Monday, 7 February 2011
Environment Studies
Besides my research on dak bungalows I have been also taking lectures on environmental studies for the students of Government College Sector9 Gurgaon. The issues I have raised are greenhouse effect,ozone hole,acid rain and pollution and degradation of the environment.The students in these lectures come from the vicinity of a fast expanding megapolis of Gurgaon and are therefore both passive and active participants and witnesses of a modern (rather postmodern)transition of the city. Over the last twenty five years or so the city has seen massive high rises of office and residential spaces.The culture and lifestyle have undergone fundamental changes.The students have grown up in this milieu and have diverse responses to it. While consumer culture has its effects it also tends to make students passive.However there are some exceptions like Sandy Dancer(Sandeep Paswan) who is a distance education student who has undertaken dance classes at Gurgaon and also has started teaching dance.This perhaps could be one way of coping with the changing culture and environment of the city.The downside of this growth was brought out by Times Of India city edition in which the deteriorating conditions of civic life and services was pointed out by the people living in Gurgaon city. It is perhaps contexts like these that Daniel Bell(prominent sociologist) analysed in the American context.He pointed out that corporate performance has made society uglier,trashier,polluted and noxious.The earlier identity of the private corporation and the public interest has been replaced by a sense of mismatch and incongruence.Talking with Mr. Ajay Mahurkar(IGNOU) I found that Bell links this criticism to a fundamental flaw in the mainstream economics whose individualism (Bell points out) fails when confronted with externalities like environmental pollution and degradation.
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The issue of distortion and incongruence of American society came up in discussions with my students.Here the recent case of ill treatment of students in the U.S. where they were fitted with radio collars when the Tri Valley university was closed down came up. Jyoti Yadav a B.A.IInd History student said that the Indian students might develop an inferiority complex and other tensions with such a move.According to her a student's life is straight forward and without malice. She said that the Indian students should not be humiliated and insulted. She expressed apprehension that they might get depressed and commit suicide.Further she said that the issue should not take a grave turn.Surendra and Rekha Yadav of the same class said that firm action against the university should be taken on the issue.Another student Manoj wanted an amicable solution to the problem. He said that they could be given admission in another U.S. university by the authorities.Rajkumar of the same class expressed the fear that this incident could lead to a tit for tat situation with American students and tourists being similarly targeted.Jyoti Yadav felt student community could protest against this move.
ReplyDeleteThe consciousness of the degradation of environment in the current socio-economic situation is present in a germane form in all democratic movements which respond to it.Recently in Egypt's movement towards democracy this was also evident.After a mass mobilisation where millions participated and which led to Hosni Mubarak leaving office,the protesters turned to cleaning up of the Tahrir Square.BBC and the Indian media reported that 'on Saturday men and women with brooms and spades in hand cleared up the debris on the Tahrir Square reminding us that it was the time to clean up.' The military too did its share of cleaning up as the media reported.As Egypt makes a difficult transition to democracy this germane environmental consciousness will perhaps be integral to its efforts.After all it is a task of all democratic movements 'to represent in the movement of the present the future of that movement'.
ReplyDeleteI discussed the feedback of the students posted above as comment by sacred spaces with Manoj, a second year student of my college.He had commented on the Tri Valley students issue, saying that the affected students should be accommodated in other U.S. universities.(see the sacred spaces comment above.)He was happy to hear that two Indian students in the U.S.had been relieved of the radio collars.His solution found further reinforcement when the Indian Foreign Minister, S.M.Krishna announced that the students who had come in good faith to study in the U.S. should not be victimised and should be adjusted in other U.S. universities.I am inviting other students of my class to post their views.
ReplyDeleteYou can also find a talk on environmental question in South Asia by Mr. Ajay Mahurkar on China Radio International Hindi Service in the Patrika section. Please listen and critically comment. Shamsher Gulia.
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