SPPU journalism department organises, then cancels lecture visit on 'Knowing RSS' after flak

Amidst the rising polarisation amongst the ideologies and political organisations in varsities across the country, the Department of Communication and Journalism of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) received flak for a brief period of time as the department scheduled, and then cancelled a lecture visit on 'Knowing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)'.

As part of their semester IV syllabus, a four-hour long lecture 'Knowing RSS' had been included in the weekly schedule for the lectures at the department. As per a notice issued in this regard that Indie Journal had accessed, Vishwa Samwad Kendra, Pune' had requested the department to send students for this workshop which will be held at RSS Regional Office, Motibag in Shaniwar Peth. Scheduled to be held on Saturday, February 15 from 9 am to 1 pm by Prof. Aniruddha Deshpande, All India Sampark Pramukh of RSS.

"It was within the framework of our curriculum, so we decided to include it in the schedule. However, after a discussion with the Head of Department (HoD), it has now been cancelled, and instead, I will be conducting the lectures as usual during the slot," Sanjay Tambat, a faculty member at the department said.

Speaking about the controversy, HoD Ujjwala Barve told Indie Journal that she was unaware at the time the notice was put up as she is not in Pune.

“We usually recommend such lectures to our students, but they are never mandatory. Those who wish can go for such events, as the topics are part of our curriculum. But the department never makes it compulsory for the students to attend them. We had a discussion on the same, after the question about sending students was raised, and then took the notice out,” Barve said. 

Satish Gore, Secretary, Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress also reiterated that the university or the department cannot promote and make such activities compulsory for the students.

“The department or the professors there can go on teaching about RSS in his classes if it’s part of the syllabus, we did not oppose that. But they cannot ask the students to go to a Shakha and take lectures there from RSS leaders. When I spoke to the HoD as well as SPPU Registrar about the same, they clarified the issue, and then cancelled the lecture. But if this has been happening by keeping administration in the dark, then the University must take some action against it,” Gore said.

While the lecture has been made ‘not compulsory’ for now, former student of the department Harshal Lohakare said that if the department wants the students to learn more about the ideologies and organisations like RSS, then it should teach students about all of them, and not just one.

“If it’s part of the curriculum, then they can very well teach students. But why just RSS, include all other ideologies as well, may it be Gandhism or Ambedkarite ideology or the Communist one. If they really want to make the syllabus all-inclusive, nothing like it. But they cannot promote just one organisation,” Lohakare said.