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| Engineers Today |
Remember the classical quote by Bertolt Brecht, "The world of knowledge takes a crazy turn when teachers themselves are taught to learn."
A student from AKGEC (this is my
college where I studied from 2002 to 2006) today asked me that I should not
criticize him on the matter of political debate, because he was my "senior" in the college. And his attitude looks
like he has taken the concept of "senior" and "junior" for granted. This incident looked stupid to and and surprised me to a extend and
forced me to think about the college time and analyze the things which can
be concluded in relation to this type of undemocratic, conservative mentality of engineering students. Now, up to some extend government has stopped ragging in the Engineering Colleges.
So I am writing this short comment to
all these type of people who think in terms of "senior" and "junior". First of all,
this type of mentality, on the basis of joining dates in the college can be
applicable to the level of knowledge (and only in terms of knowledge not
otherwise) as long as student is studying in the college. But ideally this
should not be there as well (Because dictatorship of knowledge is the basic
character of class society). If we see all around the nation, all type of
colleges has a bunch of students with this type of undemocratic attitude, which
is very backward. Anyway, come the point of “seniority”. Logically once I
completed the B .Tech., after that no person, either he has joined one year
earlier or two years earlier, can say that he is my “senior”. In fact my or his marks can be more or less if
compared, but that does not measure the level of knowledge or any other level. So, after completing
B.Tech. there is nothing, like “senior” or “junior”, exists in the field of
knowledge or in the social platform or even in any public platform. This type
of thinking is a sign of backward colonial and feudal mindset. In colleges this
thinking prevail in a large scale where inhuman activities like ragging and
physical torture as well as mental torture has been done on the basis of this
criminal mindset of the "seniority".
This happens in India, and can be
understood very well in relation to how colonial and undemocratic mindset exists
in the thinking of middle class. It will not be surprising if some day someone
come to me and tell me that he is elder than me so he is my senior, or someone
has done M.Tech, so he is my senior, so I should not criticize him, so I have
to learn some lessons, etc. etc. I have another experience with some
engineer, who once trying to tell me that I cannot compare the lifestyle of our
PM with some workers. This is really shameful for the democratic values of our
society and many of the degree holders of the India looks very backward in the
matter of democratic values. These type of people when talk to workers,
or farmers, feels all the “greatness” of their “seniority” (in fact it is
cheapness) on the basis of some books they read in the college, and fly in the
air like a balloon. This is the most reactionary class of the society, the most
dangerous to the democratic structure of the society, the base and foot army of
the fascists.
Now, one thing is very clear that a lot
of people exists in the Indian middle class with this type of narrow and
conservative mindset, they can go to USA, to UK or to Australia, but they never
understand the values of democratic relationships, they are still living in the
feudal time and space, where age, degree, and money or position decides the
senior and junior level in the society. I have pity to these types of thinking
and these types of people. This type of undemocratic and reactionary thinking
should never be forgiven, and these conservative thoughts must be exposed
publically.
If there is anyone, whether my senior,
or junior in the college, if he has this type of conservative mentality, I
strictly want him to leave my facebook friend-list ASAP. This is a public
space, and a democratic platform, don't make it dirty with your cheap colonial
and feudal values.
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