It is a little disturbing that this is my first day of writing on this blog. I would have preferred a happier reflection.
It is the middle of the day and it is not like the work is over. I still have a ton of work left for the day…. both academic and administrative. Balancing the two took the major part of the day today. Challenges in my personal life haven’t helped with the schedule in college. Colleagues are cooperating but it has been a while and I see people finding it difficult to work around my schedule. Yet, I am grateful to them for being helpful in my time of need. But I digress. That is probably going to be a separate post.
What I realised today was that the perspective of administration is completely different from the perspective of teachers. There is so much else that we think of than just logistics. Logistics are important and our administration does a fantastic job at that. But being with students gives us a sense of compassion that is missing from administration. I cannot imagine discriminating between students on grounds of religion, caste, class, gender. The larger climate around the world, in the country and in institutions is that of intolerance.
A few days ago a student had shared that she was called out as a terrorist on the streets when she was on her way to college. She is identified and judged for being a Muslim, for wearing a burqa .It is sad that someone so young would be filled with a sense of marginalisation, isolation, and fear at such a young age. I also wonder if she has given enough thought to wearing her religious identity on her sleeve. She is not alone.
There are many who by dress and other symbols wear their religious identity and express it overtly. Their choice in expression but I wonder if they have given it enough thought. They never chose which religion they are born into. Religion, for the majority, is an assigned identity. Yet we accept it so unquestioningly and are stigmatised for maintaining it.
A student, I was told, asked for a separate room to read the namaz. I found the request strange. And although I know nothing of the case, I was intrigued if this request comes from her own accord or did it have some other intention. How many students, teenagers, do we see so committed to their religious practice? Where does this dedication stem from?
What I do see is divisiveness in society. It is sad that we haven’t been able to overcome it. We are not even trying. We have accepted the divisions as given. And as teachers, we have to challenge everything which is given. I am reminded of Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot.