Discrimination Diaries 2 : Hairs can be problematic

 DISCLAIMER: The following blog is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, locales, places, and events, used in this blog are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead or actual events is purely coincidental and is not to be taken as true. Read

As usual, it was a normal pleasant day. I received a call from Tajar, a third-year graduating resident, regarding the leniency in hostel management. So, I asked Tajar, “shall we go to the principal office and file a complaint about the problems that the hostel residents are facing.” Tajar accepted my idea. However, it was not our first attempt to meet our principal. Earlier, around a month ago, we had made a similar attempt to contact her. But the only thing that we received in return was an “assurance.” An assurance that she will visit our hostels within two days. However, since then a month has passed but nobody came to visit to us. We all waited for a month, but neither anybody visited us, nor any kind of assistance was provided to us. Once, in between, I and Nmuydarp another third year graduating resident, went to contact her. But her Personal Assistant (PA), said, “right now mam is busy in a meeting. She cannot meet you.” However, instead of going back, Nmuydarp and I waited outside in the waiting room. And as soon as the principal came out of her meeting. We ran towards her and urged her to visit our hostel for solving our problems. But, contrary to our expectations she declined the visit and told us that, right now, recruiting teachers is a more important than solving residence life problems. Having gone through such kind of demeaning response from the admin.

This time we decided to take some concrete actions. And came to the conclusion that this time, we will approach her and will not return until our issues have been resolved. Finally, on dooms day, 11th October, at around 2 pm, all the residents were advised to gather in front of the mess to go to the principal office. Since, whenever one or two people tried to approach her, she often declines meetings. Therefore, this time, we were around 15 hostelers, who were now ready to collectively approach her. And later five to six people joined us in college when we were heading toward the principal’s office. Now we all were in front of the principal office. First of all, her PA said, ma'am is busy in an important meeting, and she can't meet you right now. But Mayra, a second-year resident, said we shall not leave till the principal meets us. And we remained in the main corridor in front of the principal office. After a couple of minutes, her PA asked us to vacate the corridor but Mayra, in her fierce voice, denied it. And he sat down in front of the office. As the PA said this can create problems for him and the staff, I suggested to Mayra we should empty the corridor and let's sit a bit away but in front of the corridor. So, we all sat away from the corridor; some, including me and Mayra, sat there, and some kept standing behind us. Some of us declined the idea of sitting cross-legged in front of the principal office as it shall defame the college. But Mayra declined the argument by saying that the biggest shame is us the resident does not like the place and remains unsatisfied with the service.

 After some time, PA came and said, two students from us can meet the principal but all of us said in chorus said, “either all shall meet her, or she shall come outside, meet us and listen to our problems”. After a bit of time, she calls us through her PA and everyone entered the office then she said and asked us whatwas so urgent that you all collectively come here, "Rajhans College me ye kab se hone laga" - When has this started happening in Rajhans College?" and scolded us. Then all of us started saying we were all denied our right of living a good life in a hostel but by the time we entered the office principal had already called three wardens knowing the fact that residents wanted to meet the principal without the involvement of the hostel administration. But till this point principal started dominating everyone. No one dared to say that we wanted to talk to her only. Looking at us in a rage she then asked a helper in the office to arrange coffee for us and residents were bit hesitant as no-one expected that they shall have a seat and take coffee in her office. Then she asked, "what's the matter "? Tajar told some issues like WiFi (as earlier, the administration had informed that they shall not provide or take responsibility of WiFi).

 Suddenly warden says these people asks various questions to us and we can't answer (one of our residents had filled RTI for some financial information from the administration). when I tried to convey the matter, the principal looked at me and asked, “how many times do you comb your hairs in a week” owing to my long hair. I did not expect such a question from the principal at that moment, but somehow, I uttered [shockingly] everyday mam... Then she said, “look at this boy,” pointing towards me “He does not even look like a student of Rajhans college.” Such a remark would not have been astonishing to me, had this statement been made by some uneducated person. Who lives on an isolated island and is not accustomed to the different flavors of the world. However, receiving such a comment from the principal of a college affiliated with one of the prestigious central universities is neither normal nor acceptable. IHLED university and its colleges are known for its multicultural and heterogeneous space, students with varied backgrounds, varied mindsets, varied thoughts, varied cultures, and varied morphology come here to seek education but receiving comments on their looks from principals are somewhere offensive and discriminatory. The question is if there is a problem with boys having long hair, will there be a problem with girls keeping shorthair?

 Maybe according to the principal of Rajhans college both the above-mentioned categories may not deserve to be in Rajhans college. Saying such humiliating remarks overlooks and morphology somewhere strengthens gender stereotypes and promotes the social exclusion of different people. Further, I thought she may not be stereotypic with mindset, rather she is doing this to me as I had earlier approached her for complain about hostel management. Then all residents started telling the problems they were facing and when I tried to utter a word she stopped me and said you will not speak even a single word for an hour, I was perplexed and could not perceive why she was doing that to me.

 Why was she taking away my right to expression?

 Have I abused her?

 Have I disrespected her?

 Have I demanded something illegal?

 No, I was simply seeking solutions to problems at the hostel which were constantly ignored by the warden or hostel manager that too politely and in a respectful manner.

 Why was Non vegetarian food not served in hostel mess?

 And why there is no elected students council?

 She even commented about my lean body saying that you do not even have a physique and you are coming forward and raising your voice. If this is true, then mahatma Gandhi should have first joined a gym to protest against colonial rule. She then asks issues for which residents approached her, Tajar who was sitting in the first row told about problems and Luhar(changed name) third year graduating resident assisted him but every time they pointed out wrongs or some discrepancies warden would dominate them with his loud, assertive voice saying "Netagiri mat kar"! (Don't act like a politician). Wardens then told principal that they complain and tease us, I who was kept Quiet, thought why is there warden in any hostel? And then the principal says all three wardens have already submitted resignation letters and no other teacher is accepting to become warden. And when Tajar told us about the formation of the hostel council so that problems could be settled at the resident level and proper checks could be maintained which generally gets formed through elections but the warden denies that saying until IHLED UNIVERSITY STUDENT UNION elections are conducted we cannot conduct hostel elections. Hostel last year had a council that was undemocratic as it was formed without elections or any consensus. The people who were asking questions, reporting problems to the administration, and insisting upon functioning the hostel democratically had put the warden into discomfort. 

Then, the principal asked who wants the council. Everyone sat quietly thinking perhaps she will scold and then she points towards Tajar and says you are the Representative from now on. We all knew what's the difference between a selected and an elected council. The domination went on for an hour at last pointing towards me she says do you have something to say, I whose confidence was shattered, and remained quiet. We all at some point in our lives have faced situations when we were humiliated over looks, over gender, over caste or over race and ethnicity. These humiliations not only strengthen stereotypes but also shatter the confidence of the victim and can even lead to inferior complex among them. The mental health of victim can get worse and it can lead to stress and depression among victims . And if the victim is not mentally tough then it may lead to fear of expression among victims. These ill treatment from authorities or admins lead to doubt into young minds regarding their abilities and even hinder their new and creative thought patterns leading to deterioration of innovative mindset and creation. The principal then told me to come to her cabin the next day at 12 pm. The next day, I was in front of her cabin her assistant said the principal was busy wait for half an hour, I waited and then the assistant goes into the principal’s cabin and asked me to wait for 15 more minutes which I did but the assistant then said come tomorrow ...

Authored by :  Jatin Mathur

Edited by :  Ravi Jonwar and Shreyansh Nishchal