Campus Celebrations: How much is too much?
A student union Chair once met me seeking permission to celebrate Halloween. Of course he didn't know what exactly it is all about, but he knew that certain colleges are celebrating it. He wasn't sure how the celebration will look like but he knew it involves frightening and wearing masks. Event-driven student experiences have become a common feature of the college campuses in Kerala today. College working days are now packed with events and activities in varied forms and manifestations. From world cup fan shows to Halloween, it is growing. As the possibilities expand, there soon will be one reason or another to run an event or to organize an activity with validity variously established. When the multiplicity of such events threaten to slowly edge the formal curriculum out, introspection becomes need of the hour. As a person who champions an action/activity driven learning environment, it is both taxing and rewarding to comment critically on the rise of celebration-centred cam