Students' Union Elections

The elections for the Students' Union for the academic year 2008-09 of HCU proved to be a great leap for SFI on the campus.SFI was launched in the campus in November 2006 and in the two years the growth of the organization was tremendous.SFI contested in five out of the six posts.The post of Cultural Secretary was won by the SFI candidate (Sneha Bang) and the post of Sports Secretary was won by North-East Association candidate who was supported by SFI. SFI doubled its vote share compared to last year and SFI candidate for Cultural Secretary won with the highest margin. SFI candidates lost the post of President for 29 votes and the post of General Secretary for 34 votes. Of the 25 School Councilors, SFI won 17.

The election process was marred with different controversies. The first notification was put up on 20 October,2008 and the elections were scheduled to be conducted on 30 October,2008. SFI had the best panel of candidates and three Dalits were in the panel. SFI had clear winning chances, but it was when ABVP and NSUI started demanding for the implementation of the Lyngdoh committee recommendations, a issue which was settled long before the elections. The VC acted swiftly to stop the election process and a re notification was made. Two of the Dalit candidates of the SFI panel was disqualified-one exceeded the age limit by 5 days and the other had a backlog. The students of deprived communities are given age relaxations and other exemptions in educational institutions. Why was it not implemented in the case of elections too? Some other organizations which was against implementation of the recommendations,jumped sides at the last moment.

The campus witnessed the dirty politics of NSUI and ABVP. The President of the organization bribed the voters by supplying diaries and shoes, which was then seized by the Election Commission. ABVP's President had to apologize to the student community for the disruption ABVP created during the Open-dais session.

SFI, which went to the elections without any alliances like last year doubled the vote share. When the average vote polled for SFI candidates were 350 last year it had become 750 this year.

Com.Sitaram Yechury's Lecture

Students Federation of India, HCU unit organized a seminar by Com. Sitaram Yechury on “The Resurgence of Communalism in India”. on 7 October 2008.The seminar was presided over by Prof. Atluri Murali ( Head of the Department, Department of History). Com. Sitaram spoke about the history of communalism in India and the seeds that were sown by the British colonialism in order to avert any united revolts against the Raj. He also pointed out the fact that BJP and RSS use communal violence for electoral gains. Communal tension has proved to be a very effective distraction for the developmental activities in India. Com. Sitaram also mentioned that even though a meager 7% of the Indian youth are able to access higher education, Indian skilled manpower is recognized world over. Incidentally Com. Sitaram quoted the Lashkar-e-Taiba chief’s statement prior to the 1999 General election saying they would prefer Vajpayee-led BJP alliance government to come to power as it would compliment their cause in Pakistan.
Finally Com. Sitaram appealed to the students to recognize diversity and acknowledge it as a reality and not to strive for uniformity as this is the root cause of communalism.

Lecture on Islam

SFI-HCU conducted a lecture by Prof.Sanjay Subodh, Dept of History, UoH on the topic Construction and Fixation:Islam in Past and Present on 6 October 2008.

Wishes

SFI-HCU Unit wishes all success to the 13th All India Conference of SFI in Kolkata which comes with the central slogan, "Equitable Access to Quality Education".
Long Live our struggle for Equality and Justice!!
Long Live SFI!!

Series of Lectures

SFI-HCU Unit conducted a series of lectures on various topics at the IGM Library lawns last week.


Left and nuclear deal
M V S Sharma
08 September 2008

Globalisation as a transition to uncivil developement
Prof.G Vijay
Dept. of Economics,SSS,UoH
10 September 2008

Marx on Human nature
Dr.S G Kulkarni
Dept. of Philosophy, SH, UoH
17 September 2008

The talks conducted by SFI are welcomed by students and they enthusiastically attend these sessions. SFI has become the only organisation on the HCU campus to organise such events while simultaneously involving in the day to day problems of the students.

Lecture on Marxian Economics

Demystifying the mystified: Why Marxian Economics

Lecture By
Prof. V Vamshicharan
SSS,UoH

4 September, 2008
4.30 P M
IGML Lawns

All are invited.

SFI-HCU

Communalism In India-Lecture

The lecture by Prof. G Haragopal on 'Communalism in India', organized by SFI-HCU was a huge success. The Indira Gandhi Memorial Library Lawns virtually was flooded with students. Prof.Haragopal gave an account of the history of development of the Hindutva forces since independence. Prof.Haragopal explained the double standards and disloyalties shown by the Hindutva brigade throughout the history of the country. He explained how the Hindutva forces are hand-in-glove with the capitalists and whose interests these forces serve. On the recent spate of violence in Orissa, he was of the opinion that these killings are not supported by the laymen in the state and the whole thing was cooked up for serving the interests of big business and their own political gains.

Against Communalism

In light of the recent terror unleashed by the Hindutva Fascist forces in Orissa, SFI-HCU unit has launched a strong campaign against the communal forces in the campus and communalism in general.


Communalism in India

Talk by
Prof. G Haragopal
SSS, UoH

Date:2 September 2008
Time:4:30 P M
Venue:IGM Library Lawns

SFI-HCU Unit

Is another Godhra in the making?

A 20 year old inmate of an orphanage burned alive. Churches, prayer houses, shops and houses of Christian minorities attacked. The saffron brigade has struck again.
An orphanage housing innocent juvenile inmates belonging to a minority institution has been set on fire and upto 14 people have been killed by the VHP and the Bajrang Dal goons as the violence spreads to many parts of orissa. The saffron brigade has resorted to these gory acts because one of their leaders, a sadhu, was killed by the Maoists. What has Rasanand Pradhan, the victim done? Why was she, who was not associated to either of these extremist organizations, killed so bruttally?
The BJP and Bajrang Dal acted in tandem – when the Dal and VHP carried out the inhuman actions the BJP was shamelessly taking advantage of the issue by stalling the legislative process in Assembly. Last week this same fascist outfit has vandalised the art summit by the noted Indian painter M F Hussain. At the event, a painter of Hussain's stature was treated with utmost disrespect and contempt by these fundamentalists.
Graham Staines and his two small boys, the thousands of muslims in Gujarat and now the church inmates in Orissa-WHO IS NEXT? Are we seeing the resurgence of those dark days of Gujart in 2002. Are we seeing the return of the saffron terror? Is India again being thrown into communal strifes and 'Hindutva Fascism'?

We condemn the Orissa Killing!
We condemn the Fascist policies of Hindutva forces!


JOIN HANDS TO FIGHT COMMUNALISM!!!!
DECLARE A WAR CRY AGAINST THE COMMUNALISTS IN THE CAMPUS!!

SFI

SFI opposes VC's statements

The University of Hyderabad VC in his I-Day speech has announced that any agitations or protests which will affect the smooth functioning of administrative and academic activities will be viewed as serious 'indiscipline'. Those students who are found to engage in such activities will be dealt with a minimum punishment of a cut in the fellowship amount for two months and disciplinary actions leading to suspension/rustication. Many of the students' organizations have welcomed this undemocratic statement of the VC. The SFI has campaigned against this decision of the administration and planned to launch a campaign against this order, which is clearly anti-student community and anti-democratic. The order by the VC is a manifestation of the growing sense of fear of the administration for such activities which were instrumental in bringing out many of the deficiencies of the administration and which has brought about many structural changes.

Taxi wars: Migrant Labour in Neo-liberal America


Lecture By
Biju Matthew
Assistant Professor of Business
Rider University
New Jersey,USA

Date: 12 August 2008,Tuesday
Time: 4.00 p.m.
Venue: Recreation Room, Students Union Office





Student's Federation of India (SFI)-HCU Unit

Rally for Hostel Accommodation

On 8th of August the SFI undertook a rally to the VC's office raising issues of that are of immediate concern to the students of the campus. The major issues raised were the unavailability of hostel for nearly 800 students and fee hike. The issue of the unavailability of hostel has been the hot issue on the campus for few days and the SFI is the only student organization who has taken this issue up and launched a protest campaign. The administration which has assured that there wont be any fee hike this year has gone back on their word.The mass protest which saw students participating forgetting organizational loyalities was a big success as the VC assured the SFI that 250 students would be provided hostel in three days and the rest would be accommodated shortly.

The SFI also launched the campaign against the Students Union which was indifferent to the problem of students and whose members are not found on the campus.

introduction

The SFI-HCU Unit, which worked in the name University Discussion Forum(UDF) earlier, has been the most vibrant and popular student’s organization ever since its inception. The SFI has been extremely successful in working among the students and its unmatched success in the Student’s Union election for 5 years (winning almost all the seats with allies between 2002 and 2007.) at a stretch is an apparent testimony of its popularity and credibility. We have fought the communal elements( ABVP) without a compromise and have been successful in maintaining the secular fabric of our campus. We have been carrying on a relentless fight against gender bias, sexual violence and towards a more gender sensitive campus. The SFI has never taken a backseat I fighting for the rights of the students.

our major recent achievements

• We have been extremely successful in restructuring the Committee Against Sexual Harassment (CASH) and it was our effort in the year 2008 that a new constitution was adopted by the university.

• We were successful in pressurizing the administration to construct a 24 hour reading room near library and also for extending the library hours from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

• The scheme for Merit cum Means scholarship was restructured by our presence in the Student’s Union in a way that many more students could be helped, especially those from the weaker sections of the society.

• We have fought against the administration decision to increase the fees once every year and were successful in rolling back the decision.

our major recent struggles

• We went on struggle for more than 6 months to make the verdict public in a sexual harassment case filed against the Student’s Union Sport’s Secretary (belonging to the ABVP)

• We led a struggle in form of signature campaigns and protests for the construction for new hostels

• We went on an indefinite hunger strike for elevating the health care facilities on campus along with other progressive groups.

• We protested the comments inciting communal hatred by a politician brought to campus by ABVP on the eve of Sukoon-2008 along with other secular groups on the campus.