Army tanks and Vande Mataram

I think we have lost it. Totally.
The VC decided to celebrate Kargil Victory Day.  He called in bunch of retired Generals, the administration decided to hold a Flag march and a ceremony of sorts. I gave it a miss. This was not my cup of tea and I have objections to celebrating victory days in University campuses.
Then came the news via the newspaper.  The VC wants an army tank to be stationed on the campus so that the students and faculty are inspired and become nationalistic.  One of the Generals also said that now the JNU "Fort" has been breached, only Jadavpur and University of Hyderabad Forts remains to be taken/breached.

This is deeply problematic.

First: if students do not debate and discuss, how do we ensure academic growth?  We might not agree with all their viewpoints but they have the right to discuss.  Dissent does not mean that our students/faculty are not patriots or nationalists. The academic environment is the place for debates.  In fact, I wish our science students would debate vigorously when they read a scientific paper. They tend to accept whatever is fed to them, which is detrimental to their growth as a scientist.  So if we want ideas to flourish, we want academic excellence, we have to give space for dissent, for debates, and for discussion.  It would also do good for the VC to remember that the University of California, Berkeley was the scene for vigorous protests against the Vietnam war.  UC, Berkeley continuous to be one of the premier Universities and the protesters by no means were anti-nationalistic/anti-patriotic.  At least I knew one of them when I was a post-doc in Charles McHenry's lab.  Art was just fun to talk to.  He believed in America and he was proud of his country. But he had also taken part in the protests.

However, our VC seems to believe that we should not debate and discuss but accept whatever is given to us.

Second: Army tanks do not belong to University campuses. Agreed, many of the Defence institutions are affiliated to us and get degree from us, yet the fact remains that we are an University.  Army tanks can be placed in Defence institutions to inspire their personnel but not in University campuses.

Third: Just because there are dissents does not mean that the Universities are forts meant to be breached.  The statement is so problematic that I do not even know where to begin.  Does the General even know what he is talking about?

Just as I was wondering where we were heading to, the Madras High Court today gave an order that Vande Mataram should be sung at least once a week in Schools and Colleges.  I love the verses of Vande Mataram but why make it compulsory to sing?  What will it achieve?  I remember that in School we had to take a pledge every morning. It went something like India is my Country and we are all brother and sisters....something, something. I said it for 12 years, I still do not remember that pledge. It was a joke.  However, not doing it/remembering it does not make me less of a citizen or less patriotic or less whatever.  The point I am trying to make is that one does not need all these aids to be a good citizen.

A tiny, little guava

The guava sapling was planted by my upstairs neighbor. Nanku Ram, my gardener, and I took care of it, providing nourishment both in form of fertilizer and water.  We pruned and watched it grow into a tree. Understandably he was upset when random people plucked all the fruit last year.  Sumitra, my  house help, was also upset.  They could have left at least one, didi, she lamented.  I was not upset. I am not too fond of guava.
This year too the tree flowered and very soon the fruits appeared.  However, I did not hold out any hope. I was sure that the random people will soon appear and pluck them off.  And then yesterday when I went into my tiny garden to get the flowers for my mother, I saw this tiny, little, ripe guava on the ground.  It was so perfect, the first fruit off the tree.  I picked it up to show it to my parent.  Of course, my mother wanted to eat it.  I photographed it first though and then sliced it.  My mother liked it.

My mother with the first guava

Thus, endeth the saga of the first guava.
But it was a good omen. My student's paper got accepted and she can now submit her thesis.
There are many more fruits on the tree. I hope I get to save at least two- one for Nanku Ram and one for Sumitra.