November 2009

A new national-level students group has been formed to promote social causes and initiate the development of a new generation of social activists. The group namely Campus Front of India was formally launched on November 7 in New Delhi. Students from various states across the country were present at this launch that took place at the India International Centre.

As A. Mohamed Yusuff, General Convenor of the Campus Front puts it , the aim of this group is primarily to empower campuses and strive for the oppressed sections of society .

“Students are considered as an important section which can play a crucial role in building the society. Students are the privileged section of the society who has the power of education, vision and knowledge with them which is denied to most of the marginalized sections of the society. Unfortunately we have seen a decline in student activism among students for the last few decades. Students movements once considered one of the most powerful catalyst of any cause have now turned into mere pawns of their political mentors. In this critical juncture Campus Front will strive for the revival of student’s power and motivate students to lead social movements,” he added.

Sex Amma

By Sex Amma November 29, 2009

Q: You know Amma it’s strange but the menstrual cycle of my group of friends tends to sync up? It’s very absurd. Is there a concrete cause?

A: Haha. Sometimes you guys come up with such unbelievable ones. Always a pleasure answering them though. No one is sure why women who live together or spend a lot of time in each other’s presence tend to ovulate in tandem. But it has been observed in clinical studies as well as anecdotally in the real world and is considered a valid phenomenon.

The prevailing theory is that chemicals emitted from our sweat glands called pheromones somehow trigger each woman’s cycle to synchronize. The purpose of this is still a mystery. It may be that back in caveman times, having a group of females be fertile all at once helped propagate the species, since one man could impregnate them very quickly. So there! Lots of trivia I provided, no? Thanks for the question. I had fun answering it.

Q: My boyfriend and I have been having sex for a fairly long time now. The sex is great, no complaints. But it’s odd that after it’s done, he passes out and I lie wide awake. Now, why would that happen? I expect us to have a little talk, if not be all charged up. I’m trying not to get frustrated with this habit of his and your telling me that it’s normal will only help. Please tell me the cause.

A: Dear child, It’s a misconception that sex always leads to peaceful slumber. For some, it has the opposite effect, since lovemaking raises your heart rate, blood pressure, and adrenaline levels. Don’t think I don’t have a solution to this for I do! And it’ll work, trust me. So, to prevent post-sex insomnia, reschedule the action for earlier in the evening. And try not to let him drift off until you’re satisfied. Orgasm can help bring the body down to its normal resting state. So if you’re not climaxing regularly, you need to have a chat with your guy about how the two of you can be more in sync. I feel like all my knowledge is finally being put to relevant use. No no I’m not bragging. Only appreciating the “quality of questions” being sent in lately. Keep it up guys. Clap for yourselves.

Reviews

Book Review: The Little Prince

‘Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.’ One of the most widely read books in the world , after the Holy Bible , the Little Prince is the story of one such explanation. On the occasion of children’s day , we suggest that to humour the child within ,do lay your hands on this book However, to limit it only to the genre of child fiction would be an extremely reductive reading of the text For those who have read it before, I strongly recommend that you peruse through it again for each reading incites a different interpretation . On the surface of it , it is the story of a pilot’s encounter with a small boy from another planet and the narratives of is inter galactic excursions . It also doubles as a thought provoking allegory of the human condition. It is through the eyes of the little prince and his reactions to the strange residents of planet earth , that the author delivers his message of cherishing the simple, meaningful things in life. Accompanied by illustrations, the language itself is simple, almost poetic and extremely profound. The story’s essence is contained in the lines, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.” Though this novella stretches over only hundred pages , believe you me ,what an amazing hundred pages they are. Time reading this would definitely be time well spent Rating : 4.5/ 5]]>

Features

Understanding the Naxalite Crisis

At times due to either sheer ignorance or even consciously, the mainstream media tends to provide a one-dimensional view of the Naxalite debate, setting it in simplistic binaries. As a result, the structural violence that provokes the violence of the Maoists in the first place gets overlooked. Moreover, describing ‘Naxalism’ as internally homogenous doesn’t allow us to comprehend the different strands of the movement.

A blind faith in textbook Gandhism leads us to condemn the violence of the Maoists, which is made to appear more dangerous than the violence perpetrated by the state. However, in order to grasp the complexity of the issue, it would be useful to consider the reasons behind the violence that the movement is characterized by. Indeed, it would be useful to be attentive to the more subtle (though insidious) forms of violence by the state which first led to the emergence of the ultra-left movement.

A brief detour into history takes us to the 1967 revolt by a section of the CPI (Marxist) in the Naxalbari area of West Bengal, where the far left originated. This revolt was a manifestation of disenchantment with the Parliamentary left, i.e. the CPI and CPI (Marxist). Thus, the Naxalite movement arose as a powerful critique of the mainstream left parties, as a result of their failure to effectively challenge the exclusionary nature of the Indian state.

Over the years, particularly since the 1990s, this exclusionary nature of the Indian state has manifested itself in the rhetoric of ‘development’. In a bid to become a ‘superpower’, the state has cleared large tracts of agricultural land for mining and industrial production, forcibly acquired and sold off land, forest and water resources to corporate groups at throw-away prices, etc. While this may have boosted the GDP, the situation of the marginalized has only worsened. This exclusion from the fruits of ‘development’ has led to the emergence and growing support for a large number of people struggles, including the Naxalite movement.

While it is true that the movement has consisted of some forms of violence, it is important to remember, as Shuddhabrata Sengupta said in a recent seminar, that violence is scripted not only by those who take up arms, but also by those who compel them to take up arms. And as the story of ‘development’ reveals, it is in fact the Indian state that has compelled many people to take up arms.

However, there are still problems with the idea of violence being used as recourse. Even if violence may be justified as a defense-mechanism against the violence of the state, the organization of groups along the ideology of protracted war can be questioned. This brings us to the currents within the Naxalite movement.

Although the state/mainstream media collapses the categories of ‘Naxal’ and ‘Maoist’, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) is but one subset of the Naxalite movement. Thus, it is wrong to suggest that the Naxalite movement is solely based on the ideology of armed struggle. On the contrary, mass-based struggles are an overarching characteristic of all the currents of the movement. However, the state continues to project the Naxals/Maoists interchangeably as perpetuators of violence, in order to find a pretext to eliminate them and the dissent that they are voicing. As a result, the violence of the state gets swept under the carpet, making it possible to deal with a political problem through military means.

‘Operation Green Hunt’, which is the central government’s plan of launching a military offensive against the Naxals must be seen in this light. While the strategy of violence used by one faction of the movement may be challenged, it cannot be used to justify the deployment of the armed and air forces against the citizens. Indeed, if the claimed sincerity towards resolving the crisis is genuine, the efforts should be channeled towards a rethinking of the idea of development, rather than state-sponsored terrorism.

DUB Speak

CELEBRATING CHILDREN’S DAY: A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

14^th Nov…Comes again. Besides hopefully reminding us of the birthday of the first Prime Minister of Independent India, it brings with it innumerable memories of innocent days. When asked to write this article, I never knew the simple task would make memories of lost years flood back and clamour for attention even as nostalgia caused my heart to grow heavy over the irretrievable past. In those days it were the little things that mattered, and when you strain your memory now what you remember most clearly are precisely those ‘insignificant’ little joys.

A brief mention of Little Lulu’s cheeky dialogues should be in order here. And we can’t forget Barney and Fred’s bowling games in Flintstones, the innovative aircrafts in Jetsons, the lovable cowardly Scooby and Shaggy and the all time favorite Tom and Jerry. I’m sure just like me, you all also went through the fever of collecting Tazos from every Cheetos packet. Playing Stone-Paper-Scissors and hand cricket(with rolled up foil acting as ball) during the long school bus journeys and lunch breaks. I’m sure you’d all secretly agree to have having read Sweet Valley Junior High or Baby Sitters Club in your tween years or pairing Barbie with handsome Ken. One thing which never seems to go out of fashion are collectible trump cards, though they seem to have evolved from the beloved WWF cards of our days to Pokemon cards or something equally alien.

Well, those days really had a charm of their own and once in a while reminiscing about them is a wonderful thing. However all said and done, life is beautiful and each stage is enjoyable in its own way. So now that you’ve read this and hopefully day dreamt a bit about your own childhood, lets live our college days with gusto and build more memories well worth cherishing in the far distant future.

-Mallika Davar

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I am at a loss as to where to start recounting my childhood memories from. I miss every little weird thing! Insisting on having a happy meal at every trip to McDonalds; listening to the backstreet boys on the walkman at the back of the class; collecting tazos and trump cards only to trade them for more; Going to Appu Ghar for eight out of the ten odd school ‘picnics’ we had; Collecting G.I. Joes. Favourite cartoons such as the Adams Family and Captain Planet! Complicated ways of selecting the ‘denner’ in Tag: In-pin-safety pin, inky-pinky-ponky, etc. Watching Nickelodeon from two to six every afternoon. Collecting little cars, the ones you pull back to make them go vroooom! (The ones my brother ran over my hair for fun, sigh). I’m glad I’ve grown up.

-Kritika Kushwaha

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I never thought much of Children’s Day as a kid. Since it was never a holiday it wasn’t any particular fun, except those rare occasions of course when the school inexplicably decided to be nice to us, and took us to Children’s Park or Lodhi Garden. Oh, those times were fun! Now when I sit back and reminisce, distinct memories flit by. I realize with a pang that I miss being a carefree child, embarrassing memories and painful ignorance notwithstanding. Disney Hour, Full House, agonizing over marks, buying large plastic balls and candy floss from the cycle- wallah bhaiya and so much more! There is so much I miss, so much I wish I could go back to.

I think I owe much of the initial stages of my fluttering imagination to Enid Blyton. I can recall umpteen evenings, huddled in some corner of the house, devouring stories of English boarding schools or adventures of the Secret Seven. How I longed to be a part of a secret society, have passwords, own a pet like Scamper! I spent the summer holidays wishing that I too could go to a boarding school. The most fantastic of Enid Blyton’s books for me is The Faraway Tree. Mr.Whatzisname, Moonface, Dame Washalot, Saucepan Man…they were magical stories.

Then there was the freckled Archie and inquisitive TinTin. I gradually moved on to Sweet Valley and Nancy Drew. Another fabulous author was Agatha Christie; I doubt I have read better mysteries than The Crooked House, And Then There Were None, Sparkling Cyanide and so many more.

Also, I think a mention of Harry Potter is in order here; 10 year olds are children are they not? But then, I grew up with Harry Potter.

Radhika Marwah

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I miss being a kid and just getting away with everything. You could be digging your nose, jumping into every mud puddle on the way, singing your favourite nursery ryhme for the millionth time in a silly squeaky voice- doing practically anything you wish. All the reactions would get would be “Aww so cute!” As children we were complete nuts, doing the most random stuff like dipping fingers in fevicol, waiting for it to dry , then peeling it off with the utmost sincerity. No one ever wondered what the point of the exercise was, we didn’t need a thing to be meaningful to enjoy it in those days. I miss the simplicity of doing things just because you liked to do them, with no one to roll their eyes or scowl at you.

Aina Mathew

Interviews

Interview: Rebecca M. John

Rebecca M. John is the lawyer defending Kobad Gandhi, allegedly the top leader of CPI (Maoist) who was arrested on the 22^nd of September. Shortly after the arrest a storm of violent incidents took place which occupied much media attention and were said to be indicative of the ‘Naxalite Crisis’ in our country. In the midst of all the discussion and debate surrounding these highly charged issues DU Beat brings you a conversation with the fascinating person who’s been given the responsibility of defending the man of the hour.

DUB: What made you decide to take up such a controversial case?

Rebecca: I am a criminal Defense lawyer, it is my job to take up cases that come to me and defend people, to the best of my ability. It is the constitutional right of every citizen to be defended in a Court of Law. I pass no moral judgment on anyone; to me this case is no different from the countless others I have taken up before, so there is no additional pressure. I was asked by Civil Liberties groups to appear for Kobard Ghandy . I took it up as I would have done any other case. My judgment has never been coloured by public opinion and indeed that should never be an issue for any lawyer who upholds the Constitution and believes in the Rule of Law.

DUB: How do you reconcile yourself to the various ideologies your clients represent? Is it a problem if it clashes with your own?

Rebecca: You don’t have to be friends with your client, just defend their right to a fair trial. Their ideology has nothing to do with the case as long as you uphold their rights. I perform my obligations and I work within the framework of the law and I sleep with a clear conscience at night. I have taken up many difficult cases and I deal with them professionally. If the prosecution can prove its case then the person will be punished, and if they can’t then he is set free and no one should be able to contest his innocence. We are not some banana republic, in our Constitution we have trials which proceed with the presumption that an accused is innocent until proven guilty. Which is why Ajmal Kasab is undergoing a trial and has not been shot dead or lashed at a public stadium before a blood thirsty mob , as some people were suggesting. If he is found guilty he will be dealt with appropriately as mandated by the Law.

An independent Judiciary and a Criminal Justice System which upholds the Rule of Law, is the fundamental basis for a free and fair society, so thank god for Defense lawyers.

DUB: Considering the fact that you work within the law and subscribe to its administration how do you defend someone whose basic ideology consists of overthrowing this administrative system?

Rebecca: There is no evidence to suggest that Kobad Gandhi is trying to overthrow the government or its administrative system. How can you say he doesn’t want to work within the system? Why is the middle class so threatened by someone like him? Why is public discourse on the subject influenced by propaganda and complete ignorance on the subject? In any case my client has never made any statement supporting violence of any form.

DUB: The Government has decided to launch a military offensive against the Naxals and deploy armed forces in the Naxal hotbeds. What are the legal intricacies involved in employing troops in civilian ground? What are your views on the matter? How can violence on the part of the State be justified?

Rebecca: This is an administrative decision and you need to ask officials from the Home Ministry about the logistics involved in troop deployment.

Personally I have reservations about Operation Green Hunt since it means that the Government is hunting down its own people. Who are we declaring war on? What are we declaring war on? Can Naxalism really be wiped out by brute force? Should the Indian State declare war on its most despairing citizens? As Himanshu Kumar, a Human Rights Activist in far away Dantewada says, why are all these poor people attracted to an ideology that will end in death?

These are the most deprived sections of our society and all that they are asking for are basic rights, food, water , clothes, health care and schools and their legitimate right over their land and how do we respond to this criminal neglect of over 60 years ? We ‘hunt’ them down. I am not justifying Maoist violence, I abhor all violence, but I do believe the State should consider looking at the cause of the problem before jumping to find hasty solutions. We could all do well to read the Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, that sacred document that protects the rights of tribals over their forests and land!

Atleast now we talking about Adivasis, Dalits and tribals and their state of disempowerment and destitution , issues we never spoke of even five years ago.

On the other hand the violence perpetrated by the State is really no different from the violence they are supposedly fighting. Take the ridiculous Salva Judum scheme in Chhattisgarh for example, where ordinary citizens are armed and encouraged to engage in violence in order to fight the Naxals. In these cases the solutions become as much, if not more problematic than the problems they are supposed to resolve.

DUB: There are a lot of students actively demonstrating against the violent means the government plans to utilize over this issue. Any message for students who take these issues to heart?

Rebecca: I support peaceful protests of any kind. I have always felt that people in our country don’t protest enough. As a whole our society is reluctant to protest so if students are taking up issues and getting interested in events of national importance I am happy because in India there is a complete absence of debate on critical issues and that is inexcusable.

If there is anything we have learnt from our freedom movement, it is that peaceful protests are an effective tool of dissent and are indeed the best way of achieving long term goals!

-As told to Pragya Mukherjee

Top Picks

TOP 5 WAYS TO BE A BRAT

Ask your parents for stars, Jupiter, an island with coconut trees…etc. and when they refuse, say “You can’t even do this much for me? I hate you!” and bawl
Don’t do your assignment. Tell your teacher you didn’t get time because your Siberian cat wanted her ear to be scratched and you had to monitor the maid who did it
Call Apollo Hospital and tell them to send a doctor immediately with a huge box of anesthesia because you just stubbed your toe and can’t stand the pain
Go to the canteen and ask for a toffee, then hand over a Rs1000 note. When you’re screamed at for change, add some more 1000s and say “No change, man. Just give me the canteen then”
Every time there’s a hint of refusal, stamp your foot and yell “I want, I want, I WANT!”

DUB Speak

Some do it different

Come year end and the various colleges of DU elbow each other in their haste to proffer bigger, snazzier annual fests. Organizers toil looking for sponsorships, thinking up events, designing websites and whatnot. However , most colleges have different ways of going about planning events and fests.

Take the case of Shaheed Sukhdev College Of Business Studies for example. CBS means business. That’s the one line that sticks with students from orientation day. Students from numerous DU colleges found it very strange proposals need to be submitted for every event that any CBSite may wish to organise.

In CBS, if you want to organize an event, there is a procedure. Teachers invite applications from students who intend to be at the helm of affairs. The students form teams and build a proposal complete with the budget. The different teams then give lengthy presentations to the teachers- in- charge. One team is selected and they go on to induct first years, which is yet another process involving resumes and personal interviews. In this college, you need to work to fetch yourself work.

The absence of a Students’ Union in CBS , some feel, is the prime reason for their competitive scramble to get a coveted event be it the Freshers’ Parties to the annual college festival, Crescendo.

Whenever any major event inches closer on the college calendar, clusters of students are seen huddled discussing tactics and working furiously on their laptops; all the while looking over their shoulders. Not only is it an entirely fair process, it also ensures that the most able team with the best organizational structure bags the event. Complete autonomy is given to the students about managing the event. A teacher heads the team but it is the student who are responsible for bringing in sponsors, looking for venues, stirring publicity and facilitating promotion schemes.

The outcome of such an exercise is a stimulating environment and the students discover new levels of team building and organizing strategies. They come out of an event, smarter and more aware of their strengths and shortcomings.

Uncategorized

DU To Introduce The Semester System At The Undergraduate Level

Despite repeated protests from many members the University faculty, the semester system will mark its beginning from the next academic year i.e. 2010-11. Empowered Committee for the Implementation of Semester System (ECIS) drafted a proposal inviting suggestions and objections from students and the faculty members of the university by placing it on the website.
The ECIS has outlined each semester to be a 19-week affair with the first one starting from July till December and the second one from January till the last day of the academic year i.e May 14.
A uniform academic calendar as per which both the semesters will consist of 15 weeks of teaching, two weeks of exams, a week each of preparatory holidays for examinations and mid-semester breaks.
The present mid-term examination and final examination will be replaced

by semester-end examinations. There will be centralized time-bound

marking . Each course shall have a certain number of credits assigned to it depending upon its lecture, tutorial and Practical contact hours in a week. Assignments, both written ones and presentations, will be an integral part of every paper. The number of assignments, however, will be reduced. The Postgraduate admissions however, have also seen a change from its usual criteria. As a general policy, postgraduate departments will be required to admit 50% of their students from the Honours courses on the basis of marks. For the other 50% seats, there will be entrance examination. Now students have an option to pursue Master’s even in a ‘Minor’ subject after they clear the entrance examination.

All the undergraduate courses are deemed to have four papers per semester, thus taking the toll to 24 papers in 6 semesters. The Honours Programme has seen a shift from its regular course. From its earlier system of major and elective subjects minor subjects will now be included. Out of these 24 papers, the ‘Major’ courses would consist of at least 14 subjects while 3 to 4 of them will be dedicated to the elective subjects including one mandatory paper each, in language and computational techniques. The new scheme also proposes an extra compulsory course in Environmental Studies.

Additionally, the proposal put up on the Delhi University website (www.du.ac.in) declared that as per a survey conducted amongst post graduate students , it was discovered that they would have liked to study some other subjects along with their Honours course. This however seems to be on the verge of cancellation in order to avoid an overload on the students.

The entire process will be finalized by March, as the absolute document is set before the Academic Council by January 2010.

Uncategorized

PACING PLACEMENTS

With the campus flooding with suited recruiters and apprehensive candidates, and gossip corridors filled with news of who bagged what company at what pay package, DUB brings to you a special report on the varsity’s placement scenario of for the year 2009-10.

Regulars like Merrill Lynch, Bain and Co., Future’s First, Parthenon Group, Accenture, Copal Partners, Capital One, Deolite, Hewitt Associates, UBS and the likes have been making rounds to colleges on the look out for the best prospective recruits.

The placements are expected to go around till February. For those who are yet to be placed, contacting your college placement cell and sending them your C.V. or getting in touch with the college representative of the DU’s Central placement Cell is a good option. Anyone can register and send in their applications for a fee of Rs.100.

Yati Suri, member of SRCC Placement Cell says, “A message to those applying would be to be confident and come across as a smart youth. My experience with Deolite tells me that excelling in academics is not the only criterion. Overall personality helps.”

A word of advice from Sukrit Khatri of St. Stephen’s College who recently got placed in Deutsche Bank is to never say never. “Getting placed is only a means; a lot has to be done to achieve the end. I recommend all 2^nd years to do well in their exams and keep their options open.”

Here a few tips on how to cope up with the mounting pressures to make it or break it.

A general recruiter feedback clearly reflects the following key requirements.

1. Be aware of your course structure. Usually the candidates are short listed on the basis of their academics and then interviews and group discussions take place.

2. Highlight your credentials well. An impressive C.V. surely does the trick.

3. Be confident, alert and willing to learn more.

4. It’s always advisable to clear your doubts at the end of your interview.

5. Good looks and clean appearance is a must.

6. Reading helps. Make sure you have an opinion/idea of the current affairs. Avoid controversial topics

7. Be yourself.