The fanatical outburst of a few might have more far-reaching consequences than they could have imagined. As young boys and girls in the city now live in fear of stepping out after dark, Mangalore is slowly losing its appeal as the safe education hub. Parents are becoming increasingly apprehensive about letting their children out of their sight, while students themselves are upset about the kinds of restrictions the political dissent places on their lives. As the majority of students in Mangalore have come from outside the town, the consequences of Hindu Jagaran Vedike’s actions are likely to extend beyond education and to the economy itself as the many auxiliary businesses related to education will also find themselves struggling to make ends meet.
“This is a very valid question and parents are constantly worried about the welfare of their children,” says Rev. Father Swebert D'Silva, Principal, St Aloysius College, Mangalore, on students having second thoughts about studying in Mangalore. A student at St Aloysius College, said his parents would call up the Reverend once a week. After the attacks, they have been calling him twice a day, just to see if he is safe. “Mangalore has been a very important place for education and the number of students coming in for professional courses has reduced drastically,” he adds. “Culture is a dynamic thing. It is constantly changing. We can't hold on to the past and refuse to adapt to the changes."
The actions of the television media and their hyping of the incident have been brought under much criticism too, along with the completely uncalled for attacks by the religious militants. “Everybody is to blame for this situation, from the attackers, to the media," says Dr Mohan Alva, Chairman, Alva's Education Trust. “The people who come to us and who understand our culture will be perfectly safe,” he adds. “The fact that these people are doing things in the name of Hinduism and culture is very bad for us.”
While the incident has been covered by the media extensively, it is only one of a few episodes that have happened since 2009. Has there been a reduction in the number of new students already? “These incidents have been taking place over the past two or three years. But, so far, there has been no fall in the number of students applying to colleges here,” says Mr Shiva Shankar, V-C, Mangalore University. “There has been no discernible decline in the number of students in graduate or post-graduate courses. But if it continues to happen with increasing frequency, it will definitely have a bad effect on us."