September 27, 2014

Indraprastha College for Women is the oldest women’s college of the University of Delhi and was founded in 1924 as a part of the nation-wide campaign for women’s education and empowerment, at the call of Annie Besant. The college premises saw a number of shifts from Old Delhi to Chandrawali Bhawan to the present Alipore House site which was the then office of the Commander-in-Chief. Having witnessed the British style parties and balls, the College is a heritage site and thus, proudly retains its architecture from the good old days.

The college is situated in the posh area of Civil Lines with an excellent metro connectivity from the college walls. Yes, the college has its own Metro Gate! The only neighbouring site to the college though is the National Centre for Vector-Borne Disease Control. But, IPites are undeterred. The college campus is sufficient enough to kill time in, it is that huge!

Free periods are mostly spent in the college’s very own Majnu ka Tilla, or the circular canteen, the library, bleachers, back lawns, gymnasium, tut-rooms, front lawns, pavilions or even empty classrooms. In winters especially, one can find girls sunbathing in the college field or soaking the sunlight in the back lawns.

While most girls like to remain in the campus, there is Moet’s-the Chinese restaurant and Mocha’s for the affluent who prefer to drop there in groups. Sant Parmanand Hospital across the college has Bikano, which is very affordable for anyone. The Momo’s Point and the Roll Point near the Metro Station are also frequently visited sites, along with the Wai-Wai noodles in the Metro station premises. You will often find girls sitting behind a narrow lane of the station, eating and smoking, or at the station steps chatting and laughing. But, the college’s favourite eatery remains the Bun-Tikki Wala aka Banta Wala, just outside the college gate. Anytime after he opens his shop, one can find around 25 girls standing and ordering his range of delicacies, rushing in and out of college between classes for the quick snack.

Is that all to a life of an IPite? No. A 40 rupee ride to Kamla Nagar and GTB Nagar is all it takes if one wishes. Shopping, partying or simply singing loudly from their cars on the Ridge is what Ipites generally enjoy doing. Technically not in Campus, but very much a part of it!
The college canteen is often flooded with students, who have a variety to offer from the menu, at affordable prices. Chhole Bhature, Dosa, Chilli Potato, Cold Coffee, Sev Puri, Juices and a lot more is never kept out of service. A huge demand is always catered by a large supply.

The college is a photographer’s heaven! With peacocks and parrots around 365 days of the year, the college’s green campus with sprawling environment all around is natural photographic scenery. IPCW boasts of a beautiful front garden with a breathtaking variety of roses and other flowers and a scenically placed fountain. Another photographic place is the graffiti wall in the college.

The college has a wide range of societies to offer. Abhivyakti, the well-reknowned DramSoc in the DU Circuit and Afroza, the much-praised Western Dance Society, amongst several others, are the proud achievers of many competitions and events, bringing much praise to the college. The college has individual achievers too, from mountaineers to academic achievers, to national-level sportswomen.

Shruti, the annual college-fest is a favourite amongst the DUites. With Singers like Kailaash Kher and Euphoria having performed here in the past, the wide range of activities keeps everyone on their toes, in a fun way. The college-hostels are proud hosts of their independent Proms/ Guest Nights, held in February, which sees a lot of enthusiasm and dancing all evening.

As a part and parcel of an IPites’ life, every student is imbibed with the values of ‘keeping the college clean and tidy’ and ‘helping the needy’. An IPite is fashionable, fun, studious, helping, aware, success-oriented, opportunistic, crazy and hungry-for-food. But, the best part is that the life of a girl of IP College is guy-free. When in IPCW, you won’t miss guys for long, you will have girlfriends and they will be your best mates for life!

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Uncategorized

An open letter to the leaders of India and Pakistan against nuclear weapons

By DU Beat September 27, 2014

Here’s the open letter Global Zero released on the occasion of International Day for Elimination of Nuclear Weapons yesterday, on the 26th of September:

– See more at: http://www.globalzero.org/#sthash.UQagjNtz.dpuf

To Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Nawaz Shareef,

India and Pakistan, two nations, two identities but with one spirit, one culture and one desire to strive towards progress and peace. However it is not only our virtues but also our vices that make us one and the same. When it comes to our security, we are both nations with misplaced priorities. On this international day for the elimination of nuclear weapons, we ask you to revisit the inapt sense of security that the nuclear weapons have brought us as individual countries and as misunderstood neighbors.

Voicing the concerns of hundreds of young activists, volunteers, and leaders from India and Pakistan, we urge you to realize that amassing nuclear weapons will only lead to disaster, not military triumph. Some four decades ago, these weapons were acquired with the vision to enhance security and bring well being to the people of India and Pakistan. However, we have already faced each other multiple times since then, be it in 1987, 1990, 1998 (Kargil Crisis) or December 2001. All these instances have been periods of extreme tension between our countries, always shadowed by the impending doom of a nuclear war.

Each time, a catastrophic nuclear exchange between our two countries was narrowly averted. Four decades later, with a new generation, new ideas and new perspectives in place, we must question how safe these weapons really make us. We now have nuclear weapons that could cause 100 times the damage caused by the atom bombs used in Japan, which killed more than 200,000 in a blink of an eye. These shattering tragedies are not just historical events but portents of a possible future for any city, anywhere. Meanwhile, we spend less than 10-12% of our budgets on improving social welfare indicators like education, yet we spend billions developing weapons to trying to develop ways to prospectively destroy each other. We are a generation that does not need to cling to weapons that drain precious resources and assure our own annihilation. We ask you to lead the path to a nuclear-free world, which is a safe haven for our coming generations.

We are a group of volunteer leaders, advocates and concerned citizens who have all come together under the international movement for the elimination of nuclear weapons, called Global Zero, fighting for a nuclear-free world by 2030.

We both are nations with misplaced priorities, but we are also nations with an upcoming generation of leaders that truly believes that they can shift mentalities, break barriers and most importantly build bridges-not more nukes.

Yours Sincerely,
Global Zero leaders from India and Pakistan

Global Zero is an organization fighting for the elimination of nuclear weapons around the world. To know more about them, visit their website.

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Campus Central

Collection drives across the campus for Kashmir flood victims

By Ayesha Sareen September 27, 2014

IP College for Women has asked every student to pay Rs.10 compulsorily and more, voluntarily. Apart from that it has voluntarily been collecting since 13^th September chlorine bleaching tablets, powdered food, medicines, syringes, blankets, clothes, baby products, candles, matchsticks, shawls, woolens, torches, toiletries et al. Jesus and Mary College has already been able to collect blankets, torches, medicines, sanitary napkins, bed sheets, shawls, umbrellas, and nearly 200-300 people have contributed till now, and the number and collection amount is sure to go up by 17^th September, the last day of the collection drive. Kalindi College held a rally on 12^th September urging everyone to donate and help in the relief campaign. The rally constituted the whole college population, both teachers and students. The Dramatics Society of the college also performed on the theme ‘Save Kashmir Flood Victims’. Apart from the huge collection achieved in kind and goods, the college was able to raise around 1,85,000 rupees for the cause. The NSS unit of DCAC held a collection drive for J&K flood victims on 16th September, in association with Kashmir Foundation for Social Change, a Kashmir based NGO. Students donated generously both in cash and in kind. The Street Play Society, Leher did a call and a short skit to inform people about the situation in the valley and encourage them to donate. Students participated actively by writing messages for the flood victims and singing inspirational songs while they were video graphed. A video was also shot wherein it started with a consoling message for the flood victims and was followed by a large group of students singing the National Anthem. To end the day on a light note, a group of students from the North East and some musicians did a jam session to show their concern and support for the people in the valley. Numerous cartons of clothes, medicines, water bottles, food packets were collected along with about Rs. 24,000 in cash which will be utilised to buy relief material of immediate need. [gallery ids="26388,26389,26386"] Dayal Singh College also collected goods and cash department wise for the relief work which was further sent to Jamia Milia Islamia University for dispatch. About every other college of Delhi University joined in the relief and donation campaign through college unions, NSS, Enactus, NGOs, other societies, institutions and universities to contribute for the same. Apart from that, the colleges were very forthcoming in sensitizing and popularizing the need to help and save the flood victims, through posters, meetings, announcements, enactments, rallies, drives, public urging, message circulation, notices and a lot more. Colleges like Hansraj, DCAC and volunteers from many other colleges came together on 13^th-14^th September, in CP, in association with Kashmir Foundation for Social Change to collect and urge people to donate. A substantial amount of collection and donations have already been dispatched for to Kashmir. Image courtesy: Enactus LSR and NSS unit, DCAC]]>

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DUB News

De-recognition of DU law course by the BCI worries students

By Shreya Mudgil September 27, 2014

This year’s law graduates and the current law students at the University of Delhi received a shock when the Bar Council of India decided to de-recognise DU’s law course, which is taught at three centres in DU, which are Campus Law Centre, Law Centre-1 and Law Centre-2. The BCI sent a letter to the Vice Chancellor of DU and to all state bar councils on Monday, announcing its decision.

In the letter, BCI states that “In absence of extension of approval of affiliation of these law centres, the students who were admitted in the sessions 2011-12 onward and passed out from the academic year 2013-14 are not eligible for enrollment as advocates. You are therefore advised to take appropriate action with regard to these law centres and inform BCI about steps taken in this regard immediately.”

Rules of the BCI state that a law college/law school/institution that has not been inspected for a continuous period of 5 years shall have to apply afresh to the BCI and seek approval of affiliation on or before July 31, 2010. Failure to do this deems the degree imparted by the college to be illegal.

Keeping these rules in mind, sources at BCI said that DU failed to respond to its repeated reminders on extension of affiliation beyond the academic year 2010-11. A communication was sent to the three centres in July 2010 for the first time that DU must seek approval and throw open its centres for BCI’s inspection.

The Dean of Faculty of Law, Professor Ashwani Kumar Bansal reassured the students that, “Today itself I have replied to BCI reminding them that they gave us time till December 31 this year to apply for approval. It is not a big issue. We came into existence in 1924 while BCI was born in 1960s. A few years ago they made certain rules and want us to abide by them. I would like to remind everyone that we lead legal education standards in the country. Around 80 of our alumni are judges in various high courts and four adorn the Supreme Court. Before declaring us invalid, look at our track record. We will resolve the issue amiably; students need not worry at all.”

Surya Raju, a student at the Campus Law Centre, said, “Of course there is a sense of confusion and fear, but as of now, we’re just waiting to see how it pans out.” She also said that the dean has put up a notice reassuring them and “We are, more or less optimistic that it’ll work out, but we are disappointed that the Faculty has put this off for so long.”

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DUB News

Gyanodaya Returns: Allegations from DUTA not enough to stop the “Educational train”

By Ishaan Sengupta September 27, 2014

DU’s educational train, Gyanodaya Express is all set to take students of Delhi University to the North – East this year. Despite fierce allegations of financial irregularities from DUTA, the project which was started as the ‘College on Wheels’ project on 2012, will engage student – teacher cooperation in a friendly environment yet again for the fifth time.

According to the Registrar, Mr. Tarun Kumar Das, A special certificate course would be organised by the university so that the students could be given a basic theoretical and practical knowledge of 8 different local languages prevalent in the North East. From 20th to 30th December, around 900 students will be given the opportunity to travel on the Dharohar – Gyanodaya express.

The selection procedure will be similar to last year – The innovativeness of the project proposals would enable the selection of the students. There would be groups of 11 – 15 students including one student from the north – east who would be accompanied by a mentor each. The main focus of the project is to be based on providing a thorough understanding of the richness of the terrain and how it contributes to our nation’s beauty. The students would also be given the opportunity to meet senior functionaries of the states as well as representatives of local universities. Issues regarding citizenship and national integrity would be addressed during the course of the trip.

The concept of Gyanodaya has often appealed to students but in a recent whitepaper by DUTA, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dinesh Singh has been blamed for being a part of malpractices leading to financial irregularities in DU. The white paper suggests that the VC had started the Gyanodaya express back in 2012 without any prior discussion by the statutory bodies. There had been no evaluation prior to its inception yet crores of money had been spent yearly on this project. The white paper mentions, “According to information provided in response to RTIs on the subject, the costs for two trips were Rs 198,30,408 (2012) and Rs 148,82,182 (2013) respectively,”

DUTA president, Nandita Narain has urged the Ministry of Human Resource Development to intervene this year’s Gyanodaya Express trip and make the university more answerable about the source of such funds mentioned above.

DU Beat’s coverage of the past voyages of Gyanodaya can be found here.

Image Credit: University of Delhi official website

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