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As DU gears up for the fest season, the supposed fortress of security seems to crumble each year. Are women’s colleges equipped with the required security measures?

For the past few years, Delhi University (DU) has consistently witnessed incidents of unwarranted male trespassers into women’s colleges every time there is a fest or any event for that matter, with students being sexually harassed, catcalled, and their safe spaces violated. In light of such incidents, the University issued an advisory with guidelines to be followed by all colleges during events likely to be attended by outsiders. Between April 2023 and January 2024, the notifications have been updated thrice ahead of the upcoming college fest season.

Surely, such an advisory may appear to be the need of the hour and perhaps even reassuring, but is it the case that the University has finally recognized the persistence of such pressing issues, or is the advisory, just like security in most women’s colleges, merely performative? Isn’t it high time that the University’s administration, instead of issuing such performative guidelines, actually addressed the larger issue of male entitlement, beyond just ensuring their students’ safety? College spaces, be it women’s colleges or co-educational spaces, should certainly not be places where women (or anyone for that matter) live in a sense of fear, apart from obviously the external world beyond college boundaries. 

It is also important to note that some of the security measures, for instance, the installation of CCTVs, pre-registration through Google Forms, and deployment of security personnel, have already been in place in many colleges, and yet there have been repeated violations. Most instances have been when the ones who “lawfully” entered the college premises became perpetrators of assault. So, a No Objection Certificate (NOC) is completely ineffective when it comes to the “male gaze” and entitlement towards women’s spaces in a patriarchal set-up.

“Because our college restricted male entry this year, apart from the participants, it did make the fest safer than last year, where a lot of chaos had ensued with guys passing lewd remarks at female students performing during the dance competition. Although such incidents didn’t take place this year, I believe restricting male entry is just an instinctive response to a much larger problem, that is, patriarchy, which is so deeply rooted in our society. Such measures end up putting the onus on women to protect themselves, as apparently “boys will be boys.” If the administration is unable to restrict students inside the campus, their immediate response is to just stop male entry. We need some long-term solutions to such problems, and sensitization of not just students but even the faculty needs to take place to uproot the actual cause of this problem.”

-said a student from Janki Devi Memorial College.

Students believe that the advisory is just the bare minimum, and the larger problem needs to be taken into account while ensuring security in women’s spaces.

Google Form registrations certainly do not amount to character screenings; thus, the University has no appropriate solution to this issue. At the college’s annual fest last year, the administration, as a security measure, made it mandatory for every male attendee to have a pass with a particular student’s name on it to ensure that they were invited by any of the students. Also, it was ensured that no guys entered the fest in groups. It’d be great if there was security present not just at the gates but inside the college, where a large crowd usually gathers, because that’s where fights usually break out. It would have been great if the University advisory came with a preface condemning the actions that took place not just at IPCW last year but what has been happening in women’s colleges almost every year. They need to realize that such incidents mostly just take place in women’s colleges because patriarchy allows men to feel entitled to women’s spaces and men fear other men, rather than respecting women as equal human beings.”

-remarked a student from Maitreyi College when asked about safety in women’s colleges ahead of the fest season.

A student from Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW) spoke about how the college’s environment has changed significantly since the unfortunate incident at last year’s fest.

The college administration, just like the administration in almost every DU college, loves to put the entire blame on the student body, despite the Student Council being a mostly performative entity in our college now. Since the college is busy with its centennial celebrations, we are not even sure if the annual fest ‘Shruti’ will even take place this year. The advisory issued by the University just goes on to show that the onus of protection is always going to be put upon women rather than holding the perpetrators accountable. Despite there being extensive measures like Google Form registrations and screening of bags at the gate, they were certainly not enough to prevent overcrowding and its aftermath. Our college did not have enough security to handle such a large crowd, and sadly, it took the University that incident and many more past occurrences in women’s colleges to even issue an advisory, which was also the bare minimum, to say the least.”

Thus, the question is: are women’s colleges even equipped with effective security ahead of the fest season, or is just locking up women and not questioning the root cause of the problem, which is patriarchy, going to be the immediate response from the administration in most colleges? 

Read Also: Who Protects Our ‘Safe’ Spaces?

Featured Image Credits: Hindustan Times

Gauri Garg

[email protected] 

 

In anticipation of the upcoming college fest season, an advisory for the conduct of fests, events, and programmes was disseminated to all Delhi University (DU) colleges, with a particular focus on the security of women attendees.

Delhi University (DU) has issued a 17-point advisory, explicitly stating the dos and don’ts for holding events and fests across all colleges and departments. The advisory was issued by the University Proctor, Prof. Rajni Abbi earlier in April 2023. In light of numerous colleges in the varsity gearing up for their respective annual college fests, the University renotified the guidelines for the same.

The guidelines entail essential measures, including acquiring No Objection Certificates (NOC) from the local police stations, implementing pre-registration for outsiders with mandatory college identity card verification, installing low concertina wires to prevent unauthorised access, ensuring illumination of all surrounding areas near the venue, and conducting mandatory security drills, among other specifications.

The DU advisory also suggested that there should be multiple gates in the college, and all gates must have working CCTVs. The advisory mentioned,

All gates should have a PA (public announcement) system for any announcements. Keeping in mind the number of their students, teachers, and staff members present at the event, the number of outside registrations should be kept below the venue’s capacity.

The advisory was issued in response to the spate of incidents that have transpired in women’s colleges in recent years.

One such horrific incident was reported in March this year from DU’s oldest women’s college, the Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW), where unidentified individuals allegedly harassed students after entering the premises by scaling the walls during the annual college festival. Subsequently, a wave of extensive protests emerged among the student body, advocating for the resignation of the college principal in response to the aforementioned incident.

In October of the previous year, Miranda House experienced a similarly disturbing event during their Diwali Fest, where individuals reportedly scaled walls, vociferously shouted slogans, and subjected students to harassment, prompting heightened concerns for student safety.

In light of the same, the advisory was prepared after a host of meetings with several university and college officials and the Delhi Police. It thus read,

It is absolutely essential to give students the confidence that if any untoward they could, they should immediately approach their staff advisors, teachers, the Internal Complaints Committee, the Women’s Developmental Cell, the Proctorial Committee, and the Principal so that they can take speedy action.

Read also: The Invasion of IPCW – A Student’s Account

Featured Image Credits: DU Beat

Injeella Himani
[email protected]

The annual festival of Hindu College, ‘Mecca’, has allegedly been put in jeopardy by an administration order to reduce the 3-day, star-studded event to just 1. Students of the college have reportedly gathered outside the college gates to stage a protest against the same.

An important cultural event in the college calendar, this year’s ‘Mecca’ was scheduled to be held on the 26th, 27th, and 28th of April, culminating in a megastar evening on the final day with Sunidhi Chauhan. Agreements had been made, and Coke Studio had signed up for sponsorship of about Rs. 34 lakhs. However, with the event just a week away, on April 20, the organising committee was informed by the college principal that the event should be wrapped up in a single day, i.e., April 28.

This order by the administration was reportedly in part due to the recent advisory issued by the University for  college fests requiring NOC from the police or being limited to the students of the college. Students who have been working hard for months for this event have come out to protest against this arbitrary decision. The organising committee has also opposed this decision, saying that MOUs have been signed and all the arrangements have been made. The college administration has also allegedly made the distasteful demand that Sunidhi Chauhan be dressed in a saree; otherwise, she won’t be allowed to perform on stage, as a gimmick to stop the event from taking place.

“The admin has shown a similar attitude towards every event. We had a North-East Fest in our college which had an open entry, but the principal denied that just one day before the event. They’ve always opposed Mecca from the first day, but if they’re letting it happen, why cancel at the last moment? Coke Studio can easily file a case against the OC head of Mecca for breaking the MOUs.” – Devesh Arya, a third-year student at Hindu College

According to sources, various protesters allegedly came to the college on the night of the 20th, breaking the locks of the gates and protesting for Mecca to be held according to the original itinerary of 3 days. The next morning, they reportedly didn’t let the professors into the college as a sign of protest. Later in the day, they shifted their protest to the principal’s office. While some students alleged that protesting students were detained by the police and lathi charged, others have claimed otherwise. On the same day, i.e., the 21st of April, the principal issued a notice stating that they “were anguished to the state that they were left with no choice but to seek police assistance”.

“Students have crowded outside the auditorium since last night; they’ve spread the mattresses and are continuously protesting. Since then, the principal has also made many attempts to leave the premises, but every time was stopped by protesting students.” – An eyewitness from Hindu College

Many people in the organizing committee claimed having their own money pitched in, but now that there are limitations on the people allowed to attend the event, the students fear that the sponsors will back out and also tarnish the name of the college.

“We don’t have any additional demand; we just want to continue with the same old format that Mecca used to happen. This is all our demand, and as long as it’s not fulfilled, we will continue to protest. A meeting with the principal happened, but no response was received.” – Prabal Mishra, a student of Hindu College and Junior Executive Head in PR

Read also: ‘No event without Police NOC’: DU Releases New Guidelines for College Fests

Featured Image Credits: Devesh Arya for DU Beat

Samra Iqbal
[email protected]

 

 

Separate gates for entry and exit, restriction on entry of outsiders, hiring private security, increasing height of boundary walls – were a few among the measures suggested by Delhi University’s panel to augment security in colleges post the shameful events at IP college’s fest.

On 4th April, the University of Delhi constituted a 5-member committee to investigate the incursion onto the Indraprastha College for Women’s campus during the college’s annual fest. The committee has now prepared security guidelines for colleges to prevent such future mishaps after several meetings and consultations with the Delhi Police.

These guidelines have been issued in the wake of several recent incidents which have threatened the security of girls on college campuses. Low boundary walls, no concertina wires, common entry and exit gates, dearth in CCTV surveillance were certain infrastructural issues adding to the insecurity. Although the recent incidents have largely been reported at all-women’s colleges, these general guidelines are mandated to be followed diligently in all campuses.

The advisory by the DU Proctor Rajni Abbi, dated 13th April, mandates a proper Advance Security Liaison (ASL) meeting with all stakeholders i.e. fire, police, electricity, college/university security, college representative, event management company etc, before the commencement of any concert or event inviting outside students. No such event is to be organised without an NOC (No objection certificate) from the police.

“There should be a careful assessment of the capacity of the venue in relation to attendees expected. Information on the capacity of the various venues should be mapped and total number of participants allowed should be in accordance with the available space,” read the advisory.

Mandating such structural changes was the need of the hour considering the loop holes within the administration and the infrastructure. Implementation of these measures in a stringent and swift manner is of utmost importance considering that the fest season is still not over. Greater funding towards security is definitely something that was needed. Greater emphasis on implementation in all-girls colleges is even more important” – Priyanka Bhalla, a student from Lady Shri Ram College for Women in conversation with DU Beat

Among other measures were proper assessment of height of college walls, and installation of concertina wires if found to be low and scalable, installation of metal detectors, CCTV cameras at college and hostel gates. Pre-registration would be a pre-requisite for entry, submission of details like venue, date, time, crowd number beforehand to the police has been necessitated.

Read Also: ‘No event without Police NOC’: DU Releases New Guidelines for College Fests

Feature image credits: DU Beat

Rubani Sandhu

[email protected]

 

In response to the recent events at IPCW, DU released new rules for the conduction of forthcoming fests and events by colleges.

On Monday, April 17, Delhi University’s advisory committee outlined certain suggestions for the subsequent conduction of fests and events in the university. According to DU officials, the new guidelines were framed by the proctor’s office in consultation with the Delhi Police, following the unfortunate incident that occurred during the annual cultural fest of Indraprastha College for Women on March 28. Men were seen entering college by scaling the boundary walls and allegedly molested students attending the fest.

According to DU proctor, Prof. Rajni Abbi, the college officials would be in charge of conducting events and they should exercise due diligence while planning such programmes. The rules suggested carefully evaluating the venue’s capacity in proportion to the anticipated number of participants.

Information on the capacity of the various venues should be mapped and the total number of participants allowed should be in accordance with the available space. Keeping in mind the number of their own students, teachers and staff members present at the event, the number of outside registrations should be kept below the venue’s capacity” -DU proctor, Prof. Rajni Abbi

Guidelines stated that a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the police would be necessary for holding events that permit outsiders’ entry. Similarly, prior to the conduction of any event, colleges will mandatorily have to hold a “proper Advance Security Liasoning (ASL) meeting” with all the concerned stakeholders. These include the police, the electricity department, college representatives, college security and the event management company. The suggestions also call for the institutions to expand their security infrastructure. Authorities must install concertina wires to stop miscreants from scaling the college’s boundary wall if it is low. The recommendations call for several gates equipped with operational CCTVs and public announcement systems. The police department has also asked colleges to hire door frame metal detectors to ensure the safety of attendees.

Sagar Singh Kalsi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) claimed that the police were taking a number of steps to maintain a safe campus atmosphere.

“We applaud Delhi University for its recent actions. We are devoted to keeping the community a place of peace and harmony. Additionally, we are setting up cyber training and self-defence seminars across colleges.” – Sagar Singh Kalsi, Deputy Commissioner of Police

 

Read also: The Invasion of IPCW: A Student’s Account – DU Beat – Delhi University’s Independent Student Newspaper

Featured Image Credits: Anshika for DU Beat

 Manvi Goel

[email protected]

The Human Resource Development Cell of Shri Ram College of Commerce organized a two-day extravaganza, The Sri Ram Red Bricks Summit  and it’s annual fest Minductor 11.0  on 27th and 28th March 2023. The second day witnessed a star-studded line of speakers namely Mrs Ghazal Alagh and Mr Varun Alagh along with entertainers like singer Abeer Chopra.

The second day started at 9 am in the morning with an enlightening interview of the founders
of Mamaearth, Mrs. Ghazal Alagh and Mr. Varun Alagh hosted by RJ Vidit from 98.3 FM.
The couple shared their collaborative journey of founding Mamaearth in 2016, as a dream
company to help people take care of their children and others, their USP being- chemical free
products. This interview gave the audience important insights into the inception of any new
venture and the possible marketing strategies that could come in handy.

The day proceeded with soulful renditions of songs by the sensational singer and Instagram
personality, Abeer Chopra. The audience experienced a mesmerizing performance, starting
with pop songs and ending with the heart-rending vocals of Anuv Jain.

“I had an amazing experience performing at SRCC. The arrangements were great and
the crowd was wonderful which motivated me to perform better. It was my pleasure to perform at this stage and I would love to come here for more such events”, noted the singer.

The event also featured many innovative competitions within its ambit, involving the
intellectual as well as creative capacities of the students. Competitions such as BuZZinGear,
HRVerse, and Buyer’s Battle were organized by the society which witnessed participation from
different colleges. Buyer’s battle was  a competition structured on the model of IPL Auctions, where teams had to buy players and each team was given a budget of Rs. 50 crore. Similarly, the HRVerse
competition tested the HR skills of the students and how to manage and connect with new
people Muskan Jain,  the event head from the organizing team of Buyer’s Battle recounted,

“Organizing this event was both exciting and challenging. This is the first time I have organized an offline event and I feel that all the tiring hours of hard work and discussions over Google meets and conference calls were worth it”.

The event saw a good footfall from various colleges, and with this, the two-day event
organized by the Human Resource Development Cell came to a successful end.

Samra Iqbal
[email protected]

Image Credits: DUBeat 

Also Read: Shree Ram Red Bricks Summit and Minductor 11.0 : Day 1

The Human Resource Development Cell of Shri Ram College of Commerce hosted the 11th edition of its annual fest Minductor 11.0 and the Shri Ram Red Bricks Summit on 27th and 28th March, 2023. It was a two-day cultural extravaganza including insightful panel discussions, seven exciting competitions, and a foot-tapping musical concert, all of which celebrated the richness of human capital.

Day one of Minductor 11.0 kicked off with an electric and show-stopping dance performance by V-Defyn Dance Society of IIT Delhi. This was followed by a panel discussion on Amrit Kaal: Forging India’s Prosperous Future. The panelists included Mr. Dhruv Sharma, Founder of Social Canvass Consulting, Mr. Sharad Sagar, CEO of Dexterity Group, and Mr. Falit Sijariya, Y20 representative. The lively discussion revolved around the future of Indian education to meet global standards and diverse work opportunities for the youth to create meaningful impact.

To lighten the academic mood post the panel discussion, stand-up comedian Gourav Mahna brought tears of laughter to an enthralled audience. The day also marked the on-campus finale rounds of three exciting events – Quandrum, a National Case Study Competition; Innerve and Binge Maniacs all of which encouraged participants to think on their feet and provide out-of-the-box solutions.

The afternoon marked another Panel Discussion on The Impact of Unconscious Bias and tackled themes on socio-economic inclusion and the relevance of DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity) in HR.
The speakers Dr. Radhika Batra, Founder of Every Infant Matters and Ms. Aditi Arora, Country Director of GirlUp UN along with moderator Anurag Kashyap, tactfully conversed with the audience about the various sensitive motions. Monday wrapped up with a lively concert by Taranbeer which
had the student body grooving to both old Bollywood classics and modern tunes.

Bhavya Nayak
[email protected]
Image Credits: DUBeat

On April 3, 2023, the students of Gargi College, led by SFI, organised a protest to demand the restriction-free organisation of their annual college fest, Reverie, along with standing in solidarity with protesting IPCW students.

On Monday, April 3 2023, a rumour that the Gargi College’s administration’s planned to cancel its annual fest, Reverie, was met with protests led by SFI Gargi. This event followed the stampede and cases of harassment that took place at the annual fest of Indraprastha College for Women on March 28, 2023.

The fest was tentatively scheduled for April 10–12, 2023. Such rumours particularly caught wind when, on March 31, 2023, “Reverie Reveal” did not go as planned, as the college’s Student Council failed to disclose the theme for the upcoming fest as they were expected to. The protestors assembled in front of the admin office for hours. However, nobody from the admin office came to address them, instead asking two students to enter the office but leave their phones behind – something they refused to comply with.

The protestors questioned the administration’s move of imposing restrictions on a women’s college fest because of what transpired at IPCW, rather than increasing security as necessary. They questioned the “highly regressive” idea of asking students to leave early in a metropolitan city like Delhi, simply because they are women. They demanded the right to organise a college fest without the imposition of such unreasonable restrictions, just like other co-ed colleges of the University.

However, it was revealed that rather than the fest being cancelled, additional guidelines and restrictions had been put in place by the administration to allegedly curb crowding and the chances of mishaps. These included wrapping up the event by 5 PM, removing the element of a star night or concert, and limiting the fest to society competitions and events. A student, who wishes to remain anonymous, shared that the student council were informed of these changes on the evening of 30th March, Thursday.

Our original itinerary had a band performance, stand-up comedy, and Qawwali night till 7-8 in the evening. But on the 31st they told us that it will be till 5, with no band, no stand-up comedian, only sufi night, because apparently that would not attract boys. Basically, nothing that can generate mass crowd because apparently coronavirus is spreading – only after 5 PM – and because of the IPCW incident. These were the two reasons they gave us.” – an anonymous student

In opposition to these restrictions as well as in solidarity with protesting IPCW students, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Gargi College, decided to lead a protest demanding “a proper fest without restrictions while ensuring safety of the students,” as said in an SFI press release dated April 3, 2023. The protest began around 12:30 PM with a handful of students in the Arts Quad area of the college, but over time allegedly grew to amass a crowd of over 500.

SFI Gargi led a protest on 3 April, 2023 in solidarity with the students of IPCW and against the Gargi administration restricting the students by cancelling Reverie’23. We were joined by a huge mass of students as well as the college societies. We’ll continue to fight for the rights of the students inside and outside our college campus.” – Aahana, SFI South Area President and Anurakti, SFI College Secretary in a joint statement

A meeting was held with the members of the Student Council, heads of various societies, unions, etc., and other students, where the Student Council of Gargi College allegedly stepped down from the organising committee as the event was not going as they had planned. Several societies have also reportedly decided to boycott the fest unless it is organised as per the original itinerary.

This edition of Reverie would be the first to take place after the unfortunate incidents of harassment and abuse that took place in the last edition of the fest, organised in February 2020. A continuation of the protest on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, seems to be planned until student demands are met. SFI’s press release additionally mentions a memorandum that will be submitted on the same day in this regard.

Read also: Overcrowding and Harassment at Reverie’20, Gargi College

Feature Image credits: Devangi for DU Beat

Sanika Singh
[email protected]

A thing that brings all the aspirants of the University of Delhi in this country to a sense of fascination is the University’s engagement with the performing arts. With a plethora of opportunities in fields like dance, music, dramatic, students are exposed to the discipline and the adventure of the arts that interest them. DU Beat brings to you the first of the six installations of its analysis of the top society in DU. The hard work was persistent, and the competition heartening. Let’s delve into who made the cut and how.

Methodology

The best college society in each category was selected by creating a tally of the top 3 positions that could be won at various events. The society that secured the 1st position was awarded 3 points, the society that secured the 2nd position was awarded 2 points, and finally, the society securing the 3rd position was awarded 1 point.

25 college fests were considered in the making of the tally. The selection of these 24 colleges was based upon an analysis done by speaking with members of numerous college societies, and tracking the fests they considered most prestigious. Competitions organised independently and those with less than 4 participating teams were excluded. The considered colleges are:

Shaheed Rajguru College
Maitreyi College
Daulat Ram College
College of Vocational Studies
Shivaji College
Institute of Home Economics
Lady Irwin College
Shyama Prasad Mukherji College
Kamala Nehru College
Delhi College of Arts and Commerce
Ramjas College
Sri Aurobindo College (Morning)
Sri Aurobindo College (Evening)
Sri Guru Gobind Singh College
Kalindi College
Hindu College
Keshav Mahavidyalaya
Bharti College
PGDAV College (Evening)
Moti Lal Nehru College (Morning)
Ramanujan College
Kirori Mal College
Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies
Satyawati College (Evening)Maulana Azad College


Top Three Positions

IVOGUE, the fashion society of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, has won the best society accolade this time with 25 points. Galore of Maitreyi College followed at the second position with 22 points, and the third position was won by Debonair (Daulat Ram College) with 18 points.

Points Tally: Fashion

The Winning Society at a Glance

Ankit Aggarwal, President at IVOGUE, shared his thoughts on the team’s fourth consecutive victory- “This year our performance is titled as ‘Lost in our Reflection’ which portrays need of an individual to introspect and know about their true-self. This piece inculcates intellectual and experimental fashion together. We are really proud of the fact that we are a self-made society, we have done the designing, choreography, and every other task by ourselves, not depending on any outside help. It warms my heart to be surrounded by this talented bunch of people, their constant hard work for being the best and showcasing our best earned us victories and get acknowledged as the best fashion society yet again.”

Performing Members

Design:

Ankit (President)

Daman (Vice President)

Ishpinder

Harbandana

Divyjot

Public Relations:

Pranay (Head Coordinator)

Ankit

Ayush

Lakshay

Anshika

Choreography:

Daman

Ankit

Pranay

Harbandana

Divyjot

Other performing members:

Rabnoor

Kunjan

Kirandeep

Muskan

Chayan

Jasmine

Jugti

Prabhjot

Bisman

Ishita

Winners Tally

Out of the colleges we considered, I VOGUE won at the following:

1st: College of Vocational Studies, Ramjas College, Kirori Mal College, Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Ramanujan College, Maulana Azad College

2nd: Maitreyi College, PGDAV College (Evening), Kamala Nehru College

3rd: Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies

Data Analysis and Compilation by:

Sakshi Arora

sakshia@dubeat.com

Anushree Joshi

[email protected]

Feature Image Designed by:

Palak Mittal for DU Beat

[email protected]

The beginning of a new year is  followed by a whole new semester to look forward to. New semesters can be a lot of fun, but extremely demanding and confusing at the same time.

Right after the New Year has been welcomed, and the party shoes have been carefully taken off and kept back in the cupboard for another year, the new semester begins without much of a wait. The semester break granted seems too short, and the idea of getting back into the grind is almost painful. Sleeping seems like the best option, the cold only aggravating the situation. The freshers are now well-acquainted with college life, and do not seem to harbour the same kind of curiosity, the sparkle almost completely lost from their eyes now.

New semesters also mean the arrival of the much-awaited fest season. The usual college hopping to check out the happenings, pestering your friends from SRCC or LSR to get you passes to their fests, skipping classes to go to North Campus from South Campus.  Students who are a part of a society might find their hands full, as this is the busiest time of the year for extra-curricular activities. The various cuisines, exciting games, attractive people, and engaging performances, create an enchanting atmosphere. People from all over the country come to attend the brilliant shows put on by Delhi University colleges. No expense is spared to make fests the brilliant affairs that they are. 

However, competitions of various kinds, fests, after-parties, and the unnecessary bunking of classes eventually comes to an end. What follows is a feeling of emptiness, and a general glooms overcomes the same people, and buildings, which were once covered in gold streamers. Once individuals and institutions are striped of their decorations and party-faces, getting back to a routine becomes a task. The good old blues, associated with mundanity, kick in, and the anxiety of existence slowly creeps back in.

One finds themselves short of attendance at the end of it all, be it society or a non-society member. Academics take a backseat, and one may find themselves cursing their decisions during end semester exams, for not being more vigilant. Moreover, it doesn’t help that the semester is shorter. The duration might not seem like a huge problem at the beginning, but towards the end, when the end-semester pangs set in, you would be wishing for more time.

The only piece of solid advice here would be to relish this time as much as you can, since you are only young once. Managing your time efficiently during this period, is also imperative, along with the ‘fun’ part. After all, attending lectures, and learning new things, can also be as much fun as dancing till dawn to EDM. The goal lies in defeating the ever-present semester blues, and facing each day with as much zeal as possible.

Too many things packed into five months would just fly by in a wink and one does not really want to be seen wishing for lost time back.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Indian Express

Anoushka Singh

[email protected]