We invite contributions for an 'Open Page' in the September issue of UoH Dispatch (Print). The articles should not exceed 500 words and they will be subjected to editorial scrutiny.
Deadline: September 24, 12 midnight
Mohammed Shareef M P
Editor
Contact us here: contactdispatch@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
UoH celebrates Telangana liberation day
By Ashok Putta and Vishwanath C
Telangana Association of students and employees at the University of Hyderabad celebrated Telangana liberation day with revolutionary zeal here on September 17.
At a specially-convened programme at the Shopping Complex, activists of the Telangana Students Association, Telangana Forum and Telangana Employees Teaching and Non- Teaching Association paid rich homage to the martyrs, who laid their lives in the fight against the draconian Nizam’s army.
Visually challenged students from Integrated MA, Ch Harish Kumar, V Madhavulu, Jaya Ram, Anil Reddy, Yella Reddy and Venkatesh hoisted the flag to mark the occasion. The balladeer Yashpal enthralled people with his songs and dances.
Yashpal also explained as to how people of other parts of the state “are dominating” the Telangana region. “They took away our valuable lands and assets and on top of it they demean our Telangana language,” he said adding that political parties had been exploiting the Telangana issue only to derive political mileage. Telangana Students Association founder Silveru Harinath and others took part in this programme.
Telangana movement, known as 'Telangana peasants' armed struggle,' had witnessed a fierce battle between revolutionaries and Nizam’s army called Razakars. Following the martyrdom of more than 4,000 people, Telangana got liberated from the Nizam’s clutches on September 17, 1948, thirteen months after
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Integrating gender into the classroom
“Along with specialized courses on gender-related issues, gender needs to be integrated into all the classroom discussions,” Dr. Aparna Rayaprol of the Department of Sociology in the University of Hyderabad has observed. Addressing a research lecture on ‘Has Feminist Research Changed Pedagogical Approaches in Social Science?’ at the New Seminar Hall in the School of Social Sciences on September 16, 2009, she observed specialized courses on gender and women's studies tended to ghettoize the issue. Even though this wasn't a bad thing, gender needs to be incorporated into regular classroom teaching and have a broader scope, she said.
Drawing from her experiences in teaching gender related courses, Dr.Rayaprol discussed the various engagements students had with gender in the classroom and how they had changed over the years. The lecture discussed the feminist standpoint theory as a sociological method of teaching where analysis happened from a position of opposition to the established discourses and social meanings. She pointed out that it was necessary to keep discussing gender without allowing it to get completely subsumed within the larger debates of caste and class.
Giving an example, she spoke about how when a seminar was being organized a few years ago on 'Women and Water Rights' people asked what women had to do with water rights. It never occurred to them she explained, that it was the women in rural areas who walked miles in the hot sun to fetch water because they had no supply in their homes which made it predominantly a women's issue.
Recalling the earlier decades, she lamented the fact that more vibrant gender debates on campus happened back then, while today’s young women whom she described as “a generation of complacence,” took their privileged position for granted without understanding what has happened or how they got here. She emphasized that it was necessary to “incorporate gender studies into mainstream social sciences where students and teachers can both become subjects.”
Drawing from her experiences in teaching gender related courses, Dr.Rayaprol discussed the various engagements students had with gender in the classroom and how they had changed over the years. The lecture discussed the feminist standpoint theory as a sociological method of teaching where analysis happened from a position of opposition to the established discourses and social meanings. She pointed out that it was necessary to keep discussing gender without allowing it to get completely subsumed within the larger debates of caste and class.
Giving an example, she spoke about how when a seminar was being organized a few years ago on 'Women and Water Rights' people asked what women had to do with water rights. It never occurred to them she explained, that it was the women in rural areas who walked miles in the hot sun to fetch water because they had no supply in their homes which made it predominantly a women's issue.
Recalling the earlier decades, she lamented the fact that more vibrant gender debates on campus happened back then, while today’s young women whom she described as “a generation of complacence,” took their privileged position for granted without understanding what has happened or how they got here. She emphasized that it was necessary to “incorporate gender studies into mainstream social sciences where students and teachers can both become subjects.”
Saturday, September 19, 2009
VC calls for re-election
After a thorough scrutiny of the merits of the various contentions put forth regarding the election that has happened, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Seyed E Hasnain, declared that the procedure carried out so far was null and void.
In the capacity of being the Appellate Authority, the VC issued an order calling for a fresh election process which will be initiated by inviting nominations for various posts. As per the order, the Election Commission elected earlier by the Student General Body Meeting held on August 20, 2009, stands dissolved and the new election process will be facilitated by the Dean of Students Welfare. Two Faculty members as Returning Officers will be appointed and they will have the mandate to carry out the entire process in a transparent manner.
The last date for the completion of all procedures starting from the filing of nominations to declaring the result will be October 10, 2009.
Friday, September 18, 2009
GRC recommends re-polling, protest soars
It is learnt that the Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC) has given a report to the Vice Chancellor (VC), Prof. Seyed E Hasnain, that the polling process that happened in connection with the Students Union election 2009-2010 should be nullified. Though an official confirmation is yet to come, re-polling for all the schools is the strong recommendation from the GRC on two grounds. The first is that the Election Commission (EC) failed in maintaining the trust of the electorate by coming up with multiple figures of polling (the number of people who voted and the number of ballots sorted out from different schools). The second point is that the EC did not take signatures of students who voted from the
Monday, September 14, 2009
UoH celebrates Onam
The high spirited Malayali students on UoH campus celebrated Onam with gaiety and fervour at DST auditorium on September 12. A youthful cultural evening was organized by Kairali Association, a collective of the Malayali students on campus, to celebrate the festival of Thiruvonam.
The programme started at 6 pm with the lighting of lamp by King Mahabali, played by Mohammed Anvar of 1st semester MA Communication, followed by a welcome dance. Students performed traditional danceforms like Thiruvathira, Margamkali, Oppana and Kolkali. Girls were draped in their traditional kasavu sarees with jasmine flowers adorning their hair and boys in mundu and shirts. An intricate design with flowers, called athappookkalam (or floral carpet) was made at the entrance to mark on the special occasion.
The show was hosted by Sidharth Varma (1st MA Communication) and Arathi R (2nd MA Applied Linguistics). The presentation on the rich cultural heritage of the state encapsulating the spirit of the diverse artforms, festivals and literature was a treat in itself. The programme ended with a sadya (big feast) that laid out close to 22 food items including payasam (kheer).
“I liked the food, it was very tasty specially Payasam and pineapple pachadi. This is the first time I got a chance to taste the Kerala cuisine, and to see their tradition of serving food on banana leaves.” said Pujarini Das, 2nd MA Philosophy.
Although only 300 Keralites are studying at UoH, more than 700 students attended the feast. Guest coupons had been handed out before the event and many students accompanied their Malayali friends to enjoy the traditional feast. “It’s a good feeling of togetherness when you are away from home; to celebrate something which is so important for everyone in Kerala,” Tresa Benjamin, Chairperson of Kairali Association, told the UoH Dispatch team. The festival of Onam is celebrated in the Malayalam month of Chingam that falls in the end of August and the beginning of September. It is a harvest festival and celebrates the rewards of nature after a year of hard work. It is celebrated for a period of ten days, starting on the Atham day and continuing till the tenth and the biggest day called Thiruvonam.
Mytholigically, Onam is a joyous annual reminiscence of the golden rule of King Mahabali, an Asura King, who ruled Kerala centuries ago. It is believed that the Devas, who were jealous of the following the King had, sent Lord Vishnu in the form of Vamana to take his life. Onam recalls Mahabali's sacrifice, true devotion to God, and ultimate redemption and welcomes the King to his land annually with celebrations aplomb.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Confusion yet again!
Twenty four hours haven't passed after the statement that counting will resume on September 11th and political chaos on campus has forced the Dean of Students' Welfare (DSW) to change the decision again. Official sources confirmed that counting has been deferred.
Apparently, a new complaint from students was referred to the Grievance Redressal Commitee (GRC) by the Vice Chancellor. Since the GRC needs 24 hours to look into this complaint, the counting that is supposed to happen on September 11th has been postponed until further decision. Meanwhile, the VC has also asked the GRC to submit a complete report on what has happened until now from the time of the General Body Meeting.
It is clear that without the support of all student organisations, counting cannot take place. At this point, that is the last thing that the DSW or the EC can claim.
Multiple contradicting statements from the authority and consistent conflict of ideas among political parties point towards one sure thing though – it is going to be long before University of Hyderabad will have Students' Union 2009-2010.
Counting on September 11
The Dean of Students’ Welfare (DSW) confirmed on September 10th that the counting process would resume on Friday morning, September 11th. Dr. Ananthakrishnan mentioned that the state has assured the required police forces on Friday and there is no need to wait any more. The process shall begin at 9 am and the results are expected to be out by 6 pm.
Coming to know of this announcement, the ABVP and the ASA-NSUI-DSU alliance came together against the decision. They stay put that the polling process was rigged and there is no meaning in carrying on with this election with the existing Election Commission (EC).
The presence of polling agents of all contestants is required for the counting process to happen. If these parties decide to boycott counting on Friday, the administration would not be able to do anything but to postpone it indefinitely. On the other hand, being the supreme authority on this matter, the EC also can boycott the process if it is postponed indefinitely against its wishes. But unless they resign, no re-election can happen. With all political parties except SFI in no mood to settle for anything other than a re-election, it looks like a perfect catch-22 situation!
It’s not that easy, says the EC!
The Election Commission (EC), the most powerful authority in the university to take decisions regarding the Students’ Union is not having the best of times. A body that should be in charge a maximum of ten days only has been carrying out their responsibilities for close to twenty days now, thanks to a postponed polling and counting.
It is recommended that the entire process of elections, commencing from the date of filing of nomination papers to the date of declaration of results, including the campaign period, should not exceed 10 days.
(Clause 6.4.1, Lyngdoh Committee Report)
EC members, who have not been attending classes or taking part in any academic activity since the election procedure commenced, were therefore deeply unsatisfied with the decision of the Dean of Students' Welfare (DSW) to defer the counting process on September 8th, Tuesday. They told the UoH Dispatch Team that according to the DSW, this happened due to a 'miscommunication' between the Vice Chancellor (VC) and him. This was in lieu of the confusion that was going on inside the Lecture Hall Complex (LHC) opposite Students’ Canteen, the venue of the counting process.
One of the EC members, who did not want to be named, told us that the VC gave a nod for counting on September 8th on condition that there was adequate security to handle any potential disturbance. However, the DSW announced that due to undisclosed problems, the counting had to be stopped. The EC asserts that there was enough security at that point of time and that the DSW succumbed to the pressure from political parties.
They were also irked by the fact that DSW did not announce a specific date as to when counting could resume. Also, the ballot boxes had been broken by the EC and as per norms, the counting should not have been postponed; thus exposing the ballot boxes to a serious security threat. The members thus went ahead and submitted a letter to the DSW that they would boycott the election process unless a specific and not-so-late date was allotted.
Meanwhile, the EC is facing widespread allegations that the electoral process was rigged with their knowledge. The NSUI-ASA-DSU alliance came out with pamphlets and mismatching figures of ballot papers on Wednesday morning itself. However, the discrepancies in the ballot paper, according to the EC, are misrepresented in the exaggerated figures that are floating around.
“This dillydallying is bound to create bad blood among the students. University authorities should settle the things across the table to put an end to this unsavory episode,” a faculty member told the UoH Dispatch team on condition of anonymity. The looming uncertainty has already caused isolated cases of violence on campus with one SFI member getting assaulted.
Speaking to us, some members of the EC expressed apprehension that the longer it takes to start the counting process, the greater are the chances of vandalism with the ballot boxes. They also said that they are unhappy with the way the DSW convened the Grievance Redressal Committee meeting without calling for any representation from the EC.
Grievances post the GRC meeting...
By Deepti Bharthur and Ardra Balachandran
Students had dispersed on Tuesday, September 8th, after the DSW informed them that a Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC) meeting will happen next day to decide on future course of action.
He told them that the GRC had decided that after a full review of pertaining documents, a decision will be taken. Unhappy with the mandate that counting was not going to begin soon, SFI members demanded for the same quoting VC’s permission to go ahead with the proceedings. The DSW further explained the issue and expressed the inability to gather observers (for the counting process) so quickly. At this, the SFI members gheraoed Dr. Ananthakrishnan’s office and repeated their demand
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
A night of reckoning!
By Deepti Bharthur and Deepti Nair
As per schedule, the Election Commission (EC) was supposed to begin counting at 10 am in the morning. However, it wasn’t until 4:00 pm in the evening, that the process began and ran into controversy shortly afterwards. Within three hours, the first rumor started coming in of extra ballot papers being found in some boxes. The initial figure which started at a non-remarkable 18 soon jumped to an alarming 386 by the end of the night.
Former Union President and SFI member, Nelson Mandela quickly refuted the rumors saying that the information was exaggerated. “Last year also there was, and every year there is some amount of human error of 20- 30 ballots.”
Vincent K, a member of ASA said, “We had some suspicions about the functioning of the EC. So we asked them today to count the ballot from each polling station separately. Usually all boxes are dumped together. If that was the case, then this (the alleged discrepancy) would not have been found out.”
“We caught one of the EC members giving ballot papers to one SFI member. The whole thing has been done with the knowledge of the EC and the DSW”, an ABVP member said.
It was a night of sleepless vigil for politically aware students as they gathered around the Students’ Centre for updates on the results. Tightly knit groups of mostly male students with various party allegiances moved around in restless uncertainty. By around 9:00 pm, the situation changed completely with ABVP and the NSUI-DSU-ASA alliance starting to protest at the alleged discrepancies in the ballot count. The SFI students began a counter protest demanding for counting. Things took a serious turn close to midnight with a heated clash between various student organizations culminating in physical assault. At this point, the police intervened and dispersed the group.
Meanwhile, the Dean of Students’ Welfare (DSW) was in negotiation with the EC inside and it wasn’t till post midnight that an announcement was made that the counting was to be suspended temporarily in view of the controversy. The EC refused to do the counting if it were to be delayed indefinitely.
Former Union President and SFI member, Nelson Mandela quickly refuted the rumors saying that the information was exaggerated. “Last year also there was, and every year there is some amount of human error of 20- 30 ballots.”
Vincent K, a member of ASA said, “We had some suspicions about the functioning of the EC. So we asked them today to count the ballot from each polling station separately. Usually all boxes are dumped together. If that was the case, then this (the alleged discrepancy) would not have been found out.”
“We caught one of the EC members giving ballot papers to one SFI member. The whole thing has been done with the knowledge of the EC and the DSW”, an ABVP member said.
It was a night of sleepless vigil for politically aware students as they gathered around the Students’ Centre for updates on the results. Tightly knit groups of mostly male students with various party allegiances moved around in restless uncertainty. By around 9:00 pm, the situation changed completely with ABVP and the NSUI-DSU-ASA alliance starting to protest at the alleged discrepancies in the ballot count. The SFI students began a counter protest demanding for counting. Things took a serious turn close to midnight with a heated clash between various student organizations culminating in physical assault. At this point, the police intervened and dispersed the group.
Meanwhile, the Dean of Students’ Welfare (DSW) was in negotiation with the EC inside and it wasn’t till post midnight that an announcement was made that the counting was to be suspended temporarily in view of the controversy. The EC refused to do the counting if it were to be delayed indefinitely.
Every year, a procedural error of 10-20 ballots is common in the polls. This year, because of oversights on the part of the EC, the ballot counts from two polling stations, were not tallied. In the School of Life Sciences, error crept in due to the misplacement of two polling sheets. The sheets were later found and were allegedly ratified. In the Special Centre for Integrated Studies, the issue was that the mismatch in the initial count was not reported till later. But that was also tallied later.
If one went by the figures which were published by NSUI , it failed to account for the votes cast by the EC members and reported 386 extra ballots. A later pamphlet brought out by the NSUI- DSU- ASA while adding the EC votes, still arrived at the figure of 386. As of now, the official figures for error are yet to be confirmed.
The prelude to pandemonium
By Deepti Nair
Students’ Union election this time has all the trappings of a general election; every step is embroiled in controversies. Allegations and counter allegations have reverberated in the sprawling University of Hyderabad campus. Provocative slogans, heated arguments, instant dharnas and scuffles are common sights during each and every stage of the process. Sensing the surcharged atmosphere, the authorities ensured ‘unprecedented’ security. Wondering what led to this perfect chaos and deadlock?
Here goes a factual account of this year’s election.
The GBM
The General Body Meeting (GBM), held on August 20, was called by the ex Students’ Union to dissolve itself and elect an Election Commission (EC). It witnessed widespread protests from parties like Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA) and National Students’ Union of India (NSUI). These unions argued that the GBM and the election should be postponed as around 400 students had not finished their semester registration and thus could not participate in this democratic process.
Though this sentiment is logical, it was not articulated clearly during the GBM but was clarified only in the posters that came out later. During the GBM, it was vehemently argued that new students, especially from rural backgrounds, were not well acquainted with the university and that freshers’ parties had not been conducted. It is thus not very surprising that the GBM did undertake its natural course despite the fact that most protestors staged a walkout. The election of the EC members which was taking place before the walkout, continued and, finally, a 29-member EC was constituted. A section of students cried foul over this but they couldn’t prevent the election process.
Arguments: Valid or not?
The validity of all the arguments put forward by different groups has to be examined. One is whether students who did not have a new semester registration card could enter the GBM with their admit cards or the old semester cards. Ramkrishna Reddy, president of the NSUI, said, “It (entering the GBM with admit cards) has not happened in the history of this university. The last date for my registration was August 25. Even I was not allowed to enter the DST for the GBM, but I entered from the side.”
The second question is regarding the validity of the EC that was formed. When a show of hands was called to vote for the continuation of the electoral processes, the ex Students’ Union President Nelson Mandela said that out of the 170 students present, 110 students had given the mandate to continue with it. These figures were readily contested by the other parties pointing out that 110 students in this university was hardly a majority.
Mandela had taken quite an erratic step by stating such a ‘fact.’ It is argued that the method of voting (hand count) is a cumbersome one and one can, at best, make a generalised count. Thus, in no way, one can say that 110 or 170 were accurate numbers or whether the real count was less or more. This mystery shall forever remain and the next GBM should learn its lessons from this one to come up with a better system of counting.
The opposing parties claim was that the EC consists of SFI supporters because it had been formed during the GBM which, according to them, did not have the required majority.
More protests
What followed was a deluge of protests by the ASA, NSUI, the Dalit Students’ Union (DSU) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Often marked by the use of foul language, they took place with alarming regularity outside the EC office. It culminated in the peaceful sit-in of August 29 in which they demanded the dissolving of the EC and the calling of a new GBM. What led to the sit-in was the fact that a parallel GBM had been called for with around 800 signatures collected in support. But the GBM failed to take place proving beyond doubt the disinterest of student community in the hugely politicised fiasco that the electoral process had become.
The following day witnessed more protests outside the office of the Dean, Students’ Welfare (DSW) to dissolve the EC and postpone the elections. This was the day which was set aside for the Open Dias session which for security reasons did not take place. A Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC) was set up on the next day and a decision was made to postpone the elections as the EC had not been able to carry out its duties. An irony is that while the protests at the DSW office were going on, election campaign by the same political parties were going on in other places.
The end - More fiasco
The election scheduled for September 7th took place on time. But the counting process which was scheduled for September 8th became a highly politicised drama which went on until the wee hours of the next morning. (more) Amid all the political games, the spirit of this democratic process was highly dampened. Rules were broken right, left and centre. Posters by all the contesting parties continued to appear despite the fact that it was against the norms. The EC, which is supposed to be an all-powerful body, became helpless. The election commission office was taken over and materials from inside went missing. Arguments aside, the fact that the Students’ Union election in an ‘intellectually enlightened academic institution’ like ours had to become such a divisive and appalling event cuts a sorry picture.
A case of missing girls!
One look at the number of female candidates in the ‘ongoing’ electoral process, and you see heavily tilted pans in the balance of gender. Ramani Baddam (SFI) and Shravanti (ASA-NSUI-DSU alliance) who contested for the posts of Vice President and Cultural Secretary respectively represent the whole female population of UoH which roughly forms 30-35% of the student community. Then, of course, there are the two contenders for the post of Committee Against Sexual Harassment (CASH) committee representative – Anuradha Banerji (SFI) and Ranjani (Independent).
Superficially, one may say that girls are not comfortable being on the public platform where all eyes will be on them. “At the end of the day, it takes some amount of guts and grit to represent the student community,” says Pridhvi, a 1st year I MSc Physics student. But is it just that? And do all women lack it?
The answer is a definite no. Plain lethargy is one real reason. Although girls face multiple issues of subtle gender inequality on campus, no one wants to come out of her shell and confront them. Umpteen numbers of questions are there to ask. How many girls feel safe to walk through the campus at odd times? How many girls know about the various committees present on campus to take care of issues including sexual harassment? Dr. Aparna Rayaprol, an active gender activist and the Director of the Study India Program, puts it aptly. “We do not take responsibility and take too much for granted.”
An important point to note here is that the presence of girls in the Students Union does not guarantee justice to girls on the campus. A motivated male leader can do as much help as a motivated female leader and vice versa. It is a known fact that the Rajiv Gandhi regime was more gender sensitive than his mother’s regime. However, nobody doubts the fact that representation is important. Like Soumya Subramaniam, another 1st year student, confesses, let us thank God that girls find it important to contest for CASH Committee membership, at least.
Another important reason is that there is absolutely no encouragement from the politically inclined student organizations to make the fairer sex participate in the electoral process. Both the right wing and the left wing parties talk about inclusiveness; but hardly anyone practices it. If at all they choose to have one female member in the panel, is it for legitimate reasons? It is better not to have a girl in the Students’ Union than to have her just as an embellishment.
There was a time when there was no specific redressal system for cases of sexual harassment at UoH. It took the effort of many enterprising women here to establish the CASH committee as we know it today. But at that time, the campus population also was far more sensitive than now. In 1995, there was a case of rape on campus and the entire population came together – students and faculty alike – to ensure that justice was gained.
However, today, in spite of CASH committee being in power, girls choose to cover up their horrifying experiences due to sheer fear of ‘others getting to know.’ This fear does not bloom from nowhere. We are all aware how we are increasingly becoming desensitized by each passing day.
Dr. Aparna remembers that it was in the 90s that a call for reservation for girls was first heard on campus. The discussions graduated into claims of ‘quotas within quotas’ with the intersection of caste and gender, and as one may guess correctly, they died out.
Given the fact that our campus is much hyped to be an ‘intellectually enlightened’ one, we need to ask two important questions. First, do the UoH girls need to be allotted a quota to come out and be seen? Second, is sexual harassment the only legitimate female issue that we need to deal with? If girls do not think beyond the typecast roles in the Students’ Union soon, certain male chauvinists will get used to the situation. They will start asking, more frequently, ridiculous questions like the one Ramani Baddam faced on the first day of counting (August 7th).
“Why do you women bother to come into politics?”
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
UoH introduces Braille ballot system
By Kalishekar P
History can be created. This is exactly what happened at the Students’ Union Election this year at
Earlier, university officials and the Election Commission members had gracefully accepted the proposal sent by the visually challenged students. However, the printing started only at 2.00 am on Monday, after many hiccups. By 6.30 am, three people managed to print 50 copies in a special room.
A university official told us that accessibility is a key issue for the administration. Prof. Umamaheshwar Rao, coordinator of the empowered committee for the differently abled persons, said, "in an Indian university, this is the first time that a braille ballot system has been introduced and 99% disabled voters utilised the facility in this pioneering effort."
The visually impaired students were indeed pleased with this facility. Councillor of School of Management Studies, Mohammed Amer said, "it makes everyone independent and privacy can be maintained. It also brings awareness among people." Kapil, a 2nd year MA Political Science student said that it is an innovation that offers flexibility for the visually impaired to exercise their franchise. He also added that it was a very thrilling experience for him since it was the first time."
Ch. Harishkumar mentioned that being a member in the Election Commission helped him to put forth this idea with strength and conviction. “I hope this will be continued in the coming years," he added.
Many visually challenged students suggested that the braille ballot system should be introduced across all universities in India. Even in the general election, this facility should be made available in all polling booths unlike the 2009 election when only certain polling booths had the 'privilege.' This will be a right step to assert every citizen’s right to maintain his vote as confidential.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Editorial
A paradox of democracy at
It has been quite an election right from the beginning. We have to thank you, the angry protestor, for enriching our understanding of the whole shebang. Had you not been there, to correctly point out to us how foolish we were to assume that we could simply waltz in wherever we felt like and report stuff, we couldn’t have possibly understood the extent of our misconception.
We’re really sorry if we ever thought that we lived in a free and democratic campus where we didn’t need ‘permission’ to talk to people and ask them about their opinions, that this was a place where people came together for the pursuit of intellect and free exchange of ideas. It's obviously our fault and we therefore deserve all your chagrin like trying to snatch our cameras, accusing us of taking sides and getting us barred from the election premises.
You’re right; we’re not the ‘real’ press. Trust us; you should be glad we’re not. They’d never quite see the logical soundness of your brilliant argument. It's not their fault. They actually believe that every Indian citizen has a fundamental right to free speech and expression. We’re just students; trying to give the campus a comprehensive news source to the best of our abilities. We’re not keen on conducting political espionage or trying to mislead students.
However, also know that we’re not superhuman. We can’t possibly atone for crimes we haven’t committed yet. Therefore when you accuse us of being pro or anti anything, we’d like you to actually read our coverage before you do it. How can we possibly feel suitably repentant if you lash out us preemptively?
Now that you’re here, go ahead, mark out every little thing that you feel is wrong or biased and post a comment about it. We’ll read patiently and account for it as best as we can. That’s what we do in a democratic society; provided we’re still living in one, of course.
Yours Sincerely,
UoH Dispatch Team
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