Public Response to Christ Issues

The following is a sampling of the responses my email got from the public at large (real names are not mentioned in order to prevent the possibility of vindictive responses from the Christ Management against individual students):

Mon, Nov 17, 2008 at 4:22 PM

Dear Sir,
I am 'A', a student of Christ college. I, along with a lot of other students was glad to read your mail because it is nothing new for the student community and we were glad that someone who was teaching at Christ actually had the courage to voice it. There is another issue which I believe is fundamentally incriminating on the part of the institution. They have an"association of christian christites" which has "holy mass" and they make it compulsary for all their christian students to attend it and those who do otherwise are penalized by withholding their hall tickets and making them write "7 page assignments" on particular topic pertaining to the faith. In such cases, is it not a student's fundamental right to either follow or not abide by religious activities? Since almost all students are 18 and there by autonomous in they eye of the law, I think this is a gross violation of not only an individual's right, it also portrays some kind of an oppressive and urgent need of the authorities to make people believe in something inspite of themselves. The same holds true for the girls' hostel where there are "meditation classes" and english hymns are sung to praise the lord. What i do not understand is that it is infantile to impose such belief/moral structures which the institution may adhere to but has no right whatsoever to thrust upon the students. Failing to attend such classes sizeable fines are levied, fathers roam around to inspect girls' hostel. then why is there a female warden? All this invokes a curious question: Can they be sued for all this religious mafioso running around?
I do not know how relevant and worthy these questions may seem to you, but I would look forward to receiving your reply on the same.
Thank you,
Regards
A.

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Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 11:20 AM

Dear Sir,
Pardon me for the delay in reply. I was out of town. I have already told people from my class and around about the banning of your website and the initiative that you intend to take. they were all happy to hear about it. regarding parents, we are all helpless. since we are economically dependent on our guardians to enter this college and since the ideal aim of parents and college seem to be similar, there is little one can say without sounding im/a-moral and no student would like to make a parent worried about how s/he uses her/his unrestricted freedom which the college ideally assures to supervise. also, that there is no student body following some structural changes in management some five-seven years ago. apparently the documents we sign while getting in also leave it to the college's discretion to make new rules or amend the old ones. hence student bodies inclining towards any activism are banned. all this leads to a paralysed student community which is desperate to pass out of this "white" regime.
thank you
regards,

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Mon, Dec 1, 2008 at 7:13 PM

i am receipt of your mail and thanks for the vigil

best

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Mon, Dec 15, 2008 at 8:50 AM

Dear Mr. Dattathreya,

I cannot begin to express the satisfaction I feel after reading your letter. I am so glad that someone has finally spoken out and dared to throw a few spokes in the wheel of the management's previously unobstructed reign of terror. I studied there for 4 years and I and several of my friends have also been victims of various injustices at the hands of these so called Christians. And that is what angers me the most - that with everything they have weighing on their consciences (if they do indeed have any), they still have the nerve to profess their belief in God, Moral uprightness etc. I hope that this is not the end of your fight against the moral turpitude that exists within the walls of Christ College. I know that there will be thousands of people behind you all the way, beginning with myself. It is time to act. Why don't you start a petition of some sort which everyone can sign? Or send your letter to the newspapers. Everyone has a right to know what really happened in the molestation case. All the College has going for it is its reputation. And pride comes before a fall.

Please let me know if I can do anything.

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Mon, Dec 15, 2008 at 10:51 AM

Dear Dattathreya,

My name is D and I have studied in Christ College nearly all my life. I did my PUC, BA and M.Sc in Christ. In fact, My masters was in Psychology, and I passed out April 2008, which means Fr.Verghese was my HOD and I knew my junior who got expelled.

I am extremely delighted to know that this has come out. And I am also happy to know that finally someone is doing something about this. I got this email from a friend of mine. I want you to know that I am supportive of whatever action is going to be taken against him.

All the best, and please let me know if there is anything at all I can do to help.

Warm Regards

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Thu, Nov 6, 2008 at 4:24 PM

Dear Dattathreya:

Since I was very new and un-knowing of a lot of the events, now, thanks for your email which puts a lot of things clearly before me. Certainly your directness to approach this is something brave. It must have exhausted you going through this. Things here will never change and expectantly they are not the kinds to ever seek redemption.

There seems to be a new principal(?) appointed--it was their 'trump card' of surprise. I only foresee, now, a grave complicity between the two elements.

Speak to you soon.

Best,
E

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Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 6:55 PM

Dear Mr Dattatreya

Congrats to you for bringing these unsavory goings on in Christ College out in the open. My daughter studies there, and, as such, it is a matter of immediate concern to me.

There have been some instances where my daughter also had felt the need for expressing her resentment about certain goings on. Fortunately, they have so far been nowhere close to the kind experienced by the girl victimised by the college authorities. But, if students and parents are forced to remain silent fearing the retaliatory tactics adopted by the managements, the next victim can be any of us.

Now, I expect a number of people whom you have sent the mail to may have responded to you. If all of them are available in the open for the public to see, I expect that can become an instrument to force the college authorities to usher in proper democratic functioning.

I am part of a blog group called PRAJA ( http://praja.in/ ), and I feel that kind of a platform can be ideal for carrying out such an exercise. My colleagues at PRAJA, all techies (that does not include me, though), can configure the perfect set up for the purpose, and go on improving it as time evolves. Eventually, it can be extended to the entire student community in Bangalore. And, there are no costs to it.

If you like the idea, do send a line in reply.

Regards,
F
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Tue, Dec 16, 2008 at 10:00 AM

hello,

Im sure you have been receiving many mails of late in response to the one you have sent out. I am a Christ student. Soon after passing out of college I heard of the happenings in the campus with regard to a student and Fr. Verghese. It is also a known fact that with the new `university' systems in place
several systems( say e-mail) are tracked. It seems father v. retaliated to this girl's allegations by signing into her college mail id and sending himself mails from her account to make it seem as though she initiated it all.

this speaks of a very sick and certainly skewed mentality. not just his, it reflects on the entire institution.

Let me just express that I am SO VERY GLAD to read your mail. a student being expelled has her own battles to face, but faculty taking steps to address these issues is VERY important, and
students need this support.

thank you ...

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Tue, Dec 16, 2008 at 12:09 PM

Dear Sir,

I was forwarded a mail by a friend of mine who happened to be a fellow classmate in Christ and I read all about your resignation and the fact that you have actually stood up to the Christ Management. I am glad that Fr. Verghese has finally been dragged into court. I guess it was long due.

I cal only say that sitting so far away I'll try and help in anyway that I can. So please feel free to get in touch with me.

Regards

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Wed, Dec 17, 2008 at 7:28 AM

Hell Dattathreya,
My name is 'I' and I am a former study abroad student at Christ College. I have recently come across your Christ College resignation email. Are there any public records on the web or do you have any records that verify your employment at Christ? I ask because if I am to proceed with presenting this information to individuals responsible for the study abroad programs here in the United States it is necessary that I can verify your former position. In addition do you have any other formal documents pertaining to allegations against Christ faculty or management?

Regards,
'I'

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Wed, Dec 17, 2008 at 8:06 PM

dear sir,

i am J, a student at christ "university".

we (my friends and i) knew about the "sacred" acts of the priests in college,
and were sick that we actually did hold the very same people at a position of respect at some point in our life.
we wanted to spread word to as many as possible, but were always apprehensive and scared- now that they've chucked the girl out because she raised a complaint, they are very capable of throwing any student out with absolutely no basis (it'll not take them very long to create a reason that sounds valid, anyway)
thank you for bringing this out in the open.
but i wonder what's the point. nothing seems to be happening.
ppl read the mail, discuss it, and still sit in the auditorium n applaud after one of those disgusting men have spoken their cliche-ed "inspiring" words!!

is there any way verghese will face the consequences of what he's done?
i really want to know.

i would also like to tell you that we students have actually seen for ourselves bottles of liquor being carried out of the VC's cabin. we saw an attender/cleaner walk out of his cabin one morning with a bucket filled with at least 6 empty liquor bottles..... so much for a student fee hike! we could see where it was all going!

i do not want my name out in the open.
in my last semester. would love to finish n get out of this place (unharmed) asap!
but please let me (us) know when and how these ppl will lose face.

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Thu, Dec 18, 2008 at 8:31 PM

Hi I am now a student in christ and thoroughly sympathize with your stance on matters. I am glad that you are speaking out. some one should.
However i wish to make a small correction about cassocks and st joseph's college ( I was a student there before i joined here).
Although it is true that most fathers did not wear their cassocks while teaching the vice principal did. thus i do not think it is a rule.

I hope you are planing to prosecute them to the max. you have the support of an overwhelming number of students all in search of an anti christ movement to join!

Since you are a prof of law. please tell me if it will be illegal to courier them (christ coll management and some staff) a large box filled with our shit....

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Sun, Jan 4, 2009 at 4:34 PM

Hi Sir,

I'm not sure if you remember me. I worked with a few of my classmates on the Law school website two years ago.
I just recieved your email about your reasons for leaving college as a forward.

Just wanted to say Bravo!! The mail has reached so many of us all around the world and has gotten us thinking.

I'm so privileged to have known you and worked with you.

Kick Butt!

Best Regards,

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Thu, Jan 8, 2009 at 10:06 PM

Dear Mr. Dattathreya,

I received your mail as a forward from a friend of mine and I, being a student of Christ feel the same way as yourself about the management of our "esteemed" University.
In my 12th, I was selected to represent our nation at the UN in a global conference along with other outstanding scholars from over 150 countries. Long story short, I complied to the laws by submitting documents (visas, travel itineraries, letters etc) over FOUR times and met the cousellors, HOD's and the lots... end of the day, my parents used to get letters claiming that "despite persistent, individual counseling, your ward has low attendance", I ended up paying 2000 Rs to get my hall ticket and I got abused by the IPM department numerous times and for what? for representing the nation and more importantly the University at the UN? Maybe it was my fault for being interested in actually making a change. It seems that the management is corrupt in so many ways to pull students down and de-motivate and crush our individuality so as to make us mere puppets who only have "pure" thoughts. I know that the management is sadistic and it seems that the love to see the pain and anguish of students, I also happen to know all the strings they have pulled to achieve university status, as a fellow classmate whos father is an MLA seems to know quite a few details.
In the end, as a student, it is not worth doing ANYTHING for Christ as all that happens is that you lose out on your attendance and get harassed for that. It is truly THE most de-motivating place. If it was not for some friends and a few teachers, many students I know would have snapped.

Regards,
M
Christ "University"

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Thu, Jan 8, 2009 at 10:17 PM

Dattathreya Sir,

I'm not sure you remember me. I was in your class in Christ College of Law two years ago. My name is 'N'. I decided to move from Christ College of Law to Singapore Management University when the opportunity presented itself fairly early on.

I heard from a friend- many, subsequently- about the "scandal" with Father Varghese and the management at Christ College. I couldn't believe all of it was still safely under cover. What happens next? And what becomes of "Father Varghese" - I cringe prefixing his name with "Father". Other F words seem more appropriate (forgive my boldness).

Regards,
N

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Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 9:26 PM

As a former student of at Christ College and having experienced the oppression first hand, i express solidarity with you comrade. We resisted at our own levels, through diplomacy, non-cooperation and satirical journals etc, and hope that the undemocratic nature and high-handedness of this institution are brought to the world through our collective efforts. Great work! keep the hopes alive!

O
JMI-Delhi

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Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 1:53 AM

Dear Mr Dattathreya,

I am Q and graduated ..... with a degree from Christ College. I would like to enlighten you on one of the issues that took place in my class concerning one particular Brother Jason, age 27 who would often make advances towards girls in our class. He used to make hugging and nudging or brushing against us seem very casual, but most of us were not that stupid not to notice his character.

When he went too far by bespeaking his filthy mind about one of the girls in our class, and one of the boys took umbrage at what he had said, the matter was brought to the notice of our teacher Mrs Shobana P Mathews (english dept) and Fr Viju (psych dept). Brother Jaison was apparently chastised and punished (or so we heard) and we were told not to speak about this to anyone as he had been taken care of and he had shown some guilt.

I think the other girls did not want to take the risk of trying to pursue the matter to get him suspended because they seemed satisfied with the outcome. The girl who was molested by Fr varghese is a very popular story among many students there and we are all aware of the infinite corruption the management engages in. It was though a very small attempt but we did bring out a newsletter called Praxis to try and voice some of the issues that were faced by some of us to try and bring to the notice about the blatant hypocrisy exercised by all those "pious men in cassocks."

I am in the UK, currently doing an MA in ....... and if there is anything I can do to help with trying to publicize the inefficacy of this pious institution, with substantial proof, I would be more than happy to help.

Yours sincerely,
Q

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