prof. Gauri Viswanathan from Swapna Banerjee Guha from Tata Columbia University, USA, a disInstitute of Social Sciences tinguished scholar in post colonial (TISS), Mumbai, while talking on studies. 14 paper sessions that ran parthe topic Globalising Media and Culture: Emerging Issues, her allely in different halls of School valedictory speech at Researchers of Humanities discussed a wide at Work Conference 2014 range of topics including lan(RAW.CON 2014). guage, culture, art, sexuality, literThe conature and Production, dissemination translation in ference adand reception of culture dressed the their various issue of forms. negotiate the change in knowledge The four plesocial, political and production in nary sessions digital environments. a changing comprised world faciliResident Editated by new media. It explored tor of Times of India Kingshuk how the production, dissemina- Nag’s talk on The Making of the tion and reception of culture and Second Republic, Google Search literature negotiate this change in Quality Team’s talk on Learning social, political and digital envi- and Research with Google, a talk ronments.Prof. Guha spoke about by Prof. Zoya Hassan, Jawaharlal how knowledge production in the Nehru University (JNU), on changing world of new media is Democracy and Crisis of Inequalinterlinked with social and politi- ity in India and Director of Geothe cal change. Zentrum, Hyderabad, Amita RAW.CON 2014 was held Desai delivered a talk on German from 10 - 12 September at the Fellowships and Opportunities. Centre for Comparative LiteraA Hindi play named Ismat Ek ture, School of Humanities. Aurat by Vinay Varma’s Sutradhar The conference included paper Theatre Group at DST Auditopresentations on diverse topics by rium, book releases and the around 60 researchers from many screening of documentaries by universities across India. The pa- students of the university added to pers stimulated serious academic the glory of the event.
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OCTOBER, 2014
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Nourishing next generation leaders Nidhi Gupta With its motto ‘Challenge, Change and Cohesion’, International Youth Fellowship (IYF) was celebrated at DST Auditorium, University of Hyderabad (UoH). Founded in 2001 in South Korea, IYF has covered 82 countries so far. It addresses youth with the intention of cultivating nextgen leaders who are endowed with humility and strong leadership skills. Dong Yeop Kim, the Director of IYF for Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana, officially inaugurated the event on 13 September. Welcoming the audience, Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof. E. Hari Babu said, “Keeping in mind the importance of original contributions in a civilisation, youth must overcome various challenges to ensure the creation of a better society in the 21st century.” “The idea of IYF is to instill confidence in your minds that each of you is able to make a difference in this world,” said Noel Swaranjit Sen, the former DGP of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.
Artists in need of better infrastructure Aalekhya Tadepalli The Department of Theatre Arts and Fine Arts at the university have gained recognition and applause for their work. The 2014 pass-outs of Fine Arts recently showcased their work at the Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad. The Department of Theatre Arts is approached for projects across the globe, including places like Norway, Wimbledon and Amsterdam. Internationally and nationally acclaimed artists frequently hold workshops and seminars at both the departments. However, the condition of these departments tell a different story. These departments lack infrastructure facilities. The Department of fine arts is in need of both storage space and a gallery. The room that was meant to be used for storage is currently being used as a seminar hall. The art work created by these students hardly ever leaves the studio due to lack of indoor or outdoor gallery space. “We have a lot
of machinery in our studios but they are just lying there because nobody knows how to use them as there is no technical staff to instruct us,” says a Fine Arts student on the condition of anonymity. At the Department of Theatre Arts , the faculty have their cubicles in the store room. “There is no proper performance space that suits the nature of the discipline. As you can see there are no faculty rooms, no organised space for props, no caretakers and no technical staff. There are a lot of infrastructure problems that need to be addressed,” says Dr. Jnaneshwara Bhikshu, Head of the Department, Theatre Arts. “Despite all these issues we are still doing excellent work. We have developed contemporary ways of performance. In a way we took advantage of not having a structured performance space,” he added. Students of the department continue to receive scholarships and offers to work on coveted projects at national and international levels.
Over the course of three days, 420 students from across the city
participated in the event, of which 190 were from UoH. The camp exposed the participants to various activities, including cultural performances, dance, paper craft, Ko-
rean language workshops, Taikwando classes, jewellery-making, sports events, a 5-km run and mind lectures. A brilliant performance by a professional music band stole the show with the whole auditorium swinging to its notes. IYF also sought to strengthen the hearts of students who are vulnerable to addiction, depression and suicidal tendencies. In his valedictory speech, Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana Mohammed Mahmood Ali, said, “Today, 85 percent students are subjected to frustration and de-
pression. But they should work hard, be sharp and confident as they are the pillars of our society. The greatness of any nation rests on the shoulders of its youth.” Annu, a student from St. Peters Engineering College said, “IYF broke through the barriers of language and culture, and brought diverse people together through various performances and activities. I’ll always cherish the colours and vibrancy I experienced through IYF. It was also quite encouraging. I learnt to enjoy life and overcome hurdles.”
Lock breakers and recyclers Joyel K. Pious “I parked my bicycle inside the campus near the main gate. When I came back after a few hours it was gone. I looked for it all over the campus but couldn’t trace it,” says Abhishek Paul, a first year student from the Department of Communication. Getting admission at the prestigious University of Hyderabad doesn’t necessarily secure everything, at least not your bicycle. Being cheap and easy to maintain, a bicycle is the preferred mode of transport in the campus. Both old and new bicycles go missing from parking areas at hostels, Gops food court and main gate. The vast campus makes it difficult to trace stolen bicycles. “Often the stolen bicycles are repainted or hidden in the jungle. In a few cases people from outside the university are also involved and it is impossible to track the movement of every bicycle in the campus,” says Victory Kumar, Chief Security Officer. It is an open secret that the bicycles left behind by pass-outs are
taken by others after breaking locks. Such lock-breaking operations are carried out at night. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a student said that he bought a used cycle from a friend not knowing that it was stolen. “A few days later the original owners came and took it from me. Luckily I could get my money back from the person who stole it,” he said. Stolen bicycles are altered at repair shops so that actual owners don’t recognise them. This makes lodging complaints redundant as the stolen bicycles are no longer recognisable. “When old bicycles
are brought for refurbishing, I demand a photocopy of identity proof from that person,” says Motilal, owner of the only bicycle repair shop in the campus. However, there has been a reduction in the number of bicycle theft cases. “We have increased the number of security cameras and night patrolling has also been strengthened,” says Victory Kumar. “We are studying bicycle parking systems that have been implemented in other institutions and we will come up with more concrete ideas for further discussions,” he said.
‘Earth sciences must be taught in schools’ Saumya Painuli Earth Sciences is not taught to children in schools which makes them ignorant of this subject. The prevalent notion that Earth Sciences is a subject that does not lead to job opportunities is deep rooted in India and all over the world, said Dr. R. Shankar, Vice-Chair, International Geoscience Education Organisation (IGEO). He deliberated upon earth as a sacred gift which requires deep understanding and respect. According to him, Earth Sciences strive towards achieving this goal. He said that the need of the hour is to promote the subject among younger generations so as to inspire in them the desire to pursue this subject and advance research in the area. There is space for qualitative and quantitative increase in the study of this subject. The seventh International Conference
on Geoscience Education was flagged off at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) on 5 September. 120 delegates from different corners of the world registered for the conference. The confer-
Earth is a sacred gift which requires deep understanding and respect which can be achieved through Earth Sciences ence is hosted once in every four years and India won the bid to host the conference this year in the 2010 Johannesburg meet. The conference was organised by IGEO in association with The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) and UoH. Sponsored by IUGS, the IGEO strives to promote geoscience education, raise awareness about the subject
particularly among the youth. The IGEO monitors the international provision of Geoscience education and fosters communication between Geoscience educators. The conference was inaugurated by Prof. V. K. Gaur, a distinguished professor from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. In his keynote address, he emphasized the need for introducing Geoscience as a core subject at school level throughout the country. He urged the audience to think about how the Earth came into being. He encouraged the participants to take up endeavours that would help vitalise Earth Sciences. The five-day conference witnessed sessions on themes like geoscience teaching methodology, experiences in geoscience education and societal education/awareness. A field trip to the Nagarujuna sagar dam was also conducted for the delegates.
A Seminar on Silenced Issues EVENT: Department of Sociology is organising a national seminar on “The Unfamiliar Margins in the Social” DATE: October 14-15, 2014 VENUE: Department of Sociology
Indo-Turkish Dialogue
EVENT: Centre for Study of Foreign Languages is organising a two-day international conference on “Indo-Turkish Dialogue: Historical, Social and Cultural Perspectives” DATE: October 16-17, 2014 VENUE: School of Humanities
Counter Writing Workshop
EVENT: Centre for Comparitive Literature is organising a national workshop on “Counter-Writing: Dalits and other Subalterns” DATE: October 30-31, 2014 VENUE: Center for Comparitive Literature
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UOH DISPATCH
UOH DISPATCH Redefining Politics
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he institutes of higher learning of a country are reflective of its intellectual and innovative prowess. These institutes are sites of experiments and revolutions. This holds true for politics as well. Students, ideally, are expected to create their own political ideologies and identity. Various leaders and intellectuals have stated time and again that the onus of creating a new way of electioneering and redefining politics is on students. Even a passing glimpse at the student body politics in the university tells you a different story. Caught in the box of existing socio-political demarcations, university politics simply mimic mainstream politics. Socio-political identities are based on the same parameters – religion, region, caste and class. Mud-slinging, horse-trading, purchasing positions of power, benami (figurehead) politicians – name a prevalent ill, and it exists on the campus. The Lyngdoh Report, a document prepared by a committee chaired by J. M. Lyngdoh, a former Chief Election Commissioner, details all this and more in its guidelines for university elections. Election expenditure caps, material to be used for literature to be distributed and the influence of mainstream political parties on student bodies are all addressed in this document. Is it too much to ask students of a central university to stop and think? To see what would define a person or a group if politicised identities were set aside awhile? If change is to occur in the way our nation sees and experiences politics, we need to envision and enact that change.
Virtual Living
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insight
OCTOBER, 2014
ll that you need to realise your alter ego and lead your dream life is a laptop and a good internet connection. 3D virtual spaces have been created online with a high level of interactivity through the use of avatars, props and other objects. Second Life, The Sims and Gojiyo are some popular virtual worlds. One has to sign up with a name and select an avatar to explore the 3-dimensional cyberspace. Builders and programmers have made everything possible in an artificial populated space. Real life replicas of famous monuments, pieces of art or even a whole city is now possible in a world running on a game engine. There is also a serious side to this playful world. E-commerce is booming and virtual currency like Linden and Bitcoins are being used in daily lives - they can be exchanged for real money. Anshe Chung, a school teacher in Germany, became the first millionaire of Second Life by buying and selling virtual property. Many educational institutions like the British Council have established themselves in such virtual spaces, offering full-time real-life degrees. Anything is possible and one must have the curiosity to learn what the virtual world has to offer. Traditional classroom teaching could be challenged using virtual tools. Universities can add real value by being part of such virtual spaces. Virtual space’s claim as the final, penultimate frontier to be explored is being challenged by cyberspace. The virtual world is brimming with potential; innovation and awareness need to catch up to tap into this potential.
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Religion and Politics as bedmates Caste and religion act as mobilisers in our electoral system
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he interrelations bet w e e n religion, secularism and politics have their origin in the West. Because of N. Sudhakar Rao India’s long colonial experience, we have adopted the same formulae. However, secularism of the West is different from secularism of the East. In the West, religion has no place in politics in theory. Most nations in the West don’t talk about religion in their constitutions, but state that freedom of religion is guaranteed. In India, the constitution facilitates the profession and practice of any religion, and prohibits the state from acting in favour of any particular religion. Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of USA and its third President, stated that Church and State are autonomous. Numerous studies and general understanding will show that theory is different from practice. Indi-
rectly, there is a connection – religion does influence politics. Gandhi envisioned an egalitarian caste system for India. He never claimed to be a secularist or spoke against caste. Nehru, on the other hand, was an atheist and envisioned development for India along scientific lines. As
Religion and politics in India can’t be separated theoretically or practically the Prime Minister for 17 years, Nehru’s ideologies found ground in the nation’s public sphere. We can’t blame political parties in India for using religion. Rajni Kothari, an eminent political scientist, observes that religion mobilizes people. Caste, religion and cultural identities act as mobilisers in our electoral system, and the electoral system is in turn fed by such sentiments, thereby forming a vi-
cous circle. In medieval times, the king had the responsibility of not just protecting his people but also of obtaining divine grace / benevolence. The king has been replaced by state, but the responsibility of obtaining divine benevolence has been passed on. This can be seen in the initiatives takes by the state and people’s representatives in maintaining places of worship, conduction of pilgrimages and other such activities. Sociologist T. N. Madan says that it is difficult for India to be secular. Prof. Ratna Naidu who taught Sociology at the University og Hyderabad , was of a similar opinion though he also said that religious groups were beginning to take on a variant of secularism. Religion and politics in India can’t be separated theoretically or practically. Prof. N. Sudhakar Rao teaches Anthropology of Religion at Department of Anthropology, University of Hyderabad.
Economy and administration linked
Both the content and implementation of laws are critical for economy
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n the last couple of decades, I have been to the light and sound show at Golconda Fort several times – and it is always a joy to Naresh Kumar watch history come Sharma in lights and soulful music. A discerning listener of the narratives of rising and falling fortunes of the people through various regimes cannot fail to note that there is prosperity whenever a king maintains peace and orderly conduct of administration. And that people go through periods of misery and economic decline whenever there is strife, lawlessness and neglect of administration by a king. One of the most riveting stories of change of economic fortunes in recent time comes from the “perennially” lag
gard state of Bihar, which has witnessed miraculous economic growth, and there is now a sense of security and maintenance in the region. These two developments are closely and causally interlinked. In 18th century, General Robert Clive documented Bengal as one of the richest countries in the world. However, Bengal soon descended into ruins as governance structures changed from secure tenures for the actual tillers, where they could not be evicted even in bankruptcy, to a tenure system in favour of zamindars. Manufacturing suffered doubly as a consequence with unfavourable and uncertain tariffs in trade imposed by the colonial rulers adding to the burden .The illustrations above demonstrate the importance of reasonable and secure governance structures for economic
prosperity and of the role that rule of law plays in governance. It also indicates that both the content of the law and its implementation are critical for economic performance. Does the legislator have proper understanding of the nature of man and share-core values of the society that govern the conduct of the individual – an understanding critical for legislation of fair laws? And, does the state have will to govern by such laws? These issues have again come alive with the manner of the NDA coming to power and with the phenomenal rise of AAP. Governance has now been firmly established as the core issue to be addressed for the functioning of our society in the foreseeable future. Prof. Naresh Kumar Sharma currently teaches at the School of Economics, University of Hyderabad.
Corrigendum The article titled “Artists paint their way to Salar Jung Museum” in the September Dispatch had these errors: 1. The faculty’s name is Kirtana Thangavelu 2. A painting by Sijina VV was wrongly attributed to Rajesh Lakkoju
THE TEAM
Cartoon Courtesy: Shivaram Prasad
Editors: Avnish Kumar, Harika Vankadara Copy Editors: Anupama Evani, Divya K. Editorial Desk:Anupama Evani, Ashutosh Prasad, Avnish Kumar, Divya K., Harika Vankadara, Keerthi Kiran, Priyanka Manikandan, Rajesh Dupta Reporters: Aalekhya Tadepalli, Basha P., Joyel K. Pious, Meghna Neogi, Nidhi Gupta, Sanjana K.K., Saumya Painuli, Venkatesh Mamidi Photographers: Aalekhya Tadepalli, Joyel K. Pious
Printed and published by the Head of the Department, Dept. of Communication, Sarojini Naidu School Of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad. We appreciate participation from all departments. Mail us at dispatchuoh@gmail.com
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UOH DISPATCH
REFLECTIONS 5
OCTOBER, 2014
Nipping suicides in the bud
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uicide is often the last act of desperation resulting from perceived helpSumantran Ray lessness and hopelessness, which usually masks a problematic developmental history of interaction between the individual and his/her social environment – most notably development within the family. Our campus has seen at least five suicides in the last eight years. According to National Crime Records Bureau reports, suicide rates have been increasing - there was a 1.7% increase in 2009, and a startling 5.9% increase in 2010. An Indian study showed that the suicide rate was highest in the age group of 15-29 years. The research data indicates that family pressures borne of problematic socio-economic systems, and health/disease issues are of major importance. Suicidal tendencies, aggravated by current problems are often associated with depressive disorder
and personality problems, which may result from abuse (physical and sexual) and neglect. Abuse and exploitation of vulnerable sections by the powerful often goes unaddressed in our society. Can we not design programmes to sensitise the stakeholders - students and teachers - to recognise the symptoms of distress and reach out to assist a student on the verge of suicide, instead of conve-
Our campus has seen at least five suicides in the past eight years. Stakeholders need to be sensitised. niently ignoring, or worse still, insulting the individual as being incompetent or abnormal? The education system should equip students with healthy attitudes and values which would enable them to live healthy and productive lives in a changing and challenging socio-economic environment. Is it fair of parents or teachers to pressurise students (many of whom are disadvantaged
Sustainable campus: Need of the hour
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investment in the campus should include sustainable infrastructure with minimum use of polluting raw materials like cement. We can start by offering incentives to the campus community to encourage -participation in sustainable pracAjay Kumar tices. Also, credited and non-credKoli ited courses, open to all members able campus. of the campus, could be offered. In this context, By acting on sustainability these suggeswould mean tions, we can teaching sustainbecome a able development signatory concepts, encourmember of aging research on the United sustainable develNations opment issues, Higher Edubuilding green cation Suscampuses, suptainability porting sustainInitiative ability efforts in Declaration The campus community must and a memthe communities and engaging ber of the Inbe encouraged to participate with and sharing ternational in sustainable practices results through inSustainable ternational frameCampus Networks (Higher Education work (currently IIT Madras is the Sustainability Initiative Declara- only Indian member of ISCN). tion, 2012). Thus, incorporating sustainThis would require all mem- able practices on field and in acabers of the campus community to demic will ensure a sustainable actively involve themselves in campus for the future generations, campus waste management activ- and a better “you” for others. ities, spread ‘reduce-reuse-recyAjay Kumar Koli is a PhD stucle’ awareness, promote rain dent at the School of Managewater harvesting and campaign ment Studies (SMS), for a gradual shift towards renewUniversity of Hyderabad. able sources of energy. Economic he camp u s community, within any educational institution, can play an important role in building a sustain-
or differently abled in one way or another) to excel without adequately training them first in the methods of positive living and coping skills – language, effective decision-making, problem-solving, stress management and time management skills? The challenge of a resilient, character-building education is not only to prepare students for attaining “success”, but also to inculcate the strength of character to cope with sufferings and failures. There should be sustained campaigns to sensitise stakeholders about problems of substance abuse, mental illness and suicide. If we have an active conscience and humane responsibility and are determined to allocate public funds for common good, then, every major college and university should have full time student counselling, support and development centers, with professional psychologists. Shouldn’t we? Sumantran Ray is a PhD student at the Center for Neural and Cognitive Sciences, University of Hyderabad
Apolitical Culture
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he university campus incorporates many political ideologies propaManikanta P gated by different political organisations which articulate and aggregate the interests of students. Though the campus is politically active, there are a large number of students who don’t take part in the university polity. Lack of political education, “malestream” politics, the perception that politics is a dirty field, distrust on existing organisations and the Students’ Union are a few reasons for this sort of political culture on the campus. Though the organisations put emphasis on “need for change” (where they believe that change comes from questioning all sorts of authority for their anti-student measures /policies), the “neutral” students who stay away from politics also believe in the “need for change.” Ironically, they feel that
change will come from an external force, without changing as an individual. Be it individual ethos in respecting others or transforming inegalitarian elements on the campus, change happens only when one changes as an individual. Does change come without deconstructing one’s own prejudices? Does change come if one believes in being an “apolitical” individual? If individuals are not ready to question existing malpractices, how can we expect change in the campus? So, a culture of questioning and debating must be developed by students as it is essential for democracy. Representative organisations may consider themselves as supreme commandos if students desist from questioning malpractices, and refuse to change themselves. Thus, change should come from within and this should be accompanied by proper political education. Manikanta P. is a student of IMA Political Science, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad .
Selfies: Recreation or Narcissism
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martphones c o n tinue to get economical, and they have become an Anupama Evani indispensable asset. These phones are slowly taking over the reins of convenience from conventional gadgets. Among the various features of these phones are good quality cameras which allow people to take ‘selfies’ i.e. self photographs. Be it a family gathering or a re-union of friends, selfies are the order of the day. The obsession of selfies can be particularly seen among the younger generation. Scroll through the imgae gallery of any youngster’s smartphone and you are sure to find an overload of selfies taken in different angles. The rage of selfies has been so high that high-profile people like US President Barack Obama, and a number of celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lawrence are obsessed with it.
Most times, the intention of taking selfies is to post them as display pictures in social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or to share them with friends on these very platforms. Hence, there is a pressure to look good in these pictures. The main issue with this rage for selfies is that it creates self-obsession among the smartphones users.
They start with the intention of taking one picture and end up taking several till the one with the most appropriate angle and the right pose turns out. This raging trend of selfies has now become the subject of many studies and debates. While for some it represents a positive mode for identity formation, for others it is a kind of psychological disor-
der. It is being said that obsessive egotism promoted by selfies can have serious implications on personal relationships and may evoke violent behaviour. Even though none of this is proven, taking one’s own pictures should not exceed a certain limit. With the internet scenario filled with hacking cases, it is always good to be cautious. There were times when it used to take a lot of effort and patience to come up with just a black and white picture. Multiple copies of the same picture were circulated to everyone and used to spread joy. Now with the advancement in technology, everything has become easier. Though selfies are a very convenient way of taking pictures, they should not make a person self-obsessed. Capturing valuable moments of life is definitely important but it should not be overdone. Anupama Evani is a student of MA Communication, SN School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad
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Chasing the ballot
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Banners, ballots and celebrations through the lens of Aalekhya, Joyel and Priyanka
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Lack of drinking water affects sportspersons The users of yoga centre, tennis, football and basketball courts suffer from lack of water facilities Sanjana K.K. Students using the yoga centre, tennis, football and basketball courts are facing problems due to the lack of drinking water facility. They have to go to Gops food court or to the schools of Humanities or Chemistry to quench their thirst after a game. An average of more than 60 students practice here every evening. The ground is also used for football tournaments during the Night Cup every year. “We wrote a letter to the estate
section of the administration indicating our need for drinking water facility but we did not receive any response from the authority concerned. Later we even requested them to permit the students to use the water cooler in the faculty centre nearby, but we were denied access to the building which is mostly locked up,” said B. Subhash, ex-Sports Secretary (20112012) and research scholar at Department of Hindi. “I have been practicing football here for a year now and the absence of drinking water often
causes problems as we sweat a lot after playing for hours and it is tough to go in search of drinking
Absence of drinking water often causes problems as we sweat a lot after playing for hours and it is tough to go in search of water then water in such a condition. The authorities have been ignoring our
plea and the issue is more serious during the time of Night Cup because of all the intense activity,” said Shabeesh P., a student of MA Sociology. “I really understand the problem faced by the students and have been trying my best from last three years to provide drinking water facility in the sports area near the small gate. Though letters were sent to the engineering section several times, no action has been taken in this regard even though lip service is paid without fail. I have spoken about this issue
to Prof. A. C. Narayana, the professor in charge of the engineering section and I hope that the problem will be resolved,” said K. V. Rajasekhar, Assistant Director of Physical Education and Sports. Even the Yoga Centre doesn’t have any drinking water facility. Since sports activities require a lot of water intake, especially during hot weather, drinking water must be facilitated without any delay. The newly elected Students’ Union can play a proactive role in addressing this urgent need, and help sportspersons.
Yoga gains popularity in campus
A yoga session in progress. Meghna Neogi Yoga, described as an ancient art based on a harmonizing system of development for the body, mind and spirit, is becoming a trend in the campus. The Yoga Centre is attracting many followers of healthy living. Disha, a regular visitor of the Yoga Centre says, “My evenings are incomplete without my yoga routine
Photo By: Aalekhya Tadepalli “Yoga is a type of living style which helps in reducing mental stress, strengthens the body and makes it more flexible. The regular practice of yoga calms the mind and awakens the spirit,” says Thasil M.A., a student of Theatre Arts. Currently, about 40 students frequent the Yoga Centre. Mallikarjun, the yoga instructor said, “ The practice of yoga affects
Sports infrastructure gears up for a facelift Saumya Painuli “The university campus will gain one basketball and two synthetic volleyball courts in the next three months. Clearance nod has been given by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Vice Chancellor,” said Dr. K. V. Rajasekhar, Assistant Director, Physical Education and Sports. These synthetic courts will be constructed near J and K hostels in the south campus, at a cost of Rs. 40 lakh. Apart from this, a mega fitness centre will also come into being by the end of this year with new equipment and space for aerobics classes too. Dr. Rajasekhar claims to have proposed a plan to set up a swimming pool for the students. He said that the pool would be of 50x21 metres dimension. “I have
already spoken to the VC about this project and the proposal will be sent to UGC soon,” he said. The demand of students for seven to eight acres of land for a cricket ground has been brought to the VC’s notice, and it will be met soon, he informed. “As far as the infrastructure at the campus is concerned, it is way ahead of some of the other central universities. However, we have been facing a fund crunch this year. Some of the equipment has turned obsolete and the university needs funds to replace them. Despite such constraints, the university has been able to partially complete the construction of the 400-metre running track. 80% of the work is done and just the top layer is pending,” he stated. The Asst. Director also noted that students have been performing well despite such challenges.
a human being physically, psychologically, mentally and emotionally. What I teach here is basic yoga. Until one practices it, one may not understand its benefits. Yoga is not all body but mind too.” Yoga classes are held between 6 am to 7 am and 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, six days a week. The centre is closed on Sundays. “Regular yoga practice improves mental clarity and concentration apart from enhancing strength and flexibility. It’s quite popular. Students have also made demands for certificate courses in yoga,” adds Mallikarjun. If some of the broken windows could be fixed and the room could be re-painted, the yoga centre would attract more students, opined Mallikarjun. He wants to make the yoga centre more convenient so as to encourage more students to take up yoga.
Women learning Karate on the field near Yoga Centre, University of Hyderabad. The classes are conducted every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday between 6 pm and 7 pm. Photo By: Joyel K. Pious
Friendly match breaks the monotony Nidhi Gupta The faculty v/s student cricket tournament at the Department of English ended in a tie with both teams winning a match each. The faculty team scored a total of 55 runs in 6 overs and won the match by 20 runs. However, in the second match the students’ team chased a target of 34 runs and won the match. Held on 5 September, the friendly match between the faculty and students broke the monotony of daily academic routine. The teaching and non-teaching staff together competed against the student team (comprising both boys and girls) to play a series of two matches. The faculty team won the toss and chose to bat first. Prof. Mujubuddin sent the first ball he faced, soaring in the air, scoring a four and generating excitement. Such friendly matches serve as
Photo By: Joyel K. Pious
A clean-off drive by Prof. Mujubuddin during the match an avenue of interaction between faculty and students outside the confines of class rooms. “It is an attempt to establish a cordial environment which ultimately leads to a better learning experience,” said Prof. Siddharth Satpati, one of the faculty members who participated in the match.Murli Manohar, Head of the Department of English said, “I enjoy playing with my colleagues and students.
It helps to bring us together. It also helps freshers deal with homesickness.” “It is a delight to have professors who can play and get along well with students,” said Adeep Hussain, a member of the student team. Many students and non-teaching staff were present to cheer the players from both the teams making the event a great success.
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Just Another Students’ Group hits the street Nidhi gupta
Sameli village of Dantewada in south Bastar, Chhattisgarh. She was arrested on charges of acting as a conduit for Maoists. During her imprisonment, she was tortured and sexually assaulted by Chhattisgarh state police. The scriptwriter, Subhodeep Kumar, a PhD student at School of Social Sciences, played sensitively with words to create an imAnwesha Maiti, one of the actors said “It is gut-wrenching to perform. It takes me time to recover from the frenzy. While acting, similar things that happened in my life kept coming back to me. In a way, I was living a part of my life in the play.” In this digital age, street plays
Just Another Students’ Group brought discrimination and violence against women to the fore through a street theatre performance. Supported by Centre for Women’s Studies and Centre for Dalit and Adivasi Studies, the group staged a 20-minute play that addressed multiple questions including what patriotism means for tribal women, the travesty of justice in India, objectification of women’s bodies and the role of media in all this. The plot revolves around Soni Sori, an Adivasi school teacher in
Bucket full of joy Sanjana K.K. While the rest of us were busy ogling at our favourite celebrities take the ice bucket challenge, Manju Latha Kalanidhi decided to set a new trend instead of following the existing one. A Senior Editor with Oryza, a global rice news and trade website, Kalanidhi initiated the rice bucket challenge in India understanding the need for food than wasting water. Soon many people across India took up the activity that addressed issues more real to them – rampant hunger. Inspired by IIM Kozhikode, Suman Kumar, a third semester student of School of Management Studies (SMS), decided to voluntarily take up the rice bucket challenge in University of Hyderabad. He roped in a few classmates to help him with the initiative, and his class collectively took up the rice bucket challenge by donating a bucket of rice to the cleaning
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are still effective in creating longlasting effects on our minds, Sumana opined , a PhD scholar at Department of Communication., who was watching the play. “Virtual space is quite different from physical space. We read all these news and get immune to them. But such street plays bring them home with more details. We start to see her (Soni Sori) and the horror of what’s happening” He added. “It is very important to have such street plays especially in our university, as political mobilization is missing. It also acts as a reminder to the society,” says Tathagota, a student of M. Phil. Sociology who was among the
Of moralities and human responsibilities
staff in their school. “Being MBA students, we study about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the responsibility of managers towards the society. Then we came across the idea of rice bucket challenge. As it is said that charity begins at home, we did the same and gave the rice to the cleaning staff of our school,” says Suman Kumar. “The cleaning staff in the university face many problems regarding their children’s education. Giving them rice would help them save money and that money can contribute towards education expenses," says Anudeep Reddy, one of the volunteers. School of Management Studies in turn challenged SN School, Department of Social Sciences, Vignana Jyothi Instituete of Management, Hyderabad and ICFAI Business School. The amount of participation this challenge will elicit remains to be seen.
Saumya Painuli Directed by Gulzar, this 1972 film was well ahead of its time. Using deaf-mute and visually challenged characters, Gulzar spins a tale that appeals to the conscience of audiences. The film delivers the message that physically challenged people must be accepted and respected. Koshish is considered to be a landmark in Indian cinema. In the present day context, the film would not be spoken of as being extra ordinary or out-of-thebox. At a surface level, the plot and story line seems to be simple and straightforward. But to be able to make a movie with characters like Aarti and Hari during the 70s is itself a commendable job. Aarti and Hari are bereft of the faculties of speech and hearing. The two meet each other accidentally, fall in love and get married. They carve out a space for themselves in a society that is sure to marginalize them. Like a typical Bollywood
movie, tragedy befalls the couple. Aarti’s brother Kanu robs their house out of greed. This incident
MEDIASAURUS
not only costs Aarti and Hari the loss of their first child but it also costs Kanu his leg. At this juncture, Hari loses his job and serves as a cobbler to survive. The most striking feature of the movie is the depiction of hope. The protago-
nists cling on to hope till the end. The couple is blessed with another son, Amit, who is completely healthy. They raise their son with the help of Narayan uncle who is visually challenged. Gulzar beautifully depicts the relationship between Aarti, Hari and Narayan. The three cannot have verbal conversations, yet there is no communication lapse between them. A knot occurs in the story line in the form of Amit’s rejection of a deaf-mute bride. The manner in which Hari deals with Amit brings to the fore the deeply ingrained discrimination we practice as a society. If a man with deaf-mute parents can’t accept disability, who can? The movie raises important questions that pertain to the subjugated status of physically challenged people in the society. Whether or not we like it or even accept it, the desire for perfection even in terms of physical “ability” is deeply ingrained in our collective consiousness.
The red box of happiness We struggle to hide our “last seen” on Whatsapp and have customized chat settings. Letters from friends away on trips during sum- A second year nursing student says, “My mer, letters from grandparents, rakhis from friends are always online and I have to go ofsiblings and lots more came packaged in an fline to work peacefully.” “These days students hardly use the regisenvelope that the postman brought out of his tered post for sending perbag, much like Santa pulling sonal letters. It is limited to out gifts. However, the Daak “I remember posting professional uses like sendGhar (post office) seems to letters to my grandfather ing applications. Admission be nearly forgotten in today’s web 2.0 era. every month as a kid. I had season and Rakhi are the only two occasions when the The post office in the unia special pen for writing post office has a full house. versity sees thinning lines of In a university of about 5,000 students waiting to post letthose letters” students, only 40 posts are ters to their loved ones. “I resent per day,” observes the member posting letters to my grandfather every month as a kid. I used to Postmaster at the university. We now have the option of making postal have a special pen for writing those letters,” shares Mahima, a second year M.Sc. student. services more relevant to our times by adoptThat anticipation and excitement associated ing technological advancements. By incorpowith the postal form of communication has rating tracking systems that allow users to see died now. We can access the net from any- the journey of their post and other such feawhere at the click of a button. Everybody is tures, traditional post could be revived. There just a click away. And in this web of connec- is ample potential to adopt such changes in a tivity, we seek privacy. developing space like India. Meghna Neogi
Cartoon By: Rahul Kanthariya
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