Speeches on the university campuses are delivered by great thinkers, educationists, scientists and statesmen who choose their words and implied thoughts wisely. These are often published and become a part of the archives and the university lore, to be reiterated by each batch.
What does a university stand for? “A university stands for humanism, for tolerance, for reason, for the adventure of ideas and for the search of truth,” the oft-repeated quote of Jawaharlal Nehru is in fact a fragment of a speech that he delivered at Jawaharlal Nehru University. We have excellent examples of convocation speeches; reading them is a delight, a feast for both the heart and the mind.
To my view, a university stands for everything that is ideal in the world, everything that makes us human -- knowledge, ethics, values, justice, equity, equality and transcendence. Remove a university from the city, and the city is shorn of enlightenment, illumination, it goes dark. Even for the large section of society having no direct link with the university, who might not have ever entered the portal of the campus, a university is a site of respect, of academic brilliance and reverential educational discourses.
Great things happen inside a campus. Old ideas are churned, tested, scrutinised to be retained or thrown away; new ideas are generated, discovered and invented. Lives get transformed, knowledge enhanced, behaviours perfected, skills acquired. Friendships forged, mentors found, collaborators located, partners stumbled upon, life-long relationships are bonded in the classrooms, corridors, canteens, libraries and laboratories of the university.
{{/usCountry}}Great things happen inside a campus. Old ideas are churned, tested, scrutinised to be retained or thrown away; new ideas are generated, discovered and invented. Lives get transformed, knowledge enhanced, behaviours perfected, skills acquired. Friendships forged, mentors found, collaborators located, partners stumbled upon, life-long relationships are bonded in the classrooms, corridors, canteens, libraries and laboratories of the university.
{{/usCountry}}The society of tomorrow takes birth on the campus, is nurtured into responsible adulthood here. The next wave of the civil society takes shape in the crucible of the university. Apart from the idealistic perspective, a university is also the site of rigorous research, providing to society utilitarian and materialistic techniques, methods, concepts and products.
Even if it is not a ceremonial speech, every word that is said on the campus should be erudite, respectful and meaningful, whether these are uttered by students, teachers or administrators. There are certain things which are taboo in the university -- corruption, shrewd designs, conspiracies, petty thoughts, hate speech, suppression, bias, prejudice, inequality, discrimination.
Conflicts do arise on the campus, they are bound to arise in the arena of thoughts and perspectives, but these are not solved by insults, abuses, cuss words, uncouth acts, demeaning, belittling or hate speech. This is the first lesson students learn in a university -- agreeing to disagree, sorting differences, listening to your opponent, considering the dissent, allowing the alternative -- with grace and dignity. Students learn to negotiate, express themselves, communicate their deepest thoughts, defend their point of view, and substantiate their argument without raising their voice, with quiet elegance, poise and sophistication.
There is no place for rude, uncivilised, ill-mannered, foul-mouthed, coarse dialogues here. Howsoever disturbing be your grievance, nobody has the right to violence of any kind, be it physical, mental or verbal, inside the periphery of the campus. There is no place for provocateurs of hate, violence or users of crude language on a university campus and for that matter a college or even a school campus. jayantiduttaroy@yahoo.co.in
The author is faculty in the Human Resource Development Centre, Panjab University, Chandigarh