A Holistic view of Life
New Delhi, June 9 - Sohail Hashmi, documentary filmmaker and writer of heritage issues did his MA and MPhil from JNU. He worked on his PhD for two years but eventually decided not to stay on in academics.
What he loved about Jawaharlal Nehru University was the inter-disciplinary nature of the academic curriculum. "This made me learn about other aspects of life," he says.
"My subject was geography but I got to study historical as well as social geography. That gave me a holistic picture of the 
subject," he adds, saying:
It was during the days I spent there that the first student union elections took place. It was the only student union elections conducted by students themselves. "We only used handmade posters, debated on almost every issue," he says. Students took part in almost every activity, including deciding the food menu and the cost per meal. The hostel fees were linked to the ability of students to pay. This created a typical JNU milieu - a milieu created essentially by students.
The faculty was like another friend. They were conscious of the fact that students have a mind of their own and, therefore, have to be given a patient hearing.
JNU has made a mark for itself in the social sciences and pure sciences. I find students increasingly taking up MBA and applied sciences. These subjects alone cannot take the country forward.
After a long stint with academics, I worked among the youth and was a full-time worker with the CPM. I've also worked as a media consultant. Currently, I'm working as a documentary filmmaker and a writer on heritage conservation issues.
Author: Vandana Ramnani (HT Horizons)
Date: 11th June, 2010
For further details about related courses and colleges please click below:
