Students - their involvement in political movements

Often we read about students clashing with policemen or the paramilitary forces, destroying public properties, hurting themselves, and others in the bargain. In some cases we also read of some students taking the extreme step to end their life.

While one does understand the need for agitations, what I fail to understand is the students' lack of discernment on what to agitate for, and how to go about it. In any agitation, the political party members who are office bearers, MLAs, MPs, Ministers are never at the site of violence; never get injured; never lose their life; they merely court arrest, visit hospitals to assuage the feelings and injuries of students and the common man who has borne the brunt of the violence (call it lip service). Shamelessly they go on to address the media articulating one lie upon another on how hurt they are, and how they feel one amongst the victims.

Why doesn’t the student community understand that they are being used by the political parties like paper napkins (for the political class to blow their nose into), and then thrown away!! The students are being taken for granted, and are being misdirected. This does not augur well for the future of India - that is going to be led in the future by many from this student community. An agitation means no classes, means exams being postponed, means delay in graduation, and finally a delay in landing a job to carry on with life. It also means building into our psyche a streak of violence, negativism, sycophancy, and a host of negative traits that we don’t need at all.

Why is there a violent agitation by students for a separate state? Why isn’t there even a “peaceful” agitation against the price rise of all essential commodities - which affects them more than formation of a new state? Ok, forget the students for a while here. Why hasn’t any political party taken up the cause of price rise seriously - all we hear is noise in the media channels that matter to them. Has any opposition party gone up to the ruling party and proposed a joint action to overcome the current crisis? No. None is interested in having this issue resolved.

I hope the student community will soon understand what they should do, and what they shouldn’t and continue with what they are supposed to be doing – that is acquiring knowledge for a brighter future. It is detrimental to their future should they heed the call of agitation by the political class & fall into the trap of self destruction.