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KU shuts door on Drabu | | | Bashir Assad SRINAGAR, June 11: In an environment where Kashmir youth already face squeezed avenues of growth and opportunity, the Kashmir University administration has denied a chance to its students to interact with some of the best minds on the Kashmir soil, only to keep the political establishment happy. LEHAR, an NGO, had proposed to the university authorities last month to organize a seminar. The NGO had duly informed the university authorities that Haseeb Drabu, an economist, would interact with the students. This would enable the students to look beyond the ordinary, and broaden their horizons of thought. In addition to interaction with Drabu, the students would also get a chance to engage in discussions with other leading minds of the Valley. University initially agreed to host the seminar on June 14 on campus. At the eleventh hour, when all preparations had been made by the NGO, university today withdrew permission on the flimsy grounds that the seminar would offend the political establishment. The decision of the university has invited criticism from various quarters. Shakeel Qalander, a social activist said, that students of the university deserve an opportunity to interact with the leading lights of Kashmir. "Denying this opportunity to the students only to keep the political establishment happy reveals the short-sightedness of the university authorities. KU establishment does not appreciate that the all-round growth of the students can happen only if they are allowed discussions on socio-economic issues in addition to hardcore academics, said Qalandar. Director of the NGO Lehar Rajni Shaleen Chopra said that in May, the NGO had organized a similar function in Srinagar. 'The Kashmir youth who attended and spoke at the function greatly appreciated the initiative, which gave them an organized platform to talk about their anxieties and aspirations. They were also vocal in their demand for more such interactions. Enthused by their response, our NGO decided to organize second edition of the event. With great efforts, we managed to persuade Drabu to engage with the university students at an exclusive interaction. It is disappointing that the university has closed its eyes to the intellectual merits of such an interaction," said Chopra. Ditched at the eleventh hour, the NGO has now shifted the venue of the seminar to Hotel Grand Mumtaz. Commenting on this development, senior working journalist, Masood Hussain said, 'Kashmir University should learn functioning unlike the primary school, it should be open to ideas, debates and discussions. They should undo the image that it believes in restrictive research and academics." |
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