Very rarely does the events around me bother me to this extent. But this particular nuisance has been a thorn on my conscious since my college days – the curious case of Presidency/Pachaiyappa colleges. I was offered a good course for my UG in Presidency and even though everyone were dead against me joining the college for its bad reputation, I thought as long as I can manage my studies and stay away from the trouble elements, I should be able to manage and more over didn’t had any other choice. The first 5 days of the semester showed the challenges up ahead in crystal clear format. The very first day, first class, while Maths professor was writing down the syllabus for that sem, some guy came and announced that students have to participate in strike against existing fee structure and requested the professor to co-operate. The professor, came with us all the way till bus stand and warned us not to venture into the beach for he told that seniors are ragging juniors. I was confused and shocked. When he knew for sure that ragging session is ongoing on the beach, why he didn’t raise any complaint and also was dead worried about my future if that was the case on the very first day. The next 4 days there were no classes and the entire week was lost. Luckily for me, I got into a good college pretty soon and Presidency became a bad memory.
Past few incidents about rising student violence on trains and buses have let rise those hidden memories and has made me even more worried about the present batch of students from these colleges. Few months back, some students were arrested for terrorizing railway stations and fellow passengers by brandishing weapons. Saw in news that some were arrested and there were no follow-up to that incident. Recently, some students had staged an armed attack on another college student, like how they show on violent strewn gang war movies and have even wounded him severely. There has been several cases of damaging public property, causing physical and mental agony to general public, disrupting traffic in the name of bus days and basically anything and everything that one wouldn’t typically associate with a decent college goer. Does all the students of Presidency/Pachaiappa are like this? Probably not. But beyond a while, it would make one wonder, despite knowing such elements abound such colleges, what does it tell about those who willingly or unwillingly get to join those institutions? The degree would still carry the seal of the University, but will the name of these colleges merit a mention anywhere else on the resumes of those students? Will the society see them in the same way as any other student from any other college? The video grabs of sparks flying, with some ruffians scratching the footpath of a sub-urban station from a moving train, with fellow commuters shrieking, literally sent shivers and felt like slapping some sense into those guys.
I am not sure about the history of Nandhanam arts, Thiagaraya and New college. But Presidency and Pachaiappa has been around for more than 170 years!!! Yes. They were some of the prestigious institutes that ever adorned this great state and till 4 decades back, they used to churn out some of the top minds on their domains. God knows what and where things went wrong and they are now on the list of notoriously bad places to ever be, let alone study and I am astounded how such colleges are even allowed to function as breeding ground for violence. Its high time the civil society took some stern action and probably even call for stringent punishment ranging from closing down these colleges or changing the entire management from scratch. They should be allowed to complete the present batches and no new batch should be allowed to start from these colleges unless they find a way to reign in the hoodlums and segregate the students from the vandals.
Being a graduate student is like the best period and first time someone steps into the mature world of adults and get to taste the freedom and responsibility of being one. If the very institute that is supposed to teach them all these things are becoming breeding grounds for anti-social elements, let them not be encouraged to operate. It’s about time to take severe action against the college management and they should be held responsible for all the havoc let loose by their students and if they are incapable, better lock these places down.
Past few incidents about rising student violence on trains and buses have let rise those hidden memories and has made me even more worried about the present batch of students from these colleges. Few months back, some students were arrested for terrorizing railway stations and fellow passengers by brandishing weapons. Saw in news that some were arrested and there were no follow-up to that incident. Recently, some students had staged an armed attack on another college student, like how they show on violent strewn gang war movies and have even wounded him severely. There has been several cases of damaging public property, causing physical and mental agony to general public, disrupting traffic in the name of bus days and basically anything and everything that one wouldn’t typically associate with a decent college goer. Does all the students of Presidency/Pachaiappa are like this? Probably not. But beyond a while, it would make one wonder, despite knowing such elements abound such colleges, what does it tell about those who willingly or unwillingly get to join those institutions? The degree would still carry the seal of the University, but will the name of these colleges merit a mention anywhere else on the resumes of those students? Will the society see them in the same way as any other student from any other college? The video grabs of sparks flying, with some ruffians scratching the footpath of a sub-urban station from a moving train, with fellow commuters shrieking, literally sent shivers and felt like slapping some sense into those guys.
I am not sure about the history of Nandhanam arts, Thiagaraya and New college. But Presidency and Pachaiappa has been around for more than 170 years!!! Yes. They were some of the prestigious institutes that ever adorned this great state and till 4 decades back, they used to churn out some of the top minds on their domains. God knows what and where things went wrong and they are now on the list of notoriously bad places to ever be, let alone study and I am astounded how such colleges are even allowed to function as breeding ground for violence. Its high time the civil society took some stern action and probably even call for stringent punishment ranging from closing down these colleges or changing the entire management from scratch. They should be allowed to complete the present batches and no new batch should be allowed to start from these colleges unless they find a way to reign in the hoodlums and segregate the students from the vandals.
Being a graduate student is like the best period and first time someone steps into the mature world of adults and get to taste the freedom and responsibility of being one. If the very institute that is supposed to teach them all these things are becoming breeding grounds for anti-social elements, let them not be encouraged to operate. It’s about time to take severe action against the college management and they should be held responsible for all the havoc let loose by their students and if they are incapable, better lock these places down.
Comments
And Pachaiyappas ? Pachaiyappa Mudaliar must be turning in his grave. The oldest non Christian college in the land. A visionary who's will enabled it to be set up in 1942. And now this ??
Close the colleges. Sack the students. And then restart with absolute discipline.