August 2015

According to the recent college guidelines imposed on the students by Dr. Ashok Sehgal, the new officiating principal, Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) no longer conciliates the title of the ‘most-happening college’ in Delhi University and has distinctly pledged the future of approx. 40 unregistered societies. A compendium of rules issued by the Principal has inflicted various obstacles for students in the field of organizing cultural festivals.

For instance, cultural activities like Rain Dance Fresher’s and Prom Nights will be discontinued from this year. “Rain Dance leads to wastage of resources, unnecessary litigations and damage of college property, so it is in our best interest to avoid this particular event”, said a staff member.This year the authorities will keep a close check that no star performer or artist can be paid more than Rs. 10 Lakhs during Crossroads, the annual fest, unlike last year where Atif Aslam was paid Rs 40 Lakhs for a mere 20 minutes performance.

Unregistered societies on the other hand cannot organize their individual fests except a few academic and co-curricular activities. Events like SRCC Youth Conference which were usually held during this time of the month will now have to wait for the elections to end, i.e. 11^th September. There’s a stringent necessity now for all registered societies (including The Students’ Union) to take prior consent from the Principal himself (along with the estimated budget) regarding any event or activity they want to organize.

Furthermore, they are neither allowed to post any notice or poster in the name of the college without a careful scrutiny by the teacher concerned, nor obtain money from the students in any form (including tickets and passes which were their major source of funds). It is also mandatory to deploy lady police to ensure safety and security of all the female students during the fests considering various past cases of eve teasing or molestation during the annual fest.

However, the most severe imposition according to the students who are ardently absorbed in the pre-elections campaigning is that no post in the Union shall be awarded to the students with attendance less than 75% and academic arrears.

Tamanna Goel

[email protected]

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Campus Central

The Consequences of Change on Hindu and and its Students

By Arindam Goswami August 28, 2015

Furthermore, the fate of Hindu’s famous V-Tree Festival conducted every year on the 14^th of February has been put into question. Many students are of the opinion that even if the festival is somehow conducted, the response that it receives every year will not be the same. The annual college fest, ‘Mecca,’ considered by many to be one of DU’s best, also requires a large area to set up stalls and stages. Events will have to be planned by the student union in a manner that doesn’t disrupt the construction and at the same time doesn’t reduce the standards set in previous years. Though students may be upset by the decision of the college authorities, it is important for them to realize that progress is impossible without change and these changes are being implemented keeping in mind the best interest of the college and its students. As John F. Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” Shraman Ghosh [email protected]]]>

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Miranda House

The optimistic reality of social welfare schemes revealed at Vishleshan

By Shubham Kaushik August 28, 2015

Vishleshan, the official discussion forum of Arthashastra, the Economics Society of Miranda House college hosted Dr. Reetika Khera, an eminent developmental economist and social activist, for their first seminar of the session, titled “Doles, Freebies, Handouts: A Right(s) Approach to Populism”, on 26^th August.

Dr. Reetika Khera, associated with institutions like Delhi School of Economics, IIT-Delhi, Centre for Economic Development and the Planning Unit at the Indian Statistical Institute, was actively involved with the implementation of the National Rural Employment Generation Act (NREGA) scheme and champions the cause of social welfare schemes.

The Seminar was preceded by a short reading group, where students discussed Dr. Khera’s work and talked about relevant issues, like the situation of public welfare schemes in India-the benefits they provide to people on a daily basis versus the expenditure on them. At 1.30 p.m, Dr. Khera took the stage after being welcomed warmly by Ananya Goyal and Arushi Gupta, Co-Heads of Vishleshan.

During the course of the seminar, which lasted for around an hour, Dr. Khera successfully broke down the concept of social welfare schemes and put forth her stance of supporting their expansion and upkeep. She mentioned how there had been recent talks about India’s social welfare policies being too “populist” when in actuality, we are a “world champion in social underspending”. Dr. Khera broke down the stigma against social welfare schemes by tackling the often-repeated issues like how expenditure on them adds to the fiscal deficit and how India cannot afford to fund these schemes anymore. She took on another major issue against schemes like The Public Distribution System, which are thought to be riddled with corruption and hence inherently ineffective.

In reality, statistics show that there have been considerable improvements in the PDS, with states like Bihar seeing a turnaround in their effectiveness. Dr. Khera also criticised the use of obsolete data from 1997-2001 which have been cited by columnists of leading newspapers to speak out against NREGA and other such social welfare measures. She ended her lively session by stating, “It just takes political will and basic technological intervention to run welfare schemes”, which was followed by an interaction session where attendees commented on and brought forth other relevant observations.

“In our quest for stimulating discussion on matters of importance in Economics, I believe that we are on a good start with the lecture by Dr. Khera. Her passion for her work, particularly for raising standards of living across the board by constitution of Rights for Necessities was inspiring for the entire lot of young economists in the audience,” said Ananya Goyal, the Co-Head of Vishleshan.

For more updates on Vishleshan events, visit their Facebook Page here.

Image Credits: Niketa Singh, Arthashastra (The Economics Society of Miranda House)

Shubham Kaushik

[email protected]

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Bazinga

Bazinga: Delhi University makes haircuts compulsory for boys!

By DU Beat August 28, 2015

Delhi University has established a rule making haircuts compulsory for boys!Male students of Delhi University are now required to have their hair cut in one of four university approved ways in order to “change the image of the average DU student.” A special committee set up for this purpose passed a resolution on Monday approving four different hairstyles that male students are allowed to sport in college. The approved hairstyles mentioned in the ordinance include the flattop cut (commonly sported by Simon Cowell), the bowl cut (a popular American hairstyle during the 1980s) and variations of the crew cut, which most Indian boys have had at some point in their life. Students are, however, not allowed to shave their heads completely without prior permission from their college principals. “We believe that our students should exhibit the same sense of cleanliness and discipline as our armed forces, we hope to reach a similar consensus on clothing before the end of this year,” said a member of the DU administration.

Although college life has never been associated with any such regulations, institutions in different parts of the world have often made such attempts to curtail personal freedoms. For example, last year the North Korean government passed a guideline that required all its male university students to get the same hair cut as their beloved leader Kim Jong-un. Back home, the initial response from students has not been particularly positive but student unions across colleges have requested its students to approach this change in a unified manner. “We understand that this is a threat to the sovereignty and independence of the students but we must find an appropriate time and place to stage our protest, till then we request all students to kindly accept the new ordinance,” said a member of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU). Whether this hair cut scheme will erupt into another standoff between the DU administration and its students or indeed lead to a change in the image of the average DU student, only time will tell. Until then, we advice our male readers to visit a barber as soon as possible!

Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news! A visit to the barber with the mentioned hairstyles may be injurious to your reputation.

Shraman Ghosh
[email protected]

Image credits: Google Images

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DUB News

Let’s take a ‘Selfie with Plant’- It’s time to go green!

By DU Beat August 28, 2015

The nationwide ‘Selfie with Daughter’ campaign, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inspired the members of Students For Development (SFD) to come up with the ‘Selfie with Plant’ campaign. SFD is a group of students who work towards the socio-economic and ecological development of the nation, through the constructive power of the youth.

Mr.Modi once said, “If seeds of good harvest and good culture are sown, the rewards of a rich harvest can be reaped by generations to come.” Therefore, the main aim of this campaign is to promote the necessity of planting trees in our country and foster love towards nature, with the help of social media.

The campaign was launched on 10th July, 2015. It started with volunteers of SFD planting 50 saplings near Shakti Nagar in New Delhi. The objective was to encourage the youth to plant as many trees as possible so as to increase greenery in the city. The participants received much appreciation and were featured in several national newspapers. The Delhi-based campaign also motivated the SFD branches of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and several other states to start similar initiatives in their respective turfs.

Vijay Tyagi, SFD, Delhi’s Social Media Coordinator said, “We have started this campaign to promote a plantation drive among the youth and spread awareness among all the students about the true importance of tree plantation and the environment.” SFD believes that pollution can only be controlled if every person plants a sapling. Thus, the outfit advocates that one should plant at least one sapling on birthdays and then upload a picture/selfie with the hashtag- #SelfieWithPlant or #GreenSelfie on any social media networking site and share it with others.

It is only through such efforts at the grassroots level that we get to see changes at the macro level. For instance, according to the latest India State of Forest report 2013 (published biennially), it was reported that there has been an increase of a total of 5,871 sq km worth of forest cover in India.

Shagun Marwah
[email protected]

Featured Image Credits: www.iamin.com

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Beyond the Obvious of Delhi University Colleges

Beyond The Obvious: Miranda House

By DU Beat August 27, 2015

It takes you an identification card and a valid reason to be able to access this part of north campus. When you do enter it, Lo and Behold!Every scene is a pleasure to the eyes. I was enraged by the FYUP fiasco at the time of my college admission. During that period, the frequency of my visits to north campus had increased. I used to visit the colleges and talk to the students. Although Miranda House was on my list of priorities, somehow I had never come across it. However, soon it came across me.

Miranda House was established in 1948 by the University Vice-Chancellor, Sir Maurice Gwyer. Its foundation stone was laid by Lady Edwina Mountbatten on 7th March in the same year.As I had studied in a co-educational school, joining an all-girl’s college seemed to be a brave decision. Why shouldn’t I call it brave? All-girls colleges are made to seem like concentration camps of inactivity and monotony. Actually, too much estrogen makes everyone wonder about the kind of discussions girls have to deal with in college. So does “All girls and no boys, make Miranda a dull college?”

Well, girls hardly find time to brood over the absence of the other gender. In fact, they find a life outside of such myths. It is in this way that I came to assess the true value of the notions around girls colleges. For instance, the catalogue of dolled up feminists, is a hoax. While it is true that a lot of girls are feminists, but it is equally imperative to emphasise that most of them are aware of the dynamics of their choices and ideologies.

One feels at home at Miranda House, which undoubtedly offers the most accommodating environment. You don’t have to be anybody but yourself to enjoy life as a Mirandian. The surroundings are perfectly active and peacefully silent. This paradox works wonders for every student here. The hub of voices and thrill is the area around the Cafeteria which is famous for it’s Chilly Potatoes. If the Cafeteria doesn’t serve you your proper cappuccino, the Nescafe joint adjacent to it does. This area is often made more interesting when the Hindi dramatics society better their “Aao Aao natak dekho” pitches.

One of the most beautiful places inside the college is The Miranda House Hostel. It is one of the most prestigious hostels of north campus. Its spectacular beauty has made it a popular destination for shooting ad films and movies. Although day scholars do not have an access to this part of the college, we often find them braving a selfie or two whilst they stand near the heritage hall, which overlooks the hostel lawns.

It would be a breach of trust and treaty if a dear chunk of Miranda House goes undocumented. It is the cats of MH: poised and confident. They will join you like a Victorian lady while you sip a coffee and devour your lunch. They might as well be reading this account along with you right now.

I have come to realise and have heard the same from many ex-Mirandians: You take a girl out of Miranda after three years of your graduation, but you can never take Miranda out of the girl.

Tooba Towfiq
[email protected]

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DUB Speak

A liberal society is a myth: Moral Policing across Indian Colleges

By Kartikeya Bhatotia August 27, 2015

Right now, we’re living in an era of bans and conservative policing. Your diet, behaviour, dressing style, sexuality… nothing is exempt from the moral ‘sanskaari‘ school of thought.

Places of institution especially are keen on propagating the ‘cultural’ values onto students. Here are some of the most ridiculous rules in colleges and universities across India-

“Chappals ruining the repute of our institution”

Maharaja Surajmal Institute of Technology, IP University thinks that tight clothes, slippers and nylon chappals are ruining their repute as an institution of learning. The ban has been enforced on both students and the faculty.

“Can’t let girls enter the library, they’ll attract more boys.”

Turning down the demand of female students of Aligarh Muslim University for access to the Maulana Azad Library, vice-chancellor Lt Gen Zameer Uddin Shah has said there would be “four times more boys” in the library if girls were allowed in. What’s worse? The principal of Women’s College, AMU agrees with Mr. Shah saying a discipline issue might crop up due to presence of girls.

“No shorts for women because… security concerns.”

Women students of St. Xavier’s College will not be allowed to wear shorts at its popular annual fest, Malhar, this year. This comes from the college’s recently-appointed principal, Agnelo Menezes, who cited security concerns.

“Criticizing the PM? You’re now banned, thanks.”

Ambedkar Periyar student circle of IIT Madras was banned by the HRD Ministry spreading “hatred” against the Prime Minister. Merely criticizing the government and current policies was touted as hatred and defamation.

“This is a sanskaari bus, no boy and girl should sit together”

Gitamm University, Hyderabad has set its transport rules straight. No boy and girl should sit together in the bus. And we thought that Universities are supposed to be free from the unnecessary narrow minded guidelines society throws upon us.

Image Credits: scoopwhoop.com

Kartikeya Bhatotia
[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

NDTV Breathe Clean Conclave 2015: Clean Air is our Birth Right

By Arushi Pathak August 27, 2015

NDTV in collaboration with Philips organised a conclave on Indoor Air Pollution in Taj Hotel Chankyapuri on 24^th August. The conclave was flagged of by the first host Vikram Chandra who discussed some rudimentary problems related to air pollution and was then joined by Prashant Javedkar, the Minister of state for Environment in an online session where Mr. Javedkar was very welcoming to the suggestions of the audience and said the ministry is very concerned about the environment and has already taken measures to reduce indoor air pollution, especially in the rural areas.

He also pointed out that still a large proportion of families in villages use wood and chullas for cooking which produces a lot of smoke and to counter this he shed light on the schemes the government has introduced such as the LPG cylinder scheme and the Solar power usage in households. Lastly he welcomed all the suggestions and assured the audience that the government will take every step to control air pollution.

After the session with Mr. Javedker, Vikram then called on stage the first panel of the day. Six in number, these panellists comprised of Partho Das from Clean Asia, Mr Kunikesh a MP from Odisha and the Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan among others. Before starting of the discussion few statistics were revealed to the audience, from a random sample taken of the cities in India, Agra came out to be the most polluted city, followed by Delhi and Chennai.

Further it was illuminated that the pollutant particles have now become as small as 2.5 pm. The panel then had a discussion on the various diseases these particles cause which include blood inflammation, Heart diseases, chronic Lung diseases and cancer. Another study revealed that the indoor pm count was 400 particles per million, whereas the count on a busy traffic signal was 168 particles per million. This shocking study then became the base for the all following discussions. The panel then discussed the ground level solutions that each household could adopt for reducing these levels considerably: Better ventilation in houses, indoor plants and open windows.

A message was then played, Robert Swan an international figure in the field addressed the problem of pollution in India by linking it to the usage of kerosene and petrol in the country, and he encouraged the nation to shift to solar power from thermal power resources.

Following this NDTV then connected the audience and panel to Kennedy Space centre, NASA in USA. In this session the importance of purifying air and water was highlighted using special plants and high value crops.

After a short break, a second panel was convened with the host Ravish Kumar from NDTV. This panel again consisted of well known and qualified panellists including Kunal Kohli the famous Bollywood director, Jayati Singh, and Barun Aggarwal among others. The discussion now revolved around bio mass burning and importance of public transport. A new study revealed, the schools where more parents use their private vehicles to pick and drop their kids have higher pollution levels. Indoor smoking and pets can also affect the pollution level significantly.

Towards the end, the panelists and Mr Kumar came to a conclusion that the problem of Air Pollution is multi-dimensional and not just a political or a household agenda. All sectors need to come together and tackle the problem to ensure the safety of our children and future generation. The conclave was then brought to a close by pledging a cracker free Diwali this year.

Image Credits: Uzma Rehman for DU Beat

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DU Dhaba

Food Review: Crazy Bruno, opposite Gargi College and KNC

By Ishaan Gambhir August 27, 2015

The pasta served to us was a mix or penne and fussili, which was quite to my delight because I’ve wasted a large portion of my lifetime choosing between the two. You can, of course, order a single kind. Speaking of portions, one plate was abundant for two persons. The pasta was soft (neither too cooked to pick with a fork nor too chewy) and the sauce had a hint of oregano. The cooks are generous with the choice of toppings. The plate costed us Rs.110. It was definitely an item I would recommend. However, it was the plate of Butter Chicken Tandoori Momos that caught my eye. It is essentially momos put in a tandoor and marinated in butter chicken/shahi paneer gravy and cream. There is a vegetarian version of the same available too. Full marks for creativity! While steamed momos begin from Rs.50, the butter chicken variants can cost upto Rs.130. The food felt adequately hygienic to us. Hemant, the co-owner of the chain of joints, also recommended the burgers with great confidence but unfortunately, we were full! The shakes that we ordered were decent, although I do wonder how special an Oreo Shake could possibly get. In all fairness, the good food was washed down well by the chocolate drinks. The food joint needs no introduction for students of the area owing to its corner location but for the uninitiated freshers, the place is definitely worth a try. Say hi to me while I’m awkwardly finishing my plate(s) of momos someday! Image credits: Aarushi Dhingra for DU Beat Ishaan Gambhir [email protected]]]>

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DUB Speak

Is Indian Education System built around the Sciences?

By Shubham Kaushik August 27, 2015

Our President addressed the faculty and students of Central Universities and institutions around the country on August 10, 2015. As one of the many students who attended the live telecast, I couldn’t help but notice the absolute lack of any reference to humanities, liberal arts, or anything other than science and technology-based education in India during the address and the following interaction. When arguably the most important figure of your country fails to mention the very stream of your choice of studying in an address related to energising the higher education in the country, it tends to make you think about not just the education system, but also your own love and future prospects in pursuing the same.

This is not the first, or the only instance, that comes to mind when thinking about this issue. The much talked about hierarchy of pursuing science followed by other subjects is real beyond the choosing of subject streams in Class 10. It is not just the stigma and trying to explain to people how studying English, Sociology or History wasn’t a decision prompted by your lack of options. Humanities shouldn’t be considered the paltry, last-option bunch of subjects people opt for when they haven’t qualified for another. Through this, not only are we, as a country and society, discouraging young, enthusiastic students who are keen on pursuing subjects but we’re also opening ourselves up to the very real possibility of not having enough learned people in these subjects. We have been conditioned to believe that having enough doctors and engineers would take care of our needs but by ignoring humanities, we’re ignoring the people who study our interaction as human beings and are, through their studies and theories, responsible for the structure, institutions and life the way we see today.

The interaction session following the President’s address was between the heads of science and technology based institutions, who talked about the leaps in their research facilities and making India a research-based education hub. While it is always amazing to hear about the leaps and bounds our country has made in terms of research and education, it was disheartening to not hear about any such research or study conducted by students pursuing humanities or discuss how our country fares in terms of education specifically in this stream. That’s mostly because we don’t. We’re a country made of and for engineers and doctors, featuring Science research. Our education system is built around it, and everyone panders to and reinforces it.

The young doctorate student questioned why bright Indian minds should go abroad for their higher education given the myriad opportunities offered in the country itself. It’s a good question, but it further raises an important point. Are we actually offering opportunities to students not pursuing pure sciences, medicine and engineering? And since we’re not, is it unfair to not expect students to leave the country in search of better opportunities? By failing to talk about humanities and the arts, is India responsible for a part of its brain-drain itself?

Image Credits: forbesindia.com

Shubham Kaushik

[email protected]

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