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THE editorial “University blues” (The Tribune, April 14) reflects the confusion regarding the reality of higher education in our society. The media and the public have never been interested in rectifying the paradoxical situation in which the universities are forced to function for want of adequate social support. Extraneous pressures have been constantly damaging the academic values which the universities are expected to serve without inviting the media attention and comments which such interference deserves and demands.

The prolonged conflict between government bureaucrats and the politicians controlling the college managements has reached a stalemate resulting in the repeated postponement of university examinations. This is true of all the universities in Punjab and Chandigarh. How could Panjab University be an exception to the situation not of its making? One of the newspapers had rightly highlighted the situation in its news report with the lead “Badal threatens boycott of college examinations”. It might be instructive for your readers to learn that Mr Parkash Singh Majithia is the President and Mr Parkash Singh Badal is the Senior Vice-President of the Federation of the Managements of Private Colleges protesting against the Punjab government’s negative approach towards the financial crisis in the private colleges.

No university can afford to put its students in a condition of uncertainty when the managements have refused to provide the college buildings and the staff for the conduct of examinations. It is a great tragedy that the politicians, the bureaucrats, the media managers and the public have more important issues to attend to than the health of higher education. It would be better to highlight the constraints under which universities are forced to function than having an April Fool’s laugh at Panjab University. May the “Owl of Minerva” take its flight before the dusk completely blinds our vision.

Science of life natural

A human being is the apex of creation. At a triple unity of body, mind and soul, his eternal longing is to be ever physically fit, emotionally and socially responsive in the social set-up and spiritually illumined in the limitless ocean of life. Man’s wishes and wants are boundless. The rare among them that one is to transform the self as a radiant being of the Supreme, ever existing, imperishable and Universal Spirit Divine. For the fulfilment of multifarious aims, each human being, knowingly or unknowingly, has been endeavouring since the dawn of life. Actually the spectrum of the overall scenario is very vast, complex and, at times, confusing.

For transforming their consciousness, the evolved souls have made man aware of the unalterable eternal and exhorable divine laws which govern the functioning of the soul’s vehicle — intimately united body and mind. The inflexible laws have travelled down to us from mother nature. Cells and tissues are endowed with vitality and instinct of self-preservation. Self-operating, self-repairing and self-healing mechanism possess the capacity to resist, react and hit back in the case of intrusion of unwanted substance.

Thus, each man is his own redeemer or saviour. Disease is not inevitable. Life’s will to health at all times is unquestionable. Occasional or persistent violation of the law of health is the cause of agony. Non-obedience of the laws recoils on man with a vengeance. Nature has no favourites in its vocabulary. One can befool oneself, not the protecting mother.

The code of benevolent mother’s laws is simple. Basically, the emphasis is on the economical use of the limited vital power at man’s disposal, non-violence against body and mind in thoughts, words and deeds. Consequences about the immediate and subsequent effects of the substances used, and non-elimination of the foul, toxic and fermented matter from the body. Endowed with a free will to act, acceptance or transgression of the laws is man’s choice.

As to the actual state, in all physical and mental turmoils, man puts the onus on factors like climatic conditions, attack on super-natural powers, suppressive methods by medicos, chance, fate, dictates of some invisible and autocratic commander. He expects miraculous results in the shortest possible time without restraints on his living style. To own the lack of will and courage to make amends, to blame the clouded faculty, vision and knowledge of time-honoured conclusions do not make sense for him. He is not stirred by the findings of the physiologists, psychologists, herbalists, yoga therapists, et al, that man never falls ill. Man invites sickness, kills himself bit by bit through non-prudent living and selects his own time to die.

A relevant question. How to maintain the energy level at our disposal as long as possible. Obviously, there are no short-cuts or half-hearted measures. Remain wide awake that in building the crown of creation nature has provided five elements — ether, air, water, sunlight, earth (food) — and two supplements, work and mental faculties. A regular supply of these in pure form and balanced preparation must be ensured. Positive overcomes the negative. Locking the barn after the horse has fled is futile. Understanding, faith, genuine effort, persistence, perseverance and patience must be cultivated. Rome, after all, was not built in a day.

K. C. ANAND
Chandigarh

The recent decision of the Panjab University authorities to postpone the undergraduate examinations “indefinitely” for the third time has come as a shock to the student community. This is the second time that the exams have been postponed. One expected a little more responsible behaviour from such a premier academic institution. Initially, the exams were scheduled to begin on April 3. Later this date was changed to April 17. Now a new date has not been announced as yet.

Teaching work in the colleges had continued till March 10. Earlier due to the strike by teachers, teaching had remained suspended from August 11 to September 5, 1998. If in the beginning exams had been scheduled to start on tentatively, April 26, then the number of teaching days would have increased. Teaching might have continued till March 31. The syllabus was completed very hurriedly in some cases while some teachers left the students to their own means. This is a case of gross injustice to the students.

The university authorities might explain the wastage of money and material in some way or the other. For instance, the number of date-sheets printed ranges anywhere between 20,000 and 30,000 at one time. This makes a total of 70,000 to 1,00,000 for three times. Add to this, the same number of envelopes and stamps used to send date-sheets to private candidates.

But will anybody take into account the mental harassment which students have to face? It is not easy to chalk out plans for study three times. Everytime the date-sheet changes, the students have to reorganise their schedule.

	M A I L B A G	Monday, April 19, 1999
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