Column

Four years ago, this week had gone into the annals of history: 26/7, a date most Mumbaikars would love to forget. The country’s commercial capital was submerged. Life froze as nature poured 944.2 mm of rainfall.

Exactly four years later, the same week may again get its space in the history books — for a deluge of different kind. More than one lakh students are upset because none of them got their chosen college. At least 60,000 names didn’t even appear in both lists declared so far despite the fact that they scored a respectable percentage ranging from 70 to 85.

The 26/7 deluge was a natural calamity. I guess you can’t do much about the wrath unleashed by nature. But what about the deluge of woes unleashed by our politicos, which is worse than natural calamities? To think that they were amply avoidable, had planning preceded them.

After having tinkered with practically everything in their control, the netas, aided by the babus, have found a new stomping ground in the education sector. Like that fair broker arbitrating between different education boards, state education minister Vikhe-Patil, in a move intended to take the wind out of his political adversary’s sail, introduced online admission for junior colleges.

Last year, the Bombay High Court had ruled against the percentile system, which was the first ‘deluge’. This year, the same court spiked the minister’s proposal for reserving 90 % seats for SSC students, which was the second ‘deluge’. The court categorically told the state government that its decision was “arbitrary” and smacked of political undertones to prefer SSC board students.

One expected to breathe easy after this second ‘deluge’. Until, that is, the chastened minister came up with his high-tech mantra of online admission. The result of the third ‘deluge’ is there for everyone to see: Can you imagine the anguish of a parent who was ecstatic that his child, who was feted for securing a place in the merit list, is the 115th on the fourth waiting list? Or that a girl, who applied under the open quota, has got admission under the physically-challenged category?

Take the example of the Navi Mumbai resident Jovy Simon Jose, who scored 82 %, is yet to get a seat. He applied for 12 colleges and in 14 vocational categories. Jose’s parents are now taking leave from their work in turns, because they are worried that he could resort to an extreme step because of depression.

Now the fourth and last ‘deluge’ is that the education department wants every class to add 10-20 more seats. Obviously, the small classrooms are now going to become smaller with more students — another form of ‘deluge’.

For both parents and children, there seems to be no respite. In sum, many Mumbaikars are saying that they would rather meet an occasional deluge ordained by Almighty God than be left breathless so frequently by the all-mighty political godzillas. The Al(l)mighty be praised.