Kashmir University at it's Death Bed

Bhat Mujtaba Gurezi

Kashmir University the highest seat of learning, a body of autonomous character run by state intelligentsia has a praise worthy contribution in inventing the educated machinery of the state. Recently the grant of NAAC A+ grade to the university raised its ranking and overall prestige among other dignified institutes of the country. It acts like a magnet and attracts the state’s cream of brilliant students and scholars to its fold located in the vicinity of famous Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar.

Once upon a time getting admission into the university’s masters or doctorate programmes was a cherished dream of most of the aspirants throughout the state. Unfortunately a decline is  witnessed in the process now, whereby maximum number of students preferring to move outside the state and give least preference to this institution is what makes us ponder over the changing trend. The time for completing any course is not always met as per the notification or prescribed hence, it is usually stretched over unreasonable time limits which on the contrary in other institutes of the country is fixed and scheduled thus adding fuel to the students antagonistic tendencies against the university.

Now coming to the university’s white collar strata. This is what has turned to be a headache for those students and scholars who hold the principles of independent thinking. A popular belief that rounds the campus is that never argue with any professor even if you are most rational in your arguments. Never question in classroom if you think your assertion is going against your teacher’s decree. Being a student of the university some five years ago cleared my every doubt regarding the professors personality that I adored with great respect and affection . I always had a belief that this was just a part of hearsay, that how come a teacher of such a prestigious institute be so conservative in his/her outlook. The personal experience cleared every doubt and the truth got established that conservatism is part of professor’s charisma.

Kashmir university is a private institution in the guise of government university. An example will illustrate it in the following way. The presence of dhabas inside the campus is very limited. On the contrary a Cafe Cafe Day serving a coffee cup worth fifty rupees is astonishing. There one can see a perceptible difference among the students coming from rich background and those coming from marginal or weaker sections of the society, where by the former can afford the rich and steamy menus of cafe caffe day and the later finds it difficult even to manage a chola puri at dhabas. The point is authorities of the university never tried to put a single scale of rates for menus that can make it easy for a student of humble background to sit on costly chairs and enjoy the menus at affordable prices, those available to the moneyed on the campus.

The zeal with which a student enters the campus dies a slow death and interestingly just after a month of new admission students count the days when the last day will come and we will quit the campus. What is so torturous in the university that develops a psychological turmoil in the students mind and from the very beginning they search for an escape vent. Had the faculty been friendly and empathetic the tension and an unfriendliness towards the professors and other non teaching fellows would have been at a lower ebb. This is disappointing and there is a need to generate an atmosphere of openness among the university officials whether they are teaching or non teaching.

Coming to the official work, which is most slow and most irritating among all that what I mentioned earlier. Getting any certificate or a marks sheet or any kind of work done is very troublesome when you have to face the clerical gentry of the institute. The arrogance and belligerence is their group trait and they make any sort of work so difficult which sometimes develops killing tendencies among those who seek for their assistance. The employees sometimes playing games on the computers allotted to them for official work didn’t take enough pains to do some help at least on humanitarian grounds. This attitude is not their own it is what they inherited from their bosses and this legacy will never end unless reform drives are not carried out from the top notch officials to the peon of the university. An advice to university officials would be please shed this craze of being so superior because your education is what has given you the position and it is education only that puts the seeds of humanity inside you, so don’t defame and betray education. You are inspiration of thousands, don’t let their love and affection to die out otherwise this prestigious institution will lose all its sheen and intellectual content and at last we will be having no time even to regret.