Author

DU Beat

Browsing

Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) stands up against discriminatory hostel curfew timings for boys and girls.

A decision that has long been a contentious point of discussion and debate, the women’s hostels of the University of Delhi (DU) have traditionally set their curfew timings at a point earlier than those of their male counterparts, citing safety as the primary reason.

Residents of the University of Delhi’s women’s hostels have been out on a protest since the 27th of February, against various issues concerning the state of their hostels, primarily bringing up the issue of discriminatory curfew timings. Voices have also been raised against the lack of better amenities as well as the exorbitant fee system.

Protesters burnt an effigy of the Vice-Chancellor (VC)on the 9th March after repeated ignorance of their demands by the university administration. A female hosteler of the university, on the condition of anonymity, said, “I do support the cause of my fellow hostelers wholeheartedly but in my opinion, the burning of the VC’s effigy was a step too far”

Universities, organisations, student communities, and student activists have expressed support and solidarity with the hostelers’ protest, including the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) amongst others.

Akshit Dahiya, President of DUSU, came out in support of the female hostellers and while noting the importance and necessity of curfew timings in ensuring basic discipline and decorum among the hostellers, also stressed on the fact that it wasn’t logical to have separate timings for male and female hostels, terming the arrangement “discriminatory”.

Dahiya opined, “It should not be different for girls and boys. We are against that discrimination. There should be a certain time by which you are required to get back to the hostel.  Would you be coming and going as you wish in the middle of the night at home? Then why do it in the hostel?”

Chinmay Sahu, a student of Kirori Mal College termed the Students’ Union’s stand as “heartening” and said, “Going contrary to the wrongly prevalent stereotype of the Union leaders looking for only personal gains, this stand by them shall certainly go a long way in strengthening the will and cause of the protesters”.

The administration of the University, including the wardens and provosts of various hostels, are yet to give a reply to the ongoing developments.

“The decision to have separate curfew timings for male and female hostelers is audacious and reeks of sexism. If it is 6 pm for girls, it should be 6 pm for boys. If it is 10 pm for boys, it should be 10 pm for girls. It is time we remove traditional arrangements which go against gender equality,” opined a female hosteler of the University, on the condition of anonymity.

 

Featured Image Credits: Edex Live

 

Araba Kongbam

[email protected]

It’s been almost 100 years since this revolutionary slogan surfaced in the battle of freedom and over the years the landscape has changed, but the non- redundancy of  tyranny and resistance to it simultaneously, still calls for shouts of Inquilab.

My early encounter with the groundbreaking term happened as a kid when my mother would read from the local urdu daily called, The Inquilab. I asked her what the title meant and she smiled and replied with one word- “Revolution.”

Over the years history taught us with the valor and greatness of our freedom fighters against the rules of colonial British. One such was an episode which happened on 8th April 1929 outside Delhi’s Legislative Assembly where an announcement with regards to the Public Safety Bill and Trade Dispute Bill had to take place. This law enforcement would result in protests being labelled as ‘illegal’ and imprisonment of any individual without any trial (present day Kashmir). To impede such draconian laws an explosion happened outside the assembly and “Inquilab Zindabad!” was clamoured in the air by  legendary Martyrs Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt. This chapter in history marked the highlight of the immortal slogan.

Many fall victim of crediting the origin of the famous slogan to Shaheed Bhagat Singh himself, however it has its roots in Mexico where people resisted against more than thirty years of dictator Porfirio Díaz with “Viva La Revolution!” which is Spanish for “long live revolution!.”  This travelled across oceans and inspired Urdu poet Maulana Hasrat Mohani in 1921 to give the world it’s catchphrase which was given new heights when used by Bhagat Singh and is very dominantly used in today’s time of protest linguistics: ‘Inquilab Zindabad.’

However some self proclaimed nationalists and others sprew skepticism over the use of this phrase by today’s youth which stands in resistance to the party in power. They claim the present protest culture to be flawed and opposed to true nationalistic approaches. Few arguments extend to mark the use of Inquilab as mere instruments of capitalism and accuse commercialisation of Inquilab amidst the protest culture. With commodified Inquilab on t-shirts, wall posters, etc there’s a taint on the visionary and glorious phrase of revolution.

The people who are worried over the selling of Inquilab although ironically (or hypocritically- which it has a limit) also buy the products which are of the umbrella company which sells nationalism quite openly.

Image Caption:  Image Credits: Twitter
Image Caption: Patanjali products endorsing nationalism.                                 Image Credits: Twitter

Big words are so quickly attached to the small scale sellers of the roadside who sell the so called ‘nationalism’ to people and on the contrary big businesses bloom with marketing and manipulation without much hindrances. There also is a possibility that some consumers buy the merchandise to be woke wannabes but nothing can undermine the greater cause that Inquilab has brought in the line of protest culture.

Since its inception about a century ago resistance has flourished from the youth- Inquilab has travelled time, distance, and unfortunately to some extent: Marxism, but undeniably it’s a spirit and motivation to unite and call for in times of change for progress, and in all healthy spirit will echo from the public to counter malign forces of power today, tomorrow and more hundred years of time to come.

INQUILAB ZINDABAD!

Feature Image Credits: Frieze

Umaima Khanam

[email protected]

In the race of life, at times we must hit the pause button and introspect on our choices and the path ahead.

What a roller coaster ride 2020 has been! We haven’t even reached the quarter of the year and already so many events, some cherishing, and others scaring us to death, have unfolded. The atmos, especially in colleges, is much amped up due to department and college fests; the ongoing, deeply worrying political and social status quo of the nation and of course, the samey anxiety of attendance, assignments and internals.   There was no better way to discover that the most common motivation mantra of our parents “Abhi mehnat karlo, college mein toh aish hai (Work hard now, college is no sweat)” was the biggest con trick of our lives. But like Sisyphus doomed to push a rock uphill for eternity, we, students push on; no matter what.

It is only natural that most students are distressed, face fatigue, loss of interest and lack of focus. If we keep ignoring our physical and mental well – being, the stress can snowball into being overwhelming and lead to serious health problems. Thus, it is imperative to realize the importance of taking a break. The approaching mid – semester break offer us all the perfect opportunity to take some real time off. It has been scientifically proven that vacations and taking short breaks, that give some physical and psychological space from everyday activities, are very rewarding. They boost your memory, spark your creativity, help to build focus and make better decisions. By interrupting the stress cycle, one stands at a better position to restore one’s physical and mental bliss. Taking a break is often labelled as being lazy and wastage of time. Videos and articles on ‘How to survive on 4 hours of sleep or How to work 22 hours per day’ appear almost every month. Being a workaholic is not a bad thing as long as due attention is paid to one’s draining of productivity battery.

So in addition to taking a break, it is vital to make your breaks effective. The effectiveness of breaks depends on an individual’s interests but should chiefly serve the purpose of relaxing your brain. For instance, although enjoyable, a recent survey by Huffington Post found that activities like social networking can significantly increase stress. There are numerous things one can do during his/her break like based on one’s amusements and size of one’s pocket, taking a vacation, staycation or playcation, indulging in hobbies, hanging out with friends and family, catching up on the sleep lost in binging Netflix and/or Prime.

Bill Gates, in one of his interviews said, “I think you could over worship and mythologize the idea of working extremely hard. For my particular makeup — and it really is true that I didn’t believe in weekends; I didn’t believe in vacations.…Once I got into my 30s, I could hardly even imagine how I had done that. Because by then, some natural behavior kicked in, and I loved weekends.” He also reads an hour before bed each night and takes a ‘Think Week’ a year to get away and just read and reflect alone. It is true that success demands sacrifice and persistence but it what good will come if we are not healthy enough to reap and enjoy its fruits?

In the end, ‘keep on keeping on’, but is totally fine if at some moment you just sit back, appreciate what you have and ponder over your locus in the universe.

Feature Image Credit: PC Mag UK

Ipshika Ghosh

[email protected]

 

Getting admitted to the best college or university? Graduating with a high GPA? Becoming the CEO of a Multi-National Company? Or rolling around in dollar bills? In short, being ridiculously amazing at everything? 

Well, that’s where I disagree.

We all have our own versions of being ‘Extraordinary’. The things mentioned above are the universally set standards which are used to judge and actually criticize how much a person is ‘ordinary’. Just so you know, having the courage to follow your dreams is better than having to live up to all these expectations just to PROVE the world that you are something which you probably don’t even want to be in the first place.

I believe that we all are extraordinary as per our own standards. And let me tell you, spending half of your life being a world-class manager of a company that you don’t even like, doing a 9-5 job which is extremely boring and working your ass off is soooo ‘ordinary’. For me, getting to pursue and excel at what I love would be the most extraordinary life that I could imagine for myself.

Varada, a high school student said “I think that people often lose sight of their dreams as they grow older and fall into the “ordinary” lifestyle. By seeing that lifestyle as “normal”, people just accept that and stop thinking outside the box or about the things they once used to dream of. Those dreams just become irrational thoughts that will never turn to reality. Expectations and pressure mould us into a person we don’t recognize but are forced to live with. It’s up to a person if they give in to the society or if they choose to be their own person.”

However, on the contrary, keeping in mind the diverse human mindset, Arnav, an engineering student said, “I feel ordinary and extraordinary is a relative concept. So, I feel it depends completely on the person, what their expectations are and if they’re happy with their seemingly “ordinary” expectations, probably because it means a lot to them. At the end of the day, if you’re satisfied with the work that you’ve put in to achieve your goals, then no expectations are too ordinary.”

Life is extraordinary when you walk that ‘extra’ mile, take that leap of faith, and believe in yourself and your vision of life, making your dream a living reality. Working towards what you want rather than what others want you to have is the first step in being happy and ‘extraordinary’.

Shaurya Thapa, Web Editor, DU Beat added a rather different stance and said, “So, I for one feel ordinary expectations is fine, but it depends from person to person. At least in youth, a person should have high aspirations but then an equal amount of effort needs to be put with it. Even if we fail despite all that, it’s fine to have little ordinary expectations then, as at least we tried.”

At the end, one shouldn’t let people who are drowning in their own misery of not being able to achieve their ‘extraordinary’ goals, tell you how to achieve yours.

Feature Image Credits: Career Pivot

Anukriti Mudgil 

[email protected]

 

The gushing economic repercussions of the Corona virus recrudescence in China is rapidly manifesting across the world which is evident by the recent announcements by big businesses like Microsoft, Apple, and many more reflecting how the virus is harrowing consumer behavior and business sentiment.

Many analysts and thinkers have compared this epidemic with the 2002 SARS epidemic, which didn’t have a very profound impact on the financial markets. This comparison is not quite right, since the dependence and reliance of the global market and the importance of China in the world economic system has ginormously increased. China constituted 4.31% of the world’s GDP in 2002 and currently the numbers are as high as 16%.

Global markets have been benumbed by Apple’s recent cut of its sales forecast due to the potential impact of the virus on the supply chains as well as the plunge of demand in China. Further, there has been a major sag in the German investor sentiment due to apprehensions that the outbreak will affect the germinal recovery in global manufacturing. A major frangibleness for the American and European companies is their increasing dependence solely on factories in China for parts and materials. The activity of Chinese manufacturing factories have plunged due to the outbreak and shows no sign of resurgence which may stifle down thousands of companies and force them to temporarily shut assembly and manufacturing plants. A few companies already have temporarily stopped their production, like Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, who recently announced that it is temporarily halting its production at its car plant in Serbia isn’t able to receive parts from China.  Even the large Indian drug sector has also been hit, since Indian drug producers depend upon China for around 70% of the active ingredients used in making their medicines. As a consequence, India, which is the biggest global supplier of generic drugs, has restricted exports of 26 ingredients and the medicines made from them and hence, there could be a global shortage if the epidemic continues. Further, the 30 billion dollar domestic smartphone market, world’s second largest now, will also see major disruptions. Apart from these, there are a whole lot of other sectors dependent on China like toys, furniture, computers, cars, etc.

Joining the bandwagon of companies cutting down their growth forecast, Mastercard announced a 2%-3% fall, because mostly people are avoiding international trips. Many companies have suspended international tours of employees, fearing the virus. Even the payments firm Visa announced a fall in its growth, amid the fall in cardholders’ spending overseas.

Another factor that may affect companies is the sag in investor sentiment. Investors are becoming more reluctant to lend companies money. Banks have also rigidified lending norms. Stocks of major American Banks like Bank Of America, and Citigroup all have majorly plummeted because of the investors thinking concerns of the outbreak may have a huge effect on the banks.

However, many companies and businesses have also shown a bit of optimism and hope for the situation to get better. Companies like Volkswagen announced that it expects its deliveries to be in line with last year’s. Apple has also shown hope that the situation in China will improve, with apple CEO Tim Cook telling an American news channel When you look at the parts that are done in China, we have reopened factories.Many companies also are expressing about the large amount of business that they will have once the outbreak fades out.

The outbreak also provides an opportunity to countries like India to expand their exports, although the complications in the Indian manufacturing ecosystem make it hard for India to benefit from the global disruption in trade. Hence, in order to tap in the gains due to this disruption, the Make In India campaign must be boosted and incentives of lower labor costs must be worked on. Investments from Chinese companies have also helped the local manufacturing. Chinese companies are also expanding their manufacturing in India. Automobile companies like SAIC, and GM motors have announced huge investments of thousands of crores and other Chinese companies like TCL Corp, and TV maker SkyWorth have announced plans to manufacture in India.

Abhinandan Kaul

[email protected]

Feature Image Credits: BBC

Feature Image Caption: Corona virus has majorly impacted global economy

 

Dear Amma, I have been in a committed relationship for years, and want to spice things up in bed. What can I do to improve my boring, vanilla sex life?

Ah, my little dosa,
You have come to the right person searching for the right answers. If you want to spice things up and improve your vanilla sex life, why not put some tadka and vanilla in it, literally?

A hungry mind seeks pleasure in everything. Why not combine hungerwith pleasure? A tinge bit of Nutella, a drop of honey, a lick of whipped cream, or a scoop of ice-cream. Macchi, it is essential to understand that experimenting and eating involves a lot of conversations, deliberations, and consent.

A flavoured popsicle, and a flavoured condom should go hand in hand. Amma remembers her teenage movies which used cherries, strawberries, and grapes to heat things up. As the act of coitus involves a lot of fluids, don’t bring in much of fluidity into bed. However, a dripping and melting ice cube surely soothes the raging body temperature.

For Amma, the way to her heart is through her tummy, thus, combining both the intrinsic survival instincts is a heaven’s paradise.

However, to each its own, it is essential to keep some edibles out of your private parts. Look idli, vaginas maintain their own pH balance and certain foods mess them up. Sticky pubic hair, irritation, rashes might kill the mood, and it is best to keep the edibles above your waist.

The thought of dripping chocolate, sensuous eyes, and goosebumps with sliding ice cubes is 50 Shades of Grey in one frame. However, don’t be disappointed the first time, no sambhar is perfect the first time. Some people don’t like sambhar at all, you might just be into chutney or rasam.

(For more sex related queries, write to Sex Amma at [email protected].)

Sex Amma

[email protected]

The Indian attire saree goes centuries back to the Indus Valley Civilisation, and has transformed rapidly. Saree is a social evidence to the evolving Indian culture.

The evolution of saree moves parallel to the history of India, representing that it is not just a simple garment worn by Indian woman, but a symbol of India’s past, present, and future. Saree, a garment as traditional as it can be, yet represents contemperary women, with diverse choices. However, it has been wildly sexualised by Bollywood, with its tip-tip brass paani, yet saree was a choice of fierce women. This International Women’s Day, bask in the glory of Saree.

Ancient India

Called the ‘Sattika’, the attire consisted of a three-piece poshak which was an ensemble of antriya, the lower garment, uttariya, a veil worn over the shoulder and the head, and a stanapatta, a chest band, which later evolved into a choli.

Mughal Period

The Mughals contributed not only to the architecture of India, but also to its dress sense. This period focused on a bright and lavish saree look. The Mughals perfected the art of stitching and had a great fascination with silk clothes. This era was obsessed with elegant, embroidery-rich, silk clothes. The modern way of draping sarees originated during this period. This period made the sari look very royal and graceful.

British Raj

Indian women owe the modern jewelled pins and brooches for the draping of saris to the British, who transformed the way Indian women used to dress to suit their own rules. Many British colonies adopted western clothing during the British rule, but India held onto its traditional clothing.

The Late 90s

The late 90s focused mainly on the colour and the fabric. Highly influencedby Bollywood, this period witnessedwomen wearing bolder colours with sheer chiffon fabric, embracing and accepting, more than ever.

The 2000s

This era witnessed ample experiments with the traditional saree. Apart from colour and fabric, the way of draping saree also saw major changes. The concept of fusing with the western look was attained in the early 2000s giving the traditional saree, a stunning, and wholesome look.

Saree is widely diverse when it comes to the geography of India, blessed with the cultural diversity of our nation. There’s no particular style that can define the beauty of this Indian attire, as it evolves to something even more mesmerising with every state we cross, and every cultural difference we comprehend.

Feature Image Source:  Ashwini Iyer for DU Beat

Avni Dhawan

[email protected]

This piece is an overview of Stan culture in India, from the lens of Bollywood Stan Twitter.

The way in which pop culture has been consumed in 2010s has changed the landscape of, what means to be a fan of an entity or a production. Social media has drafted a hyper reality based conundrum, which is responsible for bridging the gap between the idol and the fan but, stitching itself into the aggressiveness and hostility of online trolls.

Stan Twitter is a section of Twitter dedicated to celebrities, even to the most harmful lengths. It is a by-product of a widespread Stan culture, which took its roots in the appreciation and love for a person, but has now reared its ugly head to become a pressing issue for those who surf the Internet.

While some say the term is a combination of a “fan” and “stalker,” “Stan” was first coined in 2000, when Eminem dropped a twisted allegory in a song called Stan, about a man who was pushed to the edge when his idol wouldn’t answer his fan mail. The word used to be synonymous with overzealous or obsessed. But nearly 20 years later, it’s become a badge of honour for fans, who show enough commitment to go all out for their favourite star on the Internet.

Bollywood Stan Twitter, contrary to popular opinion, consists of a worldwide audience, all of whom are part of pockets of fandoms where they spend time celebrating their favourite artists.

In the conditions of anonymity, a Stan Twitter user said, “I once tweeted that I didn’t think Tamasha was a good enough movie that warrants such appreciation. Never had I thought, that a harmless opinion I had tweeted out whilst in a conversation with a friend would become a source of violent threats, from the fans of the movie; ranging from death to me and my family.”

They added, “Twitter has blessed me with some really good friends but after a point it got extremely toxic for me and started to affect my mental health real bad. For instance, I tweeted about Salman Khan’s criminal records once and his fans crowded my mentions with rape threats. I had to lock my account and delete it for awhile. The place is filled with negativity and, yet most of us are addicted.”

Kalyan, who has been a part of Bollywood Stan Twitter for 7 years now said, “Stan Twitter is a great bonding experience for us, a kind of escape from our gruelling personal lives where we can find dependable friendships. However, it gets taxing because of the blind way people defend their idols, despite their wrongdoings. There’s both a negative and positive side to it, both of which can’t be discounted.”

It’s a rarity that fans ever hold their idols accountable, in a lexicon as infused by toxicity and immaturity. However, little over a year ago, fans of actress, Deepika Padukone, started a trend, #notmydeepika after she and Ranbir Kapoor, were spotted with Luv Ranjan, a director who’s been accused of sexual harassment and is infamous for his movies based on misogynistic ideals. The trend reached national publications and, as of today, Deepika is not doing the movie, even though Ranbir is.

This entire Culture raises some pressing questions, “Why do these things happen? Why do hordes of fans maliciously attack critics? Why do Stans behave in such an obsessive manner?”

Haaniyah, Culture Critic explains, “Some say that social media is to blame and that isn’t a completely ludicrous view. As stated earlier, Stans existed long before the age of the Internet, but the anonymity and the mass reach of social media, allows harassment and stalking to be extremely harmful while sheltering them from consequences. You can’t get a restraining order against an anonymous person who could use various accounts to stalk you. If Stans are harassing those critiquing their favourite celebrity, blocks may prove futile, as they could make uncountable new accounts, and online harassment may continue until the aggressors get bored or the target finally gives in and deletes their account, whatever.”

The over-saturation and popularisation of Standom has cemented a kind of obsessive behaviour that earlier existed at the fringes of society – one which was punishable by law, by the widespread nature of social media prohibits that too. The invasion of privacy, obsessive fantasies, aggression and possessiveness, absolute disregard for others’ well being- these are not the marks of a true fan. Stan Twitter, however, will troll me for saying this.

Feature Image Credits: NME

Paridhi Puri

[email protected]

With a release of a notification on the University of Delhi’s (DU’s) website, the Examination Committee has declared that Dharam Shiksha will be added to the list of Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course (AECC) subjects.

In a surprising turn of events, The DU Vice Chancellor, has announced his plans to introduce Dharam Shiksha as a compulsory AECC subject from 2021. Currently, there are two AECC subjects, English Communications and Environmental Science (EVS), both of which are taught in the first year.
The new AECC subject, Dharam Shiksha will be based mostly on the Hindu Mythology and the Vedas, taught in either the third or the fourth semester on the discretion of the college.
Dr. Yojesh Tyagi, Vice Chancellor (VC), DU, said, “After intense discussions and deliberations on this pressing issue, we have decided that it is of utmost importance that our students learn about Hindu culture and history. We feel that studying Ramayana and Mahabharata along with other scripts will help students forge a life which is holistic. It will teach them to stay away from material sins.”
While this has been the justification given by the VC as to why there is a need for this course, the Officiating Librarian, DU, Dr. Narendra Kumar said, “Yes there is a need for this kind of a course, but there could have been inclusion of texts from all religions and cultures, given how DU is such a culture-rich University.”
The syllabus has been said to include the teachings of not just the sacred texts, but also the life lessons of many in the Indian History. This would include Biographies and Autobiographies of Swami Dayanand, Mahatma Hansraj, Swami Shraddhanand, Swami Virjanand, and many more. The Committee feels that the history and life lessons of these people is something unexplored by many college students.
The Committee has refrained from including concepts like idol worship a nd violence during the independence period so as to not harm the sentiments of any community. Rajan Kalra, a first year student of Dyal Singh Evening College, said “They want to inculcate the ideas of a moral life in college students who already live in a rebellious phase of their lives, they (college students) would directly try to oppose any moral education being taught to them, and also, it would be an additional subject which will be more of a reason for the hatred towards this decision.”

Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is only to be appreciated and not accepted!

Feature Image Credits: Snapdeal

Prabhanu Kumar Das

[email protected]

Akshat Arora

[email protected]

Keeping in mind the situation in the country, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has advised colleges in the University of Delhi (DU) to educate people about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

In a notice dated 3rd February 2020, Kedar Burande, from the office of the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, has directed colleges to host weekly CAA awareness workshops in order to “change and influence the perception of students so that they don’t fall prey to misinformation campaigns and instead focus on nationalistic activities that in the long run will benefit the nation.”

A contact from the Vice Chancellor’s office, who requested to remain anonymous, said “We’d been expecting this notification for some time now. A framework has already been decided on and we have informed colleges of the same. Colleges that do not make this compulsory will be penalised, both the University administration and the Government will be looking at this very closely.”

“It is important to understand that students need to move on from these petty issues and focus on their academics. These student protests have caused huge inconvenience to everyone and should stop.” said a member from ABVP.

What remains to be seen, is the reaction of the student community towards this manifestation. Are the students going to actively participate in the workshops, or are they going to completely boycott them, remaining indifferent towards these policies of the administration.

Feature Image Credits: Avni Dhawan for DU Beat

 

Khush Vardhan Dembla 

[email protected]