Lagatar24 Desk
Kolkata, Jan 15: Vice Chancellor of Sido Kanhu Murmu University speaks at St Xavier’s convocation on Saturday and said how the recent celebration of history as India turned 75 ignores the contribution of people on the margins.
On Saturday, during the 16th convocation & valedictory of St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata, Sonajharia Minz, vice chancellor of Sido Kanhu Murmu University, Dumka, spoke to graduating students and their professors.
she also discussed the lack of diversity in India’s educational institutions and the barriers that women face in the workplace.
“The university (Sido Kanhu Murmu University) is named after two Santhal heroes who led the largest organised armed revolt in 1855, even two years before the mutiny of 1857, a dot that has been missed out in the history books, as we are celebrating India at 75 in various ways, I think. There are many dots yet to be spotted and noted,” said Minz, the chief guest at the convocation.
In 2020, Minz, a member of the Oraon tribe, was named the university’s vice chancellor.
These occurrences also fueled the woman’s desire to conquer obstacles that came her way because she had to deal with discrimination that left her ‘bewildered’ and ‘enraged.’
“Barriers and challenges are measures of who you are, your capacity, your talent, your resilience… I was asked by my Sanskrit teacher in school why I scored the highest marks in Sanskrit as it was an Aryan language,” she said.
Minz received her undergraduate degree from Women’s Christian College in Chennai and her master’s degree in mathematics from Madras Christian College. Having studied computer science at Jawaharlal Nehru University, she earned her Ph.D. She joined JNU’s School of Computer & System Sciences in 1992 as an assistant professor of computer science and held that position until 2005, when she was promoted to professor.
In front of an audience of around 3,500 students, faculty members, alumni, and visitors from other universities on Saturday, Minz remarked, “I don’t think I would be here” if her teachers had not said the things they did.
“… Do dare to challenge the barriers rather than only be challenged by the barriers — gender barriers, social barriers, traditionalism of professions — the dividing lines of today await our best not vice versa,” she said.
She told the students to face barriers, which may be similar to hers.
“I believe, till such a time when dividing lines are used for selfish motives and not to celebrate diversity, the vision of St Xavier’s College and the Preamble of our nation’s Constitution will only be texts to be preached and not practised,” she said.
Minz commended the college’s second campus in Raghabpur for its efforts as well as the admission of students from underrepresented groups to St. Xavier’s. She said, there is one more task: “Would we have the same percentages join the faculty?”
She also spoke about the lack of diversity in educational institutions in the country that makes higher education a privilege.
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“Neither are the diverse components of our society uniformly distributed across the country nor do we witness the same in our educational institutions. In fact, education, leave alone quality education, is still not a right, especially higher education. In an institution such as this, it is a privilege and a blessing,” she added.
At the convocation, 2,188 undergraduates, 400 postgraduates, 93 BEd students, and eight Ph.D. scholars received their degrees.
