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Bazinga

Delhi University Results Postponed by at least a Month

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The announcement of delayed results has indefinitely spread waves of shock among students across the university. DU Beat has reached out to DU officials to confirm the veracity of all claims.

In a startling revelation, the officials of University of Delhi (DU) have confirmed that results for the semester-end examinations conducted over the months of November-December 2017 will be postponed by at least a month, thereby delaying the process indefinitely. It has been classified as a means of retaliation against Delhi Government’s inordinate delay in the release of funds to pay salaries to DU’s teaching staff. Last month, the Delhi University Teachers’ Association President and Secretary had written to Manish Sisodia, the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi to appeal to release funds for the 28 DU colleges that are either partially or fully funded by it. This contentious issue stems from the delay by DU in the formation of a governing body for these 28 colleges.

The Dean of University Examinations confirmed the news, as released by sources. In a press statement released by him, he explained the gravitas of the situation and contended that the issue has extended for far too long to be controlled by them anymore. Teachers have unanimously decided to not check any university papers unless they receive an official update by the Delhi Government regarding the release of funds. Rashmi Gurzhou, a teacher at one of DU’s colleges, said “Our positions have been undermined and our personal lives are jeopardised due to the lack of salaries to cover daily expenses”. Despite their seemingly obvious disconnect with the formation of a Governing Body, most teachers have to bear the brunt of the University’s nonchalant behavior.

However, political pundits have accused the university officials of concealing the actual, inconspicuous reasons behind this delay by putting DUTA’s strike into the limelight, and henceforth not taking any action to curb it. One popular theory is that teachers are thoroughly disappointed with the quality of answer scripts. A few teachers, who had begun with the process of correction before DUTA called for a strike to protest, were apparently shocked by the level of degradation of answer quality even among those students who hail from reputable colleges. As an instinctive response, they disbanded from the process and shrunk from this responsibility, letting go of the opportunity to earn a few extra bucks. Some conspiracy theorists have gone a step further to theoritise the possibility of a fire in the vicinity of checking hall, which burnt the answer scripts.
Niharika Dabral, a student at DU was ecstatic when this news was announced, and said, “I’m a hundred percent sure that the DU authorities are trying to cover a goof-up. Either way, I’m happy.” Many others, unfortunately, do not share the same perspective. After writing several times to the VC’s office, a few student groups are preparing to approach the Delhi High Court now.

**Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is a humorous, light hearted column that should only be appreciated and not accepted.

 

Feature Image Credits: EduPristine

Vijeata Balani
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DUB Speak

Should Memes Be Politically Correct?

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2017 was the year of memes. If anyone used social media during the year, they were bound to come across memes like ‘Cash me Ousside’, ‘Salt bae’ or ‘Meryl Streep singing’. The culture of re-producing certain moments and turning them into iconic memes is certainly creative but it’s important to address the boundaries of ‘meme culture’.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, someone who is politically correct believes that language and actions that could be offensive to others, especially those relating to sex and race, should be avoided. The internet will make you believe that being sensitive and offended is synonymous to being a crybaby. While this may be rooted out from the subjugation of femininity in our society, regardless, being politically correct is an education in itself. Oscar Wilde tells us that “you can never be overdressed or overeducated” and so, it is only becoming of someone to learn to be sensitive and politically correct.

In particular, India saw the rise of a distasteful ‘Soluchan’ meme that became so popular that it no longer remained on the internet. Needless to say, such memes were not only insensitive but also veiled the seriousness of addiction behind it. The truth behind Kamlesh’s video is alarming. It has been taken off of a trailer for the documentary Nashebaaz – The Dying People of Delhi that brings into light the battle of drug addiction that the national capital is facing. While trolling, mocking, and laughing on an illiterate addict child, people have not only cyber-bullied him but also obliterated the seriousness of the issue and for that matter, have completely lost sight of it.

We as Indians have been making fun of people’s appearances and their accents. A plethora of Facebook pages post images of obese, dark, and stereotypically unattractive girls along captions such as ‘I will only marry so and so’ or ‘Find me suitable boyfriend whose name stars with A’ and so on. Not only are these memes insensitive but they implicitly promote racialism, discrimination, and fat shaming. Trolling someone because of any disability or for their appearance is nothing short of cyber bullying. The saying ‘don’t laugh at someone, laugh with someone’ should be applied to the current meme culture. For example, memes like ‘Gormint Aunty’ and ‘Alok Nath’ are relatively in better taste.

Politically Correctness is often taken as a restriction of freedom of expression but the underlying restriction of any freedom is not to exercise it to hurt someone. Whenever you come across insensitive memes, you should block the page that promotes it and, if such memes are shared within your friend circle, you should definitely step up. While political correctness may seem to be cumbersome at first, once it is embedded in your mind, it can be worthwhile.

Let’s make internet a safe space!

Varoon Tuteja

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News

Result of CAT 2017 are Out

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Today afternoon, the result of Common Admission Test (CAT), which was conducted on 26th November 2017, was announced. Candidates can view their result on the official site by logging on using their user ID and password.

CAT is a computerised aptitude test conducted annually and is a crucial criterion for admission into the country’s top IIMs and other prestigious business schools across the country like S.P Jain, Management Development Institute (MDI), Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi (FMS), and Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS). It tests students in their areas like Quantitative ability, verbal ability and reading comprehension, and Data interpretation and logical reasoning. The test is conducted every year by one of the IIMs based on a policy of rotation. This year, the coordinating college was IIM Lucknow.

IIM Lucknow has revealed that a total of 199,632 candidates appeared for the notoriously tricky exam in 2017. 20 students have scored a perfect 100 percentile out of which two are females and three are non-engineers. Last year, 20 students had scored a 100 percentile too, but all of them were male engineers.

The CAT result is just one impediment overcome to gain the coveted seat at one of the IIMs. A list of the candidates shortlisted for the next level of selection will be made available on the website of the respective IIMs. Each IIM will then send interview letters to the shortlisted candidates directly. The criterion for shortlisting varies from IIM to IIM, as different weights are allotted to factors like work experience and past academic record.

 

Feature Image Credits: Byju’s

Vijeata Balani

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DUB News

New Year Not-So-Happy as many Professors Go Without Salaries

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An ongoing row between the University of Delhi and Delhi government has resulted in the freezing of funds for 12 DU colleges. This has not been a ‘happy’ new year for many teachers of the University of Delhi. Around 12 colleges including Gargi College, Kamala Nehru College, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Shaheed Rajguru College, Maharaja Agrasen College, and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, which get 100% funding from the Delhi government have no resources left to pay their staff, after the Delhi government froze funds in July over a tussle on the names for governing body with the university administration.

The professors of 12 DU colleges have been caught in this crossfire between the University and the government.  Professors claim that they do not have money to pay off their regular bills. These professors had to greet the New Year with empty pockets.

S K Garg, the principal of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, which is fully funded by the Delhi government told India Today, “We are neither in a position to pay salary to our staff nor do we have funds for paying electricity, water, and telephone bills. Financially, everything is held up, as we have not paid our outsourced security staff and sanitation staff,” He also informed that the college had to divert funds to ensure the basic functioning of the college.

The President of DUTA, Mr. Rajib Ray, told DU Beat that he has written to the Vice Chancellor and the Delhi Government regarding the tussle. “It is very unfortunate that the professors are suffering due to the non-payment of the salaries,” Ray told DU Beat.

The principals are particularly concerned about the salaries of the non-teaching staff because their everyday needs may be affected due to this delay.

Aware of the crisis, a senior official of Delhi government’s education department under the condition of anonymity told Mail Today, “Delhi government will release the salary as soon as the names of the panel of members of governing body are submitted to us by the university.”

Feature Image Credits: Indian Express

 

Sandeep Samal

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DUB Speak

Lessons from My Social Media Sabbatical

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A small break taken from all social media platforms during examinations taught me a valuable lesson- that social media platforms are branding and marketing tools that are addictive, make us materialistic, and negatively affect our self-esteem. After all, it has been rightly said that if it is free, and you are the product.

After I had wasted three days out of the nine-day gap I had before my English examination, a sense of guilt and shame crept on me. Not only had I not studied the whole semester, I had the audacity to not study during the exams as well! I had to seize control in order to score reasonably well in my examinations. To say that uninstalling Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat was an act of courage may sound like an exaggeration but for someone who spent their days glued on their phone, this is how it felt. What happened next made me feel like I was part of an elaborate social experiment. After the initial itch where I craved the distractions that my phone provided, I settled into a more peaceful and productive routine. My days seemed longer, I had more time in my hands, and my time on the internet was spent on watching Al Pacino recite the iconic “Hath not a Jew eyes” monologue from Merchant of Venice instead of watching stories of my friends dancing in some shady club. But this was exactly the purpose of my break and therefore I wasn’t completely surprised. I did expect to have more time in my hands because of my break. What I did not expect were the additional benefits/effects that my sabbatical had on my behavior.

I experienced the oddest sense of relief from this short break that I took. The desire to have a fabulous life, the feeling that I was wasting my golden years away cooped up in a hostel room suddenly went away. Social media gave me a sense of inadequacy in all spheres of my life- that I am not fit enough, fun enough, spontaneous enough, don’t party enough, don’t vacation enough, don’t shop enough, and much more. The desire to keep up appearance, to make my life look better, suddenly went away. I didn’t see other people stage their lives in order to look better and therefore did not feel the need to do the same as well. As shallow as it may sound, most of us curate various aspects of our lives in order to look better on a screen and the pressure and inadequacy that comes with it can be draining. Social media is a great way to document our lives but a terrible barometer to evaluate our self-worth.

Another aspect of my life that changed drastically was my consumption and purchase pattern. A large number of advertisements made me buy things I did not necessarily need or at times, even want. A 50% off banner on a red dress or the image of scrumptious chocolatey dessert from a food delivery app tempted me to buy things I did not want. But of course, I could not buy everything I liked and things I could not buy I ended up coveting, thus spending my energy on coveting, buying, regretting and so on. It was a vicious cycle that made me feel trapped; I didn’t want to miss out on the good deals and therefore not buying things made me feel anxious as well. A lack of control over my finances was the consequence of this capitalistic system that controlled me and made me feel careless and irresponsible. But it was when I took a break from social media that I experienced a sense of profound relief. Nothing could tempt me—  no sale, no dessert, no magical blackhead clearing scrub, I was above petty materialism. Out of sight, out of mind was an adage that became true for me. Not constantly being bombarded with advertisements gives us considerable satisfaction, and I speak from experience. Social media constantly reminds us of what we don’t have and a break from that is always a pleasure.

Not being controlled by my phone had so many other positive effects- I went to bed on time, managed to keep my surroundings cleaner, talked to my roommates and the people around me more, and took more walks outdoors than before, and all this during exam time! Taking a break from a study session did not mean a ten-minute scroll though my Instagram feed anymore, it meant calling up my best friend or making a cup of tea. I felt relaxed, more in control of my life, and happier in general. My exam preparation went considerably better than I expected and all in all, I felt like my life was more sorted.

It has been rightly said that if something is free, you are the product. I fully understood the gravity of this statement in the context of social media when I took a break from it. Social media is a genie which will enslave you if you do not control it. Stepping back from social media is a healthy practise but its greatest benefit is that it teaches us that the world does not revolve around us, something that all of us should be reminded of from time to time.

Kinjal Pandey

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Auburn Umbrella – How You Can Take Care of Your Hair This Winter

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Even though you love the way the cold winter winds play with your hair, they can leave your hair dry, rough, and frizzled. Winter winds lack moisture and if your hair is not properly nourished on time, it can lead to permanent damage. Follow these tips to take care of your hair this winter season:

Oiling:

During the winters, your hair requires oiling at least once or twice a week. Without the oil nourishment, your hair can develop dandruff which can even lead to scalp irritation. Massaging with coconut or olive oil works best for all kinds of hair. In case you have developed dandruff, the best way to nourish your scalp is by mixing coconut oil with lemon juice. Apply the mixture from roots to the tips for best results.

Warm Water:

While washing your head, use lukewarm water and not hot water as it strips off the scalp from its natural oils. Hot water dehydrates the hair and scalp severely which leads to frizzy and dull-looking hair.

Conditioning:

During winters, a conditioner after shampooing is a must. Start applying the conditioner from the mid-lengths to the roots, concentrating mostly on the roots as that is generally the most damaged part of a person’s hair. The conditioner locks in the moisture and makes your hair smooth and shiny. A leave-on serum after squeezing the hair carefully with the towel is a must-do, as it prevents the hair from becoming static.

Drying:

Blow-drying your hair during winters can lead to permanent hair damage. To counter this, try air-drying. However, if there is no other way other than using your dryer, dry your hair on a cooler mode. Drying them at the least hot temperature prevents it from becoming frizzy and dull.

Making extra efforts to take care of your hair does not take long and can go a long way in keeping it healthy and shiny.

Feature Image Credits: About Lifez

Prachi Mehra

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Tracing the History of CAT Race

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As 2.3 lakh students appeared for the gruelling CAT exam today, we trace the history of its incongruous nature, the criticisms and controversies that surround it, and problems that plague the future of this highly competitive exam.

Common Admission Test, more fondly referred to as CAT, is an all-India standardised test that was started by the Indian Institute of Management(s) as a means of selecting students for their post-graduate programs in business administration. The exam tests students on the bases of Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation and Logical reasoning, and Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. Presently, CAT is famous for its notoriety, the difficulties it poses, its nerve-wracking competitiveness, and the ever-changing guidelines. Since the past 10 years, the number of test takers has hovered around the 1.85 lakh student average, and in 2016 it was the highest in the past seven years, with more than 2 lakh students appearing for it. What are the problems that plague this system, and why is the diversity in all the top business schools so skewed and seemingly less favourable for particular sections?

The changes in admission criteria over the past years

IIMs routinely change their admission criteria to enroll students from diverse backgrounds. IIM- Bangalore now awards higher weightage to work experience, while most IIMs are awarding extra marks to female students. The weightage given to CAT has fallen drastically over the past years, with only FMS remaining in the top b-schools category that gives more than 80% weightage to it. Other top schools take into account a hoard of additional factors like work experience, marks scored in 10th, 12th, graduation, and performance in group discussions and personal interviews. These steps give the illusion that the IIMs are diversifying, but the prospective chances for female and non-engineers remain unflinchingly low.

Following years of criticism of employing measures that significantly increased the probability of enrolling students from the engineering background, the CAT exam pattern saw major upheavals in 2015. Descriptive, type-in-the-box questions were introduced reducing the total number of MCQs, and the time limit to answer 100 questions was raised from 170 to 180. In effect, it clearly failed to make a difference as all 20 candidates who scored 100 percentiles in 2016 were males from the engineering background. Females and non-engineers did score 100 percentile in sectionals, but the overall CAT result was the same as any year’s.

A number of deserving candidates, both male and female, are also losing out due to poor scores in high school and graduation. The purpose of considering previous milestone marks is to determine a student’s worth via his/her consistent performance over the years, but it fails to account for the degrading standards of education and extreme emphasis on rote learning in schools. It is an undeniable fact that marks secured up till 12th are primarily based on one’s ability to memorise, and the access one has to expensive tutors.

The not so “common” aftermath of CAT

The 20 IIMs, along with scores of other Institutes take into account an individual’s CAT percentile. However, many famous private institutions like ISB, S.P Jain, Xavier’s, Narsee Monjee, IIFT, have their personalised admission tests or they consider GMAT scores. CAT was devised by the IIMs, and it continues to be the top criterion for admission in the reputed franchisee. When a person does convert a call to enter IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, or Calcutta, the fees at these institutions is 20+ lakhs, inclusive of tuition and hostel fees. Most fresh graduates have to resort to taking education loans, which is extremely easy to procure if one is associated with the IIM brand, to pay the debt of studying in these coveted institutes. However, the falling annual average packages offered during campus placements are posing questions regarding the Return of Investment (RoI) of IIMs. The fact that newer IIMs, like IIM Sambhalpur and IIM Bodh Gaya, witnessed students who weren’t offered any job, in the history of IIMs has dented the prestige and sense of job security that was affiliated with IIMs.

India’s unfathomable obsession with IIMs

Presumably and justifiably so, the graduates of these institutions are the best brains of the country. The question needs to be asked- what about those who don’t belong to this list? At the cost of remaining elusive to the average student who can’t afford coaching, the average student who can’t join through management quotas in a reputed institute; this average student faces several entry barriers. Despite all efforts being infused into the system to minimise these initial hurdles, there is a long way to go before the top institutes oversee discussions from every discipline and all genders.

 

Feature Image Credits: Campus Drift

Vijeata Balani

[email protected]

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Criticism and Controversies Around the Nobel Prizes

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Since 1901, mankind has developed a particular fascination with the Nobel prizes, and justifiably so. The honour immortalises the awardees and guarantees recognition for a lifetime. Despite this fact, it has always engendered controversies from critics and commoners alike. Why is that so?

The Nobel prizes are awarded by the Swedish Academy and Norwegian Nobel Committee, as mentioned by Alfred Nobel in his will. Nobel gave away 94% of his property or 31 million Swedish Kronor towards the establishment of the five Nobel prizes- in medicine or physiology, chemistry, physics, literature, and peace to recognise individuals who contribute remarkably in these respective fields. This pursuit has however been thwarted by criticisms and controversies over time. From awarding Bob Dylan the Nobel prize for literature in 2016 to the Nobel peace prize to Barack Obama, the prizes have innocuously been marred by sceptics and its credibility questioned repeatedly. After awarding Barack Obama in 2009, the committee responsible for delegating this award (Norwegian Nobel committee) came under fire for this decision. People from around the world cited lack of insight by the Norwegian Committee and demanded a rollback of the honour. The following are a few issues that have been raised multiple times since the establishment of the prizes-

1. The Nobel prizes in the sciences can recognize only three people at maximum: This plays a major role in harbouring disinterest among organisations which work collaboratively towards finding discoveries. In today’s time, thousands of people are involved in a single invention or discovery, but only three people can be bestowed with the honor. Hence, organisations cannot be awarded the Nobel prize in sciences, thus derecognising the effort of multiple other authors worthy of this distinction.

2. Nobel prizes cannot be awarded posthumously: The average age of a Nobel laureate hovers around 59, and it’s a well known fact that most laureates are awarded in their latter years. The prizes are supposed to be awarded for achievement in the year preceding the awards, but that doesn’t always happen in the case of science Nobels. A lot of times, the prize is awarded years after so that the research is not debunked by another discovery. Many researchers have missed out despite their great contributions as the prizes aren’t given posthumously. (The prizes have been awarded posthumously only twice, in rare cases.)

3. Nobel prizes don’t recognise the social sciences: Considering that the Nobel prize in economics isn’t technically a Nobel and is awarded in the memory of Alfred Nobel by Sveriges Riksbank, critics have argued for similar prizes in other fields of social sciences like anthropology, psychology, and sociology.

4. Gender, race, and why they matter: Out of the 200 Nobel laureates that have been awarded for Physics, only two have been women (1% of the total). Only one woman has won the Nobel in economics since it was first given in 1969, and similar patterns have been observed in the Nobel prize for literature and chemistry where the representation of women is not indicative of their contributions in the fields. Racial bias has been another bone of contention, as white Europeans and Americans continue to form a majority of the winners’ lot.

Another year of the Nobel week gone by, the world is doe-eyed to witness how the winners would continue their legacy. Even though the world’s most prestigious awards have garnered praise, sparked courage, and evoked hope in many there are a few controversies that dampen the shine of the prestigious medals.

 

Feature Image Credits: TUM

Vijeata Balani
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Jesus and Mary College

President of India arrives as the Chief Guest in Jesus and Mary College

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The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, graced Jesus and Mary College and inaugurated its Golden Jubilee celebration today.

The Honourable President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, graced Jesus and Mary College (JMC) on the occasion of its Golden Jubilee year, and inaugurated the year-long celebrations in the college campus this morning. The President of India was the Chief Guest, along with archbishop Anil Couto, the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Delhi. Present also among the Guests of Honour were V.S. Chauhan, the University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairperson, and Yogesh Tyagi, the Vice-Chancellor of University of Delhi (DU), along with Sr. (Dr.) Marina John R.J.M, the former Principal of JMC.

JMC was established as a constituent college of DU in the year 1968, by the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. The college started with one department offering B.A. English (Hons.) and B.A. (pass) courses, with 116 students on its roll. Today, it caters to more than 2500 students enrolled in over 10 honours courses and multiple B.A courses. On this auspicious occasion of its 50th anniversary, the President graced the institution and planted a sapling in the college premises and saw the photo exhibition on display before entering the hall. The students of JMC put up commendable performances on showcase and enthralled a packed hall of students and dignitaries. The Indian Music Society of JMC, Tarannum, performed its rendition of the National Anthem, followed by a bamboo dance performance by Ethnic Eight, the North-Eastern Students’ society of JMC, and a dance Performance by Nrityanjali, the Indian dance society of the college. The college’s gymnastics and yoga teams performed as well, and put up splendid performances. The college’s principal, Sr.(Dr.) Rosily T.L, then invited the President to address the gathering.

The President, in his speech, congratulated the Christian community on its contribution to the shared culture of learning and maintaining academic excellence. He highlighted the importance of education of girls and also applauded the college for partnering with a local NDMC school to facilitate the development of the school and its children. Speaking of education and digitisation, he said “Our education infrastructure, curricula and modes of teaching need to be 21st century compatible and be nimble and dynamic enough to constantly embrace change”. The speech was live-telecasted on DD channel.

Following the President’s address, Father John, the governing body of JMC’s Chairperson, came on the podium to share his greetings with the students present. The concluding event was a culmination of various Indian dance performances led by Guru Jai Rama Rao and Vanshree Rao, which included Mahisasur Mardini. The college now embarks on its 50th year celebrations, and will witness many events happening all year round.

Feature image credits: President’s Twitter Handle

Ananya Peddibhotla and Vijeata Balani from JMC

 

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