TISS Hyderabad has sparked a controversy over a student, who was sporting a Keffiyeh offstage, being denied his graduation certificate.
Published Oct 01, 2024 | 8:14 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 01, 2024 | 9:31 PM
Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad was denied his PG certificate over Keffiyeh
Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) held its 10th Convocation on Sunday, 29 September, a milestone for the off-campus. During the convocation, addressed by Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, TISS conferred a master’s degree to over 200 students. However, a special case stuck out among them.
A student sporting a Keffiyeh offstage, a traditional headdress worn by men in the Middle East to show solidarity with Gaza, was denied his graduation certificate.
Hailing from Kasargod in the Malabar region of Kerala, Ablaz earned his Undergraduate (UG) degree from Sri Ram College of Commerce in Delhi. Soon after, he enrolled in TISS to pursue his master’s degree in developmental study and has lived in Hyderabad since 2022.
“I was supposed to be called on stage first from my course,” he told South First. Although Ablaz wore the Keffiyeh, he took it off before he was supposed to enter the dais. “However, my Campus Director asked me to leave due to the Keffiyeh, and I was not called back on stage,” he elaborated.
Ablaz leaving the stage after being denied his degree certificate
After subsequent negotiations, even though Ablaz was allowed on stage, he was denied his graduation certificate.
“I had to undergo public humiliation, apparently because I was violating the decorum,” he lamented.
Speaking of the reaction from family and friends, he said: “My mother still seems to be traumatised by the event, but the silence in the auditorium when I was denied my certificate was deafening. The Campus Director assured me that he would ensure I get my certificate as I was leaving the stage.”
He continued in a conversation with South First that “I had to write at least three versions of an apology letter before they would accept it, I was the very last person to receive a certificate on that day, but that moment was profound for me. More than receiving my masters, my fellow students chanting ‘Jai Bhim’ as I got it is something I’ll never forget.”
“It is ridiculous to curb one’s freedom of expression at a college of social sciences,” Ablaz noted. “I wore that Keffiyeh as a reminder to me and the people watching, it was a reminder of the stark contrast between the theory of our classes and the reality on the ground,” he told South First.
During the event, Ablaz found support from his fellow students and professors. “They showed their support and calmed my parents down,” he recounted.
However, Ablaz doesn’t view this as an isolated event and alleges that the climate at TISS has been changing for the last couple of years. “There is a sense of intolerance lingering around campus. Our curriculum hasn’t changed much, but certain student organisations have been banned. Ramdas, a Dalit PhD scholar was ousted from the Mumbai TISS campus without any explanation.”
He was referring to the barring of Ramdas Prini Sivanandan, a PhD scholar who was banned for two years following allegations of ‘anti-national’ activities.
Ablaz pegs this change to a management reshuffle and bringing TISS directly under the Ministry of Education. Subsequently, over 100 people lost their jobs across TISS campuses.
“They also hiked the fee. This changed the kind of diversity you would find on campus earlier. There is a small ‘pro-Hindutva’ push now. I’ve been called slurs online by fellow students, and they cancelled Mumbai TISS’ customary Iftar too. It feels like an underlying agenda is showing itself,” he elaborated.
A research associate at a think tank in Hyderabad now, Ablaz vows to continue voicing resistance and work towards progress at all times, possibly bridging the gap between textbook theory and ground reality.
South First tried contacting TISS but did not get an answer from the institute when the article was published.
(Edited by Neena)
