Author

Niharika Dabral

Browsing

On 29th August, Haier launched India’s first ‘IoT Enabled Smart Laundry Service’ at Indraprastha College for Women with an aim to revolutionise the mundane washing experience.

Founded in 1924, Indraprastha College for Women (IP College) is the oldest women college established under the University of Delhi. A witness to numerous generations, IP College has stood evident to change. In one such drive for change, IP College became the site of India’s first ‘IoT Enabled Smart Laundry Service’ to transform our very way of living in this world of technology.

On 29th August 2018, Haier- the global leader in Home Appliances & Consumer Electronics and World’s Number one brand in Major Appliances for almost a decade, brought forth a unique technology to cater to all the registered students in the college campus.

As part of a generation where the Internet is the niche of every demand and supply chain, this breakthrough will increase the convenience multifold for all the students by providing them with an end-to-end digitally managed washing experience. This means that while working on an assignment or filtering pictures for Instagram, the user can reserve, schedule, monitor and pay for the services through the consumer-friendly “Haier Wash App”. The added benefit of the entire process is in its simplistic approach as the Haier Wash App makes sure that the users are aware of the steps in between, and it assists them throughout.

One need not keep a constant check of the washing machine, which becomes an essentially tedious process while sharing accommodation space in places like hostels. There is a sense of comfort in knowing that the whole process of washing can be individually managed and adjusted as each washing machine is in a secure connection to the cloud.

The utmost convenience is not only reserved for the users as they receive reminders to take their clothes out once the laundry is done, but the experience also allows proper maintenance of records of the users’ laundry usage. This record acts as a useful tool for authorities and the consumers to maintain transparency in monetary matters.

Contributing its efforts to the cause of ecology in the era of e-commerce, the advanced technology utilised in the commercial washing machines at the Haier Smart Laundry Service helps in avoiding cross-pollution. In a fast-paced lifestyle, the uniquely developed technique of double sterilization-ozone and high-temperature asserts the certainty of hygiene and sanitation without hassling the consumer.

Setting an example for the youth at Indraprastha College and the entire nation as well, Mr Eric Braganza, President, Haier Appliances India commented on the inauguration, “This is a moment of great pride for us to achieve the milestone of setting up India’s first IoT enabled smart laundry service. As we progress further on Haier’s vision to become a global leader in the era of the Internet of Things through its Eco-brand strategy, our focus to create smart solutions for the connected consumer is strengthening. This initiative is a step towards providing high tech, hassle-free laundry solution to today’s millennials who are fast adopters of this hyper-connected age.”

Image Credits: The Mobile Indian

Anushree Joshi

[email protected]

 

On Tuesday, 11th September 2018, DU Beat conducted an interview with Neelanjita Bishwas, the Vice-Presidential candidate of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) in context to the Delhi University Student Union Elections to be held on the 12th of September 2018.

Neelanjita is pursuing Political Science Honours from Hindu College. She is from West Bengal and has been working with SFI since class 12th.  
Here are some excerpts from the interview.

A majority of students feel detached from DUSU (Delhi University Student Union). In such a scenario, what is your model of establishing accountability?
We certainly consider this a major issue. As made clear in our agenda, we plan on holding regular union GBM (General Body Meetings) with students. Yesterday, we held a program called “Ask Your Candidate” and answers pointed questions about our manifesto and policies. We are ready for all sorts of criticism and questions.

What are your party’s opinions regarding the autonomy drive of the colleges?
Our party clearly opposes any such autonomy of colleges. We understand that autonomy entails economic privatisation which will lead to fee hike and compromise the diversity, accessibility, and inclusivity of university spaces. SFI has struggled against autonomy in the past and would continue doing so.

How inclusive do you think SFI in terms of minority representation?
At SFI we believe in equality. In fact, only after the recent NSUI allegations of casteism, we looked into the issue of minority representation and found that we have people coming from all socio-economic backgrounds in our party.

Lyngdoh Committee lays down five thousand rupees as the maximum expenditure amount. How does your party maintain it?
To make things clear at the very beginning, we are against the Lyngdoh Committee for its restrictive nature. Having said that, we are the only party that follows the expenditure and paperless election regulations, when everyone else is abusing it indiscriminately. The administration should take stringent actions against the same. At the same time, seeing other leftist parties engage in the same is extremely disappointing.

This election year, AISA has been accused of aligning with CYSS for monetary gains. How do you see these allegations?
First of all, it was disappointing to see AISA not aligning with us, in spite of our ideological similarities and the many wars we have fought together. As far as your question is concerned, I believe it would be more proper to pose this question to AISA leadership.

In an environment where clean and honest politics has a history of not bearing fruits, what motivates your party to keep on fighting?
A drive to weed out the corruption and mismanagement of resources, I would say. There is an inner drive which propels one to keep on working against all odds. 

SFI-AISF Panel 
1.  President (SFI)
Akashdeep Tripathi- Ballot no. 2
2. Vice President (SFI)
Nilanjita Bishwas- Ballot no. 4
3.  Secretary (AISF)
Subhash Bhat- Ballot no. 6
4.  Joint Secretary
Srejeet K.- Ballot no. 4

Feature Image Credits: SFI-AISF

Interview taken by Niharika Dabral ([email protected])

Interview transcribed by Nikhil Kumar ([email protected])

 

Somewhere on the walls of North Campus, there is written “Free Professor Saibaba.” The readings on the wall are clear, but are you paying attention? This Teachers’ Day, lets be criminals together.

On the afternoon of 9th May 2014, G.N. Saibaba, an English Professor at Ram Lal Anand College, was heading back home from the university when a group of policemen in plain clothes arrested him. His family was not informed about his arrest and this prompted his wife to file a missing persons report. The 90% disabled professor was charged under the notorious Unlawful Activities (Prevention) for his alleged Maoist links. The charges against him rested on letters, pamphlets, books, and videos seized during raids that were conducted in his house. After active efforts by his lawyers and public pressure, he was given unconditional bail from the Supreme Court in April 2016 on health grounds, however, he wasn’t reinstated at the college.

The case against Prof. Saibaba should not be seen in isolation. Nandini Sundar, a Delhi University professor and an internationally acclaimed academician, who has been working with Adivasi population in Chattisgarh for years now was booked for the murder of a tribal man in November 2016. The case was later struck off after the wife of the deceased said that she had given no names to the police. The page two of this newspaper will tell you that her book Subalterns and Sovereigns: An Anthropological History of Bastar, along with Against Ecological Romanticism: Verrier Elwin and the Making of an Anti-modern Tribal Identity by Archana Prasad, can be dropped from the postgraduate curriculum of History after DU’s academic council recommended these readings to be removed for ‘glorifying Naxals’ and ‘legitimising conversion of tribals to Christianity’. Recently, Pune Police arrested five wellknown lawyers, poets, and activists namely: Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves, and Arun Ferreira in connection with a probe on the Bhima-Koregaon riots in January, the assassination plot of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and having Maoist links. These arrests raised the #UrbanNaxal debate on social media.

The apparent similarity in all these cases is that they all have been accused of being Naxalites since they talked about issues of lesser-known state oppression and there is little or no rationale behind these arrests. Arun Ferreira, a human rights lawyer, was released as innocent after spending five years in prison, and Binayak Sen is out on bail since 2011. Every story is the same when we reported on the updates about G.N. Saibaba’s trail, we heard the same arguments, when we reported on curriculum change the same questions about “Maoist sympathies” were raised. After a while, you figure out the suo-motto method of silencing the questions. Whether or not they are right or wrong you can decide for yourself, but the question is will you care enough to decide? To not ignore, but to acknowledge what the dissenters, and closer to home some of our professors, are trying to say is the least yet somehow, the most one can do.

The students at Delhi School of Journalism, tired after over 30 hours of continuous protest, gave a love letter to their professors, acknowledging their vulnerable position as ad-hocs. This teachers’ day, unless you are too cool to celebrate it all together, don’t reduce the essence of a teacher-student relationship to WhatsApp quotes. You can still give them handmade cards, but you know what’s better? Handmade placards that you can carry in the next Delhi University Teachers’ Association protest, be it against autonomy, unreliable job provisions, or the arrest of another professor. Attending classes is cool but if you join your ad-hoc teachers at the Faculty of Arts next time they host a sit-in against the vile rules of vacancy or permanent recruitment then it will be better. Be a good student and raise hell alongside your professors. Read the study material, pointers on the blackboard, and most importantly go through the readings on the wall.

Niharika Dabral

[email protected] 

 

As a part of the Meet of the Author Series, the Department of English of Maharaja Agrasen College and the ACTIVE society of the Department had the privilege of inviting award-winning scriptwriter Prof Sabrina Dhawan on 24th August 2018. Apart from being a script writer, Prof Dhawan is also faculty member at TISCH School of the Arts, New York University.

Her talk, “Writing for Film and TV: The Journey of a Script Writer”, was a riveting narrative, almost an exhilarating movie script, about her journey from a shy, not-so-bright school girl to an award-winning writer. The likeliness of her lecture to a well-crafted movie script was not only limited to the way she traced and told the story of her life, but also to the fact that the lecture had an intermission-like break. The pre-intermission period was mainly about “Becoming a Writer”, wherein she spoke about how she developed the ambition of being a writer, a non-serious business in middle-class families like hers. The second part was about her experiences as a writer: the challenges of self-discipline and developing a perfect piece of writing, being a woman writer, being a mirror for the society.

Her enthralling lecture was followed by a Question and Answer session, which was equally enlightening with students and faculty members bring out topics like the difference between writing for India and for the West, the difference between TV scripts and Film scripts, writing adaptations.

The Welcome note was given by Dr Gitanjali Chawla, Teacher Incharge. Dr Charu Arya presented a sapling to formally welcome the guest. Dr Anupama Jaidev presented a memento as a token of gratitude to Prof Dhawan. The Vote of Thanks was presented by Ms Mona Sinha.   

Here are some photos from the event:

meet the author series, maharaja agarsen, conference room
sabrina dhawal

mac

 

 

Warm Rotaract Greetings, “The picture that you took with your camera is the imagination you want to create with reality.” — Scott Lorenzo
On the occasion of World Photography Day, the Rotaract Club of Young Visionaries, in collaboration with RaC Kalimati Jamshedpur, RID 3250, RaC    Muzaffarpur West, RID 3250, RaC Panvel Midtown, RID 3131, RaC Nagpur, RID 3030, RaC Sai Baba Colony, RID 3201, decided to create an aureate opportunity for Photographers to outcast their photography skills and talent through an Online Photography Competition.

The themes of the competition are:
1.Patriotism
2. Get Real India
3.Beauty of India

The participant has to select only one theme and send one entry only.

Guidelines for the Participants
Deadline: 15th August 2018

Mail your Entries at[email protected]

Results will be declared on 19th August 2018

Pictures will be published on the Facebook page and magazine of the organisers.

Participants will get e-certificates.

Important: All the eligible entries from the participants will be uploaded on the FB page of the Rotaract Club of Young Visionaries. To be eligible for the competition, a participant must share the post from our page with ‘#RCYVDELHI‘. A participant failing to do so will not be considered for the competition.

General Rules:

1. Phone photography is also acceptable.
2. In photo editing only global editing i.e. cropping and adjustment of hue/saturation; brightness/contrast levels are allowed. Photo-morphing, manipulations or local editing is not allowed.
3. Individual photo-captions can also be included.
4. Do not include your credentials (name, address etc), watermarks in the picture or the frame. Such photos will be disqualified.
5. The decision of the organizing committee will be final and binding.
6. Any sign of plagiarism will lead to disqualification.
7. Results will be announced on the 18th of March on our FB page.
8. E-certificates will be given to all participants.
Like our the page for regular updates:
https://www.facebook.com/rcyvdelhi/

Society auditions seem to be the ultimate gateway into finding friends and purpose in college. With so much at stake, how does one deal with the failure of making into their preferred society? 

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”Winston Churchill. This sounds phony, but it’s true.
The first week of August is over and chances are that the society orientations and auditions must be wrapping up as well. If you are one of those people who auditioned for extra-curricular clubs and societies, but unfortunately didn’t get through then this article is for you. We can’t claim to be experts in offering advice, however, we’ll repeat the lessons you are familiar with but need a reminder about.
The societies and cells in the University of Delhi (DU), be it the ever vibrant dance societies or the smug English debating ones, are repositories of talent. DU owes its spirit to them. It’s only natural that most of us want to be a part of these groups, for which we undergo a strenuous selection process. Some of the more competitive ones amongst us start preparing for it weeks in advance.
On the D-day, several things can go wrong. And even if they go right, you might still not find yourself amongst the chosen lot. And obviously, your heart will break, plain and simple. You’ll yearn to join those Dramatic Society members whenever you see them practicing in their high-pitched and compelling voices and reverberating energy. All of this will hurt and in all honesty, it sucks. There is no other adjective to explain this dismay and dejection.

To say that you have to be and can be bigger than your failure is unerring, but it also stems from this over expectation of healing. Take your time to crib and curse. The recovery needs to be neither graceful nor easy. Allow yourself the luxury of sorrow and once you are done, it would be time for an after-action review. Sit and analyse what went wrong, ask the members of the selection panel for feedback. It’s imperative that you reflect on what you did and avoid similar mistakes in the future. While this contemplation is never straightforward, it’s totally possible that the reason you didn’t get in has nothing to do with what you did wrong but with different expectations of the selectors. Maybe you are amazing at Indian classical music, but the society folks wanted someone who can beatbox. Your takeaway from this rejection should be self-assessment and experience. Make most of it even when you feel like murdering an entire clan.
At the onset of new sessions, societies recruit members liberally and what usually happens is, by the next month or so, a few recruits leave the society for several reasons. This opens up space for new members again, hence, your chances to join your desired fraternity are still available. Make sure you tell your seniors about your availability and try again.

Now, it’s time to use the ‘when one door closes, another opens’ analogy. Look around and scout for other opportunities that are still open. You may never know about your cinephile credentials unless you sign up for the Film Club. You might never unearth your abilities in entrepreneurial action unless you join the Enactus unit of your college. A huge part of college life is also about discovering oneself and it’s time you try as many things as possible. Keep your mind and your options open. There is a saying that sometimes it takes a wrong turn to get you to the right place. So maybe, just maybe, your destiny and passion lies in an obscure club waiting for you to locate it.
There is more to college life than societies. Have faith, seek beauty in the mundane, and you will fare the failure. We are rooting for you.

 

Feature Image Credits: Kartik Kakar for DU Beat

Niharika Dabral

[email protected]

A tragedy stuck Bharati College on Wednesday when an 18-year-old BA Programme second year allegedly committed suicide by consuming pesticide in the college’s washroom. No suicide note was recovered from the victim and the police is still investigating the case.

The Hindustan Times reported that the police control room received a call at 9:50 a.m. regarding a suicide in the college. A police team was rushed to the campus who found the student, identified as Vicky Kumari, unconscious inside a toilet which was bolted from inside. She was taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital where doctors declared her brought dead. One of the student wen

“A bottle of pesticide was found in the toilet. We checked her bag and found a small knife that was used for cutting paper. Neither the student’s mobile nor suicide note was not found,” said Mr. Vijay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West). “We searched her house but found nothing useful. Her cell phone call records are being analysed,” he added.

According to the college authorities, the victim had reached college around 8:30 a.m. as she had to attend her 9 a.m. class. She later went to the toilet but didn’t return which prompted her classmates to check on her. They raised an alarm when the victim didn’t respond to the knocks on the washroom door.

Her mother, subsequent to the reception of this unexpected news lost her consciousness and was taken to the hospital for first aid. The College Principal has issued a statement on the college website.

principal

In the light of this tragedy, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad led Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU)  has proposed Wellness Cells in all Delhi University Colleges that will be primarily dedicated to the mental health of the students. They have also demanded a proper check or a survey initiated by the DU administration on the availability and appointments of professional counselors in DU.

Speaking to DU Beat, Mahamedha Nagar, General Secretary, DUSU, said,” “This is an unfortunate incident. There’s been an exponential growth in the suicidal tendencies amongst the youth. They see suicide as an easy resolution to their issues. A necessity at this moment is to come up with ideas to expose pupils to the immaturity behind such ideas and make them stronger. I have moved a proposal to establish a Wellness Cell within the University and I expect it to pull through and be fully functional latest by the end of this academic year.”

According to the Bharati College counselor, Dr. Sonali Jain, “The college does have an infrastructure and a psychodynamic counselor, who is trained in her profession.  Long-term therapy isn’t always possible, so we provide them (patients) with short-term therapy. In case of a long-term therapy, The patient is made to lie for 45 minutes and open up to a counselor, in the presence of a trained supervisor. The suicide victim never turned up for therapy or to share her problem.”

Although the  Bharati College claims to have established a cell as an outlet of the depressed upsurges of the students, the pupils aren’t satisfied by its constitution. It lacks a professional therapist and instead makes do with an English professor, who doubles up as the therapist.

While the Police continue with their investigation- filtering through call records and interrogating near and dear ones, the issue needs to be given profound gravity and adequate steps need to be taken, in order to avoid such sorrowful instances in the future. If you are feeling unwell and depressive, and are having self-harming thoughts then call on the 24 x 7 suicide helpline number: 022 2754 6669

Feature Image Credits: South Call

Aashish Jain 

[email protected]

Congratulations to those University of Delhi (DU) aspirants who have been admitted to their preferred college and course! However, this article is not directed towards you. This article provides some words of comfort for those aspirants who have been stung by the bee of disappointment.

As the admission season of 2018-19 is starting to wrap up, it seems like an appropriate time to address the admissions’ disappointment for students who weren’t admitted to their desired course and college in DU.

Disappointment Is Natural:

To begin with, you must realize that it is alright to be disappointed: The sting of admissions’ disappointment is never easy to handle. The first step is to sit down and face the rejections you received. Ignoring them or pretending they don’t affect you will most likely catch up with you later. When I realised that the ‘Mother’ is diagnosed with a deadly illness in the TV series ‘How I Met Your Mother’, I had faced such real and stinging disappointment that I had thought it would take me ages to get over the ending. But eventually, I, like everyone else, moved past it and learned to forgive the producers. Likewise, everyone, in due course, gets over the disappointment of not getting into a particular college or course and learn to forgive the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or any other root cause of the disappointment.

After Heavy Rains, Comes a Rainbow

If you are taking too long to come out of the ‘being disappointed’ phase, think about Brazil getting eliminated at the quarter-final stage for the third time in the football World Cup. After a period of mourning, it is imperative to cheer yourself up with the uplifting thought that you, out of the more than two lac applicants, have made it to DU. While you are sulking for not having been admitted to the desired course and college, 2 lac other students must be disappointed that they didn’t make it to DU itself.

You Carve Your Own Fate In DU

In a phone call conversation with the DU Beat correspondent, Professor at Deshbandhu College Vandana Kaul spoke some wise words, “Whether you are in St. Stephen’s College or Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, what DU has to offer depends on how much you are willing to accept. A person might spend three years in a “good college” and yet not acquire anything from the 3 years of undergraduate study. On the other hand, a person studying in a not-so-prestigious college might have the most stunning takeaway if he/she is dedicated enough. DU as an institution will provide you with a lot of opportunities. How well you utilize this exposure is completely up to you.”

Embrace Your Present College And Course

Arunima Roy, an assistant teacher at Miranda House told DU Beat, “You never know, you might turn out to be miserable at your desired college, but a college which you were not even considering, might actually be the greatest place for you.”

She added, “Students must focus and worry about things over which they currently have control, and not those things over which they don’t. Instead of whining over not getting into your desired college, you should start bracing yourself for life at a different college.”

“Sure, it would be exciting to be admitted to St. Stephen’s or Ramjas or Lady Shri Ram College”, Professor Vandana Kaul remarked matter-of-factly. She went on, “However, you must introspect on the factors that are appealing about those colleges, find those qualities in other colleges, and make the most of where you currently are or what you are currently pursuing.”

Officially Equal

Anshul Rastogi, a DU graduate from Sri Aurobindo College, told DU Beat, “While it would be wishful thinking to say that there are no differences between various colleges of DU, it is true that they are officially equal. The certificate which you secure at the completion of your graduation only mentions that you have graduated from the University of Delhi, and nothing about the college you graduated from.”

Wrong Course: A Disaster?

Realising that you were admitted to a course other than the one you had desired is not enviable, but it is not the disaster that it might have been made out to be. Lucy Buragohain, a student studying in the Department of Sociology in Delhi School of Economics (DSE) told the DU Beat correspondent, “I was pursuing Philosophy (hons) for my under-graduation. While I was dissatisfied with my course, I started preparing for the DSE entrance exam in Sociology. Thus, if you are aiming for higher studies, under-graduation only forms your primary level of study. You can always change your direction in post-graduation.” Since admission to Master’s courses in most universities of the country are based on entrances, changing your course after graduation is even more affable.

 

Feature Image Credits: Veritas Prep

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

[email protected]

 

Alerting all theatre groups and dramatics societies! Here is an opportunity to display your talent on a platform that caters to a bigger cause!

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Centre (www.kalamcentre.org) announces the National E-Street Play Championship, a one-of-a-kind initiative that aims to involve the youth in raising awareness about issues that can transform our country into a superpower.

In the first phase, the street theatre groups and dramatics societies will submit video entries online on any one of the following three themes:

  • Water as a crisis in India
  • Increasing the green cover
  • Extraterrestrial life

The shortlisted teams will perform at a prime location in Delhi in front of an audience of celebrities and citizens. Lastly, the basis of the first round of evaluation and online reach of the videos, one team from each category will win the National Championship Trophy from an esteemed panel of Judges at the Kalam Liveable Planet Conclave, which will include public figures, celebrities, and the notable board members of Kalam Centre. Previous guests have included eminent personalities like Dr. Kailash Satyarthi (Nobel Laureate), Ms. Dia Mirza (Actor), Ms. Kiran Bedi  (Retired Indian Police Service Officer), and Shri Anand Kumar (Founder, Super 30).

How to participate:

The videos should be in .mp4 format in either of the following forms:

  1. Short Skit (2-5 minutes)
  2. Full-length Street Play ( 5-12 minutes)
  • The last date for filling the form and submitting the video is 5th July 2018.
  • Registration is free of cost

 

Apply now to make a difference!

 

For applicants applying under the ECA category, the best place to be informed is the University of Delhi website. However, admission into a college only depends upon the availability of seats in that particular college and is not subject to clearing the final trials.

Guidelines

Here are the general guidelines for the students applying under the Music (Vocal) category:

Indian Classical

Date: 17th – 18th June (Preliminary rounds)

2nd July (Final Round)

Time: According to alphabetical order (Preliminary rounds)

9 a.m. (Final Round)

Venue: Rajdhani College

  1. The time limit is up to 3 minutes per candidate.
  2. Tracks are not allowed.
  3. Accompaniment/accompanists are compulsory, however, not more than one accompanist per participant shall be allowed. Candidates can use electronic taanpura/shrutipeti.
  4. Candidate should come prepared with at least 3-4 numbers across different genres to showcase their talent.
  5. Film Songs are allowed.
  6. No time will be given for tuning the instrument. Candidate should ensure that the instruments are tuned at the beginning of the trial.

Western Classical

Date: 19th – 20th June (Preliminary rounds)

1st July (Final Round)

Time: According to alphabetical order (Preliminary rounds)

9 a.m. (Final Round)

Venue: Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (E)


1. The candidate should introduce the item in not more than 30 seconds.
2. Not more than one accompanying instrument shall be allowed.

3. Candidate can bring his/her own musical instrument.
4. The performance should not exceed 3 minutes.
5. No time will be given for tuning the instrument. Candidate should ensure that the instruments are tuned at the beginning of the trial.
Vocal Western Light
1. The candidate should introduce the item in not more than 30 seconds.
2. Candidate can bring his/her own musical instrument.
3. The performance should not exceed 3 minutes.
4. No time will be given for tuning the instrument. Candidate should ensure that the instruments are tuned at the beginning of the trial.
5. Candidate should preferably use an accompaniment and/ or bring along an accompanist, however, not more one accompanist per participant will be allowed.
6. Participant should come prepared with at least three songs of competitive nature,
which can showcase their talent.

Colleges offering Music (Vocal) ECA quota

Colleges offer ECA quotas in five categories under Music (Vocal): Indian Music (Classical, Light and Vocal) and Western (Classical and Light). The ECA committee for Admissions would consist of the Principal or the Principal nominee, two experts from eminent institutions like the Sangeet Natak Academy and the College Cultural Council convener or nominee.

This year, 51 colleges in Delhi University are offering such ECA quotas, including Sri Venkateswara College, RamJas College, Zakir Hussain Delhi College, Maitreyi College, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, Gargi College, and Kamala Nehru College. The more comprehensive list is provided in the official Bulletin for Information for Admission to UG Programmes (2018-19).

The Trials

Trials include the two usual rounds of Prelims and Finals. The trials consist of single auditions of songs in the respective category. Santur Kundu, a first-year student at Ramjas College who got admission in the ECA quota of Indian Vocal says, “I gave my ECA trials in Kirori Mal College last year. Given the category, I was judged on the parameters of tone, composition, and clarity. One accompanist was allowed although no backup tracks were allowed. Apart from all the tension and dilemma I went through, it was a wonderful experience to be performing in front of such talented people. I ended up getting the 2nd rank with a total of 82 out of 100 and also getting admission into B.A. Economics (Honours) at Ramjas.”

Gaurav Sharma, an ECA student of the Western Vocal category from Ramjas College says, “Even though there was no official notice, it was pretty understood that the judges judged us on our tone, timber, an accuracy of notes, and overall feel of our performance. We could also be accompanied by an accompanist.”

Students do complain about the lack of clarity in the University website or even the official Bulletin of Information about the specific guidelines. “I was very unclear and I almost missed my prelim trials. Someone told me how it happens on the very last day and I went. Naturally, I was very nervous. However overall, it went pretty good,” says Gaurav Sharma.

Feature Image Credits: Video Block

Sara Sohail

[email protected]