The Varsities' conundrum--- A sordid tale of Mysore University | A. Jayaram

Published on 03-11-2008 In General

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The Varsities' conundrum--- A sordid tale of Mysore University

For over a year now, the oldest university in Karnataka, the University of Mysore is without a vice-chancellor. It might be that the Chancellor and the Government do not find anyone suitable to head the first university to be opened in the then - "Indian India" or princely India way back in 1916. Two search committees have been appointed and those recommended by them are not acceptable to the Government. Another search committee has to be appointed as one of the members of the second search committee, the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister Dr.C.N.R.Rao has resigned.

It was on October 21, 2007 that the last regular vice-chancellor of the University Shashidhar Prasad completed his four-year term. Though he had credentials, his appointment was in a way hereditary. His father the litterateur Prof.D.Javare Gowda was the vice-chancellor of the same university in the early 1970s. There are few parallels of a father and son duo heading the same university. The only case was that of that colossus, Justice Sir Asutosh Mookherji and his son, Dr.Shyamaprasad Mookherji serving as vice-chancellors of the Calcutta University. In fact Shyamaprasad became a vice-chancellor at the age of 35 years! In fact that was a different age and the university legislation did not have restrictive clauses as today. Even after Independence, another redoubtable vice-chancellor, the well known medical professional Dr.Arcot Lakshmanaswamy Mudaliar served as vice-chancellor of the Madras University for a record 27 years! For a time, he was both vice-chancellor and Leader of the Opposition in the Madras Legislative Council. Nobody objected as such was his standing in the public life of the country.

The Karnataka State Universities Act of 2000 adopted when S.M.Krishna was the chief minister and Dr.G.Parameshwara, the Minister for Higher Education curtailed the powers of the Chancellor (Governor) in the appointment of vice-chancellors and gave the final say to the Government. At the select committee of the Legislature which scrutinized the Bill, the present Minister for Law S.Suresh Kumar and his BJP Party colleague A.Ramadas had given a dissenting note, it might be recalled. Among others the existing Act has restricted the number of times a person can be appointed as vice-chancellor to one, though increasing the term from three years to four. The Act took away one of the few discretionary powers of the Governor as chancellor of the universities.

Let us contrast the embarrassment the Government is facing over appointing the vice-chancellor of the University of Mysore, with the appointment of the second vice-chancellor of the same university way back in 1920. The first vice-chancellor H.V.Nanjundaiaya, who was a former judge of the Mysore High Court died in 1919 while still in office. The Maharaja's government was looking for a suitable successor. The Dewan Sir M.Kantharaj Urs offered the post to the noted British educationist Sir Michael Saddler, a former vice-chancellor of the Oxford University. Saddler wrote back recommending that instead of him a giant of the Indian academia, Prof.Brajendranath Seal, Professor of Philosophy in the Calcutta University be appointed as vice-chancellor. Saddler's exact words were "I know of no one either in East or West to equal Prof.Brajendranath Seal in point of width, depth and originality of scholarship". It was thus that the Calcutta professor, who later became Sir Brajendranath Seal, came to be appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Mysore in 1921. He held office for nine years. On B.N.Seal coming to Mysore, Prof.S.Radhakrishnan who was till then junior professor of Philosophy in Mysore shifted to Calcutta University. Seal (1864-1938) served Mysore State in different capacities. Though his name has receded from public memory, this man of encyclopaedic learning has to be remembered for his contributions in fields as diverse as philosophy, statistics and anthropology. Among his disciples in the field of statistics were the redoubtable Prashantha Chandra Mahalanobis and Prof.K.B.Madhava, who had taught at the Central College, Bangalore and the Maharaja's College in Mysore.

Seal's book "The Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus" is still available in bookstalls. It was sheer merit and reputation that were the criteria for selecting a vice-chancellor in those days.

Today, despite an elaborate procedure being laid down for selecting vice-chancellors and search committees consisting of eminent persons being appointed by the Chancellor, wrong persons manage to get appointed though only in some cases. Of course, a majority of vice-chancellors have proved their worth despite the many challenges the general universities in the State and the country are facing.

For instance, allegations against Dr.Shashidhar Prasad had been levelled with regard to some appointments and even after his retirement the Syndicate of the University of Mysore is going into them. A former vice-chancellor of the University Prof.S.N.Hegde had faced a Lokayukta inquiry .But the High Court ruled in his favour regarding the Lokayukta's jurisdiction over vice-chancellors. The first vice-chancellor of the Women's University at Bijapur, Prof.Sayeeda Akhtar faced several charges, some of a serious nature. She has since retired after creating a record of sorts for a woman vice-chancellor. However the vice-chancellor in the news is Prof.O.Anantharamaiah, who now heads another new university, Tumkur. The Government has ordered an inquiry against him by a retired judge of the Madras High Court, Justice B .S.Raikote. A former professor of History in the University of Mysore, Anantharamaiah has been in the midst of one controversy or the other.

One reason for the problems facing the universities is the appointment of vice-chancellors on the basis of caste or community and not academic merit or standing. Commercialisation of education and the clout wielded by "merchants" in the field (miscalled educationists) have vitiated the atmosphere. The governments irrespective of the ruling party have adopted a "caste and community quota system" for selecting vice-chancellors. Though under the Universities Act of 2000, the senates have been abolished and only the Syndicates and Academic Councils have been retained, the role of university politicians has not been eliminated. Dubious persons have come to be nominated to the Syndicate. The various universities have come to be dominated by one caste or the other. You name the university and immediate will be the comment as to which caste dominates it. University teacher-politicians have made their own "rich contribution" to the mess.

However caste politics in our universities is an old malaise. The University of Mysore fell victim to it in the 1940s itself and the growing backward class movement in princely Mysore brought pressure on the University.

Till recent years, the Bangalore University, established in 1964 had faced several problems. University politicians made it difficult for the literary giant Prof.V.K.Gokak to run the administration. In a highly publicized incident, one such person threw a paperweight at the vice-chancellor at a meeting of the Syndicate. Over the years three committees have gone into the working of the Bangalore University- Prof.Samuel Matthai (an educationist from Kerala), Justice K.R.Gopivallabha Iyengar and Dr.D.M.Nanjundappa. As vice-chancellors T.R.Jayaraman and Dr.Nanjundappa tried their best to bring the university into order. In contrast was another vice-chancellor who had the Central College, one of the oldest colleges of science in the country closed down. It should have celebrated its 150th anniversary this year. The same person leased out the College's football ground to a private industry ignoring protests.

In fact even the Bangalore University is without a regular vice-chancellor for some months now after Dr.Ranganath resigned to take up another assignment. The University has an acting VC, Prof.Rathod.

There are thus two vacancies for vice-chancellors of universities today. The Chancellor and the Government have to act without further delay.

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