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Should students limit themselves to studies and stay away from agitations?

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Essay Contest for UPSC Exam for IAS

It is frequently quoted that students are the future of a nation. Thus, the way they are shaped and molded decide the results of a nation. For the natives, participation in public discussions is important, since people have a say in the discussions.

The citizens hold a right to express their views, agreement or disagreement for a view, or a policy. The expressions may result in the form of agitations. Does the same hold for a student? However, this question can be answered with 2 views, just as every coin consists of 2 faces.

Let us consider an example of a political agitation, which has recently affected India’s peace, i.e. the CAA(Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019). People have been protesting either in favor or against the act. For the same, some students from different colleges and universities expressed their own thoughts in the form of political agitations. Some of them are protesting to attract the attention of the government, sidelining their studies.

Since the right to freedom of expression holds the same for every citizen, irrespective of him or her being a student. Thus it is legally okay to agitate.

However, on the other hand, keeping the above example in view, the students have involved in violent acts too, such as damaging public property, creating obstruction and hindrance for public transport by blocking highways etc. They have tried to mislead people and spread rumors which is socially incorrect. This have led to total distraction of students, whether the reacted or not, from the studies and academics, for which they are actually meant for.

The public create conflicting views in a region, which in any way, affect a student’s mind. Since the mind and personality of a student is raw enough to be moulded and shaped, thus it is easy for them to set up a view, or say, a mindset with what they simply watch and hear in the society. Being a young soul, he or she sometimes may end up with rage, anger for minute reasons, which proves harmful for the society in long run by affecting the other public, and leading other students to make wrong decisions.

Therefore, agitations are okay till they are peaceful and do not violate harmony in the society of students thereby not affecting them negatively. Nowadays there are social media platforms, offline and online discussion forums that allow them to express their thoughts freely as well as peacefully. Thus the students can agitate using the above means and conditions. Moreover, they need to involve themselves in healthy public discussions, along with stressing upon their studies.

Students are future engineers, doctors, and professionals in various fields. They ought to have wisdom and knowledge, and knowledge is the seed that blossoms into flowery future, only when it is watered with time. Students’ focus on studies will lead them to become a human resource which will help in smooth functioning of the nation and thus, the world.

To conclude, if they study and prepare hard, it won’t be wrong to say that investment in study is the best investment, and prime focus on studies will develop them to be a wiser audience and prepare them to involve in peaceful agitations when they are mature enough to frame their own decisions. Their involvement in peaceful and non- violent means of expression rather than agitation, with a balance of studies is what the best way to convey their thoughts.

-Snigdha Kashyap

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