top of page

By:

Bhaskar Nath Biswal

13 May 2026 at 8:30:30 pm

Dialogue, Not Disruption

The Union government’s latest initiative, the 'One Day, One University' programme, aims to deploy Union Ministers to higher education institutions across India on a daily basis to interact directly with Generation Z. As reported, this ambitious initiative seeks to create a direct channel between top policymakers and youth, allowing ministers to listen to student concerns, understand youth perspectives on national matters and raise awareness about government welfare schemes designed for...

Dialogue, Not Disruption

The Union government’s latest initiative, the 'One Day, One University' programme, aims to deploy Union Ministers to higher education institutions across India on a daily basis to interact directly with Generation Z. As reported, this ambitious initiative seeks to create a direct channel between top policymakers and youth, allowing ministers to listen to student concerns, understand youth perspectives on national matters and raise awareness about government welfare schemes designed for students. Spearheaded by Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi and Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, the program reflects a clear desire to engage young citizens where they are. Across the country’s vast educational ecosystem, spanning over 1,300 institutions including central, state, deemed and private universities, this direct reach initiative carries immense potential, provided it is executed with care for the core mission of academic institutions. The Promise of Direct Dialogue At its core, the policy holds significant promise. For decades, a noticeable disconnect has existed between policymaking hubs in New Delhi and the everyday realities experienced by students across various states. Having a Union Minister step onto a campus offers students a rare platform to present their views directly to those who formulate policy, bypassing administrative bureaucratic layers. Furthermore, such visits provide a valuable opportunity to inform students about relevant government schemes, grants and youth programs that might otherwise go unnoticed. When executed as a genuine, two-way exchange, this initiative can foster civic engagement, make young citizens feel heard and offer leaders direct insight into the aspirations, anxieties and constructive ideas of the nation’s youth. The Practical Bottlenecks on Campus While the intent to build bridges with youth is commendable, the operational realities of university campuses present serious practical challenges. Educational institutions are already grappling with frequent disruptions. Universities routinely organize a multitude of events, seminars, workshops and ceremonial functions every week or fortnight. Each event consumes critical academic working days and leads to lost instructional time, placing students and faculty under continuous pressure to complete syllabi and maintain research schedules. When a high-profile dignitary such as a Union Minister visits, these disruptions multiply significantly. University authorities often become absorbed in protocol preparations for three to four days prior to the event. Infrastructure maintenance, security reviews, venue setup and administrative meetings take precedence over regular academic duties. Furthermore, ministerial visits rarely occur in isolation; a considerable entourage of followers, security detail, party cadres and administrative staff typically accompanies them. The resulting commotion, heightened security cordons and elaborate stage arrangements convert a seat of learning into a temporary hub of political event management. These grand gatherings consume substantial public funds, precious time and administrative energy, often overshadowing the very objective of meaningful dialogue. Charting a Pragmatic Path Forward To achieve the genuine goals of the 'One Day, One University' initiative without compromising academic integrity, a fundamental shift in approach is required. The focus must pivot from grand public spectacles to understated, highly productive interactions. First, meetings between ministers and students should be stripped of high formal arrangements and stage-managed formalities. The emphasis ought to be on substantive conversation rather than ceremonial grandeur. To ensure academic schedules remain undisturbed, ministers should interact with students outside regular class hours, preferably in informal settings such as campus hostels, common rooms or university canteens. Such an unpretentious atmosphere encourages candid, unscripted feedback from students while keeping normal lecture hours intact. Second, official briefings with university authorities such as Vice-Chancellors, department heads, and faculty representatives should be conducted in closed meeting halls either strictly before or after scheduled academic hours. Closed-door interactions free from media grandstanding allow university leaders to present ground-level administrative, financial and infrastructural challenges accurately. Digital Feedback Channels: A Prevention Strategy To ensure that student voices are captured continuously without relying solely on physically demanding events, the government should establish official online feedback portals. Managed directly by the concerned ministry or designated nodal officers, these digital platforms would allow students, researchers and faculty members to submit their views, grievances and policy ideas in real time. Providing an accessible, transparent and direct line of communication with decision-makers serves as a vital safety valve for youth sentiment. By giving Generation Z a reliable digital avenue to express their perspectives and see their concerns acknowledged, the administration can proactively address dissatisfaction, thereby significantly reducing the need for students to take to the streets in disruptive rallies or public protests to make their voices heard. (The writer is a former college Principal and Founder of Supporting Shoulders, an Odisha-based non-profit Trust. Views personal.)

Why is Mamata Seeing Ghost of Bangladesh?

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

Why is Mamata Seeing Ghost of Bangladesh?

Mamata is seeing a ghost of Bangladesh behind the massive outrage and waves of protest over rape and murder of the trainee doctor. And the reasons are many.

It’s been over a fortnight. Yet with each passing day the voice of protest is getting louder and stronger. From the streets of Kolkata it’s pouring into roads of hinterland. The cry for justice for a rape victim has consolidated into a wail of demands to set a lot of wrongdoings right. Here in lies the fear and trepidation. Wasn’t the issue that brought the youth of Bangladesh out on the thoroughfares a simple, innocent one of quota reform?

The chief minister of Bengal, known for understanding the pulse of people better than many, was quick to read the signages floating in the political horizon.

The most obvious reason for her to be tensed is that both the regime change in Bangladesh and the mass protest in Bengal, were student-driven to begin with. The two incidents---end of 15 year old Sheikh Hasina government and turbulence in West Bengal, over the heinous crime, falling back to back, the first on August 5th and the latter from August 9th onwards, give natural scope for comparisons. More so, because in both the cases the movement strayed beyond an affected constituency to include aggrieved people at large, cutting across socio-economic demography. If the quota reform protest started by students in Bangladesh became a mass uprising against an autocratic regime, the campaign demanding justice for the rape victim and overall safety and security of women in Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal soon snowballed into a movement of no-confidence against the government. Slogans--”Mamata must resign” also got floated in social media much in line with the call for ouster of Sheikh Hasina. In fact “Resignation of Hasina” became the single point agenda into which all other fringe demands coalesced.

Incidentally, even before people started drawing parallels, that there could be a thread of commonality in the way the upheaval in Bangladesh and Bengal played out, Mamata was quick to point out that the Opposition were trying to pull off a Bangladesh by politicizing the tragic incident: “A coordinated approach has been executed by the BJP and the CPIM with support from the Centre to defame Bengal and exploit the situation....They want to make a Bangladesh here. They are taking cues from student unrest in Bangladesh and are attempting to capture similarly. I have no longing for the chair. I came here to serve people.”

Not only Mamata, her political lieutenants are consistently equating the turmoil in Bengal with the mayhem in Bangladesh. Cabinet minister for North Bengal development Udayan Guha threatened to take stern action against those, who would be trying to exploit the situation by emulating a Bangladesh like movement. “ Even after the hospital was vandalised, the police did not open fire on anyone. The police will not allow a Bangladesh type situation. We will not allow Bengal to turn into Bangladesh, Guha thundered.

Is the government’s fear unfounded?

Apart from the similarities on ground zero, as to how and where the future course of events are heading to, there are ample reasons for Bengal to mull on-- as to what led to a Bangladesh like boiling point. To begin with, it’ll be appropriate to talk of Bangladesh and the prevailing situation, that made the students’ protest become big in magnitude. The students were out on the streets because of a high reservation in public jobs. Unemployment and stagnant job market in private sector coupled with a high rate of inflation drove the educated youth to rebel against the government.

But soon the students found enormous number of sympathisers, who were equally at the receiving end. According to Bangladesh citizens, the last two terms of the Sheikh Hasina government were a mockery of democracy. Even elections would be compromised. As Hasina grew from strength to strength, she politicized institutions. The rank and file of police owed allegiance to the ruling dispensation. Extortion, harrassment and raids by police and people in power became rampant. An atmosphere of fear and repression reigned and people got restless to overthrow the government.

Politicization of institutions has been happening in Mamata government too. Allegations are quite strong that police in Bengal functions at the beck and call of political bosses. The lapses and alleged loopholes on the part of police in handling the rape and murder of the young doctor have yet again revealed a sense of confused or misplaced loyalty.

But above everything else both Hasina and Mamata governments allegedly seem to have twined in accepting corruption as a way of life. In Bangladesh jobs of primary and secondary teachers got sold at premium, Rs 10-12 lakh in the Hasina regime. Even police had to pay up for prized postings and transfers. In Bengal busting of the teacher’s recruitment scam has revealed how unsuccessful and ineligible candidates got government jobs in schools in exchange of bribes.

Similarities are multiple and inescapable. Mamata has good reasons to be apprehensive. It’s not only she, who can see and connect the dots. People, out on the streets, clamoring for justice, can see a providential pattern somewhere in the unfolding of future events in these two places-- Bangladesh and Bengal. True, they share more than 2,217 odd km of border. They share the same umbilical cord, other than language, culture, ethos, icons. Even emotions are the same. So she cannot take any risk.

(The writer is a senior jounalist based in Kolkata. Views personal)

Comments

bottom of page