Labeling the churning caused by the admission guidelines for 2007-2008 as the ‘quota debate’ is a sleight of cynicism. The debate is not about quotas. It is about whether or not St Stephen’s is a living tradition or an educational fetish. The mark of a living tradition is its capacity to adapt itself and articulate its continuing relevance to a changing context. Change, as Lord Buddha taught, is the logic of life. The mummies of Egypt may remain unchanged, but not a living person or institution.

It is entirely understandable if some individuals, urged by their lingering nostalgia, want to freeze St Stephen’s in time and space. It may be a function of their love for the college. But the fact that they feel strongly about this does not prove that their advocacies are healthy.

Tradition is a dynamic thing. It is a river of life that flows from the past into the future through the present. Every living tradition, including that of St Stephen’s, stands, therefore, in need of continual renewal and re-appropriation. St Stephen’s is what it is today because it had visionary leaders who had the courage, clarity and breadth of understanding to undertake this awesome responsibility. And each time this happened, anxieties were articulated. So there is nothing unusual about the virulent reaction to what is being attempted in St Stephen’s.

Principal S.N. Mukharji, for instance, took the seemingly reckless decision to shift St Stephen’s from the Kashmiri Gate campus to its present, spacious, majestic location during the difficult years when World War II was raging. The very idea seemed reckless to many, including some very influential custodians and friends of the college. But Mukharji had the courage to pursue his vision. The foundation stone for the present teaching block was laid by C.F. Andrews in 1939 and the college became fully functional in 1941. Today, in retrospect, one wonders what would have been St Stephen’s plight had it continued on the cramped campus in Kashmiri Gate. We are all grateful to Principal Mukharji.

... contd.