The first time I took drugs was after my XII boards, a year back. My friends took me to a place they knew, where drugs are sold cheap and in abundance. The first thing I ever smoked was weed, which I bought at Rs 50 per packet. Later, I moved on to smoking hash which was much more expensive. I was told that these substances are grass based and, in fact, herbs used to cure diseases. But because they induce a certain level of intoxication, they can’t be prescribed.
– Anonymous

As admission bells ring in DU, applicants toy with the idea of experimenting with substance abuse. “Depends on who we hang out with. We’re okay with other people getting into such habits but would try not to give in to peer pressure ourselves,” said Shruti and Anusha.
While citizens below the age of 25 are legally forbidden alcohol consumption in New Delhi, several students at DU pay no heed to the law. Umang, another aspirant, says, “If you are allowed to vote, you are capable of making decisions for yourself.” Ankita, an occasional drinker, said that many people forego the habit by the time they are 25. “The regulation does not make sense,” she added. 60% respondents demand a decrease in the legal age for drinking, most of them suggesting 21 years as the ideal age.

Inexpensive drugs like hash, marijuana and acid are another common form of intoxication for students. When asked about drug use, most DU applicants were unnerved. “It is okay to experiment, but one should be very careful not to go to extremes,” said Umang. Rohit (name changed), a drug user, said: “It’s sad when I see people at the age of 15-16 getting into drugs. The laws are clear but implementation is poor. A person looking for drugs would be able to find them easily in a day at very reasonable prices.”

Dr Rajni Sahni, a psychology professor at DU, counts peer pressure as one of the most common causes for addiction. She said that a person who is low on self-esteem looks towards what society, specifically his/her peers, approve of. “This is especially prevalent among adolescents who lack confidence,” she emphasized. “Experimentation, even at the seemingly harmless level, is detrimental as the main motivation is to get a high. If there is no one to guide you to a positive way of getting a high, like an achievement or doing a good deed, then you are bound to get addicted.”

Rehabilitation centers offer processes of medical and psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on substance abuse. Hope Trust (Hyderabad), Muktangan (Pune) and Santulan (New Delhi) are some renowned de-addiction centers in India. Sadly, none of the respondents were aware of the location, or even the name, of any of the rehabs in the country. Dr Sahni suggested establishment of de-addiction centers in the campus, not only for students but also for teaching and non-teaching staff. She also recommended spreading the message and sensitizing students through street plays, films and talk shows.

• DU aspirants willing to experiment with drugs: 30%
• Zones for smokers on campus: 55%
• Legal age for drinking should be decreased: 60%
• Ideal age for legally drinking: 21 yrs

–

Aakriti Bajaj (3rd year student of Mass Media and Mass Communication at IP College, University of Delhi)

Neha Gupta (2nd year student of Journalism at Kamla Nehru College, University of Delhi)

Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil. It was brought to Brazil by the Portuguese. It is basically a stew prepared with black turtle beans with a variety of salted pork and beef products like bacon, smoked pork ribs and at least two types smoked sausage. It is traditionally served with rice. A popular myth states that feijoada was a luxury dish of African slaves on Brazilian colonial farms as it was prepared with relatively cheap ingredients.

The national beverage is Coffee and Cachaça is Brazil’s native liquor. It is used for making the national cocktail, Caipirinha. It is made with Cachaça, sugar and limes. The word “caipirinha” is the diminutive version of the word “caipira”, which refers to someone from the countryside. However, in the mind of a Brazilian, the word “Caipirinha” is mostly associated with the drink itself.

One of the most recognized symbols of Australia, the Opera House in Sydney with its beautiful roof evocative of a ship at full sail includes 1000 rooms, conducts 3000 events each year and provides guided tours to over 200,000 people annually. It was designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon after he won a competition held by the government of New South Wales to find the best design for the Opera House and is as representative of Australia as the pyramids are of Egypt or the Colosseum of Rome.
Australia’s national animal is of course the kangaroo, as we all know. It is the most iconic animal and can be found all over the country, from parts with a cold climate to desert plains, tropical rainforests and beaches. Apart from attracting wide-eyed tourists, these marsupials are also essential to the survival of Australia’s indigenous people who hunt them for their meat and skin. What started out in 1959 in response to interest from the European game meat industry has now developed into a thriving market that exports kangaroo meat and skin all over the world (though live export is prohibited except inter-zoo exchanges and the kind) and contributes significantly to the Australian economy.

India, as all Indians know, is a land of much diversity: diverse people, diverse languages and diverse culture. It’s a melting pot of all this and more. The founders of our nation and many along the way have tried to capture these diversities and our culture for the untrained eye in the form of symbols. These national symbols occasionally remind us of where we belong, what we stand for and what our country is about. And we have needed this reminder several times in our history.
The national flag, the tricolour is derived from the Swaraj flag designed by Pingali Venkayya, which was originally the flag of the Congress during the freedom struggle. The original design consisted of two colours: red for Hindus and green for Muslims. In the centre was the traditional spinning wheel, symbolizing Mahatma Gandhi’s goal of making Indians self reliant by fabricating their own clothing. The design was then modified to include a white stripe in the centre for other religious communities. Subsequently, to avoid sectarian associations with the colour scheme, saffron, white and green were chosen for the three bands, representing courage and sacrifice, peace and truth, and faith and chivalry respectively. The charkha was replaced by the Ashok Chakra, representing the eternal wheel of law. It was indeed a wise decision to not let any sectarian notion be associated with the flag of a secular nation, which is so often on the brink of major sectarian conflict. The national flag has been a part of many controversies regarding private hoisting of flags. Many a time, many people have been held to book by the society as insulting the flag and have been made to render public apologies for the same. The fact that the national flag was placed below the BCCI symbol on the helmets of the Indian cricket team kicked up a storm. However, sometimes this sentiment is taken too far. Sania Mirza once found herself being sued for ‘putting her right foot in front of the national tricolour’. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that the national flag evokes much emotion in the heart of Indians.
However, the same cannot be said of other national symbols. Hockey, which is our national sport, definitely takes a backseat when other sports, or particularly cricket, takes over national consciousness. Cricket is followed like religion and the players are like gods. The men in blue are among the highest played cricketers in the world and Indian cricket is what rakes in the most moolah. The plight of hockey and its players, in comparison, is dismal. India has done very poorly in hockey in the recent years. Hockey players are just other faces in the crowd. The management of the sport in the form of the Indian Hockey Federation was until recently torn apart by controversy. It actually takes a cricketer, Virender Sehwag, to endorse the Hockey World Cup to pull in the crowds!
The tiger, or Panthera Tigris, is the national animal of India and symbolizes India’s wildlife wealth. The website of the government of India says that ‘the combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as the national animal.’ Though given the current state of tigers, with just 1411 tigers left, it seems India needs to look for other national animals which do not run the risk of becoming extinct. Cows should make sense. They can be seen everywhere: on the streets, outside you homes and everywhere else and run no chance whatsoever of going extinct.
The Peacock, the national bird of the country, is seen as a symbol of grace, joy , beauty and love. The peacock occupies a significant position in Indian culture and religion. Hindu mythology describes the peacock to be the ‘vahan’ or vehicle of Karthikeya and Goddess Saraswati. Lord Krishna is always depicted with a peacock feather tucked in his headband. Ancient kings were said to have gardens to raise peacocks where guests were invited to see the male peacock dance during the mating season.
The lotus is our national flower and the banyan tree is our national tree while the mango is our national fruit.