Freedom square in JNU comes back to life
The freedom square in JNU was recently cordoned off by the administration in view of its being the popular venue for students’ protest. But yesterday, it came back to life, proving that barricades cannot stop the voices of dissent. The irrepressible students of JNU organized a third wave of Public Lecture Series at the Freedom […]
The freedom square in JNU was recently cordoned off by the administration in view of its being the popular venue for students’ protest. But yesterday, it came back to life, proving that barricades cannot stop the voices of dissent. The irrepressible students of JNU organized a third wave of Public Lecture Series at the Freedom Square on 18.1.2017 with some brilliant cultural performances by the students. Prof. Nivedita Menon & Prof. Rajat Datta delivered Introduction Speeches. This was followed by lectures by Prof. Ashwini Deshpande, Bezwada Wilson and then one more brilliant cultural performance by the creative students. Finally Prof. Archana Prasad delivered her lecture. This is a part of the 5-day lecture series on ‘Democracy and Social Justice- Access and Equality’.
Our universities have turned into gas chambers
Bezwada Wilson, manual scavenger turned activist fighting for the eradication of manual scavenging spoke about the deteriorating freedoms in India over the last 40 years. Comparing his mother’s plea to him as a child to study and get into school and college to Radhika Vemula, mother of Rohith Vemula who is afraid to send her second son to a university, he blasted the government saying that caste-based atrocities have increased.
Radhika Vemula, icon for Dalit women
Wilson also said that Dalits from all over the country should take courage from the fighting spirit of Radhika Vemula who has continued steadfast in her fight for justice, not accepting compensation but demanding punishment for her son’s killers.
PM tells us his ‘mann ki baat’ but is not ready to listen
Bezwada Wilson spoke about the dangerous trend of branding any dissenting voice as unpatriotic and anti-national. Also noting the response to army videos he said every soldier who complains is not anti national and deserves to be heard and not punished. Wilson said, “Till the time a soldier is dying at the border, he is a patriotic hero. The moment he complains about daal he is an anti-national and an alcoholic. The Prime Minister keeps telling us his ‘mann ki baat’, but he is not ready to know what the people of this country want to tell him.”
Anti-fascist stance of the JNU teachers and students was in full display, even in the cultural program that followed.
