I am Reading Room

         I am Reading Room (RR).  I'm a small hall on the first floor of the extended part of the Ramesh Mohan Library in the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. Since last four days I am  living in darkness . I am closed, lonely and suffocating. I have lost my friends, visitors, companions, on duty security guards and some dear staff who visit me every day. I am not able to breath fresh air since the closed windows, doors and gates don't allow any movements, a human being or even a bird. Thus, I am leading a gloomy life that is boring and frustrating. Will you give me a new life?

          I am five years old. I was born to accommodate surging young students of the university since the hostels and other buildings were under construction a couple of years ago. To escape the intolerable disturbance created by construction work and to avoid unneccesary confrontation with their room parters, students came to me. I sheltered them and loved their hard work. Then my relationship developed with research scholars, staffs and some dedicated visitors of other institutions as well. I provided them peaceful study environment round the clock. I also served them with newspapers in four languages (almost all that are published from Hyderabad). They were happy, satisfied and appreciative towards me. In return, I received their smile, satisfaction and success and that made me proud of them and me too. 

          Four days ago, a piece of paper declared my closure permanently citing that I was no longer available to anybody since the library has to be expanded and I would be its internal part. According to the order, I would now served as the Wi-Fi technical room so that the internet can be accessed without using wire connection. My  proprietor the librarian says that the vastu of the library will change since he has increased numbers of books and dissertations. Since then nothing happens in me. Now I am broken, helpless and deserted.  

      All my dear students are concerned with my bad health and pain. They are trying to win me back through raising their voice against the decision. They and the active Students' Union -the statuary body- are trying to dissolve the problem through disciplined protests that are their constitutionally right. They have adopted the democratic means- like staging dharnas, shouting slogans, boycotting classes, and marching around the campus to make aware each and every friend of mine. So far there is no single damage of property of the university. All my friends are sensible protesters and they believe in democratic dialogues with the university officials. But there is no solid solution. Only God knows if I will be able to live my life again. 

      So I sincerely appeal you to save my life. We are friends and I don't want to lose our friendship. I believe you also don't. 

    RR 

Voicing the silence

          Within the area of 32-acres of small piece of land, the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad bravely houses 25 buildings that include the Academic Block, the Administrative Block, the Foreign Language buildings, the library, teachers and staff quarters, the V-C Lounges, five hostels and some other buildings. But there are no adequate and appropriate indoor and  outdoor public spaces. Inside the closed, occasionally-sunlit, stuffy, heavy and damp hostel rooms, we are safe, content and comfortable doing all private things- parties, accessing to internet, watching movies, sleeping, and entertaining ourselves and occasional studies. We believe our day begins when the breakfast timing is almost over and we need to rush for the morning class of the day. After the class we hang out with friends and do some extra-curricular activities. Honestly speakings, some of us are sincere students and they don't deter from their duties. In short, we are provided the essential and basic things we need- food, shelter, entertainment and some dose of academic lessons. Our degrees will prove our talent and will certainly bring nice jobs. We should not worry much about some values that a student acquires during his/her studenthood, though we study humanities. These are someone else's job.

              Our friends often miss the comfort, environment, peace, and learning experiences when they pass out of this premier institution. The obvious reason may be the open spaces- in geographical, physical, intellectual, and academic senses. They say they have enjoyed maximum freedom- of expression and intellectual exercise, harmonious environment, friendly attitude of fellow students and teachers as well. Perhaps, that is the key of their success. In fact, their nostalgia that they believe lives inside their heart. But we are advanced and edited version of their personae. So why we should not enjoy equal freedom that our predecessors have? Should we not think with rational mind about the problems we face in our student career?

             Out university seems to be nicely fortified languid house where we live in metonymic fashion, but we are not much alive. Our biological body functions, but our faculty of reasoning has accumulated rusts. We live as  we are told, kept, managed, and instructed. We have stopped questioning the orders and have started following thing without giving the second thoughts. We must be aware that we are now living in the twenty-first century world and we are most informed generation than our forefathers have been. Let's think of some moot questions.

1. Why our library  is not open round the clock  when other central universities like JNU have this facility?

2. Why don't we have a common public space for reading, discussing, gossiping, debating and hanging out 24x7?

3. Our neighbouring university University of Hyderabad has a reading room open 24x7. But why don't we have on?

4. Why don't we have any auditorium?

5. Why we don't have any TV in our common room?

The list of questions is not exhaustive. We can add on it. 

           I strongly believe that we need to speak up for our rights. We deserve to grow. Let's make a call to our mind and think over it.