by Sudhir Bisht
Before I submit my 5 reasons for pleading with the striking FTII students to go back to their classes, I have to give my own experience about college strikes.
In 1981, with near 80% score in Physics, Chemistry & Maths in Class XII, I was admitted to Ramjas college for B.Sc (Honours) course in Physics. In the very first week of my joining the college, one of the top colleges in Delhi University then, the students, teachers and employees of the college went on a indefinite strike against the dictatorial behaviour of the college Principal, Dr. Kartar Singh.
The students of Ramjas college lost over 40 days to the strike and this had a debilitating effect on the careers of most of the students like me. I barely managed to get a First Class. Luckily for me, I migrated to the better run and more prestigious Hindu College, but the loss of learning sessions left me a little incomplete in terms of knowledge. There were new topics like ‘Vector Analysis’ and crucial concepts of ‘Thermodynamics’ that I was not able to comprehend for a long time.
Based upon my experience, I appeal to the students of FTII to call off their strike and go back to classes immediately. And I give five reasons in favour of my proposition.
1. Students will lose the most due to prolonged strike
The point the students of Ramjas college learnt in 1981-82 is that while the striking teachers and employees never lost even one day’s salary due to their participation in strike, the students lost their valuable learning sessions in the class and in the laboratory.
FTII students have been on strike since June 12. This means they have lost nearly 35 man-days. From FTII website, I have come to know that in a year the students have a maximum of 44 weeks of study. They have already lost 7 weeks. Their teachers will not work during the vacation period to make up for the lost 7 weeks. They will rather try to cover the entire syllabus in whatever time is left of the 44 weeks study schedule. Who then will be the sole sufferers in the entire melee? The students and none other than the students.
2. The Primary purpose of joining FTII was to learn the art and craft of Film & television. Not to Strike
Every year only 10 or 12 lucky ones get selected to pursue courses in FTII, a prestigious institute. Amazing, isn’t it? Just 10 to 12 students are selected from perhaps tens of thousands of aspirants. That places FTII students in the category of most brilliant and lucky students on the earth.
A battalion of teachers and employees is placed in FTII just to ensure that each year 10-12 students pass out of FTII in the various streams like acting, screenplay writing, editing, directing, cinematography, sound recording etc.
The primary objective of students is to learn the art and the science of their discipline, polish their personality by the multi-cultural exposure that they get and to come out as thoroughbred in their chosen field.
3. Students can make Gajendra Chauhan to leave even without going on strike
I concede that Gajendra Chauhan isn’t the kind of person who should be the Chairman of the institute. This is a bad decision by the government but should a lousy decision make the students choose a lousier path of going to strike.
Let Gajendra Chauhan join the institute as its Chairman. The students should just boycott any function that he chairs. Don’t exchange pleasantries with him, mock him through the weapon of graffiti, wear “GC go back” caps in institute’s campus and make him to go on his own. I am sure if the students and the teachers and the support staff launch a non-cooperation movement against the Chairman-elect, he will himself go away. The students of FTII are supposed to be creative wizards. They should make protests that don’t involve striking work. They should rather invent new ways of protesting, something that stings the target without hurting their own learning mission.
4. No Political Party is interested in the consequences of students’ strike
Some of the students seem to have received a massive psychological boost recently with Rahul Gandhi assuring them that he will voice their concerns in the Parliament. Scholars cannot believe in the words of the affable but naïve Rahul Gandhi. The principal opposition party isn’t willing to have a debate on Vyapam scam and the Lalit Gate. It is stalling Parliament and thereby preventing the passing of important legislations on GST and other bills. Rahul Gandhi has incited the students by saying that BJP encourages mediocrity! For a party that places one family over and above every other living thing is least competent to join the fight for promoting meritocracy.
5. The Government is least bit concerned about FTII Strike
The BJP, much like the Congress, has a very large number of influencers and lead workers who have to be adjusted for making significant contribution to the party’s cause. This is done by appointing these workers to cultural committees and to the Board of PSUs and to various commissions that exist chiefly to dole out the political largess. This is the commercial side of political system and howsoever hard we may wish it to go away, the fact is that it is only increasing with the passage of time.
The NDA government is least bothered about the strike in an institute in the lovely city of Pune, far away from the political heat of New Delhi and Bihar. The institute in any case is considered to be the hotbed of leftists and liberals.
A government which isn’t too perturbed about the relay hunger strike by retired soldiers that will soon enter the 50th day is unlikely to lose its sleep over the FTII strike.
So as someone who had suffered due to strike, I have only this to say to the students.
Comrades, you are fast losing your time and people’s sympathy. Let Dharmraj Yudhistir take over the mantle of Chairmanship. He will not be able to saffronise talented men like you. He is a happy go-luck man who will find the atmosphere of FTII a bit too intellectual for him to enjoy. He will either quit out of boredom or he will get mired in your colours.
And let me give you a broad hint. Call off the strike, let Chauhan join. This will soften I&B’s posture and maybe Chauhan will soon be moved to the Censor Board.
I wish you the very Best, with Chauhan, without Chauhan and in spite of Chauhan
Sudhir Bisht is a Published author and a freelance columnist. Feedback welcome at sudhir_bisht@rediffmail.com
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