Contextualizing Student Movement in National Democratic Culture And Politics
10:38 PM
GAURAV SHARMA
A pervading sense of suspicion and doubt is evident in the society when it comes to discuss role of student movement in the country. Students are generally linked to various problems that persist in the society - the problems related to unemployment, education, terrorism, crimes, drugs etc. Are generally attributed to youth domain. Student movement is seen as something associated with agitations resulting in public disorder, lock out, bandh, collapse of law and order and anarchy. There are little efforts to understand the importance of student activism, its constructive role in the society and the need of making students the torchbearers of youth movement in the country. The mindset responsible for such an approach is that students are generally viewed and projected as problem; they are rarely seen as the solution for the different ills afflicting the society. The political parties in particular and society at large approach the youth with patrimonial attitude ‘promising’ to resolve their problems rather than seeking to mobilize students for the solutions that society urgently needs. It is therefore little encouragement is given to student activism by the establishment and the society. While the society is yet to shed its colonial hangover, the system needs to democratize itself by resolutely snapping its ties from colonial legacy. It is yet to be accepted that student activism strengthens the democratic process and consequently keeps the politics on the desired trajectory.
Student Movement: Global Scenario
Student movement may be attributed to student activism leading to youth intervention in various forms in the society. Student Activism which is considered to be at the core of youth movement has been the motivating factor behind many of the movements across the world. The advent of new nation-states in Europe on the foundation of modern democracies saw the shift in youth activities to the university campuses resulting in student movements influencing the political course of different nations in the west. In England student activism dates back to the1880s when students were allowed to form their unions as representative organizations culminating into the formation of apex student body known as National Union of Students (NUS) in 1921. Although NUS was mandated to keep itself out of politics, in the course of time it engaged itself with the issues related to Racism and Vietnam War. The student activism acquired the shape of a movement in 1960s when a student rally of 1, 00,000 was held which was followed by a protest of up to 80,000 strong in Grovesnor square, anti-racist protests and occupations in Newcastle, the breaking down of riot control gates and forced closure of the London School of Economics in 1870s. It is important to note the highly democratic character of British student movement which signifies the fact that most British students had faith in the democratic system and the authorities reciprocated by not dealing the movements with heavy hand in authoritarian manner which is otherwise evident elsewhere.
Student leaders exercised considerable impact on the shaping of public discourses in France. The most noticeable event in the history of student movement is the student protest in Sorbonne in Paris in 1968 when the University of Paris at Nanterre was closed due to problems between the students and the administration. In protest of the closure and the expulsion of Nanterre students, students of the Sorbonne in Paris began their own demonstration resulting in a nation-wide insurrection during which a variety of groups, including communists, Anarchists and right-wing libertarian activists, used the tension to advocate their own causes. It set in motion a chain of such protest across different countries including Germany, Spain and Mexico against authoritarianism and anti-democratic moves of the concerned governments.
In China student movement has played significant roles at almost every crucial juncture of Chinese history. Intense nationalistic feeling and sense of responsibility have been the hallmark of student movement in China. The birth of Chinese communism is attributed to May Fourth Revolution in which around 3,000 students gathered at Tiananmen Square against Kuomintang policy of Americanism. But the irony is that pro-Democracy movement in 1989 led by the students at the Tiananmen Square protests ended in a abrutal government crackdown resulting in severe repression and massacre of numerous student activists. June Fourth Massacre or 89 Pro-democracy Movement as it is generally called is one the most glorious student resistance movements known to the world history. Thousands of students gatheredAt Tiananmen Square demanding a democratic system and end of authoritarian communist rule. The communist government of China responded with coercive measure sending army and tanks to crush the movement with heavy hand. In the resultant massacre around 10,000 students have been reported to be killed.
Initially in 1930s student movement in United States engaged itself with attempts to change the american educational system and fight racial discrimination. In 1960s schools were targeted as social agents by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and witnessed the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which fought against racism and for integration of public schools across the US. The students also protested against American invasion of Combodia in 1970. In 1980s and 1990s the American society increasingly saw “service” as the focal point of student movement and campaigns to include work for funding of public schools, against increased tuitions at colleges or the use of sweatshop labor in manufacturing school apparel, for increased student voice throughout education planning, delivery, and policy-making (e.g. The Roosevelt Institution), and to raise national and local awareness of the humanitarian consequences of the Darfur Conflict. The student movement has also been showing increasing interests in the issues concerning global warming and anti-war activism.
It may be noted that encouraging student movement is implicit in any democratic system which seeks to ensure maximum participation of its constituents. A democratic student movement not only disciplines the youth force but also seeks to channelise them in right direction and in the process rescue the students from the clutches of misguided elements. The experience so far point to the fact that only anti-democratic forces consider student movement a threat to the establishment and choose to check its progress. Chinese repression of student movement at Tiananmen Square is a case in point.
Student Movement in India: Democratic Political Culture
The legacy of Indian national movement is considered to be at the core of the values upheld as guiding principle of the student movement in the country. The lofty ideals of the freedom struggle motivated and groomed the young leadership of the country. The student movement may be given credit for the emerging democratic mindset of the younger section of the society. It cannot now easily buy rhetoric built around cults of personality and dynasties. A democratic youth is essentially non-conformist whose energy needs to be usefully diverted to constructive political channels through organizational mechanism and appropriate ideological grooming for promoting the interests of the nation. The entire JP movement prior to the imposition of emergency was in fact a youth movement triggered by the Nav-Nirman Andolan in Gujarat and carried forward by ABVP throughout the country under the leadership of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan. The Ram Janamabhoomi movement saw the youth mobilization at its best relegating the forces opposed to the movement to the background. The current saga of success of India’s increasing dominance over knowledge capital throughout the world is being written by the youth.
In the recent years there has been remarkable achievements by youth in different fields but in politics the nation is witness to growing void vis-à-vis youth leadership. It seems that there is an increasing disconnect between the student movement and larger political process in the country. Lack of student interest in the democratic process is a phenomenon set in motion by the disenchantment of the student from the politics. Those who claim youth participation through cosmetic representation apparently lack appropriate understanding of the urge which motivates today’s students. The urge to see India get its rightful place in the comity of nations and its emergence as a developed, self-reliant, united and strong world power in every respect is at core of the aspirations nurtured by democratic and nationalist student movement. A student brimming with self-respect, self-confidence and having faith in democracy today aspires to build such an India. Any political party representing a culture of sycophancy and family rule cannot attract youth possessed of such virtues. The main problem between the real student movement and the political culture of the country may be portrayed as crisis between “idealism” and “realism” wherein the ‘compulsions’ of realpolitics are cited as reasons for having failed in promoting the value system which student movement espouses in its attempt to build a better society and a strong and prosperous nation.
One special feature of the politics today is the attempts being made by different political parties to fascinate youth to their side. The increasing population of young voters makes it incumbent upon political parties to devise means to garner the support of this valuable section of the electorate. Different political parties are trying to project themselves as having promoted the ‘real’ youth leadership in the country and thereby claiming to be their benefactor and protector of the best interests of the younger electorate. In such a cosmetic make over most of the political parties have embarked upon different schemes which only furthers the “disconnect” that they enjoy with the youth. Such exercise is symptomatic of the rot that has crept into the national political culture. It establishes the fact that most of the political parties in India have no mechanism to attract younger people; it has no programme to involve youth and no ideology or leadership to inspire and channelise the youth power. Current trend of youth recruitment through interviews (as devised by one of the major political parties) not only exposes the inherent organizational weakness but it is one of the biggest mockeries of democracy in the recent past. It looks as if the political parties are not attracting the youth to its organization as dedicated activists but recruiting henchmen to do at its bidding at a price.
Lack of dynamic leadership in politics is generally attributed to youth apathy towards politics. It is being said that students are getting more career oriented and less inclined to the commitment that the rough and tumble of political life demands. But the fact remains that the political culture of the country is not in tune with the urge with which the youth of today stands inspired. Therefore it remains somewhat difficult for the political parties to present a real and genuine youth leadership despite having constituted separate department of youths within their party fold. Whatever youth leadership these political parties have today generated mainly owes it to dynastic politics and not to the stated aims of grooming real and dynamic young leadership. The prevailing political culture fails to attract talented youths thus yielding the available space (if left unoccupied by those connected to lineage and dynasty) to unwanted, retrograde, sycophant and anti-social elements in the name of youth representation. Such elements fail to give genuine leadership to the society and regale in perpetrating corruption and status-quoism. That is why while we witness brilliant achievements in other sectors, politics continues to score downswing with politicians fast losing ground in public standing.
Student MovementAn Essential Component of Democratic System
Indian society is yet to fully recognize the importance of student activism in a democratic set up. We tend to forget that we have embraced a democratic system which necessitates efforts towards optimal participation of the citizens in democratic process. A democratic system is not limited to elections alone but it functions on the basis of a democratic culture with the establishment promoting and nurturing the concept of democratization of the society. India is not only a society which is getting younger by every passing day, but it has also given voting rights to its youths as early an age as 18. Student activism seeking to build a student movement in the country is certainly the most desirable component of a democratic system which may further enthuse the youth of the country with the character and quality needed to cleanse the political system and bureaucracy of its various ills. A vibrant and dynamic student movement may be considered an essential component of the democratic system.
In the current scenario, mechanism to groom youth leadership in the country is urgently needed. There is a need to nurture the democratic culture to attract upright youth by instilling a sense of nationalism filled with the vision of a vibrant and prosperous India. Unlike cosmetic attempts to create hordes of sycophants, the focus on self-respecting youth power should be emphasised. While communism misleads the non-conforming youth towards naxalism by instigating them to rebel violently and mindlessly, efforts should be in transforming the non-conforming urge of the youth towards constructive activities channelising the youth power in the national interest. Rather than approaching the youth with “patrimonial” approach the youth today needs opportunity – which we may call “Democratic Opportunity”. The system today rarely provides the youth with the “Democratic Opportunity” as an inbuilt organizational mechanism so as to connect the student movement to youth leadership and thereby providing opportunities for upcoming national leadership fresh with new ideas and vigour. Student movement is not a problem, it is the solution to the problems facing the society as it is committed to gel experience with energy and wisdom with dynamism. The ideology that motivates youth, the mechanisms that provide “Democratic Opportunity” and the examples that guide and inspire are the need of the day in the interest of democratic political culture of the nation.
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