The Bharat Mata controversy in Kerala shows how political and symbolic fights between the state and the Centre have taken attention away from education, throwing the state's oldest university into confusion and disorder, observes Shyam G Menon.
If as critics point out, the environmental impact assessment study was commissioned only after the auction process got underway with not all the stakeholders getting to know of it, then the government has already compromised the trust it could have enjoyed with Kerala's public including its coastal communities, points out Shyam G Menon.
The Governor and the ruling LDF in the state have been at loggerheads since the Supreme Court verdict quashing the reappointment of Gopinath Ravindran as VC of Kannur University and berating the Left government for its "unwarranted intervention" in the matter.
The nine VCs include that of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, according to a tweet by Kerala Raj Bhavan on behalf of the Governor.
As media phenomenon, Arikomban is in a different league. Efforts to capture the elephant were telecast live. Local three-wheeler drivers started a fans association for the pachyderm. A film has now been announced based on Arikomban's life.
Kannur University Vice-Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran on Monday said that he will not tender his resignation as sought by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, who had a day earlier sought the resignation of vice chancellors of nine universities in the state.
'I am committed to my country if there is respect for democracy and human rights. If not possible then I will prefer to stay in India or any other western country'
'Metroman' E Sreedharan's decision to join the Bharatiya Janata Party has given a boost to the saffron's hopes to make huge electoral inroads in Kerala, one of the toughest political terrains for the party, in the assembly polls likely to be held in April.
'Kerala voters vote from their mind rather than their heart.'
Shobana Kubendran loves human genes -- understanding them, how they work, even how they carry disorders. And she loves the ability to talk and advise families on the potential medical problems that children can inherit from their parents or other family members.
E.K. Bharat Bhushan has assumed charge as chairman & managing director of the National Aviation Company of India Limited.
"If students are the future of the nation, it is the teacher who shapes them. I was a teacher before I came into public life. I know how gratifying it is to be a part of this noble profession," he said.
Kumar joined KPMG in 1995 as a Finance Management Leader and from 2005 until his retirement in September 2013 he led the firm's West Coast Finance Management Consulting practice.
What makes President Mukherjee's visit to the south Indian states interesting is the combination of engagements.
Several protests -- some peaceful, some violent -- erupted across India on Monday against the police crackdown in Jamia Millia Islamia and the controversial citizenship law as students and political leaders took to the streets, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi called these protests "deeply distressing" and appealed for peace.
'I don't believe the talk of free will.' 'They are either forced to dress like this, or indoctrinated.'
Thirty one outstanding teachers were invited to Rashtrapati Bhavan for a first-ever in-residence programme.
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