THE PROLONGED SIEGE (05/02/2016)

Every year the Rajpath and the areas adjoining it are cordoned off from public from second week of January onwards till the culmination of the Republic Day celebrations after which the Rajpath is opened for the public of this Republic once again. This is owing to security reasons as the whole area is sanitized of any mischievous element. However, this year this cordoning off stretched a little long as the student activists lay siege to the adjacent Shastri Bhavan demanding resignation of the HRD minister over death of a student in the University of Hyderabad. This continued for three days from 26^th-29^th. The law and order enforcing authorities enforced Section 144 of the CrPC on the stretch from Krishi Bhavan to National Archives of India. However, to my utter surprise, things returned to normal on Monday i.e. 1^st February. I was appalled at the apathy of the activists- why did their agitation fizzle out in three days time? Why was their agitation restricted only to demanding resignation of the HRD minister? This indicates that such agitations are politically motivated and the agitating students had lesser concern for their academic issues and were governed by their political masters. As long as students continue to be mere pawn in the hands of political leaders, so long the issues plaguing the education in India will not get solved. Students need to decide their own course of action and should avoid becoming a tool in the hands of their political masters, who use them for their own narrow interest.   

I sign off this post quoting couple of lines from a poem “Viajyi ke Sadrishy Jiyo Re” written by Rashtrkavi Ram Dhari Singh Dinkar

चोटें खा कर बिफरो कुछ अधिक तनो रे, धधको स्फुलिंग में बढ़ अंगार बनो रे

सबसे स्वतंत्र रस जो भी अनघ पियेगा, पूरा जीवन केवल वह वीर जीएगा

-राष्ट्र कवि रामधारी सिंह दिनकर "विजयी के सदृश्य जियो रे"  

Students need to heed to this advice from the poet before embarking on the path of agitation.