Eighteenth

I wrote my end-sems this week. I can't find another way to describe the week.

Seventeenth

I would want to write on a number of issues. But I face some challenges with the time constraint. Maybe I will just touch upon them in brief before they fade into oblivion with newer happenings.

• Mid-sem paper incidents: After over a month, we finally have a chance to see our corrected mid-semester copies for two departmental courses. And these happened to be the same two subjects in which I was a bit dicey about my approach to questions. After going through my answer-scripts, I ask a couple of questions to the instructors-in-charge. And I was bombarded with accusations as being concerned only with the marks and a grade on my report card. I tried but in vain to clarify that I was just asking to know how did I go wrong. And I think the professors are not completely at fault for this behavior. Over past many years, I have observed my peers concerned only with the final tally on their first page pest them with "...Sir, you gave half mark more to XYZ for the same answer..." Even as a third person in such scenarios, I find it a tad irritating. No wonder why the profs are frustrated with grading queries.
• Nirvaak issue: The 'views-paper' created quite a controversy in the campus. Especially the anonymous rant about the hardships faced by the fairer half in the campus. I am just presenting a personal view on the matter. I agree a very sensitive issue was raised in the article. To the folks who were offended, lets just get over the cuss-words and sadakchaap nazar issues and focus mainly on the stereotyping problem that has been highlighted. This is a serious societal problem not only in the campus but also in the country and we need conversations and discussions about it. But the way that article was written, it sparked more of an outrage. From the very little knowledge I have on the impact of language, I gather the choice of words and tone pretty much determine the kind of reaction that would follow. And sadly, the author chose the wrong words and an accusative tone. And the result - instead of sparking meaningful discussions, 'Bajrang Dal IITK Special Cell' emerged. 
• Community hygiene/responsibility issue: Let me tell you something I have observed about X, my wing-mate. He never ever turns off his room's light and fan. He often brings food in disposables which he conveniently disposes very near to his room (not in a dustbin though, which again is hardly 10 steps away from his room.) He is also a big time smoker and one can see stubs all over the common areas. Then there is Y, another wingie of mine. He follows a similar path (except maybe he switches off the lights.) A trash-can is on his way to the room still he feels the need to throw that used cup in the common area. Z, another friend of mine and again, my wing-mate has this habit of spitting cough in open spaces. At least he is better than W, a chap living in my hostel who spits in the water-filter sink. And yes, these are the benefactors of undoubtedly the best undergraduate education in India. And these just happen to be the representative agents. I have tried to reason with X, Y & Z personally as they happen to be among my close friends. And the responses are, well, nomadic. Sometimes I curse my self why I am even trying to reason with them. All I can say, all the best to 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.

    That's it for the week. Happy end-sems!

Sixteenth

Project deadlines in vicinity. I wanted to write about mid-sem paper incidents (yes, there were 2 on successive days) but there are a couple of pending project reports. Maybe next time. Or next to next time, considering end-sems. 

Fifteenth

On 2nd November, the less famous Marine Drive of Kochi braced itself for a protest. And unlike most protests that are organized by local political heavyweights having media-spotlight as its only agenda, it was organized by a pro-liberal Facebook group called 'Free Thinkers'. Named 'Kiss of Love' (Yes, even I agree they could have done a better job at naming but the purpose of the protest was indeed noble) its purpose was to raise awareness against unnecessary moral policing in the name of Indian culture. Organizers had asked couples to assemble at Marine Drive and express love by kissing, holding hands or however they wish. As expected, Kerala police moral-policed the protest by refusing to give permission and detained over 50 people even before the start of the event.

The protest was a reaction to vandalization of a cafe in Kozhikode by political goons and clippings by a Congress-run channel on how kissing is immoral (Yes, the irony. This comes in a country that is on track to break the record for most population) among several idiosyncrasies (Valentine's Day hooliganism by Shiv Sena in Mumbai and SRS goons storming a pub in Mangalore come at the top of my mind) by self-appointed guardians of Indian culture and tradition. And I cannot help but wonder how useless and jobless these folks are! For a country whose culture sculpted Khajuraho and wrote Kamasutra, public display of affection should be of least concern. And I believe persisting with social norms decades past their expiry date is one of the gravest social problem our country is facing right now. We, as a society should embrace (or at least, tolerate) the shift in norms given they produce no negative externalities rather than classifying them as Indian or Western-inspired. In a country as big and diverse as ours, differences in perspectives are bound to arise and such attempts to color entire society with a single perspective harms the fabric that bonds us to co-exist.

And there are several other subjects where I believe we should have a greater degree of liberalism. From religion, caste, sex, eating habits, alcohol to marijuana, we should let go of scaffolding of pre-modern stereotypes and start focusing on more pertinent issues we are facing as a nation - violence against women, sanitation, quality of education, lack of healthcare facilities and the list goes on.

PS: I came across an amazing piece on this very subject some days back. Have a look at it here.