by Tanika Singh and Neha Wadhwa
As Oscar Wilde had said, “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to it.” This piece is our attempt to do away with our temptation of writing (and getting published) a piece about the place to which we owe our heart and soul: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
JNU is a world full of liberty, discussions, debates, and diverse experiences. It is a space which not only theorizes inclusion, but also practices it through its various practices such as a low fee structure and accessible infrastructure. At JNU students from marginalized section can seek admission at Rs. 260 per semester. On this campus, there are no separate rules for women students. Life at JNU is full of expression, reflected even on the walls of the campus that are covered with posters and art. These posters stand for democracy, are symbols of resistance, and reflective of a plethora of emotions for artists to negotiate a world filled with inequality, injustice and oppression through art, words, poems and paintings. Hence, these are not merely walls with posters, but voices of the community by the community.
JNU is special for it is its belief in and commitment to equality, making it able to nurture the dream of quality education of students from all sections of society. A kind of carework visible in is the free tuition classes conducted by JNU Students’ Unions for those aspiring to study at JNU. These classes are taught by students on a voluntary basis. This expands access to preparatory opportunities and materials, instead of limiting it to a privileged few who can afford resources.
JNU provides space not only to learn, but also to unlearn while also celebrating new kinds of learning. JNU in its campus culture – shaped by generations of students and teachers – allows students to break chains of prejudices, judgments, and dogmas. People are encouraged and supported in their attempts to practice their various rights to freedom. It provides a mirror to reality, makepeople confront and question our privileges.
It is not just an institution; it is a relationship that has been woven and carved beautifully, not only by the student community but also by its faculty with a lot of love and care. This relationship manifests itself on numerous occasions: be it supporting students in struggles, participating in protests, or having long conversations outside the classroom, and of course the dedication displayed in pedagogic practice, JNU faculty members commit to their nurturing of their students.
JNU is the soul of public funded education in India, echoing as it does the sentiments and visions of Gandhi, Ambedkar and Nehru. It allows for growth within a companionate environment and allows for the development of a radical vision against the subjugation and oppression of others. It recognizes only that education and learning is worthwhile, that is undertaken within a culture of freedom, trust and inquiry. The real learning is not only about facts and figures, but it is in the realization that true ideals of compassion, empathy and goodness does not and should not have any boundaries and education that lacks such values is not worth investing in.
To us, the real question isn’t why JNU is the way it is, but instead is why aren’t other universities more like JNU?
Tanika Singh earned her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education (B. El. Ed) from the Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi. After this, she received her Masters in Modern History from Jawaharlal Nehru University. After this, she pursued another Masters Degree in Education (M.Ed) from Central Institute of Education, Delhi University. Her research interests as reflected in seminar papers and her dissertation include the engagement with Partition in history classrooms, the interpretation of cultural symbols in history textbooks, the age of consent and marital rape. At present, she is a History facilitator at Shikshantar, Gurgaon.
Neha Wadhwa received her Bachelors in Elementary Education (B.El.Ed) from Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi before earning her MA in History from Jawaharlal Nehru University, an M.Ed from the University of Delhi, where her work has been on tracing the trajectories of children with disability in an inclusive educational setting as part of her M.Ed dissertation. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at the Department of Education (CIE), University of Delhi.