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Bazinga

Bazinga: After DUSU Elections, The Winning Party Promises Of Abroad Trips!

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Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) polls have been done with and now the winning party has announced of competitions that can present you with a trip to abroad.

In the unending list of promises made by the students’ wings of major political parties, the latest addition is the announcement of a lucky draw competition to be held for students of Delhi University. The venue has been tentatively disclosed as the Vice-Chancellors’ lawns in the North Campus, while the dates shall  be announced soon. The leaders have wide agendas from covering placements to trips, and now they have added to their list the dreams of a few who want to travel abroad.  Among the thousands of applications, ideate yourself as the five lucky winners who get a chance to fly overseas!

The procedure is simple and interesting:

Apply as soon as the dates are released; through the given link, a ticket will be generated that you have to show on the day of the competition. The ticket shall have your university enrollment number, college name and residential  address. On the day of the competition, the participants will be required to bring their tickets to begin the game.

As per the released data, only students with passports older than three months shall be allowed to participate. To this, added are the details of the places that they have finalised. The winners get to choose among six different places: The most attractive being Rio-de-Janeiro, the beautiful city in Brazil. Gorgeous mountains, pristine beaches, and a surplus of rainforests near a deep blue sea – Rio is one of the most gorgeous cities in the world. Dublin, the capital of Ireland is the place you have been dreaming since ever. Next is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a city that houses monkeys and a myriad of cultures you’d love to explore. Then comes the Fiji Islands where travellers of all kinds flock to for its remarkable beaches and welcoming demeanour. Fifth is Chiang Mai, nestled grandly on Northern Thailand’s foothills with picturesque mountains. The last option is Thimphu, Bhutan with the Himalayan sceneries. Excited much? And now, here’s to drop the cherry topping: insiders have informed us of the probable complementary ticket for any one family member.

Of the historical extravagant DUSU polls, with food and movie ticket distribution, this year will mark the beginning of a new era of inordinate competition by the winning posse. So, gear up boys and girls because this tenure of the leaders is going to be proven the best with this dream-come-true competition. Indeed, elections are at times a big boon for the lucky few.

**Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is a humorous, light hearted column that should only be appreciated and not accepted.

 

Feature Image Credits: Trip Advisor

Radhika Boruah

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DUSU Elections 2017

Results: Delhi University Students’ Union Elections 2017

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After weeks of campaigning, the Delhi University Students’ Union Elections 2017 were held on Tuesday, 12th September in colleges across the University of Delhi. At the end of the day, the voter turnout was said to be 42.8%, which was a huge improvement from last year’s turnout of 34.3%. The results for the same were announced on the afternoon of 13th September.

Rocky Tusheed and Kunal Sehrawat from the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), affiliated to the Indian National Congress, won the posts of President and Vice President respectively. This was an enormous leap for NSUI, as they emerged victorious over Rajat Choudhary and Paarth Rana from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), affiliated to the Rashtriya Sawayamsevak Sangh (RSS). ABVP has maintained monopoly over these 2 posts for the past 4 years in DUSU. The post of Secretary and Joint Secretary has been won by Mahamedha Nagar and Uma Shankar from ABVP.

However, in a recent turn of events, the counting of votes for the post of Joint Secretary is being taken to the Delhi High Court by NSUI. Neeraj Mishra, the National Communications In charge of NSUI, said, “The average NOTA vote count for the post of Joint Secretary had been declared as 5000, however ABVP claims the NOTA vote count to be 9000. Due to the discrepancies in these numbers, the matter of the final vote count will be moved to the High Court by NSUI”. The final tally of votes were, President: NSUI (16299), ABVP (14709). Vice-president: NSUI (16431), ABVP (16256). Secretary: ABVP (17156), NSUI (14532). The post of Joint Secretary has been won by Uma Shankar from ABVP as of now, however the final decision will be declared by the Delhi High Court.

 

Feature Image Credits: DNA India

Joyee Bhattacharya

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Hans Raj College

NAAC Results Declared: Hansraj Soars With 3.62 CGPA

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The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous body of the University Grant Commission, visited Hansraj College on 3rd & 4th August where the ‘Quality status’ of the institute was audited.  The college has been accredited by the NAAC team with a CGPA of 3.62 and a grade point of A+.

In the context of Higher Education, the accreditation status indicates that the particular Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) – a College, a University, or any other recognised Unit therein, meets the standards of quality as set by the Accreditation agency, in terms of its performance, related to the educational processes and outcomes, covering the curriculum, teaching-learning, evaluation, faculty, research, infrastructure, learning resources, organisation, governance, financial well-being, and student services.

Among DU colleges, Shri Ram College of Commerce became the leader of NAAC’s point table with a score of 3.65, beating Hansraj College by a small margin. It is followed by Miranda House and Lady Shri Ram College with a score of  3.61 each and Hindu College with a score of 3.60.

NAAC’s Top 10 scorers in the University of Delhi with CGPA are:

  • Shri Ram College of Commerce: 3.65
  • Hansraj College: 3.62
  • Miranda House: 3.61
  • Lady Shri Ram College: 3.61
  • Hindu College: 3.60
  • Kirori Mal College: 3.54
  • SGTB Khalsa College: 3.41
  • Shaheed Bhagat Singh Evening College: 3.36
  • Kamla Nehru College: 3.33
  • IP College for Women: 3.33

DU beat congratulates the College and its students for the glorious feat.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

 

Sandeep Samal

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The Auburn Umbrella

Auburn Umbrella: The Art of Minimalism in Fashion

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There is something that makes one stand apart by using the art of minimalism in everyday fashion. Auburn decodes the mystery behind staying minimal and yet not looking boring.

Usually, in an attempt to look different, people make the fashion faux pas of doing too much – wearing too many prints, donning too many colours, or mixing too many styles. The art of minimalism in fashion is easy and effortless (especially once you get the hang of it) and has the aesthetics of what is called ‘impersonal austerity’. Here are some tips to remember while curating a minimalistic wardrobe:

  • Colour: People generally think that whites, blacks, and greys make a minimalistic outfit, but don’t be afraid to experiment with colours. The trick is to use colours from the same palette and/or with the same undertones.
  • Print: Minimalistic fashion usually has subtle print patterns, also called ‘non-emotive design’, which have geometric elements in the design, such as lines and linear shapes. One can never go wrong with stripes, plaid, and even floral. These designs can easily be paired with the other items in your closet.
  • Fit: This is the most important aspect of putting together a minimalistic outfit. Unlike other forms of style, this does not have extra elements to distract from a lousy fit. A simple piece, such as a white t-shirt, can look a hundred times better with the right fitting. So, spend some extra time in the dressing room figuring out which is the best fit for you.
  • Accessories: A simple wardrobe doesn’t only mean simple clothes; accessories add an elegant and delicate touch to the overall look. Also, having the right bling can do wonders. Look for dainty necklaces, bracelets, rings, and sunglasses in a neat finish for that extra oomph factor.
  • Buy: To curate a minimalistic wardrobe, one needs to know where to curate from. The Basics section in Forever 21 and H&M are staples; their leggings, tees, blouses, and camisoles are a must have in one’s everyday wardrobe.

Incorporating minimalistic elements in everyday fashion makes one look effortless and casual, and draws attention in the best possible way. There is, however, a fine line between simplicity and not trying. The skill of using the art of minimalistic fashion is said to be achieved when it is possible to balance both sides. As they say, “Less is more.”

Feature Image Credits: Pintrest

Anagha Rakta
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Uncategorized

Creating Suicide Awareness On World Suicide Prevention Day

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10th September is observed as World Suicide Prevention Day. Suicide cases are on the rise in recent years due to reasons that need to be minimised to ensure good mental health.

On 10th September, organisations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) organise various events to promote and conduct activities for spreading awareness about suicide. With the increasing number of suicide rates, let’s look at the leading causes leading to such tragedy:

  • Depression
    There are over 350 million people who suffer from depression all across the world. Low self-esteem is a huge contributor. Everyone sets targets for themselves and failing to complete them can demoralise them and make them question themselves. Family issues are also undeniably a great cause for mental stress. Resorting to alcohol and other drugs seems an easy solution to let go of the stress. But again, this has disastrous effects which ultimately lead to addiction and contribute towards isolation from friends and family.
  • Peer Pressure
    Peers fulfil an essential social requirement everyone has. But their impact can go wrong at times. In a competitive environment, not being able to do what one’s peers do or not achieving something as worthy as one’s peers can inject a sense of low morale in oneself. The thought of not doing something worthwhile terrorises the mind and harms mental health.
  • Cyber Bullying
    Cyber bullying cases have intensified with the rise of the internet’s popularity where over 25% of teens have reported to being repeatedly bullied over the internet. In recent times, there has been an outburst of suicidal cases due to a game called “The Blue Whale Challenge” which targets teens. The challenges include tasks like carving a whale on one’s body and causing self-harm. Eventually, the last challenge of the game requires the person to commit suicide.
  • Relationship Issues
    Being in a relationship is seen as a very normal part of social life today. However, deep attachment to one’s partner and the inability to cope with conflicts induce a great degree of pain that encourages self-harm and even suicide. Such cases make a person’s mind fragile, exposing the individual to suicidal thoughts eventually resulting in suicide.

But amidst all the mental chaos, we must not forget that we have been blessed with the gift of life and that we should rejoice in it. Talking to friends or family members can lessen our burden and also help us find solutions to any problems. Sports, games, music, debates etc. help us in keeping our minds healthy. Hanging out with friends or reading books may help too. Doing social work helps us feel satisfied and fills us with joy. There are adequate ways to cope and solve mental issues that trouble us. We must face them and overcome such hurdles. So this September, let’s smile and spread smiles to let people know that we care.

Feature Image Credits: AM New York

Karan Singhania
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DUB Speak

Heading Towards Regression: Transgenders Derecognised From Labour Laws

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The Law ministry has rejected amendments in the labour laws that were in direct benefit for transgenders, citing reasons from an act of 1897. Is the discrimination against them far deeper than we accept?

Heading towards sad regression, the Law ministry has reportedly derecognised transgenders from the country’s labour laws framework. This comes three years after the landmark judgement of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) vs The Union of India was passed by the Supreme Court of India, that recognised transgenders as the third gender for the purpose of safeguarding their rights under the Indian constitution, and urging the Centre and the State to provide for equitable opportunities for their education and skill enhancement.

This comes from the government’s decision to streamline 38 labour acts into four labour codes; namely the Code on Wages, Code on Industrial Relations, Code on Social Security and Code on occupational safety, health and working conditions, as part of its labour reforms. The purpose of implementing this code is to remove multiple definitions and pave way for compliance without undermining the importance of wage security and social security of the workers. When a senior official at the Ministry of Labour and Employment was questioned on the reported derecognisation of transgenders by The Hindu, he responded, “We had proposed inserting clauses for recognizing rights of transgender workers in all four codes. However, the law ministry objected citing the General clauses Act 1897, according to which transgenders fall into the definition of a “person”. It was then decided that there was no need to add a separate clause for them.” Even in the amendments that have been proposed for Factories Act of 1948, the inclusion of transgender rights has been shelved. The amendments could potentially have ensured dignity and respect for transgenders at all workplaces, and upheld constitutional freedom for the marginalised community.

Besides a few draft bills, no action has been taken to align the rights of transgenders with existing laws. Despite the NALSA verdict, most laws of the country which pertain to adoption, succession, and criminal offences have no mention of the third gender. Recently, a court ordered bail for four people who were accused of gang-raping a trans person. The law is still silent about transgenders, as section 376, that criminalises rape has no provisions for them. Similarly, section 377 regarding criminal offence of unnatural sex is also incomplete as it deals with crimes against a woman, man and animal, but doesn’t specify anything for the third gender.

The problem lies with failing to acknowledge ‘transgender’ and using gender neutral terms like “person” that invoke arbitrariness and are open to several interpretations, thus gauging on the vulnerability of transgender community. Using the term ‘eunuch’ in laws is also extremely derogatory, and it repeals them from the protective laws that are available for other genders. If the country’s legal frameworks can’t include separate clauses for the third gender, it means that discrimination against them is far deeper than we supposedly accept.

Feature Image Credits: The Indian Express

Vijeata Balani
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Features

Being Apolitical is a Luxury Not Everyone Can Afford

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With the onset of the election season in the University, there are students who distance and disassociate themselves from the whole process because the politics of DUSU are too “dirty” for them. How problematic is this? Why do we forget about the students who cannot afford to be indifferent to the “dirty” politics?

Often, when the election season prevails in the University of Delhi, social media are flooded with posts and pictures of how campaigning by the parties cause inconvenience for students. The posts are usually captioned with something along the lines of: ‘This is why I hate the election season’ or ‘This is why I chose to be apolitical.’ A lot of students in the University decide to be indifferent to the politics because they think it is “dirty” and “tiresome” and that the political parties are the reason for a lot of ruckus within the University. These students chose to distance themselves from everything and anything related to the elections by not exercising their right to vote, amongst other things. This is problematic for a lot of reasons. The first and foremost being that being apolitical in a democratic location is equal to being indifferent to a flood in your city because you live in house on stills.

The voter turnout for the DUSU elections of 2016 was merely 35.3%, and it is evident that the rest made a conscious decision to stay neutral. Desmond Tutu very aptly said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Students decide to remain apolitical even after injustice and oppression has prevailed in the campus for years; they don’t turn up to vote because they feel both sides – the left and the right – are iniquitous. But these students often forget that they hold the power to choose NOTA (none of the above) in the election polls. NOTA is quite a convenient way to tell the student parties that they aren’t the right ones for the job, even with their money, muscle and political backing.

As students, the right to vote is the power that we hold to choose who works for us. Often, amongst our privileged background, settled family and a stable financial income, we forget what it is like for the other people of the equation. There are colleges within Delhi University where metros, or even local buses, aren’t available, where there aren’t any hostels and where many basic facilities aren’t accessible. There are a lot of concerns within the University that concern the colleges outside North Campus that we aren’t even aware about. So, with every student who declares him/herself as “apolitical”, there is also a student who has to wait for hours just to get on a bus to a college that is on the outskirts of the city.

Granted, the election season does cause a lot of inconvenience for everyone; the protest marches cause traffic, the entire campus is covered in pamphlets and party posters, and classes are interrupted on a daily basis because of the campaigning. But that shouldn’t be a cause to hate the entire political procedure. If you don’t support paper wastage, then vote for a party that has a paperless campaign; if you think the ruling party did not make any progress in the last tenure, then vote for the opposition; if you think none of the parties deserve to win, the cast your vote as NOTA. The point is: go out and vote. It might sound like a cliché but every vote counts, and help make a huge difference. Your privilege may allow you to become indifferent to which party wins, but privilege can cause you to become silent in the times of need. And silence is just another word for a death sentence.
Anagha Rakta
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DUB Speak

Analysing DUSU 2017 Manifestos

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Since the last five years, the issues involved in Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections have always revolved around women’s safety on campus, the number of DTC buses exclusively for DU students, provision of more number of hostels, and a much hue and cry to increase the number of colleges. We can see the deployment of a lot of money and muscle power, as well as caste politics, being essentially ingrained in the DUSU politburo, with special preference to Jat, Gujjar, and Gurjar candidates who deploy their own private machinery to boost their electoral campaigns. Rising violence on campus has been a concern for all student wings, though all of them have insinuated violence as and when the need arose. Very few female candidates contest for the polls and thus, there is a visible undercurrent of patriarchy in the trends of DUSU candidature.

ABVP, the party that won three seats last year and has been a dominant player on the DUSU grounds, has demanded more transparency in the sports, ECA and quota admissions, concessions in admission to students of rural background, an equitable fee structure across colleges, free Wi-Fi services in every department and college of  DU, a Central Placement Cell to work in tandem with Skill Development Department of the government, metro feeder bus facility at major metro stations near colleges, facilitate more DUSU affiliation and a demand for a permanent DUSU office. Some highlights of their manifesto are – efforts to arrange U-Special Generators for evening colleges, struggle for establishment of East and West Campuses, digitalisation of Central and Arts Library, reiteration of their demand for a Sports Complex  in South Campus, issue of University Health Card to all students, student insurance of Five Lakh Rupees for every student at the premium rate of 1 rupee per day, demand for water coolers in every 200 metres of Chhatra Marg and  foot-over  bridge on Ring Road near Khalsa bus stand, another near GTB Nagar red light and a third at Kingsway Camp main red light. ABVP’ s manifesto is quite extensive, specific, detailed, and gives a holistic view for the entire University by covering almost all the issues related to students.

NSUI is quite generalist in its manifesto and guaranteed  preparation of a Charter of Students’ Rights in consultation with the students that will constitute issues relating to pending scholarships, fee rationalisation of fee across colleges (Rs.3000-3500 per annum), process and timeline for various certificates from university, no moral policing or curbs on women’s freedom, tracking incidents of rioting and violent  protests to ensure accountability of perpetrators, provision of dialogue and institutional mechanisms to resolve college-level issues with college councils, ensure exposure for students in the form of guest lectures, seminars and internship opportunities and a transparent DUSU budget. In their bid for ‘ Take back DU’, NSUI  demanded special support for first generation learners, students from marginalised communities, remedial classes and English tutoring to be provided for such students, (Similar to ABVP demands as well). NSUI demanded rent control for private PGs and counselling for students in distress. Their highlights were special Nodal officers for North East students, revised diet rates for sports quota students, U-special buses, and active grievance redress Cell to be opened.

AISA, which is the only party to vouch for a female Presidential candidate this year, raised concerns over rising hooliganism in campus, problems for visually-challenged students, lack of gender sensitisation committees in colleges, the imposition of centralised power of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, and privatisation of higher education. Major highlights and demands include:  ‘A Room of My Own’ movement to ensure hostel facility for all including PH students, active grievance Committee to look into issues of scholarships, admission etc., active committees on sexual harassment, institutionalising the practice of General Body Meetings along the lines of DUTA to ensure responsive functioning of DUSU, reform of DUSU election system by creating effective forums of debate like Presidential Debates in clusters of colleges to ensure informed choice and reduced use of money and muscle power. The issues of sanitisation, DTC bus facilities, digitalisation of DTC bus passes, improved infrastructure, security of women etc., remain common to all the three manifestos.

These are the various demands and steps that the ABVP, NSUI, and AISA have in mind and their unique action plans to reach out to students once they come to power. Such issues must actually be raised in debates across colleges in order to make students aware but due to the hoopla over propaganda politics and money-muscle, these interesting demands do not come to the forefront of DUSU playground and thus, the elections lose their vitality in the eyes of students. We tried our best to make you aware of their concerns and charters, to help you in making an informed decision. It is up to you now to make the right choice. Do exercise your power to vote and cast your vote on September 12.

 

 

 

Oorja Tapan

[email protected]

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Campus Central

DUSU Elections: The Good, the Bad, and the Bizarre

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The Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) election season is the most anticipated event in the University of Delhi (DU). While most students are more than aware of its relevance, they find the ugly muscle power-fuelled circus it has evolved into appalling. Associated with DUSU are a myriad of activities which can’t be classified under one adjective. Here, we compile a list of major DUSU incidents and practices in the recent years – branching out the good, the bad, and the bizarre.

The Good

Battles won for the welfare of the student body

DUSU provides the students of DU a platform for cross-college cultural, sports, and academic events. Along with that, it works to ensure that administrative rules that do not represent the welfare of the student body are discontinued. The current DUSU panel protested to reintroduce the distribution of printed mark sheets on graduation, a practice discontinued since 2013. It also went on a hunger strike to ensure that the policy for online entrance for L.L.B. was removed in order to ensure that students not comfortable with online tests are not penalised. The Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) was repealed because DUSU, along with other student bodies, fought hard and protested against it.

All India Students’ Association (AISA) vs the Chief Election Officer

It was AISA’s battle which got the practice of using prefixes before one’s name to get the first ballot number discontinued. Till 2014, candidates prefixed “AA” to their name to get ballot number 1(ballot numbers were allotted in alphabetical order). In 2013, three candidates who used prefixes before their name won, while in 2014 it was all four. This poster and ballot number brand of politics was effectively shut down by this case.

Political experience 

DUSU provides students a political experience that is unmatched. Resultantly, DU has become a hotbed for future political leaders of the country. The DUSU platform is so huge that a year of campaigning and holding office turns young student leaders into seasoned politicians, ready to become stakeholders in a bigger sphere. DUSU leaders gain a kind of political relevance that propels their careers and gives them an edge over others.

 

The Bad

Cynicism and lack of ethics in student politics

Student politics is generally associated with a strong set of values and a revolutionary desire to change the world. When a spread of hooliganism, sheer violence, and a blatant disregard for ethics seep into an institution as sacred as student politics, it is truly unfortunate. This highlights two unfortunate aspects worth pondering over. Firstly, the students are unbothered about agendas, manifestos, and researching about whom to vote for. Secondly, candidates are cynical enough to rely on these tactics from the very beginning instead of running honest campaigns based on their achievements and promises.

Blatant disrespect for the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines

The Lyngdoh Committee guidelines strictly forbid the use of printed posters and usage of posters with photographs on them. They also put a cap on election expenditure at Rs,5000 per candidate and limit the campaigning period to three days. Candidates intentionally misspell their names to begin campaigning unofficially. They distribute merchandise with their names on it and openly flout guidelines set by the Lyngdoh Committee.

Elitism and limited horizons of DUSU

DUSU, for all the avenues it opens up, is not accessible to every student. While in principle any student studying in a DUSU-affiliated college can contest DUSU elections, the last independent DUSU President was in 2009. Even then, Manoj Choudhary openly credited the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for his victory, as ABVP’s candidate was disqualified. Before that, the last independent winner was in 1991. An analysis of the socio-political conditions that make a DUSU President reveals that  being wealthy with immense social capital, belonging to either the ABVP or the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), and being a male are some of the few overlapping elements one requires to make it to DUSU.

Essentially rigged DUSU elections due to disinterest of students in politics

For a university that boasts of a politically aware and intelligent student body, DU sure is highly ignorant of its own student elections.The average DU student does not care about DUSU, and this lack of interest is one of the primary reasons why DUSU is unable to provide fair representation to students. When people don’t care about elections and don’t vote or vote only for the sake of it, the candidates elected are never those who truly deserve to be there. This also reduces their accountability to the electoral college.

The Bizarre 

Unethical forms of promotion

Putting up posters with faces of movie stars has been one of the most bizarre ways of campaigning in DUSU. Posters of Rocky Handsome, Priyanka Chopra, Nauheed Cyrusi, and Arjun Kapoor have all been used during promotional activities in DUSU elections. Since most students aren’t even aware of how this practice is unethical, candidates have a free pass to disrespect University norms without the fear of drawing flak.

Cheap election tactics

These include distributing freebies, crude sloganeering, and display of strength via a large number of vehicles and supporters. Students are won over by these freebies and continue to choose their elected representatives on the basis of the same. This kind of naiveté from the student body is unbecoming of the University of Delhi’s reputation.

 

 Image Credits: The Wire

 

 

Kinjal Pandey

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DUB Speak

School to College: A 360 degree turn

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Newly out of the sheltered and cocooned environment of a school, falling into the uneven and harsh terrain of a college, often we find ourselves drawing outlandish parallels between the two institutions.

While the first to twelfth grades are even steps of a progressively heightening ladder, college is the tight rope that one is expected to walk on immediately thereafter. And the latter is a tough nut to crack. As students conditioned into adherence of the stringent school norms, the liberal atmosphere of a college can be both restrictive and intimidating for many of us, depending on how sensitive we are to the changing environs around us. As with any other species, adaptation is key for college newbies too.

Students step into the University with almost bizarre pre-conceived notions, picked up from either word-of-mouth or unintended dialogue, which is usually only unproductive blabber. Well, college is hardly the illusion it is made out to be. While there are some facts that do hold true, there are quite a few which are completely irrational.

From waking up at 6:00 AM to getting dressed for school at 8:00 AM, five days a week, to contemplating attendance for the first lecture thrice a week and deciding against it, finally giving up and going back to bed every single time, college life is a complete U-turn. The massive change which comes with some flexibility, though necessary for students engaged in other activities besides their core academics, can also be exploited. Unfortunately, as soon as a leeway if given in terms of attendance, everyone is content with not showing up for classes as and when convenient. But the contentment usually backfires by the time the semester examinations approach. By then, the ritualistic practice of running after professors for notes and internal marks begins automatically.

College allows for a certain degree of independence, both emotionally and physically, that a school restricts in many ways. Quite a lot of people move out for pursuing degrees in undergraduate courses, some even going abroad, which requires prior preparation on various levels. From finding an accommodation and evaluating comparative benefits of the same to managing finances and holding oneself responsible for one’s own safety, college requires a person to brave against all odds. And as daunting as it may sound, it is the only thing that can probably set a person free from the habit of overindulgence.

While school is a great breeding ground for the simulation of ideas, there is a lot of ‘spoon-feeding’ involved. Pre-formulated notions are fed to the students without inculcating in them a thirst for questioning those notions. College, in this regard, guarantees severe mental exercise on an individual level, on a daily basis. With myriad incidents occurring in campuses on a routine basis, a person is compelled to take notice and address the problems responsibly. It coerces you into thinking about these issues with a latent sense of detachment. With ongoing campus debates and protest rallies for everything from LGBTQ rights to indiscriminate hostel curfew, youngsters attempts to pose questions and challenge the diktat of the authorities.

A college, as mentioned above, instills in us a plethora of good dispositions. When in school, a student generally aims to strike the right balance between academics and extra curriculars and in many cases, the latter ceases to exist. But when in college, it is the world that you are competing with and the competition is relentless. Owing to the rat race that we all unintentionally enlist ourselves in, we pave way for ruthlessness. It is not so much the consideration of the grade point average in isolation as much as the cumulative assessment of an individual’s personality in various arenas of prominence that set him/her apart from a crowd.

With both having their fair share of importance, a school nurtures you into its cocoon, long enough for you to build yourself up from scratch. And a college acquaints you with everything that you need to have, to be well equipped in life.

 

Feature image credits: Team Fuccha

 

Lakshita Arora

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