Xavier's principal upsets BJP, but students largely unfazed

Father Frazer Mascarenhas, the principal of St Xavier’s college Mumbai, is known to be whimsical. From confusing independence day with republic day at speeches, to upholding outdated rules like barring girls from wearing red and referring to today’s youth as the Baywatch generation, Mascarenhas has always been rather outspoken but has never openly critiqued policies implemented by political parties. Which is why perhaps his sudden letter to the students of St Xavier’s college where he criticises the Gujarat model of the development, the ills of ‘communal forces’ and ‘capitalism’ and advises students to ‘choose well’ has created a major stir on social media and also among academics. [caption id=“attachment_1493575” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Xavier’s students were largely unfazed: Wikimedia Commons[/caption] While the  BJP has complained to the Election Commission about Mascarenhas alleging he has misused his position, some members of the academic community have said it is highly inappropriate for a an educator to influence young voters on who they should select. “We have no issues about any individual exercising his democratic rights, however, here is someone writing as the head of an educational institution, this is an attempt to influence the mind of students,” said  BJP’s Nirmala Sitharaman today. Mascarenha’s  letter reads: “Gujarat may be doing well in the first sense…but all the Human Development Index indicators and the cultural polarization of the population show that Gujarat has had a terrible experience in the last 10 years… the state has a very high dropout rate in the last 10 years. Higher education has not been allowed to move forward… Gujarat has also been the worst performer in settling claims and distributing title deeds to tribal people and other forest dwellers. Till 2013, the state, with 15% tribal population, settled only 32 per cent of the claims, the lowest rate in the country.” Father Frazer Mascarenhas, however, defended his actions, saying his note was not against any specific individual or party. “I have not mentioned any particular individual or organisation in my communication. It was intended only to serve as a broad understanding before students exercised their right to vote,” he said. “There’s nothing more to the letter,” he clarified today. Meanwhile, even though the college is shut for summer vacations,  most of the Xavier’s  students Firstpost spoke to were either unaware of the blog post or defended the principal’s letter as ‘freedom of expression.’ “St Xavier’s is a liberal arts college. It appreciates outspoken people. Whether people agree or not, I think the brand “Xavier’s”, inherently loves anti-establishment.And Father Frazer’s letter is only going to add to the college’s brand equity rather than destroy it,” said Rubin, a second year BSC Student at the college. Rubin has already decided who he is going to vote for and doesn’t think father Frazer is wrong in voicing his opinion. His friend and classmate Shivam, however, disagrees. “Being a figure of authority, it was wrong for Father Frazer to blast out a message like that. But we are all educated individuals and one man’s opinion, isn’t going to change who I vote for,“he said. However, 16-year old students studying in junior college at St Xavier’s do feel that the letter does shape their thinking.   " We are only 16 and still too young to vote. Opinion by our principal or what are families says does matter because it shapes our opinion and while Father Frazer has every right to guide us, this is his personal opinion and we respect it. It doesn’t mean we too as students will blindly follow it,” said Trisha Sanghvi, a junior college student at St Xavier’s. Third-year BA students Yamini Kulkarni and Charlotte Coutinho were also not perturbed by Frazer’s speech and did not see it affecting the college brand in any way. “In our curriculum, or any other speech given by Father Frazer, there has never been any hint of political influence. This is the first time he has ever said anything and that too in a post, which is hardly viewed by any of the students. Also, people send their children to the college, because it is the best in the city. I donot think the principal’s political or religious leaning can change that,” Kukarni told Firstpost. The letter has received contradictory responses across social media too with people condemning his actions as unethical and biased, while others upholding it as freedom of speech and expressions. 

More from Politics

Is Shashi Tharoor’s breakup with Congress inevitable? ‘Naxalism will end in India by March 2026’: Amit Shah at CRPF Raising Day parade

When asked what may have led  Fr Mascarenhas to issue such a letter,  Blaine Rodrigues said that as head of the institution and a developmental anthropologist it was his duty to sensitize the first-time voters. " Rodrigues, a former Xavier’s student said, " I do not see what the hue and cry is all about. He teaches developmental studies and as developmental anthropologist he has simply written on a pertinent subject, sensitizing first-time voters. Anasuya Menon, another former student at Xavier’s, who was taught anthropology by Fr Mascarenhas, too believes that the purpose of the letter was not to ask students to not vote for Modi but rather it was “his duty to take a stand on the most important priority for his country and it wasn’t an order. Whether people  agree with it or not is a different matter altogether.. If Xavier’s has educated us right as I believe it has, we should not just obey whatever is told to us but question and I think father’s open letter is asking us to question,” she told Firstpost. Nikhil Jejurikar, another Xavierite, who graduated in 2009, which ironically was also an election year, doesn’t recall the principal making such politically-sensitive statements openly back then, when India was going to polls. “I don’t think it was right for him to put an open letter, he is the leading man at the head of one of the most prestigious institutions in the country. He presides over 1000 odd students, and deals with the government on various matters too. surely, he should have known this would be a sensitive issue considering the elections are two days away in Mumbai,” Jejurikar told Firstpost. He too maintains that Frazer’s comments will not affect the upcoming admission process at the college and does not mean that the institute by itself endorses what he has said in the letter.