1.
Students and Politics
The student life is the most important
period of anyone. The training a student receives, and qualities he acquire,
determine the kind of life he will live in future. If he acquires knowledge and
the virtue of strength of mind and character, he wills surely prosper in the
world. If, on the contrary, he neglects these primary duties by indulging in
undesirable activities, he will surely
go to the wall. An active politics is one of such activities for a student.
No doubt students, particularly college
students, should acquire an accurate knowledge of political matters and form
sound views of them. For this they should be encouraged to discuss political
questions freely in the college among themselves and with their teachers and
eminent public men of sound views. But when it comes to active participation in
what it called political agitation, we must draw a line.
Active politics is often a dirty game
with full of excitement and passion and party feelings. Students are of
immature judgment and emotional by nature. So once they get themselves involved in the passion
and excitement, they become almost slaves to them like a person addicted to a
strong liquor. They allow their opinions, even on academic matters, to be
influenced by party considerations.
They think nothing of being used as
agents and tools in the hand of political parties. They march out in political
processions and shout political slogans. All these inevitably interfere with
their primary duties and prove injuries to their intellectual and moral growth.
Moreover, politics, as distinguished from
party politics, is a noble and complex art. It cannot be lost in dignity if
students of imperfect knowledge and immature judgment try to dominate it.
We complain of indiscipline and lowering
of intellectual and moral standard among our students. These are to some extent
due to their political obsession. But the most regrettable part of the affair
is the role played by our political leaders in this dirty game. If only they keep
aloof from students, the situation will take a turn for the better and students
will go back to their normal duties.
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