The student movement of the 1970s and 1980s, when they poured out of their classes and took to the streets, is history, a chapter which will not be repeated. Demanding 50 percent concession on bus fare for students, the sacking of then ministers Francisco Sardinha and Dayanand Narvekar, opposing a private engineering capitation college in Bicholim and seat reservations at Goa Medical College, students’ unions of those decades were a voice that pricked the conscience of the government.
Manoj Joshi, a former student leader from Panjim says the government would think twice before arriving at any decision related to students. “The government was scared of the student movement because of their unity. Unfortunately now the government and political parties control student unions in Goa,” Joshi said.
Today, all elections to college councils are controlled by political parties with the help of local leader. So dead is the movement in the State that the Goa University students union has one annual event – a victory rally on being elected. After that it goes dormant.
Sandesh Prabhudesai, a senior journalist and a former student leader says the blame for student’s apathy should not fall only on students, but also on parents and teachers. “During our time, teachers were the inspirational force and guiding light to channelize our energies in an organized manner. Parents supported our struggles for social causes. In the absence of this social environment, what remained on the campus are only student unions of political parties. Such unions existed during our time but were overshadowed by independent students’ unions.
Prabhudesai, however, sees hope round the corner. He says, “The scenario is now changing. India Against Corruption was an Anna-inspired students’ and youth movement. JNU is a live example of it. Kanhaiah has become a national hero, especially after establishing that videos were doctored and charges against him were false. Goa University PG students have started sweeping elections as ‘independent’. I am waiting for it to translate into actions to fight for social causes. I am optimistic.”
Prabhudesai said activism comes out of social commitment and social commitment comes out of social consciousness. Unfortunately, society has gone away from these and is now turning self-centred.
Advocate Cleofato Almeida Coutinho, member of the Progressive Students Union in the early 1980s said, “According to me this century is not a century of student movements. After the new economic reforms the movement has collapsed. We are now career minded and our cars and houses are becoming bigger and the days of thinking about society appear to be over. But a new spark has been lit after the tragic suicide of Hyderabad University’s Rohith Vemula and the JNU movement. This is actually the Dalit movement and they are somehow asserting their rights and this uprising can now be called as a subaltern movement.”
Almeida Coutinho recollects that somewhere in the 1980s and 1990s the other backward sections movement arose and the Dalits didn’t come up. “This can be called the resurgence of the Dalit movement and it is certainly a good thing to happen as it is a progressive movement,” said Almeida Coutinho.
Social activist and advocate Aires Rodrigues, who was part of the students movement in 1980s said Goa currently is in dire straits soaked in rampant corruption and bad governance, and that student activism could cause a ‘political, environmental, economic and much needed social change’.
“Having been closely associated with the very vibrant student movements in Goa witnessed in the 1970s and 1980s, it is extremely anguishing and very disheartening that student activism today is virtually nonexistent in the State. In our days students were known for having strong opinions and expressing them without fear. We demonstrated to the government that student power was a force to reckon with,” Rodrigues said.
For Rodrigues, student activism encompasses student involvement in issues dealing with economic, environment, politics and social change on and off the campus.
Maybe, it is time students in Goa find their voice once again. Today the social media has become a handy tool to expand the scope and strength of student activism. Students need to be the voice of the voiceless and through a well organized networked student activism could change society.
