Our educational spaces are fast turning into male
chauvinistic spaces where the rules created by the males not only decide the complexion
of the instructive spaces but also the quality of the possible recreational spaces.
The spaces within the architectures of the educational institutions as well as
around them are not really neutral spaces meant for imparting education and
skills without heeding to the ideological undercurrents of the state and the
agencies that run the given institutions. The rules that govern not only the
society but also the homes get replicated in these institutional spaces where
often the males get more freedom to move and also opportunities to play out his
fantasies.
Stepping into the main gate of an educational institution itself
is a territorial incursion as far as a female student is concerned as she
suddenly has to re-design and modulate her movements according to the demands
of the space design and decision. As I said earlier, there could a tremendous
amount of social replications of ideologies within the institutional spaces, however
the imaginary freedom that an educational space is supposed to lend to a
student in fact facilitates both the male and female students to re-imagine the
social space in a different way once he or she enters the main gate of an educational
institution. But what she confronts is the reality of the sudden collapse of
such an imaginary freedom and a forced introduction into the gendered spaces
that clearly curtail the freedom of the students who do not agreed with the
dominant (ideology of the male) therefore automatically rendered useless/weak/dispossessed/prone
to be vandalized/overpowered and if need be killed.
As our point of reference is a co-ed institution, perhaps
the same observations look a bit falsified or exaggerated when it comes to the
realities of a segregated educational institution. However, even within the
female only/women only educational spaces one could see how the male ideology
of the state or the agencies being operated through the principals, teachers ,
matrons, wardens, leaders, class monitors, house leaders and so on. The sight
of the expressions of the ideological differences and confrontation (with the
state and institution) taken up by the students themselves in women only
colleges are so rare that if anyone attempts such an act would automatically
curbed by calling names such as truant, gone, feminist and slut etc. Those who
show confrontational attitudes but still are ready comply with the dominant
ideology of the state and institutions automatically become leaders where as
the ones who are called names for being ‘radical’, ‘different’ or ‘uncompromising’
become intellectuals and social activists. While the former group of people
gets chances in the mainstream politics (till they are rudely shaken up to
understand that no longer their kind of freedom is expected within the
mainstream politics therefore they could relegated to lesser positions or no
positions at all) the latter group or group members continue their agitation
through playing and ideating identity politics, becoming public intellectuals
and social activists.
While exceptional cases could be classified into two as just
mentioned above, the majority of the students are supposed to obey the hierarchical
spaces created within the educational institutions. There was a time even if
the women students were a minority within the co-ed schools and colleges, they
used to receive some kind of parity in terms of education if not in terms of
facilities. There are not too many evidences or narratives from those educated
women of the early twentieth century till the third quarter of the same
century. Regimenting the educational spaces in the gender lines seems to be an
outcome of the arrival of an economically affluent middle class. The middle
class educational narratives as evident in the popular black and white movies
of sixties and seventies show that women who go to study in colleges are
haughty and ‘occupied’ a lot of space within the recreational spaces and
narratives of such institutions till they were dominated and domesticated by
the handiworks and persuasions of the heroic characters; who did not leave any
stone unturned to curb the women that included a lot of singing and hugging and
eventually a tight slap). A little bit of eve teasing was a reality in those
days too as getting a BA Degree was considered to be a social as well as
economic achievement of the slowly emerging middle class. However with the
advent of the real middle class, post-Middle East boom and the
post-liberalization, the women’s spaces within the colleges have become a bit
more regimented and structured than their counterparts in the black and white
era where the educated women went to become the sidekicks of the villain or the
sidekicks of the educated hero. That was an educational ‘fall out’ but the
spaces were free for them too within the educational institutions.
(Thesni Basheer who was killed in College of Engineering Trivandrum in a freak revelry accident)
The middle class brought all the changes that went absolutely
wrong within the educational spaces. The corridors that were used both by the
male and female students became the display ramps of the male dominating acts
(of heroism). Turning of the corridors and partly the classrooms into the
locations for displaying the ‘macho’ acts of boys and young men has immensely contributed
in converting the liberal spaces within the educational institutions more male
dominated and regimented. This conversion could be connected to the power to
spend and flaunt (of the male students) their wealth and health, at the same
time it could be connected to the domination of particular political parties
and their students’ wings within these educational spaces. The fight for
political supremacy has brought in a different scenario in colleges and schools
where the corridors, canteens, courtyards, playgrounds and so on become not
only recreational spaces but also spaces of/for violence and aggression, which
would naturally push the female students to their class rooms, libraries, rest
rooms and segregated spaces for recreational activities. The pillars, walls,
trees, posts and so on become the spaces for displaying political propaganda that
actually creates a sense of alienation as far the female students are concerned.
The erstwhile spaces which were called the common spaces, the sidelines of the
playground, canteens, corridors, tree shades etc have now been occupied completely by males,
male ideologies and male aggressions pushing women from such spaces. This
displacement of women within the campuses has brought in a sort dispossession
and disempowerment of women there. They are no longer free to use the pathways
and walkways as they could be taken over anytime by the vehicular movements of
the boys/young men.
Vehicular presence within the educational institutions also
is a post-liberal and middle class phenomenon. There was a time when there were
designated spaces like ‘waiting shed’, ‘cycle shed’ and ‘car shed’ within a
college campus. Waiting shed was meant for people to hang out till the buses or
other vehicles came to pick them up. Cycle shed, as the name suggest was meant
to keep cycles. Car sheds were exclusive places for the professors who could
afford to come by a Fiat or an Ambassador. It was a rarity. Cycle, though represented
movement and modernity at one point of time was not an aggressive machine as it
needed human energy to mobilize it. Hence, using a cycle was not ‘macho’ thing
and differently designed cycles were also used by women. There was some kind of
parity and democracy existed in the using of cycles by both men and women in
the campuses. But unfortunately, this situation was terribly replaced by the
arrival of 100 cc bikes. Over a period of time these bikes also changed their
shape and power and became mediums than vehicles to express the male domination
over not only the women, but the spaces where these machines happened appear.
We may argue that now a days women also use a lot of two wheelers and occupy
social space with their vehicles. But if you look at the design and power of
these vehicles compared to the changes of the same amongst the male vehicles
you could immediately notice the difference. The new age female vehicles are designed
to show their modesty and elegance (with pastel and creamy colors to finish
it). Hence, even within a campus, if girls come by such bikes, they do not
stand a chance to compete with the aggressive engines that the boys bring in
the colleges. The conversion of the erstwhile cycles into ‘bike parking’ and
social and economic degradation of the cycles tell us clearly that the
vehicular narrative within a social as well as educational spaces is absolutely
male and they could kill if they want to assert this male ideology.
(The killer jeep in CET - photo courtesy- The Hindu)
Thesni Basheer was not supposed to die in a road accident.
She died in a road accident in her own college campus. She was a B Tech student
in the College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET). The campus was occupied by the
Onam revelers. Onam is a festival of Malayalis who celebrate the existence of
socialism in our myths. With playing in swings, making floral design and
compete vegetarian feasts Onam is not at all aggressive festival. If at all
Onam has something to do with aggression it is the only act performed by Lord
Vishnu in the guise of Vamana who came to send the just king Mahabali to the
nether world. However, Onam has nothing to do with aggression or violence.
Somehow, the Engineering college students have mistaken all such festivals for
occasions of revelry. I do not know why the aggression within campus has always
been connected the professional courses in Kerala. Since my childhood I have
been listening stories of brutal ragging and resultant deaths from the
professional colleges like Engineering and Medical colleges. The college where
I studied (University College, Trivandrum) was many times aggressive and
violent, and it was completely a male space during the five years in the late
1980s when I studied there. But though known as a bastion of the SFI (Students
Federation of India), it has never been connected male aggression over female
students or deaths. Somehow these have been connected to the professional
colleges.
I do not want to implicate the professional colleges only.
The educational spaces have become male dominated. While reporting Thesni Basheer’s
death most of the newspapers used exclamatory language while describing the
vehicles used by the student revelers within the campus. They were using some
Jeep with altered designs in which crude weapons like axe, sword and all are
fixed on its body through welding. These design elements may be new to the
reporters but these are quite common with a whole lot of vehicle designs
especially when they are altered for a purpose. I am not interested in
investigating the role of this jeep even if it had caused the death of Thesni
Basheer as it was driven rashly by drunken male students. I am not really
interested in the identity of the owner. I am not even seriously interested in
the politics of the students who were celebrating Onam within the campus. What
I am interested is the educational spaces/campuses that have been fast turning
into male dominated spaces. The altered jeep which flaunts the weapon designs
on it is nothing but a standing evidence to the aggressiveness of the male
ideology within the campuses. Thesni Basheer, the unfortunate girl student was
not a part of the revelry. Even if she was, she is not at fault as she was
walking along the campus road to reach her hostel. But in a male dominated
space within the campus where revelers had occupied each inch with their
aggression, Thesni looked like a culprit who dared to ‘violate’ the male rules.
Her violation was really ‘grave’; she dared to walk while they were driving
along the same road. I do not say that the boys were intending to kill. But the
idea is that if you trespass, you may be decimated and we are not responsible.
(Aadu Thoma, enacted by Mohanlal in Spadikam and his lorry called Chekuthan, Devil)
This violent death of Thesni Basheer should be a thing of
concern to all of us. The boys had even brought an open truck with a name ‘Chekutthan’
(Devil), clearly suggesting their affinity for the character Aadu Thoma, a
violent character who denies a Gandhian father in Bhadran’s film ‘Sphadikam’.
The violent atmosphere and the aggression of the name of the truck which has
been directly lifted from the movie are the clear indications of the thematic
as well as ideological intentions of the boys- It is a male dominated
place/space and you, girls do not have any role here’. The subtext of this film
reference also tells us that even if there is a woman present there, she should
be someone like ‘Silk Smitha’ whose body is available for the heroic male. Her
body could be used, violated and if need be killed by the devilish desire of
the hero, still he would be exonerated. This is a dangerous situation. And it
is high time that we de-chauvinise our college campuses. There should be very
strong protests against this incident and it should be fought both on ideological/theoretical
and practical levels.
Post script: I am surprised by the fact that these boys are
still referring to the films of those actors who are in their late fifties now
and the ideology that they presented in their movies looks more or less defunct
in our present conditions where films like Premam, Vadakkan Selfie etc make
huge hits.
No comments:
Post a Comment