A student named Rishi Joshua Thomas, of JNU from Centre for English language commits suicide by hanging himself in the Library’s reading room in the basement. It is already morning and I am not able to sleep. In no time he will be a ‘case’ for most of us, who are not related to him directly. We will forget his name. His case will of course be discussed while teaching and studying Durkheim’s ‘Suicide’ and it should be. His suicide ‘mail’ says, “He wanted to experience the physical state of death.” He also added his wish that his parents should be taken care of. Everyone knows that one is going to die anyway one day and will taste death. Why was he in such a hurry? Why did he not talk to anyone about this? If he can mail someone, he could have discussed with the same person as to what is bothering him. It is also learnt that he was already undergoing some kind of treatment. To me, it appears to be a case of anomic fatalistic suicide. JNU has this tendency to attract such suicides where one comes from an overly regulated society, suddenly finds so much of freedom and does not know how to deal with it.
Less than 2 years back, another PhD scholar, Ghanshyam died (He did not commit ‘physical’ suicide though). The news of his death shook me. I don’t know any of these students personally. But I had seen Ghanshyam a number of times. Ghanshyam was mentally disturbed and would discuss things with people around and was laughed at too behind his back. Later, in 2016 or may be a year before, he had ‘visible’ signs of mental illness. He would stand at a corner of 24*7, and speak continuously for hours. His clothes torn, making parts of his private parts visible; his hair unevenly grown; he looked like some beggar at a traffic light who had no family. When I saw him speaking non-stop on political issues and current affairs, it was a ‘normal’ affair for people sitting at the dhaba. I was shocked because it was the first time I saw him like that. That people thought it too be a normal affair shook me further. How has the institution alienated him? Later, I saw him a number of times. Students and teachers might be buying him food at times. Was it enough? How far should studies in a particular mode be taken seriously? When will we learn that there is a difference between learning and being a graduate? What is wrong if ‘de-schooling’ society is as normal as the present mode of education?
One of my acquaintances told me way back in 2013, “this fellow is a depressed soul. He talks nonsense most of the times.” I wanted to know what exactly he says. To this I was informed that he says that no girl talks to him. And even his parents are not getting him married because they think that marriage comes after studies. He should first become an IAS, stand on his legs and then think of marriage. Basically, he was tensed with the social norms around him.” There were many stories related to Ghanshyam and everyone residing in Brahmaputra hostel then had something to say about him.
Ghanshyam belonged to the institution. JNU administration should have taken steps to send him for treatment. Some students did think of it and they expressed it on the social media but I guess it was too late. Ghanshyam did not deserve to die in such unhygienic conditions-unhygienic both socially and psychologically. JNU is not all about peacocks, the neelgai (antelope), the trees and the rocks; it also has long, silent, chilly winter nights, which one might find depressing. Students from coastal areas generally find the winters difficult. It is good to talk of freedom and it is the need of the hour too. JNU has a long history of tolerance and of freedom of speech and expression irrespective of caste, class, gender, religion and region; but it is equally a ‘cultural shock’ for many. Students who come from rural areas, remote places, and small towns generally find it difficult to adapt to such a ‘free’ environment. Joining of political parties at campus and getting oneself engaged in its activities might work as an 'opium' for the new comers. I am, however, concerned about those who are highly ambitious or are competing for some civil services exams and do not engage in any other activities except studies. Most of the students are from patriarchal homes and women are seen as commodities.
This reminds me of another ‘case’ of 2013 where a student from School of Languages (Korean centre) killed himself before attempting to kill his allegedly ex-girlfriend. This girl was in the hospital for 8 long months. Imagine her psychological condition! This was probably a case of obsession and possession. To my surprise, many students, mostly male, supported his act by describing his ‘state’ or ‘condition’ as just. This again makes us to ponder over the question of freedom. Do we just ‘talk’ about the values of freedom or we really understand it and inculcate it in our lives. To me, it seems we are double-faced.
After this horrific incident, a committee set by Professor Nivedita Menon and team to discuss issues like this. I attended the meeting which took place in the convention centre. There, a scholar from German studies raised the problem of eve-teasing in the name of festival like Holi where male students would apply/throw colours on every girl without their permission. Tapti hostel was known for good reasons but was infamous for such act taking place every year. What happened to the committee after 2014? Most of the students do not even know that such a committee existed/exists.
Students’ issues with their supervisors needs a special mention here and is equally disturbing. By now everyone knows of that infamous professor from School of Life sciences. While at Yamuna Hostel, I would hear stories at the breakfast table, from a number of scholars from the natural sciences departments. Everyone would speak of molestation in one way or the other by the said professor. When I asked them as to why they are not complaining, they answered that they do not want to quit studies. When I again posed a question, “Are studies more important than self-respect?”, some of them said “Yes, because I send my scholarship money to my parents. I am their only hope”, “my career will be at stake as he is the one who knows people in other universities and his recommendation matters, “and it is difficult to change a supervisor at this point of time.” It is important to note here that most of the scholars in the natural sciences departments work nearly the whole night in their respective laboratories, come back to hostel, rest for a few hours and then again go back to the labs.
There are ‘n’ number of instances of molestation, some physical, some mental and even some economical by the supervisors of different departments.
In 2017, a Ph.D scholar from JNU named J. Muthukrishnan who hailed from Tamil Nadu, committed suicide, but not at the campus. He was particularly disturbed by the inequality by the administration in the admission process and the viva-voce. He said, “When equality is denied, everything is denied.” It is to be noted here that he belonged to the ‘Dalit’ community. This seems to be a case of institutional murder as was the case of Hyderabad Student Rohit Vemula.
How we can forget the case of Najeeb’s dissaperance or ‘kidnapping’ from the JNU’s Mahi- Mandavi hostel. Najeeb, who went missing under suspicious circumstances, since 15th October, 2016, is still not found even though it became a national issue. What did the ABVP goons do to him? Neither was the administration interested in the inquiry of this handful of goons nor was it interested in finding the whereabouts of Najeeb by taking the charge of lodging an F.I.R.
I submitted my thesis in 2016 and successfully defended it in 2017. I have not got my degree yet even after 2 years. What is making the Vice-Chancellor to not sign a degree for two years? The degree is ready but it lies in the administration office, unsigned. The VC did not pay heed to my many tweets regarding my degree. I went to the office several times but no one answered. It costs me time, money and energy to go to JNU from my hometown just to inquire about a degree. Earlier, before 2014, the degrees would reach the scholar’s address through post. Later I was assured that I will get it in seven days and it is already 3 months now. For me, it was like a situation, “Give my hard-earned Ph.D degree or I die”. Each time, the office administration would make me sit in the office for 5 hours or so with my infant with me. In these 5 hours, I witnessed several other cases like PhD thesis of some scholar from Tamil Nadu went missing twice from the department and the administration turned deaf ears to his repeated complaints over 4 years. Look at his patience. Yet another student’s M.Phil degree was lying at the desk of the administration, and the assistant registrar did not even let his take a snap shot of the degree. He was supposed to apply for some teaching post. He left from the office empty-handed and with no assurance. The JNU’s infamous revised admission process and reduction of seats is well known and is criticized from all quarters.
JNU has great teachers indeed and a great environment too for most of the people. At least this one says after a span of 7 to 10 years in this institution. But what is about the rest? JNU is undoubtedly a utopia. It is often called a lonely planet. It is very much different from the world outside. What we learn here may grow us personally but it eventually becomes useless while we deal with people at large. This again causes loneliness because one does not find a single person like oneself. One finds oneself alienated from the society outside. Alikes may be found in Delhi as Delhi accommodates everyone and that JNU is located in Delhi, or left-oriented states like West Bengal or Kerala because of the dominant left-ideology of JNU itself.
Has all this to do with the political scenario of the country after the 2014 general elections? JNU has so many questions to answer, not just the administration but the JNU community as a whole.
