Amidst the ongoing controversy surrounding Ashoka University and Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, one of the university’s co-founders, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, has responded at length to a former student who had reached out regarding the institution’s stance on academic freedom, activism, and political engagement. In a detailed email—now made public by mutual consent—Bikhchandani offered his personal views on the nature of liberal arts education, institutional responsibility, and the perceived conflation of academia and activism.
Bikhchandani began the letter by acknowledging the delay in his response due to a bout of COVID-19. “Thank you for your email. As I had promised you a couple of weeks ago, I would be replying to your email. I am down with Covid and this gives me time to write to you,” he wrote.
He clarified that while he was addressing the student directly, he intended to share his views with other stakeholders after ensuring the student’s identity would be protected. “You are free to share this email with whoever you wish to or even go public with it without hiding my identity,” he added.
“Activism and a Liberal Arts University Are Not Joined at the Hip”
At the heart of Bikhchandani’s letter was a strong assertion: activism is not inherently bound to liberal arts education. “Activism and a Liberal Arts University are not joined at the hip,” he wrote. “Ashoka is a Liberal Arts and Sciences University. Whether to be activists or not is a conscious choice people make.”
Reflecting on his personal experiences and past debates, he noted, “In the past I have questioned the activism at Ashoka—each time, I have been pounced upon by the activists and their supporters, both within and outside Ashoka: students, faculty, activists, etc., saying that ‘if you are running a liberal arts university, then activism goes with the territory,’ that ‘I am an arrogant owner,’ that ‘dirty filthy capitalists don’t understand how a university runs.’”
He rejected such arguments, stating that he found the position “spurious” and contrary to his own academic experiences. “I went to a liberal arts and sciences college and there was little or no activism and we got along just fine. In fact, some of us excelled,” he added.
To support his view, Bikhchandani cited a response from Google’s AI: “No, it’s not accurate to say that all liberal arts universities are inherently activist… The defining characteristic of liberal arts education is the holistic approach to learning and the development of critical thinking skills, not necessarily a commitment to activism.”
He emphasised, “The fundamental point I am making is that activism at Ashoka is a choice and it does not go with the territory. You can be a great liberal arts university and not be activist. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar.”
“Not Everything Is Academic Scholarship”
Bikhchandani also clarified the boundaries of what qualifies as academic scholarship:
“Teaching a course at Ashoka is academic scholarship. Research published in a peer-reviewed academic journal is academic scholarship… An oped published by an academic in a mainstream newspaper is journalism and not academic scholarship. A political opinion expressed on Facebook or Twitter (X) or Instagram is not academic scholarship.”
He added that consequences of public statements on social media should not be conflated with attacks on academic freedom:
“Consequently, any public outcry about a political opinion an academic may express on social media is not an attack on academic freedom… It might be an infringement of freedom of speech; however, there are provisions within the Constitution and the law where you can find protection.”
He asserted that Ashoka University was under no obligation to defend personal political opinions made without institutional consultation:
“You did not seek Ashoka’s consent before posting on social media, you cannot now present Ashoka with a fait accompli and expect support. Cruel as it may sound, you make your choices—and you live with the outcome.”
“Ashoka Cannot Take an Activist Position”
Elaborating on institutional limitations, Bikhchandani stated,
“Ashoka is a university under the Haryana Private Universities Act… It is not a political party or movement — it is an educational institution. It cannot take an activist position, and if any of its office-bearers wish to take an activist position personally, they may resign their offices before doing so.”
He also suggested a policy review by the Governing Body:
“Is a full-time academic position at Ashoka truly full-time? Can a full-time academic also pursue a political career? In the private sector, we generally stay away from what are termed as ‘Politically Exposed Persons.’ Should Ashoka have such a policy?”
“Dealing with Regulators Requires Maturity”
Drawing from his experience at Info Edge, Bikhchandani warned against confrontational approaches to regulatory bodies:
“We do not attack the regulator on social media. But people who have never built or headed institutions may not understand this — neither do I expect them to.”
He stressed the importance of “respectful, mature and responsible” engagement with government bodies:
“Ashoka will deal with the government and the regulators in a respectful, mature and responsible manner and often not in public.”
Addressing expectations from the university regarding individual expression, he wrote:
“Ashoka cannot be either responsible or accountable or identified with every social media post of every person. And if someone comes under attack for a social media post, Ashoka is not obliged to either take responsibility for or defend that post or that person. Poster beware.”
“Let the Activists Run Ashoka?”
He posed a hypothetical scenario where activist elements took over the institution:
“Let us say that the students and faculty of Ashoka insist that Ashoka as an institution support every utterance and every action of each of its activist faculty and students… First, the founders will walk away. That will mean funding will walk out of the door.”
Bikhchandani warned of the financial consequences such a shift could trigger:
“You will need to do all or some of the following: raise the fees, cancel the scholarships, freeze head count and salaries… It will be a very different Ashoka from what we had envisioned and which you experienced but it will survive.”
He then made a candid revelation: “Pramath, Ashish, and I have seriously discussed the option of walking away. Ashoka is too much of a headache. Is it worth the effort?”
“Freedom of Speech Is Not a Free Pass”
Concluding his letter, Bikhchandani offered a nuanced reflection on freedom of speech:
“Freedom of speech is a constitutional right. Use of good judgement and responsible conduct is an expectation and a hope (sometimes forlorn) but not an obligation.”
He urged the importance of prudence and decency: “If you end up offending a whole bunch of people, even though you were not technically incorrect in what you said, then an expression of regret and an apology is a sign of good grace and decency.”
He closed with a warning against exploiting institutional platforms for personal political gain: “Hijacking an institutional platform to make it subordinate to your political agenda is an act of institutional capture and selfishness. Expecting the institution to then support you is an act of entitlement and arrogance.”
“I could go on. I shall leave you with these random thoughts,” Bikhchandani concluded.
