Prof A N Sadhu
JNU has always been in news ever since it was established in 1969. For some time now it is in bad news. The changing paradigm of the reputation of this premier institution of the country raises several questions. Have the institutional standards really fallen, is the institution not monitoring its functioning or has the university or some its staff and students deliberately chosen to develop a new lexicon of nationalism and patriotism? These are very serious questions to which the answers will have to be found. It is an accepted fact that higher educational institutions are supposed to be the feeding grounds for budding intellectuals, independent and objective thinkers, the future leaders and philosophers and it needs full protection, keeping in view the future of this young country. The original thinkers and researcher a produced and trained in these institutions. JNU has enjoyed global recognition for having significantly contributed in this regard.
The question of freedom of expression has, always, to be viewed in the light of nationalism and patriotism. We cannot suppress the divergent ideas and opinions on any subject and everybody is within his own right to hold on to his opinion. The opinion of the party in power may not be the final even when it is held, genuinely, in the best interests of the nation. Ours is a democratic country where the systems of governance are run as per the constitution which is one of the most liberal and comprehensive documents of the world on statecraft. This document gives full freedom of speech and expression, in the hope, that new ideas will get generated to help the existing systems of governance to get further strengthened for the benefit of thecountry. Unrestrictive narrative of individuals may also be the streaks of exuberant scholarship and creativity that can be useful in building new theories and models to serve the national interests in the field of economics, politics and sociology.
The question, however, arises: can the freedom of expression be interpreted as freedom of disruption, freedom of sedition and freedom of destruction. Judge by any standards, what happened in JNU is shameful and whosoever did it and whosoever, overtly or covertly abetted it have committed a serious crime against the nation and should be taken to justice as per the law of the land. India is maturing as the largest democracy of the world and people of all shades of opinion are required to strengthen that process. In a multi-party system, every party is free to propagate its philosophy and ideology and woo people to their point of view, of course, on the basis of rationale- they may think as sound- but no party can convince a rational citizen of the country to rise in revolt against his own country with a vow that they will keep the fight on till the country is destroyed not realising that they themselves will get destroyed with it. Provoking people to work for the disintegration of the country smacks of mental corruption and sell out of one’s conscience which no country would and should allow and if such a cry is raised from a premier institution like JNU, it should warrant a more serious probe and urgent remedial measures. while the law will take its own course, there certainly is the need to sit back and review the working of the university. we have the best brains in this university and they should collectively work towards maintaining the freedom and grandeur of the campus without compromising the national interest and academic independence. During the last two weeks, quite a few other things that came to light need to be probed beyond the contours of institutional and individual freedoms. Neither the nation’s interests nor its fundamental ethos can be side-lined while defining the limits of such freedoms. India is a secular country. Everyone is free to practice his religion and faith while respecting other religions and faiths. There is hardly any substance in believing that there is any kind of bias or intimidation against any faith or religion. The tragedy is that the politicians do not make any effort to rise to the stature of a statesman and build a vision and steer the country through this period of transition to higher goals of excellence in economy, polity and society. Let the country of over a billion population not be held hostage by these politicians; and elements inimical to the country’s development, be identified and held accountable for their omissions and commissions.
Media has an important role in revealing the dangers that country is likely to Face from time to time and in creating public awareness as also suggesting the corrective mechanisms to stem the rot. An independent media with unbiased reporting and analysis is very important to correct the distortion and keep public informed about the events of the country. In the wake of any controversy,an independent media and its honest reporting is essential for mobilising the public opinion in the right way.
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