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The Irish Referendum: A Choice For all Our Choices

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Ireland on Friday, 25th May, repealed the eighth constitutional amendment with a landslide two-thirds majority vote, the amendment, since 1983 recognised the rights of both mother and foetus in the same wavelength.
The historic decision came in the heels of a vigorous campaign by Together for Yes, an abortion rights campaign group that were supported by various political parties such as Sinn Fein and left-wing organisations. This campaign gained traction after the tragic death of an Indian-origin nurse Savita Halappanavar in 2012 when she was denied an abortion.

The Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar remarked in a public statement that the referendum was the “culmination of a quiet revolution in Ireland.” Simon Harris, the Health Minister addressing the public said, “there is an awful lot of people, particularly a lot of women breathing a sigh of relief today that a stigma has been lifted in this country.” while Mary Lou McDonald, the leader of Sinn Fein hailed the step towards “ a more open, tolerant Ireland”. What was remarkable was that the voting on Friday saw thousands of people returning to the country to cast their votes, an extraordinary display of combined political action. The referendum would now lead to a repeal of the eighth amendment as well as pushing for legislation of legalising abortion upto 12 weeks of pregnancy and setting up of abortion clinics.

 

The History

For decades, since 1987, Ireland’s story of abortion has been a matter of both national and international concern. In 2013, abortion was allowed for the first time in specific cases: when the mother is in danger of suicide or faces health risk due to pregnancy. Yet, it did not allow for abortions in cases of rape, foetal abnormalities, or incest. In 2016, the Citizen’s Assembly, a deliberative body set up to draw up reports on various issues like abortion for the consideration of the Parliament, started a series of meetings where voting on abortion took place. The results were very similar to the recent referendum, wherein the majority voted in favour of repeal of the abortion laws.

images (1)

Image Credits: Irish Examiner

 

Across the Irish Sea

According to reports, 170,000 women have travelled abroad for abortion, a number which pro-choice activists say reflects how the country is denying the presence of a social reality. Their destination would mostly be nearby England where abortion is legal in most cases. Moreover women of lower income households are restricted from access to such journeys, and hence from safe abortions.

The only place in Britain where abortion laws are as highly restrictive is Northern Ireland where women have no access to free abortions unlike the rest of Britain. Northern Ireland is also the only part of United Kingdom (UK) to still consider same-sex marriage illegal. The recent referendum pushes such issues of the region into the international limelight with pro-choice activists already clamouring for greater change.

 

Decline in Religious Conservatism

The landslide majority at the referendum as well opinion polls over the years have revealed how Ireland has changed from being one of the most conservative Catholic European nations. This has accompanied the recent child-sex abuse scandals that have rocked the Irish Catholic churches.

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Image Credits: The Irish Times

 

Abortion Laws Around the World

India permits abortions till 20 weeks of pregnancy (24 weeks in cases of rapes) when there is a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or the possibility of mental or physical abnormalities arising in the offspring. Yet, it is only in 60 countries in the world that women have access to safe abortions. Most countries in Europe like Malta, Poland, San Marino, Andorra, El Salvador, Nicaragua have highly restrictive abortion laws. Some of them prohibit abortion in all cases even when there is a risk to the lives of women. Most of these nations have a Christian majority population. In the United States of America too, the presence of a federal system means that abortion laws are not uniformly implemented. Trigger laws render the access to safe abortions almost impractical.

 

Pro-choice or Pro-life

The entire debate regarding pro-choice and pro-life has centred around religious conservatism as well as a concern for the health of women who undergo abortion. However, the rights of foetuses cannot be seen to be independent of that of the mothers as most abortions take place in the first trimester, when the baby cannot exist independent of the mother’s body. Most abortions also require very simple procedures like ingesting pills and do not pose any serious threat to the lives of the mothers. Moreover, in cases of rape or crisis pregnancies, it seems illogical to condemn a woman to pregnancy, especially in cases of minors. States which do so, operate on a slippery slope and might soon initiate more draconian measures. Most importantly, with waves of feminism taking over modern discourse, it becomes important to remember that a woman’s body autonomy should be preserved at all costs, perhaps even at the sake of the unborn child.
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Image Credits:  The Irish Times

 

Feature Image Credits: 4Conservative.com

Sara Sohail

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Campus Central

Capturing the Essence of Motherhood Through Lens 

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The second Sunday of May each year has been celebrated as Mother’s Day since an early 20th century. Founded by Ann Jeeves Jarvis, the day commemorates the mother of the family, the maternal bond a woman shares with her children, and the influence of mothers in the society. Being a mother is one of the most empowering experiences. Bringing a human being to life and then contributing significantly to their upkeep and development is a feat not everyone can boast of achieving, yet mothers do it so effortlessly.

On the occasion of Mother’s Day this year, here are pictures depicting motherhood that ought to be recognised and celebrated!

Research has displayed the effects of affectionate human touch on the neonatal health and development of a baby. A loving embrace, especially when offered by the mother comprises of positive health effects. Image Credits: Saubhagya Saxena 
Research has displayed the effects of affectionate human touch on the neonatal health and development of a baby. A loving embrace, especially when offered by the mother comprises of positive health effects.
Image Credits: Saubhagya Saxena
A mother’s love for her child is perhaps one of the most complex concepts, which has still not been fathomed. The role of a maternal figure in a child’s life is more than pivotal.   Image Credits: Surabhi Khare 
A mother’s love for her child is perhaps one of the most complex concepts, which has still not been fathomed. The role of a maternal figure in a child’s life is more than pivotal.   Image Credits: Surabhi Khare
The body of a woman goes through many changes to accommodate the nurturing of a foetus in the womb. Changes in the mothers voice, hormonal changes etc are common during pregnancy.  Image Credits: Surabhi Khare 
The body of a woman goes through many changes to accommodate the nurturing of a fetus in the womb. Changes in the mother’s voice, hormonal changes etc are common during pregnancy. 
Image Credits: Surabhi Khare
Occasions like Mother’s Day help acknowledge the sacrifices by a mother for the benefit of her child. A day to give thanks and show our devotion and love for any maternal figure has become a necessity. Image Credits: Surabhi Khare
Occasions like Mother’s Day help acknowledge the sacrifices by a mother for the benefit of her child. A day to give thanks and show our devotion and love for any maternal figure has become a necessity.
Image Credits: Surabhi Khare
Occasions like Mother’s Day help acknowledge the sacrifices by a mother for the benefit of her child.  A day to give thanks and show our devotion and love for any maternal figure has become a necessity. Image Credits: Surabhi Khare
Occasions like Mother’s Day help acknowledge the sacrifices by a mother for the benefit of her child.  A day to give thanks and show our devotion and love for any maternal figure has become a necessity.
Image Credits: Surabhi Khare

Feature Image Credit: Saubhagya Saxena

Bhavya Banerjee 

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Campus Central

UGC to Visit St. Stephen’s College Amidst Dissent Against Autonomy

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A team from the University Grants Commission is set to visit St. Stephen’s College on 10th and 11th May 2018, after the Governing Body (GB) of the college had in-principle agreed to apply for autonomy.

The most recent development in the fight against commercialisation of public education through privatisation, the University Grants Commission (UGC) is going to be visiting the campus of St. Stephen’s College for an inspection on 10th-11th May 2018. This visit is a consequence of the Governing Body of the college agreeing in-principle to apply for autonomy.

The issue of autonomy has been much talked about in the University of Delhi this year, with several protests being organised and students as well as teachers’ speaking out against this pressing issue.

Nandita Narain, a senior professor from the maths department of St. Stephen’s College, told DU Beat “44 out of 56 permanent teachers of the college have written to the UGC in opposition to this move in which we have outlined our objection against the way this decision was taken, in an emergency meeting of the GB last year, without any kind of consultation from the teachers, karamcharis, and students, who are the primary stakeholders.”

Adding to the objections raised by the teachers, she further said, “There is no clarity surrounding the implications of this move as no clear picture has been laid out regarding the financial structure of the college, the regulation of fees, and the service conditions of the teachers. The fate of the Ad-hoc teachers’ is also shaky.” She pointed out that there is nothing to gain from this move, as the college is not equipped to take on the massive administrative and academic burdens that will come with autonomy. Questioning the functioning of the administration, she also told the DU Beat correspondent that the present management functions in an arbitrary and non-transparent manner.

Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) and All India Students’ Association (AISA) are conducting protests outside St. Stephen’s College tomorrow at 10 a.m., when the UGC visit is scheduled. AISA has also started a signature campaign to oppose this move. In a phone conversation with DU Beat, Kawalpreet Kaur, Head of AISA’s Delhi University Unit said, “We have been conducting a signature campaign since the examinations started, by putting up a desk at the Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station in the evening. Tomorrow, we will also be protesting along with DUTA when the UGC visit is scheduled, to convey that we are against the arbitrary manner in which the decisions are being taken by the administration, when the students and teachers are totally in opposition to this move. Through the signature campaign, we have aimed to start a long-term agitation against this move towards autonomy, and we will also be actively protesting any fee hikes that will happen in the coming semesters in any colleges of DU.”

 

Feature Image Credits: St. Stephen’s College

Bhavya Banerjee

[email protected]

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Campus Central

Enactus Highlights 2017-18: SSCBS Wins Enactus World Cup and Enactus Nationals 2017

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Enactus, a household name in the University of Delhi, is the world’s largest experiential learning platform. This social venture has helped transform communities with the involvement of young visionary minds at the college level. Here are the highlights from the projects, achievements and initiatives from the Enactus societies of Delhi University:


Enactus Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS)

Enactus SSCBS, established in 2009 is one of the most well-known names in the circuit. The team for the academic session of 2017-18 secured the first position in the Enactus Nationals 2017. Their flagship projects Udaan and Raahat were adjudged as the best projects by the jury. They went on to represent India at the Enactus World Cup in September 2017 in London. They bagged laurels for the country by lifting the World Cup as well as the Water Race trophy. Since their inception, some of the projects they have worked on are Project Akshar, Sanitation Solutions, Project Gramodhaar, Project Udaan, Project Raahat, to name a few, to work towards causes like unemployment, eradication of open defecation, usage of affordable sanitary napkins etc. They have received prestigious grants from Mahindra, Ford, and KPMG. Enactus SSCBS has also actively worked with Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Project Raahat has a partnership with Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board for the allotment of public toilet complexes. This year, they also organised a Social Start-up Fest where social enterprises were invited to showcase their projects to NGOs and investors. On World Water Day, they hosted a Sanitation Conference which received acknowledgement from the Honourable Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Suresh Prabhu.

 

Enactus Lady Shri Ram College

Established in 2012, this chapter of Enactus has paved their position in the circuit as one of the most hard working and active societies. The team has successfully worked on five projects till date, namely, Project Maati, to initiate a transformation from chemical to organic farming in Punjab, Project Yuvaakti, focussing on the skill development of the women from Chaina and Bajwara in Punjab, Project Kalakaashi, to restore indigenous crafts in Varanasi, Project Auric, working for the economic benefit of rural women in Harayana. Their most recent venture, called Project Utthaan aims to curb air pollution and addressing the issue of degrading air quality. Under this project, the team has promoted vertical gardening services. Project Utthaan focusses on uplifting poor nurseries and the skill enhancement of the stakeholders involved. Enactus LSR were also among the top 24 teams in the Enactus Nationals 2017. They have also collaborated with NGOs like Santiniketan Society for Youth Empowerment, Kolkata for Project Auric and IFFCO Kisan for Project Utthaan.

 

Ready, Set, Go! #NC17 #EnactusIndia #WeAllWin

A post shared by Enactus LSR (@enactus_lsr) on

 

Enactus Hindu College

Since its formation in 2013, Enactus Hindu College has come a long way with their social initiatives. This year, they effectively worked on Project Oorja and Project Veerangana. The second phase of Project Oorja sought to develop a low-cost solar lamp to economically empower the street vendors. This project promotes the use of renewable sources of energy, imparting a significant environmental impact. Enactus Hindu College received the Blue Dart Empowering Competition Grant 2017 and Mahindra Grant 2017. Project Veerangana is an enterprise to promote women safety by training women in self-defence. Apart their main projects, they also work for ensuring a safe environment for stray dogs in harsh weather conditions.

Enactus Motilal Nehru College (MLNC)

This chapter of Enactus was established in 2014. The team was among the top 24 in the Enactus Nationals 2017. Enactus MLNC has actively worked towards the welfare of animals. Their Project Parivartan started with the goal to create a safer environment for stray dogs through practices like sterilising and immunising to fight diseases like Rabies. Project DESI developed from the previously mentioned Project Parivartan. DESI stands for “Duty to Empathize, Sterilize and Immunize” stray dogs. Under this project, the team collaborated with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), college campuses and Animal Welfare NGOs to create a healthy environment for stray animals. Apart from animal welfare, Project Parivartan also branches out to women empowerment through the employment of underprivileged women living in Chanakyapuri making handmade dog collars and leashes. The team has worked with NGOs like Pet Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Friendicoes, and Sonadi Animal Welfare Trust. During National Volunteering Week, Enactus MLNC organised an event called Coexistence in partnership with PETA Youth India and Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO), to spread awareness about the animal protection acts and the concept of veganism.

 

Enactus Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (SBSC)

One of the most active members of the social community, Enactus SBSC, since its beginning in 2014, has worked on four major projects. Project Karva aimed at forming a business model, to not only provide women with vocational training, but also grant them with a market to sell handcrafted pots. Their second venture, Project Roshni, in which they collaborated with Janata Rehabilitation Center and Nai Disha NGO, sought to empower the visually impaired. Project Aahar started with the goal to achieve “zero hunger” by providing employment opportunities to the seasonally employed migrant workers from in and around Delhi, to train them to run their food stalls. In the academic session of 2017-18, Enactus SBSC laid the foundations for Project Vidyut. The project involves an aim to influence the villages in India to switch to alternate sources of energy, like biogas. sbsc

Image Credits: Enactus SBSC.   

 

Enactus Hansraj College

Conceptualised in 2012, Enactus Hansraj has actively worked towards providing entrepreneurship avenues for marginalised women through Projects Swaad and Lekhni, and establishing the facilities of clean drinking water with Project Boond. The team is currently working on two flagship projects called Project Aangan and Project Mithaas, aimed at building a network of crèches for the benefit of underprivileged children. Under Project Mithaas, this year they also worked towards promoting bee keeping as an alternative source of income among the farmers of our country. They introduced two social campaigns called Ahsaas and Aashayein. Under Ahsaas, the team helped organise several workshops for blind community. They collaborated with Navjyoti NGO under their dream campaign, Aashayein, for the holistic development of children.

Enactus Sri Venkateswara College (SVC)

Enactus SVC introduced two new projects during its 2017-18 session. Their first initiative, called The Crimson Project, started with an aim to manufacture, and consequently increase the availability of reusable sanitary napkins. Project Barqat, their second venture this year works towards imparting training among target groups to help them in the procurement of raw material, assembling of the parts, production and the final installation of solar bulbs. Enactus SVC has worked on other projects like Project Aushadhi, which was an enterprise to bond the homeless with unusedlized excess medication, Project Heartist, to help train artists, Project Captain Compost to help turn waste into soil amendment, Project CiggB, an anti-smoking project. Under Project CiggB, the team has conducted several online and offline campaigns to raise awareness. During Volunteering Week 2018, they organised three successful events over a period of 6 days, namely, Captain Cleanliness, Trash the Ash and Win with waste.

 

Enactus Kirori Mal College (KMC)

The KMC chapter of Enactus started in 2016 has successfully catered to two projects since its inception, and is currently in the works for four prospective projects. Project Patradya works towards providing a bio-degradable alternative to plastic in the form of edible cutlery made by a community of Afghan refugee women. Their second endeavour, called Project Dor, aimed to alleviate a group of women in Sapera Basti, Najafgarh Delhi, who were at the brink of prostitution, through production of scarves using the traditional art of tie and dye. Enactus KMC bagged the second position at the Enactus Rookie League, and was shortlisted for the semi-finals, emerging as a part of the top 24 teams of Enactus Nationals 2017.

 

We officially kick started our School Outreach Programme at DPS Ghaziabad Vasundhara to generate awareness about the plastic menace and provide a healthy and environment-friendly alternative in the form of our project Patradya. We hope to do more of these in the future to continue with our ultimate goal of educating more and more people about issues that prohibit the sustainable growth of our society and mutually find solutions for them. If you are interested in organising/holding awareness workshops on refugees and/or tackling the increasing plastic waste that’s crippling our environment, kindly message us or drop us a mail at [email protected]. #enactus #dpsghaziabad #sustainability #weallwin #projectpatradya #environment #enactusindia

 

A post shared by Enactus KiroriMal (@enactuskmc) on

(All information is based on the data received from participating colleges in a DU Beat survey)

 

Feature Image Credits: Enactus, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies.

Bhavya Banerjee

[email protected]

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Placements

Job Placements 2018: Highest Placement Offer of Rs. 31 LPA at SRCC

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The placement season this session at the University of Delhi touched new heights in terms of the number of companies involved and the number of students securing placements. Because of the initiatives of the various placement cells, this year witnessed a rise in the average pay packages offered.
The highest placement offer this year of Rs. 31 lakhs per annum (LPA) was bagged by a student of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), offered by the consultancy giant Parthenon-EY. This placement marked an exponential improvement for the Placement Cell of SRCC as their highest placement for the last academic session 2016-17 was Rs. 30 LPA. Kirori Mal College and Shaheed Bhagat Singh College both witnessed their highest placement offer at Rs. 19 LPA. The highest offer in St. Stephen’s College was Rs. 19-20 LPA in terms of cost to company (CTC) by the Boston Consulting Group. Hansraj College observed a boost as well since their highest offer increased from last year’s figures of Rs. 16 lakhs per annum to Rs. 17.5 LPA this year.

The average pay packages this year start off at Rs. 3.9 LPA at Daulat Ram College. Kirori Mal College, where over 90 students were placed, and Sri Venkateswara College, where the current number students placed is 146 (subject to increase), both received average salary packages of Rs. 4.1 lakhs. Shaheed Bhagat Singh College observed an increase to an average of Rs. 4 lakhs per annum from the previous year’s Rs. 3.2 lakhs, out of the 170 students placed. Hansraj College yet again managed to increase their average package amount from Rs. 5.02 lakhs to Rs. 6 lakhs. SRCC also observed an average salary package of Rs. 6 LPA this year.

St. Stephen’s College, Hansraj College, and Sri Venkateswara College witnessed 85+ companies visiting their campus for placements this season.

Notable names like KPMG (India), KPMG (Global), Hindustan Times, Inshorts, Decathlon, Bain and Company, Barnes & Noble Loudcloud, Zycus Infotech, Fidelity Information Services (FIS), Accenture, Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and TATA Power, recruited the most number of students. First time recruiters like Hindustan Times, Inshorts, Byjus, and Saavn, among others, were also involved this placement season.

The most popular job profile remains Audit Associate or Analyst for commerce students. However, this year noticed a trend of inclusivity of companies branching out to the humanities and science streams as well. There were a plethora of job opportunities for science and humanities students. Companies like NIIT, IdInsight, FRR Forex, StartupEd, Decathlon, Bain & Company, Dell, Teach for India and Urbanclap, recruited from all courses. The profiles offered for humanities and science students ranged from business development, research, marketing, content writing, human resources, etc.

Communication skills, practical knowledge, achievements in academics and extracurricular activities, analytical skills, quick and out of the box thinking, strong logical and reasoning abilities, and academic proficiency are some qualities that hiring companies look for in a student.

(All information is based on the data received from participating colleges in a DU Beat survey)

 

Feature Image Credits: AstroBetter

Bhavya Banerjee
[email protected]

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Events

TEDxDTU 2018

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TEDxDTU, one of the capital’s most awaited TED events, is back with an intriguing array of speakers on 20 April 2018 at Delhi Technological University from 11 AM – 7 PM. TEDx events are locally organized conferences licensed under TED, a non-profit organization devoted to ideas worth spreading.

Theme (1)

The talks in the event will be centered about the theme ‘DEUX EX MACHINA’.

ABOUT THE THEME ‘DEUX EX MACHINA’ – The solution to a seemingly unsolvable problem. The  entrance of a ‘god’ to bring an end to an unresolvable climax. The trump card. Referring to the introduction  of these ideas, our theme, ‘Deus Ex Machina’ aims to coalesce with the very principle of TEDx– Ideas Worth  Spreading. With issues arising in every field, our goal is to bring forth a series of revolutionary ideas which break  the generic glass ceilings, and bring forth interesting outcomes. Rather than being unexpected twists in the  scenarios, we aim to foster the generation of solutions which have been staring us in the face all along, and  invoke conversations of its implications in the modern scenario.

The event will display a spectacular set of talks and performances, wherean august panel of speakers will encourage the audience to express themselves articulately by discussing innovative ideas and sharing impactful messages.

“This time we’re innovating at the highest levels to produce an event of global standards which will resonate amongst us all. We will see the reflection of our similarity in our uniqueness.”- quotes Nilasis Bhattacharya, Curator of TEDxDTU 2018.

 

Catering to the enthusiasm preceding the event, TEDxDTU invites registrations on its website www.tedxdtu.in/accounts/login.

 

Final10Speakers

 

 

Speakers for TEDxDTU 2018 include distinguished representatives from their respective fields, such as:

 

  • KARAN WAHI –TV actor, host and model. He started his television career in the 2004 show Remix, through which he garnered fame. He made his Bollywood movie debut in Habib Faisal’s Daawat-e-Ishq, and had a lead role in Hate Story 4.

 

  • ANKUR WARIKOO – He is the Co-Founder and CEO of com– which is his third startup. Passionate about organization building – Warikoo cares enough to share his experiences as an entrepreneur on social media – making him a powerful influencer.

 

  • AKASA SINGH – With a blockbuster hit, ”Tu Kheech Meri Photo”, she is one of the most talented live singers in this country. She began performing at an early age of 17yrs and has been a favourite amongst TV shows, featuring in Angels of Rock (MTV) , India’s Raw Star (Star Plus) and the most recent being Amazon Originals- The Remix.

 

  • KAUSTUBH RADKAR – He is a former national swimming champion and has finished the coveted IRONMAN triathlon on all six continents, being the first Indian to do so, in October 2015. He bas finished 20 Ironmans till date most for anyone living in India.

 

  • VIKI VAURORA – Founder of great legalization movement. He proved that cannabis can be regulated to cure cancer, and the PMO has now demanded a relook into cannabis prohibition all because of his efforts.

 

  • ANINDA BAGCHI– He is the Associate Director of Project Management at CBRE, one of the largest commercial real estate services and investment firm in the world.

 

  • RJ SUKRITI – She is an electronic engineer turned RJ turned Video blogger turned Video Host/VJ. She has previously worked with radio channels such as Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM Delhi and is currently hosting a show with a hugely popular online gaming/quiz app, Brain Baazi.

 

  • ISHAN BOSE – He is a man with many hats, currently being the head of Marketing, Sales and PR at KrazyBee as well as the head of India Operations at DingTalk (DingDing), the Mobility ERP solution from the Alibaba Group, focusing on the higher education institutions.

 

  • SHUBHA VILAS – After 11 years of monkshood, he set out to spread joy and knowledge of living a life based on the purity of scriptures, making them not just understandable but also practical. He has also authored many books, including a six-volume rendition of the

 

  • SANDRA COLHANDO She is the Co-Founder of TransforME Learning and Leadership Solutions, an award-winning results-based learning firm focused on enabling personal transformation. Prior to this, she has also held senior positions in organisations such as GE, Convergys, Indiabulls and Mahindra & Mahindra.

 

Follow TEDxDTU on:

Website:  www.tedxdtu.in

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tedxdtu

Instagram: tedxdtu

Snapchat: tedxdtu

 

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

 

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DUB Speak

Bullets and Bras: Women in Combat in India

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With debates regarding the entry of women into less conventional professions, we need to confront their absence from the armed forces of the country and explore the reasons behind it.

Women have increasingly been venturing into less explored, ‘unconventional’ roles. Right now, they are employed in all wings of the armed forces except in direct combat. Last year, the Commander of Chief, Bipin Rawat, made headlines when he said “I am looking at women coming as jawans. I am going to start it soon. Firstly we will start with women as military police jawans.” The Indian Air Force also recently enrolled women as fighter pilots, while the Indian Navy has yet to recruit women as active combatants. The Indian Air Force’s Avani Chaturvedi made history when she became the first Indian woman to fly a fighter jet in January of this year.

While there have been many arguments regarding the recruitment of women in such positions, like the unsuitability of their bodies to harsh conditions, the male-dominated world where masochism pervades, the lack of longevity of female soldiers due to pregnancy and other bodily needs, the need felt by male soldiers to protect their female counterparts even in battlefields, and of course, the old argument that some things are best left to men. However, despite such arguments, women have shown to be of greater grit than they are culturally assigned. Historically, women in India have been employed since 1888 when they were recruited as a part of the Indian Military Nursing service. Even now, they are employed in many fields as junior ranks, combat supervisory roles, and allied fields such as law, engineering, combat nursing etc. Yet, the penultimate realisation is that the highest strata of positions in fields are still reserved almost exclusively for men. It is only recently that some women have been promoted to the higher ranks.

There is also a crucial need for revision in the framing of policies regarding the recruitment of women. There are a range of court cases being filed against the reluctance of the armed forces to provide permanent commission to women soldiers which would grant them pension. There is also a lack of change in cultural conceptions when it comes to the entry of women into such fields. The assumption that women are physically weaker and also more emotional restricts their recruitment. There is also the added ‘burden’ of motherhood that the policy makers automatically assume will be a part of every woman’s life. The lack of social experiments in the military speaks to this fact.

The bottom line is, regardless of whether or not women are more suitable for extraneous physical demands that the armed forces require, we need to at least give them a chance to prove their worth. As the groundbreaking Air Force experiment has proven, if given the opportunity, there is no battle a woman cannot win.

 

Feature Image Credits: Firstpost

Sara Sohail

[email protected]

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Campus Central

Litwit: Books On Rent

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Litwit is a rental service for books, created by the students of Delhi Technological University (DTU). Although it is a new venture, the project is already a boon for the readers struggling with steep prices and lack of space in their shelves.

A recent product of Delhi Technological University (DTU), Litwit, is an endeavour to bring books closer to bibliophiles. Arunima Goyal and Shivam Narang, both final year engineering students, came up with the idea to share their common love for books. The team, which started the project under the Incubation and Innovation Foundation (IIF), provide various services from renting books at the price of INR 3 to 5 per day, to a longer period of subscription for a month of six to eight books at INR 300. The team makes sure that the books are delivered to the reader’s doorstep with a nominal transportation charge (for orders below INR 200). Arunima Goyal claims that they would also start with a book exchange program soon wherein readers can exchange their books based on their common interests. Their website (litwit.in) also offers a blogging platform for the readers to post their views on their favourite literature.

 

For the time being, Litwit remains the only rental service for books in Delhi. It is perfect for young bibliophiles who are on a budget. They can select from over 400 books on their website, to rent and subscribe books. The founders of this venture, Arunima and Shivam, also have plans for bringing together their readers into a broader literary community where one can interact with other interested readers about their favorite books. Arunima claims that Litwit is endeavouring to bridge the gap between e-commerce and social media platforms. Although both of them exist separately, they do not exist in coalition to provide a service like this. The venture has already made its mark in several fests of the University of Delhi (DU) this season to garner considerable enthusiasm from the audience.

 

Feature Image Credits: Saubhagya Saxena for DU Beat.

Sara Sohail

[email protected]

 

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Cultural Festivals

Tempest 2018 at Miranda House Concludes with a Pumped-Up Audience

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Tempest 2018 organised by Miranda House comes to an end, here are some highlights from the last day of the festival:

The third day of Tempest 2018 was full of excitement and enthusiasm around the campus since it was full of extremely entertaining events like panel discussions, the most anticipated western dance competition, and the much awaited star night, with the headlining act being Siddharth Mahadevan.

In the midst of the hustle bustle of events in the three-day Tempest, Miranda House Vatavaran, the Environment Society of Miranda House organised a unique but considerably salient event. It was a competition wherein participants had to depict environmentally-conscious ways of having fun. They were allowed to use music, choreography and enactment to put forth their renditions. The judges of the event were Dr. Amrita Tripathi Sheikh and Dr. Bani Roy, professors at Miranda House. A total of 10 teams participated, some of which presented self-composed poems on varied topics like eco-tourism and eco-friendly college fests.

The Entrepreneurship Cell of Miranda House invited three proficient panelists to share their experiences of living the “start-up life”. The panel included personalities like Tanya Kathpal, founder of ‘Eat My News’, who engaged the audience in a gripping discourse on how she began her start-up and the kind of obstacles she had to overcome in order to further the same. Among the panelists was Nikhil Chainani, founder and CEO of ‘Perspectico’, who talked about taking risks and dealing with rejection while being an entrepreneur. The third panelist was an alumni of the University of Delhi, Neha Gupta, who shared her experiences of working on projects from diverse fields and handling stress while starting off your own business.

The main highlight of day 3 at Tempest 2018 was the Western Group Dance Competition, Burlesque’18, organised by Tanz, the Western Dance Society of Miranda House. Judges Sarthak Chauhan and Tarun Sharma chose Crunk, the Western Dance Society of Sri Aurobindo College as the winner. Crunk performed on numbers like Buleya, Deapacito and Malhari. The second position was shared by Misbah of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce and Zeal of Maitreyi College. Misbah and Zeal thoroughly entertained the audience by dancing on peppy numbers like Ishq Di Gali Vich No Entry, Finesse, Tan Tana Tan Tan Tara and Tum Tum. The teams were given cash prizes and accolades. Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology’s western dance society, Funk in Action, was much appreciated by the judges for their enthusiasm and innovative use of musical instruments like Dhol. Following this, another round called ‘Bipolar Round’ was held with the participating societies performing on songs on the spot. Electra of Motilal Nehru College emerged as the clear winner who danced on famous songs like Shape of You, Lahore and Shaguna. The Bipolar Round was conducted to evaluate and judge the spontaneity of the participants.

Tempest 2018 was concluded by the enchanting performance of Siddharth Mahadevan, a playback singer known for singing Bollywood numbers such as “Sarfira” and “Nachde Ne Sare”. The curtains of Tempest 2018 closed in an exquisite manner with songs which varied from aesthetic ones like “Mere Rashde Qamar” to new-age chart toppers like “Tukur-Tukur”. His versatility was on complete display as he could switch languages seamlessly since he crooned to Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You”. As he moved from “Channa Mereya” onto more light-hearted numbers, “Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe” this performance was an instant hit with the young crowd, and the perfect way to conclude the three-day festival.

Feature Image Credits: Ayush Chauhan

Kinjal Pandey

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Prachi Mehra

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Vaibhavi Pathak

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Bhavya Banerjee

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Cultural Festivals

Montage 2018 at Jesus and Mary College: Highlights

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Montage 2018 was held at Jesus and Mary College on 16th-17th February 2018. Here are the highlights from the same:

Montage’18, the annual cultural fest of Jesus and Mary College (JMC) held on 16th and 17th February, was inaugurated by Sister Rosily, Principal and Sister Lawrence, Superior General of the college. The lighting of the lamp ceremony was initiated by the sisters and the teachers followed while Tarannum, the Indian Music Society of JMC, performed on the stage and then the fest declared open by the Student Union.

Ashwamedh, the theatre society of Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (NSIT) kick-started Stagecraft, the stage play competition, Ibtida of Hindu College won the prize and cash money of INR 10000. The best male actor award was given to Akshay Raheja of SSCBS and female actor went to Devanshi Khanna of Hindu College respectively.  

 

The most coveted, insightful, and fun-filled event of the day, Awaaz ’18 was hosted by Kahkasha, Hindi Dramatics Society of JMC. The first prize was bagged by DramaNomics, the Theatre Society of College of Vocational Studies, whose heart-wrenching performance on ‘rape’ shook the audience. Lady Shri Ram College for Women finished second performing on the crucial issue of ‘Body-Shaming’. Abhivyakti, the dramatics society of Indraprastha College for Women, was awarded consolation prize for their special performance on the theme of ‘Body-Shaming’.

 

  Engaging the audience in their aesthetic rendition of the Bihu dance, the team from Kamla Nehru College was the curtain-raiser for the group dance competition of Montage. Nrityangana of Sri Venkateswara College bagged the first place, while SGTB Khalsa College won the second position. Maitreyi College secured the third position.  

 

In the A capella competition Finding Do Re Mi, The Western Music Society of Lady Shri Ram College of Women was awarded the first position as they sang “Show me how you Burlesque” by Christina Aguilera. Dhwani of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies won the second position in the same event.

 

  The eventful and lively concluded on a musical note with DJ Zaeden’s groovy and upbeat tunes.  

 

The second day of Montage 2018 began on a musical note with Swaraangan, the Indian Musical Choir competition of Jesus and Mary College. Alaap of Sri Venkateswara College bagged the first position followed by Sangeetika of Kamala Nehru College and Swaranjali of Hansraj College were declared the first and the second runners-up respectively.

The highlight of the day was Chimera, the choreography competition hosted by Western Dance Society of JMC. Judges Benjamin Jacob and Himanshu Sharma announced Sparx of Gargi College as the winner. Terpsi Chorean of Hansraj College grabbed the second prize.

Playback singer and music composer Nakash Aziz of ‘Highway’ and ‘Rockstar’ fame ignited the stage with evergreen Bollywood hits such as ‘Humma’, ‘Badtameez Dil’, and R. D. Burman’s ‘Bachna Ae Hasino’. His versatility was on display as he effortlessly switched over to newer Bollywood hits such as ‘Pyaar ki Pungi’ and ‘Ilahi’. With this JMC’s Annual Cultural Fest Montage 2018 drew its curtains.

Feature Image Credits: Akarsh Mathur for DU Beat

Anagha Rakta ([email protected])

Prachi Mehra ([email protected])

Oorja Tapan ([email protected])

Radhika Boruah ([email protected])

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak ([email protected])

Anukriti Mishra ([email protected])

 

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