Presidency University students come up with mobile billboards to save its walls

Kolkata: At a time when student union elections are open season for defacement of city walls and street furniture in many parts of the country, Kolkata’s famed Presidency University, a heritage institution, has come up with mobile poster boards – to prevent its walls and pillars from ugly disfigurement through elections posters. The four metal-made poster boards, provided with wheels, can be utilised by students wishing to paste posters or write graffiti. The authorities thought upon the concept - fittingly named “portable democratic walls” - after years when even historic structures like the Baker Building would be defaced with posters and graffiti. [caption id=“attachment_1705367” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Presidency University.[/caption] “The university is not taking away anyone’s democratic right to express his or her mind. We have come up with this new idea to ensure the students can express their opinion while at the same time the premises remain clean,” said vice chancellor Anuradha Lohia. The university has plans to set up 10 such boards across the campus. The students also seem happy. “We are okay with this. This is a good step,” said a first year undergraduate student, who did not wish to be identified. The 197-year-old institution, earlier known as Presidency College, has its roots in the Hindu College that was established in 1817. It was named Presidency College in 1855. The earlier Left Front government upgraded it as a university in 2010. Its alumni include Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Satyajit Ray, Marxist leader Jyoti Basu and India’s first president Rajendra Prasad. PTI