The conspiracy of silence in the mainstream media over the arrest and incarceration following denial of bail on December 9, of Business India publisher Ashok Advani, reflects well on occupational solidarity and camaraderie within the fourth estate. However it denies the public the benefit of a story with an instructive moral.

Your correspondent (the editor of this publication) was the first editor of Business India, the country’s first-ever business magazine. During my tenure in BI (1978-81) it became quite evident early on that Advani would come to a bad end given his tendency to short-change people and cut corners. For example though your correspondent lived laborious days (writing 54 lead stories in 66 issues), when I was eased out by Advani, he reneged on a commitment to pay up a piffling sum of Rs. 9,000 as gratuity.

Despite being gifted with an Oxford education and a flourishing, global legal practice painstakingly built by his father the late Hotchand Advani who also promoted the great majority of the 26 education institutions to which Ashok succeeded as chairman, he compounded his character flaws by priding himself on taking impromptu, seat-of-the-pants decisions on matters of great import. One such ill-conceived decision was a Rs.100 crore diversification into television on the advice of the Delhi-based self-styled media and culture diva Mala Singh, who gradually assumed an ever larger role in BI rising to the position of associate publisher.

Within the space of two decades the BI group which started on an investment of less than Rs.50,000, racked up a debt currently estimated at Rs.127 crore. From then it was a short step for Advani to dip into the funds of the Hyderabad (Sindh) National Collegiate Board trust banked with the Jaihind Cooperative Bank of which he also inherited the chairmanship.

There’s a moral in this painful story which some roughshod captains of Indian industry should heed carefully. It is: What goes round comes round. Or you reap what you sow. Take your pick.

Price of success?

An explanation for the sudden eruption of violence on the 955-acre campus of Annamalai University in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu on November 23 which featured a pitched battle between a 500-strong group of students and police is baffling academics in the state. The proximate cause of student outrage was the mysterious death of G. Sivasakthi, a third-year engineering student, reportedly caused by brain fever. The previous day Sivasakthi had been administered an intravenous injection at the affiliated Rajah Muthiah Medical College Hospital. But he did not respond to treatment and passed away.

That night, some students assembled before vice-chancellor L.B. Venkatrangan’s house and requested him to put off the next day’s examination. As soon as this demand was conceded, the students protested against the treatment given to Sivasakthi. When a DSP-led police force arrived on the scene, students began throwing stones and damaging university property resulting in the arrest of eight of them who were remanded to judicial custody for 15 days. Taking a hard line, Venkatrangan declared an indefinite closure of the university, and all the 8,500 hostellers were asked to vacate.

Addressing a press conference the next day, Venkatrangan alluded that the campus violence was the handiwork of “outsiders” who cannot tolerate the exponential growth of Annamalai University which recently celebrated its platinum jubilee. Conspiracy theories are rife on Annamalai University campus with faculty insiders suggesting that the 75-year-old university’s fault is that it is being seen as too successful in its search for excellence.

Unconvincing rationale

Following the surprise refusal of the Union HRD ministry to grant an extension to Dr. R. Natarajan the highly capable chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), acolytes of minister Arjun Singh are selectively leaking information about the less than convincing rationale of the unexpected decision. According to HRD ministry sources, AICTE paid out travel and hospitality bills of Rs.9 crore for task force teams commissioned to evaluate and rate new technical and engineering colleges last year. This is a huge sum given that the annual wage bill of the 250-plus employees of AICTE is a modest Rs.3.5 crore.

According to ministry sources, setting up task forces on the UGC (University Grants Commission) model to inspect, evaluate and rate new technical institutes was beyond the AICTE charter given that AICTE has seven regional committees empowered to discharge this duty. By constituting task forces, Natarajan effectively sidelined AICTE’s regional committees and permitted ad hoccommittees to run up huge inspection travel bills.

Since then following Natarajan’s exit, the task forces have been disbanded and staff at head and regional offices are expected to do evaluation work. But this rearrangement is unlikely to reduce dependence on task forces and expert committees. The only change likely is the creation of local task forces to discharge these duties which could lead to substantial economy.

But while this re-orientation may result in some saving, monitors of the academic scene warn that regional committees and their task forces may be more susceptible to local pressure for generous ratings. This could mean the dilution of already low standards of technical education.

Last priority

Scholarship quite evidently figures way down in Lucknow University’s list of priorities. Since the beginning of the academic year in July, Uttar Pradesh’s premier varsity has chalked up only 22 days of teaching. From July 16-30 academic activity came to a standstill following the murder of student leader Upendra Singh. From September 9-11 the student union’s annual function required classes to be suspended. Fifteen days of teaching-learning were lost during the student union election campaigns in mid October and during the period October 20-31 the university was closed for the Dusshera vacation.

Likewise during the period November 10-22, it was vacation time again for Diwali and Eid celebrations, followed by convocation and foundation day preparations which required suspension of classes for another week in November. And last month (December) the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected students union disrupted classes for two days, after which a youth festival and sports meet were held. And now LU is closed for its ten-day winter break starting December 24.

Be that as it may and notwithstanding minimal teaching-learning in this vintage (est.1920) university, authorities are determined that the annual exams will be held as per schedule in March. The reason: the academic calendar, which has been regularised after the effort of many years, will not be allowed to go off track.

That’s when the price of the continuous jollity which is a feature of LU’s campus, will have to be paid by students.