The Other Side | Snowy Rahi
Dear Author,
I read the counter article written by you “What it takes to be a hosteller in AMU?”. According to my understanding you were bound to pen down your emotions in support of your views as to how the use of media to voice your agitation or disapproval of a certain act of the institute you are studying at is wrong. But then again you used the same platform to voice your ideas which is a little contradictory and bending the gauging needle towards hypocrisy rather than diplomacy or any such term you might use in your defence.
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| Photo: Sharjeel Usmani |
I don’t know how AMU was ten years prior to when I entered its gates , but since the past one and a half year of my time that I had spent in this university, this prestigious university, I as a student have my views that I would very much like to put forth. I don’t disagree with the fact that AMU had always had to face a certain level of prejudice as compared to other universities but as the world would have it, since the invention of media, printing or digital, students have been using it as a way of bringing reforms in their universities. Ever came across the articles related to JNU? BHU? DU? And the like. It’s the student mass as a whole throughout the globe that follows this process of first talking to the seniors on their campus of their dilemmas and troubles then on not getting a solution they follow the administrative rules of handing over applications and petitions for their problems to be heard and when even then their pleas fall on deaf ears they take the means of protest which in most of the cases turn out to be a futile attempt. Now this very confused, frustrated and vexed mass of educated youngsters see no other way than to post their discontent either on social media such as Facebook on twitter or if they really have the will and want to be heard at a larger level they use the platform of media.
You have mentioned the article published in Hindustan Times related to the problems that the girls at AMU campus face and you have asked the question “ what is so ‘sexist’ in the rule confining female students in their hostel?” and what makes it so persecuting or discriminatory. You might have been a part of AMU for eight years but Abdullah Hall and its problems exist in whole other world. To answer your question I would say that the ‘sexist’ part of our university, yes I am as much part of the institution as you were, is that from every little thing to the serious matters a girl has to go through a tedious process. If you are sick you need a written application before you can go to the medical I mean its not their problem you are in extreme level of pain that you cant open your eyes let alone hold a pen, I am sure you had to do the same when you were ill at health.
It’s the student mass as a whole throughout the globe that follows this process of first talking to the seniors on their campus of their dilemmas and troubles then on not getting a solution they follow the administrative rules of handing over applications and petitions for their problems to be heard and when even then their pleas fall on deaf ears they take the means of protest which in most of the cases turn out to be a futile attempt.
You ask what exceptional work needs the requirement for an outing other than on Sunday you yourself didn’t do much of a productive work during your off hours is what you stated in your article so let me put forth my argument, to attend the lectures held when well renowned speakers come we need an application, to be a part of an NGO is not permitted since going out of Abdullah will be involved, if you want to attend to a coaching to prepare yourself to crack CAT or any such examination a girl is not permitted and when going to GEC ( which is now CEC) a girl must face the allegations put at her character for interacting with the opposite sex. But of course you have faced the same problems and you understand the trouble of the girls.
Do you really believe that without the coverage that the media gave to the issues such as that of the ‘Maulana Azad Libarary ‘or the one ‘forcing the girls to wear nothing but suits’ would have been as quickly taken action upon as they were? I agree that the “tehzeeb” and “tameez” should be carried forth my question is what exactly comprise them? Not every student studying in the university comes from one specific religious, political or racial background so how can all of them be judged by putting them in a single category . a girl might come from a place where wearing shorts was normal and another might come from a place of abayas and hijabs. As long as a person maintains the decorum of the college it should not be a matter of concern as to what they wear when in their hostels or otherwise outside somewhere. I agree there are other things besides knowledge which represents us. There is difference between being ‘educated’ and ‘literate’. Where all the people studying in any institution are literate few manage to get themselves educated. That’s where the media comes in. You read then you question and finally analyse what is right and wrong. Nobody takes notice of things that don’t catch their attention and hence stay ignorant towards them. You being a media person yourself must be accustomed to this fact, you have a degree in that field. And yet it saddens me when people who have the power to raise their voice choose to take the easy way round and give justification by saying “protest with the help of media, we did not find feasible.”
We the students who really fight can never forget their duties or else why would we be putting such time and effort into something if we had the attitude of lying low in our hostel beds and thinking ‘ mere saath to aisa kuch nai hua to mai kyu ladu’.
We owe everything to our institute and hence it is our responsibility to transform it in such a way that the future students to be “ALIG” will have a healthier environment to prosper in.
Published on: Oct 10, 2016 @ 23:25
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Snowy Rahi is a student of Psychology Honours at Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Her passions apart from reading and writing include music and travelling.
Rahi aspires to be a writer.
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