I had a really long conversation with one of our Professors today. I wanted to talk to her after the exam on Saturday but then we were so exhausted and busy being happy that I forgot so I called her up today and we talked for ages. Anyway, so as I was trying to get to sleep, one thought led to the other and I jumped out of bed and here I am trying to string those together...
Basically Mumbai University is in a terrible state. It has caused us a great amount of inconvenience and distress this exam season and I for one, have thought to myself a million times, "I cannot wait to be done with MU. And I will be damned if I ever have anything else to do with it again." I've cursed, yelled, stomped my feet in frustration, thought up conspiracies, etc, etc. But it all lasts for a few hours and never leads to anything constructive. Life goes on. And Mumbai University will go on to cause problems to the next generations of graduating students who will do the same thing, but will survive and move on and it goes on and on and on...
I know that what got me through this so far is the help, prayers and moral support from friends and my parents and a lot of writing and thinking that I just have to persevere. Because honestly, I've had a lot of moments when I've wanted to just give up because it seems so pointless studying for a degree from MU. But then I'd think it's all for a purpose and the experience and I've learnt so much! Which is all well and good and it's true. I've learnt so much. I mean, besides Sociology, this whole business of giving exams for MU has taught me a lot of other 'unintentional lessons' too.
But here's what's bothering me. Do we just accept whatever is bad? Saying that it will ultimately teach us something good? Shouldn't we be striving to do something about improving the things that are bad around us?
I was telling my Prof. about some of the problems that we faced and she said, "You know you students, once the exams are over, no matter how bad things get always forget about it so easily. You need to make yourselves heard" (or something like that!) And it struck me that I'd never even thought about that.
A few days ago, when MU threw one more blow our way by postponing all the exams scheduled for the 5th and 6th of May to the 1st and 2nd of June, you should have seen all the hate-messages on Facebook (one of them was mine even though it didn't directly affect me but affected Lit and Econ students.) It was amusing and helped to get past the anger a little but what use is that?? Will anyone of any consequence or decision-making position at MU have read those hate messages? Nope. (Look up their website - they're not exactly internet-savvy.) Our opinions as expressed on Social Networking Sites, I'm sure, have no bearing on what they do.
And then I thought of what Sharan commented on my last post on the IPL. And I thought that it seems like we've reduced our lives to 160 characters. Our every emotion is only worth 160 characters now. And they only last till the next 160 characters.
It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word
And then that word grew louder and louder
'Til it was a battle cry
-- Regina Spektor, The Call
I feel your pain. Complaining about the complete idiocy which is rampant in both our educational systems does nothing. Talk is Cheap. What to do?
ReplyDeleteI told Sonu this when we heard about the postponement. I told her that there's a reason why this is happening -- and it's because we complain but like she said (who did you speak to?!) we don't do anything later because we're just glad to be safe ourselves. Today, just before the exam, I overheard a guy telling a girl that 200 students have STILL not received their hall tickets and are writing exams in a shed or something.
ReplyDeleteWhen we got mad, Piu, the first thing we thought of doing was to ACTUALLY do something. It's natural. Protest, revolt, something. Then we realize the kind of institution we are in, and we think -- no, we can't risk this NOW, what if I can't write my exams and get kicked out and have to repeat my undergrad? I don't have the strength for that. So how about after the exams? No, what if they don't give us our mark sheets? Our futures will be at risk and all of it will have been for nothing. Then how about after that?
Well, who cares after that? Isn't it enough that we got out of there alive?
This is how my thinking went. All I know is that if we have to do something, ALL of us have to do something together. It can't be just 2 of us, because that will never work. And we have to take care not to inadvertently destroy the next TY batch through our actions. Coz you don't know with MU. See what I mean? We have to be very, very careful, but persevere like you said, and actually give ourselves to this cause, coz it won't be over in a day. I'm glad there's one more person who realizes it.
But the fact remains -- who is going to do something? Will people actually care to come back after they receive their marksheet? Please don't think I'm being cynical, I'm not, I sincerely think that something CAN and SHOULD be done, but it will need more than just 6 of us, and a good intention. Because what we're fighting against is that awful.
I know. I know... These are the exact same things that I thought as well. Even after I wrote this post I was thinking about what we can actually do and we SHOULD!!! I talked to GP and I actually asked her what avenues, if any, we even had to make our complaints be heard and she said that we can write to the examining board (or something, need to clarify who exactly that is!), to the University, to the editors of all the major newspapers, etc...
ReplyDeleteI don't know if anybody will actually ever read these letters but you're right, if we do something it has involve the WHOLE student body and not just a tiny number of us. Which means getting signatures, signing a petition but how do we do that?? Go around at our centres?? But how do we do that while our exams are going on and when do we do that after they get over?? And how then do we get access to all the other who have given exams with us this time?? And then I thought, what about an online petition?? But then again, I don't know how effective that'll be either...
So basically a LOT of questions, not sure what the answer is...
But I wish we would do something. We need to do something. We can't just move on and forget about it because then, to put it crudely, they win. And I don't want them to win. If you know what I mean...
Let's do something.
I was thinking of something more direct, like a protest or something. Petitions never work. I must've signed like a thousand post 26/11. Either they take like a decade to be implemented or...
ReplyDeleteQuestions are important, because they help us see light. And I know what you mean :)
On a lighter note (I wish someone would reblog this, it's so funny!):
http://mrsfrysdiary.blogspot.com/2009/07/mrs-frys-indispensable-guide-to-twitter.html#links
From what I understand from my fragmented pieces of memory and information, exams are the sole evaluation for your year's work. Is this correct? If so, it would seem there is the larger problem present. The primary evaluation of your worth as a worker, and ultimately a member of society, is in the hands of a bunch of fumbling, unprofessional, incompetent, nonobjective "human beings"- who by definition if given a chance to fuck up, will.
ReplyDeleteThis is not at all to say that the smaller problems don't need attention, they absolutely do. But is it possible to tackle the bigger problem in this lifetime? (Not a rhetorical question btw!)
i just bookmarked this post. i feel like i'm going to have to read it over and over again, while reflecting on all the failings of virtually every single institution of education i've encountered...maybe then i'll be able to come up with even a shadow of an answer. watch this space ;) xx
ReplyDeletelol. look at us, we should create a club and go on strike! :P
ReplyDeleteRang De Basanti meets Gandhigiri ;)
ReplyDeleteLeverage the WWW platform to start the ball rolling. Brain storm with like minded friends to identify a format and address the issue(s) without being confrontational. Love you for thinking differently. God Bless.
ReplyDelete