Neel Kranti Media

Gurinder Azad of Neel Kranti Media, interviews Dr N Sukumar, Prof, Delhi University on the ongoing protests against the new FYUP system in Delhi University. Teachers and students from Delhi University and elsewhere have been analyzing the implications of the FYUP on SC, ST and OBC students and have come together as 'Joint Action Front for Democratic Education' to oppose it. The teachers and students have been on the streets protesting in Delhi's hot summer days. Dr N Sukumar highlights some of the main reasons for the protests.

Please also read related articles on the subject:

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Text of Representation given to the Visitor Of Delhi University, the President of India, on May 14, 2013 by the Joint Action Front for Democratic Education

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To
Shri Pranab Mukherjee
Visitor, University of Delhi & President of India
Rashtrapathi Bhavan
New Delhi.

May 14, 2013

The 4-Year Degree at Delhi University: Request to institute a Visitorial inquiry u/S. (7)(A)(2) of the Delhi University Act of 1922

Sir,

The move to add one more year to the undergraduate degree programme at Delhi University is going to make higher education inaccessible and beyond the reach of large masses, especially the socially and economically backward classes (SCs, STs, and OBCs), women and persons with disabilities. The policy of Reservation in education, which is mandated by the Constitution of India, will be thwarted and made nugatory if students from these categories cannot complete their education due to the addition of an extra year, which is the most likely fallout of the proposed change.

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Please Sign this Petition (here, on Change.org) to the Vice Chancellor, Osmania University, to Remove Unauthorized Religious Constructions in the Osmania University Campus.
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To,

The Vice Chancellor

Osmania University,

Hyderabad.

Respected sir,

Subject: - Removal of unauthorised religious constructions in the university campus.

We the undersigned request you to please order for removal of illegally constructed 15 temples and 7 masjids in Osmania University.

Education institutions meant for educational activities. Illegal erection of temples and masjids in the educations institutions will not serve any purpose of education; it is completely against the secular spirit of our constitution.

University Campus must be a secular zone. Students and staff come here to study/ research and not to worship. Erecting religious structures at every nook and corner is a nuisance and it is the evidence of collapsing educational values.

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Neel Kranti Media

Delhi University is well known for its caste based discrimination against SC/ST/OBCs. To loot the seats of dalit-bahujans is its every year program. Not just this, several vacancies pertaining to SC/ST/OBCs are lying vacant for several years. The heap of backlog has gone high. Roster system is another area where obstacles are created.

In the wake of high level discrimination and to raise voice for their demands, Academic Forum for Social Justice, AISF, Arjak Sangh, Students for Social Justice, and UDSF have together given a call for a protest against Delhi University's casteist behaviour on 7th May, 2013 in front of the gate of Delhi University's Vice Chancellor office; and on 8th May, 2013 in front of Ministry of Human Resource & Development, New Delhi.

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Appeal to support buying water tanks for rural families in drought-hit Solapur district

[Via Chetana Sawai]

We all are aware that Maharashtra is badly hit by drought this year and some of the districts are worst in the context of availability of drinking and portable water. Sangola is one of the blocks in Solapur district that receives poor rain every year much below the state and district average and because it rained very less last year water sources are completely dried in Sangola block. Agriculture and cropping this year is a remote possibility. Live stock is already shifted to government or cooperative run 'fodder camps' and many families are too shifted to these fodder camps for the animals.

Rural to urban or semi-urban migration of men is a very common phenomena in this block and due to the drought this year it has increased leaving older people, women and children behind to face the water scarcity. Government water tankers (through corrupt tanker lobby) sometimes reach drought-hit villages but distribution is not equitable and fair. Those upper caste families (who have water containers) can store water, but those families who do not have containers (mostly Dalit families in villages) cannot even store water required for daily needs. They need water tanks to store water. 

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Today, following unrest in EFLU, Hyderabad, after the death of M Narsing Rao, a Dalit contractual employee, the police entered the EFLU campus and lathi charged students and employees who were protesting peacefully demanding compensation for the bereaved family. Many students and employees including faculty members were hurt in the lathi charge. 6 students and a few other workers of EFLU were arrested and taken away from the campus. They were in the Osmania police station from the morning and were shifted to the Kachiguda police station in the afternoon. They were in police custody till late evening and were released only around 8.30 pm. Most of those arrested were SC/ST and Muslim students who are active participants in the campus politics of EFLU.

The tussle between the police and the workers and students took place while the body of the dead labourer was taken for post-mortem. It was after this that they staged a protest in EFLU. At this time, the police was called in by the administration and they resorted to lathi charging the students. Some students were trying to capture the lathi charge on camera and it was then that the police started arresting them. 

The EFLU campus had seen an active and dynamic politics by Dalit, Bahujan, Adivasi and minority students in the last few years. Students here had systematically protested the harassment meted out to SC/ST/OBC students and were bringing to public notice various issues of concern to them.

The situation in EFLU grew volatile after the suicide of Mudassir Kamran, a Kashmiri student, who allegedly killed himself after he was arrested by the Police at the behest of the Proctor of EFLU. Similarly, EFLU was again in the news, when a senior professor filed a case against a few SC/ST/OBC students who were protesting against her harassment of their fellow SC/ST/OBC students.

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Please sign (inserting your name etc in the brackets) this appeal to the Prime Minister of India to include Pali, the ancient language, in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution by going to this site.

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Letter to Hon. Prime Minister of India For Inclusion of Pali, ancient Indian language, in Constitution of India

Hon. Prime Minister of India,
South Block, Raisina Hill,
New Delhi, India-110011.

Respected Sir,

Myself {NAME} from {CITY} urging for following request.
 

Pali: An Ancient Language

Pali is one of the ancient languages in India. Buddha had chosen Pali language for his teachings since it was the "common man's" language. Buddha's era was 600 BC. That means Pali language is very ancient and has at least 2500 years of history. Buddha's teachings are in rich classical Pali language. Any language reaches to that classical level, does exist and used in day-to-day communications around 500 years before it reach to classical stage. In this context, we can state that Pali has around 3000 years of history!

In around 300 BC Samrat Ashoka scripted the Buddha's teaching in manuscripts. The manuscripts of Emperor Ashoka are in Pali language written in Brahmi and Kharoshti scripts that are largely found from Kandahar (Afghanistan) to Andhra Pradesh and Saurashtra, Pakistan to Odisha. This gives us the magnitude of Pali speaking region in India and in Asia. Pali, in some regions, also known as Magadhi since it was the language of Magadh Empire. (Reference: History of Pali Literature, by B.C.Law)

After 3rd Sangitee (Buddhist way of conference) the collection of Buddha's thoughts were started and then its get sorted. In 4th Sangitee (29 BC) in Sri Lanka, the thoughts of Buddha were scripted/written in Pali language. (Reference: Saddhammasangaho, by Dhammakitti)
 

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