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‘I Couldn’t Get Into English-Medium School as I Was Adivasi’: Sonajharia Minz Recalls After Being Elected as VC of Sido Kanhu Murmu University in Jharkhand
'Tumse na ho payega': JNU Professor Sonajharia Minz recalls the stinging words of her school maths teacher in Ranchi, despite scoring 100 per cent thrice back then and now winning accolades and respect on being the second tribeswoman to be elected as a vice-chancellor
The Internet recently broke with the flood of messages hailing JNU Professor Sonajharia Minz as she was appointed the vice-chancellor of Sido Kanhu Murmu University (SKMU) in Dumka, Jharkhand. Currently a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Minz was also the president of JNU Teacher’s Association.
Seeing people now accolade her with respect on being the second tribeswoman to be elected as a vice-chancellor, Minz recalls the stinging words of her school maths teacher in Ranchi who told her “Tumse na ho payega (You’re not good enough)”, despite scoring 100 per cent thrice back then in the subject. In an interview with The Telegraph, she shared, “The maths teacher, who wasn’t tribal, knew it was my strong subject and that I had scored 100 per cent thrice. Yet he told me not to study maths for graduation. That made me even more determined to study the subject further.”
Talking about her early education struggles, Minz added, “I couldn’t get into an English-medium school as I was an Adivasi. But I did well at St Margaret’s, a Hindi-medium school in Ranchi with mostly tribal students and teachers.” Her fondness for mathematics led her to graduate from Women’s Christian College, Chennai and even pursue an MSc in the same from Madras Christian College.
She told the news agency, “I shifted from maths to computers to take on a new challenge, and to come to JNU” as she highlighted her shift to the then new discipline in 1986. She reportedly returned to teach in JNU in 1992 after short stints at universities in Bhopal and Madurai. Staying at JNU ever since, Minz was even injured in stone-throwing when the right-wing goons unleashed violence across the campus in January this year.
She told the daily, “Having been on the other side, I must say that any authority should stick to two principles: truth and justice. Truth cannot be changed, perverted or misused. And you cannot shy away from delivering justice.”
Hoping to teach a few classes in the computer applications during her three-year tenure as SKMU vice-chancellor, Sonajharia Minz intends to return to JNU.
Kudos Minz! Hul Johar!
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