Miranda House organised the manifesto reading session of their students union as well as the DU students union elections, on 6th of September. Students showed overwhelming support for All India Students Association (AISA) and Students Federation of India while ABVP was questioned regressively.
The manifesto reading witnessed a huge turnout. Candidates standing for the post of MH students union read out their Manifestoes and answered a plethora of questions from students.
This was followed by manifesto readings of the Presidential candidates for DUSU from various parties. Kawalpreet Kaur, AISA’s presidential candidate hit a chord with the students and received an overwhelming support. She was questioned later for the allegations of rape against Anmol Ratan, one of AISA’s members from JNU. She condemned the act and appreciated the fact that their party took a strong position against one of their own and had even requested immediate arrest.
DU-ABVP’s president, Abhishek Verma came next in the line to read out his party’s manifesto. The audience starting pitching questions at him as soon as he took to the podium. In fact, the functional college union had to control and convince students into listening to ABVP’s manifesto first.
As soon as the ABVP manifesto was over, students started questioning the party’s ideology and it’s position on the issues of dissent, debate and especially gender. Allegations such as instances of eve teasing, the harassment of two Quint Journalist and Pinjra Tod activists by members of ABVP, among others were directed against the party.
SFI’s presidential candidate, Navjeet Punia, who is also a student at Miranda House, addressed the audience later and was received well.
Polling for both DUSU and MHSU elections will be held in Miranda House on 9th of September.
DU Beat wishes all the candidates a very Good Luck!
Every day is a new battle and you need to give in all that you’ve got. Wary my dear friend, I don’t intend to fill your head with the clichéd philosophies of life but the real struggles both you and I face each morning. I am talking about the struggle of getting up early, getting ready (trying to look socially acceptable in college), fighting for MNS (minimum necessary space) and air in the Delhi Metro and trying to reach college just in time so that the professor lets you in, failing which would make all your efforts go in vain.
But this struggle reaches a whole new level when it comes to the early morning classes. And if you’re not a morning person, oh boy, I pity you. (And empathise as well).
There are certain things which are a little too relatable to everyone with early morning classes:
Getting up before the sun. Students who put up in places far away from their colleges have to wake up as early 5:30 in the morning so as to make the hour and a half long metro voyage and reach on time. And when you’re heavy on late night assignments, you’re going to have some serious troubles boarding the right metro with all that drowsiness. Unless, of course, your accommodation is at a 5 minutes’ walk from your college. It gets extremely difficult to stay awake during the lectures, unless you know the art of sleeping with your eyes wide open; especially if it’s that one particular subject (or professor). And by the time you reach your last lecture, you are totally exhausted which makes you less attentive even during the lectures you like.
Even if you make it for the class on time, you would succeed in getting the attendance but it gets difficult to gauge what the professor is saying because of the drowsiness. Everything done in the class seems hazy and comes back to you in bits and pieces. ‘Everything seems like a copy of a copy of a copy!’
And against all odds, when you give your best and embark on to the journey, getting a text of class being ‘cancelled’ has a propensity of annoying you more than anything else in the whole wide world!
But despite all, there are some nice things about early morning classes as well. Like you are likely to get more than the MNS in the metro. And who knows? You might even get a seat if stars are in your favour!
Also, the campus in those early hours has its own charm. The placidity and only a few people around, lets you have your own quiet time at your favourite spot. A hot cup of coffee on a cold winter morning at such times has the capacity to solve the greatest of your problems!
So it all boils down to how you embrace it. If you can wipe those sleepy eyes and dare to see beyond those lullaby-like lectures, you might just find your peace of mind battling the morning sun and a minute or two of pure solace and if not, well, pray that your professor doesn’t catch you dozing off!
Human Circle, a community of students and professionals from different backgrounds, educational fields, and goals, organised the sixth Young India Challenge (YIC) on the 17th and 18th of September, 2016 at Shri Ram College of Commerce. The tagline – Do What You Love – was an indication of the event’s proceedings. The conference was aimed at facilitating young people in finding their passion in life.
The event started in the morning outside the main auditorium, with ice breaker sessions for the delegates. Post that, everyone moved inside where Kamal Seth, the founder of the organisation, took up the stage and shared the journey of the community and the previous YICs. Sonia Joanna Szymczak, the next speaker, held an interactive session with the delegates asking questions about their expectations from their life and the YIC. Next, Wioleta Burdzy Seth, one of the co-founders of the organisation and a life coach, started with the ‘Hack Your Brain’ session. Continuing the trend, she began by opening a dialogue with the audience. She shared many of her experiences with the delegates and asked them to do the same. “Bend your reality to make your own rules,” said Wioleta when discussing various societal and life pressures influencing people towards their careers. The session concluded with tips and techniques to get a better grip on life.
The afternoon session on Day 1 began with conversations with speakers. Sankalp Chhabra, who currently works in the corporate social responsibility sector of Snapdeal, talked about the importance of consistently working hard for your goal. He has many accolades to his name, having worked for the Central Board of Secondary Education and for the Planning Commission of India. Sankalp spoke about his journey as a whole – from the time he realised his goal, to the everyday efforts he put in to achieve it. One of the most substantive statements by Sankalp with regard to this was “You need to make it happen on a day by day basis.”
The next speaker, Sonia Joanna Szymczak, spoke about her love for travel and how it influenced her career. She focuses on cross cultural business communication, which she called the “global approach to business and people.” Her presentation revolved around the differences in etiquette around the world, during which she presented a graphic that stated that curiosity and non-judgemental thinking lead to positive learning. She also spoke in depth about her personal experiences and personal growth.
After the speaker session, the delegates were divided into teams and were given time to get to know each other. They were also asked to prepare material for the next day.
The next day started with an ice-breaking session, wherein the delegates had to collectively work towards building a paper tower. This was followed with a ‘know your mentor’ session, in which each of the 16 mentors introduced themselves and shared snippets of the life-events that contributed in them following their respective career paths. The mentors included Human Circle co-founders, Wioleta Burdsy Seth and Kamal Seth, along with various entrepreneurs coming from different backgrounds.
The main project of the day was for the participants to come up with a product which they could patent, trademark or copyright, based on any one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. For this purpose, the delegates were divided into teams and allotted the pre-lunch period to work on their ideas and also consult with the different mentors.
During the presentation session, the different teams put forward very innovative ideas concerning a number of issues like inadequate drinking water in rural India, oceanic pollution, poor educational facilities and many more. Each team was allotted a period of 5 minutes to present their product, after which they were questioned by a panel of 3 judges.
The two day programme culminated in a prize-distribution ceremony in which the winners of the ‘Young India Challenge’ were presented with prizes, while all of the participants were given ‘Excellence certificates.’
An innovative and enjoyable initiative by Human Circle, the Young India Challenge aims at locating and honing the abilities of the future leaders of our nation. Not only did the delegates have a lot of fun, but they also had a lot of valuable take-aways from the programme.
Image credits: Alex Arthur and Hitanksha Jain for DU BeatVineeta Rana ([email protected])Swareena Gurung ([email protected] )]]>
Lean IN is an international organisation founded by Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg. It aims at creating an equivalent society and working towards making women more confident and better leaders.
Tanya Jain, a student of Economic (H) from Hansraj College has started a Lean IN circle in the college recently. The concept behind this is to have a chapter under which various Lean IN circles are registered. Lean IN Hansraj circle is registered under the Lean IN India chapter and is being initiated in collaboration with the Women Development Cell of the college. Lean IN Hansraj would be following the guidelines from Lean IN itself.
Lean IN provides resources for all its circles and chapters. There are workshops & expert videos which each circle is supposed to follow. Lean IN provides circle members with step-by-step meeting guides, which contain topics for discussion, workshops, and videos recorded by Lean IN Leaders. However, the organisation provides immense amount of flexibility to its members to work according to their circumstances.
All the provided guides/expert videos are aimed at making its members communicate freely with each other along with giving them a confidence boost and turning them into better leaders. Circle meetings include discussions which are highly interactive in nature and allow members to speak up without any qualms whatsoever.
Lean IN circle Hansraj recently conducted its first meeting and set goals to follow in the coming year.
These goals include-
1. Interacting freely with one another and getting to know each other better.
2. Gaining self confidence and getting over fears/inhibitions by accepting themselves.
3. Improving their leadership skills.
How to start a Lean IN Circle:- Visit the website http://www.leanin.org/, click on the tab ‘Start a circle’, fill in your details. You become a new circle leader and are eligible to open your circle for applications. Lean IN has kept the process very simple to let more and more people feel motivated towards starting one circle.
Indraprastha College for Women, known for its distinguished presence as a women’s educational institution, marked the Golden Jubilee of its Department of Political Science and organised a National Conference on 15th-16th September, 2016, for the same.
The two-day long Conference, themed around Women, State and Power: Reflections on Democracy witnessed several eminent Speakers. The Chief Guest, Ms. Lalitha Kumaramangalam, Chairperson of National Commission for Women, New Delhi, along with the Guest of Honour, Ms. Indu Agnihotri, Director and Professor at the Centre for Women’s Development Studies, New Delhi, directed the course of the conference in their opening address. Ms. Kumaramangalam, through her speech, encouraged the young audience to think before accepting the deeply ingrained practices of the patriarchal society. Ms Agnihotri further explained the significance of keeping the movement for women’s rights alive in all phases despite the challenges the society poses.
The Principal, Dr. Saraf, welcomed one of the founder members of the department, Dr. Sushil Bharadwaj, as a special guest for the Conference. The first session witnessed Prof. Mary. E. John as the Chair, and Dr. Jagmati Sangwan and Prof. Ujjwal Kumar Singh as speakers. The theme for the first session, State and the Institutions of Democratisation, was discussed with special reference to honour killings and electoral politics.
The first Speaker, Jagwati Sangwan, the National General Secretary of All India Democratic Women’s Association, is a name synonymous with Women’s Rights in the State of Haryana. She shared her knowledge and experiences on honour killings’ victims and the State’s response. Professor Ujjwal Kumar Singh, the former Head of the Department of Political Science, University of Delhi, spoke about the State, Democracy and Legitimacy in India and presented some eye opening realities to the audience. With startling facts, he left the audience wondering about the nature and the current status of the State.
The second session, chaired by Dr. Babli Moitra Saraf ,themed at Politics of Culture and Identity, hosted Prof. Mary John, Professor and Senior Fellow at CWDS, Delhi, and Prof. Madhu Kishwar from the CSDS as speakers. Prof. John talked about the participation of women in electoral politics, and framed a trajectory of the ups and downs the movement has gone through. Prof. Kishwar, on the other hand, elaborated on the multilevel nature of identities.
The Conference opened on the second day with three eminent speakers having expertise on topics that concern women inadvertently. Chaired by Dr. Anupama Roy, the panelists, Dr. Madhulika Banerjee, Prof. Nandini Sundar and Ms. Aparna Moitra discussed about gender perspective in development and ecology. The first Speaker, Dr. Banerjee, talked about gender, knowledge and medicine – its recipe and formulation- and the role of the state in the same. The second speaker, Prof. Nandini, then enlightened the audience about the problems faced by women due to changes in their environment, encompassing every definition of change – from climatic to social change. The third speaker, interestingly, presented to the audience the case of Henvalvani Community Radio, Uttarakhand, and reflected upon hill women’s perceptions and articulations about climatic change.
The concluding sessions of the conference took a completely different turn, when real life fighters shared their stories of struggle and violence. Under the theme, State and Structures of Violence, founder of Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons, Ms. Parveena Ahanger and acid attack survivor, Ms. Laxmi shared their survival stories. This being the most emotionally charged sessions of the conference evoked many opinions, questions and condolences, from the audience’s side.
Image credits: Nilakshi Basumatary and Asmita Jagwani
The celebration ended with the College Principal’s words of wisdom, along with cultural performances such as a dance recital on Draupadi by Gargi Goswami, and a play titled Mooch Neech Ka Papda, by the college’s dramatics society, Abhivyakti. The play, showcasing gendered stereotypes, was received by a huge round of applause by the audience. With this, the 2-days long National Conference commemorating 50 years of the Political Science department closed with countless ideas and questions to ponder upon.
Featured Image Credits: Nilakshi Basumatary and Asmita Jagwani, Dept. of Political Science, IPCW
Clash of Departments is an inter-department sports event organised by the Business Economics Department of Aryabhatta College.
With the recent conclusion of the world’s most iconic sports event, the Business Economics students of Aryabhatta College were able to frame the first ever ultra sports event in the college. The students of the department took a bold initiative and planned to organise an inter-departmental sports event named Clash of Departments (COD) across its campus.
A week-long event, it was initially to be conducted in the last of August, but was postponed to the first week of September due to monsoon rains. The three-day event was organised without any kind of permission from the administration of the college.
Ten courses participated with ten to twelve students in each departmental team. The event included sports like – football, cricket, volleyball, table tennis, and carrom.
The inaugural football match was kicked off in rain, charging the atmosphere of the campus. There were more spectators than anticipated; even the professors missed their classes to catch a glimpse of the game. Amidst the nail-biting game and adrenalin rush, it was difficult even for the referees to penalise the players.
The games progressed and winners were announced. After being on their toes the whole match, students of Hindi honours won the cricket finals. Business Economics students won the football finals against economics students with a score of 2-0 in the penalty round.
A duo from B.Com honours won the table tennis finals, whereas a team of three clinched the carrom title. Students from Business Economics were on fire as they stole the show in the volleyball match as well.
“This huge game plan was not an easy task to handle, but the efficiency and dedication of the organisers and their team effort turned it into a reality. I think it was the best we could do to relieve ourselves from the study load and look away from the entire election nuisance. It exceeded expectations as for the first time in my college life, I could see the college united as one.” said the mastermind of this event, Sandesh Choudhary, a second-year business economics student. The initiative was appreciated by the participants as well, “It was a great step by the business economics department. The best part was the variety of sports and the excellent organisation in such a short period of time. However, more time should have been allotted for the teams to prepare and practice. Then again, sometimes adrenaline overcomes preparation,” said Syed Shabee Rahman, a first-year economics student.
Banking on the success of this event, the department students are looking forward to putting together a sports fest in the month of October too.
Gerush Bahal[email protected]]]>
Voting is an integral part of our college experience. By casting an informed vote, we embody the ideals of a democracy. Not a single vote cast consciously, is a waste.
In a particularly stimulating class discussion a few days before the elections, one of my professors declared that some “elite” colleges tend to think that keeping their students entirely out of university politics in the process of providing quality education, is the way to go. She then went on to say how she wished she had been more politicised in her college days. Within the ambit of a wholesome college education, student politics plays an important role.
As a second year student from a not very politically active college, who hadn’t cast her vote in first year, this conversation had an impact on me. Deeming politics a dirty game and disassociating oneself from it is not going to enhance the political scene. Like many others, I want a change in the political set up of the university. I want the existing miasma of coercion and cunning influence to be substituted by an atmosphere of free thinking and freedom of choice. But really, what value do my opinions hold, if they are not put into practice?
That is where casting a vote comes in. It is the democratic system’s way of allowing us a chance to put force to our beliefs. In an age where we don’t have the freedom of not having an opinion, it is our duty to support a candidate or a party whose opinion parallels that of ours. It is true that no party has a flawless manifesto or a completely blameless panel. However, we do have the discretion of narrowing down on one party whose belief system completely or even partially matches that of ours.
If we choose to remain completely unaffected by the politics of our varsity, we should ask ourselves this- Where is all the quality education going, if not to cultivate an opinionated and free thinking individual?
I read an article which declared that it is better to not vote entirely, rather than casting a misinformed one. In some ways it does make sense. Why must you vote for one party if you’re oblivious of its ideologies and of its history, and only rather charmed by a selfie stick that a party worker has curtly handed to you? However, we’re in an institution where opinions and information are suspended in every atom of air that we take in, and gaining information of the parties from multiple perspectives isn’t very difficult. Of course we don’t live in a Manichean framework. Disparaging between right and wrong isn’t easy. It is probably the duty that we bear to ourselves to assert our individual franchise, or that which we bear to our education that should ideally foster this self-consciousness within us, that should propel us to form an informed belief system. There will always be opposition to that belief, and we should consider the grounds on which they’re based. We may also change sides often, and our opinions may sway. Taking a side will not come quickly or easily, but we should at least try to get there.
Speaking of the NOTA option, 17,712 students voted NOTA this year. The figure is higher than the votes won by any of the four winning candidates. Such a large number of students declaring that they do not trust any of the candidates relay a powerful message. The various parties have to step up their game next year, if they want to win respectably. A NOTA vote is counted as an invalid vote, but it also grants the voter to voice her/his opinion against the existing system.
Whether voting for one party or voting against all, every ballot cast embodies a message from the voter. Each vote culminates into the end result. I personally wouldn’t cast NOTA, as I feel like I’m taking an easy way out. But as I have said, allegiances do not come easy and as college students range mostly from 18 to 21 years of age, simply casting a vote is a statement of assuming the duties of democratic citizens.
Suffrage is a privilege, that as a nation, we were deprived of for centuries. The initial arenas to practise our franchise are our educational institutes. Don’t waste or undermine this fundamental right.
Now that the student union polls are over, the University administration has issued guidelines that grant more legitimacy to the posts that the newly elected student leaders have come to assume. The elected members of Student Unions from different colleges across the varsity will now be paid monthly salaries. The University administration has also fixed the minimum salary that each post-bearer will receive. Adhering to this amount or surpassing it depends upon the discretion of individual colleges.
According to university officials, this move has been undertaken after increasing complaints from student union members, about the magnitude of work and excessive burden that they have to bear. Mr. Aman Singh Grover, Secretary of the Student Unions Grievance Committee added, “We made this move consciously, so as to compensate for the class hours that the student leaders have to miss out on while performing their duties. Colleges that do not follow these guidelines will be penalised.”
Moreover, the University also mandates that various colleges have to allocate funds towards a stationery budget for the Student Union. This includes bearing the cost of all stationery material required by the Unions. Moreover, expenses such as phone bills, taxi fares, canteen bills, etc, incurred by the members while carrying out their duties, shall also be covered by this budget. The university has stated a minimum budget of Rs. 2500 to be allocated each month. However, this amount is to be raised during the fest season to Rs 5000.
Although it seems like a win-win prospect for the elected members, there is also a catch to this new guideline. If any complaints about the inefficacy of the student union are filed by the college students and deemed legitimate by the college authorities, they will have to pay a onetime fine of 5% to 40% of their salaries, depending upon the intensity of the complaint.
According to university officials, this move will act as an impetus for more students to volunteer in assuming leadership roles in their colleges. At the same time, it will also ensure that the elected leaders carry out their duties solemnly and do not flout their earlier promises.
However, colleges do not seem to be too pleased with this move. According to a disgruntled Principal whose name has been withheld in accordance to her request, “As of now, our college is running short of funds to even install water taps in some areas of the campus. If the University wants us to start handing out money to students for assuming roles that are essentially voluntary, they might as well allocate the funds themselves. This is a ludicrous proposal on their behalf.”
Now that both parties have spoken, what is your opinion?
They talk about freedom, they talk about expression, they talk about creation and they talk about celebration. They sin and shake the foundations of society’s very being. They are Abhivyakti, the theatre society of Maitreyi College. Uncivilised Daughters, an annual production of the year 2016-17 marks the meaning of this society. To begin the journey of this year, Abhivyakti showcased their production on 2nd September at Akshara Theatre.
The play began with classic brashness, breaking the rules of a woman’s civility. The rustic opening with a gibberish song was more than appealing to a great number of audience. This scene is a story in itself, a story untold. With Rashi Sharma playing the violin, Shriya tandon leading the background with the subtle tune of harmonium and Shivani Behl creating an aura of awe from beats of the djembe, the play makes a man get inside a different world, an unimaginable world.
The first scene in the order is the make-up scene.
How beautiful is this world of plastic?
How sensational is the world of make-up?
Let’s set some standards of beauty. Maybe that will help ?
This, is what is mocked and this is what is on-your-face, perhaps.
The set changes and scene 2 takes place. This scene is named the waxing scene. Through heart-rendering monologues of six girls sitting in a shitting position, the scene brings chills down the spine. After all, who imagines a girl to be shitting? Suddenly a transition takes place and the scene shifts from being less intense to more intense. Inspired from Virginia Woolf’s a room of one’s own, the dialogues between the actors define the need for a separate space. A space to read, to write, to smoke and to masturbate.
With the emphasized lines being, “Ek adad kamre ki zarurat hai..” How typically the metaphorical joker represents the society and a sub conscious mind is a breath-taking observation.
The love scene is a reflection of what happens in a world which runs through the norms of a civilized society, which is probably a farce. The present day commercialisation of love and the various status symbols involved in “being in a relationship” brings home the exclusivity of love and how it functions in today’s world.
The baseless of this irony reflects through a hilarious song, the lyrics of which are:
Baby khana khaya kya
Baby aaj nahaya kya
Baby recharge karaya na
Baby pyaar nibhaya na
And so forth and so on..
The baraat scene, last in the sequence of the scenes lays thrust on the nudity of baraat, mostly evident in any indian wedding. To know the absurdity of bribe, commodified love and the mother of all show offs, welcome to an Indian wedding. The scene is just a practical trailer. The play ends with a poem, disturbing the sub conscious state of a human mind. The beauty of the poem is it’s honesty. To qoute the unqoute, Asabhya betiyan aati rahengi.
With Uncivilized Daughters, Abhivyakti has set a standard in itself. And what makes it best is it’s supportive audience. The beauty of using minimalist prop makes the stage all the more attractive and aesthetic in appeal.
The show was absolutely house full and not even an inch of space was spared. The audience left no stone unturned to encourage the team. The theatre was a jam packed business.
The election fever is setting upon the whole country. We have the UP elections next year which are already generating a lot of fervour. Likewise, election activities have kick started in Delhi University too.
As the elections inch closer, the decibel levels in the University are only set to rise. It is however, not uncommon to see or hear people complain about the cacophony and the chaos that elections generally create in the campus. To avoid this, one college recently conducted E-Elections for the student union elections. The move was lauded by the authorities and students alike. There is a certain comfort factor in conducting e elections and escaping the chaos.
While the e elections have many other benefits to them, there is also a certain charm attached to conducting elections in the University campus.
On the polling day, the whole campus is abuzz with activity and there is a different kind of electricity in the air. You see posts holding aspirants with nervousness written on their faces, and mostly the fucchas excited about casting a vote. University and college elections are, for most people, their first elections. As the national polls happen every five years, most people don’t get to vote immediately after turning 18.
From standing in queues to cast your vote, to having last minute discussions about the party you feel has the best manifesto to voting on EVM’s (which is a new experience in itself), elections are a different deal altogether. Along with all this comes, the sense of taking part in a proper democratic setup, having a say and a sense of responsibility and fulfillment.
The only thing the DU elections miss is the little blue mark on your finger. I wanted one so badly, too!
