It appears that Ashoka University has forced Pratap Bhanu Mehta to resign. Either that or the fellow is engaging in Drama Queen behavior.
Mehta has written strongly against the Modi government but in a manner so strident and senseless that he appeared to have lost his marbles. This pleased readers of the Indian Express who were delighted to see a guy with a phoren PhD making a fool of himself.
Still, it might make sense for a fledgling institution to get rid of of a chap who writes 'God is belittled' when people say 'Lord Ram', instead of 'Ram', or when they build temples rather than mosques. But why do it mid-term? Do it during the holidays.
Moreover, Mehta's resignation has prompted Arvind Subramanian- who is still widely respected because he doesn't write a regular column for the Indian Express- to quit as well. No doubt, the fellow will return to America and prosper under the new regime there.
Though the 130 strong faculty looks well qualified or even quite distinguished in one or two cases- and features some foreigners- Subramanian's resignation may dent Ashoka's reputation as an Liberal Arts College of a tony American type. I suppose the administration will fill the gap left by Subramanian with a high profile hire. Or perhaps they won't bother so as to send a strong signal that their graduates are getting good jobs and so this venture can power ahead on its own steam- more particularly because their students actually attend lectures and classes whereas few DU students bother!
Will the 90 faculty members who have written to the VC to express outrage at Mehta's departure themselves resign? It may be a good thing if they did. Their successors would be cheaper. Why not bring in professional Accountancy, Law and Civil Service coaches so as to ensure that the kids crack professional exams at their first attempt? There is plenty of demand for job ready young people. It is notable that one of the founders, and the first pro VC of Nalanda, Vineet Gupta has done well with Jamboree education- a test prep company with 39 centers around the world. Now that the Libtard Professors are naming and shaming Ashoka, it will have to change tack to making kids job ready or else go under. Interestingly, Vineet Gupta is associated with Plaksha University in Chandigarh which will be engineering and design focused. It appears the era of 'Liberal Arts' is over and that of job or enterprise-focused technical and professional education- including crash courses in foreign languages- will take its place. Parents want kids who can get jobs- and create jobs ten years down the line- not malinger as 'andolanjeevis' all their lives.
The fact is, having a reputation as a bastion of 'academic freedom' is no longer viewed as a good thing. Stupid Professors spouting anti-national shite should not be protected by Colleges. Students must come first. Protect them from stupidity by all means.
In the private sector, the market decides outcomes. Parents want value for money and kids who can get good jobs- not end up as jhollahwallahs flitting from one agitation to another. The fact is, the opportunity cost of higher education is rising because young Indians of 'good backgrounds' can rise very rapidly in novel types of enterprise. This is not to say that the kids should not be exposed to different ideas and cultures. For success in adult life, it is vital that you can get on- and learn from- people from different communities.
Interestingly, Ashoka only has about 2 or 3 percent Muslim faculty whereas Haryana has a 7 percent Muslim population. That's a pity. There are plenty of good Muslim candidates to chose from. At the least, Ashoka should appoint some Muslim entrepreneurs or ex-diplomats, judges, etc. as visiting professors as a stop gap measure. It is important that young people learn to respect and to feel comfortable with Muslims. After all, in their careers or in their business life, they need to be able to seek advise from and to work with or for Muslims.
Has Ashoka's reputation really suffered after these two resignations? It seems that the University's student newspaper linked what has happened to a desire on the part of the Administration to appease the ruling party in Haryana so as to get more land. Reading between the lines, we agree with the students that the proper way to get land in Haryana is by bribing officials, not by sacking Professors. This is because Haryanvis are sensible folk. They want money, not a boot up Pratap Bhanu Mehta's backside. By itself, this suggests that Ashoka is getting its youngsters to think for themselves though it appears the land in question had already been acquired 3 years ago and this fact was easily verifiable on the internet. Still, the students showed some initiative and a spirit of inquiry. Thus Ashoka isn't a complete White Elephant like Nalanda. Still, now the sheen has worn off it, how many productive academics will want to go an immure themselves in rural Haryana? On the other hand, if the students are acquiring confidence and networking skills, the place may prosper regardless of celebrity faculty. Interestingly, Mehta himself has co-authored a book showing how and why Colleges in unattractive locations can decline swiftly and precipitously. Virtue signaling faculty is one reason Mehta did not mention.
What he and Subramanian and 90 other of their colleagues have done is send a message highly destructive of the ethos of their young institution. It is one thing to resign from Harvard which has been going strong for hundreds of years. It is another thing to quit a fledgling private institution in the boondocks. You have destroyed the reputation of a place whose only crime is to have aspired to a type of elite liberalism easily afforded by much richer, and much more hypocritical, countries with a long history of racism and genocide and ruthless capitalist exploitation. Students at such places, it is true, are supposed to go through a phase of adolescent rebellion and shrill gesture political commitment. But if old crocks on the faculty seek to outdo their students in silliness, the place is doomed- unless it has already accumulated a vast endowment.
Has Ashoka done so? This appears doubtful. It has about a hundred donors and may have raised about 150 million dollars. But it must be operating at a substantial loss because of P.R expenses and celebrity hires like Mehta & Subramanian. Also, it isn't attracting the brightest students. There is little point pampering the mediocre. At best they will come up to the average standard of the bright. They won't be able to get ahead of the curve. But this could also be said of Mehta & Subramanian. Their celebrity is local. They were above average in America and thus stellar in India. But that isn't saying very much. They must return to America to burnish their credentials. Lacking competition, their brains have been turning to shit in Haryana.
As for Ashoka, what's wrong with it turning into a tony establishment preparing kids for Law or Accountancy? Scrap the Post Grad courses. Research is expensive and requires first class brains. By contrast, Degree Colleges can turn a profit. Why not have a 4 year College for kids whose parents only made money recently and so weren't able to send them to a really posh School? Concentrate on things like elocution and debating and conversational proficiency in a couple of modern languages. Cultivate niche sports- if not dressage then pistol shooting which enable wealthy people to get hold of gun licenses and good quality imported weapons. Come the Revolution, that could come in handy.
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