Parimal spoilsport Trivedi
Gujarat University Vice Chancellor bans celebration of days like Rose Day, Friendship Day, etc., on campus, but students send out a clear signal — they are determined not to let all the fun go out of college life
By Yogesh Avasthi and Dhwani Pathak
Posted On Friday, December 19, 2008 (Ahmedabad Mirror cover story & Mumbai Mirror)
We’re not kids! With soft toys in their hands and thumbs in their mouths, these girls were not merely posing as kids, but sending a clear message to VC Parimal Trivedi (above right)Ahmedabad: Gujarat University vice-chancellor Parimal Trivedi’s latest diktat banning celebration of ‘days’ like Rose Day, Friendship Day, etc., in GU-affiliated colleges has had a contrary effect — students openly revolted against what they perceive as dictatorship and celebrated a sarcastic ‘Kids’ Day’ on the HL Centre for Professional Education college campus. On December 10, Trivedi released a circular to all GU-affiliated colleges, banning celebration of various days on their campuses. When the B K Majumdar College of Business Administration recently organised a fashion show, an enraged Trivedi slapped the college with a Rs 50,000 fine.Ordering colleges to replace events like Rose Day, Tapori Day, Chocolate Day, Mix & Match Day, etc., with National Leader Character Day, Anti-Terrorist Day, Blood Donation Day, Thalassaemia Day, World Peace Day, World Environment Day and Nirmal Gujarat Day, Trivedi said, “The aim of this circular is to ensure students engage themselves in activities which will inculcate the spirit of patriotism and unity.”
But forcing anything on young minds doesn’t work — already, students are resenting the ‘days’ the VC has proposed, and are ready to rebel against the university. They are willing to compromise on events like the Tapori Day, but a blanket ban on all ‘days’ is completely over the top, they feel.
Says Shyama Nair, a first year student of HL Commerce College, “If GU says don’t celebrate Tapori Day, it’s fine, we won’t. If they say vulgarity should not be part of Rose Day, we agree. But this ban is dictatorship and we will rebel against it.” “During events like Rose Day, the college authorities tell us not to hold hands of our female friends and we accept it.
Had such a ban been enforced in Mumbai or Delhi, students would have smashed the VC’s cabin,” Siddharth Jadeja from Som Lalit Institute of Management Studies fumes. Meanwhile, students have found support from the most unexpected quarters — their college principals. According to G A Pathak, director of HL Centre for Professional Education, students will continue to celebrate ‘days’ on college campuses, ban or no ban.
“What will happen if we ban students from celebrating, say Rose Day, on campus? They will celebrate it on the road. While concepts like Nirmal Gujarat Day, etc., are wonderful, banning existing ‘days’ is not the solution,” Pathak says.
Saurabh Choksi, former principal of Navgujarat Commerce College, which was the first in Ahmedabad to introduce the concept of Rose Day in 1991, says celebration of ‘days’ in colleges keep students fresh and interested in college throughout the year. “Concepts like Freshers’ Day break the ice between newcomers and seniors. Events like Mix-n-Match Day are fun, and breaks the monotony of studies and exams,” Choksi observes.
What college-goers in other cities celebrate
DELHI: Friendship Day, Rose Day, Valentine’s Day, Teacher’s Day, Fresher’s Day, Chocolate Day, Hug Day, Forgiveness Day, Colour Day
MUMBAI: Tie-and-Sari Day, Chocolate Day, Traditional Day, Rose Day, Valentine’s Day, Colour Day, Tapori Day, Mismatch Day, Injury Day and Twins Day
PUNE: Tie-and-Sari Day, Jeans Day, Chocolate Day, Rose Day, Valentine’s Day, Mr and Miss Perfect Day
KOLKATA: Rose Day, Valentine’s Day, Proposal Day, Traditional Day
BANGALORE: Friendship Day, Rose Day, Valentine’s Day, Teacher’s Day, Fresher’s Day
By Yogesh Avasthi and Dhwani Pathak
Posted On Friday, December 19, 2008 (Ahmedabad Mirror cover story & Mumbai Mirror)
We’re not kids! With soft toys in their hands and thumbs in their mouths, these girls were not merely posing as kids, but sending a clear message to VC Parimal Trivedi (above right)Ahmedabad: Gujarat University vice-chancellor Parimal Trivedi’s latest diktat banning celebration of ‘days’ like Rose Day, Friendship Day, etc., in GU-affiliated colleges has had a contrary effect — students openly revolted against what they perceive as dictatorship and celebrated a sarcastic ‘Kids’ Day’ on the HL Centre for Professional Education college campus. On December 10, Trivedi released a circular to all GU-affiliated colleges, banning celebration of various days on their campuses. When the B K Majumdar College of Business Administration recently organised a fashion show, an enraged Trivedi slapped the college with a Rs 50,000 fine.Ordering colleges to replace events like Rose Day, Tapori Day, Chocolate Day, Mix & Match Day, etc., with National Leader Character Day, Anti-Terrorist Day, Blood Donation Day, Thalassaemia Day, World Peace Day, World Environment Day and Nirmal Gujarat Day, Trivedi said, “The aim of this circular is to ensure students engage themselves in activities which will inculcate the spirit of patriotism and unity.”
But forcing anything on young minds doesn’t work — already, students are resenting the ‘days’ the VC has proposed, and are ready to rebel against the university. They are willing to compromise on events like the Tapori Day, but a blanket ban on all ‘days’ is completely over the top, they feel.
Says Shyama Nair, a first year student of HL Commerce College, “If GU says don’t celebrate Tapori Day, it’s fine, we won’t. If they say vulgarity should not be part of Rose Day, we agree. But this ban is dictatorship and we will rebel against it.” “During events like Rose Day, the college authorities tell us not to hold hands of our female friends and we accept it.
Had such a ban been enforced in Mumbai or Delhi, students would have smashed the VC’s cabin,” Siddharth Jadeja from Som Lalit Institute of Management Studies fumes. Meanwhile, students have found support from the most unexpected quarters — their college principals. According to G A Pathak, director of HL Centre for Professional Education, students will continue to celebrate ‘days’ on college campuses, ban or no ban.
“What will happen if we ban students from celebrating, say Rose Day, on campus? They will celebrate it on the road. While concepts like Nirmal Gujarat Day, etc., are wonderful, banning existing ‘days’ is not the solution,” Pathak says.
Saurabh Choksi, former principal of Navgujarat Commerce College, which was the first in Ahmedabad to introduce the concept of Rose Day in 1991, says celebration of ‘days’ in colleges keep students fresh and interested in college throughout the year. “Concepts like Freshers’ Day break the ice between newcomers and seniors. Events like Mix-n-Match Day are fun, and breaks the monotony of studies and exams,” Choksi observes.
What college-goers in other cities celebrate
DELHI: Friendship Day, Rose Day, Valentine’s Day, Teacher’s Day, Fresher’s Day, Chocolate Day, Hug Day, Forgiveness Day, Colour Day
MUMBAI: Tie-and-Sari Day, Chocolate Day, Traditional Day, Rose Day, Valentine’s Day, Colour Day, Tapori Day, Mismatch Day, Injury Day and Twins Day
PUNE: Tie-and-Sari Day, Jeans Day, Chocolate Day, Rose Day, Valentine’s Day, Mr and Miss Perfect Day
KOLKATA: Rose Day, Valentine’s Day, Proposal Day, Traditional Day
BANGALORE: Friendship Day, Rose Day, Valentine’s Day, Teacher’s Day, Fresher’s Day
