A young student, currently enrolled at the University of Delhi, received 38 stitches on her waist after she was brutally attacked with supposedly a blade by an unidentified youth. The incident took place on a Thursday afternoon in North Delhi’s Timarpur.
The first-year student from Zakir Hussain Delhi College was on her way to college around 3 pm. She was walking along a lake in Nehru Vihar when the attack took place. The Police has been speculating that it was an offense committed by a stalker, but the Delhi Police Commissioner of North Delhi, Jatin Narwal, has so far ruled that out after the probe which involved speaking to the victim in detail. “It appears to be the work of a thief who may have tried to snatch her bag to rob it,” said the officer to the Hindustan Times.
The 18-year old woman further quoted that she remembered seeing the suspect with some other young men in her neighbourhood a couple of times in the last few days, but his activities never elicited substantial suspicions.
“A youth in his early 20s approached me from behind and attacked my waist with a sharp object. He ran away immediately after that,” she said, describing the gruesome incident. On seeing her profusely bleeding, a few passersby called the police. By the time the police arrived, she was already rushed to the hospital. “I received a long cut on my waist and was given 38 stitches. But now I am recovering”, the woman commented.
The Commissioner expressed the strong likelihood of catching the culprit, and remarked, “We have strong clues about his identity and hope to arrest him soon.”
A “Poetry Procession” was organized by All India Student’s Association(AISA) at the University Of Delhi on 4th August (Friday). Students and AISA activists took out a poetry march with the theme “Harmony shall win.’ The march visited Ramjas College, Hindu College & Kirori Mal College protesting against the allegedly growing number of violent incidents on campus, reported Hindustan Times.
The students’ march from the front gate of Arts Faculty was followed by a large number of alert policemen, many of them in riot gear. Raising banners and singing songs, the marchers reached Ramjas College and took their procession inside the College campus.
When the participants entered Ramjas College, they were met by protests by members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), who shouted slogans like “anti-national AISA get out of campus.” Slogans of “AISA campus chodo” and “Deshdrohi naare lagane walon, wapas jao” were also heard. Police officers accompanying the procession prevented any untoward incident.
While speaking to Hindustan Times Saket Bahuguna, the National media convener of ABVP denied the presence of any ABVP activists there and said that the resisting students were probably Ramjas Students. But one of the ABVP members Sudhir Dedha while speaking to Times of India accepted the fact that it was ABVP members who protested against the march. He said, “We will not tolerate their presence and will keep protesting against them.’
At Hindu College, the students were not allowed to enter the premises hence they registered their protest by singing songs and reading poetry outside the college gates. Hindu College principal Anju Shrivastava, however, said she had been busy at the time and was not even aware of the protest at the college gates or that they were denied entry.
Meanwhile speaking to Hindustan Times about the reason behind the protests, Kawalpreet Kaur said “We wanted to break the silence, that is borne out of fear amongst many in Delhi University Campus. In the light of what has happened in Ramjas, SRCC, and other DU colleges, we wanted to convey a message that violence on campus cannot be normalized.”
Lack of commercial significance and unwillingness of students to pursue the language courses has resulted in fewer students opting for these fields; primarily, Hindi and Sanskrit. Here’s exploring the reason behind this pattern.
The academic world has been taken by storm by the prominent rise of Commerce and Economics as primary fields of higher education. It is thus inevitably assumed that if the class XIIth board examinations do not go in one’s favour, the recent pass-out is fated to opt for these language-specific arts courses as a browbeaten backup. The streams of Hindi, Sanskrit, and their likes have been destined to fall into this unfortunate category.
With its origin dating back to the second millennium, Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages to exist today. Emerging from the roots of it is our official language Hindi, which was derived back in the 7th century AD. Hindi is the fourth most-spoken language, with approximately 490 million people making use of it. Sanskrit is the official state language of Uttarakhand. Given their history and usage, there are hardly a few more languages that are as decorated as these two.
However, when it comes to studying these subjects at the undergraduate level, the numbers aren’t as staggering as that of the commerce courses. In the University of Delhi, there are about 45 colleges that offer B.A. (Hons.) Hindi, and only about 25 colleges that offer B.A. (Hons.) Sanskrit. Even after a limited number of seats for these courses, the seats fill up rather slowly. However, having said that, there has been an increase in the number of students pursuing these courses in the recent years.
Speaking to DU Beat, Dr. Subhash Chandra, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sanskrit, said
“The slow growth is due to the high demand of job-oriented courses in the market. The research and development in these subjects require students who are completely focused on these subjects which are very few.”
It cannot be refuted that the commercial significance of these languages is not as high as the commerce courses. Also, the lack of placements of students pursuing these courses is a huge factor contributing to the stagnation.
In this age of advancement, it is understandable that students want to pursue courses that offer better career-building prospects. The kind of scope and number of opportunities that the mainstream courses provide are incomparable; whereas, these language courses are more about research and exploration. Also, these courses require immense effort and a higher degree of knowledge which results in a long and continuous studying phase. However, these are not the only reasons that act as a hindrance. Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Associate Professor of Hindi Department, opines that
“Hindi and Sanskrit languages cannot restore their place as long as there is no change in the system. Our studying curriculum involves the use of English mostly as it is regarded as an elite language.”
The fact that a few students opt for these courses only when they are unable to find other courses does not help the situation. The use of English in studying directly encourages students to learn and use English. As highlighted in the statement, the discrimination of Hindi and Sanskrit very much explains why there is a scenario of fewer students opting for these courses.
Regardless of the usage of English, the fact stays that it is a secondary language for us. Owing to the choice-based credit system (CBCS) introduced by DU, the number of students studying Hindi and Sanskrit have increased. Students pursuing other courses can opt for these subjects simultaneously if they wish to. Also, these languages are a part of the curriculum which makes it compulsory for students to study it. Adarsh Kumar, a third-year student of B.A. Hons. Hindi of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College says,
“I don’t feel like there is a lack of opportunities in this program. The course covers a lot of things and I have learned a lot of things. I am very happy with the curriculum.”
Maybe we need to revamp the current backdrop to bring a change. Maybe we just need to open up doors of opportunities that make the language courses seem lucrative. Maybe we need something more drastic. We need to take this trend of increasing number of students in these courses to a higher level, where one day students might be standing in the queue for hours to enroll themselves in this program. Hopefully, one day, we can relish studying the language that is our own.
After nearly five months of the incident of obstruction of a seminar and the subsequent violence at Ramjas College that followed, the issue has taken a new turn. In a recent Action Taken Report(ATR) filed by the Delhi Police in the court, it was initially reported by some news papers that professors who led the protest against ABVP allegedly raised anti-national slogans. The Delhi Police report, submitted by the joint commissioner, in regard to the earlier court report, stated that some of the administrative staff and professors were also a part of the protest. The videos were later found to be fake by Delhi Police.
The professors were accused of shouting anti nationalist slogans, “Hum Kya Mange Azadi”, “Kashmir Mange Azadi”. Delhi Police had initially named five faculty members for leading the protest march in which the slogans were raised. They were Dr Devraj Mookherjee, Mukul Manglik, Vinita Chandra, NA Jacob, and Benu Lal. Speaking to DU Beat Dr Mookherjee said he wasn’t even part of the protest. “The police put it wrong, I was not there and everyone knows that. The entire college knows that. I did not happen to be a part of that march. So, I am not a witness to the particular slogan hearing incident”, he said denying the charges.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity a student of the college who doesn’t have any political affiliations said that the protestors were chanting “Meethi Meethi Azadi”, “ Pyaari Pyaari Azadi” which got misinterpreted to anti nationalist slogans and was misused in the doctored video. “The accusations are entirely baseless,” said the student.
After the video was found to be doctored, Police Officials said that they would send other videos for forensic examination as well. Speaking to the Hindu, deputy commissioner of Police, Madhur Verma, said that the clip was an amalgamation of the Ramjas Protest, speeches by JNU student Umar Khalid and other incidents and the Police department has asked media sources for a raw and authentic footage of the protests.
Kerala government’s recent effort to ensure menstrual hygiene, the much thought out ‘She Pad’ scheme was announced last month by the Chief Minister of the state, Mr. Pinnarayi Vijayan. Subsequently, the Students’ Federation of India, the students’ wing of CPI(M) has also led a wider campaign with the tag, “Bleed Without Fear” in the University of Delhi; demanding installation of sanitary napkin vending machines.
The scene unfolded on a Monday morning was as such: the sight of the entire campus walls and trees pasted with sanitary napkins and the slogan, “Bleed without Fear.” A multitude of students from premier institutes like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and most colleges of the University of Delhi have extended their support to the campaigns led by SFI.
Image Credits: Prashant MukherjeeA signature campaign has also been initiated for the same demand. This campaign is generating great enthusiasm among the students in the campus. Hundreds of students have signed up as volunteers for the campaign in the last one week.
Image Credits: Prashant Mukherjee“Our demand was not only against the high GST tax on the pads, but our #BleedWithoutFear also stands for the menstrual hygienic health of the female community. Every school and college should install sanitary napkin vending machines with good quality of pads with an environment safely disposal mechanism,” said Satarupa Chakraborty, a member of SFI to the Indian Express.
Image Credits: Prashant MukherjeeAbout a month back, more than 300 female students affiliated with SFI sent sanitary napkins to the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The napkins with the slogan ‘bleed without fear, bleed without tax’ on them were sent to protest against the imposition of 12% tax as per GST.
This particular incident at the University of Delhi has been SFI’s endeavour to bring the campaign and protest on a national platform.
Recently, the Ambedkar-Ganguly Students House for Women shifted its curfew timings from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m. Students dissented but refrained from protesting in the fear that their hostel seat would be taken away from them.
The hostel provides accommodation to postgraduate DU students with a majority of the seats reserved for the students of Delhi School of Economics (DSE) and ST and SC categories. The unilateral change in the curfew timings was brought about by the hostel warden, K. Ratnabali, without any consultations with the elected Students Welfare Association. This could be an act of violation of the regulations of the University Grants Commission that occupies the position of the law in the collegiate space. The regulations put forward by the UGC deny safety as an excuse to restrict mobilisation among female students. There were further rules proclaiming that “Students cannot interfere while authorities make or modify rules”, thus paralysing all participation of the students in the management committees.
Pinjra Tod, a students’ collective that focuses on the right to freedom and fights sexism in university spaces, said:
Such infantilisation of university students is unacceptable! When it was pointed out that this act is a violation of UGC guidelines, the authorities focused their energies to silence protests rather than addressing legitimate concerns of students. They deployed pressure tactics such as:
– Denial of University housing and using it as a threat to silence/discourage dissenting voices from surfacing.
– Denial of democratic participation in the process of drafting of hostel rules.
– Forcing students to ratify the rules stated in the handbook which have been surreptitiously altered to deny residents any participation in the rule-making process!
– Forcing students to sign affidavits and undertakings that amount to waiving off their right to protest as a precondition to securing a hostel seat.
The victimisation of dissenting voices among students and infringement of their democratic fundamental rights have always been contentious situations across university spaces because of which harassment, oppression, abuse, and even coercion often remains unreported.
Looking further into the issue, an emergency general body meeting was held by the Warden, where she explained that the rules were being misinterpreted. One could come in till 4 a.m. after the 9 p.m. curfew, which would be regarded as a late night.
A resident of the hostel stated, “We thought that our exit timing was shifted from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m. Basically that is true that once you sign the attendance by 9 p.m., you cannot exit. But we did not have any idea about this late-night thing. So, she (warden) was like if you people had a problem or wanted clarification why didn’t you approach us. We were planning to do so but as people were not readmitted to the hostel yet, we couldn’t decide which will be the right time to approach her. As the rule book says, you cannot question authority. I really don’t know whether it was a consequence or we genuinely misinterpreted it.”
The residents are currently waiting for a written resolution to dissolve this ambiguity.
Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister for the Delhi government decided to cut government funding to 28 Delhi University colleges on Monday. Twelve of the aforementioned colleges are completely dependent on funds from the Delhi government. The decision was taken after the colleges failed to create a governing body which would regulate them and look into their finances. To protest against this, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad gathered near the Faculty of Arts today. ABVP students burnt a dummy representing Sisodia in order to express their outrage at his decision.
While Sisodia insists that he took this decision because of the delay in the creation of a governing body, ABVP claims that it is a threat to the reputation of the University and the well-being of its students. While speaking to DU Beat, DUSU President Amit Tanwar described this decision as a gamble with the future of students. He insists that ABVP would not back down from its demand that this decision be reversed. He also revealed that the organisation is willing to go to the residences of the Chief and Deputy Chief Ministers themselves if that means getting the students and colleges justice.
A considerable number of police officers were present at the location in order to maintain law and order and prevent the possibility of a violent outbreak. The National Democratic Teacher’s Federation (NDTF) also protested against the same decision at the Faculty of Arts. Slogans like “Manish Sisodia down down” could be seen on the placards being waived around. While opposition against this decision is strong, Sisodia insists that it was taken to prevent corruption and has even ordered a Comptroller and Auditor General audit into the 28 colleges for the same.
What remains to be seen is whether the Delhi government will soften its stance, and if it doesn’t, for how long will ABVP and NDFT protest against the issue? What happens to the 28 colleges and its students and how long will they be able to sustain themselves with the funds that they have?
The Union Human Resource Development Minister Mr. Prakash Javadekar was addressing a gathering at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College at a programme on higher education, organised by the Akhil Bhartiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasanga (ABRSM).
Mr. Javadekar, on Saturday, said college teachers will no longer have to compulsorily conduct research to be eligible for promotions. Instead, they can choose to engage in a community or student-related activity, based on which they will be assessed.
“We are going to do away with the mandatory clause of research for college teachers seeking promotions,” Javadekar said. “An official announcement in this regard will follow soon. Instead of that, I want teachers to be engaged in student activity. We will make one community activity or student activity mandatory,” he added.
Mandatory research for college teachers has brought down the quality of research, Javadekar said. The research will continue to remain mandatory for university professors who guide M Phil and Ph.D. scholars.
Mr. Javedkar addressed the curse of “ad-hocism” prevalent in DU and promised “completing the process of regular appointments within a year.” He also insisted that long serving ad-hoc teachers compete in the recruitment process.
He promised that the 7th Pay Commission recommendations would be implemented for the teaching community “very soon.”
Some of the points of his speech ranged the bell of concern in the mind of teachers. He has made up his mind to introduce compulsory student feedback in API calculations for promotions. He has insisted to linking funding of institutions to performance. He made up his mind to introduce “graded Autonomy” for institutions. He has threatened to shut down the colleges that are not able to perform well as per NAAC and NIRF. He has made up his mind that Grant Funding of Institutions has to be replaced by Loan Funding through HEFA.
ABSRM, which has contributed an NDTF presidential candidate for the DUTA election welcomed the speech but DTF’s candidate is skeptical about the speech. He believes there should have been questions on Mr. Javedkar’s speech and should have tried making government more accountable.
When we talk about the University of Delhi, the idea that it is a world of its own springs to our head. You see people from all over, scattered yet together. The educational hub is also the center of accommodation for thousands of students every year; dispersed in hostels, PGs, and flats. With its abundant resources and the plethora of markets, the north campus is dotted with shops to get the little, essential, and trivial things done with immediacy.
Have a look at the places of importance located on the campus to help you overcome those logistical hurdles!
Patel Chest
Image Credits: Hindustan Times
The bustling lane situated between the crossing of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College and Patel Chest Institute is where all our stationery/photocopy/reading material problems are resolved. You can get photocopies in bulk for a really cheap bargain, along with that last-minute folder or print-out you might need for your internal submission!
Post Office
Image Credits: DNA India
The written medium shall always thrive, and to cater to the Messenger services of those who reside within the campus, the nearest post offices on campus are two. First, in the lane that runs opposite to gate no. 1 of Hansraj College. Second, the lane opposite to the back entrance of Sparks Mall, Kamla Nagar. Post away!
The Photocopy Shop, Hindu College
Image Credits: The Indian Express
Some subjects or papers might not offer tailour-made resources for the student to delve into. Fear not, for photocopy shops like that in Hindu College, proffer reading material at cheap prices. Any study material, notes, even photocopies of books and guides are available here at a moment’s notice!
The Many Canteens of DU
HT Campus
From the masala coke, kadak chai, egg curry of DSE to the South Indian delicacies of Anna’s Dhaaba (PG Men’s Hostel) and Pandit Ji ke paranthe, you can find multiple ranges of eatables for you to fill the tummy to its fullest (because of their herculean quantity). Also, try your taste buds with the sprawling canteens of Mansarovar Hostel and Hindu College.
24/7, Malka Ganj Chowk
Image Credits: 24/7 Blog
Even at 3 in the night, if you need anything from groceries to personal grooming essentials, this is the place for you. 24/7 is tucked away on the vibrant street leading to Malka Ganj chowk. Get ready to shop, until you drop!
CentralLibrary
Image Credits: Mayoor School
From wide ranging books on all subjects and disciplines, it not only provides access to study reference materials, but its quiet environment also gives a place where one can read without any disturbance. The library lies just opposite to the Arts Faculty.
The KamlaNagar Market
Image Credits: mydala blog
The first place everyone knows about once they step foot here? Yes, the famous Kamla Nagar. It is the hub of every commodity you can think of in your wildest dreams. You can get anything and everything here; from the basics to the very particular requirements.
Laundry
Image Credits: Justdial
There are so many laundries on campus which charge you based on the kilograms of clothes you want to get washed. R laundry in Kamla, Dhobi Mart in Hudson etc. are popular spots to visit!
Police Station
Image Credits: DNA India
Safety trumps everything. The nearest police station is that of Maurice Nagar. The police inspectors are very friendly; so feel free to go and report about any issue that perturbs you.
Now that you are in DU, there will come a lot of occasions which will call for parties or get-togethers with appetising food. Hudson Lane is the landmark to be at! Starting from the Big Yellow Door (BYD), Taxi, Mama’s Buoi, Phonebooth, Flames, and much more, get ready to be served an array of dishes on your table!
Be sure keep these places at your fingertips, and you’ll have the key to survival for one of the most vibrant and beautiful campuses of the country!
With a silver and a bronze medal, India witnessed an increase in its medal tally at this year’s World Para Athletics Championship, from three medals to five. High Jumpers Sharad Kumar and Varun Bhati won silver and bronze medal respectively.Sharad Kumar is an alumnus of Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College. Even a 13 degree drop in the temperature at London couldn’t stop the Indian athletes. With a 1.84m high jump, Sharad Kumar recorded his career- best, coming second to USA’s Sam Gwewe only by a margin of 0.02m. Another moment of glory for India came from Bhati’s fine performance. Bhati successfully completed his jump with a recorded height of 1.77m. Both of the athletes were happy with their performance but expressed their desire to do better and win the gold next time.
Source: DNA India
“It feels good but I thought I’d jump higher than this. I’d come here chasing a gold medal, but I’ll have to make do with silver,” Sharad quoted after the win. However, Bhati seemed quite disappointed with his performance. With a dissatisfied expression he said,” My performance wasn’t the greatest but a medal is a medal. I’m not completely satisfied with my own performance.”
Source: DNA India
The heavy rains proved to be a hindrance for some athletes and some believed it prevented them from giving their best. Bhati reacted to the heavy rains by saying,” it’s quite cold so the circulation in my left leg is quite sluggish. That makes it very stiff, and that makes things difficult. But nevertheless I jumped 1.77m in this cold weather, which is my best effort in this kind of climate.” Sharad too felt the impact of the heavy rains on his performance and addressed it,” As long as we are warmed up well, it’s a beautiful weather to jump. The only reason we were having trouble was because we are one legged jumpers and the ground becomes slippery due to rain. Otherwise, it was fine for us.”
India’s medal account opened with Sundar Singh Gupta’ gold at the javelin throw event. Amit Saroha followed with a silver medal just two days later in the F-51 category. Just a day apart, Karamjyoti Dalal won a bronze medal in Wome’s F55 category. Twitter was flooded with congratulatory wishes for the winners. This year proved to be a great one for the athletes.
