What Ashoka University founder needs to realise: Andolans are at the heart of knowledge, creativity and politics
Peter Ronald DeSouza | 19 September 2023 | Indian Express
It is, I suppose, unfair to ask the question, “Is Ashoka University backsliding?”.
But I ask it nevertheless because I have been trying for the last few days to ignore Sanjeev Bhikchandani’s September 4 post on X (Twitter) but, for some reason, am unable to do so. There are four troublesome aspects to his post. The first is his celebration of Ashoka University being “boring”. Can a liberal arts and sciences university ever be “boring”, I wonder? The second is his assertion that parents do not pay the fees they do for their children to do “andolans”. Really? The third is his observation that “left-liberal values and studying liberal arts are very different. You can be right of centre and still study liberal arts.” And the fourth is his status as a co-founder and trustee, which has given his Twitter post the wide media coverage it received. These four aspects require a critical response. A liberal imagination requires it.