With campus walks, theatre performances, open mic and even a food festival, teachers of the Jawaharlal Nehru University are striving to shed its "tukde-tukde" image and highlight the "real face and values" of the institution.
"Tukde-tukde" (pieces) is a term often used by right-wing parties for those it alleges want to break up the country. It was coined in the aftermath of a JNU protest in 2016.
The aim of the four-day festival -- MOSAIC: Judte-Judte (unite) JNU! -- is to counter the 'tukde-tukde' narrative, Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA) Secretary Sucharita Sen told PTI.
The festival that began here on Thursday will have campus walks, theatre performances, open mic, academic discussions and a food festival, to thwart the "willful attempts to misrepresent the varsity", she said.
"The name itself gives out the message. Mosaic means a collection of images made up of small regular or irregular pieces. A narrative was set for several years about the image of JNU as 'tukde-tukde' gang. That is why we have used this name," Sen explained.
According to Sen, JNU has been going through challenging times for the last few years.
"The values that the university community stands for have been tarnished in the public domain, ironically at a time when the university has continued to top the list of higher educational institutions in the country by its outstanding performance in teaching and research," she noted.
The depletion in JNU’s vibrant campus life was exacerbated by the pandemic, which led to a very long lockdown of the campus, the JNUTA secretary highlighted.
"As the campus is now slowly returning to its full strength with the admission of students to various programmes this year, it's time to restore its vibrant energies. The festival will show the real face of the university," she remarked.
A plethora of events have been planned over the four-day period where prominent people will come to deliver the message of diversity, solidarity and empathy, which are the foundation of the university, Sen said.
"This festival celebrates the spirit of this university with qualities of diversity, solidarity, empathy being foundational in making the university community exist within and outside the campus," she said.
Sen said the JNUTA has planned several programmes on topics like gender, evolution of JNU, diversification, and inclusivity.
According to the itinerary shared by the JNUTA, there will be a discussion on feminist perspectives: 'Home, Work, Law'.
Economist Jayati Ghosh, professor and writer Nivedita Menon and lawyer Vrinda Grover will share their views on the issue.
"We will have academic sessions each morning with eminent scholars who have played a crucial role in creating the academic environment of this university, followed by cultural activities in the evening," Sen informed.
"Each day, we will have activities that celebrate the cherished spaces of the JNU campus – the walks through its uniquely beautiful nature scape, the dhaba culture, a food festival on Jhelum Lawns, filmshows and discussions, concerts and performances," she added.
There will also be discussions led by author Zoya Hasan, historian Romila Thapar, scientist Ramakrishna Ramaswamy, and journalist Ravish Kumar, she said.
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