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India is confronting a mental health crisis, with one out of every three individual dealing with depression. The Mental Health societies in University of Delhi (DU) aim at improving this condition at student level, in the wake of Sri Venkateswara college’s new mental health club, “Empathise”.

Mental health is an indispensable part of character, and is more than the absence of mental disorders. It refers to a broad array of activities directly or indirectly related to the mental well-being, prevention of mental illnesses, treatment and rehabilitation of people affected by mental disorders.

According to the National Mental Health Survey of India 2015-16 (quoted by a 2017 World Health Organisation report), one in 20 people in India over the age of 18 have suffered from depression, and more than 80% of sufferers have not received any treatment. The National Crime Records Bureau reports that students made up almost 7% of recorded suicides in 2015.

The viewpoint of Indian people towards mental illness isn’t very comforting. There prevails a pervasive stigma that responds to it by maintaining a safe distance from those who are mentally ill or categorise people striving for mental help, as attention seekers. But over the past few years, Indian society has witnessed some changes and the number of people who deeply care for this cause has increased.

College societies play a very substantial role in developing students. They prove to be a good forum to generate changes, create acceptance and develop a healthier environment that is more than just attending classes and scoring well.

Bhavika Mehta, founder of “Empathise”, The Mental Health Club, Sri Venkateswara College said, “College can be a wonderful experience for many, but it could be miserable to a lot as well, given the fact that people from all backgrounds and pluralities come to one place. The objective of the club that will turn into a society would be to establish a safe and comfortable space for anyone who wishes to talk, our team would be there for them with open arms and listening ears.”

A society solely concerned with Mental Health is beneficial for the college and would eventually normalise the notion of needing mental help and stimulate people to not see depression, anxiety or any other discomfort as a call for attention, rather something really sensitive and severe.

There are several other colleges of DU amassing Mental Health societies that are working even on a larger scale. Friends’ corner, Hindu College is an active society that endeavours to make the college more empathetic. They also have a page called “Humans of Hindu” that encourages the students to share their stories. The White Rose Club, Gargi College, is another society that aims at spreading awareness, curtailing hate, and encouraging students to rise above their phobias. Apart from this, the colleges that are yet to have a Mental Health Cell, have shown their support to this cause on a secondary level. The NSS unit of Kamala Nehru College organised a peer mentoring session that encouraged freshers to reach out for any mental, emotional help, the society would provide them with assistance.

Students strongly believe that the fact that there is a need for such societies is an indication of how our educational institutions lack counsellors and therapists. A student instigated organisation cannot be a substitute for proper counsellors and psychological assistance. The Indian education system needs to realise the importance of this aspect and act on it on a wider scale.

Feature Image Credits: Mentalhealth

Avni Dhawan

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Bidding farewell to college is like bidding farewell to a sense of stillness amidst the chaos in your life. What’s even more difficult is sometimes bidding farewell to the societies within these spaces, which is perhaps way more difficult for the juniors left behind.

Disclaimer: Readers might be left with a bittersweet feeling in their heart and might shed a tear or two, so proceed with caution.

Dear Reader,

As we close a chapter on the batch of 2024, turning the page on perhaps the most personal part of our college lives – our societies – might be even more painful. As an anxious, scared, and confused college student, the author found comfort and solace in one such society, and as a second-year student, she finds it even harder to say goodbye to the senior who made college feel like home. Friends’ Corner, the Mental Health and Counselling Cell of Hindu College, became a warm cup of chai during the rain for this author, and its president, Suangouding Guite, became the rainbow after the rain. Some might say his infectious smile, quirky one-liners, and him saying “period” after every sentence just helped them feel comfortable and safe in an otherwise overwhelming college space.

You know when you’re anticipating that your drink might be too hot or too cold, but when you take a sip, it’s the perfect temperature. This happiness, satiety, and comfort were what I got when I first interacted with Gouding. He, along with our seniors Soham and Varnika, made an amateur at society work like me, feel appreciated, and feel at home, and this society soon became my comfort space.” – says Vidita Verma, a second-year English Literature student at Hindu College.

In conversation with DU Beat, Gouding, a third-year sociology student and the president of Friends’ Corner, shared his experience at FC and how bidding farewell to this space feels personal.

For me, bidding farewell to Friends’ Corner is more like closing a chapter on my life, to the important and beautiful people and memories that make FC, as it became a part of me in these past three years, which I don’t want to let go of. I want FC to be known for its safe space, open conversations, and belongingness, which allow others to be vulnerable, and I hope I was able to create that legacy. This space became synonymous with Hindu for me, and this goodbye just feels personal. It was a society I joined for its safe space and open conversations about mental health, as it won’t really fetch you any CV points, and I stayed because it allowed me to be whatever I wanted to be and to feel whatever I wanted to feel, as it exists for others to grow and for them to learn from.” – Suangouding, president of Friends’ Corner, reflected. 

We’ve all had our fair share of uplifting and disappointing moments, intertwined with promises that sometimes fall short but are cloaked in sweetness. College societies have brought us together in unexpected ways, fostering beautiful connections for some and challenging experiences for others. The author did find herself in a pickle while writing this piece as she has been a part of the healthier and less emotionally daunting side of college societies, or rather has been quite lucky with the people, particularly the seniors she met, but a student from South Campus College who wished to remain anonymous remarked about its dramatics society.

I happened to have worked with seniors who would rather throw you under the bus for the sake of asserting their dominance. Favouritism, selective targeting, and insensitive manipulative behaviour, are some of the qualities they’d be passing onto their juniors. My seniors honestly sucked, and I’m more than happy to be bidding them farewell.” – they reflected. 

Performing Arts societies in DU might be known for their (valuable) experience, hectic schedules, overwhelming work, and hierarchies, but despite their generalised perception, they do end up becoming free and homely spaces for students, and we might meet seniors who make it just that.

In conversation with DU Beat, Manya Mallika, a third-year Physics student from Hindu College, opened up about her fruitful tenure at Masque, the English Theatre Society, not just as its co-director but as a first-year student who joined the society through online inductions during the lockdown.

After coming to Delhi after an online semester, the only people aware of my presence were in Masque, which initially seemed like just another college club. Despite finding other ways to engage in theatre, Masque somehow provided me with an identity in college, where I could be myself, through its lack of hierarchy and uniting people through their love for theatre rather than fear. I stayed because I felt a sense of belonging, and some friendships just stayed. My biggest realisation here is that human beings are prone to making mistakes; we are all flawed in some way. College should be a time of exploration, learning, and growth, and being patient and kind to others and ourselves. Remind ourselves to take a deep breath, as we’re all going to die anyway.” – Manya discussed. 

An anonymous first-year student from Hindu College, in conversation with DU Beat, bid a heartwarming farewell to their senior at Aria, the Western Music Society.

Priyansha (Yuhu) is a special person, not just for me but for the entire Acapella team of Aria. While being a great leader with her management and communication skills, she is a softie who cracks quirky jokes with her nasal voice, lighting up the mood of the entire team whenever we lose a competition (and that’s every time, lol). She built a family within a society, and while I wish her well for her dazzling future, bidding her farewell feels bittersweet as it’ll be very difficult to fill the void left behind by our very own Yuhu.” – they remarked. 

Anvesha Tripathi, a second-year Economics student at IPCW, shares how La Cadenza, the Western Music Society, ended up being the biggest and most exciting part of her college life, mostly owing to the seniors that she found there.

My seniors at Cadenza were nothing short of supportive, understanding, kind, and so unabashedly funny that every doubt vanished the second I walked into the practice room and helped us navigate this crazy circuit. One senior in particular stands out though: Ashna Dongre, who is a vision to look at and an absolute honour to be around. Every second I spend with her is enriching and leaves me either smiling or laughing my guts out. She is an absolute breath of fresh air on dreary days. I have sought in her love, support, and a simple shoulder to share my burdens with, and practice without her will feel incomplete, and so will the rest of my time at college.” – Anvesha said. 

It is said that first-year students enter DU with dreams in their eyes and passion in their hearts. Amidst the pool of batchmates, unspoken bonds, and sometimes fragile friendships, a lot of us struggle to strike a bond with any of our seniors in our respective departments. But lucky are the ones who end up discovering that friendship, solace, and guidance in that one senior in a society. An anonymous first-year student found such comfort in a senior at Vivre, the Film and Photography Society of Hindu College.

I learned a lot from them, and it’s definitely hitting me now that I have to bid farewell to them. It’s going to get hard for me because I don’t have a lot of friends or people I hold close to my heart in the second year. There’s one senior in particular, who I’m perhaps the closest to in the entire college. This is my person, and I hold them very close to my heart. Saying goodbye to them is going to break my heart, and I don’t want to think about it. What makes it sadder is that they are also leaving Delhi, so I might not see them ever.” – the student commented. 

S. Bangshing Panja, a third-year philosophy student at Hindu College, shares how bidding farewell to his college and his society might be hard, but it’s time for him to make space for others.

Although societies haven’t become synonymous with Hindu, there’s definitely a bittersweet feeling in my heart while waving goodbye to the safe spaces I found in the North East Cell and Aria, as they have been a huge part of me. The kind of legacy I’d like to leave my juniors, especially in the North East Cell, is that we should not be ashamed or scared to take up space. We are here in such a competitive institution, and we are here for a reason, and that makes us equal to everyone else. We just have to prove ourselves visible to the world, the people around us, and back at home. It’s sad that I have to say goodbye to them, but it’s about time. I’ve been here for three years, and I feel I have to leave in order to make space for others to come and feel the same things I felt and share the same friendships I’ve shared.” – they shared. 

Dear reader, while navigating the whirlpool of emotions college life at DU sometimes (certainly) pushes you in, some of us manage to find that one society and that one senior who just becomes your lifeboat. Bidding farewell to these small spaces within college that have become synonymous with home is difficult, to say the least, for the third years and the juniors left behind with a void in their hearts. How does one even journal such complex emotions and bittersweet memories in mere words? But I sincerely hope our words did justice to those feelings. Here’s a toast to the batch of 2024. We are forever grateful for your warmth, resilience, and comfort.

Read Also- Natural Selection: Unpacking Diversity in DU Societies 

Featured Image Credits: Sukriti for DU Beat 

Gauri Garg

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Societies work tirelessly every year to put their best foot forward and perform at various colleges gaining a whole load of exposure and memories. But often these experiences come at the expense of one’s mental health and personal restrictions.

Even semesters at the University are jam packed with all kinds of events – dance, drama, debate and fashion, most notably college fests. And fashion events amongst them are considered the most glamorous of all – shows with extra spotlights, flawless garments and charismatic models. However, this screaming confidence on stage involves hours of practice and dedication, a fact most people tend to ignore.

What people also don’t realize is the untoward pressure, toxicity, shaming and biases that members of a fashion society deal with on a daily basis. They might be forced to follow certain diet restrictions, compromise on their personal life for the sake of endless practices and expected to deal with the toxic environments. You either adapt to this discomfort for your passion or end up leaving the society.

On the condition of anonymity, an ex-member of a renowned fashion society shares, “I was so thrilled to be a part of the fashion circuit in my first year. It seemed like the perfect start to my college life. However, it turned out to be so toxic right from the first week. The seniors who were so kind and considerate in the auditions were actually so rigid and egoistic when it came to following their instructions. One of them literally kept an eye on me to check how much time I spent having lunch. She not only scolded me for being just five minutes late to the practice but also didn’t shy away from passing personal comments. Because of their repeated misbehavior, I ended up leaving the society in the second week itself. But even after that they would talk nonsense about me and pass comments every time they saw me. I don’t know how much I have cried because of them.”

On the performing front, fashion productions often seem to be reduced to a mere display of ‘walk and entertainment’ and exquisite clothes with eve-teasing and name-calling during shows being recurrent occurrences.

DU Beat came across instances of the audience passing lewd comments from the crowd, throwing notes and papers at models on stage and clicking inappropriate pictures. This behavior is so uncalled for and affects the participating members mentally and emotionally. Societies have rightfully taken a strict stand against any such instance. However such shaming might not just be restricted to the crowd.

A member from a reputed girl’s college in South Campus talks about how fashion policing and judging is so normalized within the circuit. “You are expected to look presentable at all times, beyond the stage and practices as well. Because when it comes to shaming, even your society peers won’t leave a chance. I guess that is one reason why fashion societies are considered to be very elitist and that not everybody can afford the branded clothes and style. You are really judged on what you wear on a daily basis.”

It is usually assumed that fashion societies do not have much to do in terms of rehearsals and that it’s just about the ‘good looks and walking the ramp’. However preparing for this ramp walk involves costumes, dresses, props and lights that are designed and worked upon by the members themselves. The sequences are choreographed and repeatedly practiced. Moreover there’s a fine difference between a dance performance and a fashion walk. “Societies and judges continue to live on the tangent that drama and dancing makes a performance look good. But as a fashion society we work on our walk, props and expressions, not dancing around in carefully crafted costumes”, says Garima Satija, ex-president of Nakshatra, Hindu College.

“I went to a judge for the feedback of our performance at a competition. To my surprise the judge told me that we would have won if only we could add a bit of dance movements in the front. Most judges don’t even come from a fashion related background, they are sometimes dance choreographers or even faculty of the organizing college. While the judges’ decision is final and binding, we face problems in getting proper feedback for improvement. The true sense modelling and ramp walk seems to lack when people prefer dramatic content over pure fashion shows”, she added.

Many societies complain that the judges often end up giving vague explanations for feedback instead of valid points. With teams trying to uncover avenues of creativity in terms of themes and productions, there’s still no acknowledgement given to them for trying something out of the box because judges continue to consider the same old dramatic content to be capturing. Repetition of judges was a major concern pointed out by societies. A fashion society member from a North Campus college told DU Beat, “If a judge likes a performance at a particular college, they aren’t likely to change their views at another college and the same teams end up winning similar positions everywhere. The results get forged and the judges turn out to be explicitly biased towards certain societies. There isn’t any mechanism within the circuit as well to keep a check on this.”

Mismanagement at fest is another problem that societies put forth collectively. Events end up having logistical issues in terms of announcement of results, performing sequence, manipulation of results, untimely distribution of prize money and certificates and other malpractices. Such issues not only disheartening and difficult for the participants but also undermine the essence of performing art. With sensitive conditions in the city overlapping with the DU fest season earlier this year, many events were either cancelled or abruptly conducted. While societies did lose their chance to perform at maximum colleges, they also faced security issues while commuting and disappointment at many college doors.

A member of a South Campus society talks about a popular fest, “We faced a lot of security issues in the month of February and early-March. The gates were closed and the police were not permitting teams to enter the campus. The lack of coordination caused a lot of chaos and students were close to getting physically hurt. The organizers didn’t come to help the participants as they should have, and many had to return without performing.” He adds, “In fact after 9-11 teams clearing the prelims, they conducted their event with only 4-5 teams in the finals and eventually distributed the prizes as well. This was very unfair to teams who travel all the way to perform but cannot because of the inefficiency of the organizers.”

Addressing the show mismanagement issue, an ex-member of Poise, Institute of Home Economics, says, “Being an all-girls team we used to face security concerns due to varying show timings and late announcements of results. Shows hardly start on time and get delayed late for one another reason. With multiple shows in a day across colleges in the University, it becomes really difficult to manage it all and ends up affecting the performance of the team.”

Lack of green rooms and proper changing spaces is also an increasing concern within fashion societies. 15-20 members of a team are often clubbed into one small classroom and expected to change their costumes and assemble their props there. Sometimes the windows too are left uncovered. This leads to random people clogging outside these rooms, clicking absurd pictures and passing comments.

Talking about the rising bias and forged results in competitions, Aashna Rai, President of Galore, Maitreyi College tells DU Beat, “We’ve often witnessed judges repeatedly favoring teams which is highly demotivating for societies and the members. While every team deserves a fair judgement procedure, the scores and judgment sheets are not transparent at all events. They are often tampered by the organizers.”

She added, “At times societies copy the sequences, music track or garments of other teams causing internal feuds.”

Now building up an annual production does require extensive thinking and research. However in the process, societies often tend to forget the difference between inspiration and duplicity. Plagiarism thus leads to clashes and bad-mouthing within the circuit, thereby diluting its creative credibility.

While the internet is flooded over with body positivity content creators and inclusivity in modelling, the stereotype that a model has to have a good height and figure to enhance her looks still penetrates in the DU fashion circuit. Anushka Tyagi, the newest president of Nakshatra, Hindu College shares with DU Beat, “I have never won the ‘Best Female Model’ because I’m short and this is despite practicing my walk and expressions for hours with full dedication. In order to win an individual mention, you really need to look like a stereotypical model. It’s really hard to find judges who actually judge you on the basis of your confidence. Most of the time it comes down to looks, height and figure. With the circuit boasting flexibility in terms of body shape and height, you end up getting intimidated and insecure about yourself that you won’t ever be able to achieve something like that. I had to really push myself to come out of it and work on my sequence, energy and expressions with extra hard work.”

It’s time that the University circuits introspect its ways of functioning and develop mechanisms to deal with toxic environment, mismanagement and malpractices. Societies as a whole should come together to enable themselves to be friendly and respectful spaces that can promote collective growth and inclusivity. The true essence of any art form lies in upholding fairness with focus on performing instead of just winning.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Aishwaryaa Kunwar
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Any talk about Delhi University is incomplete without a mention of its extravagant societies. But, is the extra pressure which comes up with the really stiff competition actually worth it?

The fun and frolic which comes up with the joining of a cultural group, or the engagement in the big brain talks by being part of an academic community, indeed contributes in adding up to ones college memories. But, continuing with this on the stake of ones mental health is not correct. The excessive competition and the pressure of having the first position in the entire DU circuit, sometimes makes the loved society culture extremely toxic. The daily seven to eight hour practices irrespective of rain and hail along with the flawed senior junior culture leaves many students shattered and face serious existential crisis.

Most of the times first years seeing the beautifully decorated registration desk apply in numerous societies but, the actual marathon begins only after you clear the auditions and officially become a part of it. The superiority of seniors and the inferiority of juniors the entitlement of only one and two years older mates as ‘Didis’ and ‘Bhaiyas’ often causes a complete reversal of ones opinions and thoughts. The mass scolding sessions, or rather the wordly mass assassination of juniors by the supremely talented Didis and Bhaiyas leaves one with tears, an outcome of supressed speech and anger.

“I joined the western dance society of my college with high expectations. I thought that it will help me live my passion but, it turned out to be completely opposite. All the dancers were great and the joining opened doors to many opportunities for me but, the super strict environment which makes one to think twice about doing and saying anything made me leave it in the very next month. People need to understand that maintaining a Hitler inspired environment wont help in the sustenance of art,” said a first year student of Delhi University.

“There is literally no junior who hasn’t cried. Once we went for lunch after a competition and all of us ordered according to our budgets assuming everyone was to pay for their own meal. The seniors enjoyed quite a lot and ordered double and triple of what we had, we obviously didn’t think much of it since everybody ate according to their pockets but with the arrival of bill they changed the protocol and forced us to go dutch. They divided the entire amount equally, irrespective the quantity each person ordered. This was shocking for me since I hadn’t seen anything so unfair till then. This society politics is very difficult to deal with,” said another first year.

However not all are alike. Some of them have very positive impacts on ones development and growth. It completely depends upon the management and environment. So, its imperative for one to think and choose wisely. Pursuing anything which has a toll on mental health would leave you with nothing but only distress and regret. Leaving after joining with a reason “I don’t feel good” is a reason enough for you to resign.
Featured Image Credits: Du Beat Archives

Kriti Gupta

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The state of mental health care is in dire need of improvement so that it can cater to what is now emerging as one of the leading problems among students.

College life is perhaps the most unique part of a person’s life. It is a world away from the idiosyncrasies of the school. It is the beginning of a new life; a life which brings joy, ambition, and freedom. A life which also brings in stress, and anxiety. The stress of living away from home for the first time, the stress of becoming productive, the stress of getting into new relationships, and the stress of internals. As we find ourselves in this whirlpool of emotions, it gets very easy to lose track of ourselves.

“When we enter college life, it is drastically different from school, you leave your protected bubble and enter the real world. You do things you have never done before. And all that takes a toll on you, especially adjusting to a new life when you barely know anyone around you. A counsellor is a really good buffer zone to help you adjust to the new life and even deal with the great academic pressure,” said Nighat, a student of Psychology from Aryabhatta College.

This is where a college counsellor comes in. A counsellor is a professional designated by the institution to help students deal with their problems — be it mental, psychological, academic, social, or economic — in a productive and effective manner. While some colleges like Hindu College, Miranda House, and Daulat Ram provide a counsellor, there are many colleges without the provision for one. Even when colleges do provide a counsellor, they are often inaccessible to the students. On speaking to a number of students, we found that most were not aware of the presence of a counsellor on campus.

“It is very important to normalise and remove the stigma around seeking a counsellor. Sometimes, just talking to friends does not work. A counsellor is someone who can guide you better. It is only recently that I have seen changes in the perception regarding mental health. I have been working here since 2014. Earlier, the students used to come with hushed voices and quiet footsteps, to not alert anyone else. It is only now that I’m seeing a change where students come in more freely,” said a counsellor from a University of Delhi (DU) college.

With the increase of awareness, there has been a surge in the mental health events or workshops being conducted during “Mental Health Awareness Week” by the Psychology Departments of various colleges. These workshops are usually in collaboration with mental health organisations, where several University students also volunteer. These organisations have become very popular among young college students as they organise poetry sessions, anxiety management activities, and much more. Apart from the college counsellors, there is also the Delhi University Women’s Association which offers counselling services at nominal charges.

What should be noted is that the onus to work for better mental health should not begin and end in a designated mental health week. It should also not be restricted to departments. There should be a regular availability of a skilled counsellor, authorities should take the onus to ensure interactions between the counsellor and the students, and basic facilities should be provided for the same. Few college societies have worked towards this, by using peer mentoring and understanding the importance of catharsis through sharing.

The counsellors should be more involved within the fabric of the college, since becoming a familiar and approachable face is of utmost importance. For a long while now the importance of mental health has been undermined, and it is time that it gains the momentum it deserves.

 

Feature Image Credits: Friends’ Corner via Facebook

 

Satviki Sanjay

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Shivani Dadhwal

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With some serious facts staring at us in the face, how are our educational structures evolving to cater to the deteriorating mental health?

In a study conducted by World Health Organisation (WHO) late last year, we were made aware of some devastating facts. India is one of the most depressed countries in the world, over five crore people suffer from mental health disorders and we recorded one of the highest numbers of work-place stress cases. From the 21st century, problems faced by teenagers have changed from excess alcohol consumption and teenage pregnancy to bullying, stress, depression, and body image and self-esteem issues. Distorted ideas of productivity, social media platforms, social stigma attached to mental health have all contributed to this, but our textbooks give the idea that these problems simply do not exist. The content in books in school, colleges and Universities remains largely outdated.

Societies can prove to be a good medium in college to initiate change. They can go beyond being performing and competitive, to providing guidance and support to students who need it. The biggest risk attached to mental health issues is that they are not visible, and so, regularly meeting people, developing friendships, finding a confidante can help in reducing stress.

Nithya, the President of Friends’ Corner of Hindu College, explained the impact of the society and peer counselling, “One can be an effective, empathetic listener, and a great shoulder to cry on among their own peers. We strive to make the college more empathetic, by making them realise every person is fighting their own battles, and if you are struggling, you are not alone. Conversations and sharing can really help in making individuals realise how similar their thoughts, anxieties and worries are.”

The Friends’ Corner also has a Good Vibes tree in the campus for freshers, who expressed on different coloured sheets representative of different emotions, how they felt on their first day,  which was then put up on the tree. Beyond having discussions, group sessions, and a flagship event: ‘Mental Health Summit’, they also have a page called “Humans of Hindu” for people to share their life stories.

A cell or society working towards mental health can prove to be very beneficial for the whole college. It can begin with a small step of approaching your administration. Discussions and talks can take place on individual problems, mental health issues and the society, stigmas, therapy and support groups. In order to create a safe space, confidentiality becomes a key factor, so certain measures can be taken to ensure that members can have a medium to vent in privacy as well. The society needs to be run by dedicated and proactive students to prevent it from become an inactive society.

In no way does this cell or society take the place of a counsellor or therapist. The dire need for college counsellors still remains and needs to be stressed on. Most colleges either lack a counsellor or have a temporary one, often close to no student approach this largely unavailable counsellor, and the whole process goes in vain. But this (society) can become a facilitator in that journey of betterment. Furthermore, creating these spaces can also set a chain reaction in other colleges. With around 90 colleges in DU, the reach can be tremendous. One can also reach out to other colleges, like Hindu College, to know more about a mental health and counselling cell.

Recently what gained traction was the introduction of a six-month certificate course on Happiness in Ramanujan College. It is a free of cost course, for which forty-five students have already been enrolled. It will judge students based on their attendance, project and course work. This step sets precedence for other institutes to also follow its lead.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal introduced Happiness Curriculum till class eighth in all government schools. This pioneering step will tackle mental health problems from a young age, yet for now it stands the test of time.

While the reason behind mental health deterioration are many, it has been romanticised by shows and memes, further aggravated by our economy and job pressures, and absence of acceptance. When the recent budget came out, I anticipated whether our country would also take a step like New Zealand. In a revolutionary step, Prime Minister Jacinda Arden’s Well Being budget prioritised poverty and mental health. What cannot be ignored is that this issue creeps in through some crevices. Different steps are being taken, but more comprehensive and structural changes need to be brought by all bodies, including our University.

Feature Image Credits: The Central Digest

Shivani Dadhwal

[email protected]

College-going women’s struggles with eating disorders have intensified with increasing pressure from all the spheres. Look at the dilemmas and reasons pushing EDs forth in women, and what it ultimately means for us.

The transition process from high school to college can be intimidating and the constant need to fit in, while handling studies, work, future woes, and the everyday struggle that comes with an independent lifestyle might result in a lot of stress that can translate into eating disorders. An eating disorder is not a lifestyle choice but it shapes out of stress, depression, or anxiety, which requires immediate attention. It can cause severe health issues in the future ranging from suicide to death from starvation, etc.

Eating disorders are much more common in young women and especially in those women who already have some history of depression, anxiety, or self-image issues stemming from insecurities and paranoia. This feeling of being insufficient and the need for acceptance and love can lead to the amplification of their desire to have a certain body shape. Hence, they start either starving themselves or binge-eating which is followed by heavy purging.

College life comes with all the glitz and glamour of societies, sports, innumerable opportunities, socialising, and promises of the great, but college also exposes women to the negative aspect of fitting in, to the idea of certain “perfect” body shape, and it can also feed into the conditioning of your body defining your self-worth.

College with studies, figuring out your future, building yourself and also staying afloat in the mayhem of parties and finding love is a very hectic place to be. For women suffering from body dysmorphia, it can be quite overbearing given the patriarchal set-up of even metropolitans like Delhi that subtly, or sometimes not so subtly, brands certain kinds of lifestyles as desirable and aspirational, while negating certain others. Beauty as a social construct is not just conditioned in such set-ups, but it is made to feel natural.

Societies and various sport teams are there for nurturing your talent, providing a means to bring out your abilities but the level of competition and added stress these societies and teams bring can also manifest into eating disorders.

In a candid conversation with an ex-member of Glitz, the fashion society of Kamla Nehru College, she reveals, “Girls who join societies undergo added pressure from crowd along with their performance. It is not easy to perform in front of large crowds and many girls cave into that pressure. Relentless practices and the huge crowd makes me conscious about my looks and there are occasions when I go on diets for a long period of time out of fear of gaining weight. It did affect my health and brought lot of weakness and inability to cope with my studies.”

My own experience when I joined the college basketball team wasn’t full of roses and sunshine. In the first year itself, I developed a severe eating disorder which was mainly due to the hectic schedule. Being an outstation student living independently, I started taking food and my health for granted. It took a negative toll on my health resulting in constant weakness, lack of concentration, long bouts of lethargy, which further spiralled dangerously into low white blood cells’ count. With a strict diet and work regimen, I was able to bounce back but it is not that easy for everyone. Severe eating disorder demands immediate medical help that only a physician can provide.

Having an eating disorder requires immediate attention and introspection. You need to understand that it is connected to your mental well-being and is getting translated in a very harmful way. If not handled immediately it can have a long-term negative impact on your body. Hence, we need to talk more about this and not subject the women suffering from this with severe criticism and judgement.

Feature Image Source: Odyssey

Antriksha Pathania
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“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go, they merely determine where you start”

-Nido Qubein

The constant pressure to succeed can cause turmoil in the heads and hearts of even the best. Stepping into the ‘real world’ after school is a stressful, scary experience, leaving most quaking in their boots. For the most part, individuals are certain of their capabilities till they remain sheltered by parents, teachers, friends, and the comfort of a hometown. The insecurity sets in once all this is taken away, and replaced with a completely foreign environment and alien people. Everybody has their own coping mechanisms to deal with various adversities. For many people social settings or situations, or a change in them, are triggers for anxiety, which in turn may lead to serious mental health concerns. Apart from anxiety, the foreign environment and University culture, may give rise to other stress-induced mental health concerns as well.

What follows are examples of stress-inducing scenarios that many encounters over the three years of college, and how to actively cope with them.

Year one is stressful mainly due to the new environment, foreign people, different methods of teaching, and (for outstation students) the alien city. You may feel overwhelmed by the fast moving busy life of a metropolitan if you’re from a small town. People may not be as kind, and the diversity in people may scare you. The pressure to get into college societies, at the same time, coming to terms with the fact that there are people smarter or more talented than you, can be hard. The best way to maintain some peace of mind in between all this chaos would be to have no expectations. Expectations most often if not always, lead to disappointment. Having a clear head and ‘going with the flow’ can really help in terms of relieving stress-inducing thoughts to ‘be the best’. Understanding that there will always be someone better, and that you have to learn to accept yourself for who you are, are key to staying sane.

Year two is known for one of the most important stressors, namely internships. For most people this is the first time they are interning, inducing anxiety about the work environment, bosses, and mainly, securing an internship. Understanding a work environment and how things are done can take years if not months. Not worrying about ‘fitting in’ or impressing your boss, are solid steps one can take to relieve anxiety. People may even experience disappointment upon not getting substantial work whilst interning. Instead of focusing one’s energy on what is not happening, looking at the job as a learning experience is a step in the right direction.

Year three could easily be deemed as the most stressful of all three years. Important decisions regarding working, studying, or taking a gap year, are inevitable. Watching your peers get their desired jobs/Universities may add to the already mounting pressure. Taking things at one’s own pace and understanding your own capabilities come first and foremost. Instead of comparing yourself to others, focus on what interests you and match that with your aptitude for best results.

College is a rollercoaster ride, with many ups and downs. Going with the twists and turns, and learning from every up and down, will make you more self-aware as a person and help you cope better with the pressures of life.

 

 Feature Image Credits: Hindustan Times

Meher Gill

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Every year, societies from colleges across the campus compete neck to neck and put up spectacular performances during the fest season. This year too, saw certain teams shine a little brighter than the rest. We bring you a series with college societies that put their heart and soul into their respective fields and took home the top prizes at various cultural fests.

The best college society in each category was selected by creating a tally of the top 3 positions at competitive events held during various cultural fests of this season. Whenever a society won the first prize they were awarded 3 points, for the second position they received 2 points and for the third position, 1 point was added to their tally.

For the Street Play category, SRCC Dramatics Society scored the maximum points in the tally. SRCC Dramatics Society’s 8 points were followed by Ibtida (Hindu College) that scored 6 points. Vayam (Shivaji College) bagged third spot scoring 4 points.

 

The Winning Society at a glance

 

SRCC Dramatics Society, SRCC

SRCC’s street play, The Defective Ward revolved around the plight of the mentally ill. While researching about various social issues, the society came to know an alarming fact: according to WHO, 1 out of 4 people suffer from a mental illness. They decided to research more on this and met experts and visited several mental health institutions which made them realise that this issue needs attention and they had the platform for it. Hence, all things fell in place.

Avikal Parashari, Director and Actor at SRCC’s Street Play Society said, “From the very beginning we were encouraged to feel for the cause and then perform. We visited a Mental Health institution called Vishwas where we met patients whose stories are reflected in our production. Maybe the love that they showered upon us made us win. Or maybe that dedication to do justice to the cause led us to this position.”

Names of the performing members:  Avikal Parashari, Chiranjiv, Dhruw Harishankar, Lokesh Yadav, Medha Meenal, Saurav Goyal, Sandeep Behera, Sahibdeep Singh, Akshita Tatwal, Aditya Bamne, Amol Raswan, Gayathri Sonkar, Ishan Gautam, Jasdeep Sanghvi, Kamakshi Mahajan, Klirka Engtipi, Navneet Singh, Nitesh Agrawal, Nidhi Sangli, Rajan Lohia, Saraswati, Satyam Anand, Shreya Srivastava, Tejashri Balpande, Varun Kakkar

Winners Tally: SRCC Dramatics Society

Five college fests were referred to while evaluating the top societies tally this fest season which were: Confluence, Hans Raj College; Montage, JMC; Mecca, Hindu College; Reverie, Gargi College and Nexus, Sri Venkateswara College.

The society emerged victorious at the following fests:

1st Position- Montage, JMC and Nexus, Sri Venkateswara College
2nd Position- Reverie, Gargi College

(Hover on the icons below to know more about their victories)  

Nishita Agarwal
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Neurodivergence, as an impairment, unfolds to become a disability as social and educational institutions heavily lack in its recognition; resourcing for such students remains a dream.

 

Neurodivergence is an umbrella term that enlists to include people with atypical brains, which adds a difference to how they ecologically interact. It is inclusive of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD), and others. 

There have been positive changes in terms of recognition and importance of mental health in India. However, all alerts and emphases on mental health leave out the back door when the shallowness of such a performance is exposed with the invisibility of neurodivergent students in academia. An understanding of “the mental” on educational campuses limits to only believing it as a wave of sadness and discomfort that needs counselling. This idea is reiterated with Delhi University’s Counselling Centre, which fails in its purpose to mention and include the experience of neurodivergence, even for namesake.

While the stigma and prejudice (along with other factors) around disorders limit accessibility to diagnosis, those already diagnosed have it no easier in navigating academic and university spaces. The confusion and strictness of college societies collude with a premodern educational setup to confound the sense of achievement and goodness that these spaces should be offering, very often becoming places of disinterest and hurt.

Recollecting her experience, Silvia Nath, a second-year student at Miranda House, who has been clinically diagnosed with ADHD, shares

In my first year, I completely detached myself from my department since my batchmates and teachers weren’t helpful and held stigmas around therapy and mental health. I was judged also for my food habits (as a non-vegetarian) along with my unwillingness to contribute to classes. This detachment caused a very low attendance, which again was a traumatic experience for me. Teachers have been harsh towards me and questioned my competence. Being happy should not be so normalised so that other spectrums of emotions are seen as unnatural and unhealthy.”

The general ignorance to this problem is reflected in the casual usage of medical terms amongst neurotypical people to express mood phases, which has inadvertently reduced the real symptoms to a bluff, non-serious setting of the mind—which can be auto-altered. Sharing rigid spaces like college societies with such groups that lack a reasonable understanding then becomes challenging.

In conversation with DU Beat, Debolina Bhattacharya, a graduate from Delhi University 2024 batch, shares,

I was working with a lot of neurotypical people, for sure, in my college society. Personally, it was not the best of times. It’s very hard to get along with people. I was told that I was overdoing things, talking too much, and other things that were singled out. Naturally, I prefer to do a lot of things together, which allows me to move from one thing to the next. But when you have to deal with people who don’t understand it and have very rigid ideas of how you’re supposed to behave, it becomes hard to curate your personality. I have reached a point, after college, to not hide who I am. But there was a demand to conform, to ‘fit in’ and it was made very clear that I wasn’t. The burnout was so severe that graduating college was what helped.”

(Debolina is a diagnosed neurodivergent person)

The range of exclusion and vulnerability expands when various markers of identity such as caste, class, gender, sexual identities, or geographical locations intersect. Students who are already disadvantaged are pushed deeper to the margins, where their potential is untapped, and their abilities are overlooked. 

Norzin, a Ladakhi student, currently preparing for her NEET examination, has been diagnosed with OCD and anxiety. 

Since I am currently preparing for NEET, I have faced challenges in staying organised due to the lack of a structured environment. I believe a college space with a more structured environment and access to resources and opportunities to interact with peers and professors would provide a more conducive environment for me to work and will help me to deal with my mental health issues more effectively.” – shares Norzin

Institutional reforms beginning from classroom recognition of neurodivergence and sensitisation towards it, are a good place to start when addressing the problem. Pedagogical methods that allow for behavioural support or interventions to promote communication in academic, social and everyday life skills should be used. Most essentially, kindness and empathy should be used to deal with and comprehend the nature of those around us, whether they are diagnosed or undiagnosed. It’s not a burden, but rather a responsibility. 

 

Read also: Mental health societies in DU

Featured Image Credits: Education Times

 

Bhavana Bhaskar

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