The sessionals in MIT arrive like a shower of unexpected, unwelcome rains, sending anyone without an umbrella into his/her hostel room, where a 3-4 day process of crafting a make-do umbrella begins.
On the night of 8th September, day two of the sessionals, at about 2100 hrs, when the preparation for the next day’s exam and the rain outside were both at peak, the light in 10th block vanished unexpectedly for about two hours. I say unexpectedly, because in my 26 month stay in the MIT hostels, I have seen very little power cut and that too only short ones.
Supposedly the second largest bloc in Asia, 10th block easily houses more than 400 students. What started as a few shouted abuses here and there and a few slogans, gradually snowballed into a gathering of students in the common lobby areas on each floor. Their combined distress flooded the gates of their reason and all hell broke loose. Window panes and door glasses were broken, tables, chairs were thrown down into the main lobby from above. To give them company were thrown the dustbins from each floor. Also, articles were set aflame and thrown below. It is rightly said “Man is civilized. Men are not.”
This frenzy stopped after half an hour, when the Campus Patrol arrived with the Chief Warden. The latter’s entry was like that of a prison warden’s into a jail whose inmates have broken out of their cells to create ruckus. Upon seeing the jailor, all the convicts ran back into their cells.
Now I strongly believe that all problems of a nation result from the education of its youth. A nation is after all, nothing but its people. Each human born, including me, has a level of stupidity in him and when a mob comes together, this stupidity only multiplies. Could any amount of vandalism hastened the repair of the blown off phase?
The role of a doctor, his utmost duty, is to medically cure another human being. Likewise, it is the Engineer’s duty to technically cure the problems of humanity. None of the “Engineers” were found suggesting temporary ways of lighting. They were however adding to the problems. Is there any use of giving engineering exams, if one is failing in the very basic duties of an engineer?
I must at this point stress that this vandalism was done by a section of the 10th block population and not the majority who were merely bystanders. But I, a part of the ‘innocent’ majority, find myself to be equally at fault with the vandals. Even though I saw these mini-riots, I did nothing to stop them. The vandals gave in to stupidity and succumbed to fear, and so did I.
That night was pitch black, both inside and outside.
–Sushant Ghildyal