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The Childhood of a Potterhead

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Children in earlier times used to eagerly wait for their 18th birthday. Reaching that milestone meant getting the license to drive, opening a bank account and legally calling themselves grown up. But this generation had not waited for their 18th but their 11th birthday. It was the day one hoped to get a letter from Hogwarts. I know I waited for mine to come.

Yes, we were the lucky ones to have been infected by Potter mania. On the contrary, we were the unlucky ones to have gone through the pain of accepting the fact that the whole wizarding world was just a farce.  Those who haven’t worshiped J.K. Rowling in their teens wouldn’t know what I’m talking about but to Potterheads, I would make perfect sense.

I pretended that my pencil was a wand and I practiced my spells daily. But no matter how perfectly I ‘swished and flicked’ the pencil and chanted Wingardium Leviosa, the basket ball never flew and hit my brother right on the head. I could never punish him satisfactorily for making fun of me. I pretended the broom was meant only to fly but it never did. It hurt me instead. And in very wrong places. I pretended the new overcoat I bought in winters made me invisible but alas, that was never meant to be. The mocktails I brewed trying to follow the Half Blood Prince’s clever words never make me lucky. Or turn me into someone else. Any new bizarre item I saw, I believed it was a Zonko product. The world I lived in was boring. Harry Potter’s world was so much better.

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Yes, I was one of those hardcore fans who waited up all night to put their hands on the latest book and then sat in bed all day reading it. But when the last book came out, I took my sweet time to finish it for I didn’t want the journey to come to an end. I actually cried when I bade goodbye to Albus Severus Potter. Before the release of Deathly Hallows, I had also gone through Mugglenet and dumbledoreisnotdead.com thoroughly and tried to interpret the well-awaited novel.

Harry Potter was a trend, a craze, an addiction. He taught us, as growing kids, the power of love and courage. True, the storyline was clichéd; the good was victorious over the evil in the end but J.K. Rowling really did weave a truly fantastic series.

I wish the creation – Harry and the creator J.K. Rowling a very happy birthday and thank them tremendously for introducing us to a literally magical world. A world out of this boring little muggle world.  A world that made my childhood special.

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Admissions 2013

Reserved category admissions to continue in Delhi University

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According to a notice released by Delhi University on the 31st of July, admissions in the university will continue for reserved category students. The 10th and last cut-off of Delhi University that came out on 29th July brought about a couple of ‘reopenings’ in several colleges for General category candidates. While General category seats might now be sealed and a few might remain vacant, the University wants to fill all reserved category seats.

Colleges have been asked to display the number of vacant seats course wise and category wise based on the actual intake of General category students up to July 31st.

Students registrations will take place between August 1st and 3rd. Students are applicable to register only if they had filled the OMR form. The candidates would then be given an acknowledgement of their registration.

After the registration, students will be admitted on the basis of merit and the number of available seats in each course. The admission procedure would be conducted between August 5th – 7th.

All reserved seats must be filled according to the actual intake. The University would be taking necessary action against the institutions who fail to do so. If in case seats remain vacant in SC/ST category due to the minimum eligibility criteria, seats can be alloted interchangeably between the two.

All colleges are supposed to submit the seats and category status of courses to the office of Registrar, Delhi University on the 8th of August.

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News

PIL seeks 85% reservation for Delhi domicile students in DU

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Moksha Foundation, an NGO based in West Delhi recently filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Delhi High Court. The PIL seeks 85% reservation of the total seats, for Delhi domicile students in the Delhi state funded colleges in the University and further reservation in colleges which are partially funded by Govt of NCT of Delhi.. Devesh Lalwani, Founder and Executive Director, Moksha Foundation in conversation with Niharika Singh reveals his reasons for filing the PIL and the subsequent benefits it will yield.

What provoked Moksha Foundation on filing this PIL in the Delhi High Court?

It came to my notice when my family and friends had to face the burden of getting admission in the Delhi University. My friend scored 93.5% but he got admission only in the 6th cut off. Even scoring a 93.5% will not get you to a good college and on top of it there are other reservations. Also, The University of Delhi is so cost worthy, making it an added perk. Such an opportunity is essentially missed by the students for who it was created for in the first place.

2.87 lakh kids pass out from CBSE board in Delhi each year, out of which 1.87 lakh are from Govt funded schools. DU has 55,000 seats which is anyway insufficient, so if these kids do not get admission in Delhi University, where will they go? IIPM, Amity is anyway colleges which are way beyond their financial capability. The Government should either create more seats for them or reservation is the temporary solution.

What does the filed PIL entail for exactly?

I want reservations in a certain few colleges, till the time the government opens up more new colleges in order to keep students from having to leave Delhi. There are 12 state funded and 15 partially state funded colleges in Delhi University. Therefore, we want 85% reservation for Delhi domicile students in aforementioned colleges. What we are proposing is not something new, it is being followed in other states and in Delhi itself. We are following the pattern of NSIT, since it is an already tested and implemented pattern. If a college is being funded by the state, it should be utilized for the benefit of the states students.

Delhi University is a Central University. Does the PIL imply that the University be converted into a state funded entity?

Many Central Universities such as Tamil Nadu University, Sikkim University and BHU have their own kind of reservations. Apart from reservations for the socially backward classes, many universities include domicile reservation. Within Delhi University, colleges like Lady Irwin and NSIT do have similar reservations.

Delhi University follows the pattern of merit based admission. How does your argument that “students are denied admission due to large scale migration” hold account?

We come down to the basics over here. The DU website mentions that, it was established with the purpose of serving the students of Delhi. Secondly, when it expanded about four decades back into South campus, it had expanded with the objective of serving students of South. This objective clearly hasn’t been fulfilled, since about 70% of students in DU DO NOT belong to Delhi. Also CBSE is a notch higher in terms of competition and dissemination of education. Getting a 95% in CBSE and a 95% in Haryana Board is not the same thing. Scoring in CBSE is a little more difficult. In this process, CBSE students lose out. Indraprastha University and Ambedkar University do have reservation for Delhi domicile students but they offer selected courses. There is no substitute for Delhi University.

One of the biggest challenges India already faces is the reservation system. Do you think introducing this reservation in a Central University would lay grounds for further region based discrimination?

I am not for reservation at any point of time. But looking at the situation in Delhi, temporary reservation seems essential. My prime objective is creating opportunities for students of the Delhi domicile. In the past 15 years, no new college has been opened in Delhi University and neither have they expanded the available seats. This has put the students in Delhi at an extremely unequal footing. As of now when there is no intention of opening colleges in the next 3-4 years we have to have a certain method where they can cater to the Delhi population.

Are you aware of the PIL filed in 2004 by Delhi Study Circle regarding the same issue? Has it in anyway inspired your actions?

Yes, they filed a petition for 85% reservation. I went through their petition but it did not include the source of funding of colleges, like we have.They did talk about influx from other states resulting in regional imbalance though.They were asked to refile the petition but I don’t think they did.

Have you received support from the authorities of the 12 colleges in question?

Not as such. We have not really spoken to colleges. The conversation has been between Government officials and the foundation. Anyway, I don’t think it should matter to colleges where their students come from. They should be concerned with imparting wholesome education to these students, no matter where they are from.I know colleges will support us because In the long run, it will benefit the college itself. There will be students, the only difference would be that they are Delhi centric. Also, everybody who is from Delhi will be sympathetic to our cause.

Due to reservation, the admission cut offs might lower in these colleges. Is that what you are looking for?

The lowering of admission cut offs is not my biggest concern but yes, it is one of the constituents. I believe that your marks do not reflect your actual capability and in a way the lower cut offs would be more reasonable and sensible. I scored an 82% and I thought I had done amazingly well, my sister got a 95% but she still doubted her admission prospects. Students who are not in the higher brackets will not have to look for options outside of their home state.

What is your next plan of action?

We were scheduled to have a hearing on 17th July, but it was postponed as the judges were on leave. It is now scheduled for 31st July. As of now, we are waiting for the decision and hopefully it’s favorable.

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Humouroscope

Humouroscope: 29th July – 3rd August

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Aries: You will not go through that morning lethargy and inertia ever again now that you will discover the reason behind the same, was your wrong deodorant soap that has a foul and offensive smell.

Taurus: Feel free to keep your mouth shut when you are with friends this week as they won’t take you seriously if you show off your ravishing and stunning intellect.

Gemini: Stick tight and wait because you are likely to meet the man/woman of your dreams who you will find selling Bhelpuri/Sevpuri near your college.

Cancer: Expectantly, you will be able to grab attention in any possible way you can; in the metro, in your college and in the movie theatre too. Bingo!!

Leo: Wearing those same lucky lemon-colored shades will be even luckier, when its cloudy outside and you don’t want yourself to be stuck in the rain.

Virgo: Your favorite attribute in a person, you will find is their ability to tell you how fantastic you are. Plus, the sensation in the gulf of your stomach is going to explode at noon, or sometime afterwards in the week.

Libra: Fashion aesthetic to the tail, they are certainly going to make people turn around for just a single glance. Likely to swamp most of their pocket money buying age defying products and jaw dropping attire.

Scorpio: Finally, it’s the time for scorpion freshers to get an insight into what actually they will be doing in their FYUP. Luck seems generous enough.

Sagittarius: Sleep deprivation can affect you negatively today, so ensure you murder all the dogs in your area for a guaranteed good night’s sleep. There’s no harm in taking the day off.

Capricorn: ‘Yes’ will be your lucky word for the whole week. Don’t hesitate using your lucky word even when your date asks you whether you are two timing.

Aquarius: If you think it’s my job to tell you good news, you’re wrong pal. You’re going down. So better rush to the nearest temple and get your prayers done as soon as possible.

Pisces: You will discover that you can wiggle your ears pretty easily, and will actually become quite good at it after a little practice. Seeing your wonderful talent people will actually invite you to their parties.

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News

DUSU and NSUI conduct Vidyarthi Panchayat for Delhi University students

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“The youth is the power of India. When the whole world will have its population concentrated in the old age, India will rise with its youth.” These were a few of the inspiring words said by Mr.Shashi Tharoor, Hon’ble Union minister of State of Human Resource Development at the Vidyarthi Panchayat organised for Delhi University students on the 29th July at the North Campus Conference Centre.

The Vidyarthi Panchayat is an initiative by DUSU and NSUI. It is a platform to raise our voices & get grievances redressed. The main aim is to give students a proper channel to address the various issues in the college campuses.

The initiative was started under the programme “Lead Your Campus” which aims to empower students to fight for their rights. They have not just introduced the concept of such panchayats to Delhi University, but to other universities as well. They believe that Vidyarthi Panchayat is a platform to bring students and college administration together.

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The issues and concern raised in the Vidyarthi Panchayat would be published on the university website and they would be acted upon by the required authorities. The hearing was honoured by Dr.Shashi Tharoor, along with Prof. Dinesh Singh, Vice Chancellor of Delhi University.

Many questions were raised at the Panchayat regarding the lack of proper communication between the administration and students regarding several provisions of examinations because of which the students have to often re-appear. The Vice Chancellor assured that everything is being put on the websites so that students don’t have to just rely on information counters for the same. Questions were also asked regarding the ruckus created during the election campaign. Other concerns such as students not being granted admission despite clearing the cut off lists of colleges were cleared by assuring that an Enquiry Committee had been formed for the same.

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Image Credit: NSUI Twitter Handle

A parent also managed to get in and took out all his frustration on the authorities present for not letting his child get a chance to apply for the desired course she wanted. However, at the same time, many voices were left unheard and the NSUI members seemed to be passing on the mike selectively to certain people, as if it was pre-planned.

The initial small turn out delayed the event and overall it failed to gather the level of audience it should have attracted. Though Dr. Tharoor honoured the students by his presence simply for half an hour, he made sure all the grievances presented before him were properly taken care of. As a whole, it was a good initiative taken by DUSU and NSUI but an equal opportunity should have been given to all in order voice their concerns.

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Admissions 2013

Admissions continue at Delhi University with release of 10th cut-off

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The admission season at Delhi University continues with the announcement of the tenth cut-off. Several courses have reopened admissions for general category students and seats in the reserved category are also waiting to be filled.

Under the tenth cut-off, Commerce as a course is available in a total of 14 colleges for general category students, a significant rise from 7 colleges under the ninth cut-off. These colleges include Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, College of Vocational Studies, Rajdhani College and S.G.N.D Khalsa amongst others.

Amidst major announcements, SRCC has reopened Commerce admissions for OBC and PWD candidates. The requirement for OBC candidates is set at 93.75-95.75, while the cut-off for PWD applicants is 74.25-91.25.

Kirori Mal College is still open for admissions for Science courses such as Physics and Mathematics along with Humanities subjects such as English and Economics.

Moreover, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics continue to be available at Sri Venkateswara College.

B.Tech in Computer Science is still available at Rajdhani College while Ram Lal Anand is giving admissions for the course upon previous cancellations.

Students can seek admissions under the 10th cut-off on the 30th and 31st of July.

Links to cut-offs: Arts and Commerce | Science | B. Tech

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News

Leaders for Tomorrow conducts Anti-Ragging campaign

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Leaders For Tomorrow, who have a partnership with the Delhi Police, held an “Anti Drugs Anti Ragging” campaign on 29th July in Sri Venkateswara College where the members informed the students about the ill-effects of drug abuse and shared their views about the negative aspects of ragging as well. The campaign focused on all students so that the seniors as well as juniors could be made aware about the purpose of this campaign. Students who wish to become members as well as those who have queries about the campaign can contact [email protected].

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By Sonam Satija ([email protected])

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Delayed results affect Ph.D admissions of over 50 Delhi University students

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Refusal of admissions to Ph.D. program in Modern Indian Languages (MIL) and Literary Studies Department to over 50 Delhi University students by the university has lead to outrage and animosity among them. The preeminent problem here is that the university did not declare the post-graduate results at the apt time that is in May. The applicants are not guilty but the university is at pitfall. Also, the applicants from other departments who qualified their entrance exams and were wait-listed were called for Viva after two days but were denied consequently.

“There are limited seats for every course and in case the university, being the Central University of the country, announces its results late then it is apparent injustice to the candidates. It is none less than a crime being held. Why should the students suffer when the university is inefficient”, said Harish Khanna, Vice-President of DUTA.

Applicants were being called for entrance examination held on July 22, followed by the Viva on 24th July for those who qualified the entrance exam. But the most opaque and cloudy concern was that it was the only during the admission process that it was revealed that the students will not be given admissions unless they had their results. An applicant said, “This partial decision by the authorities regarding our admissions to the Ph.D. programme is really unjust. How can a university conclude over a matter when it is the one which is at fault?”

75 marks are awarded for the entrance exam, 25 for the Viva, 5 marks for NET- qualification and 20 marks on the M.A. and M.Phil. results, thus the  students who have their results awaited are not eligible. “When the case is so, the University is liable to coordinate and should extend the deadline for admissions or provide provisional admissions to the short-listed students. It is like violation of the Right to Education”, added Harish Khanna.

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DUB Speak

NaMo: Substantial work or intelligent PR?

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Be it Rs 5 ticket to hear NaMo in Hyderabad or the Rambonomics of saving 15,000 persons during the Uttrakhand calamity, recent developments have underscored Modi’s position as first among  equals for the prime-ministerial post in the opposition Bhartiya Janta Party, for the next year Lok Sabha elections. His style of governance and vision polarises and unites the people across various sections in India, alike. Modi, an ardent orator with a right-wing bold approach, rose with the staunchly rising middle-class in India.

‘India- from a Nation of Snake-Charmers to a Nation of Mouse Charmers’- is one of the few quotes that appear at the top on Narendra Modi’s website. At the top of the home-page of Narendra Modi’s website, there are options like, ‘Write to Narendra Modi’, ‘Request an appointment’ and ‘Invite the CM to an event’. It seems, Modi is reaching out to his fans and followers like none ever did. Modi was in campaign mode prior to recently being appointed as the chairman of the 2014 Lok Sabha Election Campaign Committe of the BJP. In the face of Advani’s opposition to Modi’s elevation, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) stepped in to support the move. Since then, Modi has been on a campaign spree.

‘I am nationalist. I am patriotic. I am a born Hindu.’ Modi replied in a recent interview to the Reuters when asked about, who the real Modi is that people want to know.  On the goals the next government should achieve, Modi said that it would need to give people confidence, it should build the trust in people. Moreover, he said that polarisation in a democracy is bound to happen, citing the American example of polarisation between Democrats and Republicans.

The ghosts of 2002 Gujarat riots, that killed more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, continue to haunt him. He told the Reuters that religion should not be an instrument in the democratic process. He says, “For me secularism is, India first.” Still, his secular credentials haven’t many takers. Though, Modi is the biggest crowd-puller for India’s main opposition party, he appears to be a more divisive figure rather than a uniting one. This fact very well embodies in the reluctance of major National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition partners in supporting Narendra Modi. Janata Dal United (JDU), a key regional ally, has already cut-off its ties with the BJP. Shiv Sena, another major NDA coalition partner, has also shown its resentment after Modi’s elevation.

Modi’s marketing tactics can give even the best PR and marketing agencies of the country a run for their money. Though, Modi out rightly denies having PR agency, there is an army on social media projecting him as the unmatchable achiever. Modi is reigning supreme in terms of twitter followers, recently moving ahead of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. After SRCC, Modi recently visited Fergusson College, Pune. Modi, with his aggressive and bold approach, strikes a chord with the youths.

Most recently, a website narendramodiplans.com was taken down after it offended ‘certain people’ of the society. The website has more recently been started again by two people. They say, “There used to be a site on this domain which came under controversy and was deleted. We found this domain orphaned and thought that ideas must not die out of fear. We have no idea what was on the site before, except that it pissed off a lot of people. We are not averse to adding any ideas you have here. Shoot them off to [email protected] We don’t mind offending a few.”

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