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Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

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Deshbandhu College students took place in a hunger strike, demanding better facilities and more resources. 

A group of protesters, led by the Central Councillor of Deshbandhu College, staged a strike from the 19th of May 2018 within the college premises. The strike, which took place intermittently from the 19th, witnessed the Central Councillor of the college Students’ Union Saurabh Kumar holding a hunger strike for 2 days, only ending it at 1 pm on the 22nd.

The protesters put forth a chain of demands which included construction of a new computer science lab in the college, the appointment of a nurse, the release of funds for the cultural societies, and equipping the college chemistry lab with student safety gears including eyeglasses and gloves.

Explaining the reasons underlying his demands, Kumar told DU Beat, “Last October, in the college Chemistry Lab, a student had to be rushed to the hospital after a chemical reaction had gone wrong. Acid fumes had gone into the student’s eyes due to the lack of glasses in the lab.” Speaking on the demand for the release of funds for the societies, he commented, “It is common knowledge that the college has adequate resources to provide the required funds to our societies. But there has been withheld despite repeated requests from our side.”

Kumar, who was taken to the hospital after the strike had elaborated on their demand for a nurse by saying, “We have a medical room and yet we neither have a doctor nor a nurse. Toh Kya Faida Medical Room Ka? (What is the use of a medical room then?)”.

 

The President of Deshbandhu College Union Devesh Tiwary told a DU Beat correspondent, “First of all, our college doesn’t have a Principal at the moment. In the absence of an overarching authority, the financial transactions find difficulties in implementation. The interviews for the Principal’s post have been carried out. We are awaiting the results now.” He further assured, “Once the exams are over, we will conduct a meeting with the newly appointed Principal, and subsequently take stock of the demands.”

Tiwary alleged that the protesters had not given prior intimation of either their demands or the protest. Pehle Apni Maange Toh Rakho Humare Aage (at least apprise us about your demands first)”. He expressed concern and said, “I received calls from the police. But this wasn’t a matter to actuate a hunger strike upon.”

In contrast to Tiwary’s remarks, student councillor Saurabh Kumar asserted, “We had given prior notification to the college administration about the protest.” Notably, a copy of this aforementioned notification was sent to DU Beat in the evening of the 22nd. In the letter dated 18th May 2018, Kumar had put forth an ultimatum to the college administration by stating that he would sit on the hunger strike till his “last breath”. Kumar had further stated in the letter that if something happens to him during the hunger strike, the culpability of the same will lie with the college. Copies of the same were sent to the police station in Kalkaji, the Chairman of Deshbandhu College and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi.

Saurabh Kumar imposed serious charges against the administration and said, “The protesters sat on strike day-and-night for two days. And yet, the administration had locked the washrooms at night. They not only prevented us from bringing in mattresses, they didn’t allow us to bring even mosquito repellents during the course of our strike.”

In a letter of assurance that was received by Kumar from the college administration, the latter had promised the commencement of construction for the computer science lab within 10 days and appointment of a nurse by the month of July. As for their other two demands,  a member of the college administration told the DU Beat correspondent on conditions of anonymity, “The issue of the provision of safety gears in the Chemistry Lab will be discussed in the department and the college will hold a meeting with the Convener of the Cultural Committee on 23rd of May.”

Feature Image Credits – Saurabh Kumar

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

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The Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) will hold a meeting in June with all stakeholders and volunteers to decide ways to beautify the 11 Delhi metro stations that were defaced during the election campaign of 2017.

As a follow-up to a petition filed in the Delhi High Court, the court had instructed the students and candidates of different student political units to work with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to restore its defaced property across the city, last month.

 In a phone call conversation with the DU Beat correspondent, DUSU President Rocky Tusheed had said, “Responding to the petition filed in the Delhi High Court by Mr. Prashant Manchanda, the DMRC had called a meeting with us. As soon as exams are over, preferably in the first week of June, we will hold a meeting to decide on how to go about with the beautification process.”

 When asked how he planned to beautify the metro stations, he said “We won’t be able to restore it exactly to the original state. But we will beautify it through paintings and decorated tiles and the like. We have recognised 76 sites as of now.”

 When he was asked by this correspondent whether it will be a joint initiative by the ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) and NSUI (National Students’ Union of India) since members of both currently occupy DUSU, he commented, “We have invited volunteers and all respondents of the petition. Since the defacing was done by almost all student units, the responsibility falls upon us to beautify it as well.”

 The National Media Convener of the ABVP, Saket Bahuguna, told DU Beat, “Last year, many metro stations were defaced by different candidates and organisations. All 4 office bearers of DUSU have a responsibility to clean up the mess. So they were called by the court with this regard.”

 Responding to a question on the uneasy nexus between the ABVP and NSUI office bearers within DUSU, Mr. Bahuguna said, “This is not about politics. This is an initiative taken by DUSU. But we extend our complete support to them, because we have a collective responsibility to keep our University and city clean.”

Making a unique recommendation on how this ‘politics of pamphlets and posters’ can be controlled, he remarked, “What can be done to counter this menace is, the University should mandate every college to earmark one ‘wall of democracy’ dedicated to election campaigning. It is virtually impossible for one candidate to reach out to 1.43 lakh students without posters, since the entire process of election campaign for DUSU takes place within a span of 4-5 days.”

NSUI in-charge Ruchi Gupta said her organisation would do away with posters during this year’s election campaign. “We will put up flexes and run a vigorous online campaign. Our campaign will be progressive and issue-based and thus will not need to fall back on posters.”

 Notably, the DMRC has told the court that restoring the identified 76 sites would cost over INR 16 lakh and take six months’ time.
Some of the stations identified by the DMRC are R K Ashram, Kuhat Enclave, Vishwavidyalaya, Rajouri Garden, Vidhan Sabha, Shivaji Park, Civil Lines, and Pitampura.

Feature Image Credits: The Financial Express
Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
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The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) has called for a boycott of evaluation of examination papers scheduled to begin from Wednesday. This call was supported by teachers across the University of Delhi (DU) as teachers did not report at evaluation centres.
According to a press circular that was sent to DU Beat by the President of DUTA Rajib Ray, teachers have been forced to take this extreme step because of the immediate crisis resulting from the speed and aggression with which the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) are moving towards the grant of financial autonomy to several colleges of DU.

The announcement was made ahead of the visit of the University Grants Commission (UGC) officials’ to St. Stephen’s College after its Governing Body (GB) had, in principle, agreed to apply for autonomy. Notably, a UGC team is expected to visit the college on 10th-11th May 2018 for inspection.
The press circular of DUTA, dated 9th May 2018, informed that the teachers’ body shall hold a protest outside St. Stephen’s College on 10th May 2018, 10 a.m. onwards against the visit of the UGC team.

In a phone call conversation, the DU Beat correspondent had asked President Rajib Ray on why such a drastic step is being taken, Ray clarified, “We are planning on such a course of action not only for our struggle against autonomy. There are a lot of reasons.”

He explained that these insidious attempts are part of the larger agenda to privatise and commercialise public-funded education in the country. This will push education out of the reach of a vast majority of students who come from underprivileged sections. The dismembering of DU will also have negative consequences for the working conditions of teachers and “karamcharis”. Colleges of repute who enjoy this status from being a part of DU will become nothing more than teaching shops, according to DUTA.
Ray further explained that the apathy of the University administration towards issues of promotions including counting of past service, appointments, and pension issues is causing unrest among the teachers of the varsity. The teachers’ body now demands that promotion matters be expedited and routine matters dealt with expeditiously, so that the day-to-day academic life of teachers is not affected.

DUTA executive Surendra Kumar told DU Beat, “Crisis we are facing is very high, nature of response is very slow. Whatever decision the DUTA as a body takes, we stand with it.”
Further speaking along similar lines, he told the correspondent, “We need to expand our horizons and, bring the common man of the nation into this struggle against privatisation.”
“As far as my sources are concerned, three colleges, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Hindu College and St. Stephen’s College are on the pipeline of getting autonomy. If the best colleges of the country are going towards this fate, how can the common man afford higher education anymore?” questioned Kumar.

In the aftermath of the University Grants Commission inviting Principals of as many as 30 DU colleges for a workshop to clear their doubts about the move towards greater autonomy, a member of the DU’s Executive Council, Rajesh Jha had spoken on the dangers of privatisation of higher education. Jha had said, “The move ultimately will commercialise the education at a university which is being run on taxpayers’ money to provide equal opportunities to all students.”
Significantly, Principals from a remarkable number of colleges affiliated to DU, including Hindu College, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Daulat Ram College, and Kamala Nehru College amongst others had taken part in the aforementioned workshop.

While the move towards autonomy is expected to give freedom to colleges to design and structure their courses in keeping with the changing methods of teaching, the move is being challenged by various quarters of the students’ and teachers’ community who are under the apprehension that this will eventually place the marginalised sections at a disadvantageous position.

Feature Image Credits: DNA India
Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
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The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) has announced the launch of a fellowship on public policy, the “Future of India”, which would start in June.

A press statement dated 2nd of May 2018, by current in-charge of NSUI, Ruchi Gupta, who is also the Joint Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, announced the launch of this new initiative by NSUI. The fellowship is open to all students and young professionals under the age of 30, the statement said.

When asked about the manifestations of this four-week fellowship, Ruchi Gupta said, “The fellows will get an opportunity to interact with thinkers and practitioners such as P. Chidambaram, Salman Khurshid, Sam Pitroda, Jairam Ramesh, Shashi Tharoor, Sachin Pilot among others.”

The DU Beat correspondent was informed by the members of the NSUI that the applications for the course would be open from 1st May 2018, and shortlisted candidates will be informed before 31st May 2018. The course is scheduled to be held from 11th June to 6th July 2018, in Delhi. They told DU Beat that interested students can apply for the fellowship through the official website of the NSUI.

According to the sources, some of the topics to be covered during the fellowship include public administration and management, bridging the “Bharat vs. India” divide, the legal system, the role of the state (in ensuring equality), the fundamentals of democratic countries, conflict management in a democracy, electoral management, and power politics.”

The fellowship is aimed towards providing the youth not just an overview of the key policy challenges facing our country but also the tools to deconstruct, analyse and understand the politics behind the policies.

The fellowship, whose course will combine theory with field visits and practical assignments, will focus on developing an understanding of the political considerations and the implications of different policy choices to build a new generation of liberal and democratic young leaders across India.

Feauture Image Credits: The Asian Page

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

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On 2nd May 2018, the students of Keshav Mahavidyalaya voted in favour of the establishment of a Students’ Union in the college and its affiliation to the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU). In a much-publicised referendum, the “Ayes” received a thumping majority.

While talking to DU Beat, faculty member of the college Kunal Kumar remarked optimistically, “When the results were announced today, everyone was very happy, including Principal ma’am. Change is always good, and the overall atmosphere in the college is that of positivity and optimism.”
Subham Yadav, a student of the college, revealed fascinating statistics to DU Beat, “About 1600 is the strength of the students who were eligible to vote. Out of them, 1014 students voted yes.”

When asked about the reaction from the college authorities, he responded, “Everyone seemed satisfied. Earlier, the Principal was uneasy about the notion of holding a referendum in college, but now, even she seemed content.”

Earlier, Keshav Mahavidyalaya did not partake DUSU elections and did not have a student’s union. For years, certain sections of the student community demanded both the aforementioned elements in their college. Then finally after several rounds of negotiation, the college authoties decided that Keshav Mahavidyalaya would be holding a referendum to determine the students’ verdict in the matter of the institution of the college students’ union as well as the college’s affiliation to the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU). The referendum was scheduled to be held on the 2nd of May 2018, and the entire process was deemed to be completed by 9 p.m. on the same day.

Now that the long fight has come to an affable end, it’ll be interesting to see how the college changes in the face of upcoming elections. Only time can tell whether polls will be reduced to the muscle and money laced power politics or will actually democratise the college space.

 

Feature Image Credits: Ankit Alhawatt and Sorav

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
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It is the season of examinations, and along with it, is also the season of uncertainty and apprehension for the students who frequent their colleges like a blue moon frequents the sky.

 According to the Varsity mandated rules, students of the University of Delhi (DU) need to maintain at least 67% attendance in order to sit for the end semester examinations. For those who don’t, pleading the professors to consider their Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) attendance, or visiting a shady doctor for a medical certificate are some of the extreme choices one has, since the college is technically bound to act under the rules of the University and detain those with less attendance.

Things look especially uncertain for the third year students in some colleges, like Miranda House, as they have been told that they won’t be able to sit for the examinations if they do not have the required attendance.

In South Campus, Sri Venkateswara College has not been given the admit cards till now. Prabal Khatri, President of Sri Venkateswara Students’ Union, told the DU Beat correspondent, “There are no issues for third year students. Earlier, the 67% attendance requirement used to apply to the final year students as well. But this year, our Union has been able to bring it down to 0%, providing huge respite for them.”

When asked about whether the college administration is lenient for the first and second year students as well, Khatri remarked, “For them, even if the required attendance is 67% according to the Varsity mandated rules, our union has brought the benchmark down to 35%. However, there are some students who never show up to class, neither do they have ECA’s, nor medical certificates to justify their low attendance. Those people are of course not given the admit cards.”

In Miranda House, a meeting to determine whether third year students with below 40% attendance will receive their admit cards is slated to be held. While in the past years, the administration would not withhold the admit cards for the final year students, this year, the college has constantly maintained, right from the beginning of the semester, that they would be more stringent with attendance requirements, even for final year students.

In a phone call conversation with the correspondent, Mahi, a final year student from Miranda House remarked, “The final year students have coaching and have to prepare for entrances. So the administration is usually more understanding with us. However, I do not know about the changes brought about this year.” Since none of the final year students have been given their admit cards till now, a cloud of uncertainty looms over their futures.

It is to be noted that, amidst the first and second year students who have already received their admit cards, there are students with attendance below 40%, who are still struggling to get their admit cards. A member of the college administration told DU Beat on condition of anonymity, “Even as the college is prepared to be flexible with the final year students, we have instructions to be uncompromising with the first and second year students.”

Nestling in the heart of North Campus, is Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), boasting cut-offs that rise as high as 99.25%. SRCC is surprisingly not as strict as some of its neighbours in campus, when it comes to attendance issues.

The Corporate Communications Head of the Students’ Union, Shrimann Adhith, held that until last year, the 67% requirement of attendance in order to be eligible to sit for the exams was not followed. It is only from the current academic session that students require the aforementioned percentage of attendance to get their admit cards. Shrimann went on to say, “Even if they do not maintain the required attendance, the students would eventually be given the admit card. However, they would be made to sign an undertaking.”

Sonul, a sports student from Gargi College, does not seem stressed about getting her admit card. She says, “If any of the third year students does not have the required attendance, they will be made to sign an undertaking. At the most, their parents will be called. But they will eventually be allowed to sit for the exams.”

Contrastingly, in Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Himansh Pandey, current President of ‘Anhad’, the Music Society of the college, told  DU Beat, “even if you are a part of a cultural society, you do not get ECA attendance. After a lot of protest, the Principal promised us that they will bring down the bar of required attendance for students of cultural societies to 30%. However, for other students, 67% attendance requirement is strictly followed, without which they do not get their admit cards.” However, he also added, “The worst case scenario is that your parents are called. But the final year students are given the fated sheet of admittance even if they have to stand in lines from 9 to 5, and fight with the administration.”

For the students of Lady Shri Ram College, things appear uncertain as there has been no word from the administration. When the DU Beat correspondent asked Amita Yadav, the President of the college, whether the third year students with below 67% attendance would be allowed to sit for the exams or not, she said, “There has been no word from the side of the administration till now.”

One common trend witnessed in most of the colleges is the lack of communication from the side of the administration. With less than 10 days left for the exams, students are still uncertain about whether they would receive their admit cards or not.

With most colleges having already celebrated their farewell, is this lack of communication justified? As the final year students gear up to step into the outside world of jobs and higher studies, isn’t keeping them second-guessing about their examinations a sheer lack of transparency?

These are some of the questions we need to pose to the administration departments of the colleges.

 

Feature Image Credits: HansIndia

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

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Keshav Mahavidyalaya would be holding a referendum to determine the students’ verdict in the matter of the institution of the college students’ union as well as the college’s affiliation to the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU). The referendum is slated to be held on the 2nd of May 2018, and the entire process is deemed to be completed by 9 p.m. on the same day.

Keshav Mahavidyalaya does not partake in the elections held to the DUSU and neither does it have a students’ union. For years, certain sections of the students have demanded for both the aforementioned elements in their college.

Faculty members V.K. Verma and Surendra Singh have been appointed as the Election Officer and Returning Officer respectively. All the class representatives (CRs) of the college have been invited to meet the Students’ Union Formation Committee on the 26th of this month for a meeting to discuss the modalities of the referendum. All students enrolled in regular courses in the college, and having a valid identity card will be eligible to vote in the same. The students can cast their votes from the following options: ‘NOTA’ (None Of The Above), besides ‘Yes’ and ‘No’.

Priyavrat Joshi, former President of the Stage Play Society, who graduated from the college in 2017, told DU Beat, “When I was in college, there were many protests for the institution of a students’ union. Our society, along with a few others had tried talking to the Principal and the administration for the same, but to no avail.” He further explained, “Our college has always been like a school, more inclined towards academics. So the authorities never wanted elections to take place in our college, to retain the academic spirit. In fact, even our college societies don’t get adequate support from the administration.”

When asked about the probable trends of the referendum, he commented, “I think the trend would be towards a definite ‘yes’ to the formation of the students’ union.”

In stark contrast to the comments of Priyavrat, a student, on the condition of anonymity, told the DU Beat correspondent, “all the societies are really happy with the way the college is functioning. We don’t have much complaints or demands with regards to either a students’ union or our affiliation to the DUSU.”

Significantly, while demands for a Students’ Union have been prevalent for quite some time, the Principal’s sudden affirmation for a referendum to decide the fate of the college was considered as a “suspicious move” by some quarters of the college. Commenting on the same, the student told DU Beat, “The Principal didn’t take the decision under any political pressure. She wasn’t against the idea of a students’ union, in the first place. Her concern was, if referendum is what majority of the students demand, then it is fair to have it.”

While any form of campaigning has been officially banned in the pretext of the referendum, the sight of “politically active” students approaching other students to influence their decision either for or against the referendum has been a commonality in the college lately.

The compilation of results is expected to commence at 4 p.m. on the 2nd of May, following which the declaration of results will be undertaken by the Principal on the same day.

 

 

Feature Image Credits: Justdial

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

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In an unprecedented development, Kirori Mal College (KMC), affiliated to the University or Delhi (DU), has cancelled its farewell for the graduating class of the academic session 2017-18.

DU Beat was informed about this recent development through an official circular from the Chairman of the college, Mr. Srivedant Desai.

In the circular dated 23rd of April 2018, Mr. Desai has noted, “In a show of support for the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) strike against the new UGC guidelines, the Kirori Mal College Teachers’ Association (KMCTA) in collaboration with the college Students’ Union has jointly decided to withhold every form of celebratory activity within the college premises indefinitely. All department and society farewells along with the college farewell for the graduating batch henceforth stands cancelled.”

While the motive of this decision is aimed towards just dispensation, the same has been criticised by various student quarters of the college. Directing strongly-worded criticism again the Students’ Union, President of the Western Dance Society, Karan Pandey, remarked, “We support the teachers in their struggle again the UGC guidelines, the 30-70 percent formula. However, it was wrong of the Union to take such a decision without consulting with us. The democratic character of the Union would be eroded if the students’ representatives continue to take reckless decisions.”

A group of final year students from Botany Honors and History Honors have decided to demonstrate against this decision, by organising an indefinite hunger strike. The group of protesters, consisting of about 130 to 150 students from the two departments, have occupied the area in front of the entry gate. Mallika, a student protester, told DU Beat, “We have spent 3 years of our lives in this campus. Right from when we were freshers, farewell was something that we all looked forward to. An entire montage of conflicting emotions, ranging from nostalgia to happiness to reverie, would be associated with the word “farewell”. But now, there would be nothing to commemorate the three years spent here. Today, we are protesting against the sheer lack of sensitivity displayed towards our emotions by the people in power.”

Adding on to Mallika’s remarks, Nikhil, President of the department of Botany Honors, said, “We will not move an inch from here until the decision is revoked by the KMCTA and the Students’ Union. If they had pledged to serve our interests when they occupied those positions of power, they must stick to their commitment.”

When the correspondent approached the college Principal for his remarks, he refused to comment on the same. When prodded further by the correspondent, he said, “At this point of time, I wouldn’t want to make a statement on this highly sensitive issue. I will surely revert back to you within a day.”

However, no reversion from the Office of the Principal had occurred since.

In a phone call conversation with the correspondent, the President of the college, Sandeep Samal, responded to the criticism by saying, “Look, we understand that this step is a rather controversial one, and no one expects the final year students to suffer. But until and unless we join in the teachers’ struggle and force the Varsity administration to pay heed to their demands, the DUTA struggle will not make much headway. It is only through real sacrifice that we will see real outcomes.”

As the students go their separate ways, some towards the job market and others towards higher studies, is depriving the graduating batch of 2017-18 of one final day as young, carefree students justified? This conflict of interests between a noble cause on one hand, and the students’ interests on the other, is expected to take a heavy toll on the already fragile nexus between the teachers and students of this significantly “political college”.

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Feature Image Credits: Hindustan Times

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

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According to reports, admission into the University of Delhi for 9 undergraduate courses might now be held on the basis of entrance examinations.

For the uninitiated, the University of Delhi (DU) does not only admit students who display their merit in their board examinations, it also conducts online entrance examinations for 9 undergraduate courses. The admission for the same is conducted separately from the rest of the courses for which admission is based on cut-offs.

According to sources, the online exams for these courses for the academic year 2018-19 are likely to be held in May.

A committee has been formed to discuss the online exams for these courses, as is the norm in each new academic session. However, this committee is yet to finalise the exact dates for the conduction of the exams. Ironically, while the tentative date for the exams has been revealed by trusted sources, the Varsity has not yet decided on the date for the registration for these courses.

Noteworthily, in the past, students have experienced inconvenience due to late or an absolute lack of proper conveyance regarding the dates and deadline of the registration process for these courses.

When the DU Beat correspondent approached the Deputy Dean of Students’ Welfare of DU, Dr Gurpreet Singh Tuteja, and enquired about the dates for the registration, he refused to comment on the same.

Violina Rajbongshi, a student pursuing Honors in Physics at Maitreyi College, remarked, “I wanted to pursue an integrated course in the Delhi School of Journalism. However, because I wasn’t well informed about the deadline for the application submission, I couldn’t sit for the entrance examination.”

Notably, the Varsity will conduct the online entrance exam for its flagship 5-year integrated journalism course at Delhi School of Journalism (DSJ) along with the other courses. Last year, the entrance exam for the English and Hindi Journalism courses at DSJ were held at 18 centres across the country in August. The centre’s officer on special duty, Manasvini Yogi commented, “This year too, we will have entrances in all these centres.”

The courses for which the online entrance exams will be held are — Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS), BA in Business Economics, Bachelor of Business Administration (financial investment analysis), Bachelor of Science in Physical Education, Health, Education and Sports, BA(H) Multimedia and Mass Communication, BTech (information technology and mathematical innovations), BA (H) Music, Bachelor of Elementary Education (BElEd) and the 5-year integrated course at DSJ.

Kalyani Sharma, a student wishing to pursue music academically said, “It is good music that has been given due acknowledgement as a field of study by DU. For those of us who want to ‘study’ music, it’s a progressive step.”

Remarkably, BA Honours in Music was added as a course in DU last year. The online entrance examination for the same will be held along with aforementioned 8 courses.

Significantly, these courses do not have high cut-offs and could be favourable for those looking for admissions in DU.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Hindustan Times

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

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As part of their annual fest ‘Praasna’, the Department of Philosophy of St. Stephen’s College is organising a seminar which would witness bilateral talks between two delegations from Hindu College and St. Stephen’s College.

This unique event titled ‘Rethinking Rivalries’ would be themed around the heightened tensions in the relationship between St. Stephen’s College and Hindu College. In the same, two delegations of students from both colleges would brainstorm ideas about how to truncate the uneasiness in the relationship between the neighboring colleges. Member of Parliament, Shashi Tharoor, who is also an alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, has been invited to lead the delegation from his alma mater while Managing Director of Republic TV, Arnab Goswami, has consented to lead the delegation from Hindu College, his alma mater.
The event is expected to signify a shift from a spirit of competition to cooperation.

The rivalry, as considered in academic circles of the University of Delhi, between the two neighboring colleges is a well-known one. One interesting myth about the origin of this rivalry dates back to the year 1889. A young prodigy of a rich dad wanted admission in St. Stephen’s College but couldn’t make it. Disheartened, the rich dad decided to start a college right in front of St. Stephen’s. Thus, the foundation stone for Hindu College was laid, and along with it were laid the seeds of rivalry between the two colleges.

Legend has it that once, during the annual fest of St. Stephen’s College, posters were put up saying, ‘Hinduites And Dogs Not Allowed’. The college across the road then retaliated with posters saying, ‘Dogs Are Allowed But Not Stephanians’. This then led to a spate of protests and counter-protests between ‘Stephanians’ on one side of the road and ‘Hinduites’ on the other, with both sides exchanging risqué curses.
In fact, a certain rumor which does the rounds in North Campus is that whenever ‘Stephenians’ are scolded at college, they are told, ‘You don’t deserve to be here, your place is across the road’.

There are various reasons why both colleges love to hate each other, one of them being the difference in the cultures of the two. While students of Hindu College frown upon the exceptionally disciplined atmosphere at Stephen’s, students of the latter refer to the environment of Hindu College as ‘anarchical’ and ‘disruptive’.

This seminar is hoped to diminish the tension between the two colleges and bring about an ambiance of comradeship and amity, thereby enabling two of the best colleges of the University of Delhi to work together to establish eternal peace and prosperity.

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

 

Feature Image Credits: The Times of India
Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
[email protected]