Ten months after Pavitra Bhardwaj an employee of Bhim Rao Ambedkar college set herself on fire accusing the Principal, G K Arora of sexual harassment, the suspension order against Mr. Arora has been revoked as noted by a letter from the college governing body chairman.
The letter dated 24th July, 2014 was sent by the Chairman to Mr. G K Arora. It states, “The Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi, has approved the recommendation of the undersigned for revocation of your suspension. You are requested to resume the duties as Principal of Bhim Rao Ambedkar College in place of acting Principal Dr R B Solanki with immediate effect.”
The revocation of the suspension has led to range of protests in the University particularly among the teachers. DUTA president, Nandita Narain has vocally expressed the actions to be illegal. In a letter by the association the teachers have stated ““We take serious note of the manner in which the chairman, has on the grave matter of Ms Pavitra Bhardwaj case, without placing the matter before the governing body, has proceeded to recommend to the Vice-Chancellor that the suspension of Dr G K Arora be revoked.”
The DUTA along with DUCKU held a candle light march at the Arts Faculty. They also called an emergency meeting of the Executive fora further plan of action.
On September 30,2013 Pavitra Bhardwaj, had set herself ablaze in front of the Delhi Chief Minister’s office alleging sexual harassment by G K Arora. She later succumbed to her injuries. In light of the incident Mr. Arora was suspended on October 11 by the Delhi University administration till the investigations into the case were completed by a committee headed by retired Additional District Judge B L Garg.
The Delhi University students for Peace, is a student managed organisation working as a harbinger of peaceful and cordial relations between the people of Hindustan of pre-independent era, the fragments that we now call, India and Pakistan.
The group believes that the division of the country into India and Pakistan has led to an atmosphere of mutual distrust, doubts and uncertainty. Consequently, both the nations haven’t only parted their name and resources but also their ways. There is a constant and continuously increasing expenditure on defense and military equipment.
This money could be utilized for social welfare and infrastructure development purposes in both nations where almost half the population still lives in abject poverty, has insufficient number of jobs, poor literacy standards and host of other issues plaguing the social status and scuttling the economy down on knees.
An overview of the journey: From New Delhi to Wagah Border (via Google Maps)
With this in minds, the DU students for Peace group has initiated a cycling program from New Delhi to Wagah Border starting from Friday, August 1st, 2014 around 1700 hours. Veteran Indian journalist, columnist, author and activist, Kuldip Nayyar shall flag off the event.
The group of around fifty cyclists shall leave from New Delhi and reach Wagah Border on the Thursday, 14th of August, 2014 for joint celebrations of India and Pakistan’s independence. The cyclists shall also stop by in numerous villages and run signature campaigns for their cause and meet local politicians and leaders for gathering support.
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‘DU Students for Peace’ members: all geared up for a cycling march.
The group consists of students from numerous Delhi University colleges, Law Faculty, Arts faculty, Ambedkar College and Satyawati College to name a few. They’ve also been joined by some students from Jamia, Dhaka, Vijaywada and Hyderabad.The group had organized a similar cyclists march from Kanyakumari to Islamabad in 2013 as well. (Read here.)
DU Students for Peace has also been conducting numerous flash mobs and nukkar-nataks in and around the Delhi University campus for propagation of their message of peace and to appeal students to join the noble cause.
The team members of DU Students for Peace performing a flash mob at Vishwa Vidyalaya Metro Station. Image Credits: Chirag Sharma for DU Beat.
The movement this group envisaged has mustered great support from numerous eminent personalities including Sh. Narendra Modi (Prime Minsiter of India) Sh. Siddaramaiah (Chief Minister, Karnataka) , Ashok Gehlot (Ex- Chief Minister, Rajashtan), Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Chief Minister, Haryana), Sh. HD Deve Gowda (former Prime Minister of India) and former Supreme Court Justice and Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde. Numerous other MPs and MLAs have also extended their support to the group.
Talking about long term goals, Praveen Kumar Singh (MA, Department of Buddhist Studies) , Convener, DU students for Peace says, “We are optimistic about the future of our initiative, there is enough enthusiasm being shown by the youth of both India as well as Pakistan. We plan to conduct this cyclists’ march on yearly basis for collaborative celebration of India and Pakistan’s independence day on August 14th and 15th every year. We are also working towards spending the winter vacation in neighboring countries for promoting homogeneity and mutual peace.”
The detailed itinerary of the cycling plan for the Independence Day celebrations march for the year 2014.
The group also went to Dhaka via Kathmandu for a similar purpose in the winter of 2013. In this visit, DU students for Peace expects to be joined by students from Quaid-e-Azam University and Government College University (Lahore) from Pakistan for the collaborated independence day celebrations on August 14th and 15th, 2014.
For students who are interested to be a part of this excursion, contact Praveen Kumar Singh (MA, Department of Buddhist Studies) at +91 – 93104- 07203, drop a mail at [email protected] or visit their Facebook page by clicking here.
Featured Image credits: Manish Bhardwaj for DU Students for Peace.
In a country where democratic and fundamental rights mean so much, the Right to Freedom of Speech seems imperative. But, in an overpopulated country like India, not everyone lives with a clear understanding of their society. Project Aawaaz, an initiative of Teach For India is nothing but a step towards giving voice to the underprivileged. Providing intellectual education, it trains the less-privileged instilling eagerness to think about their surrounding issues, how to process their thinking and what to do with their thoughts.
Mission
It aims to empower children of low-income backgrounds and generate awareness amongst them through the universal conventional method of questioning the societal issues.
Initiation
The brain-child of two fellows of Teach For India, Mr. Tarangg and Mr. Puneet, the project is now initiated and under-progress. In the words of Mr. Tarangg, “The idea behind the venture came as we saw over the years that people from backward communities cannot debate and voice their opinions, because of where they come from. In its initial stages now, the results will be seen after a month only. And thus, it requires support from Delhiites in the form of volunteers.” The project is their initiative to remove this hindrance completely.
Specialty
The project is not mainstream at all. While education, skills and facilities are being provided by other organizations, Project Aawaaz makes them actually think, ponder, understand, question, infer, interpret and thus, become a further important part of the society. It gives them the sense of belongingness to their surroundings too. As they question it more, their understanding of the society becomes clearer. They can then have at least an independent opinion on religious, political and civic societal concerns and issues.
The children are trained for three whole months in the training program, after which a large-scale debate is organized, giving them a platform to find their voices and speak up in their emboldened ‘Aawaaz’.
The registrations for volunteering for this program are now open.
Diwali is the festival of lights. Children go crazy with crackers all over India, happens every year. I know it’s really bad for the environment, but it’s a lot of fun.
Now, I was born in a Muslim household and still am a Muslim. So, despite my undying love for the Festival of Lights, Eid is my primary festival. So back in the day when I wasn’t as old as I am now, I always wanted to burst crackers on Eid. But there was a slight problem; I lived in Kashmir! So every time ‘little me’ wanted to light up a few hydros, dearest Ammi Jan would punch me in the face (or something on those lines), and I would be warned about the situation in Kashmir, and that me bursting a hydro would somehow be interpreted as a nuke attack by certain agencies and organizations and how that would be a great mess.
So the little heartbroken overweight me would drag myself back inside with no desire to live in this miserable world. That phase would last only from the main entrance to the kitchen because the kitchen would smell like heaven and the little me would thank God Almighty for the beautiful world and all the heavenly dishes. There’d be Yakhni (Mutton cooked in milk and curd) for the kids, Qorma (Mutton in spicy red curry cooked in ghee) for the grown-ups and brain and kidneys for the “Pros”. Yes, I was always a Pro.
I’d sit to eat and continue till I was drenched in sweat and drowned in the guilt of my growing waistline. Right after I would have Sewian directly from the bowl, bliss!
Then I’d go around town falling in love with every Burka clad girl asking them to marry me. None of them said yes and I’m still single (or not). Also right before dusk when I’d come home after my adventures around town, the oldies in the house would call and in exchange of a few kisses and smiles give me loads of cash (Eidi). Yes, it was a beautiful world.
I did all this when I was ten years old. Okay, I still do some of this stuff (I’m 20 now). But, this Eid is really about celebrating a month of fasting (that is if you fasted). They call it ‘Meethi Eid‘ and for the entire Muslim world and my little family, this Eid is a very religious celebratory occasion which signifies the importance of the word of the almighty in Islam. How a billion people stay without food and water for hours a day for an entire month. How finally, when there is a crescent-shaped sign from heaven people finally feast. For my non-Muslim friends, it’s an excuse to come over for Biryani and Nihari. For the poor beggars outside it means new clothes and a little money. Whereas for me, I still prefer to be ten when it’s Eid.
I can’t really tell you what Eid is really all about, because everyone has a different story. There is only one consistent – “Eid Mubarak“
having declaring that first year students who failed or missed their examinations in 2013-14 could apply for re-admission for this academic session (2014-15), Delhi University has more news in store.
According to this notice issued by the University, second year students who failed to pass or sit for their Semester III and IV papers will not be held back to repeat the year. They will be allowed to reappear for these papers along with their Semester V and VI papers as third year students.
This issue came as a relief and surprise to those who would have had to miss out on a year. Though giving double the number of papers will be a major task, it is definitely considered to be the better route.]]>
Disclaimer: Bazinga is DU Beat’s weekly column of almost believable fake news!
In an unprecedented event, a first year student of a reputed college sued Bollywood producers after he realised his college was a world apart from what he’d been seeing in movies.
“I didn’t know what to do in that place,” said Khayali Pulao, the complainant. “I spent so much money on waxing and swimming classes, but I couldn’t find a single swimming pool in my college, let alone bikini-clad girls. When I asked my seniors if I’ll be able to go to Australia and play sports, they asked me if I had lost my way. I sat in all classes, wishing I would find a teacher I could crush on. I found nothing. I even went to the library in search of love at first sight but all I saw was a panting dog sitting under the fan. Then I saw a group of students and it awoke dead hopes but my bubble burst when I realised they were protesting against lack of drinking water. I could have sold tea and contested Lok Sabha elections, or run a chole bhature joint and earned lakhs,” said Pulao.
He demands the producers compensate him with the money he’s already spent and the opportunity cost he lost by giving up the other options.
Mahesh Fatt, one of the producers who has been sued, argues that his movies are as wrong as the budgets that are presented in Parliament. This statement provoked all political parties to defend themselves. While one of the 47 panelists on a Hindi news channel demanded a CBI ‘jaanch‘, another asked when ‘Achhe din‘ for students in India will arrive.
Disclaimer: Bazinga is DU Beat’s weekly column of almost believable fake news!
The Delhi University Cluster Innovation Centre is one of the attempts made by the university towards innovative methods of learning through research and development. The admission process for undergraduate courses in CIC begins from 26th of July 2014 when the online admission forms for entrance tests would be made available or the offline forms can be enquired about from the office at the University Stadium, North Campus.
Students who wish to apply must be already enrolled as student in any of the colleges or School of Open Learning (SOL) or Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board (NCWEB) undergraduate programme of study in the University of Delhi.
Last date for submission of applications: 5 PM on 5th August 2014 Assignment of admit cards: 6th of August 2014 List of examination centres posted on the CIC website: 7th of August 2014 Examination date: 9th August 2014 Result declared: 16th August 2014 First list: 19th – 21st August 2014
There would be a second list according to the availability of seats for which admissions will take place from 22nd – 25th August 2014 and classes will commence from 25th August 2014. The entire schedule has been mapped out here.
Applicants need the following documents during the application period:
Class XII Mark sheet.
Scanned copy of candidate’s signature (Size not more than 50 KB)
Soft copy of candidate’s passport size photograph (Size not more than 50 KB)
Candidate’s Fee Receipt of College Enrolment
Debit/Credit card.
The Cluster Innovation Centre differs from the teaching style of the rest of the Delhi University colleges. It provides B.Tech. (Information Technology and Mathematical Innovation) with three specialization streams over a course of four years and B.A Honours (Humanities and Social Sciences) which used to be a B.Tech course with four different streams of Journalism, Art and Design, Historical Tourism and Counselling over a course of three years, as undergraduate courses. There is also a Masters available in Mathematics Education in the Meta University.
What is different about the CIC is that it gives students a more real experience with not just theoretical knowledge but also practical knowledge through internships and a wide array of subjects that they are free to explore and understand. It has been an interesting institute since its establishment and has been under certain controversy regarding the B.Tech. degree in humanities which has now been changed to a B.A Honours degree and the syllabus has been rectified accordingly for the new aspirants.
To apply online: http://cicadmission.du.ac.in/cic/ For more details:www.ducic.ac.in
This move will provide such students with a fresh start as their year of admission will be taken as 2014-15. The notice also mentioned that the rules of migration and re-admission from the current year on wards will be conducted as per the Ordinance IV which can be read in detail here.]]>
Followed by the release of modified syllabus for the FYUP batch of last year’s Delhi University batch, the officials have also released the new structure for Semester 5 and 6 for them.
The syllabi for B. Tech papers comprised of 3 main subjects for semester 5, 6, 7 & 8 while Basic/Allied Engineering Science papers’ course is yet to be designed and approved by Delhi University. For B.Tech courses of Computer Science, Electronics, Food Technology, Instrumentation and Polymer Science, the main subject papers are decided but allied courses to be notified later by the Academic Council of Delhi University. “Delhi University has put its B.Tech students in a total mess. Though the colleges began their session from 21st July but the teachers for subjects havent’t been allotted yet. Also, where on one side AICTE has claimed that Delhi University also requires their approval for the B.Tech courses, the institution has not spoken anything about this matter”, said Shaurya Sahai of Hansraj College enrolled in B.Tech (Computer Science) For most arts courses like History, Journalism, English there are four main subjects declared that are to be studied in semester 5 and 6. “The system and course structure has been changing since long. Now the students will have to bear the double burden of the number of DC1 subjects they have been studying. This equals to more pressure amalgamated with unrevised syllabus”, said Himanshi pursuing English Honours at Miranda College.
The modified course structure for students of Bachelor of Management Studies (Hons) comprises of 2 main subject papers each semester while the students will be required to make a choice of one area from Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management, Management of Global Business, Management of Services or Tourism Management and continue the same area in Semester 6. The syllabi for Bcom Honours and Economics Honours also contains 4 subjects to be studied in Semester 5 & 6 while students pursuing Honours degree in language courses will also be reading 4 main subject papers for both semesters.
The complete syllabus for B. Tech. courses can be found here and others here.
The syllabus for the first semester has been uploaded and can be found here.
The syllabus, which spans over 7 theoretical and 1 practical paper, looks like recap of what a CBSE student might have studied in middle school. Even for Megha, an ICSE student who is now pursuing Economics Hons, the syllabus doesn’t offer anything new. “I wish the practical aspect is concentrated on more, otherwise it’ll just be a repeat of what we’ve already done” she says. Priyanka Walia, a student of Psychology from IP College for Women says, “I was glad that the FYUP got scrapped, because that meant I wouldn’t have to study subjects unrelated to my course. This new addition seems senseless to me.”
The marking scheme and revised time tables are yet to be announced.]]>
