Delhi University evening colleges and the stigmas attached

I still remember the time when I was extremely skeptical about joining an evening college. I scored an 87% in my ISC exams and was aware of the fact that I could only get Economics Honors at one of the evening colleges. Admission into an evening college was as tedious as any other college and I was prepared to believe the words of our Vice Chancellor – ‘All colleges are equally prestigious, it does not matter which college you get admission into’.

The first day was supposed to be an ‘orientation day’, but unfortunately the only orientation we received was a 10 minute lecture from our H.O.D. Our Library, did not look or feel like a library. Not even teachers were allowed to sit in the library to brush up what they would teach. The only thing which I never expected was that our teachers were extremely punctual and helpful. They were the ones who motivated us and helped us go through a normal day at such a college.

I remember, how we were asked to get affidavits from court in exchange for ‘free laptops’ that the University had promised. How we were not given options of taking Maths or Psychology as DC 2 subjects, despite the fact that we had a Psychology Department as well as teachers who had the credentials to teach us Maths.

I remember how no one would sponsor our fests and how forming a society or organizing a blood donation camp would be such a hassle. There were even times when our morning counterparts would take their classes in our class room and we had to accommodate ourselves in the stairway to attend the first class of the day and especially that time when we had to return our laptops and library cards just to get our admit cards for our second semester exams.

Evening college students are no where less than the people studying in the morning colleges. It is all a matter of choices and luck. Even if people don’t believe that to be true, it is, for every cloud has a silver lining, and every person around, has got the spark of talent hidden in them irrespective of college, course, city or anything.

All is not wrong in our college though. My college gave me friends and teachers who are not replaceable. They understood me because they faced the same things I faced. We were happy to wake up at 11 in the morning and reach college at 2 PM.