Most students joining the university's Sanskrit department or arts faculty are interested
only in sports or politics
Believe it or not, the Sanskrit department and the arts faculty
of Maharaja Sayajirao University in Vadodara have been attracting students in droves,
though few of these 'scholars' have any interest in studies. The students
enrol in these departments merely to be able to represent the university in sports
or to take part in its student union elections.
Not only that. The more enterprising among the students have discovered that the
university's hostels are the cheapest accommodation available in the city. Hence,
they enrol in the Sanskrit department or the arts faculty just to get a hostel room
where they can stay on for a long time. The fact that there are no entrance exams
for admission to the Sanskrit department or the arts faculty makes these departments
attractive. A professor of the university said on the condition of anonymity that
to participate in university sports, a player must also be a student of MSU. Similar
is the case with the student union elections of the university.
"Hence, many students who are good in sports join any department even if they know
nothing about its course, fees or the course duration," the professor said. A university
official told DNA that of the students joining the Sanskrit department, more than
half are those who have joined it just to be a student of the university. "They
are not really keen on studying subjects like Vaastu, Dharma Shastra, Jyotish and
Vedas," he said. The students who have joined a department just to stay in one of
the university's hostels usually work for some firm in the city.
"Hostel fees are very low here. We have completed our course and are now working
but we don't want to leave the hostel because it is economical to stay here. Since
we are required to present a receipt to the hostel authorities indicating that we
are MSU students, we joined the arts faculty," said a student who works for a local
firm. A professor of the Sanskrit department confirmed why so many students who
had no interest in studies had taken admission in his department. "The main reason
is that Sanskrit and the arts Faculty do not have entrance tests for admission.
Hence, any student can join these departments," he said.
Courtesy: DNA India
