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HVK Archives: The unemployables- the saffron victory at JNU will exact a comic price

The unemployables- the saffron victory at JNU will exact a comic price - The Indian Express

Editorial ()
21 October 1996

Title : The unemployables
The saffron victory at JNU will exact a comic price
Author : Editorial
Publication : The Indian Express
Date : October 21, 1996

The Jawaharlal Nehru University's spectrum shift to
saffron in the students union elections should come as no
surprise. The red bastion has been crumbling for some
years thanks to the efforts - or lack thereof - of three
successive communist student bodies, boneless wonders
all. In fact, no special meaning should be attached to
the defeat of the Reds this time round. The chances are
that the students were simply hinting that it's time they
got their act together. Nevertheless, the defeat will no
doubt come as a shock that will, as they say, reverberate
through the nation. JNU is one of a very few real na-
tional institutions. Its alumni are scattered throughout
the country, and firmly believe that the alma mater will
always ride the crest of the red tide. For them, the
spectacle of saffrons in power even in staunchly radical
departments is bound to signal the need for radical navel
contemplation.

JNU institutionalised a certain way of life and codified
the trappings and the ideological baggage that went with
it. It demanded some familiarity with the Red Book,
Anti-Duhring, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Memories
of Underdevelopment. Recommended. trappings included a
sturdy Hero bicycle, a jhola and a nice person of the
opposite sex in sandals. After the ABVP, however, noth-
ing short of a 100 cc Kawasaki will do. Shiny trousers,
colourful headbands and large boots will perhaps also
find favour. Recommended intellectual input will be
broadbased, ranging from Mahabharat reruns to the very
latest from Hollywood, on pirate video.

There were compelling career-related reasons for JNU's
old way of life. That jhola crammed with fat tomes and
newspaper clippings more or less guaranteed direct re-
cruitment to the highest echelons of power, and excellent
connections with people on a similar level elsewhere in
the world. A disproportionately large proportion of JNU
alumni sit behind some of the biggest desks in the na-
tion's campuses. No administrative unit anywhere is
complete without a JNU man in a key position. The NGO
sector positively teems with entrepreneurs who earned
their spurs on the JNU campus. And, for exceptional
performers, JNU student politics was always a jumping-off
place for the CPI(M) politburo. Now, the future looks
less certain. Employment in these areas of enterprise is
not guaranteed to people who cohabited in Ganga Hostel
with people in saffron headbands. Tainted for all time,
this generation of students might find themselves having
to prove their political credentials every step of the
way. It is a pity, for they will be no less adequate in
their line of work than their predecessors. Neverthe-
less, Norad might think twice before handing them lar-
gesse. Cornell and MIT, where political affiliation does
carry a very little weight, will no longer welcome them
as fellow travellers. And the CPI(M) could well trash
applications without even looking at them. Not very
comfortable prospects, those. Perhaps JNU's students
would be better off in the traditional sector now. They
should, in fact, cut their losses and go into shoe retail
or car finance. They should find life easier there.



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