Miranda House has issued a notice for the students of School of Open Learning stating that clicking selfies, combing hair and ‘modelling’ has been banned from the college corridors and that the students will be suspended for a day if caught indulging in the said activities. Varying reasons have come up for the notice being put up – authorities say clicking selfies is a threat to the reputation of the institute and claim that college property has been harmed in the past because of it.
The notice says: “Some students have been found clicking selfies, combing hair and modelling along the corridors. This is wastage of time. The university does not give permission for all this. If any student is found wasting their time, they will either be suspended from the class or will be asked to leave the university premises.”
The Principal of Miranda House, Dr. Pratibha Jolly, told Hindustan Times that the notice was put up only out of safety concerns. “We encourage our girls to be outspoken. We can’t stop them from doing anything. This was an unsigned advisory put out by SOL and it was only keeping in mind the way students dangerously perch on parapets and hang off poles. They might get hurt,” she said.
The notice is unsigned and was apparently put up in November 2016. A faculty member said that the build-up around the issue is being created now only because there is a hidden political agenda behind the hype.
On the other hand, some say the ban has to do with the college repute. Thinking of selfies as a threat to the status of Miranda House, a college official, who wanted to be anonymous, told The Indian Express, “Students hang from poles and pillars, sometimes they even vandalise property. A stone light near the cafeteria was broken. They put up these photos publicly, and since Miranda House buildings are so easily recognisable, people may think no serious studies take place here.”
Whatever the reason for the ban may be, students at Miranda House – SOL as well as regular ones – are not taking it well. Some SOL students feel that the new rule is a discrimination against them. Hindustan Times reported a student saying, “We anyway don’t have proper facilities. And now such rules being imposed on us. This is discrimination as many of us come from lower middle class families.”
A regular student of Miranda House, Joyee Bhattacharya, told DU Beat, “I feel that academic excellence depends on the willpower of the student to learn and blaming this solely on clicking selfies is a little far fetched. As far as damaging/vandalising the property is concerned, a notice addressing all students of MH and SOL should be put up which speaks about caring for our campus property wholly.”
Anagha Rakta
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