Jamia Millia Arjunia

Even by the lowly standards of Indian academic life, Jamia Millia Islamia8217;s decision to name a building and street after HRD Minister Arjun Singh is truly shocking. Forget for a moment whether Arjun Singh8217;s record is distinguished enough to warrant such an honour. We can debate whether he is the saviour or destroyer of Indian higher education. But there is a gross impropriety in the fact that the university has chosen to honour a sitting minister in this way. How can a university honour a public official who plays a major role in allocating funds for it? By this logic, Arjun Singh should get two buildings in Kolkata, Madras and Mumbai universities; after all he gave them Rs 100 crore each as a special one-time gesture. Jamia only got Rs 40 crore. And if Jamia really does believe Singh is a great benefactor, it could have waited until he was out of office. Then the tribute would have appeared more sincere and less motivated.

This act smacks of nothing less than complete abdication of intellectual judgment. Unfortunately we have to yet again use a phrase that is being used all-too-frequently with respect to academic institutions these days: craven submission. This is a shame, because Jamia was looking up as an institution. It was creating new centres, and its vice-chancellor is a distinguished academic. This is precisely what makes this gesture even more appalling. At one stroke, it diminishes the credibility of all that the vice-chancellor was trying to achieve. Jamia was already inviting politics with its reckless policy of naming buildings after partisan intellectuals whose true worth is yet to be assessed. This gesture has also set a dangerous precedent. Imagine every state education minister harbouring dreams of immortality by being enshrined on university campuses.

The hold of politics over education will only increase rather than decrease as a result. Jamia was set up with a broad vision and great hopes that it would play a leadership role in society. It has dashed those hopes. It used to be said, very poignantly, that Zakir Hussain lies within the Jamia campus, a school to his east, a library to the west and a mosque to the north. One can only shudder at the thought of what Arjun Singh8217;s shadow on campus might do to his ideals.