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“They called me an anti-national slut” – AISA President alleges harassment by ABVP members at Satyawati College

By DU Beat August 18, 2017

In another case of assault by ABVP members, Kawalpreet Kaur, the president of Delhi University All India Students Association (AISA) has alleged harassment by ABVP members as she visited Satyawati College. She alleges that the ABVP members harassed her, tried to physically restrain her and verbally abused her.

She has lodged a FIR against members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of RSS. The FIR has been registered under Section 154 of CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) along with Sections 354, 354(A), 509, 341 within the IPC 1860 Act against the ABVP activists. The police complaint has been filed against Vikram Singh Tomar, ABVP convenor of Satyawati College, Dharamprakash, Adw-ait Sharma, Mantu Sharma and few unknown activists.

[quote]I had gone to Satyawati College in order to meet a professor there for my own academic work as well as to meet some of my friends and AISA activists. As soon I entered the college ABVP members gathered around me and started harassing me[/quote]

-Kawalpreet Kaur, AISA President, Delhi University

She alleged that the ABVP activists tried to bully her by saying ‘tum kya kar rahi ho’, ‘show us your ID card’, ‘we shall not tolerate any anti-national activities here’, ‘Satyawati ko Ramjas nahi ban ne denge’. She resisted by saying that it was her right to visit any college. After this, the ABVP members started shooting her videos on their phones. As she resisted their action, she was abused by Dharam Prakash, whom she alleges as an outsider. “They questioned my nationality, called me a slut”, says Kawalpreet. Meanwhile, one of the students who asked ABVP members to steer clear of her way was also roughed up by them.

Later hearing the commotion, the Principal of the college reached the scene and dispersed the crowd. “He supported me and helped me file a complaint against them”, says Kawalpreet. She expects the police to take strict action against those who advocate for goonda-gardi in the campus.

Image Credits: News Nation

Oorja Tapan

Shri Ram College of Commerce

Sports facilities offered in various University of Delhi colleges

By DU Beat August 17, 2017

The University of Delhi (DU) is regarded as the academic powerhouse of the country. The talented student fraternity, experienced faculty and the incredible exposure that it offers to its students, makes DU what it is. Yet, for all the hype around DU, most people assume that its colleges lack adequate sports facilities. This stereotype is widely spread, despite there being a little truth to it. In fact, most DU colleges offer resources like swimming pools, tennis courts, basketball courts, cricket grounds, etc. Hence, it’s high time we break off this age old myth!

1) Hans Raj College

Shah Rukh Khan’s alma mater offers its students an indoor badminton court, shooting range, lawn tennis court, pistol shooting range, basketball court etc. Often students from other colleges after having acquired adequate permission from the authorities are allowed to practise here and use these resources.
What makes it special – It has a state-of-art gym which can be accessed by Hans Raj students at the cost of 1000 per month. Hans Raj also offers immense opportunities and resources to those dedicated to shooting and archery, an extracurricular that only a few colleges offer.

2) Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW)

IPCW offers a swimming pool, tennis court, basketball court, fitness centre, squash court, badminton court, climbing walls and walking track to its students.
What makes it unique – The swimming pool and lawn tennis facilities can be accessed by students from other colleges for a nominal fee of around 300 per month. IPCW also has a playing arena for differently-abled students, a move which other colleges should adopt as well.

3) Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC)

SRCC is one of the most well-equipped colleges in Delhi University, as far as sporting facilities are concerned. It is home to a centrally air conditioned indoor stadium with a seating capacity of 1200 people. It has been designed for games like badminton, basketball, table tennis and judo.
What makes it unique -The college also offers multiple gyms, a sports injury and rehabilitation centre and a medical room. Students from other colleges can access the swimming pool facilities for a nominal cost.

4) Sri Guru Teg Bahadur (SGTB) Khalsa College

SGTB Khalsa nurtures its athletes exceptionally well. It has a very talented cricket team that has won many laurels.
What makes it unique -a cricket academy also operates on its grounds during the evenings. This academy provides students with an excellent training in cricket, available to non-Khalsa college students as well, for a cost of 1500 per month.

5) Kamala Nehru College (KNC)

KNC offers sports like football, cricket, judo, athletics, basketball and aerobics.
What makes it unique – It has a gym inside its campus which students from Gargi College can access for a reasonable cost of 300-500 per month.

6) St. Stephens College

Stephens has a badminton hall, basketball court, shooting range (10mts air pistol and air rifle), squash court and a swimming pool.
What makes it special- The badminton and squash courts have wooden flooring while the basketball court has synthetic flooring.

7) Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR)

LSR is a pioneer in the field of sports. Sports like archery, basketball, air rifle shooting and volleyball and squash are all prioritised here.
What makes it special- The Dr. Bharat Ram Sports meet. It is not only a prominent sports meet but also the only one hosted by a women’s college that caters to both men and women.

These colleges are not an exception. Most Delhi University colleges have unique sports facilities. If certain colleges lack certain resources, they tie up with other colleges to ensure that their students have access to the same. These grounds have produced athletes and sportspersons who have won laurels at various international platforms and it is the time that they are given their due recognition.

Kinjal Pandey

Arts & Culture

The Great Academic Debate: Honours V/s Programme Courses Debate

By DU Beat August 16, 2017

‘Honours or Programme’ is a big part of the course-selection debate. But what does it actually entail? Here’s a brief look at both of the courses; their advantages and opportunities that await you.

One of the biggest debates around the University of Delhi (DU) courses is the dilemma of choosing between an honours and programme course. Certain courses that are in high demand – like Economics or Psychology – have very high cut-offs, more so in the top-ranked colleges. This can turn some to the programme courses without knowing much about them and lead to awkward attempts of collecting information from long-forgotten school seniors/relatives studying in DU. Often, students (especially the ones who have changed streams) are also unsure of picking a singular subject and apprehensive of sticking with it for three years. But despite the programme departments boasting of a large number of students, little is known about them in detail, leading to misconceptions about its content. Often derided for not being as vast as honours courses, let’s investigate whether the argument has merit (excuse the unintentional marks pun).

Course Structure

While honours courses include a bifurcation of the main course (like macroeconomics and maths for economics), a general elective, and a compulsory course initially, programme courses have a different system. Instead of choosing a single subject, students of B.A. Programme have two subjects (called ‘disciplines’) that can be chosen and the available subjects differ across colleges. For B.Com Programme, a set of papers like Financial Accounting or Business Management are pre-chosen by the department. The aforementioned courses also include studying a compulsory language each semester. B.Sc. Programme courses do not include the compulsory language provision but are instead more of foundational courses for a science subject – such as Chemistry – having three core papers.

Hence, programme courses are more of foundational courses that do not have a very in-depth study of a particular subject unlike their honours counterparts. The total credits under programme courses are 120 while an honours degree is equivalent to 140 credits. However, not all colleges offering postgraduate degrees are strict about the undergraduate credit requirements and this distinction. But, that is not to say that programme courses are not comprehensive. They offer some choice and the freedom to explore within a stream rather than studying a subject continuously for three years, which might be monotonous to some who might be unsure about their future careers. Which, given we are talking about DU, is the case for many.

Future Opportunities

As mentioned, honours courses are more about specialisation. As specialisation in a subject undoubtedly leads to greater knowledge about it, it is preferred by recruiters or post-graduate colleges that offer courses related to it. That does not, however, put the programme students at a very big disadvantage, as their multi-subject knowledge also increases work opportunities. “I chose the programme course over honours as I was unsure of the subject I wanted to pursue my post-graduation in. It also allowed me to pursue my love for Political Science and English simultaneously,” says Kashish, a second-year B.A. Programme student. This dilemma between two different fields is a common reason for the preference of programme courses over their honours counterpart. Further, the focus on two disciplines under B.A. Programme also allows for UPSC exam aspirants to get a head start and also study a regional language, whose nuances are forgotten by many of us post the 10^th grade. For Social Sciences, institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) take entrance exams for consideration; hence the honours/programme distinction doesn’t have much relevance here.

So, if you’re confused torn between subjects you love, have UPSC aspirations, want to explore more, and are uninterested by the thought of studying one subject for your undergraduate years, go for programme. If not, go do the honourable thing (excuse the unintentional course pun).

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Rishika Singh

Arts & Culture

History Deleted from the ‘Books’ Akin to History Deleted from the ‘Minds?’

By DU Beat August 14, 2017

The recent decision by the Maharashtra State Education Board to exclude Mughal history for classes VII and IX and focus on the Marathas and Shivaji has brought to fore various discourses on the way education shapes the young minds.

While attending one of my History classes this semester, my professor gave me the examples of the ‘education agenda’ being propagated by the Arya Samaj and the Christian Missionaries during the Indian National Movement. This was done for the ‘upliftment’ of Indian women (which is again debatable) – how both of them gave their own versions of ‘an ideal woman,’ remaining centric to the idea of how to evolve women into ‘good wives and good mothers.’ But, there was a slight difference in their respective definitions of the ideal woman; the Arya Samaj focussed on the formation of an ‘ideal Hindu woman’ and the missionaries were keen on transforming the Indian women into the ideal ‘Victorian woman’ model. So, through their ways of teaching mechanisms and syllabi, both of them promulgated their own ideologies. This also sheds light on the very recent changes happening across the country – be it the renaming of the iconic Mughalsarai railway station near Varanasi as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Akbar Road as Maharana Pratap Singh Road in New Delhi, or the placement of a tank at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

Renaming iconic places, changing names of roads, and forcing cultural nationalism in educational institutions – all this points to a basic fact of how minds can be ‘hegemonised’ tacitly, and the best way to achieve this is to tamper with the school syllabus. The textbooks of classes VII and IX will now no longer include descriptions about the Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, or the Red Fort built by the Mughals in India; there will be no mention of the Rupaiya that was first introduced by Afghan traders or the first woman to rule Delhi – Razia Sultan – along with the summarisation of Akbar’s rule being concentrated in three lines in the revised textbooks. The books have detailed ilk on the Bofors scam, Emergency period, struggles of Maratha rulers with Aurangzeb, and the portrayal of the medieval Indian history as being dominated by the Hindu Samrajya, which is broadly a skewed version.

Dr. Sadanand More, chairman of the History subject committee of the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research, justified the revision by saying it was relevant for students in Maharashtra. He says, ”The Central Boards have very little mention of our state Maharashtra, so what’s wrong in that?” Some people have validated a very substantive argument that Mughal history is not medieval history in India, and North Indian Mughal history overshadows the Ahom Kings of Assam, the Gonds of Garha Katanga, Deccani paintings and muraqqas in Bijapur (present day- Karnataka), Zamorin or the Hindu ruler of Calicut (Kozhikodhe), the Sangam literature, Bhakti, and Vaishnavite movements, etc. Lessening of Mughal history in school textbooks is maybe a better idea rather than its complete omission to make the students aware of the rest of the subcontinental heritage.

Speaking to my professors and friends from the History department of DU, finally, this brings us to a major thought-provoking question that I asked in the beginning – if you delete history from books, do you really think that you can alter the minds of the people? Of course, the Mughal history remains as relevant in books as in memoirs, archives, museums, architecture and most importantly, people’s memories. The agenda probes a question regarding the way along which we want to lead the young minds – through a tapered ideological strand of thought or a broad-minded, wholesome, and neutral education?

Feature Image Credits: Google

Oorja Tapan

Arts & Culture

Global Zero Event: Indian Activists Show Their Respect for A Victim of Nuclear Bombings in Japan

By DU Beat August 14, 2017

The world changed – for the worse – after it witnessed nuclear bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during the World War II.

72 years later, the situation isn’t any better. With more than 15,000 nuclear weapons in the world, the human race is at an alarming risk of extinction even if a few of them were to be ever launched.

These weapons, if not launched by intent, are at a risk of being launched by accident or miscalculation. To raise awareness and teach citizens about this imminent danger at hand, Global Zero India organized ‘Teach–Ins’ in Delhi and Bangalore on the 72^nd anniversary of Hiroshima bombing on 6^th August, 2017.

These ‘Teach-Ins’ started with a short introduction by Vibhana Kanwar, a Grassroots Team Leader with Global Zero, about the kind of threat and dangers a nuclear war across Indian and Pakistani borders can bring to the table.

Since India and Pakistan are two nuclear-armed countries sharing the same border, the threat of a nuclear war is a very likely possibility. Dr. Reshmi Kazi pointed out later that if Pakistan were to declare a ‘No First Use’ policy, then India, China, and Pakistan could this way form a club – hence, taking the first step towards disarmament.

The day witnessed the presence of many keen Indian activists and participants attending the event, from making origami cranes denoting peace to paying homage to Sadako Sasaki, a victim of the atomic bombings in Japan.

According to Rashi Jauhri, the South Asian Field Organiser with Global Zero, “The existence of nuclear weapons poses an existential threat not only to India and Pakistan but to human civilisation as we know it.”

The participants engaged in public dialogue about the growing risks of nuclear weapons usage, the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences of such use, and the ethical importance of the elimination of these weapons of mass destruction.

At the end of the three-hour event, the participants tweeted the pictures of their handmade origami cranes to PM Modi, using the hashtag #NoNukes.

The origami cranes along with a rakhi were then delivered to the Prime Minister’s office on the 8^th August by Rashi Jauhri and Vibhana Kanwar to commemorate Sadako’s life.

“On the occasion of Rakshabandhan and the tragic anniversary of the atomic bombings, we’re asking the Prime Minister to do everything in his power to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again. The only way to do that is to eliminate them once and for all,” said Jauhri.

Global Zero is the international movement for the elimination of nuclear weapons. It is led by more than 300 eminent world leaders and backed by half a million citizens worldwide. For more information, please visit www.globalzero.org.

Image Credits: Raghav Juneja and Sahil Chauhan for DU Beat

Sahil Chauhan

Top Picks

Migration in University of Delhi

By DU Beat August 11, 2017

Getting into one’s dream college may not always turn out be a reality, but Delhi University gives the aspirants a second chance to migrate to the college of their choice.

The migration procedure in University of Delhi allows students to migrate from one college to another of their choice. It is a boon for those who aimed to get into top colleges but couldn’t due to the high cut-offs. However, it is to be noted that according to University of Delhi, ‘Migration is not a right; it is only a permissive facility and not an obligatory one. It all depends upon both incoming and outgoing Colleges concerned; therefore, the policy of Reservation in Migration for both Inter-College & Inter-University is not applicable.’

The University of Delhi also allows Inter- University migration only on the grounds that the parents or guardian of the student is living in Delhi or has migrated to Delhi. It is applicable for B.A Programme and B.Com Programme students in their third semester. Inter college migration is provided by the University in B.A, B.Com, B.A (Hons), B.Com (Hons) and B.Sc. (Hons) in the 3^rd semester.

There are some general rules and conditions for the process which are as follows:-

Students cannot migrate from a regular college to School of Open Learning(SOL) or Non Collegiate Women’s Education Board(NCWEB)
Students cannot migrate to another college in a different course.
Students cannot migrate in the fifth semester or third year.
Students cannot migrate at the Post-Graduate level.

Only students who have passed both the semesters of first year of degree course under semester mode are eligible. Migration can be sought during the office hours till August 31 (tentatively). There documents that are required are:-

No Objection Certificate from the Head of the College where the student is studying as well as where he/she wants to migrate.
A leaving certificate from the Head of the concerned college.
Mark sheets of the examination already passed.

Feature Image credits- Yo Search

Anukriti Mishra

Karan Singhania

Events

Huma Qureshi and Gurinder Chadha Visit Gargi to Promote Partition: 1947

By DU Beat August 10, 2017

Two eminent personalities – Huma Qureshi, actor, and Gurinder Chadha, British director – reached the premises of Gargi College at 2:30 p.m. on 10th August 2017 and proceeded to the Auditorium immediately. Escorted by their bodyguards and the college’s student council, the two celebrities were welcomed with ear-piercing roars and claps as they began to talk about their upcoming move Partition: 1947.

After being introduced formally by the General Secretary, Huma proceeded to address the Gargi girls. She reminisced about her college days, classrooms, and teachers. She thanked her alma mater and her drama society’s exposure for making her who is she today. She also mentioned that she was a regular at Mithas and CCD across the street.

Huma, expressing her gratitude on working with the established British Punjabi director, welcomed Gurinder warmly to the stage to talk about her new venture. Huma stated that she chanced upon the director’s work in her time at Gargi through its Film Club. She aspired to work with Gurinder since.

The audience witnessed great camaraderie between the two women. At one point, Gurinder spoke fluent Punjabi while Huma fell short of words and started laughing. Gurinder complimented the actor, her talent, and her film character’s fierce strength and grit. It was revealed that the film Viceroy’s House, which has been renamed as Partition: 1947, is based on secret documents which were concealed for a period of 50 years from the public. “Being a mother, it is my duty to teach our children topics in an unbiased manner, which we are trying to accomplish with this film”, said Gurinder Chadha.

A dance performance by Nazzakat and Sparx, the dance societies of Gargi, was presented before the august audience that left everyone mesmerised. At the end of the performance, Huma and Gurinder joined in with the girls to dance on the latest version of Duma Dum Mast Kalandar from their movie.

The director also cleared the air when a question to her asked whether she has always done political films. She said that her films have dealt with political issues in the past such as racism and domestic violence but that this is her first direct film on politics.

In answer to another question, Huma revealed that she had dreams of studying at St. Stephen’s but the dream was shattered due to the lack of examination marks. Eventually, she took admission in Gargi, the college being nearest to her parents’ home. She felt blessed and grateful for coming to Gargi as it shaped her into the woman she is today.

Towards the end of the event, Huma asked the audience to tweet their pictures along with the movie tickets next week and promised to send an individual reply to everyone. The movie releases in cinemas on 18th August.

Photos by Kartik Kher for DU Beat.

Prachi Mehra
[email protected]

DUB Speak

After 16 long years, Delhi University professor acquitted of false sexual harassment charges

By DU Beat August 9, 2017

Two days ago, Delhi High Court exonerated a 75-year-old former Delhi University Professor of a sexual harassment charge 16 years after it was filed against him by two researchers. Professor Satya Pal Narang was also the former head of the Sanskrit Department in 2002 when he was suspended by Delhi University’s Executive Council in a hasty and irresponsible manner, just two years before his retirement. This impetuous and delinquent decision came by the DU’s enquiry committee in March 2002 at a time when there were no rules framed by the university for probing into averments of sexual harassment. Through his counsel, Prof. Narang asserted that the enquiry committee constituted by the Vice Chancellor failed to follow the due process of law when it neither permitted him to explain his charges nor a charge sheet was filed against him and a heedless decision was passed by the Council.

Justice V Kameshwar Rao upheld that the professor must be given all his retirement benefits and ordered the University to clear all his arrears and proclaimed that Narang moved the Court only to obliterate the stigma that was attached to his character and not for any monetary relief. The Court also quashed the University of Delhi’s demand for the matter being reverted to the Council for a fresh hearing as the panel neglected the professor’s right to cross- examine the researchers and failed to provide a copy of the enquiry report. Also, the Court observed that the witnesses, petitioner and the researchers have aged equally and brought this matter to the forefront again would be an embarrassment of all the parties now which is a valid claim.

But, what was the point?

The professor had to go through 16 years of stigmatisation and humiliation and has faced enough injustice throughout all these years. Such matters bring us to the crucial and harrowing questions of vacancies of judges’ posts in Courts, delayed justice, false sexual harassment claims and the recent and larger debate on the Supreme Court order claiming that the law on cruelty against women being misused based on NCRB(National Crime Records Bureau) data. Instead of emasculating the law to contain violence in the family under Section498A of the Indian Penal Code believing that ‘all’ victims make erroneous claims and innocent men are jailed or defamed, we need to look into the proper functioning of law and the courts and ensure availability of justice to both the accused and the victims. Though this case did not occur within the family, it brings us to the larger question of striking a balance within the principle of fairness. This leads us to conclude firstly, that the law should continue to tilt in the favour of wronged women as a progressive intervention, without unjustly wronging men.

This late judgement and the reckless management by the Executive Council also leads us to the second conclusion that justice delayed is justice denied and the 16 years of trauma and stigma could not be easily revoked.

Feature Image Credits: justiceinschools.org

Oorja Tapan

Uncategorized

Neha Dhupia visits her alma mater JMC for a candid conversation

By DU Beat August 9, 2017

Amid delays and apprehensions, Jesus and Mary College played host to famous actor and alumnus of the college Neha Dhupia, for a short interactive session.

Amid delays and apprehensions, Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi, played host to famous actor Neha Dhupia for a short interactive session. A proud alumnus of the college, Neha graduated from JMC with a Bachelor’s degree in History, and went on to represent India at the Miss Universe Pageant in 2002.

Since this is probably a first in years for JMC to witness a Bollywood celebrity in its vicinity, the event saw a huge turnup of around 150 girls who had been waiting eagerly despite the long delay.

After a quick dialogue with the college’s principal, Dr. Sr Rosily T.L. r.j.m, she greeted a large gathering which welcomed her with loud cheers and a thunderous applause. The event kicked off on a vibrant note with Mudra, the Western Dance Society of JMC, displaying a commendable dance performance. The murmurs following the dance performance were put to rest, when Neha was finally invited on the dias to address the gathering.

Reminiscing her days at college, she recollected her favourite spots in the campus and spoke fondly of her erstwhile aspiration to become an IAS officer. For her, getting an opportunity of taking a break from the studio walls and greenrooms is vital to any actor or artist. During her speech, she mentioned, “One of the biggest rewards of my career has been to come back to a room full of girls like you.”

She insisted on having an interactive conversation with the audience and went on to talked about her latest venture, a podcast series available on Saavn by the name of NoFilterNeha, Season 2. Her address was followed by a short Q&A session where she revealed her ever declining attendance during college days and spoke of her time at the reality show, Roadies.

In her concluding note, she advised the audience to “go with the flow, make the most out of the opportunities, and don’t live under pressure.” The organizing team felicitated her with a token of appreciation and invited her to be a guest for JMC’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, that are expected to begin from October this year.

Feature Image credits: Instagram

Vijeata Balani