Questions of Ethnic Violence and Challenges Before Multicultural Ethos (6.08.2011)

“Recent innocent teenager’s killings at Oslo (Norway) have sparked again the questions of ethnic violence in the world. It seems that the murderer is not the only person responsible for the brutal crime but the ideology and the people who believe in ethnic superiority, discrimination and violence, equally, share a bigger role in the violence and crime against humanity” Said, Daljit Ami, a renowned Punjabi documentary film maker and former deputy editor of Punjabi Tribune Newspaper, in the seminar organized on Questions of Ethnic Violence and Challenges Before Multicultural Ethos by Critique Ferozepur Chapter and Philosophical Society: a students discussion forum of the college. Daljit Ami highlighted and briefed the students that Ethnicity as concept need to be explored and one has to question as to what is ethnic? What are the notions of Ethnic? How ethnic violence emerges as a process. He said, “In every day life many of us celebrate our birth in a particular caste, clan, society, region and religion without understanding their meaning. The thought of ‘self’ and ‘other’ continuously gets constructed and these ‘notions’ slowly and gradually evolve a politics which lead to communal or ethnic hatred and violence in societies. The time has come when the youth of the country has to critically question and reflect on these notions before making judgements.

Speaking on the occasion Jatinder Mouhar, director of Punjabi film ‘Mitti’ spoke on the relevance of films in questioning the social problems. He said that Role of films is quite significant as its reach is higher than other mode of communication. Films generally sensitize its viewers about the issues it projects so there is a need to add documentary and other films which addresses social issues in the education curriculum for pedagogic exercises and discussions.

In the seminar Amandeep and Mandeep, undergraduate students of the college asked relevant questions to the resource persons. The session was presided by Prabhpreet and chaired by Amrit of the college.