The Gender Equality Mela of Miranda House 2018 was celebrated with a great degree of success with on 4th and 5th of April.
Day one started with an interactive session by renowned feminists and social workers Kamla Bhasin and Suneeta Dhar who discussed various meanings and strands of the larger women’s movement. On their insistence, the students engaged in a highly stimulating session on their everyday stories of resistance. In the second session of the day, Bijaylakshmi Nanda, Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science at Miranda House, Divya Vaishnava, a social worker and founder of BUD Foundation, and Preeti Choudhury, author and lecturer, talked about various ways in which the culture of accountability can be remoulded in the context of sexual harassment and the issue of consent. It was followed by a round of Q&A with the audience that led to heated debates between the panelists and the students.
The speakers attending the third session were journalists Rakhee Bakshee and Richa Aniruddh who talked about the stigma surrounding female journalists and their work in the media in a session titled “What’s on Screen? Gender and Media”. Both of them highlighted the various biases they have had to confront during the years in their career ranging from adhering to a perfect body to ignoring sexist comments while pursuing a story. They concluded, after a vigorous Q&A session, that although there have been changes in the media now, women who are going to pursue this career still have a long journey to endure.
The day ended with a roundtable session between the representatives of Internal Complaints Committee from various colleges such as Kirori Mal College, Hindu College, St. Stephen’s, Ramjas, Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, and Miranda House, talking about the institutionalised sexual violence in the University space. The session was moderated by Titiksha Vashisth, a Masters student from JNU and a Miranda House alumnus. The students discussed the structural problems regarding the functioning of the ICC such as an unhelpful administration while recognising that there is a need for the larger issue which is battling patriarchy and talking about sexual harassment.
The second day saw a series of interesting panel discussions again. The first event was an interactive session on the stories of acid attack survivors. Acid attack survivors Chandrahas Mishra and Ms. Geeta shared their stories of survival and dealing with the stigma that came with the horrific incidents that occurred with them. Mr. Mishra, a member of Acid Survivors Foundation India (ASFI) and an activist, pointed out the difficulties that survivors face in getting treatment, overcoming their mental and physical trauma and seeking support from the government. Ms. Geeta also shared her story of courage and resilience and how ASFI helped her recover from her incident.
The second session was on ‘Women in Conflict Areas’. Rita Manchanda, a well-known journalist and research scholar, Mehroosh, a student of psychology of law at Jamia Milia Islamia and Samreen Mushtaq, a doctoral candidate at the Department of Political Science at Jamia Milia Islamia, were the speakers for the panel. In an intense, emotional session the speakers talked about the various shades of problems and identities that women grapple with in conflict-ridden areas with special reference to the Kashmir dispute.
The third session was on ‘Masculinity and Consent’ which was on various facets of the gender roles attributed to men and how consent plays a role in our everyday lives. The panel consisted of Suraj Pawar, social activist and program coordinator of Azad Foundation, Pavel Sagolsem, research scholar and program associate at Centre for Health and Social Justice and Dhruv Pandey, Assistant Professor at the Women’s Studies and Development Centre, University of Delhi.
The last panel discussion of the day was on the challenges faced by the LGBTQIA+ community, the speakers being Aroh Akunth, a Dalit and queer activist and member of the Queer Collective at Ambedkar University, Ritambbara Mehta, the co-founder of Nazariya and Rudrani Chhetri, a well-known transgender activist from Delhi. Kabir Trivedi, the founder, and president of the Miranda House Queer Collective moderated the session. The discussion veered towards the queer and Dalit politics in India especially the issues of identity, harassment, and marginalisation these communities face.
The two-day festival ended with a screening of Anurag Kashyap’s That Day after Everyday, an award-winning film on the problems faced by women every day in public spaces. The Gender Mela was deemed to be a success by all the members of the Miranda House Women’s Development Cell as well as the audience present.
The Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD), Prakash Javadekar, announced the 2018 National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings at an event in Vigyan Bhawan.
The Ministry Of Human Resource Development’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranked Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru as the overall best institution in the country. At an event in the Vigyan Bhawan, the Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD), Prakash Javadekar announced the NIRF rankings wherein, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad was declared the best management institution and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras bagged the position of best engineering college. In the University Rankings, IISC Bengaluru stood first, followed by Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU), and Banaras Hindu University (BHU). The premier healthcare institute All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, was ranked the number one institute under the medical college category. University of Delhi’s Miranda House, situated in North Campus, was announced as the best college, and National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bengaluru, stood first in the law school category. Other eminent colleges of Delhi University, like, Hindu College, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, and Shree Ram college of Commerce were also part of the top 10 colleges in India for the year 2018.
This year, NIRF added medical, dental, architecture and law categories in its rankings, apart from the other four categories of 2016, Universities, Engineering, Management and Pharmacy. A total of 4000 institutions had applied this year, in comparison to the 3000 that were considered last year. The rankings have acquired much significance as the performance of the institutions is linked the “Institutions of Eminence” scheme.
Tempest 2018 organised by Miranda House comes to an end, here are some highlights from the last day of the festival:
The third day of Tempest 2018 was full of excitement and enthusiasm around the campus since it was full of extremely entertaining events like panel discussions, the most anticipated western dance competition, and the much awaited star night, with the headlining act being Siddharth Mahadevan.
In the midst of the hustle bustle of events in the three-day Tempest, Miranda House Vatavaran, the Environment Society of Miranda House organised a unique but considerably salient event. It was a competition wherein participants had to depict environmentally-conscious ways of having fun. They were allowed to use music, choreography and enactment to put forth their renditions. The judges of the event were Dr. Amrita Tripathi Sheikh and Dr. Bani Roy, professors at Miranda House. A total of 10 teams participated, some of which presented self-composed poems on varied topics like eco-tourism and eco-friendly college fests.
The Entrepreneurship Cell of Miranda House invited three proficient panelists to share their experiences of living the “start-up life”. The panel included personalities like Tanya Kathpal, founder of ‘Eat My News’, who engaged the audience in a gripping discourse on how she began her start-up and the kind of obstacles she had to overcome in order to further the same. Among the panelists was Nikhil Chainani, founder and CEO of ‘Perspectico’, who talked about taking risks and dealing with rejection while being an entrepreneur. The third panelist was an alumni of the University of Delhi, Neha Gupta, who shared her experiences of working on projects from diverse fields and handling stress while starting off your own business.
The main highlight of day 3 at Tempest 2018 was the Western Group Dance Competition, Burlesque’18, organised by Tanz, the Western Dance Society of Miranda House. Judges Sarthak Chauhan and Tarun Sharma chose Crunk, the Western Dance Society of Sri Aurobindo College as the winner. Crunk performed on numbers like Buleya, Deapacito and Malhari. The second position was shared by Misbah of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce and Zeal of Maitreyi College. Misbah and Zeal thoroughly entertained the audience by dancing on peppy numbers like Ishq Di Gali Vich No Entry, Finesse, Tan Tana Tan Tan Tara and Tum Tum. The teams were given cash prizes and accolades. Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology’s western dance society, Funk in Action, was much appreciated by the judges for their enthusiasm and innovative use of musical instruments like Dhol. Following this, another round called ‘Bipolar Round’ was held with the participating societies performing on songs on the spot. Electra of Motilal Nehru College emerged as the clear winner who danced on famous songs like Shape of You, Lahore and Shaguna. The Bipolar Round was conducted to evaluate and judge the spontaneity of the participants.
Tempest 2018 was concluded by the enchanting performance of Siddharth Mahadevan, a playback singer known for singing Bollywood numbers such as “Sarfira” and “Nachde Ne Sare”. The curtains of Tempest 2018 closed in an exquisite manner with songs which varied from aesthetic ones like “Mere Rashde Qamar” to new-age chart toppers like “Tukur-Tukur”. His versatility was on complete display as he could switch languages seamlessly since he crooned to Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You”. As he moved from “Channa Mereya” onto more light-hearted numbers, “Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe” this performance was an instant hit with the young crowd, and the perfect way to conclude the three-day festival.
Tempest, the annual cultural fest of Miranda House kicked off today morning with the theme of this year’s fest being “The Future of Fun”. The theme was prominent across all the decorations spread across the college, and the enthusiasm of all cultural societies to organise successful events was applause-worthy. A myriad of events took place today – Indian Music group, solo classical performances, folk dance performances, and more.
The day began with Orpheus, the Western Music Society of Miranda House organising A Capella, the western music competition (group), wherein each team was given 10 minutes to put forth their rendition. Team ‘Echo’ from Jesus and Mary College bagged the first prize, while the second position was bagged jointly by ‘Dhwani’ of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, and the Western Music Society of Lady Shri Ram College. Team ‘Euphony’ of Gargi College came a close third in the same. In their second event, ‘Euphony’s Solo’, Aronjoy Das from SBS triumphed over 12 other participants and bagged the first position, while Gatha Akashmani from Hansraj College and Jannis Joe from Jesus and Mary College bagged the second and third positions respectively.
In the Battle of Bands competition organised by Orpheus, seven teams from across universities competed to gain the top spot. Common Thread, a from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College performed their original composition titled, Rahein. Backbeat, a fusion band of Ramjas College thrilled the audience with peppy jugalbandi of tabla and guitar. Musicians Dan Thomas and Joshua Peter judged the competition. Backbeat from Ramjas College emerged as the winners. Musoc from Kirori Mal College and Commonthread from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College came 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Jigyasa, the Quiz Society of Miranda House organised multiple quizzes as part of Tempest 2018. In the first quiz, which was themed around mythology, the cross-college team consisting of Bishal Kumar, a student of the Department of Buddhist Studies and Durgesh Rai, a student of Dyal Singh College bagged the first position. The second position was secured by a team comprising of Kuchi Sri Harshvardhan and Yatish. The third position was sealed for the rather vibrant team constituting Jignesh M. E. and Nayan Kumar.
In the Cinema Quiz, the team comprising of Tushar Anand and Amit Sinha secured the first position. Ankur Agraj and Priyam’s team came second by a close margin while the team consisting of Amlan Sarkar and Shatabdi Singh bagged the third position.
The Folk Dance Competition was organised by Mridang, the folk dance society of Miranda House. Nrityakriti from Maitreyi College achieved the first prize while Annhad from Daulat Ram College and Etram from Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College shared the second prize.
In Sangam, the Indian Music Competition organised by Geetanjali, the Indian Music Society of MH, the first rank went to Alaap of Sri Venkateswara College, whereas the 2nd position was jointly shared by Alankar of Hindu College and Alahyaa of Daulat Ram College.
Swaranjali, the Music Society of Hansraj College bagged the third place.
Tempest 2018 Day 1 drew curtains on a high note with an electrifying performance by the band Parashara, that enthralled the audience with songs like “Fitoor”, “Rock On”, and “Dil Se”.
The Indian writer Anuja Chauhan visited the University of Delhi campus to endorse her new publication, Baaz, on 25th August, 2017. Her three-tier book tour encompassed stops at Gargi College, St. Stephen’s College, and Miranda House.
The day started off from Gargi College at 12:30 p.m. She was welcomed enthusiastically at one of Gargi’s lecture halls by the English Department teachers and students. Ms. Chauhan was introduced as the renowned author of Those Pricey Thakur Sister, The House that BJ Built, and The Zoya Factor, and the winner of various accolades. Followed by the introduction, the author read an excerpt from her new book with all the rhetorical expressions and dramatics including on the Hindi dialogues. The author walked down the memory lane and reminisced of her school days, the fun of an army childhood, her Miranda House memories, and giving advertising a try as a job because it helped her to write which is what she always wanted to do. She confessed that she chose Economics for ‘keeping her options open’ as was the trend those days and being job-oriented unlike the ‘career-oriented’ kids these days.
Ms. Chauhan emphasised that she didn’t release her book, whose story revolves around an Air Force guy, at this time when there is a wave a nationalism in the country, but it usually takes a year or two for her to complete a book. This was followed by an interactive question-answer round where she expressed her dislike for Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice for the message it proffers. She commented that ‘creative artists should only create and not give their political opinions’ in lieu of her contemporaries. At the end of the discussion, she let her fans buy their copies and signed each one’s copy. Everybody left happy from the book discussion and she for her next destination, St. Stephen’s College.
Ms. Chauhan has incorporated the Stephanian persona in most of her characters like Ishaan from Baaz and Dylan in Those Pricey Thakur Girls. She spoke to the crowd about this, saying that most of her family members, including her husband and daughter, went to St. Stephen’s and this provided her with a familiar attribute that could be assimilated into her novels. She spoke of Baaz and explained how she related to the protagonist Ishaan in the Air India Force due to her much similar army childhood background. She also justified why she decided to kill off Ishaan (yikes!), saying “A happy ending doesn’t necessarily mean a glorious one and even if you do think it is necessary for a glorious ending, I think Ishaan had his fair share of glory. And it is also necessary for a light reading to have an undertone of dark narratives, similarly how the brightest lights also bear the darkest shadows.”
Like Baaz, she also mentioned that most of her other works were partially autobiographical because they were a product of much of the things she had experienced in life. There was a question and answer round that followed where she answered the queries of all the zealous fans, with witty and chuckle-some responses. This was followed by a round of photographs with the fans and an interview for the English Literary Society Journal. Next, she headed to her alma mater, Miranda House.
Chauhan’s experience at Miranda House was memorable. She walked around campus and took pictures with the iconic red brick walls. She happened to pass by the classrooms she sat in, and remembered the time when she flunked her Microeconomics paper back in the first year. Before heading to the venue for the talk, she stopped by the canteen and sampled the good ol’ samosas which she remembers gorging on during her days as a student. Her talk with the students was an interactive session where she answered questions about her life in Miranda House, her memories of North Campus, her career as an advertiser to an author, and her story characters that have been picked up from her life. She then went on to talking about how authors should not be labelled, as she has often been labelled as a ‘chick lit’ author. She went on to say that as an author, if one is labelled then they are not able to expand their writing genre, that is why Baaz was a masculine addition to the stories she wrote about women in Those Pricey Thakur Girls series and The ZoyaFactor. Anuja Chauhan also placed great emphasis on the importance of strong female protagonists in all her books, each of them, being people whom she has encountered in her own life. The session went on with laughs, smiles, and candid secrets about her life. Everyone was completely enamoured by Anuja Chauhan’s exuding charm and grace (along with the very quirky outfit!). The session ended with a lot of chatter, book signings, and pictures. As she walked towards the gate to return, she again walked by those corridors and those lawns, which signify innumerable memories she created in those ‘red brick walls’.
Having launched an app to ensure the convenience of blind students, Miranda House has now come up with three different apps to make college work easier for students and teachers alike. The college is ready to go live with the apps from the new academic session of 2017-2018.
The apps are called Event Hub, SmartProf, and InfraCare. Following are the details:
Event Hub:
> Students who head societies, unions, etc can book venues to organise and conduct events through this app.
> Similar interface lets one choose between the Seminar Hall, Auditorium, Heritage Hall, and Student Activity Centre.
> The app notifies one whether a venue is booked, or if an event taking place there is open or closed.
> Event posters have to be uploaded at the time of booking.
> The app also allows requisitioning of PA systems and other equipment.
Infra Care:
> Through this app, anyone can lodge a complaint about infrastructure issues in the college and the hostels.
> As proof, a photo legitimising the complaint has to be uploaded.
> Status of the complaint is shared with the complainant.
Smart Prof:
> Students and teachers can view attendance records, curriculum, and lecture locations.
> Teachers can take attendance on the app and the students can view it.
> Timetable and lecture timings can be set by the teachers.
The apps have been designed so as to cut down on red-tape and involve the students in the functioning of the college. In a statement to the Times of India, Dr. Pratibha Jolly, Principal of the college, maintained, “We are committed to building a technology-enhanced active learning environment, and realising innovatively the full potential of IT in education.”
With inputs from the Times of India
Under the “mapped by digital vision” program, Miranda House has installed a hundred QR Code acrylic scanning sheets at several important places across the campus like the library, canteen, classes etc. Miranda House’s Principal, Dr. Pratibha Jolly, feels proud on taking a step towards making technology more accessible to the visually challenged.
The digital signages work through a customised smartphone app that sends out digital signals when a user is found in a proximity of three feet of the QR Code. The app identifies that location and gives signals in the form of verbal messages. These messages direct the visually challenged to the direction and number of steps to be taken to enter a place. “If a student wants to meet me, the digital signage in the office corridor gives a warning about the glass door and verbally directs the student on how many steps she should take to reach the spot”, said the college’s principal.
The digital mapping program was undertaken by the college’s “Enabling Society – Lakshita”. The society also carries out a program, “Samdrishti” under which student volunteers guide the visually challenged around the campus, to metro stations, or to bus stops. The initiative of installing digital signages is an extension to the program which adds to making the college’s campus more accessible to disabled students.
By taking such an initiative, the college has taken a big leap towards making Delhi University’s campus more disabled-friendly. The technology may prove to be a boon for students as well as volunteers during the admission season, enabling students to move around in the campus independently.
Every Academic Year, the University of Delhi witnesses a multitude of events, including those that add glory to its name through the students’ or educators’ outstanding achievements, and those, that probably lead us to question the existing status. Having their own significance, here are the Proud and Dark moments of Delhi University, which added stars to the University’s glory, and brought our focus to the issues that urgently need to be addressed.
Proud Moments of Delhi University 2016-2017
DU ALUMNUS ANKIT KAWATRA, SLECETED AS ONE OF THE 17TH “UN YOUNG LEADERS” IN THE WORLD
Ankit Kawatra, an alumnus of DU’s Keshav Mahavidyalaya College, also the founder of the NGO, Feeding India was selected by the United Nations (UN) as one of the “UN Young Leaders” at the Social Good Summit. Ankit quit his corporate job at the age of 22 to lay the foundation of his NGO, which has now expanded to feed over 1 million people across the country.
DU’S HIMADRISH SUWAN HONOURED WITH SWACHHTA WARRIORS AWARD – 2016
Delhi University’s Himadrish Suwan, was honored by Shri Narendra Modi on the succesful completion of two years of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. Suwan is the convener of Mission-E-Safai, an initiative by students for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan through which he connected universities & their student’s group under one umbrella to function as clusters to spread awareness about cleanliness.
DELHI UNIVERSITY STUDENT WINS DOUBLE GOLD AT WORLD UNIVERSITY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Akhil Sheoran, a graduate of Delhi University brought laurels for the nation at the sixth International University Sports Federation’s (FISU) World University Shooting Championships, held at Bydgoszcz, Poland. A part of the 34 member contingent from India, Sheoran bagged two medals in Men’s Air Rifle Events and made the country proud.
An enterprising group of Delhi University students made headlines by creating a new world record of making the Largest plastic cup pyramid by using 5 7,000 plastic cups at Thyagraj Sports complex on September 21st, 2016 . The contingent of 22 students led by Kushagra Tayal, an Economics Hons student of Hansraj College, took 3 days to accomplish the feat. The group broke the existing world record from Mexico, where 42,935 plastic cups were used for creating the pyramid.
The largest plastic cups pyramid made by DU students
DU SHINES AT PARALYMPICS TOO
Apart from representing India in Olympics, a student of Kirori Mal College, Delhi University, also represented India at the Rio Paraolympics 2017. Sharad also broke a 12 year old record in the men’s high jump category and joined the league of Apurvi Chandela, Lalit Mathur in representing the country at the international level.
MIRANDA HOUSE STUDENT SEXUALLY HARASSED AT SRCC’S FEST
A student of Miranda House faced sexual harassment during KK’s concert at SRCC’s Crossroads. Identifying herself as Meghna, the victim described the event of a man masturbating on her while she was attending the concert, through a Facebook post. She, however, had to face mockery at a public platform due to the audience’s dismissal of the post as an attempt to seek attention.
DU TENSE WITH STIFLED PROTESTS; PROTESTORS ASSAULTED AND DETAINED
Tension arose in the north campus due to violent protests between members of Ramjas College’s
English Literary Society and ABVP activists on February 22. The tension arose due to the violent intervention of ABVP activists in a conference organised by the college’s LitSoc where JNU’s Umar Khalid was invited to present a paper. A large number of protestors were assaulted and detained during the tussle.
A DAULAT RAM COLLEGE STUDENT SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BY BANK EMPLOYEE
A student of Daulat Ram College was sexually assaulted by a male employee of the Indian Overseas Bank branch inside the college on January 18, 2017. The victim lodged a complaint against the accused at Maurice Nagar Police Station where the latter confessed to molesting the student.
Enactus, the global non-profit community which seeks to inspire action, has transformed communities in more than thirty-six countries with the help of visionary minds. Emphasising on the monumental impact of entrepreneurial action, the Enactus community has been working towards manifesting an independent world by generating employability through its unique projects. Colleges under the University of Delhi have established their presence through relentless efforts and have emerged successful in catering to the plethora of social issues plaguing thousands of lives. Here is a compilation of the events, projects, and achievements of the prominent Enactus societies of the University of Delhi.
Enactus Ramjas
The Ramjas chapter of this social venture commenced in 2011 and has successfully catered to three models of business since its inception. These include the Enactus Store, Project Bawarchi, and Project Transcreation. Enactus Store is an online platform which specifically caters to the products and services of Enactus teams all around the country. Project Transcreations seeks to help the transgender community to sustain their lives through providing them with entrepreneurial avenues such as cab driving, jewellery making, etc. They have also launched their very own beauty parlour in Saket solely run by transgenders. Project Bawarchi is a canteen exclusively being run by victims of drug and substance abuse near North Campus and is accompanied by food carts and tiffin delivery. The society has also conducted myriad events to serve the community this year. Under the umbrella of its Project Transcreations, Enactus Ramjas organised a transgender fashion show along with an LGBT pride march. It also conducted the biggest Enactus Festival in February of this year and saw a successful participation. Semi-finalists of Enactus Nationals 2016, the society has carried out more than 30 sensitisation campaigns related to drug abuse since the launch of the project.
Enactus Hindu
Conceptualised in 2014, Enactus Hindu launched its Project Veerangana in this academic session. The social endeavour aims to propagate safety ideals for all by transforming young, unemployed women into self-defence instructors. The previous social campaigns of the society include Project Shreshth and Project Oorja. Their pilot project, Shresth, transformed a group of financially dependent women from the Badli Industrial Area, Rohini into self-sufficient entrepreneurs who manufacture and market incense sticks under the brand name ‘Aanchal Aggarbatis’. Project Oorja strives to preserve environmental balance by providing clean solar lighting solutions to tackle the menace of rising carbon footprints. Under its current project, the society introduced a campaign titled ‘Be A Veerangana,’ and witnessed two months of intensive offline and online promotions, encouraging women to share instances of harassment and breaking the taboo around crimes. At Mecca 2017, the annual cultural festival of Hindu College, their team conducted ‘Road to Safety,’ a unique? simulation of the streets of Delhi, with the objective of raising awareness about simple safety measures which can come in handy in our day-to-day lives. The animal community was also served with its ‘Warmth for Paws’ initiative to provide clothes to street dogs with sweaters made from discarded woollens in the bitter cold months of December and January.
Enactus Khalsa
One of the youngest members of the Enactus community, the Khalsa chapter of the non-profit endeavour germinated in August of last year. While their pilot project is currently under development, they successfully organised an awareness campaign within the college. Titled #LetsMakeGodTalk, the students of the college were induced to deliberate upon the social sphere. On Daan Utsav, the society also organised a visit to a girls’ shelter home and spent a day there with the kids playing games and interacting with them.
Enactus Ramjas College
Enactus Hindu College
Enactus SGTB Khalsa College
Enactus Miranda House
An active member of the social community, Enactus Miranda House has been the launching pad of four successful initiatives since its inception in 2011. Namely Project Zaffran, Project Jazba, Project Tarang, and Project Daryaft, the society aims to boost the issues of financial dependency amongst the women community, strengthening the standing of acid-attack survivors, developing environmentally complementing products, and enhancing the tourism sector, respectively. This year, the society organised a seminar – ‘Astitva’ in relation to Project Jazba, along with a seminar with Mr. Vikramjit Singh Rooprai on the occasion of Heritage Day under Project Daryaft. The annual festival of Enactus Miranda House – Impressa 2017, was organised with the theme ‘Breaking Stereotypes,’ and witnessed events such as open mics and movie screenings. In addition to organising a waste collection drive, the society has also conceptualised an internship programme ranging from the Campus Ambassador Program to Synergy, the Winter Internship Program to propagate ideals of entrepreneurship and initiative.
Enactus SRCC
Perhaps the oldest member of the Enactus community, Enactus SRCC has been doing pertinent projects for a decade now. Some of their recent projects are as follows. Project Life On Wheels facilitates micro-credit for rickshaw pullers by enabling them to own their rickshaws. Project Aahaar is an initiative to rehabilitate underprivileged women by providing them with culinary training. Project Azmat was an endeavour to liberate manual scavengers by providing them with a sustainable source of livelihood through a development of a micro-enterprise and to facilitate construction of proper toilet systems. Project Sattva was an initiative to bring efficiency in India’s dairy sector by the rearing of high yielding cattle and value addition to milk through a mutually beneficial relationship. Project Asbah aimed at providing clean drinking water to rural households through the development and marketing of clay-based water filters produced by a community of potters. With projects like these, Enactus SRCC secured the second runners-up position at the Enactus Nationals 2016. They have received the prestigious KPMG grant and Walmart grant in recognition of the progress made by their projects.
Enactus Shaheed Bhagat Singh College
Since its formation in 2014, Enactus SBSC has come a long way with three socially relevant and inspiring initiatives. Their first project, Project Karva aimed at the upliftment of women. Under Project Roshni, visually impaired people were taught how to make candles as an attempt to become independent as well as self-sustaining. Inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, they conceptualised their third project, Project Aahar, which seeks to provide affordable as well as hygienic food to people in need. Other than the projects, two fundraising campaigns were conducted this year. From 5th-7th October 2016, Campaign Umeed took place where members sold bookmarks and notebooks made by the specially challenged children of Deepalaya School. On the 109th birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh under Campaign Anghaar, candles made by the visually impaired to the students of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College were sold. Campaign Sparsh addressed the women residing at Anand Parbat and introduced them to NGO GOONJ’s ‘My Pad’ – a kit that contains undergarments, sanitary pads, and a manual on menstrual health. They also addressed the issue of child sexual abuse as it is one of the major evils surrounding Anand Parbat through organising interactive activities for the children and showing videos that demonstrated the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching.
Enactus Miranda House
Enactus SRCC
Enactus SBSC
Enactus Maitreyi College
Established in 2014, Enactus Maitreyi is currently working in collaboration with the National Coalition of People Living with HIV on their third project – Project Samya. True to its name, Project Samya aims at bringing equality to women affected with HIV who are evidently socially excluded and are often forced to quit their jobs. Enactus Maitreyi’s first project, Unnayan, helped the women of Mayur Vihar to make and market a liquid dishwasher, ‘Clean Ninja’ for them to become self-reliant. They launched their second project, Swadhin in 2016, with the aim of helping the physically impaired community by equipping them with entrepreneurial skills. This year the society started its own plantation drive. Other than this, Enactus Maitreyi purchased stationery items for the specially-abled students of Anukriti School, with its own funds by keeping aside INR 2 from the sale of every product. To raise funds, Enactus Maitreyi launched a fundraising campaign called,#IDidMyBit, which was conducted over a period of 2 months. A photo booth in Connaught Place was also created to raise money.
Enactus Sri Venkateswara College
Conceived in 2015, Enactus Sri Venkateswara College has been appreciated for its innovation and uniqueness of projects. The society has successfully churned out three projects, namely Project Captain Compost, Project Aushadhi, and Project CiggB. Project Captain Compost aims to provide a solution to the garbage menace in the city while uplifting the social and economic status of ragpickers at the same time, and Project Aushadhi merged the two issues of homelessness and medicinal waste. Winner of the Blue Dart Grant worth INR 40,000, the society launched Project CiggB this year which focuses on the disposal and recycle of used cigarette butts. To establish a communal outreach, they organised stalls in the fests of Hindu College, Indraprastha College for Women, Kamala Nehru College among others, along with stalls and exhibitions under ‘Heartist,’ where they provided a platform for street artists to showcase their skills and sell their products. In association with ‘People for Animals’ and Enactus SRCC, Enactus SVC also set up a winter cloth collection drive in December 2016. They have also collaborated with ‘Parivartan’, the social service society of Sri Venkateswara College for interaction and skill development of slum children and organised a special event for them to celebrate Children’s Day.
Enactus Hans Raj
A cognizant member of the Enactus community, Hansraj College’s Enactus has been running four projects since its commencement in 2011. Project Lekhni has been successful in helping five women from Jhandewalan to rise from the status of victims to the masters of their lives, Project Boond seeks to solve the problem of clean drinking water for the underprivileged masses by providing them with low-cost water purifiers that run without electricity, and Project Mithaas is an endeavour aimed towards providing a stable source of income to farmers in India by encouraging them to adopt beekeeping as a practice. Enactus HRC conceptualised Project Aaangan this year to provide day-care facilities to working women of lower income strata. Winner of the Best Project for showcasing the spirit of VEER at Enactus Nationals 2016, Enactus HRC has, in addition, conducted a donation drive for Project Aangan. Aashayein’16 was an initiative for the kids of an NGO Navjyoti to help them experience the dream they wished to live. It was a small drive by Enactus Hans Raj to fulfill wishes and spark a fire in them by overcoming challenges.
As the year 2016-17 comes to an end we bring to you the list of achievements, laurels and good happenings around the university of this year.
1. 59th Annual Flower Show of University of Delhi
The 59th Annual Flower Show of the University of Delhi took place on On 23rd February, in Mughal Garden, North Campus. Special Holiday was announced for the Delhi University colleges on account of this event. As a result, the premises were abuzz with students, teachers and flower enthusiasts appreciating the vibrant and varied blossoms.
The event was inaugurated by Vice Chancellor Mr. Yogesh Tyagi and the Chief Guest of the event was Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Science and Technology Minister.
Canadian High commission and Miranda House host THE SOUTH ASIAN YOUNG WOMEN LEADERSHIP CONCLAVE
The High Commission of Canada in India, in association with the Women’s Development Cell of Miranda House, National Commission for Women and Women’s Feature Service, organised a dialogue on Women leadership and empowerment, from 8-10 February at the India Habitat Centre.
Over the 3 days, the South Asian Young Women Leadership Conclave saw participation of people from different walks of life- with only one aim in mind, to discuss women’s issues and development.
DU students make world record by making Largest plastic cup pyramid by using 57,000 plastic cups at Thyagraj Sports complex
An enterprising group of Delhi University students in September 2016 created a new world record, of making the Largest plastic cup pyramid by using 57,000 plastic cups at Thyagraj Sports complex today. The contingent of 22 students who were led by Kushagra Tayal, an Economics student from HansRaj college took 3 days to accomplish this feat. The students were cheered by an audience of about 1500 people who consisted of friends, family and other well wishers.
Miranda House students devised environment friendly, sustainable and economical. way to control mosquitos
While Delhi was facing an increase in the number of cases of Dengue, some young researchers of Miranda House College have come up with unique and more effective research study on controlling mosquitoes. The research was a part of the undergraduate research project that was taken up by these students who were keen to learn more about research and at the same time contribute to the society.
H.P Singh appointed as Director of Cluster Innovation Center
Prof. Harinder P. Singh was appointed the new director of Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC). A professor at department of Physics and Astrophysics, Prof. Singh is also the dean of International Relations of the university. An eminent researcher in the field of astronomy, he has been the vice president of Astronomical society of India. He is also a member of the International Astronomical Union as well as a fellow at Royal Astronomical society, London.
The Olympics that took place in August, 2016, at Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, included three Delhi University (DU) students competing in different events with DU is the only university to send three participants to the Olympic Games in the same year.
Miranda House bags number one spot in list of Top Indian Colleges
Delhi’s Miranda House is the best college in India, according to government rankings of educational institutions released on 4th April 2017. The rankings were made under five heads — overall, university, engineering, management and pharmacy. Launched in 2015, NIRF is a methodology adopted by the HRD Ministry to rank all institutions of higher education in India. The rankings are important as government funding for institutions are dependent on them. Over 3,300 institutes participated in the second edition of the India Rankings.
