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World Student’s Day: An Ode to Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam

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‘Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.’ Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was one of the most loved Presidents of India. Due to his love for students and focus on promoting education, the United Nations declared his birthday,15th October  as ‘World Student’s Day’ in 2010.

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was a scientist who made India proud with his missile defence programme. His contributions to the Indian Space Research Organization are unforgettable. Numerous projects were headed by him such as the launch of the Rohini-1, Project Devil and Project Valiant, and, developing missiles.For his great contributions in improving the nuclear power of India, he is popularly known as the ‘Missile Man of India’. But his favourite job was teaching, and  that is how he wanted the world to remember him.Due to his love towards education, students, and his efforts in promoting education, United Nations declared his birthday as ‘World Student’s Day’ in 2010.

According to him, the modern ideology of being a well-learned person is to sharpen the merit of  a student. For any student, to rise from being average to an extraordinary one, only bookish knowledge was not sufficient, one should walk the paths of all branches, like theory, reading, understanding and its practical application. Dr.Kalam once said, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken adults”. Dr.Kalam believed that if children were moulded in their attitudes, values, ideas and, ideals, a better world with a hope for tomorrow could be achieved. The best method of education was by imparting behavior patterns. Teachers and parents should behave in such a way as to instill values in children. Enlightened behavior of parents fosters a spiritual and moral atmosphere at home. According to Dr. Abdul Kalam, knowledge has many forms. Knowledge is acquired through education, information and experience. Ironically, all through school, we were taught to read, write, and speak but never to listen and even today, the situation is the similar. Dr. Abdul Kalam considered the children of India the future of the country and always showed his deep concern over the increasing atrocities being perpetrated against them.

His sudden demise on July 27, 2015 shocked the nation. Dr.Kalam passed away doing what he loved best i.e. teaching. Delivering a lecture to the students of Indian Institute of Management Shillong, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam fell down the stage suffering a stroke and passed away on the spot. The entire nation grieved his demise irrespective of caste, creed, location or religion.

Feature Image Credits: NDTV

Anoushka Sharma

[email protected]

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News

Commerce Student, Short on Money, Kidnaps 3-year-old

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College students are always short on cash, no matter how much pocket allowance they are given. In order to make up for the difference, they adopt different tactics. Some cut down on wasteful expenditure, while others take tutions or do internships but what a first year commerce Student from Ramanujan College did to bridge the gap between revenue and expenditure, will leave you stumped.
According to media, in an attempt to acquire easy money, first year commerce student, accompanied by her brother, studying in class XII, kidnapped their landlords three-year-old son. They demanded a ransom of INR 50 Lakh to release the child.
Initially, an amount of INR 5 Crores was demanded as ransom by the duo. However, the not-so-good-at-bargaining commerce student settled for INR 50 lakh. The negotiations were carried out over WhatsApp, the internet connection for which, came through an internet hotspot. What’s interesting here, is that the duo had been planning this since August, and had rented a room in the nearby area to hold the child in. News 18 reported that, “Based on a missing complaint filed by the victim’s father on Thursday, a case was registered at the Vasant Kunj police station.”
Adding to these details, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Delhi-Southwest), mentions that the woman and her brother were arrested from their home within 24 hours of this incident. The child has been rescued and is now safe. During investigation, it was revealed that the accused demanded the ransom amount from the victim’s father through whatsapp messages, Devender Arya, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) said.
This incident brings to light the decrepit condition of the student pocket allowances and the raising criminal tendency. It must be noted here, that under such circumstances, the parents must be approached for raises, rather than children be kidnapped.
Feature Image Credits: The Telegraph
Aashish Jain
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Campus Central

An Obvious Case of DUSU and the Fake Degrees

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The recent unwrapping of the Ankiv Baisoya’s fake degree case brings with it harsh truths about elections and raises a question on the trustworthiness of nomination credentials.

On the 13th of September 2018, Ankiv Baisoya was appointed as the President of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU). Recently, his college degree has been put to the question, accusing him of providing the authorities with a fake one. He is currently pursuing Masters in the Buddhist Studies program from the Department of Buddhist Studies, University of Delhi (DU). It would’ve been surprising if such a case happened for the first time, but the Rocky Tuseed case had already paved a way for expecting more such instances.

Ankiv Basisoya won with total votes of 20,467, marking a clear difference of 2000 votes from his opponent. The whole faith and belief that people as voters have on their leaders stand in question when one gets to know that their preferred candidate has based himself on false foundations. As a voter, one invests a lot of time and effort during the whole process of elections.

The public’s support towards any leader is based on the promises that they make in their manifestos or other public gatherings. We are offered what the leaders want us to know and that’s about it. These promises, however, turn out mostly to be hollow and fake. During the DUSU Elections, people were being offered movie tickets, free food, etc, The voters, at times get blinded by the misty fog of sweetness and pretentiousness that hides dark and unlawful secrets. All the assurances of a “better tomorrow” or “bright future” that seemed promising and fancy at first, slowly lose its charm.

Of course, in a democratic system (India, being one of the largest democracies in the world), the public is the one who has an upper hand and can elect the leaders of their choice. But when the public itself falls into the ditches of fake promises or indifference, or the chosen leader turns out to be a bad choice, the belief system lays tarnished on the grounds of false pretences. And most importantly, puts a big question mark on the honesty and authenticity of the political party as a whole. In Rocky Tuseed’s case, for example, since his criminal records came forward and he was exposed openly in front of the public. The party that he was representing, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) had to bear the effect of his actions in the DUSU Elections of 2018, by winning only one post (that of the Joint Secretary) out of four.

Amidst all the uncertainty surrounding this kind of a condition, the most certain idea that takes birth is – that if such a situation can arise during the election procedure in one of the best universities of the country, why can’t it happen in the national elections? Already, our current Prime Minister is embroiled in controversies surrounding his educational qualifications.

Maxwell’s saying that “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way” will lie somewhere deep, buried inside the earth if such an event ever unfolds in the national election. Because then, an inevitable question will present itself: What even is the ‘way’?

Image Credits: Ankiv Basoya, Facebook

Akshada Shrotryia

[email protected]

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sex amma

Sex Amma Talks Role Play

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Dear Munchkins, having Dosa and Chutney every day might get a bit boring so have a little Pizza today. This is for all you people who are thinking of experimenting with Role Playing. Fret not, Amma is here for you ready with her saucy and spicy advice.

To all my machas and machis, the most important thing is asking for consent. Be vocal about your desires and fantasies. Don’t shy away from telling the chef if you want more seasoning or cheese on your Pizza before, during, or after. The Pizza might seem too hot at first so cut boundaries to comfortably navigate through and once you dig in, it gets more palatable.

My lovely munchkins, to devour the utmost pleasure, do not overdo or overstress. Sometimes, simple prompts work best. Even if it’s one sentence like, “You didn’t do your homework” or “Who’s a bad boy?”, it can be a huge turn on. Talking through your fantasies can also work better than playing them out.

Don’t be afraid to use props. You can also add garlic breadsticks on the side. Avoid using any extremely salty sides in the beginning. If it involves something that is triggering or violent, be careful with the hotplate.

If you like having a lot of Red Chilli on your Pizza, it is always handy to have a glass of Sprite next to you. Decide a safe word with your partner that you can use to stop the role play immediately. It’s okay if you get uncomfortable during it, say the safe word and let your partner know you’d like to take a break or stop.

As a sample menu, these are the different types of Pizzas you could try, “masseuse- customer”,“nurse- doctor”, “patient-doctor”.

Do tell the chef if you liked their dish. Appreciate each other throughout the process because a little validation serves as a great confidence boost. No one knows what they’re doing either but try to enjoy the process and be ready to laugh at yourself.

If the Pizza is delivered before time, it’s not a bad idea to give the delivery boy a tip! And if you don’t enjoy it, you can always leave a bad review on Zomato (by simply letting your partner know).

Always remember, my munchkins, the bill becomes unaffordable if you forget to use contraceptives.

That’s it from Amma for this week! Hope you’re feeling all excited and ready. If you’re looking for ways to initiate it, showing/mentioning this to your partner might work!


 

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DUB Speak

377 in and India Inclusivity Inc.

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This article traces the role of major corporations in navigating the changes that arose with the decriminalization of homosexuality. 

During the month of September in the University of Delhi, the rainbow flag’s ubiquity was evident in corporate advertisements, from billboards, to logos and tweets—all decorated with the rainbow symbol of defiance and acceptance. This raises questions about the role that these corporations played in a long-standing struggle, that is far from over?

With the scrapping of certain aspects of Section 377 of the Indian Constitution, came a wave of support from major corporations like Infosys, Google, Swiggy, Flipkart, Infosys, Uber, Ola, Google Pay, and IBM. In their fixtures and fittings, brands were adopting the rainbow sign as if it were ingrained in their social conscience. It was expected because legal recognition of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, Transgender (LGBTQ) community rendered them as potential consumers, and shocking because the corporations had nothing to do with the said movement and its struggles. The companies coming out in celebration of the landmark Supreme Court verdict is applaudable, but it begs an essential question, yet to be answered—does this support hold any intrinsic value or sincerity, post legal validation?

Swiggy’s celebratory poster said, “Its not been a piece of cake, but we made it”. This was perceived by some members of the LGBTQ community as trivialising their struggles by implying Swiggy’s participation in it. Companies that had no role to play in the rebellion or the anticipation that led upto the judgement, adopted pro-LGBTQ ideals as a marketing strategy immediately after the verdict. Multinational Companies (MNCs) such as Nike and Netflix are far more open to proactively hiring and representing LGBTQ people (to the point where, a movie about the coming out experience is a blasé concept) than home-grown companies which might take longer to adopt it in the same way. The Godrej Group is one of India’s very few corporates to have well-defined, pro-LGBTQ policies, including benefits for partners, irrespective of their gender.

Barring Godrej, status quo sees the fate of this community confined within the cloistered settings of apathetic or inefficient workplace policies. The Kochi Metro case is a typical example of an ostensibly noble intention frustrated by the bitter reality of public prejudice. A few years ago, Kochi Metro Rail Limited, appointed 23 transgender people in different positions in its workforce. In the first week of their jobs, eight out of the 23 trans people, all of whom were trans women, quit.

A report by the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A), titled “Inclusion in India Inc.” stated that as many as 98% of companies surveyed said that they have not taken any concrete steps to make their workplace LGBTQ friendly or actively hire people from the community. Corporate influence cannot be understated in a mixed economy like ours and important issues revolving around individual identity, discrimination and safety shouldn’t be reduced to Corporate Social Responsibility events, Non Government Organisation donations, or seasonal social media posts.

 

Feature Image Credits: Swiggy India on Twitter

Nikita Bhatia

[email protected] 

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News

Applications for Admission into FMS are Now Open!

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Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) of the University of Delhi has started the registration process for the academic session 2019-2021. The last date to register is 20th November.

FMS offers one of the best and oldest (inaugurated in 1954) Post Graduate degree courses in Business in India; the alumni are in positions of leadership in industries & governments across the world. It offers various courses, including Masters in Business Administration (MBA), MBA-Executive, Management Development and a Doctoral Programme.

The admission process is extremely selective, with only a small fraction of aspirants making the cut. For the MBA programme, the candidate’s 12th Grade results, Undergraduate Degree results and CAT 2018 (Common Admission Test) Scores are taken into account. 

To encourage diversity of gender and discipline, different weightage will be given to the different sections of CAT. 30% will be given to Quant nd LRDI, while 40% will be given to VARC. 3 additional marks will be added to the composote score for female candidates for the purpose of shortlisting.

Eligibility-

Students need to score atleast 50% marks in their 10th and 12th Board exams and sufficient marks in CAT. The weightage given to all the aspects is as follows:

1. CAT 2018 Score – 60%
2. Marks obtained in Class X – 5%
3. Marks obtained in Class XII – 5%
4. Group Discussion – 10%
5. Extempore – 5%
6. Personal Interview – 15%

Subsequently, the candidate undergoes a series of vigorous group discussions, extempores and personal interviews. There are 200 seats, 50% of which are reserved for students from SC, ST, OBC, PWD, CW and FS categories.,

All candidates are required to register using the online portal www.fms.edu. The direct link to the admissions page is https://fmsadmissions.com. The opening date for the same was 8th October 2018 and the closing date is 20th November 2018. The registration fee is INR 1000 for General Category students, and INR 350 for other categories. The application fee is to be paid online.

 

DU Beat wishes all FMS aspirants all the very best!

 

Feature Image Credits: Faculty of Management Studies

Nikita Bhatia

[email protected]

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Campus Central

LSD: Lockup, Safety, and Dhoka, Inside Pinjra Tod’s All Night Protest 

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At four in the evening, a few people had assembled at the Faculty of Arts (Arts Fac.), North Campus on 8th October 2018. The scene was marked with several self-made posters displaying messages like ‘LSD- Lockup, Safety, Dhoka’ and ‘Tod do taale’ (break the locks).  This was the setting for Pinjra Tod’s all-night protest against curfew in girl’s hostel and many other issues such privatisation of education, accessibility, and equitable education.  Members of this organisation have always been on the forefront for being the voice against the regressive curfew timings of the hostels in the University of Delhi (DU). 

Image Credits: Mahi Panchal for DU Beat
Image Credits: Mahi Panchal for DU Beat

After a string of speeches explaining their agenda, the protestors went on to charge towards gate no. four of the University Enclave which lay ahead. Their main appeal was to have a demonstration outside the Vice Chancellor’s office. The VC along with the administration has mostly turned a deaf ear or made themselves unavailable to the hostel issues, as many members of Pinjra Tod pointed out. The protesters attacked the gate with hard fury but the guards were ready for the resistance. The demonstration outside this gate went for hours with girls even climbing over the sharp edges of the gate. They raised slogans like ‘Tod, tod, pinjra tod!’ and ‘Curfew todo ya, kursi chodo’.  Proctor Neeta Sehgal tried to reassure the protestors but her pleas to end the agitation were left unheard. 

Image Credits: Mahi Panchal for DU Beat
Image Credits: Mahi Panchal for DU Beat

Exasperated by the monotony, being denied entry to the VC lawns, and charged with an incentive to make the cause known to others, they now marched on the road, yelling the slogans with full might outside Miranda House hostel and setting the stage for the finale at Vishwavidyalya Metro Station. What followed at the crossing of the Chatra Marg and G.T. Karnal Road was the formation of a huge human chain. They sang songs of protest, stopped cars, and tried explaining the passers-by their cause. When asked about this disruption by several agitated commuters on the road, a few protesters explained how this radical action is necessary and their voice needs to be heard by everyone as a silent sitting protest at Arts Fac does not raise anyone’s brows anymore (especially the Vice Chancellor’s). The police was also handling the situation calmly at the start.  However, the situation turned ugly a few minutes later when some of the students were manhandled and pushed away from the traffic which they had brought to a halt. “In my 10 years of service I have never seen a bunch of women block the road for over three hours,” said a police constable on duty.

 

The banter and the chanting went on till 10 p.m. when the protesters marched back to gate number four. The gates never opened but Pinjra Tod stayed at the spot. Representatives from the Delhi University Teachers’ Association also extended solidarity to the cause. Through their earlier initiatives, Pinjra Tod managed to secure a legal recognition for their cause from the Delhi Council for Women. “Pinjra Tod’s fight is not over yet. It’s to be seen how the administration would respond to this protest. Probably it would it keep their lips sealed, prompting us to shout out the demands through an even grander display resistance,” said a protester, as she hurriedly walked towards the metro station, having missed her PG curfew of 10 p.m. 

Image Credits: Mahi Panchal for DU Beat
Image Credits: Mahi Panchal for DU Beat

Feature Image Credit: Mahi Panchal for DU Beat

Shaurya Thapa 

[email protected] 

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Campus Central

JNU to Start MCQ Entrance Exam with More Than One Correct Option

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A new method of entrance examination has been devised by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) where marking more than one option would not be considered incorrect and will be evaluated accordingly.

Jawaharlal Nehru University is set to introduce objective type questions for the next entrance examinations. The entrance will have multiple choice questions in checkboxes where the students can select more than one correct option. The online entrance is scheduled to take place in December this year. Comprehensive and detailed work is going on with experts to work on this model of examination.

Earlier, in July 2018, the University decided to start online entrance examinations from the next academic session. This was among many decisions taken up during the 146th Academic Council meeting in July. A number of other issues to bring about major improvements in academic and research activities of the students were also taken up. Many academic council members felt that this decision would bring fairness and efficiency to the admission process.

While speaking to DU Beat, Oorja, a student of JNU said, “The students are against the objective entrance test. It is going to hamper the ethos of the University.  It is very important for the students to have a subjective test at least in M.A. There are many students who appear in JNU entrance exam who have a little knowledge of the internet and it’s working. It’s basically a move by the Vice Chancellor of the University, making JNU work like another university in the country. The question paper will also be outsourced with examiners from outside formulating the questions. This looks like a move towards privatisation. Nivedita Menon and KM Chenoy are two faculty members who are opposing this move endlessly. ”

Sudhir Suthar, Secretary of Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) said, “The Teachers Association is against the move by the University. This system of examination is itself questionable since JNU campus has internet connectivity issues and there are a number of students from rural backgrounds as well as students from North-east and other parts of India who do not know how to operate on the ongoing technology. The examination centres earlier had some regional autonomy but with this move, they are going to lose their autonomy. The students used to get some help manually in understanding certain things earlier but now the students will have to do all of it on their own.”

Anoushka Sharma

[email protected]

Feature Image Credits: Indian Education Review

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Events

Fight Night: The Road to Pinjratod’s Upcoming All Night Protest

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Despite several marches and protests, the curfew rules in several girls hostels in the University haven’t changed. Now, the organisation Pinjratod, which has been on the forefront of this movement, has new plans.

Two days ago, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology saw a wave of uprising as the women students refused to enter the hostel till their curfew time was raised. Yesterday, students from Punjab University in Patiala too carried on their hunger strike against curfew timings, with one of the girls even suffering from a case of dengue. Meanwhile, all this week and today, the walls of North Campus are being enveloped by rectangular posters sporting reddish hues, posters calling out students for responding to the call of change echoing all over the nation, for joining Pinjratod’s all night indefinite protest.

Pinjratod has also been news in Delhi University with their bold approach in making PGs and hostels less regressive for women students. It started from one cause but now stands for many other injustices that students in the University of Delhi face. Thankfully, with recent protests erupting in different nooks and corners of the country on these very same issues, Pinjratod’s support is only increasing. Often, the case has been that boys hostels are found to have more flexible timings or curfew as compared to the hostels of their female counterparts, which is seen as unequal and unjustified by many. The dissatisfaction behind this can clearly be seen in examples mentioned above. However, this time, it seems like an all out demand against the authority as the indefinite protest is aimed at demanding a “complete removal of curfew for all girls hostels”.

A member of Pinjratod on the condition of anonymity states in conversation with the DU Beat correspondent, “The freedom of women students in university spaces has constantly been curtailed through the imposition of arbitrary curfews by hostels, under the pretext of “safety.” Pinjratod has been persistently raising demands with the DU authorities against the discriminatory curfews and the time has come we remind them again. A memorandum has been submitted to the Vice Chancellor, with the various demands regarding hostel allocation, curfew timings and fee structure, etc. As always, there has been no action taken by the authorities. It is about time we rise to the call of the muffled voices of the women students across colleges and we appeal to all women to join us for the indefinite protest that is to be held on Monday. This fight for liberation shall be maintained. Our oppression shall not be trivialised and this blatant sexism in the name of caution by our detainers shall not be normalised.”

Being promoted with the posters reading “DU against curfew”, the protest is set to start from 4 pm on the 8th of October. There are other allied demands such as need-based allocation of hostel seats (instead of merit) and strict implementation of SC, ST, OBC and PwD reservations in all women’s hostels. With many negotiations, aid by the Delhi Commission of Women (DCW) and scores of protests, the University hasn’t really nodded their heads to Pinjratod’s demands in the past. So, would this week’s effort by Pinjratod succeed in breaking the shackles of the University’s unequal hostel rules or would it again lead to inaction and further delays on the part of the authorities? That, only time will tell.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Shaurya Singh Thapa
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Campus Central

Delhi University Gears Up For NAAC Visit

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Delhi university forms mock teams and sends a questionnaire to various departments ahead of their NAAC visit.

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) will be visiting various departments of Delhi University between 29th to 31st October. The grading provided by this body is particularly important for the allotment of funds and grants to the varsity by University Grant Commission (UGC). It has lead to the University’s mock teams conducting checks and visits to various departments and faculties and ensuring they if they have been properly prepared for the visit. The administrations of various colleges and heads of departments were recently mailed with a questionnaire of 103 questions in this regard.

Questions such as does the DU department celebrate national festivals or observe the birth and death anniversaries of great Indian personalities? Is there a policy in place to check plagiarism? Are there committees in place to check student-related issues? Formed an integral part of the questionnaire. Student-centric issues such as complaints of sexual harassment, gender sensitisation, the safety of northeastern students, and steps to check ragging and hooliganism have to be taken into account. The questionnaire aimed to evaluate whether there was student participation in committees. They also took into account alumni associations in the department and whether they were constituted through fair and transparent periodic elections and their functions.

Questions regarding gender sensitivity as well as safety and counselling have also been included as important parameters. Another category which has been given great focus is the green practices in place, including paperless offices, have also been mentioned in the questionnaire. Apart from education-related facilities, the administration also wanted to know whether the college has held recreational activities, fresh parties and farewell for students, a professor further added.

Feature Image Credits: India Today

Bhavika Behal
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