Students’ woes drown in noisy protests

CHENNAI: Sitting in her hostel room on the Madras University campus in Chepauk, S Lakshmi* plugs her ears with her fingers and tries to concentrate on studying for an upcoming exam. But the noisy speeches from a venue on nearby Wallajah Road, the designated spot for most protests and meetings in the city, make it impossible.
“It is not just the noisy speeches.We also find it difficult to use Wallajah Road during meetings and mostly prefer staying in until they finish,” said the student of philosophy.
Hers is not a lone appeal. For decades, thousands of students in women’s hostels of Madras University and Government Law College as well as that of Ramanujan Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics have been suffering every time a meeting or a protest is staged.
The public meetings held by political parties, said K Fathima*, are the worst. “We find men consuming liquor and loitering outside our hostel campus. It is disconcerting,” says the student of psychology at Madras University.
For R Anita*, a second year archaeology student, the period before the May 2014 general elections was the most troubling. “We were not able to step out of our campus. We had to walk in groups to cross protesters to reach the bus stop. One of the vans that brought cadres was parked in front of our hostel gate and the men inside were ogling at us. The security guard had to close the gate,” she said.
Students of the Ramanujan Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics are the worse affected as their classes are right beside the protest stage. “Many times we are unable to hear the teacher,” said K Mustafa*, a student.
Some say the protests keep them updated about key issues. “We try to see the brighter side and consider that we are privileged to witness protests live. The speakers keep us abreast of latest developments. The recent MTC bus drivers’ protest demanding higher pay made us understand the issue in depth,” said one.
While most students preferred not to speak about the noise from the venue fearing repercussions, some spoke but on condition of anonymity. “We have trouble studying for exams when there is so much noise. But we have learned to live with it and not complain,” said a girl at the Government Law College hostel.
Having heard countless speeches, some have begun rating the speakers. “Most political speeches smack of sycophancy with no conviction. Trade unionists’ speeches are passionate but lack real depth,” said a student of political history.