Misplaced Activism

#Misplaced #Activism

The petition filed by the Save University Campaign Committee against the Padma Bhushan awarded to Vellappally Natesan is nothing but an unwarranted and ill-conceived overreach. While the committee has earned credibility for exposing corruption within universities, it has no mandate to sit in judgment over a national civilian honour decided by a constitutionally constituted selection process. 

Dragging pending cases and ethical insinuations into a matter of national recognition reflects a prejudiced mindset rather than principled concern. Vellappally Natesan’s lifelong service to the Ezhava community through the SNDP Yogam and the Sree Narayana Trust, which manages numerous educational institutions, is an undeniable social contribution. Reducing his decades of public work to selective allegations is intellectually dishonest and politically motivated.

More disturbingly, the committee’s action amounts to questioning the authority and integrity of the Padma award selection mechanism itself, which is neither its role nor its competence. Natesan’s act of placing the Padma Bhushan at the feet of Sree Narayana Guru symbolised humility and reverence, and was widely appreciated across society. To interpret this honour as controversial is to disrespect both the award and the values of Sree Narayana Guru that Natesan has consistently upheld in public life. 

The Save University Campaign Committee’s move appears less like a principled protest and more like a publicity stunt aimed at staying in the limelight beyond its legitimate sphere of intervention. Such misplaced activism only weakens its moral standing and diverts attention from the genuine issues within higher education that it ought to address.

-K A Solaman