Latest
DU Beat – Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper
Tag

students

Browsing
Campus Central

Massive Protest Breaks Out in JNU over Fee Hike

By

A massive protest broke out in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Monday over fees hike during the Varsity’s convocation ceremony, leading to clashes with the police.

On 11th November 2019, thousands of students from JNU clashed with the Delhi police after the protests over drastic fee hike escalated. The students were demanding the withdrawal of the draft hostel manual, which they claimed has provisions for fee hike, dress code, and curfew timings. They were planning to protest outside the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) premises where the varsity’s third convocation that was being addressed by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu was held. While Naidu left the venue after attending the convocation, the Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD), Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ was stuck due to the protest for over six hours.

The students were demanding the withdrawal of the draft hostel manual, in which service charges of INR 1,700 were introduced and the one-time mess security fee, which is refundable, has been hiked from INR 5,500 to INR 12,000. The rent for a single-seater room has been increased from INR 20 per month to 600 per month, while rent for a double-seater room has been increased to INR 300 per month from INR 1,000 per month. The draft hostel manual also has provisions for dress code and curfew timings, the Students’ Union alleged, even as the administration denied these two claims.

Over 600 police personnel were deployed to handle the protest organised by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU). Several blockades put up by the police were also broken by the protesting students, who started their march towards the AICTE around 11.30 a.m. Barricades were placed around the JNU Campus, as well as on the route between the AICTE auditorium and the University at Baba Balaknath Marg and nearby areas. As the protest escalated, students clashed with the Delhi police, leading to skirmishes. Water cannons were used to disperse the protestors and police claimed that students were detained. This intensified the protest, with the students shouting against the Delhi Police, as well as the Vice-Chancellor (VC).

As reported by the Times of India, the JNUSU office-bearers later met the HRD Minister who assured them that their demands would be looked into. But the VC still hasn’t met with the union. “The VC is destroying the varsity. We have made several attempts to meet him on campus, but there has been no fruitful result,” Aishe Ghosh, president of JNUSU.

The students claim that the decision to hike fees by 300 percent is exclusive of students from marginalised communities. The protest is also against other actions of the varsity, like restrictions by the administration on entry to the Parthasarathy Rocks – a hillock inside the campus, or attempts to lock Students’ Union office.

DU Beat spoke with a foreign student from JNU agitated against the administration who threw light on the condition of foreign students. The student revealed that the Science students of the Foreign Nationality category pay up to 1500$ which counts nearly INR 1 lakh per semester. The Arts students of the Foreign Nationality pay up to 1200$ per semester, which equates around INR 87,000. “Just because we are “foreign” category doesn’t mean everyone comes from well to-do families. Around 40 Tibetan students’ who passed the entrance exam, could not afford the fees. They couldn’t join. JNU has a good population of SAARC country students. The fee is particularly neck breaking for South Asian students who come from third world countries,” they said.

Image Caption: Posters elaborating on the fee hike crises were circulated among students' via whatsapp and social media. Image Credits: Unknown
Image Caption: Posters elaborating on the fee hike crises were circulated among students’ via whatsapp and social media.
Image Credits: Unknown
Image Caption: Posters elaborating on the fee hike crises were circulated among students' via whatsapp and social media. Image Credits: Unknown
Image Caption: Posters elaborating on the fee hike crises were circulated among students’ via whatsapp and social media.
Image Credits: Unknown

In these circumstance students’ raise pertinent questions like-“How is this affordable? And how does this hold to any foundational values of JNU?” while the responses remain bleak.

Around 15 to 20 students who were graduating were sitting inside the auditorium main gate in solidarity with the protestors. The JNUSU has said the strike would not end until the hostel manual is withdrawn.

Feature Image Credits: India Today

Shreya Juyal

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

LSR and the Concern of Juxtapose ’19  

By

The Annual Academic Meet- Juxtapose’19 to be held on 7th and 8th November 2019 at Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) was cancelled a day before the event.

The Annual Academic Meet- Juxtapose’19 to be held on 7th and 8th November 2019 at Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) was cancelled a day before the event.

The Department of Journalism was at the forefront of discussions inside the gates of Lady Shri Ram College for Women since the last week due to concerns centered around the Annual Academic Meet- Juxtapose 2019.
Juxtapose’19- scheduled for 7th November and 8th November 2019, was aimed to be focusing in a quest to engage students in a two-day event raising questions and saving the integrity of Media as a whole. However, the event ceased to face the light of dawn. The reasons behind the cancelling of the event are majorly cited as administrative and departmental glitches and communication gap.
The RnR held in the campus on 8th November 2019 put forth the take of the Department of Journalism which comprised of the President, Treasurer and the General Secretary. The Department Union expressed the incident to be disheartening as it culminated the hard work of 1.5 months. It was said that the proposal for the Academic Meet was not signed, as a result of which-the Union had to wait for long hours for sanctioning of the needful.
The Student Union of the Department admitted the fault on their part of circulating a message which reiterated their concerns, parts of which received backlash. Thereby, a message was issued which mentioned an apology for the manner in which the message was framed and its articulation.

The Organising Committee of Juxtapose released a WhatsApp message which stated that the Principal had not checked the proposal despite frequent visits of the students. However, soon after, the department issued an apology stating that their intention was not to defame their Principal but to bring attention towards their issues.

Another WhatsApp message mentioned that, “We phrased a new theme, reworked a competition, invited another key note speaker, made new trailers for the event, edited the posters and proposals to incorporate the changes. However, at 2.30PM in the afternoon, the students were told that Juxtapose cannot happen since the proposal cannot be signed one day before the event.”

Adequate response could not be gathered from students as one of them responded, “We as a department have decided to be united and have only the union talking about these matters.”

The statement further informed that the Union plans on engaging in a healthy conversation with its faculty to discuss the concerns and to formulate a plan of action in order to ensure that similar incidents do not take place in the department again.  The Union mentioned that a statement would be released soon and did not wish to respond as they mentioned that they are “in the middle of making a plan of action which requires the consensus of the entire department.”
Arpita Chowdhury, first year student pursuing English Honours who witnessed the meeting during the RnR said, “The meeting was fruitful because I wanted to get a clear view of the matter. It was a good idea to clarify on this issue. It also made me come across the proceedings of the college.”

The Department released its official statement on 10th November 2019.

Image Credits: Department of Journalism, LSR Image Caption: Statement released by the Organising Committee of Juxtapose'19 (Part 1)
Image Credits: Department of Journalism, LSR
Image Caption: Statement released by the Organising Committee of Juxtapose’19 (Part 1)
Image Credits: Department of Journalism, LSR Image Caption: Statement released by the Organising Committee of Juxtapose'19
Image Credits: Department of Journalism, LSR
Image Caption: Statement released by the Organising Committee of Juxtapose’19 (Part 2)

A response from the staff and administration is awaited. A General Body Meeting is said to held on 11th November to discuss the matter further.

Feature Image Credits: Career India

Priyanshi Banerjee

[email protected]

 

Keep Reading
By
Arts & Culture

Chai Pe Charcha : The Love for Chai at Campus

By

 

From the loveable Raja bhaiya at the Patel Chest in North Campus to the Chai spot behind Jesus and Mary College in the South Campus, the entire University of Delhi (DU) has fallen in love, head over heels over Chai, and this article traces why is that so. 

Tea is more than just a beverage, it’s the elixir of life. Here are few of the many reasons why DU can’t be imagined without chai and chaiwallahs.

Chai brings an inevitable feeling of belongingness and warmth. It’s like a home away from home. This feeling of familiarity that chai brings often takes away the anxiety of starting somewhere anew, hence precisely why the Fresher’s feel at peace when they are on the campus with their favourite chai spots. It’s often that the vibe of the place and the people make you fit in.

Abhinandan Kaul, first year student from St. Stephens College, said “As I entered the DU North Campus, I had been introduced to the famous Sudama Tea stall, “north campus ki shaan!” “Sudama“- the Amar Chitra Katha character symbolizing true friendship, transforms friendship in DU too. It’s such a cute place to build strong bonds with minimum resources, I always go there with my friends to chill out with a hot cup of tea and biscuits!”

Drinking chai is a habit, it has become part of the everyday routine we follow. There’s a specific time for it. There’s a specific place for it and a specific ‘nashta’ or food to go with it.  Whether it be after the 2 p.m.  lecture or receiving calls from your mother everyday exactly at 6:30 in the evening to ask you only would you be home for chai, A hot cup of tea cannot be missed.

Noihrit, third-year student from Ramjas College said,  “Chai is constant for me. Whether I scored well or poorly in my exams, had a good or a bad day, hectic or leisurely society work, chai is indivisible from me. Spending my evenings with friends and chai at the tea point at Old Gupta Chowk is something which I’ll relive forever.”

Infact, while many of us fall in love with chai, there are many who fall in love at chai. With a cigarette in one hand, chai in other, sitting on the plastic stool, bursting out with our most vulnerable thoughts, discussing everything from weird exes to family troubles to even anxiety issues, chai spots pave a way for a perfect conversation with your special one. Chai and momos constitute a perfect day at the campus.

Prabhanu, first-year student from Kirori Mal College says, “I met this girl online way before I got into DU and I live in South Delhi. So we started talking and to meet her I had to go all the way to Civil Lines and all we used to do was drink chai and smoke sutta (cigarette) for hours until I had to go back home. Our first date included going to a hospital in Civil Lines, chai and sutta. And we are currently seeing each other.”

Its 3 a.m. and you have a sociology internal in the morning, an economics assignment to submit and a begging session to ask your teachers for attendance is also due. Chai in this moment of extreme chaos, rescues you.

Jaishree Kumar, third-year History student, Ramjas college said, “I once stayed up all night to finish my assignments. No sleep at all. Nada. Chai came to my rescue to keep me up.”

Chai is the staple for all societies, whether it be to survive the rigorous practice sessions or just to gossip about other societies with a cup of tea in hand. Chai helps all to perform.

Yaksh Handa, first-year student at the Hindu college said, “So members of the Deb Soc, before commencing the day’s proceedings, would go out to the Hindu ke saamne wali chai tapri, to get a shot of adrak wali chai, and over chai, everything from politics of the right wing to the stupidity of the debsoc seniors and to the quirky nicknames for our debsoc tshirts was discussed. I feel such short and unplanned chai tapri visits keep the soc entangled in a common thread.”

One will be amused to know that chai has a very special place in hearts of this organisation, the DU Beat, as well. Infact, the very feature image you see, is the last spot of the senior-tour which apprised the juniors of the most memorable places at college campuses from there to be gone seniors.

Vaibhav Tekchandani, Photographer and Video Editor at the DU Beat, said “The last fest season, all of us, i.e. The Village Area, the photog family, as well as the correspondents, without any said notice or gesture used to accumulate at these chai wali tapris and everything from the live updates to the captions was discussed. It was a beautiful feeling and I’d give anything to go back to those days.”

From broken hearts to broken hands, all was treated at the chai wali tapri. It is the greatest source of making memories that will give you nostalgia every time you pass through that place.

Janesh Sahni, Photographer and Video Editor at the DU Beat says, “Raja bhaiya’s Tapri has been our go to place since like forever. I broke my hard drive last year during Tempest and we all tried to fix at Raja Bhaiya while I panicked hard. “Meltayi Maggie” is melted cheese Maggie that you can get at Raja Bhaiya, we coined that term.”

Chai brings a pool of memories for not only just for society members or DU Beat members, but for each student of DU. From assignment discussions to ranting about college professors; everything takes place at chai wali tapri. People like Raja Bhaiya and things like Sudama ki Chai becomes actual realities of our lives, than just places.

Waise bhi, it’s the gospel truth that Chai bina Chen kha re. (All this while one thing remains the gospel truth; there is no peace without a cup of tea.)

 

Feature Image Credits: Janesh Sahni for DU Beat

Chhavi Bahmba 

[email protected]

 

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

Peer Pressure- The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

By

All of us have experienced peer pressure at some point in our lives. Here’s decoding the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of peer pressure.

Right from school to college, we spend a considerable amount of time every day with our friends. Thus, it’s only natural that we pick up certain habits and thoughts which belong to them. But when we feel compelled to be just like them or adopt their lifestyle, it most definitely is peer pressure.

Peer pressure is a circumstance wherein we tend to get carried along with our peers and get influenced by their lifestyles, habits and even their thought-processes.

To identify if you are succumbing to peer pressure, ask yourself just one question – “Am I doing this because I want to do it or because everyone around me is doing it?”

Adolescence is a tricky age to be in. We get fascinated by anything and everything. We learn and unlearn every day. This is the very age when we get more influenced by our peers than by our parents. Consequently, we end up doing a lot of things to ‘fit in’ and be ‘cool’.

One of the worst things that peer pressure can lead one into is the loss of identity very early in life. One starts disregarding himself/herself for not being like others and constantly try to be one among the lot. If not found acceptable to one’s peers, a person starts dismantling parts of themselves every day and rebuilds to get validated.

Adopting the thought-processes of your peers without scrutinizing them can puncture your ability to think and reason. One might end up becoming an individual with no original ideas and thinking. It’s very close to having a mob-mentality where the actions and thoughts of people around you become your own. Thus, it’s pertinent to make sure that you don’t lose your inherent personality while engaging with your peers on a daily basis.

Adoption of habits is one of the most common forms of peer pressure that exists around us. Willingly or unwillingly, we fall into this trap of adopting the habits of our friends. Many a times, we tend to start living the lifestyles of our peers. More than half of the young people start smoking or drinking merely out of peer pressure. The phrase, “Don’t be a chicken, everyone’s doing it” is enough to compel one into doing a certain thing.

The above mentioned aspects can be attributed to negative peer pressure.

While the term peer pressure is always taken in a negative connotation, it’s not really the case. While it may lead you into making destructive and unhealthy choices in life, it can  at the same time also push you towards self-betterment.

One of the best things that peer pressure can do to you is that it makes you sit back and evaluate yourself. It’s undeniable that we all have the scope to grow and learn. Constantly being around people with conflicting opinions and personalities will make you challenge the personality and thought-process you’ve been carrying hitherto then.

It also makes you look beyond yourself and accept those conflicting personalities. Selectively and carefully analyzing them will help you bring positive aspects into yourself and make you grow as a person. Having a sound group of friends who push you to do better every day is like finding a gold mine. They will help you experience positive peer pressure. Thus, be careful of the company you choose to hang out with.

The most important thing to realize while experiencing peer pressure is that it is more internal than external. Mastering our minds to comprehend right from wrongs can make you go a long run into not succumbing to negative peer pressure. Also, doing away with the rigidity of one’s personality and thinking and considering the opinions and constructive habits of those around will help you extract the positive out of your peers.

 

Image Credits: Scopio

Shreya Agrawal

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

Understanding the Business of Education in India

By

As the opportunities in the service sector and manufacturing sector increased for the educated youth, the demand for educational institutions grew, and hence, education is turning into a business in our country.
In India, it is not legal to run educational institutions as business organisations, since only trusts can run such institutions on a non-profit basis. However, there appears to be a systemic method by which many trusts turn these non-profit institutions into their profit-making centres.
The entrepreneurs, taking advantage of the high demand for education, generally get land allotted at a nominal cost in the name of an educational community. In the initial stages, some temporary structures are put up. Later on, as students are admitted, funds begin to flow in the form of development fee, building fee, tuition fee, cultural event fee, etc. These institutions charge cost plus pricing for the services rendered by them. Therefore, over a period of time, these institutions were able to construct huge buildings and purchase costly equipment to modernise their establishments. In this way, a large percentage of unaided private schools and colleges have converted education into a business enterprise.

Earlier, these institutions were confined to metropolitan areas and big cities, but now they are spreading even to smaller towns. “This seriously undermines the selfless nature of education, especially in a country like ours where students are supposed to consider their teachers as Gods,” opined Bhavya, a first-year student pursuing B.A. (Honours) Economics from Daulat Ram College. Of late, the issue of charging capitation fee by educational institutions has also become a sensational topic of disccussion. The Supreme Court, in its judgement on the Mohini Jain versus the Government of Karnataka case in 1992, declared that the Right to Education was a fundamental right, and that the charging of capitation fee was arbitrary, unfair, and, therefore, in violation of the fundamental Right to Equality contained in Article 14 of the Constitution. Mohini Jain, the petitioner in the case, was admitted to the medical college in Karnataka, but she could not take advantage of admission as she could not pay INR 60,000 per year as capitation fee.

A distinction has to be made between privatisation and commercialisation of education. India has a long tradition of privatisation of higher education. Tilak, Karve, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, and many other charitable trusts started educational institutions to widen educational opportunity in the society. But modern educational entrepreneurs are not guided by philanthropic motives of the earlier reformers. They intend to invest in educational institutions to maximise profits, because the demand for professional education is very high and the risk involved in this investment is minimal.
There have also been many instances of promoters of educational institutions getting involved in tax evasion and money laundering cases. Politicians and other investors create trust funds, citing education as the motive.

Corporate Social Responsibility funds flow into the trust through legitimate banking channels. These funds are returned to the promoters in cash, and the actual expenditure on the institution is met with the illicit hoard of black money. The expenditure is then inflated, helping launder the black money. In spite of these negative aspects, there are many positive aspects as well that have been brought in by the private investments in the education sector. They have filled up the investment deficit in the education sector. They have increased the availability of seats, creative subjects, and also developed the other centres including the urban areas.

Any development without proper regulations is hazardous for the society. Hence, there should be a strong regulatory body across India for the regulation of these institutions regularly. Benjamin Franklin wisely said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” One can sincerely hope the investment is not made to run education as a business to a point of extreme capitalistic individualism and exploitation, but in order to increase knowledge for the building of a stronger and a more reformed society.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Abhinandan Kaul

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Arts & Culture

Living a College Life in the Age of Social Media

By

Social media is a modern-world tool available in the hands of today’s youth, and they find solace in the sea of information found in it.

To connect or to disconnect from social media has been an intensely debated topic, especially among today’s parents and the youth. While a majority of the parents think that using social media is a waste of time and a major distraction, most youth believe that it is a useful tool since it provides a virtual medium for people to get connected with each other, engage in discussions, share information, etc. As a socially active youngster, I am of the opinion that one of the best advantages of social media is that it connects people at the click of a button, with the right source required by them at that particular point of time. This click makes life very easy and comfortable, especially for the teenagers who enter into a new phase of their lives, i.e. university life. These confused teens find solace in the sea of information found on social media.

To learn and unlearn by one’s own experience is a thing of the past, as with the improved network of social media, experiences of successes, as well as experiences of failures are available for guidance. To select a course or a college away from home takes tremendous courage, and that courage comes from the information and knowledge-base provided by social media. “Before taking admission in any college, I went through videos a million times. I saw all the fest coverages and everything. It helped me a lot in knowing what will come my way,” says Bhumi, a first-year student, pursuing B.A. (Honours) Philosophy at Daulat Ram College.

Apart from empowering the students with knowledge, social media also plays an important role in connecting people; more so in making an outstation student feel at home. With the virtual connect, social media enables them to speak and stay in touch with their loved ones back home, and at the same time helps them in making new friends. “Social media helped me to connect with my friends, and most importantly to bridge the distance between me and my family. Also, as a byproduct of its well-connected nature, it helped me to settle in a city with a sense of ease in the sense that I wasn’t only able to establish, but also maintain new contacts in the city,” opines Aditya Nath, an outstation first-year student from Jharkhand, pursuing B.A. Programme at St. Stephen’s College.

Getting the right type of accommodation is a very crucial thing for outstation students who do not manage to get into hostels, and with the advent of social media, students are easily able to find paying guest accomodations(PG) and flats to live in, with the ratings and experiences of seniors recorded on various networking sites. In the words of Avilokita, an outstation first-year student from Chattisgarh, pursuing B.A. Programme at St. Stephen’s College, “Social media, especially Facebook really helped me a lot to find a good PG with a good environment to live in, because being new to the city, it is very difficult to find a safe and secure place where a student can easily adjust.” Social media has also played an important role in increasing the availability of opportunities for students, since all information regarding clubs, orientations, fests, competitions, etc. are circulated on applications like Instagram and WhatsApp. At the same time, it is a saviour for students who take part in sports or extracurricular activities, since they can catch up on all that is taught in the classes they miss by getting notes and questions from their friends through networking apps.

Thus, to conclude in the words of the famous Greek physician Hippocrates, “Everything in excess is opposed to nature.” Truly, nothing in excess is good. Therefore, it is important that each one of us manages the time spent on social media efficiently and usefully, so as to harness the maximum benefits from this gainful resource.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Abhinandan Krishn Kaul

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

The Curious Case of Cancel Culture

By

Cancel Culture has gained both critiques and praise, its approach has helped many, but also often remained short-lived. This tool has emerged as a voice for the marginalised, but how effective is it?

Cancel Culture refers to the phenomenon of “cancelling” or boycotting a celebrity’s work, products, art and position, and as a practice has gained momentum in the past year. This process involves people expressing their anger towards the celebrity by collectivising in order to counter the social influence he or she has. This tool has been proven effective in providing marginalised groups with a voice and facilitating in the “takedowns” of people. Bill Cosby and Kevin Spacey’s careers were cancelled after several women, and men came out against them in cases of harassment.

Cancel Culture comes with its supporters and opponents. Its advocates talk about how in an attention-based economy, this is a medium to gauge the attention of millions of people towards problematic behaviours. It can help educate and enlighten. We can call out big companies or brands for their acts of fright. The notion of individuals with social capital getting away with their wrongdoings is now challenged. Furthermore, we can now raise awareness about issues which were never openly discussed before, such as sexual harassment, racist comments, and queerbaiting.

This practice goes on from a celebrity-fan equation, to also a person-to-person equation. A very recent example becomes the number of people who were called out as a part of the #MeToo movement. We have all heard these stories, read these posts on Facebook or Instagram or known someone who has experienced this. From offices to colleges, and mostly the circuits of different societies. After the incident is painfully reported, the retelling of the story begins. But even at this level, there exists this social hierarchy, with some people whose reputation will be unaffected and those with much to lose.

The accused tend to remain involved, while the accuser is forced to leave this situation.

Recently, several cases of this have come to light. From Logan Paul, Aziz Ansari, James Charles to Indian comedians like AIB’s Gursimran Khamba and Tanmay Bhat have been boycotted. But the question remains, is this an effective solution? We cannot guarantee its impact, and how long the impact lasts. Only so few people have had to face long-lasting repercussions of being cancelled. Aziz Ansari made a comeback on Netflix, and incorporated this period in his piece, James Charles made an apology video and regained his lost position, Kanye West also successfully returned with his reputation untouched.

It is believed that with every controversy that comes and goes, people tend to forget the past. So, most celebrities suffer a brief period of losing deals and fans. Their return involves three steps; they make a seemingly “raw” and honest apology, lay low for a few months and return with the persona of a “changed” person. The authenticity of these apologies and transformations seem questionable. Going back to how it pans out in college circuits, a similar trend follows.

With cancel culture, “cancelling cancel culture” has also gained some attention. It has risen as a messiah of the ‘cancelled’ and propagates that these individuals be made aware of their problematic behaviours. Some people even bring in the idea of cyberbullying in speaking out against cancel culture.

Short or long, the impact this new culture brings is a ray of hope in a world where even ‘Instagram famous’ people gain social capital which can be hard to fight. The idea is not to takedown celebrities or to oppress them, but it is to revoke the privilege that has been placed. This fights against people in positions of privilege who have gotten away with racist and homophobic jokes or demanding sexual favours. The exploitation has now collectivised many to rage against, not a few select individuals, but centuries of oppression.

 

Feature Image Credits: Lamar University

 

Shivani Dadhwal

[email protected]

 

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

JOMO v/s FOMO

By

In this happening world, it is quite impossible to catch up with everything and we end up missing on something or the other. The feeling of joy or fear of missing out on something is what decides if you have JOMO or FOMO. 

In the world of social media, keeping up with all the latest happenings, attending social events and parties forms a part of the list of things that we’re supposed to do. You open Instagram once and see people vacationing or partying and feel sad about the fact that you are working or studying. This is where FOMO starts. Going out, meeting new people, making friends and learning new things brings happiness to some people. However, there are a set of people who feel better to not connect with people and miss out on social events and at the same time feel good about it. Knowing about the fact that somewhere someone is having a good time but not being impacted by it is what the opposite of FOMO called JOMO stands for.

There are a number of people around us who face both JOMO and FOMO. The two terms are an antithesis to each other. While JOMO is all about disconnecting, opting out and being okay with where you are, FOMO is the fear of missing out on something that others are a part of. Feeling sad about the fact that your friends are having fun at a party that you aren’t invited to makes up for FOMO. In contrast to this, JOMO refers to understanding ourselves and choosing what we want to do or not do. 

Aatreyee Tamuly, a second-year student of Miranda House feels that the whole trend of FOMO started with the coming up of social media. She further adds, “Every second person now seems to be suffering from FOMO which leads to sadness or even depression. Even now there might be one person on your social media enjoying and this will make you doubt what you are currently doing.” However, she feels like she suffers from both FOMO and JOMO at different times. She adds, “I have severe FOMO when friends make plans without me but I have JOMO on missing on to some family functions and other events.”

Priyanshi Singh said, “I have FOMO when there is some BTS concert going on”. Another student of Miranda House, Dhritee Bordoloi also feels that she suffers from both the syndromes and it completely depends on the situation. She said, “I have FOMO when there are get-togethers and I am not invited. In college as a first-year kid seeing people go out and have fun made me feel left out and lonely. However, I feel JOMO when I have had a tiring week and want to spend some time with myself. In such a situation, no matter what a lit life others are having, I am relieved to be in my own room spending time alone.”

FOMO and JOMO are concepts that differ from person to person. Being college goers, it is very common to suffer from FOMO. However, FOMO is a syndrome which can have worse outcomes while JOMO can help you lead a happy life. Being in your own comfortable space and feeling good about it is the mantra to a happy life. There are a number of reasons for embracing JOMO. Spending our free time consumed by the drama of social media leads to a lack of time for other activities. Getting away from FOMO and moving towards JOMO will get you more time for carrying out productive tasks.  

Saving up on money is, of course, the main reason for embracing JOMO. While FOMO can leave you in debt, JOMO can help you save up for anything that you wanted to buy. Being free from unwanted commitments and online addictions also mean more space and time for spontaneous acts and unplanned moments. Another important benefit of JOMO is that it allows you to experience life at its fullest. It helps us slow down and know ourselves better.

We’ve got one life and we can’t spend it with the fear of missing something. 

As Naina in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani said, “Life mei jitna bhi try karo, kuch na kuch to chootega hi. Isliye jahan hain, wahan ka hi maza lete hai. (No matter how hard we try; we can’t explore everything. So it’s better to enjoy where we are, what we do and appreciate what we have.)”

It is better to be joyful and choose real connections rather than shallow distractions. 

Feature Image Credits: Wonder How to

Priya Chauhan

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

Impact of the Syllabus Controversy on the English Department

By

The English Department of the University of Delhi (DU) continues to be negatively affected by the Syllabus Controversy. 

The Executive Council of DU has approved the syllabus for English for the first semester, but this approved syllabus continues to be a mystery for not only the students, but also the professors. In fact, even the Head of the English Department, Professor Raj Kumar has not been made privy to the new syllabus. This continued delay with regard to the syllabus has now moved beyond ideological and ethical debates, and has started to negatively impact the students, causing mass worry and frustration across the University campuses. 

In most colleges, professors have started to teach the first-year students the old syllabus, but they are not sure about whether what they are teaching the first-year students is going to be relevant to them with respect to the upcoming examinations. Priyanshi Banerjee, a first-year student of English at Lady Shri Ram College, said, “No one seems to know anything about the new syllabus and this is causing a lot of problems for us first-years. Examinations are not going to get postponed, but considering the current slow pace of studies I don’t know how we are going to manage to complete our course work.”

Students are not even able to procure the books being taught currently because the bookstores in the college campuses are not stocking them, because of a lack of clarity with respect to the prescribed texts. Shyla Sharma, another first-year student of the English Department, said, “All of us are very anxious. It is very odd for us to see other department’s students going about their course work when we don’t even know what our syllabus is. Even the professors seem upset and lost, and this is causing a lot of confusion. We don’t even have all of our books yet, as we have been told not to buy them. I hope the syllabus is soon released.”

In spite of the mass tension, an academic debate in the midst of the syllabus controversy continues to flourish. Royina Chhabra, a first-year student of the English Department, said, “Restrictions are being put on our academic freedom. We should have a right to study what we want to, especially our history and culture irrespective of whether it is good or bad. How else are we supposed to learn and think for ourselves? This entire controversy is taking a huge toll on our education.” Many students also seem to be specifically upset about the negative debate with respect to the exclusion of the Queer Literature Paper. A first-year student of the English Department, who wanted to remain anonymous, said, “Queerness is a part of our lives. Section 377 no longer criminalises homosexuality, so why is our education system doing so? In fact, I believe that it is the responsibility of our education system to educate people about queerness because most people in India aren’t aware of, or comfortable about it. The fact that our new syllabus is probably going to be politically motivated and authoritarian in nature highly antagonises me.”

The Syllabus Controversy began when right-wing organisations like the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) objected to the English Department for including certain study material relating to caste and gender in the new syllabus. Specifically speaking, they had an issue with the story Manibein alias Bibijaan in which the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bajrang Dal are portrayed negatively, with respect to the 2002 Gujarat riots, and the inclusion of the depiction of Hindu deities in queer literature by taking references from texts like Bhagvath Puran, Sankar Puran, and Shiv Puran. Counter-protests for academic freedom by organisations like the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Students’ Association (AISA), Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), and Pinjra Tod soon followed, leading to ideological and educational confrontations. This controversy has led to the syllabuses of many subjects not being released, even though the new academic year has already started. 

Feature Image Credits: Sriya Rane for DU Beat

Juhi Bhargava

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

Women in Sports, Finish Last

By

What are the different connotations that sports hold for us? Have its horizons expanded to accepting women, and how successful is it now?

29th August is celebrated as the National Sports Day, dedicated to the sportspersons and their hard work. It is a day to commemorate their contributions towards playing for our country and winning laurels. But, in reality, it is a day to celebrate popular sportsmen like Virat Kohli, with huge cults around them and few popular sports like cricket, which have a massive viewer-base. With a few days still left to this important day, why not realign our horizons and shift our focus?

PV Sindhu, Dutee Chand, Mithali Raj, Deepika Kumari, Tanlai Narzary, the Phogat sisters – over the past few years, Indian sportswomen have created a name and distinct space for themselves. However, the recognition from people still seems to be a far-fetched dream. But movies like Dangal and Mary Kom haved helped in garnering traction to and some attention towards their struggles. With these films, not only did they gain more recognition, but it also tackled the ideas of social stigma attached to women in sports.

Recently, there was a celebratory parade for the four-time Women’s World Cup Champions in the United States of America. This event is significant given that, not just in our country, but all over the world, women’s sporting events are disregarded. The idea behind this attitude often stems from the belief that their performance is not at par with those of the sportspersons in men’s sporting events. The only focus, if given at all, is upon their clothes and their outburst. 

Tennis, which is one of the only sporting places where women are seen as equals, also tends to gain attention only when Serena Williams displays her anger. What this normal emotion of rage is linked to is the idea of how women are ‘too emotional’. Women are represented in the light of being too sensitive in magazines and news pieces. What we do not realise is that this discrimination in terms of behaviour, pay, and popularity only pushes women to the background. 

The problems extend further to the lack of funding and even basic training conditions. Stories of sportspersons having to sell their medals to earn money, because they are not provided with anything, have become commonplace. Many talented sportswomen are not trained in the first place, due to the many obstacles that lie ahead.

Female products-oriented companies will now sponsor their events, in the big leagues, more companies now want to be front-of-shirt sponsors. India’s Dutee Chand opened up about her sexuality as a queer person recently, and fought the backlash she received from her village, in order to make a more inclusive environment for others like her. Megan Rapinoe has also come out with her partner, Sue Bird. These mark historic steps for our country and the way sportswomen demand respect. 

In a country like India, ideas of equality cannot be implemented immediately because of how our society thinks. But movies become an important access point to normalise this. The film, Chak De India, recently completed twelve years since its release. Despite being a decade old, its plot and issues remain relevant. It deals with women not being allowed to play sports, women’s teams being deprioritised, being considered at an inferior status from the men’s team, among other issues.

What has opened up today is a dialogue. Newspapers talking about the starkly different salaries for Kohli and Mithali Raj, advertisements campaigns trying to spread awareness – there are some of the things contributing to it. This dialogue may have just begun, but it could soon lead to equality among sportspersons of all genders. Maybe soon, people will stick to their televisions for a Women’s Cricket World Cup tournament, as they did for the one played by men.

Feature Image Credits: India Today

Shivani Dadhwal

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By