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Done and Dusted: DUSU Elections 2019

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The declaration of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) results on 13th September ended a month of hooliganism, ruckus, and violation of rules in the name of campaigning.

Every year, the months of August and September witness frenzy and chaos. The roads are littered with flyers and posters, a number of posters with misspelt names of the candidates are pasted on the walls in the Campus area, and rallies pave way for traffic jam. This year too, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) won three seats out of four, establishing their majority in the
DUSU.

The voter turnout was recorded at 39.9 percent this year, over four notches down from the last year voter turnout. One of the key points highlighted in this year’s manifestoes of various student political organisations was less wastage of paper. However, candidates contesting DUSU elections clearly violated this rule. The shocking thing here is, that even though the University has a regulatory authority to check these violations, no one comes forward to point these; not even the administration. It is easy to notice all the enthusiasm of the  newly elected office bearers slowly fade away as we inch closer to the end of the year.

I remember, during an interview with Sunny Chillar, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) Presidential candidate for DUSU elections, 2018, the demand of a subsidised INR 10 thali (platter) was discussed. The students of the University were assured that no matter what the election results would be, the thali will be provided to them, since, over 70 percent of students are from the economically weaker sections of the society. A common agenda discussed by both the ABVP and the NSUI almost every year is concessional Metro and Delhi Transport Corporation bus passes for the students of the University of Delhi (DU). However, we, as students, are only able to see a few protest marches and letters written to different ministers and the Administration. On questioning about the same to our student leaders, they reply, “It will happen soon.” Will it be soon enough, for the next set of candidates, to put forward the same demand in next year’s manifesto?

In the race of winning the elections, what the student leaders forget is the reason they are running for the position. Is it for fame? Or, is it for representing and working for the student community? Attacks on opponents are not something new in the election season. The sad part here is, that most of the students of the University equate DUSU election season to violence in and around Campus. The manifestoes talk about the safety of students but, in reality, election season makes us, the student community, feel more unsafe than ever.

Did you know that the DUSU also has a constitution of its own? Yes, most of you do not. The official website of the University has a link to the Constitution. It is a 16-page document which roughly has eight chapters that broadly discuss the functioning, funding, and objectives of the Union. The Vice Chancellor of the University is the Patron, and takes all the necessary steps for the smooth  functioningof DUSU in accordance with the DUSU Constitution. The underlying fact is that, even though all this has been defined in the Constitution, our very own elected student leaders fail to abide by it. Or rather, they forget the ideals upon which the Constitution was established. It is sad to see them absent from the important student-related issues but they are present when a Bollywood celebrity visits a college.

Concluding in the words of Srivedant Kar, former Associate Editor of DU Beat, “It’s high time these elections stop referring to things that the Union cannot do and instead start becoming a fight about what the Union can, and should, do.”

Anoushka Sharma 

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

Editorial – Real World 101: Lessons for Life

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Let’s look back at the first institution of education you were introduced to, and see how it failed to teach you ‘Real World 101’.

The Internet is a wonderful place. You have grown up listening to the incessant debates on how social media and communication are a drawback for our generation’s growth. Your parents almost always blame your wretched cell phones for everything – from your flu, to your accidents. But the greatest thing about the Internet today is not just its ability to connect; but its ability to connect meaningfully with a space for discourse, dissection, and analysis through forums like Quora, Reddit, Tumblr, etc., which never cease to amaze you with the bizarre, informative, and yet strangely comic variety of questions and answers. In the Indian school student’s world though, the questions searched for on Quora are a sadly discomforting reality.

‘How do I score 100 in English CBSE Boards class 12?’

‘Which books to study for MCQ IIT JEE preparation in class 10?’

‘What are the important pages to study in Class 10th Science book?’

The thing is- you should not be scoring 100/100 in a paper like English, or be concerned with the MCQ of a competitive exam without knowing the concepts, or be asking for pages to study from in a grade 10 textbook. But that’s what Indian schools make you think you need.

In a classroom of 50 to 60 students, majority of the school teachers bring a prescribed textbook to class, write formulae on the board, read the text as it is, make you mark the ‘important points’, give you answers for ‘expected questions in exams’, and leave without encouraging you to think beyond the text; even reference material is discouraged. Rushing through the syllabus is a common phenomenon. Honestly, most school students in India, instead of feeling robbed of precious learning methodologies, feel glad because their entire focus depends upon the coaching centers where another cycle of spoon-feeding and keyword-vomiting occurs at a much higher price. As your schooling ends and your college classes begin, you have already become systematically habitual to run away from research, opinion-making, questioning, a and most importantly, believing that learning things is worth it.

This is not to say that the higher educational institutions in India are devoid of flaws. Even the best colleges have fundamental or deep-rooted issues that need to change. But when you sit in a college classroom where people don’t know you at all, your opinions set you apart. Unfortunately, you have been taught to stay firm on your lack of opinion and graded on your keyword-clad answers.

Even the competitions held at schools tend to throw the spotlight on a few selected students who always bring either glory or loyalty through continual participation. This practice of extreme favouritism towards some and lack of initiative by most in an institution as small as a school, where you spend more than a decade of your life, kill the spark of curiosity.

Those who are good at things begin to fear rejection and failure in colleges, buzzing with talent and enthusiasm, while the ones who were left out in school develop a sense of confidence in the lack of their capabilities. To be politically correct and not offend people, schools in India have evolved towards a sad dearth of awareness.

Above everything, what makes schools in India a funeral pyre of reality is the lie- ‘Study hard to score well in twelfth and you’ll enjoy for the rest of your life.’ This statement is a scam. It is an unsettling blow to the very principles of education. Your life will not be one of growth or joy unless you constantly learn, unlearn, research, analyse, and think with all your strength about your field of interest. There is no ‘thus, this is how it works’ to find success in your life beyond school. But the best plan is to know, and know it like your favourite song, your learning ends only with your life, and college is just the first step of learning- by unlearning.

 

Anushree Joshi 

[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

The University and the Society Culture

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Every year, lakhs of students apply to the prestigious University of Delhi, thousands get it, and a few hundred join the college societies. The month of August in the University calendar witnesses orientation programs, society auditions, WhatsApp forwards to the freshers, and posters on notice board informing about the society. 

Amidst the arduousness of the ensuing academic pursuit, a college society plays an important role in giving its members the kind of experience they have never witnessed. Most of the students join these societies in order to enhance their curriculum vitae. However, down the line, they also understand that the exposure from the society not only transforms them, but also plays an important part in their holistic and professional development. It helps them express themselves, raise their voice against something which can create an impact in the university space. Meeting the deadlines, working in a team, recruiting people, generating revenue, and day-to-day management are some of the responsibilities handled by the society members. This extensive work that goes into making of any society, be it a newly formed one or an already existing one, demands enormous amount of energy and dedication. Shreya, a member of the fashion society of her college said, “Like every coin has two sides, it is the same with societies. Sometimes, the job is taxing. There is a schedule to be followed, a number of things to be done, paper work, coordinating with the society members, and what not. But at the same time, it is fulfilling. I have become confident. I know how to manage a team. Over the years, the society members become your family, you practise with them, eat with them, travel with them. Half your day is spent with the members. Your seniors teach you so much, and probably that is the best thing. When you see them working with sincerity and dedication, it really pushes you from within to strive for better, each and every day.” It is true that society is a gateway for finding friends in college. It helps build a mutual relationship of trust and respect, and also paves a way for healthy discussions.

Having said all this, I do realise some of us are not a part of any society. There can be multiple reasons, though. Some of us didn’t get in, some may have left the societies after having an idea of the hectic schedule, or probably some of us did not bother to join a society at all! A common factor the students who were not a part of any society talked about was the work and hours of practice. Some of the students live far away and dread reaching the college sharp at seven in the morning. Others believe that it is important to prioritise academics over extracurricular activities. Amanya, a recent graduate who was a part of the western dance society of her college said, “I joined the society in my first year. Hours of practice, missing classes, not being able to cope with my studies, and reaching college early in the morning were the reasons I had to leave my society. The fest season drove me crazy, I used to reach home late and had no energy to do anything productive after that. It was extremely difficult to manage. After a point of time, it felt like a burden.”

Coming to the those of you who did not get into any society this year- it’s okay if you failed that society audition. Your college life is much more than one audition. I have always believed that something better awaits all of us. Having given your best and still not being selected is something most of us have experienced at some point of time in our lives. You might feel disheartened and dejected. But utilising our potential in a productive way is totally up to us. Keep an eye on other societies, if not western music society, you might end up being a part of Enactus of your college. If not all this, make sure you indulge in something you like, maybe you can join a certificate course or try learning a new language. College life is about discovering yourself and your abilities. There are a variety of options available in this free world. Being or not being a part of any society, I hope your college years transform you into a confident, informed, and a more responsible individual.

Anoushka Sharma

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

Editorial: No, DU, I Did Not Read ‘That’ Book and You Can Calm Down About It

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A year in this space has made me question my personal notions- what kind of diversity do we have? And is the presence of diversity the same as accepting it- those who bring it to the University of Delhi (DU)- with open arms? Read a take on the culture of shaming in a space meant for diversity.

For a University situated in the Capital of a nation that sells itself to globalisation with the tagline ‘Unity in Diversity’, cultural, economic, and social diversity is always a good self-promotional point. However, if you have been in DU for even a semester, the rose-tinted lenses wear off soon enough. We may have students from all over the country and beyond, but our academic and cultural spaces have not learnt the rhetoric of respecting the history that comes with different family and socio-economic backgrounds.

An average day in an English literature classroom in a  college considered ‘intellectual’- like Lady Shri Ram College- involves professors coming in class, throwing names of critics (mostly foreigners, usually white), and expecting students to have read them. An academic space is meant to challenge you, and to inform you about things you were formerly ignorant of. But the sighs of disappointment, ‘how do you call yourself educated’, and steely eyes filled with judgement when one is unaware of what the professor is speaking of; all are methods of shaming that do more damage than the promised ‘good’. 

It is unfairly ignorant to only speak of professors and classrooms as the harbingers of this attitude, since our own friend circles play a significant role in this process. We, as young-adults stepping outside the comfort of our homes, seek a sense of self-worth and validation from our friends. When belittled for listening to a certain kind of music, or for not having watched or read a movie or book considered ‘high art’, it is inevitable to lose faith in our intellectual capabilities. To be told that you need to have done specific, mostly privileged, and expensive things in order to fit in, is not only elitist, but also a form of childish bullying that all of us have been subjected to.

Most of us have not grown up with our fathers playing vinyl records of Bob Dylan or The Beatles to us as kids. The tag of a Grammar Nazi (wrong on every level), that we wear as a badge of honour will never encourage somebody to learn better English, but will be a reminder of the inefficiencies in their background. It says something about their history, over which they did not have active control, but it defines you as a person- an elitist who does not wish to be kinder and more empathetic.

To recognise that there are conditionings different than your own is a significant aspect of mental maturity that DU colleges fail to instil in us. Challenging us academically or giving us a plethora of resources to learn from is the thing one seeks, but DU’s rather popular culture of shaming us into learning is psychologically flawed, and ethically problematic in a time when we are learning and unlearning the caste, class, and cultural privileges and meritocracy. It is true that DU is not the only place where the culture of shaming is prominent and propagated, but when I think of DU, I think of diversity. To have diversity comes with the need to accept it, and I know our classrooms can change for the better. Arundhati Roy said, “To love. To be loved… To try and understand… And never, never to forget.” (If you have not read her, it’s okay. Take this as my recommendation, if you were looking for one?) I hope, DU does not forget its role and duty to diversity- intellectual and of all kinds- and understands that we are all learning, and we can do with a little kindness.

Anushree Joshi 

[email protected]

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Campus Central

Editorial: Dear Freshers, Welcome to the Real World

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Here is a note from our Editor summing up the next three years of your life-the rollercoaster ride.

Every year around 55,000 students take admission to the prestigious University of Delhi. Many leave the comfort of their home to pursue their academic goals and become the best version of themselves. Undoubtedly, the University is a breeding ground for personal growth. It is one place which gives you an experience of a lifetime- be it friendships, fun, extracurricular activities, or academics.

Every day you are going to meet a number of people who have different ideas and opinions, who differ from your political and societal views. You might be hesitant in the starting, but as months pass by, you will witness a change within yourself, a change which will make you realise how important inclusivity is. You will gradually empathise with the boy from North-east and his conditions back at home, and also understand the struggles of the girl from Kashmir.

It probably feels great to know that you are no more a child who has to wake up at 6 a.m. every morning, wear that boring school uniform, and go to school. The thought of having the freedom to walk in the college anytime without anyone to question or the freedom to attend classes, party with friends, and shop makes everyone excited. However, one must also realise that this image created by Bollywood will soon be busted. Not always will you have the freedom to walk in, sometimes you will have to reach as early as 8 a.m. for that one important lecture, or will have to sacrifice a get-together plan because you are too broke. All the NCERT books, guides, model test papers, and reference books will soon be replaced with a number of readings, heaps of xeroxed notes, neverending assignments, and ten-year books to study two days before the exam.

The people who you are friends with, or the groups you are a part of, will play a huge part in shaping your personality and character. In the coming months, you will pick and choose many people who you think will stay with you forever, with whom you will have all the fun. But let’s burst this balloon. This is not going to be the case. There will be happy days when all of you will chill and have fun in the cafes of Hudson Lane or Satya Niketan. But not all days bring sunshine, there will be gloomy days also; how you handle it will truly shape you as a person.

There will be situations where your college life will appear to be harsh and unwelcoming. You will experience situations where you will end up feeling that you don’t fit in the cultural space. Trust me, when I joined college, I felt the same. Most people feel the same. You might feel left out. But it is important to understand that every transition brings its own ups and downs. It is slow, gradual, and definitely challenging. And when we talk about the transition which can probably shape your entire career and personality, it is not going to be easy. You might leave the University with a completely transformed version of yourself, but I am sure that version would be a more refinied, responsible, and experienced one.

My advice to each one of you will be to simply invest in yourselves, join societies, question everything, apply for internships, meet new people from different cultural backgrounds, plan night stays and road trips, explore the night life, explore Delhi, and most importantly explore yourself. Choose your friends wisely and you will find your chosen family who will stick by you during the most adventurous and exciting years of your life

Christian D. Larson said, “Believe in yourself and all that you are. know that there is something greater inside you that is greater inside you that is greater than any obstacle.

So, fasten your seatbelts as you embark on the journey of a lifetime!

 

Anoushka Sharma

[email protected]

 

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Campus Central

This isn’t a Fairy Tale, Don’t Lock Me in an Ivory Tower

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The freedom to loiter, occupy public spaces post 9 p.m., and see how our campus looks at midnight is a luxury and experience that women students are denied.

Earlier last week, women from Daulat Ram College (DRC) Hostel protested in front of the Vice Chancellor’s office demanding the removal of members of the hostel administration who infringed their privacy and policed their choices. The protests barely affected the administration.
As a student journalist, this development didn’t surprise me. A year ago, I was pursuing a story on hostel in-timings. Both Miranda and DRC had strict hostel timings that were religiously enforced. In contrast, when I spoke to the evening shift guard of Kirori Mal College Hostel, he breezily mentioned how he lets the boys come late if it’s a friend’s birthday or allows them to go out at midnight if they are hungry. This casual remark hit me very personally as having lived in a hostel the last three years, I know I would not be allowed to go out after 10 p.m., no matter whose birthday it was or how hungry I was.
Most women’s hostels and paying guest accommodations have an actual metal grill gate that is shut and locked at 10 p.m. and opened again at 7 a.m. before classes. Why would a good woman be out between these ungodly hours anyway? We are quite literally locked inside brick, mortar, and metal, sometimes without a fire exit. Our moral guardians like to believe that these in-timings don’t interfere with our education. Attending lectures is a luxury we
are allowed and anything beyond lectures though is curtailed by these timings. They ensure that there are no parties, no midnight walks at India Gate, no unplanned trips, and no chai at 1 a.m. We are quite literally modern
Cinderellas, as the clock strikes 10 our facade of empowerment and emancipation falls apart, like a badly
stitched polyester dress after one little rip. I particularly detest the social media forwards that urge men to respect women “because she is someone’s wife, daughter, sister, and mother” but make no mention of the fact that she is human and deserves to have her autonomy respected. I wonder if we will ever live in a space that does not restrict
us to these roles alone. It is exhausting to rise and set with the sun, to rush home as the clock ticks 9, sweating frantically as I lose my patience as the clock ticks closer to the deadline. It is high time the University administration let go of this facade of hostel in-timings. If we are old enough to vote, old enough to get married, then we are old enough to decide when to stay in and when to go out.

The scam that hostel in-timings keep women safe from harassment is the biggest lie. If there were certainty that I would never be harassed if I never set foot after 9, I would be willing to pay the price. But these so-called
pretenders who appear to care about our safety are the same people who avert their eyes as they see a man elbow a woman’s breasts in the metro. To say that you should stay in and protect yourself from rapists is the ultimate form of victim blaming. It implies that the responsibility of protecting oneself from harassment lies with the victim. It says that if you stay indoors then the perpetrator can find another victim, probably one out later at night, less covered up, and less sober.

The three years of college life are often the first time when girls get to move beyond their house. College life allows considerable time for youngsters to experiment, roam around, and have the first taste of freedom. These are
the days that people recount as they regale about the risks they took, the weddings they gate crashed,
hours they killed while doing nothing, etc. But when you deny someone to loiter or even run errands for 10 hours every day then you are essentially denying them the opportunity to have fun. A sight of girls carelessly singing songs
at Sudama Tea Point past 8 p.m. is a revolutionary imagery. It may be nothing for the guys, but the girls still
dream of loitering, just existing outside.

Kinjal Pandey
[email protected]

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DUB Speak

Editorial: “Mumma, Papa, meet…”

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Loving in a culture where all love outside marriage is forbidden is taxing. Read our Editor’s take on it.

Love is the common language spoken across the world. Stories of love have existed in every society that ever told stories. When we remember how fundamental romantic attachment is to human beings, how common and natural, our society’s desire to stop people from loving, it seems toxic and selfish. Our parents don’t accept the fact that we could or would want to experience dating, companionship, or love. Most of us aren’t “allowed” to date, not that it means we don’t. We don’t tell our parents about our love life and significant others, caught in the fear that they may never approve. We don’t seek love advice from them, introduce them to our significant others, or share the details of our whereabouts with them with honesty. And if, by chance, our love strays from the hetero-normative narrative of love between a female and a male, the discomfort and fear of acceptance increases manifold.

For most Indian kids, love begins with lies. “I am going to meet Neha,” we say as we dash to the farthest end of our street for a sneaky ice- cream, and walk with someone who is certainly not Neha. These cloak and dagger games can be exciting initially but, as we grow up, we realise they are something far more sinister. Most families hold different beliefs regarding dating and love. Some might want their children to keep away from relationships “to keep them focused on academics” while others have far more rigid ideas about the same, like believing love and sexual experiences are reserved within the institution of marriage. It is in these households where young adults who are actively dating are, at best, at the risk of parental disapproval and, at worst, of losing their freedom, agency, as well as independence.  The punishment of love in India without parents’ approval can range from having one’s phone taken away, to being made to quit the pursuit of education and, in extreme cases, to honour killings as well. Our culture has intertwined love with marriage, with controlling ideas about monogamy, togetherness, and “purity”. The impact on women has been undeniably worse since the “punishment” for loving has been known to be far more unforgiving on them than on men.

We don’t grow up with the right ideals of love.  We live in a country where a common experience of all our peers is telling their first big lie to their parents with regard to someone they were dating. We couldn’t talk to our parents openly, or ask them questions about love, sex, relationships, boundaries, consent, and respect  because we could never anticipate if it would be met with disapproval or punishment. We hid under our blankets sneakily texting our 9th grade crush, or sneaked out for study sessions with our boyfriend/girlfriend, and came to college and talked to our parents about everything in detail, except the person we loved.

Love, in itself, is capable of inciting fear. We invest our time and energy into someone who could one day casually walk up to us, say that it isn’t working out, and walk away, leaving us to deal with the walls crumbling around. But aside from the natural insecurity, in families, cultures, and communities where love is taboo, people are more likely to confuse love with and abuse. After all, they were never taught the difference between the two.

The approval of our parents is important. Running home after a star in our notebooks, or winning a match, a debate, a rangoli competition, and hearing them say, “I am proud of you, beta” is immensely precious for many of us, and nothing really beats that, not when we were ten and not now as well. It is sad therefore, that our parents don’t say it enough, and sadder perhaps that the approval they reserve for academic and extracurricular achievements, isn’t extended to forming  beliefs systems which make us healthy, happy, fully-functioning human beings. Our parents will not tell us they are proud of us for breaking away from a toxic partner. Most of us would never have our parents sit down next to us, and comfort us with a cup of chai and a heart-to-heart conversation about heartbreak, like they did after every bad result, lost match, public failure.

I wish, like all the kahaaniyan (stories) our parents told to put us to sleep when we were children, the ones that taught us how to be brave, how to be kind, how to have compassion, also told us how to love, how to be respected and respectful in love, when to stay and when to leave, when to hold on and when to let go. Perhaps, we would have been kinder to ourselves and those we have loved, then. For Indian parents, who claim to do everything for the well-being of their children, do one more thing – give them the freedom to love, whomever they want and however they want.

Kinjal Pandey

[email protected]

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Campus Central

Speaking of the Devil – Gap Year

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For a final semester student in DU, the idea of something known as the ‘gap year’ tends to induce feelings of uncertainty and disenchantment, with negative inertia attached to it. To-be graduates are ready to join career fields they are disinterested in, or are willing to settle for something less rewarding, just to ensure that they do not
end up like xyz senior who took a year off after college.

Right before writing this editorial, it took a long time for me to even accept this as a meandering, last-resort option.
A lot of people like me, who are just beginning to realise the bitter truths that come with the final year of college, are
accepting the possibility of taking gap years too. For most students in India, it becomes an unwelcome eventuality, but unlike what we observe here, there are individuals who deliberately take a year off after completing their undergraduate degree.
The reasons have been various, from giving another shot to entrance exams to exploring one’s hobbies and interests and aligning them with their preferred career path. Contrary to the popular perception here, gap years or gap semesters are actual programmes offered by universities abroad, which students are often encouraged to pursue.
Their sabbatical is usually after the secondary school or undergraduate level, and tends to be for seven to eight months.
Year or semester-long sabbaticals aren’t as prevalent in India, and the reason behind this doesn’t require an explanation. India’s conservatism and the inflexibility of the course curriculum in Indian colleges, where something as dynamic as this can help students regain their composure, could never take flight. Colleges in the U.S and U.K offer numerous opportunities for students to intern, travel, and sign up for freelance work, owing to the program’s ability to be extended up to four years. Not only does this sojourn rejuvenate and offer new perspectives to preconceived notions, but it also presents plenty of time for a student to join part-time or additional courses, (offline or online) to gain value addition and branch out into a specific career of their choice.
Despite having umpteen pros, the elephant in the room needs to be addressed. While most post-graduate schools in India do not directly discriminate between regular freshers and the students who take gap years, people believe that their gap year somehow creeps up into personal interview rounds. In response to this concern, it is certainly problematic if a fresher takes a gap year for frivolous reasons. However, if you are able to substantiate and explain to the interviewers about your decision with proper logic and count down the knowledge addition through
add-on courses or internships at a startup or an NGO that you did, it can probably even place you far ahead of other candidates. These students are not as heavily penalised as before, and it’s becoming increasingly common because of the fewer jobs being generated in the economy. If your CV is impressive, your personality is convincing, and your skills match with the job/programme requirements, there’s little to stop you from grabbing that job/getting into that university. Berating yourself because of what comment that far-off relative made with regards to your decision would never help; we’re all headed in different directions at the end of the day.

Vijeata Balani
[email protected]

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Uncategorized

The Story of the ICC

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With the recent news from Bharati College, where despite an official complaint being filed with the college’s ICC, justice wasn’t given, it becomes a meandering, harsh reality for us to accept that our university spaces might not be as safe as we assumed.

In February 2018, an official complaint
was filed with Bharati College’s ICC,
claiming that a student had been
sexually harassed by a teacher. Even
after eight months of waiting, a decision
has not come to light.
What’s worse is that this is not the first time this semester that such news has surfaced, example in quote being Ramjas College. During early September, the students of Ramjas College had circulated an online petition, expressing
their dissatisfaction with the college administration, which had indefinitely
delayed the ICC orientation for the first and second year students. A college’s Internal Complaints Committee intends to act at the core of a college’s sexual harassment-related issues. The committee has to be mandatorily formed in every college, and UGC norms also dictate that ICCs conduct regular sensitisation seminars to familiarise students with all the information they need to know. However, even after this being mandated, barring a few colleges, such sessions are not organised as frequently as they ought to be. A gender sensitisation event being organised by the college administration and not by students from the college’s WDC or Gender Studies Forum, often raises eyebrows because of its once in a blue moon nature. Many University students do not fully understand what constitutes harassment, and because of lack of suchn necessarysensitisation sessions, they discount the survivor’s account if it does not fall under their restricted purview of
harassment or molestation.
Adding on to this, during 2017, many news reports covered the lack of democratisation in the election process, like in Daulat Ram College, where a notice with names of numbers of ICC members was put up without any prior election-related news being given to students. In November 2017, Miranda House became the first college in DU to have successfully elected ICC student representatives.
Pinjra Tod, a students’ collective, pushed
the authorities to make elections more inclusive for all, allowing nominees from all years to file in their names alongside giving them adequate time to do so. ICCs, earlier known as CCCs, have been around the university space in scattered locations since almost 10 years. Since then, only in February this year, DU mandated all colleges to conduct proper ICC elections for its student representatives. The aftermath of elections in most colleges is unknown to most college students, and it remains to be seen if the student representatives are equipped with the required legal training to pursue serious cases with ease, and whether their word is given equal footing as that of others.
Even if the ICCs are functioning as per UGC norms, a number of structural drawbacks affect its functioning up to its full capacity. The most cited drawback
is that of the removal of ordinance 15D which ensures that the committee was independent of individuals who possessed considerable executive authority. Lack of awareness amongst students, few to nil posters which contain the contact numbers of ICC members, and non-establishment of a complaints box are a few but pressing concerns that most colleges face at the moment.
Amidst the climate of #MeToo, it’s a top priority that the administration reinforces the students’ faith in educational spaces and that the students and faculty raise their voices of dissent if
they observe problematic practices. After shocking incidents of ‘due process’ failing its students emerging from leading Indian universities like TISS and BHU, an urgent re-evaluation is
the need of the hour.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Vijeata Balani
[email protected]

 

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DUB Speak

Editorial: “Un-learning” in a Women’s College

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Being in a women’s college was once a decision made on the basis of cut-offs and convenience, however, it ended up being a transforming life experience.
One of the greatest gifts I stumbled upon in life, was the opportunity to study in a women’s only institution. At the risk of being stereotyped as an angry misandrist, I would say that merely experiencing a space that is free from men is important. Women’s colleges, especially in the University of Delhi (DU), are starkly different from their coeducational counterparts. Women’s only colleges are fundamentally non-political and more academically driven spaces, with fewer opportunities to channel youthful angst. However, the mere existence of women’s colleges gives us the opportunity to step away from what can almost always be the inescapable presence of men. This is not to say that we are running from them, it is to emphasise that the heteronormative spaces that accommodate both the genders can often be stifling because of the overpowering presence of men.
Without the active presence of men, all roles including the roles of a goon, the angry ambitious student politician, the bully, the guide, the mentor are all taken up by women. Women in co-educational set-ups are usually allocated dainty little spaces with cookie cutter edges, all the while carrying the Sisyphean burden of being wise, compassionate, and forgiving. The luxury of failing, losing one’s calm, being selfish, is exclusively reserved for men. The emotional toll of merely existing as a woman is no secret. Being the bigger person in a conflict, staying out of conflict or controversy, or being the peacemaker, is draining to those of us who are not peacemakers at heart.
This does not imply that the patriarchy does not seep into women’s colleges. Indecent curfew timings, the kind that assumes women are delicate flowers in need of protection, are controlling and unquestioned. Women’s colleges and the problem of how to accommodate transgender students within their ambit is a question that remains unanswered. The varsity is now operating on two extremes, on one end are girls colleges: apolitical and academic, the ones that win it laurels. On the other end of the spectrum, are co-educational colleges: angsty and troublesome, inciting chaos. It is almost as though the varsity is a parental figure and girls colleges are demure daughters, while co-educational colleges are trouble-stirring sons.
I do not imply that men are toxic, and do not claim to be victimised by their mere presence either. But the set-up of a women’s only college is not normal, it is not representative of the real structure of society. Therefore, the gender roles that are well-established in society, to the point that we do not even question them, do not accompany us inside the walls of these institutions. Instead, realisation about the extent and impact of the patriarchy,
can sometimes be felt by moving into segregated spaces, since the alternative offers us no respite from the status quo.
Being in a space exclusively reserved for women has been revolutionary because it has helped me grasp the extent to which the patriarchy influences us, it has helped me understand and un-learn problematic behaviour that Is internalised. Gloria Steinem said, “The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.” A women’s college has helped me un-learn that only men lift heavy desks across corridors. From physically scaling walls to tie up election banners to manually guarding barricades on the celebrity performance during the college fest, I’ve seen women do it all. It isn’t merely limited to the physically challenging aspect of it. Emotionally, it has been a liberating experience that has allowed me to enjoy female friendship and finally understand, that it is irreplaceable and most relevant in order to understand and experience the beauty of
being a woman.
To know and bask in the presence of women who are smarter, kinder, more resilient, and compassionate than me has been an opportunity of a
lifetime. “Unlearning” what the patriarchy has conditioned me to believe would be a lifelong journey, but I am glad I got a head-start in my
alma mater, surrounded by women who inspired me for a lifetime.
Feature Image Credits: Kartik Kakar for DU Beat
Kinjal Pandey
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