Balance of Power the IIT Way

In international relations, Balance of Power is a concept in power politics. Within a balance of power system, a state may choose to engage in either balancing or bandwagoning behavior. Balancing or hard balancing refers to a state joining a weaker coalition to counter the influence or power of a stronger coalition. Balancing is a military action, intended to increase the power or threat of power of one state relative to another. Bandwagoning refers to the act of weaker states joining a stronger power or coalition within balance of power politics & it occurs when weaker states decide that the cost of opposing a stronger power exceeds the benefits to be gained from supporting it.

If we search beyond the international relations, the following meanings can be derived from the term “Balance of Power”:

Balance of Power is a musical rock band from Great Britain.
Balance of Power is a computer game first released for Apple Macintosh.
Balance of Power is a 1986 album by the Electric Light Orchestra.
Balance of Power is a book by New Zealand cricket captain Stephen Fleming.
Balance of Power is a novel by Richard North Patterson

But I learnt a new meaning of Balance of Power, the day I visited IIT Bombay. Yes, I mean Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. (Just for information, do you know that Jairam Ramesh (Congress MP) is a product of IIT Bombay? You may know about Nandan Nilekani and Kanwal Rekhi as its more famous alumni.)

Shivaji and Ambedkar, under the same roof

When you reach the reception area in the main academic building of IIT Bombay, you will find two busts there. One is of the Shivaji and the other is of BR Ambedkar. Neither personality needs an introduction. But their statues do. I could not get time to find out which was installed earlier. But the statue of Shivaji was installed at a more appropriate place and was covered with glass casing. The statue of BR Ambedkar was in the open, and it seemed that they tried hard to look for a convenient place for it. That is why the wall before his statue looks askew in this picture. It seems to me that the Shivaji's statue was present there from before and a new statue of BR Ambedkar was installed later on.

Balance of Power

Why from the whole universe of great scientists and thinkers did the IIT authorities choose to install these two figures there?

Shivaji, Chatrapati Shivaji Raje Bhonsle to be precise, is one of the greatest heroes in India. His rule is called one of the six golden pages in Indian history. He inspired the freedom fighters of India‘s freedom struggle. Shivaji was a deeply religious Hindu but he respected all religions within the region. Shiv Sena has taken inspirations form the Maratha king and many important locations like international airport were named and renamed after him. You can feel the presence of Shivaji everywhere in Maharastra. So I was not surprised to find him at an IIT also.

BR Ambedkar is a Bharat Ratna; first he fought for the rights of lower caste and untouchables among Hindus and then started the Dalit Buddhist Movement. He is credited for being chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee. (Ambedkar hated Hinduism and was a fierce critic of Gandhiji. Taking note of his state of mind, it surprises me why the Congress party made him in charge of writing the rules for Indian democracy!). Several political parties like the BSP and Dalit organizations have made him their paragon and constant source of inspiration. Go to any slum in Mumbai, and you will find his statue or temple guarding the area.

But a pragmatist will say that Maratha are ‘upper caste’ community and its leader Shivaji was also upper caste. So the balance of power seems to be tilted in favor of these so called upper caste people. (It looks dirty, but there are people who would support this notion). The remedy? Install another statue of a person from the lower caste; who can be better than BR Ambedkar himself? So another statue of BR Ambedkar comes under the same roof. This decision may have been taken by some director with a different set of inspiration, or under demands from some local politicians.

Well, I don't have an objection until things work out under some reasonable logic. Neither of these two gentlemen had any relations with IIT B. Also, some political organizations have vested interests in promoting them. Why should an IIT install busts of people who are neither related to the institute nor do they provide any inspiration to the students/faculty? I have no objection, until it is followed by some sound logic. We can't let politics acquire a position adjacent to the reception desk! Balance of Power should not be an extracurricular learning at an IIT.