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HomePageTurnerAfterword‘On a Stormy Course’ is Valson Thampu’s defence against charges that plagued...

‘On a Stormy Course’ is Valson Thampu’s defence against charges that plagued his career

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Thampu rarely acknowledges his faults; clarifying that only a person of ‘superhuman will and a heroic sense of purpose’ would survive in his situation.

 

Valson Thampu’s On a Stormy Course is an unabashedly candid memoir, wherein the activist-religious reformer passionately narrates his experiences as the principal of the prestigious St. Stephen’s College in Delhi. He appears to analyse a wide range of factors that led to his actions between 2007 and 2016. The reader is invited to accompany the author on his journey from his poverty-stricken home in Kerala, stigmatised due to the inter-religious marriage of his parents, to his controversial tenure as an academic in the national capital.

The sixteen chapters of this book are arranged more thematically than chronologically, elaborating upon the incidents that contributed to Thampu’s encounters with various controversies for 12 long years. Besides addressing almost every single allegation levelled against him, the author also describes his work with Swami Agnivesh as part of the ‘Religions for Social Justice’ movement, his participation in the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, and his views on the educational limitations of the north Indian Christian community.

The entire account is characterised by a remarkable sense of perseverance. Thampu grabs the attention of his audience from the very first page, quoting from religious scriptures, Shakespeare, Hegel, Greek tragedy and even the feminist critic Simone de Beauvoir.

He speaks directly to the reader at several points in the memoir, making evocative appeals to his or her rationality and moral judgment. However, the strictly controlled tone of the narration becomes cacophonous in some episodes, revealing a desperate desire to be believed. It is quite ridiculous that the author uses the exact same news article from a national daily, a total of three times, as a reference source for the validity of his contested PhD degree.

A striking, tongue-in-cheek, analogy that Thampu makes in the preface sets the tone for the pivotal argument of the book. He compares the brouhaha surrounding his stint as the principal to an ‘accident’, claiming that onlookers have paid no attention to the ‘victim’ lying sprawled across the road. He frames his role in the imbroglio as that of a scapegoat. An indifferent chairman, devious teachers who continuously seek to destabilise the administration, unscrupulous media and easily-led-astray students and karamcharis — every character in this chronicle seems to have opposed Thampu’s attempts at academic reforms. The alumni, with the exception of perhaps two individuals, are painted as a disgrace to the image of the college.

Thampu seems to have trivialised several of the issues raised against him. He defends himself on both — the repeated protests against the gender-biased hostel curfew as well as a final-year philosophy student’s resolute stand against the college’s restriction on freedom of speech — by infantilizing students. Moreover, he insists that they only resist the administration when deceived by teachers.

With regard to his alleged involvement in sexual harassment cases, he argues that the three instances were all ‘traps’ aimed at him, and that he had in fact tried his best to provide aid to the alleged victims. He neglects mentioning that he had once used a Facebook post to rhetorically ask his followers how a disabled person — one of the accused professors — could stalk a young woman. Even by his own admission, as mentioned in the chapter ‘Hawks’, he does not understand the coherence between misogyny and sexual exploitation.

Very rarely in the book does Thampu acknowledge having faltered; in fact, he clarifies that only a person of “superhuman will and a heroic sense of purpose” would survive in his situation. The figure of a single man fighting against an ocean of humanity, holding onto his astute Christian faith for dear life, is almost epic, but also comical.

Despite his self-important style of narration, Thampu makes some very strong points about education and the communal mistrust of minorities that has led to fears of forced conversion and decline of ‘merit’ caused by reservation for Christian students.

He states that the popular apprehension of alumni such as Arun Shourie and Ramachandra Guha, that the college would soon be ‘Christianised’ or ‘hijacked by the Church’ are laughable, as the institution has always been Church-led and Church-maintained. Social justice and preferential treatment for the historically-oppressed were two key aims of the College’s evangelical mission, which have now been virtually forgotten with the institution turning into a sheltered bubble for the socio-economic elite, plagued by waning work culture and increasing indiscipline.

Towards the end of the book, Thampu devotes several pages to his idea of effective administration and holistic education. In the concluding episodes, he seems convinced that his retirement has put an end to the baseless propaganda against him, and looks forward to the future, as he steps out of the college he has served for decades, holding his little granddaughter by the hand, waving goodbye to a swarm of well-wishers.

Aina Singh is a postgraduate student and alumni of St. Stephen’s.

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1 COMMENT

  1. Dear Aina, Thanks, first, for reading the book. I wis you had pointed out, in the review, at least a single instance in which I misrepresented facts, which happens necessarily when one is desperate to justify oneself. My email id is vthampu@gmail.com. Shall appreciate your getting in touch. Valson

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