Friday 29 January 2016

Death of a Hyderabad Student


Rohith Vemula was about 27 years old and a student working for his Ph.D. in the University of Hyderabad.  His name appeared over all news media recently when he hanged himself in the hostel room of a friend, leaving a suicide note.   A sad event, no doubt.

Television and newspapers covered leaders of many political parties who flocked to Hyderabad, met Rohith’s grieving mother and his friends at the university premises and issued statements demanding sacking of some ministers and the university’s vice chancellor.  Raising issues and grabbing media’s attention is what all political leaders would do, but there is something the Hyderabad-bound leaders did not do, which is worrying. 

Rohith excelled in studies and had scored high marks in the Ph.D. admission interview, according to his guide in research.  He and four other Dalit students, all members of Ambekar Students Association, had been expelled from the university hostel for some misdemeanor, after holding enquiries.  That action did not curtail their access to university library or labs or suspend their study programme.  In this scenario Rohith took his own life.  However his suicide note does not name or blame anyone as driving him to die.

Reports differ on whether Rohith was a Dalit or not.  Whatever the truth, we see politicians clamour and protest more over events and issues that concern Dalit citizens than if they relate to other citizens.  Here politicians play clever over hapless people.  Indian politicians know that among the country’s population women count about 48.5%, religious minorities roughly 20% and Dalits close to 17%.  So they jump to project any issue touching a single individual of any group as one affecting his or her whole group.  With that stance the politician could portray himself as espousing a cause of millions of people and hope to reap their votes in big numbers in one harvest.  A controversy of this nature may attract arguments of many shades, some genuine and some pretentious.  Here it is not easy to decide if a politician really takes up a public cause which benefits huge numbers of people or he is blowing up an individual issue pretending it as a group cause.  Mostly irresponsible politicians occupy the filed, make unfair choices and have a merry game for votes.  They cannot be checked until our democracy matures and our electorate becomes truly discerning to show their judgement at election time.   
 
Leave alone the question if the university had a good cause for expelling Rohith Vemula from its hostel.  Any answer to that question should not cloud an important issue about which most of our political class remains silent.  That issue is: Should Rohith not have decided to live, stand up and strive to succeed in the wide world rather than take his life following an expulsion from a university hostel?  The battles to be won for anyone in India are harder to go through than an expulsion from a university hostel, and Rohith would have certainly spared his separated mother deep agony by continuing to live.   And, staying alive, if he completes his Ph.D. and does other acts of good value he will lastingly inspire many in his community, which his rash act cannot do.  An example of braving odds and achieving heights of success more than seventy years ago in unmodern India was B. R. Ambedkar, in whose name Ambedkar Students Association is named – which had Rohith as member.
      
Stories of women traumatized by rapes but pulling themselves up over time abound in every region in India.  And there are girls whose faces were disfigured badly by acid attacks, mostly from males they had spurned, but they survived the violence and live on – some even modelling garments or otherwise succeeding to their best.   We also read about youngsters who fall in love and marry out of their caste or religion but are harassed by families of their birth, sometimes leading to injury and bloodshed for the newly-weds, and yet the couples stay together, get police or court’s protection and live their lives.  Some young men serving our army or doing other security duty lose a limb or suffer other deformity while coming under enemy fire or bomb blasts, but still they keep themselves alive and get on.  Each one of them deserves our claps for getting over great personal calamities and raising themselves, and they all make our miseries look smaller and our lives brighter by comparison.   If any of them had willfully ended their lives following their misfortune, have no doubt that our many politicians would have crowded the victim’s home and released statements blaming the police or the government for the suicide.  Because there lies a chance to bag some votes of innocents.  But those politicians would not applaud the fortitude and courage of those troubled individuals for facing up to life.  Because that does not get votes.  Perhaps this happened with Rohith too after he killed himself. 

If Rohith lived on he could have also spoken about the expulsion event – in any court also if it comes to that.  So, to that measure, his passing away is a loss in public sphere.  But the saddest part of the event is that such a young man, whatever his religion or community, took his own life in this background.  Equally sad is the spectacle of our politicians who seemed to speak for Rohith but never said they would have loved to see Rohith live on. One of them, Rahul Gandhi, while addressing about 200 students in the campus of the university is quoted as saying that Rohith “had no option but to kill himself” (The Hindu, Jan. 20, 2016). Another of them, Arvind Kejriwal, said the same thing in different words as he spoke in the university premises – that Rohith was “forced to commit suicide” (New Indian Express, Jan. 22, 2016).  If not anyone, at least the other four Dalit students who were expelled from the university hostel along with Rohith and who live on, and their mothers too, would know for sure these statements are absolutely wrong.  That matters, and we should wish that the other four students grow further, shake off a bad dream and succeed in their lives – though neither the news media nor our politicians may remember their names.

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Copyright © R. Veera Raghavan 2016

16 comments:

  1. Nice analysis; facts well brought out. Such things are to be expected and not surprising in the current regime.

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  2. Unfortunately, the 'leaders' who rush to such situations for catching the fish of votes do not realise they damage they are doing to the social fabric.

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  3. Having read your commentary on this issue, i have a few thoughts.
    I do think the most important issue was the Univ expelling Rohith and the other 4 from the hostel. It boggles my mind that the univ could take such action based on what clearly seems to be a very frivolous issue. Even at the micro level what makes an Univ expel students from the hostel ? Where do they stay ? We should also not forget that Rohith's stipend of Rs25,000 was with held from June!!! this was money required to keep his life moving and also by sending a part of it home, supporting his mother. Who can such students turn to for sustenance ? Have authorities become monsters ?
    The question to why he would take his life is certainly not an easy answer. He has written a very lengthy note on how he has been treated as a Dalit. We could quibble about this Dalit status, so let us say he was from a financially difficult background. What would have been his state of mind ? we do know from his letters that it was a very difficult time. Possibly he was not as strong as the others to go through this. And so he took his own life. Very very sad. He was driven to do something like that. Can most of us even contemplate how difficult it would be to do that ? We cannot and should not under play this. As for other examples stated - there have been many, very many who have taken their lives when faced with their bodies being abused. Even todays paper had two such incidents.
    Do we expect our students to battle issues in court ? Or should they be studying ?
    Now for the macro issues - Shouldnt it be time that we completely ban student unions affiliated to political parties ? Can anyone tell me why do we need such unions in the first place in a place of learning ? How come we dont have such stupid stuff in higher Institutes of learning ? Why do the politicians encourage this ? Why does a Union Minister take up an issue listening to one side of the story ?God - we do have an unholy mess in this country. And a lot of it is in the name of God !! what a great travesty of religion !!

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    1. The number of kids "rusticated" from Classes, school and hostel in some Universities will boggle the mind further and unlike it being made out, Rohit is supposed to have been quit glad to give the University a tough fight. He did not come across as a quitter. On the other hand he seems to have transformed during his studies here from a God fearing, nationalistic kid to a anarchic fighter for rights or all including terrorists. His posts on facebook dont suggest he was quite patriotic. He does not seem comfortable with his own transformation and being used as a pawn and an identity instead of a PERSON. That agony is reflected in his last note.

      I believe students should and can fight battles of common cause, but within limits of protest not carry it into waging war on institutions. Now he entire student community in that University seems polarised and across the country protests are anything but peaceful. To whip up so much frenzy from a tragedy requires some catalyst and that has been the role of our irresponsible infernal politicians, not one of whom spoke a soothing word and tried to find a win win solution. Instead they indulged in hate speeches, tried to fix blame for a suicide - though his father declares its not- his fixing his caste identity in July 2015, and pobably a lot of pressure to do what he is told - or else.. Till this case is solved professionally, any and all of these conclusions may be erroneous. But one thing is certain, all politicians, instead of conveying hope, desire to resolve issues and debate over differences have simply used this issue like a loo roll.How many of them is still camping there? They will just drop by once a while to keep it going till it suits them.

      The tragedy is the "intellectuals" in the University also acted cynically as did the politicians instead of talking and engaging these students

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    2. I agree with Mr Ravi that whatever be the reason for expulsion it did have political overtones. Denying Rohit his accomodation and stipend for several months must have worked on him and prompted him to do what he did. Brilliant students are not always strong willed and he perhaps succumbed to his feeling of desperation as he had no one to turn to. It is the political class who should take the blame. While it was not uncommon for the students to take up a social cause during the pre-independence days, the Hindi agitation in Tamilnadu set the tone for students to be used by the politicians for their nefarious ends.

      I especially like Veeru's comments on how the politicians are exploiting the sentiments of hapless people " Mostly irresponsible politicians occupy the filed, make unfair choices and have a merry game for votes. They cannot be checked until our democracy matures and our electorate becomes truly discerning to show their judgement at election time."

      Unless we show maturity in electing the right people to represent us in the Parliament, things are going to remain thus.

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  4. I agree would you fully sir. The politicians' statement seem to endorse his unfortunate decision as the only one available. I think a word needs to be put in for the four who had the courage to live despite finding themselves in similar circumstances

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  5. I fully share the concerns u hv raised It is traumatic for the families involved High time people in power AS WELL AS ALL POLITICIANS realise this and help in preventing such tragedies in future

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  6. And someone says he was a martyr like Mahatma Gandhi!

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  7. It is very sad - rohith must have been in a lot of pain and felt hopeless before he decided to end his life. We should talk about how we can help students who are battling issues like this everyday and provide them the right access to Counseling. Thanks for writing about this

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  8. Nice article
    Politicians are in search of
    Thid type of sensational deaths
    Your article must b read by rahul boy.
    But rvr
    Something wrong in hydrabad univsty
    This is reported to b a third one

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  9. totally agree with you about the strong survivors of graver injuries than an expulsion from the hostel. Not going in to the merits of his expulsion from the hostel, I felt a deep pang of despair on reading his suicide note. The struggle he was going through.. May be the expulsion was the last straw..of course financial difficulties because of withholding his stipend amount.. I think we can never ever fully fathom his life, his struggles... Very unfortunate that he couldn't hold on any longer...

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  10. I believe a suicidal tendency is something that needs professional help over a period of time. I dont believe this was sudden without any previous reference as people with suicidal tendencies contemplate the act quite a lot, whip up imagery of the act and the fall out and then go over the brink. Yeoman service by online counsellors like Sneha has helped many a possible victim. Hightime institutions had professional counsellors who can zero in on such hi risk students and engage them actively.

    Not one politician in this volatile and unseemly debate has exercised any restraint. They whipped up hysteria and watched in fun when kids sat out fasting or even demoed violently and got beaten up (not that the protesters were angels).

    I see serious political and anarchic tendencies in this protest. trying to blame a VC/ Minister(s) for this is all very well. What about the responsibility of his confidantes and buddies who should have sensed his disturbance and got him help. They are now dealing with their guilt through transference.

    And absolutely moronic interventions by Kejriwal and 'Gandhi' have only fuelled the rage - not the debate. These guys DONT WANT THE ISSUE TO BE RESOLVED. They want to keep it simmering till the elections. And the foolish students (who I am sure have never read "koodathaperodu koodi" in Panchatantra) are actually seeing these intellectually challenged cycnical power hungry and venomous class of beings as their allies. I say its all about CARRION call.It serves the Gandhis and Kejriwals that peoples lives dont improve in any way, blame some other sucker and keep doing what they do best beg for votes over the dead bodies of innocent and misled victims.

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    1. I agree on very many points. Its very unfortunate that we have such politicians. Or, is that what we deserve as we elect them ?

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  11. Our youths should not give any chance to the politicians to exploit any type of situation. Many people who have faced similar difficult situation have crossed it proved to the world that they can live better, shape thier life better. All youths should be guided and counseled to come up in life not miss the life. Currently the calibre and maturity of the present politicians is not at all suitable to address any situation.

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  12. While it is sad that he chose the suicide path, the politicians, like vultures drawn to the dead, try to get political mileage; hoping that the students are not misguided and misinformed by this class; the politicians, as we all know, don't see the individuals as individuals, issues as issues but as opportunities to derive political mileage; the so called secularism practiced is the curse of this nation

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  13. Dear Sir, I read your post upon the young student of Hyderabad who committed a suicide recently. Am afraid to differ my views from you Sir. It is because a student's life is very delicate and vulnerable life which is far different from the rape victims or acid attack victims or having families of Honor. It is because a student life is already a life of Penance or Tapascharya. Each day you face vast stage of college,your class mates,your faculty members and as a result you are constantly highly exposed. Your even minutest moves are recorded before your mates and matrons which makes you excessively accountable to your honour. This makes you extremely vulnerable and if by mischance you are even little sensitive then you feel extemely responsible for everything whatever is happening around you at very large magnitude. This is what happened with my young countryman called Rohith who failed to succeed socially,politically and hence emotionally. May his soul rest in peace and give our country people some wisdom to understand this young generation at colleges and Universities. Jai Hind!

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