Skip to main content

Renaming game: True decolonization in Odisha education 'would require' rejection of Hindutva

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak 

The Union Minister for Higher Education in India started a political debate by suggesting the renaming of Ravenshaw College and University in Cuttack, Odisha, due to the controversial role of its founder, Thomas Edward Ravenshaw, in the Odisha famine, which claimed millions of lives. Renaming universities and educational institutions is not a new phenomenon in the state. 
The previous government, led by the BJD, changed the name of Kalahandi University to Maa Manikeshwari University, succumbing to the demands of Hindutva politics in the state. However, did this name change lead to any kind of radical educational transformation in the material conditions of educational infrastructure and address the existing educational deprivation at the university?
Colleges, universities, and higher education institutions in Odisha suffer from a severe lack of skilled and qualified teachers, research-led teaching, research centers for training, infrastructure, and funding for teaching, research and development. Libraries, toilets, classrooms, and accommodations for students and staff are in deplorable condition. 
Successive governments in the state have neglected higher education for decades, leading to its current devastating state. Without investing in the expansion and improvement of higher education in the state, engaging in debates over the branding or rebranding of Ravenshaw or any other institution is meaningless.
However, name changes can be seen as a branding or rebranding exercise, a practice that occurs frequently worldwide. This is not inherently problematic if it serves a meaningful purpose for the greater common good. 
Before imposing any renaming of educational institutions, it would be more democratic to hold a referendum, taking into consideration the views of all stakeholders and the people into consideration. There are two ways of looking at branding and name changing exercise of educational institutions.
Firstly, the branding and rebranding of educational institutions, colleges, and universities can be seen as an extension of corporate strategy, reflecting the encroachment of corporate culture into higher education. In Odisha, this practice serves as a political strategy for the two mainstream parties, the BJP and BJD, allowing them to evade responsibility and public accountability for the current state of higher education in the state. 
Changing a name does not address the material and non-material conditions of the deteriorating higher education system in Odisha, which has suffered from the apathy of both the previous BJD government and the current BJP government. 
By focusing on the renaming debate of the historic Ravenshaw College and Ravenshaw University in Cuttack, these ruling parties are diverting public attention from their failures in defending and promoting higher education in Odisha.
Without investing in improving higher education, engaging in debates over branding or rebranding of Ravenshaw is meaningless
Secondly, renaming can also be viewed as part of a decolonisation process, where rebranding an educational institution is essential to reflect local ethos and address local needs. This process involves transforming the current curriculum, which often continues to reflect Eurocentric worldviews and undermines local knowledge traditions. 
Hindutva, as a dominant political and ideological narrative, can neither serve the cause of decolonisation nor effectively lead a decolonisation project, as it is itself a product of Eurocentric knowledge traditions and legacies of British colonialism in India.
The Hindutva-driven renaming exercise is part of a corporate diversionary strategy and has nothing to do with the decolonization of educational institutions in terms of their names, legacies, or curriculum. The Eurocentric nature of Hindutva ideology is not organic to the multicultural ethos of Odisha or India. 
Therefore, true decolonization of the curriculum requires the rejection of Hindutva ideology within educational frameworks. Simply changing the names of places, railway stations, cities, and educational institutions is insufficient to end colonial legacies. Decolonisation must involve the rejection of all forms of colonial knowledge traditions and feudal practices in education, society, culture, and politics.
By all means, change the name of Ravenshaw College and University if it genuinely serves the larger project of decolonisation. However, name changes without corresponding progressive changes in educational policies and funding to expand secular, scientific, and regional knowledge traditions is a dubious and reactionary debate. 
Such a debate serves no one but the ruling elites, upholding the status quo and using diversionary strategies to hide their failures and evade political accountability. One hopes that the state and government will provide the necessary funding and create an academic research, teaching and learning environment that can restore the past glories of higher educational institutions in Odisha.

Comments

TRENDING

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative  The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani*  India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

A Marxist intellectual who dwelt into complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape

By Harsh Thakor*  Professor Manoranjan Mohanty has been a dedicated advocate for human rights over five decades. His work as a scholar and activist has supported revolutionary democratic movements, navigating complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape. His balanced, non-partisan approach to human rights and social justice has made his books essential resources for advocates of democracy.

Four J&K MLAs visit Wular lake, pledge support to fisher community, environmental conservation

By Shamim Ahmed*   In a historic meeting that highlighted both environmental and social concerns, four Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) visited Wular Lake to meet with the fisherfolk community, signaling a significant step in addressing their longstanding issues. This gathering, organized with the support of dedicated advocates, marks a strengthening of efforts to both safeguard the lake’s ecosystem and support the community’s welfare.

Supreme Court’s dismissal of PIL on Covid vaccine safety is counter to known science and mathematics

By Bhaskaran Raman*  On 14 Oct 2024, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on the side-effects of the Covid vaccine. In 2021, the world saw the rollout of various Covid vaccine candidates. In India, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Serum Institute of India’s Covishield were rolled out. Covishield was nothing but Oxford’s AstraZeneca relabelled in India. The importance of open-minded and scientific probe of Covid vaccine safety In 2020/2021, all Covid vaccines were authorized for emergency use, which meant that the necessary efficacy and safety follow-up was incomplete at that time. The originally approved trials – called randomised controlled trials (RCT) had a “vaccine” group and a “placebo” group for comparison. Such experimental comparison/control is the cornerstone of the scientific method – which even children learn in photosynthesis experiments in class-1. The vaccine trials were scheduled to conclude in late 2022/early 2023. For instance, Covax...

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah  The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor*  Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad*  On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.