[fsug-bangalore] VTU FLOSS campaign and VC's response.

[Vivek Varghese Cherian]

On Tue, Aug 09, 2005 at 05:40:58PM +0530, Praveen A wrote:
>>>Hi folks,
>>>
>>>
>>> This is about the petition to VC of VTU. http://bangalore.gnu.org.in/?
>>>VTU-FLOSS_Campaign
>>>
>>>
>>>    On August 6th Saturday we got an apponitment to meet the VC at VTU Campus
>>>    in Belgaum. We (Thejesh , Ramakrishna , Vivek and myself - Praveen A) met
>>>    at Coffee Day at MG Road on 4th Evening and discussed the plans and
>>>    presantation. We left for Belgaum on 5th Evening and reached there by 6th
>>>    Morning. We preapared the presantation and by afternoon we reached the VTU
>>>    campus. To our great disappointement the VC was not there. He didn't keep
>>>    his appointment. So we had to give the petition to the Registrar and
>>>    comeback (We were very angry about the way VC responed and it even becam
>>>    grave when registar told us that every weekend he is in Bangalore ! We had
>>>    clearly mentioned that we are coming from bangalore and if he is in
>>>    bangalore every week, then Why did he give an appointment at Belgaum ? He
>>>    might have thought that we won't go thus far to meet him ! Anyway we are
>>>    not gonna let it go. We are trying to meet him in bangalore. If w cannot go
>>>    some one else will be ready. He will have to listen to us one day.)
>>>
>>>    First, nothing would be achieved with rage, change is a slow process, we
>>>    should take this experience as good lesson.
>>>
>>>
>>>The rage was not beacuse VTU did not embrace FLOSS just after our petition. But
>>>it was beacuse he didn't keep his word.  He gave an appointment on Sat eve ate
>>>Belgaum and when we reached there he was not there and Registrar told us every
>>>weekend he is in Bangalore !!! He knew that we are coming from Bangalore and so
>>>what emotion we should have ? It was a basic courtecy that anyone expect
>>>especially one in a position like VC.
>>>If something urgent was there he could have informed us before. It was not an
>>>unscheduled visit to Bangalore, every weekend he is Bangalore !!!!!
>>>
>>>See I and Thejesh took leave for this and Vivek came all the way from
>>>Trivandrum to Belgaum just for this.
>>>
>>>It was not the response to the petition that made us angry but the way he did
>>>not keep his word and cheated us.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>    we are planning to meet the VC here in Bangalore. Well as the great quote
>>>    goes "First they laugh at you, then they neglect you, then they fight you
>>>    and then you win". We will keep putting our views in front of him.
>>>
>>>    Next steps:
>>>
>>>    (1) Keep the petition alive.
>>>
>>>    (2) Meet VC at Bangalore.
>>>
>>>    (3) Start FLOSS awareness at colleges.
>>>
>>>    It would be better if we use the mailing-list for the further discussion.
>>>    --arky
>>>
>>>
>>>The discussion is on at http://bangalore.gnu.org.in/?VTU-FLOSS_Campaign-status
>>>
>>>--
>>>            "GNU is the system, and Linux is the  kernel."
>>>A proud GNU user http://www.gnu.org
>>>My Weblog at http://www.pravi.co.nr
>>>Rediscover the web ! Get firefox at http://www.getfirefox.com
>>>Please avoid sending me Word or PowerPoint attachments
>>>See http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html
---End of quoted Text---

First of all a belated appology for the long delay in posting to
the list. I was down with fever after the trip.

I do not consider the effort by Ramakrishna, Praveen, Thejesh and 
myself to take the VTU FLOSS petition to Belgaum a failure by any
streach of imagination.

The petition and trip proves the following points.

a) The entire FLOSS community, be it Free Software Advocates like 
myself or Open Source advocates like Chitnis, were united on this one
issue, that a major Technical University like the VTU should adopt
Free Software in its curriculum.

b) By taking this petition in person to Belgaum we have dispelled 
the oft quoted phrase "there are no dedicated/intrested FLOSS 
advocates in India who are willing to do the dirty job of meeting
and convincing the beaurucrats and politicians the cause of FLOSS".

Praveen, Ramakrishana,Thejesh and myself are all working 
professionals, yet we found time to take the petition to Belgaum and
i hope this will serve as launching pad for others who have other 
careers and pursue Free Software as a hobby to get more involved in
grassroot level Free Software activism.

The only thing that comes to my mind about how we could have done this
any better is that we could have got the media involved or could even
have approached noted personalities like Poornachandra Thejeswi
( Kuvempu's son), who are intrested in the Free Software movement.

I had a conversation with hpnadig (Indlinux developer) on this issue 
and both of us feel getting the media and a few noted personalities
who support the Free Software Movement in Karnataka can get things 
moving a bit better.

Another approach we can take is to raise awareness among students and
teachers in the various colleges affiliated to the VTU who in turn can
raise awareness among thier peers about Free Software.


I hope to be in Bangalore again in a few weeks time, and maybe i can meet
Arkay and the other folks and discuss the future modus operandi in detail.


-- 
Vivek Varghese Cherian
Free as in Freedom <www.gnu.org>
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