Workshop organized by Group of Adult Education JNU

Three day workshop organized by Group of Adult Education, School of Social Sciences, JNU

September 29^th 2013: A three day workshop was organized by the Group of Adult Education, JNU from September 27^th to September 29^th 2013 to promote gender harmony on and off campus, specially focussing on the gender discord that gave rise to the shocking mishappening on July 31^st in JNU, when a male student brutally attacked a female student and then committed suicide. The workshop was another serious effort in the series of efforts that the Group of Adult Education is making individually on its own initiative to figure out better ways of resolving issues among students related to different aspects of their life, especially those, that they find hard to discuss with others and end up in spoiling their career or life. The theme of the workshop was that instead of adopting a short-term superficial approach of making the system stronger and more oriented towards punishment and enforcement of rights and laws, there should be a serious attempt to ‘save’ lives and careers from being spoilt by providing the right king of education and imbibing harmonious culture among students along with the values that promote harmony rather than discord and contradictions. The Group of Adult education is planning to launch an active campaign across the campus to increase awareness about such issues and save students from getting  indulged into destructive behaviour of this kind, as a part of a long-term strategy aimed at creating value-based human resource that not only survives to earn a living but also knows to earn it in a harmonious manner ensuring dignity and safety for all sections of the campus that might be weaker or marginalised in one way or the other.

JNU’s Vice Chancellor addressed the students saying that such efforts should not come as a reaction to mishappenings or fatal events but infact, they should be practiced and incorporated into the essential elements of JNU culture so that such events should not occur at all. He emphasised that JNU can and has to become an example for other universities across the country for promoting a harmonious culture that respects the dignity of every individual equally. He mentioned that out of the four committees set up by JNU to scrutinize the 31^st July mishappening, one of the committee is for addressing student issues through the way that the Group of Adult Education is promoting, though the Group has not been assigned any task by the Committee. The Group has been proactively engaging students through different means to be a part of a ‘dialogue’ rather than ‘discord.’ The Vice Chancellor also suggested that such training programmes could be devised not only for the students but for the staff of JNU as well. The Group is also planning to introduce a new course or a small training programme for all JNU students that might be made mandatory for all students, if approved, so that a sensitive and positive culture finds way in the campus through practical education and training.

Organizer and coordinator of the workshop, Dr. Ajay Kumar, stressed that in the present scenario, where insensitivity towards certain sections of the society, especially women, is increasing, a different and novel approach of sensitizing the students towards these sections is required lest more careers would be spoiled and more lives would be ruined. He showed his concern towards the confrontational, egoistic culture among the youth today that may lead them nowhere and prove a threat to their future as well as the society as a whole. Chairperson of the Group, Dr. Bhagwan Josh also addressed the students and called the efforts by the Group as a ‘creative exercise’ which should keep continuing for the benefit of students in order to address their concerns effectively and positively.

Experts from the academic as well as the corporate world shared engaged students into constructive practices through documentary films on the condition of women in India, Kabir and harmony, apart from games, special recreational activities, meditation sessions, serious debates and discussion.

Mr. Raj S. Amonkar, (expert) said that “we can give only what we have within ourselves.” He added that in order to change our behaviour towards sections in the society that have been victimised by power structures and power relationships, we need to start from ‘self understanding’.  Experiential wisdom needs to be integrated within the education process. The “practice of wisdom and the wisdom of practice” are the present missing links in our  education system. This will enable every student and teacher to optimize learning, living, and contributing that symbolize harmony and respect for others.

Dr Suneet Varma, (expert) stressed that power relationships in the society are a cause for such problems, in particular the patriarchal structure of the society, and the solution lies in understanding ourselves better. Further, there is a need to change our approach towards each other based on an experientially grounded knowledge of the oneness of humanity, which is only possible via the insights available in wisdom traditions. In this regard, Indian thought has an immense lot to offer, and not just to Indians but the world at large.