Wheres the party tonight?

Politics in campus is a much-hyped and debated topic. Every now and then one hears of clashes among student parties, the ensuing blood shed and the like. Much ink was spent on the recent university elections and the state-wide attacks on student politicians on the Nirmal Madhav issue.Student politicians getting injured in lathi-charges and turning violent against the police has been a regular scene. Recent occurrences bring us back to the question of whether campus politics is far too violent and slips easily into goondaism.Students we spoke to are of the opinion that student politics is a vital part of campus but they also feel that leaders and volunteers must engage in more productive activities.Campus politics has certainly changed over the years. Old theories and ideologies are giving way to new ones. But these changes are not altogether positive. Students are now increasingly joining politics in a ‘bandwagon effect’ without actually knowing much about politics or the history of the various student political parties. “The number of youngsters coming into politics has reduced. Even those who do join don’t have much idea about the philosophy that goes behind each party and what they stand for,” says Ajmal A A, chairman, Maharaja’s College.A majority of the students are of the opinion that politics is good as a platform for students to put forth their demands before the relevant authorities. But the fact that campus politics frequently takes a violent turn is the downside of it.“The political wings of the campus resolves our issues. The student politicians are involved in many welfare activities for the students. The bus ticket concession we receive and buses stopping for students are all because of these people,” says Shibila T S, a II year PG History student of Maharaja’s.Though the concept of student unions in campuses is appreciable, the political strife between the groups often causes the developmental activities of the colleges to slow down.“After joining college, in the first week itself we didn’t have classes because of a strike. The issues among student parties are often not political but on account of ego problems,” says Shemeer, another student. Sharafunnisa, a third year student of Government Law College and an active political activist says, “I don’t think politics is a way to extend our social commitment.” Quite sarcastically, she adds, “Everybody joins campus politics to show off in the campus and to get some attention.”Making another interesting point, she says, “Senior politicians never ask for anyone to be attacked. Fights in campuses has nothing to do with politics. Personal issues are often given a political version, later.”Many students are also of the opinion that joining political parties is merely to show off that they are heroes of the college. “Students are at a vulnerable age. They want to prove that they have something special in them. Quite often, students don’t even know the reason for which a clash is happening,” says Jaisy George, final year student, Government Law College. “Often the ideologies remain as ideologies. The clash between the parties are for personal reasons and when, in these problems, outside elements come into play, the problem gets out of the students’ hand,” says Janardanan Shenoy, former general secretary, Government Law College.“The conflict within the parties affects the relationship of students who study in the same class,” says Sangeetha U S, an active member of the Kerala Students’ Union from the Government Law College. Another student Shilpa K K, from the same class says, “Some students in the same class don’t even talk to each other, which is not at all healthy.”Most of the students are of the opinion that there should be student parties inside the campus but all the parties should coexist together and do good for the college as one. “Inside the campus even though the parties are rivalries, when some problem happens for a student from outside element all the students irrespective of party join together and fight for the cause which is another good thing that is seen,” says Anoop B, UUC, Maharaja’s.But another noted thing about the campus politics of today is that, there is no value oriented politics. Student politics can do wonders if there will be intellectual people who can lead the group in a good way, adds Anoop.[email protected]@newindianexpress.com