Student response to anti-graft movement makes expats curious

Foreign students impressed with overwhelming participation of city college-goers in fight against corruption, draw parallels with similar social movements in Egypt and elsewhere

Student response to anti-graft movement makes expats curious

Foreign students impressed with overwhelming participation of city college-goers in fight against corruption, draw parallels with similar social movements in Egypt and elsewhere

Watching with interest yesterday were some people from foreign shores as a large number of college students in the city joined the anti-corruption movement sweeping the country. The foreigners were students themselves, and they were there to experience the unfolding social phenomenon.

young and restless:u00a0Students of VIIT believe Anna Hazare is their true
neta

Seeing the protests, they drew a parallel with the recent events in Egypt as they saw city students come forward with the firm belief that the fight against corruption will be won only if they support the ongoing countrywide agitation spearheaded by social activist Anna Hazare.

Nitesh Gaidhane, a student of COET, will be among the 1.600 engineering
students to participate in a rally today

On Day 2 of the protests that followed Hazare's arrest in Delhi, the movement against corruption saw support pouring in from college students across the city and the response was so overwhelming that seven to eight European students of the Department of Sociology from the University of Pune visited the venue of the relay hunger strike to study the movement at ground zero.u00a0

Vincent from France gets into the thick of things

Vincent from France, who is a student of sociology at the Pune University, was seen soaking it all in amid sloganeering by staunch supporters of the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement.

Suraj Bhosale, a second-year BCS student, lends his whole-hearted
support to the movement. Pics/Krunal Ggosavi

Speaking to MiD DAY, Vincent said: "Across the world people are fighting against corruption. And there are examples like Egypt where we see youths were successful in bringing about the change they envisaged. None can stop social movements and it this movement that will change India to make it more democratic."

Another student, Oana from Romania, said: "I was too young when my country was Communist. There were agitations everywhere but I was too young to participate. Looking at the spontaneous response this movement is getting, I feel like I am reliving my past. The fight against corruption in India has a personal dimension for me as I have come across instances of corruption at the time of registration."

Faculty member Elizabeth Songate told MiD DAY: "Around 38-40 students from the Sociology Department have come. As students of sociology, they are studying social movements, and since they expressed the desire to experience it, we have come with them."

Apart from the students, who wanted to know more about the complexities of a social movement, there were students who were seen protesting vehemently against corruption. College students from all across the city joined the ongoing protests by enthusiastically taking out rallies that culminated at the central venue.

Some 200 students of Modern College took out a rally, raising the slogan 'Tu hain Anna, main hu Aanna'.
Suraj Bhosale, a second-year BCS student, said: "We are supporting the social movement India's Fight Against Corruption wholeheartedly."

Over 100 students of PVG COET also took out a rally that culminated at the central venue. Nitesh Gaidhane, a student of COET, said that over 1,600 students from different branches of engineering would be participating in a rally today.

Shrutika Khobragade, a student of VIIT, told MiD DAY: "All students from our college are supporting Anna Hazare's cause and will continue our support for him; he is our true neta."u00a0 Apart from students coming from specific colleges, a lot of youngsters came in groups to support the cause. Noor Sabha Shaikh of Poona College and her friend Nivedita Singh came o the venue to lend their support.

Dr Satish Rajmachikar, Pune chapter convener of IAC, told MiD DAY: "At least 10-15 college students from the city have come here in a rally and we are aware that a lot of them are protesting at different locations in the city. The response is overwhelming."