1. 1
Draft article [Please do not quote without the permission of the author]
A tale of e-activism at Vidyasagar University in West Bengal, India: Offline to
Online and back
Abhijit Guha, Professor, Department of Anthropology,Vidyasagar University
Medinipur-721102.
E-mail: abhijitguhavuanthro@rediffmail.com
Abstract
Everybody of the university community was viewing bicycles kept in a prohibited and risky place.
Nobody said anything but everybody was viewing it. One day the author of this paper took 2 photos of
the scenario and mailed them straight to the Registrar with a copy to the VC. The VC promptly shot an e-
mail in green colour to the engineer referring the complaint and ordered to encircle the place with danger
tapes and suggested eventual demolition of the dilapidated structure. Even after 7 days of VC';s order,
bicycles were being kept and no danger tapes were visible. The author again took photos and sent the 2nd
e-mail in red colour and expressed his
doubts about the chain of commands at VU. Within 24 hours red danger tapes were put on around the
structure otherwise known as "Abandoned Cycle Stand" and demolition began.
Key words: University campus, campus anthropology, e-activism, e-governance, internet activism, cyber
anthropology, online communities
Introduction
Motivated by recent Internet activism (also known as online activism, digital campaigning, digital
activism, online organizing, electronic advocacy, cyberactivism, e-campaigning, and e-activism, see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet activism), I took up the challenge to make some change in an otherwise
bureaucratic milieu dependent on hard copies, phone calls and direct face to face offline encounters between
persons holding specific and well-defined positions within the organization, which in this case is a university.
The case described here is centered around a public utility infrastructure (mainly for the students of this rural
university, who are largely dependent on bicycles) built up by the university just a few years back. It was
roughly a 40ft.*15ft bicycle stand. It was built up from funds from the state government’s public exchequer.
Within a short period of time (less than a decade), the infrastructure has become rundown. Interestingly, the
structure was still being used by the students and a time came, when the university authorities had to declare it
abandoned. But that declaration was a declaration on board only. There was no vigilance to prevent the entry
of the bicycles in the stand and it continued for several months. The students’ union was also silent on the
issue. The stand was being used at the risk of the users.

2. 2
Actions
Offline participant observation to online activism
I was also a regular viewer of this dismal situation. It only reminded me of Nobel Laureate Garrett Hardin’s
famous paper on the ‘Tragedy of the Commons’. The bicycle was a symbol of ‘Everybody’s cradle but
nobody’s baby.’ I was at the same time motivated by my ethnographic encounters on the campus of
Vidyasagar University and despite my action oriented failures on a much bigger offline project with the
university.(1.https://www.academia.edu/4165030/Nritatikayer_Chokhe_Vidyasagar_Viswavidyalayer_Uddesh
ya_Bicchutiye_O_Sambhabana
2.https://www.academia.edu/3698486/Campus_Anthropology_A_Case_Study_from_West_Bengal_India)
What I did was simple. I took two photographs in digital camera and sent the photos by e-mail to the Registrar
of VU with a copy to our VC. Immediately the VC responded to my mail and instructed the university
engineer to encircle the abandoned stand with red tapes and go ahead with its eventual demolition. The VC
copied his mail to me. Nothing happened for the next 7 days and use of the space continued as before.I again e-
mailed to the Registrar with two photos with copy to the VC. I expressed my worries as regards the chain of
command in the university’s bureaucratic structure. Lightning action followed. Red danger tapes encircled the
risky place, no one was allowed to use the risky place and demolition started and was completed within 2-3
days.
I did not stop. I sent another e-mail to the Registrar requesting him to construct an alternative bicycle stand
copying the same to VC. The VC immediately set up a committee (with the university engineer, development
officer, Dean of Science Faculty and the Registrar) to assess the feasibility of the construction of a better stand
or some new structure. I was also inducted in the committee. Everything up to this stage occurred online.
Offline activism
The place was inspected by us and I was entrusted to write and submit the feasibility report. I wrote and
submitted the Report to the VC and I believe quick action will be taken shortly. While preparing the report, I
discussed about how best should we rebuild the demolished bicycle stand with persons who were not the
members of the committee but were either users or engaged with the management of the campus land. In the
report we emphasised that that the demolition of the bicycle stand created a wide open space
although a new building on this location may create an obstruction which would suffocate the
openness of the space that is important for the landscaping of the campus. We added the
following points.

3. 3
1. The Xerox shop adjoining the demolished stand should also be removed from this place and
be relocated to some other place of the campus to make the place wider and open at one of the
important entry points of the university. This would not only create more room for beautification
of the campus but would also be advantageous for the security personnel to keep a better watch
to the gate of the bank, post office and the gardens on the south and eastern sides. Incidentally a
white sandalwood tree had been stolen from one such garden.
2. Having made the space clear and open, the major part of it may be dredged and strengthened
for a larger parking zone keeping in view the rapidly growing demand for space for four-
wheelers. This has to be done by making a proper pucca lane(s) for pedestrians who would have
to enter the humanities and social science block approaching from the western side.
2.1 A small garden should be created under the supervision of the university NSS by using some
portion of this newly created space by the present demolition of the bicycle stand and the
removal of the Xerox shop. Here short plants (cactus, flower-bearing plants etc. should be
grown). A few permanent comfortable chairs may be spread over around this small garden for
the members of the university community who would like to enjoy cups of tea and coffee from
the canteen and Nestle outlet at a short distance.
2.1.1 A new and larger bicycle stand may be constructed along the southern boundary wall
adjoining the present building where the office of the university engineer is housed (Benjamin
Franklin Bhavan) by using the space which is lying with bushes and shrubs just behind the Silver
Jubilee Building. This would-be bicycle stand may be constructed at a low cost by using iron
pillars and asbestos roof. The security personnel deployed at the Gate No.1 would be able to
keep a constant vigil on the new bicycle stand without making much movement.
3. A one storey building may be constructed on the eastern side of the canteen and Nestle outlet
housing the Xerox shop with the addition of (i) shops selling stationery items for students, (ii)
old and low cost book selling shops, (iii) book binding shops etc.
4. The committee realised that the above comprehensive planning towards the restructuring of
the area needs further operationalisation and for this purpose a reputed engineering and
consultancy firm may be engaged. It should however be kept in mind that the basic structure and

4. 4
its underlying principles which are stated in the recommendations elucidated in the above
paragraphs should not be altered.
5. The members of the committee also felt that the budget involved and the sources of funding is
beyond the expertise of the committee and this should be done after the completion of the overall
planning done by proper experts.
The VC approved the report and noted on the early view draft that it will be processed as per
rules and we are now waiting for concrete offline action.
Conclusion
Being aware of the limitations of outright negative criticisms of the establishment and also the
limitations of ‘Clicktivism’ which reduces activism to a mere mouse-click, yielding numbers
with little or no real engagement or commitment to the cause.(See
http://www.techopedia.com/definition/28184/clicktivism) I participated in both online and
offline communities of the university. The lesson I learned seems to be useful for future actions
for the development of the campus through a participatory mode by using both online and offline
communities in a transparent manner. I learn big lessons from small range activism. The
challenge before us is to build up a far better campus space Let the new campus space become a
symbol of super fast reconstruction of public utility
service at a University located in a small town far away from Kolkata city through e-governance.
Let us showcase it as a symbol of high standard of management of university’s infrastructure run
by taxpayer’s money.
Acknowledgements
I thankfully acknowledge the team at Academia.edu for giving me the cyberspace for uploading the supporting
documents (Photos, e-mails, report) in my web page at Academia.edu
I also owe my debts to the Vice-Chancellor, the Registrar, the university Engineer, the Development Officer and the
Dean, Faculty of Science of Vidyasagar University for involving me in the planning of the campus space without
which this article would not have been written by me. Last but not the least, I am grateful to my students, scholars
and Faculty friends who always enthused me to engage in campus activism.