Interview of Professor Siddiq Wahid
Vice Chancellor Islamic Science University
Ladakh Times
September 15, 2006
Interviewed by Stanzin Dawa

Interview of noted scholar and political scientist of Ladakh whose intellectual crafts and skills has got international appreciation and recognition, Prof Siddiq Wahid the present Vice Chancellor of Islamic Science University has received his Ph D in Inner Asian Studies from Harvard University, a Masters in Education from Harvard University and a B.A. in Philosophy and Political Theory from Gustavus Adolphus College. Dr. Wahid has taught Central Asian Studies and Comparative Literature at Harvard University and at Metropolitan University. He has authored a book on Ladakh and several articles on Central Asia, Tibetan Civilization and the Kashmir conflict; he has lectured widely in South Asia, Europe and the United States. He is a member of the Governing Board of the People’s Commission on Environment and Development India (PCEDI) and a founding member of the India Forum, (IF) a Delhi-based discussion group..done his Masters and Doctorate in Political Science from the Harvard University, USA. An author and a columnist, besides being a Director of the Wakaf Board is also a member of the India Forum, Peoples Commission for Environment Development and Pugwash International.

SD:      Thank you for accepting our request for giving this interview

SW:      The pleasure is mine. It is the first interview I have given since my appointment almost a year ago, and it seems appropriate that it should be given to you!
           
Personal

SD:      May we know the secret of your success?

SW:      That is certainly a delicate question, for to presume to answer it would be to acknowledge a degree of success. But success is what we make of opportunities and I have had wonderful opportunities in my life. Some I have used well, others I have squandered, which represent my failures! The ones I have used well have been because of my teachers, beginning with my parents, who have taught me the how to make the best of opportunities by employing upaya, that wonderful word which translates as “skill in means”; or how not to let adversity or disadvantage defeat you.

SD:      Who has deeply influenced your life?

SW:      That too is a hard question to answer, without sounding clichéd. Let me put it this way: there is nothing I have that I have not received.

SD: Which book you are reading these days?

SW:      Thank you, for the relatively easy question! Actually I am reading Amartya Sen’s Identity and Violence. I think it is an important book for our times.

SD: Can you name your three most favorite books?

SW:      You are back to difficult questions!  But let me try to answer this question by limiting the choice of books to the category of biographies, in which case they would be A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century by Martin Lings; The Life of Milarapa in the Lobsang Lhalungpa translation and The Way of the Pilgrim; the last is actually an autobiography of an anonymous Russian Orthodox priest whose diary was translated into English by R.M. French. I try to read these three lives every year.

SD: How you spend your free time?

SW:      Frankly, I seem to have no such luxury. But one does try to make time for reading and going on longish walks…whenever one can.

University

SD: Heartiest congratulation for taking this great responsibility of the Vice Chancellor of the Islamic Science University?

SW:      Thank you. It is an intimidating responsibility…I just try not to think about that reality too much.

SD: May we know that how your university is different from other universities?

SW:      Honestly speaking, I don’t know. Right now we are so busy trying to start classes, focus on quality and find funds that the question of deciding how we are going to be different seems to be a luxury. But still there are a few things that appear to be issues that we should focus on. These are: career planning and placement for our students, an on-going teacher training and an administration that seeks to make the academic environment one that is inter-disciplinary and interactive.

SD: What are the major challenges you are facing in this position?

SW:      Implementation of all of the above objectives! Oh yes, and funding seems to also pose a challenge of sorts!

SD: Does your university offer fellowships to the students?

SW:      Not yet, but we will be starting with the next academic session.

SD: What do you like most about your present job?

SW:      The opportunity and privilege of building an institution.

SD: What are your hopes or fears for your University?

SW:      The hope is that we will be worthy of implementing some of the vision and objectives. The fear….it is that the experiment will fail for reasons of pettiness and mediocrity, of which there seems to be a fair supply in our world today.

Ladakh

SD: How do you see the development taking place in Ladakh?

SW:      Sincere efforts to correct the haphazardness that has plagued it in the last three decades.

SD: Today unemployment is a big issue in Ladakh and youth are confused and frustrated after completing their colleges and universities. How we have to deal with this problem?

SW:      By planning. I find that parents and the youth, generally speaking, do not talk about the future. In many ways Ladakh is a traumatized society. The trauma has to do with the fact that there has been no real transition period between our traditional ways of life and “modernity”, which is often defined by, precisely, a lack of definition of what is to be expected and a certain disregard for that which has been handed down over the generations. So too often we assume that just becoming literate, or even earning a degree, guarantees a job, which of course is not true. We have to plan by surveying career opportunities, targeting specific areas of interest, skill and capacity and then applying for these jobs. I also find that government does not pay enough attention to career planning (which is different from expecting it to being the primary job provider)

SD: Do you think that the Government is giving adequate attention to the problem of unemployment in Ladakh?

SW:      Perhaps in the area of giving attention to career planning mechanisms for our youth. But we must be careful not to expect the government to do everything. They have enough problems to address and for which they need to be held accountable. Private citizens must also contribute by asking the government to provide that which it can provide. And what it can provide in the area of jobs is more direction, focused Government and private sector interaction, career planning fairs and such.
 
SD: What is the most significant change you have observed in Ladakh over the last five decades?

SW:      First, a gradual fragmentation of our society because of ballot box politics. So now we are no longer “Ladakhis”. We are Buddhist or Muslim, Shamma or Stodpa, Shia or Sunni, Kagyudpa or Gelugpa, even Congress-pa or N.C.-pa!  Second, I think there has been a general loss of self-confidence. This is reflected in the fact that in order to bring ourselves into the lime-light we feel the need to demonstrate that we are more loyal to the “flag and constitution” than other ethnic or religious communities. Third, and this a positive development, we have demonstrated an enormous capacity for efficient, good and transparent self-governance. This is best illustrated by the success of the Hill Councils in Leh and Kargil, and is a development of which we can be proud, without being too complacent.

SD: Do you perceive any potential conflict between the Buddhist and Muslims in Ladakh?

SW:      I fear that the potentiality has already been realized. Let us admit it: there is an unprecedented degree of distrust, latent animosity and even open antagonism between Buddhists and Muslims. If by “conflict” you mean increased incidents of argument, violent rhetoric and even riots….well, I pray that this period of our “devolution” is over!

SD: How we can develop a common goal and a vision for the whole Ladakh including Leh and Kargil? How each Ladakhi irrespective of differences can work collectively for a happier, healthier, peaceful and progressive Ladakh?

SW:      Back to difficult questions! I think we can develop the common goal and vision by understanding that none of us can deny that the immediate needs of our society are good environmental and ecological practices, good physical infrastructure (roads, water, electricity), good public health and good education --- all in equal proportion. So that is one each Ladakhi should concentrate on. We should stop pretending to be able to debate the merits or demerits of different religions, split hairs theologically or import theoretical debates on political philosophy. Our needs are rather basic.

SD: May we know your vision of Ladakh in the coming 20 years?

SW:      It would be hugely pretentious of me to try to answer that question; first, because I am hardly qualified to answer it. Secondly, such an exercise needs both qualitative and quantitative inputs to be practical and to be put into practice. Third, even if I were to try to pretend to answer it, I would need to first talk to several of our compatriots, identify priorities and then try to come to a consensus.

SD: Do you think that Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Leh is focus on its Vision 2020?

SW:      I feel that was an amazing exercise. It was a matter of pride for me to be able to say that Ladadkhis had the courage, the where-withal and the stamina to do it. I know there is some debate about the efficacy of that exercise, and certainly there are some shortcomings in it. But this is where we need to stop being petty and use that document as a base to further hone in, discuss and finalize it.

SD: Do you think that modern education is robbing the self esteem of Ladakhi children?

SW:      Yes. But it is not purely because of “modern education” which is an inert entity. It is what we perceive it to be, or what we do with it. Let me give you an example. I feel our education system is unnecessarily burdensome and that we need to simplify it. Today, in kindergarten or even earlier, children carry enough textbooks to require a mule to transport it. Then, in class, we force them to learn English, Hindi, Urdu and Ladakhi. Now the world over, research has shown that a child develops best when taught in their mother-tongue and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that if they can master it, their facility for learning other languages is also enhanced. So why do we not request, negotiate and demand that the relevant authorities recognize and institute a system of education where, until grade five or even four, we in Ladakh teach all the subjects in our mother-tongue, and then introduce English in grade four or five, and other languages later on. When I tried to do it in one of our schools in Leh, it was the parents who objected the most, saying that they wanted the children to learn English since that is what matters in the job market! Now who is robbing the children of self-esteem?

SD: Do you think that representative democracy in Leh and Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council needs to be transformed into a participatory democracy; as in the existing Council Bodies there are only 2 women representative in the Leh Council Body and 3 in the Kargil Council Body and each Council Body is comprised of 30 councillors?

SW:      A very loud “YES”!  Here I have to confess a certain bias, even prejudice, against representative democracy, so-called. It is a rather complex concept, and in a day and age when I am not certain I can even represent my own family members’ views on various aspects of life, can we pretend that one person can represent thousands of people. I understand that it is a concept within the democratic framework; but I think it is much too over-rated.

SD: What will be the impacts of marginalization of women in the democracy on the culture of peace in Ladakh?

SW:      If we take the unfortunate step of marginalizing women, the impact will be a ‘half-society’ that is less educated, less compassionate and less intelligent.

SD: Thank you very much for giving your time to share your concern with other Ladakhis.

SW:      Questions, when well asked, advance our own thinking. So I am grateful to you for the opportunity to face them.

SD: On behalf of all Ladakhis we wish you the best of everything you do.

SW:     Thank you for your good wishes.