Chandigarh,13 May:Despite the extreme busy schedule of the faculty due to the ongoing duties in examination, evaluation of answer books, and documentation to present before the UGC visiting team for the XI Plan, a large number of teachers and students today assembled at the site of the chain fast to join prayers conducted by Prof. Shankarji Jha, department of Sanskrit and other colleagues. The prayers were made as a part of Sadbuddhi Diwas observed today at the call of Joint Action Committee. The purpose was to reach out to all those state functionaries who are tight lipped on the offer of the MHRD to make Panjab University a central university.
Where reason ends, faith starts, where mind fails, emotion works, and thus to penetrate deeper into the soul of heartless politicians the spiritual realm was evoked by chanting hymns of wisdom, said Prof. Vikram Kumar, Department of Sanskrit, who also sat on the fast for today. Other teachers who sat on the 37th day of the chain fast today were Gurmeet Sing, Department of Physical Education, Ashok Kumar, Department of Hindi, while two research scholars, Kuljeet of Dayanand Chair for Vedic Studies and Amandeep Singh, department of Punjabi also joined them in observing the fast.
Addressing the rally Prof Manjit Singh, Coordinator, JAC said that the P.U. community has decided to continue with the chain fast through the summer vacation. A large number of the departments have volunteered to sit on the fast during the summer vacation. If Punjab Government does not arise to the occasion it will lose the historic opportunity to make P.U. a world-class University and thereby would be responsible to keep the entire region backward. From the callous attitude of the Punjab Government towards Panjab University, which is a national heritage, it is not difficult to imagine for the people of Punjab that what is lying ahead for them from the proposed world-class central university at Amritsar, exhorted Prof Singh.
Myopic and regionalist politics is taking the lot of the prestigious universities whereas smart politicians at the Centre are diverting huge amount of funds, meant for higher education, to their own respective state of origin, lamented Prof. Rajan Gaur, Vice President PUTA while addressing the rally. “Don’t muddle with the sacred seats of higher learning, such as universities, otherwise we will fail to take new challenges, imposed by the globalization, in the arena of science, technology and even social sciences’, said Prof Gaur with an accusing finger towards the politicians from the state of Punjab.
Parminder Jaswal, President Students Council, addressing the rally said that Punjab Government should not test our patience. If our hungry stomachs failed to evoke sympathy for our legitimate demand we will not hesitate to take other steps, involving even students and teachers from the colleges of Punjab.