in this issue. The Companion January 2016 / Vol 23 : Issue 8 Editor : Farukh Shaikh 28 Assistant Editor : Kashif Mansoor 13 Editorial Board : December Of Nitish Ban on Mujahidul Islam Alcohol purposely A Lost Man Nusrat Balur suppressed - usama hameed Reehan. L. Khan by media under Dr Talha secularism debate 31 Zayan Asif 05 - Dr. Javed Jamil Beef Festival Nihal Kidiyoor Sharique Ansar @ Osmania OCCUPY UGC Rashid Masood 14 University Asma Manham A STRUGGLE The Myth of Politically Musaddiq Mubeen modern mysticsim motivated or Asad Shah FOR INCLUSION - Inas Younsi communalised Azharuddin Pilakodan #OCCUPY UGC. - SYED AZHARUDDIN Usama Hameed - SHEHLA RASHID SHORA 18 Manager : Junaid Khan The Rape of a 32 90% Indian univer- [email protected] Blind Sufi Mob: +91 7532 063 797 04 sities have out- - Yousuf bin +91 8505 808 886 THE INCENTIVE Mohammad dated curriculum: Assistant Manager: THAT INDIA IS Prof. CNR Rao Noorul Mubin Nadaf LOSING UPON 19 cell: +91 8447622919 Maharashtra Book Design & Cover : Thwaha AP Of the cow, YOUNG INDIA. government wants Social Media Manager: S Mushtaq by the cow, - FARUKH SHAIKH to back track for the cow on no-detention Annual Subscription: Rs. 160.00 Each - Anwarul Hoda 08 policy in schools Copy : Rs. 15.00 Amid WTO meeting, DD/Cheque In the favour of THE COM- Students Up in Arms 21 Live in harmony PANION, New Delhi-25 against Cut on Fellow- Celebrating epic with nature. ship crimes D-300 (Old 230) Abul Fazal Enclave, Jamia Nagar Okhla New Delhi-25 - Akhilesh Kumar - Samiha Siddiqua 33 Tel : 011-26949817. Fax 26946285 Mobile : +91 8447622919 09 25 SHIKSHA SAMVAD Email : [email protected] four laws of Children of at Aligarh Muslim tolerance in Conflict Universtiy Write to Editor: bhaktology - Bilal Parray [email protected] Open and Distance 10 learning needs to Habeeb Haris on behalf of Student Islamic 26 be reformed: Organisation of India A P Zone. Printer FLOODS IN CHENNAI ARE STEREOTYPING IGNOU VC Publisher & Editor Mohd Salimullah Khan. MAN-MADE DISASTER IN MUSLIM YOUTH: Printed at Bharat Ofset 2034/35 Qasim Jan ADDITION TO AREN’T WE Street, Delhi-110006, Published from D-300 JNU set to NATURE’S FURY COMPLICIT TOO? (Old 230) Abul Fazal Enclave, Jamia Nagar, introduce 3 new Okhla New Delhi-110 025. The opinions - FUZAIL HUSSAIN - Tahmina Laskar Master courses expressed in the columns of THE COMPAN- ION contain positions and viewpoints that including art, are not necessarily those of editorial board 11 27 theatre and film. or the Students Islamic Organisation of Prepare a meal, Sleepless night in India. These are ofered as a means for SIO go shopping with Gaza & Paris. IISC breaks into to stimulate dialogue and discussion in our your parenst continuing mission of being a student and - Tousif Ahmad top 100 world youth organisation. - Aayushi Khaneja Mehdi university ceiling. total number of pages is 36 with cover pages. 2016 January | The Companion 3 The contents under this magazine are licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA (unless stated otherwise) which means you’re free to copy and share them (but not to sell them) | EDITORIAL | THE INCENTIVE THAT INDIA IS LOSING UPON YOUNG INDIA. - FARUKH SHAIKH Year 2015 was definitely not a promising year as The issue of UGC non-NET fellowships being dis- was assured by the PM Modi during his political cam- continued is indeed a matter of grievous concern. Ma- paign. When it comes to students and educational jor representation of beneficiaries belongs to various issues it is far from consideration from the current Minorities, OBC, Dalits and under-privileged category government. India now boast having the youngest of Indian society. The scrapping off will extinguish the population of the age 25 years that comprises 605 ambitions and career of these section of students. The million, while the 225 million are of the age group Indian fascist ideology along with blind capitalism is 10-19 years. This is indeed a great asset for India and another way of creating disparity once again. Further the world if it is guided and supported in every pos- strata will be added in terms of Academic qualifica- sible way, negligence on this will ruin the Dynamism & tion and career opportunities, emergence of Elite Up- Productiveness of Young India for next 4 to 5 decade, per caste in India and many unprecedented injustice. close to half of the century. Looking at these demo- Higher education in India will be either make it or graphic figures, many matters are to be looked into break it situation with #OccupyUGC. This situation both by the government and the progressive groups needs a rescue operation at mass level primarily from that are in favour of students’ welfare and fraternity. student movement who have been defining future of In this 21st century, the acquisition of knowledge every nation. Agitation & Resistance shown by promi- and it’s proper dissemination should be the chief as- nent student organisation in Delhi is truly commend- piration of most students who pursue higher educa- able. It is also true that government now runs the na- tion in various fields in India. The current trend India tions’ affairs with senseless, selfish and irresponsible follows is to incubate students in schools and col- bureaucrats and media. This entire issue since Octo- leges upto the graduation and transform them into a ber 2015 have been deliberately sidelined and veiled. catalyst who can meet the demands of the modern India with full throttle is regressing to those mis- sophisticated mass production and corporate office erable past which took more than a century to break services. This limited aspiration of students restricts colonialism, earn dignity with education and devel- all avenues for any holistic contribution from young opment in respective sectors that put us under the India. banner of Progressive nation. With the grim situation With 7.5 lakh primary schools, 4.5 lakh upper in Higher education revolving on UGC non-NET fellow- primary schools, 35,000 colleges and more than 4 ship, the only hopes seen are collective and construc- lakh students in higher education; the government at tive mass participation of student movement in every the policy level and implementation need to get real possible way. If the end results are disappointing, let serious and being the reliable stakeholder of these us be assured that the future of Education will totally student mass. Harnessing of their mature ideas, well- be commercialized, only the affluent to dominate in developed skills, gushing confidence and abilities higher education while the rest of the mass to serve needs total support from government. It includes them. The emergence of new class system isn’t far standard stipends, best of faculties both from India from now. and abroad, best of infrastructures, laboratories and Join hands in support of #OCCUPY UGC. libraries, and every immediate solutions that the stu- dents are facing. 4 2016 January | The Companion | COVER STORY | OCCUPY UGC- A STRUGGLE FOR INCLUSION #OCCUPY UGC. - SHEHLA RASHID SHORA It all started on the morning of 20th of October, 2015 when news them study. Discontinuation of the fellowship first surfaced of the UGC non-NET fellowships being discontinued. Sit- would mean that several students belonging ting in JNU’s 24x7 central library, which stands tall against the politics to under-privileged, Dalit, Muslim and tribal of fund-cut and austerity, I made a quick Facebook post tagging friends families will have to give up the desire for from all different organizations, followed by frantic calls to my fellow- higher education, simply because they cannot office bearers in the JNU Students’ Union, to which we had been recently afford the fees and other costs of living asso- elected. Something was to be done against this. We had to launch a ciated with studying in a Central University. massive demonstration against this decision, which we could immedi- Non-NET fellowship is a minimum, baseline ately recognize as being related with the WTO’s takeover of education, amount of stipend necessary for every scholar which was our primary election issue this year in all the Student Union to sustain themselves. With the rising costs of elections. Funnily enough, the ABVP had made tall electoral promises living, even the current amounts of Rs. 5,000 such as building of hostels, Wi-Fi, placement cell, etc. at a time when and Rs. 8,000 provided to scholars in Central their government at the Centre was steadily cutting down on funding for Universities are far too low. education, pursuing policies that perpetrate joblessness and displace- The demand that the amount of non-NET ment, diluting labour laws and land acquisition laws, and preparing to fellowship be increased from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. bow down to WTO diktats to bring education under trade services! The 8,000 at M.Phil. level and from Rs. 8,000 to ABVP also sought votes on the (hollow) promise that they would get the Rs. 12,000 at the Ph.D. level is a principled fellowship amounts increased- a genuine and long-standing demand demand, considering the fact that other re- of the student community which had been raised by several students search fellowships (CSIR, JRF, MANF, RGNF) across the country, including the previous JNU Students’ Union. The were increased during the last academic year. non-NET fellowship is a great enabler for students belonging to margin- An expert committee had also been consti- alized backgrounds who have to battle enormous difficulties to acquire tuted by the UGC to consider enhancement of an education. Women students have to persuade their families to let the amount disbursed as non-NET fellowship.