VidYouth

Politics pervades all aspects of human society and is as old as the human race. It was created by human beings and gave rise to empires, nations, revolutions and constitutions. The term ‘Politics’ can be interpreted in different ways. It was derived from the Greek word ‘Polis’, which means ‘city-states’. One of the most accepted definitions of politics or political science is “the study of the foundations of the state and the principles of the government.”

In the social sphere of life, away from the legal purview of the state, ‘politics’ denotes the clash of opinions among individual human beings. Since conflict and disagreement mar healthy conversations and relationships, the term ‘politics’ has come to have negative connotations. The mention of the word arouses great disgust and resentment.

As mentioned earlier, politics is all-pervasive. It hasn’t spared even the ‘happy-go-lucky’ young generation. As commonly perceived, youth is not exactly a ‘bed of roses’. It is quite the contrary. Youngsters today have a tough time dealing with complex issues like parents’ expectations, relationship problems, career choices and the like. As if this was not enough, they constantly have to face a greater challenge in their years at college – ‘the politics of notes’.

‘Notes’ are the driving force behind the existence of the student community. There are two groups of students in college. The sincere ones, who pay attention during classes, take running notes and later prepare their study material after lots of research and much toil. This group is quite understandably a numeric minority. The extraordinary degree of exertion required to actually flip through a dozen books or concentrate in class is the reason behind the sheer dearth of such students.

The other kind practically forms a clear majority of the student population. These are the ‘note-borrowers’. They are those who are ‘regularly irregular’ to classes. Attendance is the only factor that drives the students to attend classes and obliges the teachers with their noble presence. Exam-time marks the dawn of realization on their otherwise carefree consciousness and they begin to pursue their serious counterparts, who possess the ‘much coveted’ objects – The Notes.

Peek-a-boo. Credits : Pens Eve

That is the point! Credits : Pens Eve

At 'work'. Credit: Pens Eve

The conflict grows harsh and the politics becomes dirty when hitherto unknown acquaintances claim to be ‘friends’ at the onset of exams. “There is nothing wrong with seeking help from friends and classmates before exams. But some are too demanding; they literally harass people for their notes, or constantly call them the day before the exam, even if they are not particularly close to that person. In this way, the studious ones of the class are always being taken advantage of by those irresponsible students who leave note-taking for the last minute. During exams, the achievers of the class receive a lot of attention from such opportunists, who have no interest in them otherwise. It is literally a political scenario,” explains Nandita Mahajan, a student of Mass Communication.

This conflict between the first benchers and the last, between the ‘note-takers’ and the ‘note-borrowers’ has been waging since the beginning of time and has worsened with the gradual evolution of the education system. The issue of notes has become more controversial with the ‘development’ of marks becoming the “be-all and end-all” of students’ existence. “It is very irritating when people who never talk to us suddenly come up and ask for our notes. To top this, their timing is just perfect. They ask for notes just before exams and sometimes even during exams,” says B.Manogna, a second year student of Psychology. “Even if we are naïve or daring enough to oblige them with the notes, they are returned in pitiful conditions. On the whole, we are inconvenienced and feel much exploited,” she adds.

Copy-pasting of Notes. Credits : Pens Eve

Last-minute studying. Credits : Pens Eve

Photocopying - Learning made easy. Credits : Pens Eve

It’s quite a mystery why a majority of students attend lectures, but remain quite heedless to the ‘gyaan’ that is being given to them inside the classroom. Contemporary students are seen to excel at the art of multi-tasking – they do everything from day dreaming, drawing cartoons, texting and talking in class, except listening to the teacher. Answering for one’s attendance, however, is an exception. “When bright students are taking notes, there is no need for us to do the same. We might as well take it from them only, if they don’t mind,” says Vivek Vadali from Nalla Malla Reddy College. “I don’t attend classes as I find them boring and I depend on ‘ready-made notes’. I do feel bad about this, but there’s nothing I can do,” states Vyshnavie, from St. Francis College for Women.

While some students are just unwilling to exert themselves, some others have more justifiable reasons to offer. “I borrow notes from others just to add on to the ones I already prepare, to check if I’ve missed out on any important points,” shares Sneha Ullal from Hyderabad Central University.

Notes might be a trivial issue for those who don’t prepare them, but those who do have numerous complaints and grievances. “Most people don’t attend classes as they think it is ‘cool’. It is the same people who beg for notes when the opportune moment strikes. When they think that lectures are a waste of time, I wonder why they need notes prepared by the so-called ‘geeks’,” asks Megha Agarwal, a student from Government Law College, Mumbai.

Preparing Notes - Rome was not built in a day. Credits : Pens Eve

At the backdrop of this political setting is a small number of students who remain neutral to both the factions. They are quite consistent in their behavior as they don’t pounce on notes if they consider them unimportant. They rely on themselves and do not involve themselves in the ‘notes politics’. “I never study, so the politics of making notes or borrowing them is beyond me. I prefer to listen to the teacher in class and then form my own conclusion,” states Mariam Taqui Ali, from Osmania University College for Women.

The week prior exams is extremely lucrative for the small Print and Xerox shops, which are strategically placed near or outside educational institutions. It becomes even easier for students to take multiple copies of the entire year’s notes once they’ve acquired them, and there is no cause for worry. “I have two Xerox machines and they are put to full use during the fifteen days of exams, while they are left to rust the rest of the year,” sums up Vijay Kumar, the proprietor of a Xerox shop outside a college in the city.

Since conflict is an inseparable part of human society, it is quite inevitable that politics remains so too. Politics cannot be ignored; one can only find sensible ways to deal with it. “Students should not disregard it when they are being taken for granted. They should help their sincere classmates who might face academic trouble, but not those who simply take advantage of them,” suggests Ms. Afshan, Lecturer, Department of Social Sciences, St. Francis College for Women.

With exams round the corner, here’s hoping that the achievers of the class assert themselves and encourage their not-so-serious counterparts, thereby avoiding an unhealthy clash of opinions that mars the innocence of youth.