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Arts & Culture

Political Discourse and Friendships: How to Deal with the Conflict

By DU Beat May 3, 2020

Last night, I was involved in a heated argument with my school friend over the government’s efforts in containing the novel coronavirus in India. It started off as a healthy discussion as to what can be done to better the current situation but soon turned into a politically charged conversation. Now, that’s not us. Back in school, all that we discussed was cricket and WWE. Politics was never on the table. It was never meant to be but now that it is, learning to live with it is the only option left.

This is not the first time I have come across such situations. India has become a breeding ground of controversies since December 2019 when the amended Citizenship Act came into being. Nationwide protests, gruesome violence, student dissent took the centre stage. All this was followed by the worst riots Delhi has experienced in over 36 years. Escaping confrontations becomes difficult when so much happens so fast. I have had people agreeing with my opinions and others, discarding them. There’s always resistance, but when it is your friend opposing your point of view, it can be a hard pill to swallow. Why are we friends with anyone anyway? Largely because of the similarity in our thoughts and views. But when that common link seems doubtful, conflicts arise. You start doubting your friendship and it adversely affects you, mentally, socially, emotionally. All of this is accompanied by the urgent need to prove yourself right and the other, horribly wrong. A discussion that could have been fruitful turns unhealthy and violent. And to be honest, there’s no way to avoid these conflicts. Either you’ll choose friendship over your beliefs or vice-versa. Irrespective of the choice, you’ll be losing something valuable. So is there a middle ground? How do we deal with such conflicts?

Here are two things that, in my opinion, can put things into perspective:

Respecting Opinions

No matter how flawed their narratives may seem, you must learn to respect their opinions. Their choice of political parties/leaders/policies might not go down well with you but we must realise that everyone is entitled to think and process the way they do. That is exactly what we call a democracy, a concept that is not only fading away from India but many other countries as well. Our friends might support controversial judgements and legislations but rather than indulging in unhealthy and heated discourses, backing your arguments with logic and facts and presenting them with compassion is the way forward. And if this doesn’t work, try the next step.

Acceptance

One can always persuade the other into believing that his/her argument makes more sense but in the end, it’s always better to accept that people think and react differently. And those beliefs are a result of many variables, one of which, is privilege. The more privileged you are, more often than not, you’ll side with those in power. Privilege makes a man overlook the otherwise evident truth. In a nutshell, accept the fact that you and your friend differ in your politics and that consequently affects your bonding.

And all of this is not limited to friendships and can be extended to many other relationships as well. They might be your own relatives or family friends or boyfriends/girlfriends. So the next time you discuss politics with your dear one, do so with kindness and logic, the two cornerstones of a fruitful discussion.

Featured Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Ayaan Khan is a 1st-year student pursuing a Bachelor’s in Statistics (H) at Ramjas College, University of Delhi. He’s particularly interested in Journalism and Poetry.

DUB Speak

A Death In The Gunj: The Silencing Of Journalism

An alleged attack on a token journalist happens, and it finds potential to divert the enumerable actual attacks on other journalists which have never been highlighted with half the importance into silence.

Not that people already couldn’t care less about journalists getting killed or harrased, all the attention of such matters has been credited to one person who would appear in all major searches, if one inputs, ‘attack on journalists’ as keywords.

Given the state of the fourth pillar of democracy in our country, whose performance is reflected in it’s awesome rankings, there’s no denying the fact that journalism has faced a heavy blow. India ranks 142nd out of 180 countries on Freedom of Press Index as of 2020 and it keeps getting worse every successive year. The Committee to Protect Journalism (CPJ), reported that our nation ranks 14th among states where journalists are murdered and killers go free. A study titled, “Getting Away With Murder,” revealed that 21 journalists were killed between 2014-19, and not a single conviction has taken place since 2014 against the targeted attacks on journalists for thier investigative works. Looks like the convicts have a licence to kill, but who gives them this license?

The study mentioned earlier reported that the list of perpetrators who attack journalists is inclusive of government agencies, security forces, political parties, local mafia, etc. A very basic inference from such a study is suggestive of the malign intention of the people in power who wish to dastardly silence the ones who dare to speak. Therefore to swift them into silence is the most viable and lucrative alternative.

Interestingly, silencing can be done in a legal way as well. Kashmiri photojournalist Masrat Zahra whose works have been published by Al Jazeera, Washington Post, The Caravan, etc was recently booked under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), which is an anti terror law resembling the Rowlatt Act of 1919. The pictures clicked by the Zahra were deemed to glorify “anti-national” sentiments and dent the image of law enforcing bodies, (the same bodies who are accused of terrorising journalists). Another journalist Gowhar Geelani, who has been heavily vocal about assault on journalism and state of Kashmir was also booked under the same act and there’s an FIR filed against The Hindu’s Srinagar correspondent-Peerzada Ashiq as well. However, Kapil Gujjar and Komal Pandey who have actually managed to terrorise people are living freely. Dalals who masquerade as journalists and spread fake news, instigate communalism, and spread Islamophobia everyday have no trials against them. Looks like there’s a pattern which is adhered to while earmarking as to who gets to be labelled as “anti-national’ and faces contempt of court.

If physical harassment is not enough, defamation cases are filed, spyware attacks are aimed, and mental harassment is dispensed through threat calls and trolling. Journalists are paying a very heavy price for doing their jobs and a growing intolerance towards independent media has landed a lot in hospitals, prisons, courts, and obituaries. From Gauri Lankesh to Shujaat Bukhari to Navin Nishchal to Sandeep Sharma, and to all other journalists who have lost their lives while reporting, current media should remember them, and hang their heads in shame every time they buckle under and tandem to the Power- which is the sole reason for a peevish state of journalism today.

Feature Image Credits: NYC Street Art

Umaima Khanam

Coronavirus

Will PM CARES Provide the Needed Care?

Since the announcement for the creation of PM CARES two things have come in abundance, funds and criticisms. So, is the fund for the good of the nation or the netas? Read on to find out.

PM Modi announced the creation of a new fund, the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund or PM-CARES Fund on March 28th. Since this announcement money has poured in from around the nation. However, in addition to money, criticisms of the fund have also been pouring in.

The main criticism directed at this fund was a question on its existence and need. The critiques say that PMNRF or Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, from whom PM Cares borrows its structure, should have been used. But before diving deeper, let us know the two funds.

What is PM-Cares Fund?

The fund was created specifically for the current pandemic. The government stated that due to the magnitude of the coronavirus pandemic, the fund has been created exclusively to fight this outbreak. Officially the fund ‘is to be used for combating, containment and relief efforts against the coronavirus outbreak and similar pandemic like situations in the future.’

Barely a week after the fund was set up, donations pledged to it have crossed over Rs 6,500 crore more than three times its counterpart PMNRF got in the years 2014-15 and 2018-19. Similar to PMNRF, PM Cares is a 100% donation based fund. In addition to this donations to the fund by corporates will be exempted under the Income Tax, 1961 and are also counted as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure. The officials further stated that to spend from the Consolidated Fund of India, the Parliament’s approval was required while a donation-based fund did not have any such legislative concerns.

According to the PM Cares fund website, “the Prime Minister is the ex-officio (by virtue of one’s position or status) Chairman of the Fund while the Minister of Defence, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Finance are ex-officio Trustees of the Fund. The Chairperson of the Board of Trustees (Prime Minister) shall have the power to nominate three trustees to the Board of Trustees who shall be eminent persons in the field of research, health, science, social work, law, public administration and philanthropy. Any person appointed a Trustee shall act in a pro bono (work undertaken voluntarily and without payment) capacity.”

PMNRF: The Case of the CounterpartT

he Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund or PMNRF was established on January 1948 by the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru. The fund was established to help the people who were victims of mass migration and violence post-independence. Through the passage of time the fund evolved to help the victims of riots, floods, tsunamis, naxal attacks and the fund is also used to sponsor medical treatment of the needy. The fund was used extensively to provide support for victims of 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Uttarakhand floods 2013, cyclone in Kerala and Lakshadweep, 2014 violence in Assam, Madhya Pradesh explosion 2015, Tamil Nadu floods 2015 etc.

The PMNRF, before 1985 was a trust consisting of the following people in its board:

Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
President of the Indian National Congress
Finance Minister
A representative of the Tata Trustees
A member of industry and commerce, as decided by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

However, after the year 1985, this structure of the fund was changed by the Rajiv Gandhi government. The fund has since been functioning under the discretion and directions of the prime minister. According to the information provided by the fund, the prime minister is the secretary of the fund, assisted by a joint-secretary and an officer of the rank of director, all on an honorary basis. In short the PM has sole discretion over its use.

The Concerns

Several people including political parties like the Indian National Congress, Shiv Sena, and Trinamool Congress. Etc. have raised concerns related to this fund. The first concern is the need for a new fund when one, i.e. PMNRF, already exists. To this concern the government officials stated that PM Cares was established exclusively for fighting the pandemic due to its magnitude and PMNRF fund has not been closed but still remains very much functional.

Secondly, the auditing of the fund by independent auditors and not the CAG raised many eyebrows. However, both PMNRF as well as PM CARES are donation based funds and hence do not qualify for CAG auditing. Further the government has still not made the charter and other information like collection and expenditure of the fund public. In addition to this it is a valid point that the central government should have encouraged donations to state funds. As many states governments are seeing their revenue incomes dry up due to low consumption of oil as well as liquor and are hence in dire need of funds.

Various questions on the legality of the fund were also raised. However they were put to rest after the Supreme Court of India dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Manohar Lal Sharma for questioning the legality of the constitution of PM CARES Fund for COVID-19.

Abhinandan Kaul, a student of St. Stephen’s College, says, ”Public participation is the key to mitigate issues facing our nation and society. PM Cares puts this very fundamental idea in action by enabling micro-donations allowing not only prominent celebrities and businessmen but also ordinary people of the country to contribute with small amounts of money too as a result of which more than 40 crore Indians have been able to send in donations. Hence in my opinion, PM cares is a very well-conceived idea for Indians to come together and fight against Covid-19!”
Akshat Singh Rathore, a student of Shri Venkateshwara College, says, “Even though I think that the government is doing commendable work battling this virus. But, the PM CARES is shady in many terms. If the government is taking donations from us then we as citizens have a right to know as to where our money goes. And if they are all clean then this shouldn’t be a problem.”
The effectiveness of this fund will come to light in coming days. But it is rather astounding that all of India came together to fight this global pandemic. The government has to answer many concerns related to fund and till then all of the nation should support their respective governments and authorities to be victorious in the battle against this wretched virus.

Featured Image Credits: PM Cares
(Arre.co.in)

Aniket Singh Chauhan

DUB News

Students Raise Concerns as UGC puts Recommendations

Recommendations by UGC’s Expert Committee surface differing concerns. A fraction of students desire abrogation of examinations amid the Pandemic scare; while some urge preponement of examinations.

On 27th April 2020, an Expert Committee, headed by Professor R.C. Kuhad, was constituted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown to delve into the issues related Examinations and the Academic Calendar to avoid academic loss and take appropriate measures for the future of students. Although an advisory in nature, the suggestions have sparked varying concerns.

One of the suggestions put forth by the committee was- conducting examinations for students (who have terminal semester) in July. This proposition has turned out to be a cause of concern. Some students at University of Delhi have, in turn, appealed to the UGC, to conduct the final semester exams in May instead of July as the delay would render negative consequences for students who were supposed to start working from July 2020; given that several companies may give preference to students from other colleges who have already written their exams.
“It [delay] is causing a lot of mental distress because a lot of MNCs will revoke job offers for those who will not be able to get their provisional degrees by July,” said a PG student who wished to remain anonymous.

On the other hand students have also stated their concerns about conducting examinations amid the pandemic scare. A message circulated in the WhatsApp groups of one the colleges affiliated to the University of Delhi which raised similar concerns and have started an initiative to a write letter to the concerned authorities-
“To say that we have been shaken by the circumstances around us would be an understatement. The given circumstances add to the social, academic, and professional pressure being faced by each one of us. Amidst this, the idea of sitting for examinations is scary. Therefore, being the primary stakeholders, we are writing to the UGC, University of Delhi, and the HRD ministry, asking them to cancel our examinations.”

The letter also furnished alternatives such as changes in the pattern of evaluation such as constitute 50% of students’ marks, with the remainder 50% marks being derived from the students’ previous 5 batches of examinations. Alternatively, following the 25-75 marks ratio followed by Delhi University, derivation of 25% marks from the Internal Assessment conducted in the current academic year (2019-20), and the rest 75% marks represented by an average of the theory examinations attempted by the students in previous semesters. Thirdly, 10% increase in the average marks being derived from previous theory examinations. Fourthly, degrees awarded to final year students must necessarily display the fact that students underwent an interrupted final semester/year due to a global pandemic. Lastly, final year students should still have access to improvement examinations in the foreseeable future for their respective subjects.

The committee’s output is not final and binding hence, further developments and conclusions on the matter are awaited.

Featured Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Priyanshi Banerjee

Farewell Season

The Journey of A Lifetime: Signing Off, Editor-In-Chief 2019-20

Here are a few words by Anoushka Sharma, Editor-In-Chief, DU Beat, sharing the experiences which built her journey, as she bids adieu to this family. While this journey comes to an end, the memories last forever.

On 6^th July 2018, while scrolling through my Facebook feed, I came across a post by DU Beat which read “DU Beat is hiring Correspondents”. Back then, I was very hesitant to apply, but applied anyway and today I can proudly say that was the best decision of my college life.

I was recruited as a correspondent in July and soon began my love for writing news reports and covering protests. I remember talking to my Editor and giving her ‘live updates’ from the Delhi University Students’ Union vote counting day in September 2019. I remember being with my fellow DUBsters, walking in the heat all tired and hungry, covering every nook and corner of the place, and then leaving with a big smile on our faces because we had covered the vote counting day properly (even though the results did not come out during the day). I was soon promoted as a copy-editor and then began my journey of being on countless WhatsApp groups, calls, discussions, and meetings. It took me some time to realise that the two DUB WhatsApp groups I had on my phone were now nearly 12, and the mailbox which seemed empty, was now flooded with unedited articles, graphics, and photographs to be scheduled for the day. Antaragni, the cultural fest of IIT Kanpur was the most memorable event for me. It holds so many memories for the team. That was the outstation coverage which made me realise that this DU Beat is not just any organisation, but my new family. There are many instances like this, which I could probably talk about and not write, because if I start doing so, this goodbye note would not end.

Apart from being attached to this place to almost at an unhealthy level, this place has given me a family. DUB has made me a better writer, a team player, and most importantly, a better person. I can never be grateful enough to this organisation for teaching me patience, responsibility, time-management and the importance of upholding values. DU Beat has been the highlight of the three years I spent as a DU student. I have attended more Monday meetings than my AECC lectures and lost sleep on the countless cycles of print edits. I joined this organisation to improve my writing skills, I still don’t know when my passion for writing expanded towards for the organisation and its members.

My tenure as the Editor-in Chief of this organisation has been the most rewarding experience of my college life. The team has given me so many opportunities to learn and grow. The members of the team (who I also refer to as ‘my kids’) are extremely talented and creative. The team of 2019-20 has achieved newer heights this year- hitting 50K Instagram followers, interviewing celebrities, and being nominated for the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Awards, to name a few. When I joined DUB, I wasn’t really sure about collaborating with new people, but today, I can confidently say that I trust my team more than I trust myself. Over the last one year, this team became my support and my priority. With them, I learnt the importance of delegation and management. Teaching the team has been one of my fondest memories here and I think not a single day has passed by in my journey as a DUBster where I didn’t check the WhatsApp groups talking about new ideas and projects.

I have been fortunate enough to work with a team of departmental heads who have given their best to train the team and produce better each day. These six people have been the closest to me all throughout and this journey wouldn’t have been smooth without them. More than that, I am extremely proud of the copy-editors at this organisation. They are the most hardworking bunch of people I have ever had the opportunity to lead (though I troubled them by faltering on deadlines, and in fact my copy-editor had to pester me for two weeks to write this note). Copyeds, you guys will always have my heart.

For any person who comes across DU Beat, it’s just an organisation, an internship opportunity, a media platform, or a newspaper. But for me, DU Beat has been an experience. This is place where you get to work with the most talented bunch of University students who come together to take a stand on student issues, and define the truer sense of journalism. Facts, ethics, and credibility have always remained the guiding principles of DU Beat, the baton which I hope the upcoming batches will uphold with care. This place reflects the hard work of each and every person who works as a correspondent/designer/HR manager/ marketing executive/photographer/videographer/video-editor to report objectively and tirelessly round the clock to produce the eight pages of newspaper you see on Wednesday, and the content that is uploaded on our digital platform daily.

I wish I had the opportunity to tell all of this to every member personally, but with the Coronavirus pandemic, I’ve still not been able to get over my missing ‘lasts’ from this organisation- the last fest coverage, the last meeting, the last team picture, and the farewell.

DUB has been the primary recipient of my attention since the last two years and I haven’t regretted a single moment that I spent here. To DU Beat and all the people I had the honour of working with, thank you for everything.

Signing Off,

Anoushka Sharma

Editor-in-Chief 2019-20

Coronavirus

UGC Recommends Revised Academic Calendar

By DU Beat May 1, 2020

Keeping in mind the present Coronavirus situation, the University Grants Commission has issued suggestions with respect to the functioning of universities post lockdown.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Wednesdayreleased a fresh set of guidelines on how universities and colleges should function after the lockdown ends. The guidelines suggested a special emphasis on ensuring learning while ensuring social distancing. It was suggested that colleges open from August for enrolled students and for the new batch, admissions begin in August and classes by September.

The universities shall follow a six day week once they resume operations, as per the recommendations of the UGC panel. For laboratory or practical experiments, students will be allowed to work through virtual laboratories.

Here are some other suggestions by the UGC:

— The universities and colleges have been advised to hold their final year or terminal semester examination from 1st July to 15th July. They can declare their results at the end of the month.

— For first and second-year students, the varsity can conduct exams from July 16-30 and announce results by 14th August, if possible. If not, the students will be graded based on the internal assessments of the past two semesters.

— Universities have also been asked to use innovative modes of examinations and assessments. The duration of exams will be reduced from three hours to two hours. This might be a one-time move.

— The universities have been asked to develop virtual classroom and video conferencing facility and all teaching staff to be trained with the use of technology. Further, all the content of universities will be uploaded in digital form on its official website to be accessed anytime, as per the guidelines of the UGC panel.

— Faculty would be thoroughly trained in information communication technology (ICT) skills as well as online teaching tools. Teachers will be asked to publish 25 per cent of the syllabus through online teaching and the rest through face to face traditional classrooms.

— Every university will establish a COVID-19 cell for handling student grievances related to exams and academic activities during the coronavirus pandemic. The UGC has also announced to establish a helpline for monitoring student grievances in this regard. Among other immediate measures, attendance will be granted to all students for this period.

— The UGC also suggested universities to devise a proforma to record the travel/ stay history of the staff and students for the period when they were away from the university due to lockdown.

Featured Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Khush Vardhan Dembla

DUB Speak

The Rants and Preachiness of a Student Storyteller; Shaurya Thapa’s DU Beat Biopic Pitch; Signing Off Web Editor 2019-2020

By DU Beat May 1, 2020

Here are a few words by the Heads at DU Beat, sharing the experiences which built their journey, as they bid adieu to this family. While this journey comes to an end, the memories last forever, Shaurya Thapa, Web Editor 2019-2020, shares his honest words with us.

All right, all right, all right, where do I start? I joined DU Beat aka DUB aka DU ‘Beats’ (as some people call it) in my second year. I was a closeted kid in school, in the sense that I didn’t question or observe many things around me. I didn’t do that cause’ I never cared about what’s happening.

Then, some amount of maturity did come to my head in College. That way, I feel blessed that I got a shot to study in North Campus. I saw a lot of anger, bitterness, communal emptiness. Everyone seemed to have their own issues. I interacted with rebels, closeted rebels, intellectuals, pseudo-intellectuals, artists, academics, Vella observers, potheads, extremists, radicals, feminists, sexists, bigots, pacifists, everyone. And everyone had a different story to tell.

I took a course called B.A. History (Hons) and while I don’t aim to be an IAS officer (like many History students from Hindu College become) or a Historian, I did get inspired by the scribes that I have read about in the history of various empires. I became a storyteller, a communicator of the different tales that the different subjects of the kingdom of North Campus told me.

And that’s what prompted me to join DUB, a place where I got to learn new things. I started questioning the morality behind institutions, protests, people, ideals, and a lot of other concepts.

It has been quite a trip under people like Niharika Dabral (ex-Associate Editor of DU Beat, fun fact-she’s the one who took my interview) and Rishabh Gogoi (ex-Head of Photography) and correspondents like Priyanshu and Faizan.

Now, let’s get to the other side. Throughout my tenure as a Correspondent and the Web Editor, I have also got a mock corporate culture-like session from DUB. I have realised that there are people who can snitch on you, who can betray your trust, be problematic and hypocritical, etc. It’s funny to see some people in the team who post all consciously woke feminist stories on their Instagram, who click photos or write reports on pride parades.

But then at the same time, these very same people might not think twice before using words like a ‘chakka’ as a funny slur, people who might feel that ‘Harassment toh hota rehta hai. Why should we issue a note that Stan Lee was allegedly involved in harassment cases on the day he died? We should respect his legacy’, people who would ‘slut-shame’ fellow people and judge them by their preferences in men, women, or whomsoever involved. Fights, ‘bitch fights’, ‘behind-the-back’ fights, I have observed enough people with their share of this in DU Beat at times.

All I’m saying is that maybe such differences in opinion and problematic behaviour might be common in society. All we can do is maturely handle such matters and try speaking up whenever possible. In some cases, I have been a silent observer and I will have my regrets for those times.

On the positive note, some of the double-faced/problematic people that I faced have actually improved a little over the past few months. And I’m really glad about that. The others who are still ‘dheet’, I just pity those lost souls.

Anyway, enough with the preachiness and the rants, I should now start thinking about my future. Being the Web Editor of India’s largest student newspaper was just a baby step. Now if I graduate (whenever I pass after the global pandemic ends), I might aim to be a bigger storyteller.

Signing Off,

Shaurya Singh Thapa

Web Editor 2019-20

Campus Central

The Big Question: Online Exams in this Economy?

By DU Beat April 30, 2020

A look at the inherently privileged notions behind the avenues explored by Delhi University (DU) regarding end semester examinations and their feasibility.

DU has released forms to register for even semester examinations online, a move which shows that the total cancellation of exams during the pandemic is not on DU’s agenda yet. In the light of the pandemic and seeing how cancelling exams is not a viable possibility, multiple reports suggest that DU is looking at the option of online examinations to conduct end semester examination, an option Jawaharlal Nehru University had also explored last year during the university lockdown. While the idea does completely do away with the risks of catching the disease, there are some inherent privileges behind the very concept.

A Public University in India does not just cater to a certain section of society or certain parts of the country, DU has students from all over the country coming from every section of society. Even though India is the second-highest in several internet users, only around 50% of the population has access to it, and less so in rural areas. Adding to that, the frequent internet shutdowns and the situation in Kashmir created by our government, the very idea that everyone will be able to access the internet to give their exams is privileged in itself.

The first-hand account of a Kashmiri DU student shows how online exams are inaccessible for students in the valley. They say “If there are online exams, it will be very difficult for the students who are in Kashmir right because there is only 2G internet speed here. Sometimes we can attend all the classes and the connection is good but sometimes even in downloading a single page, it takes a lot of time and effort. It is unpredictable. Even today during the Commerce exam there were a lot of problems, the connection was not proper and was getting disconnected again and again.”

There should be an emphasis on the fact that learning through online classes and e-resources may not be feasible given the limited or no access to computers and the internet, particularly in rural areas.

Aan Mary Suresh, a student of Jesus and Mary College said, “I wish DU understood that more than our country’s lack of technical expertise to conduct exams online, we as students are neither well equipped nor prepared to take these exams at one moment. I am sorry but Zoom classes are not helpful. Students are new to this form of learning and the experiment whether this would be successful should not be on us.”

The online process of paper setting, submission of answers, and evaluation are susceptible to tampering and pilferage. An extremely weak university server, one which cannot even bear the internet traffic of filling exam registration forms just exemplifies that online examinations are not practicable at all.

The Delhi University Teachers’ Association, in its feedback to the University Grants Commission, said, “As per the MHRD/DU circulars, teachers have engaged with students through e-resources, this process is far from being adequate due to the lack of preparedness and institutional help provided to students and teachers. Students have reported facing issues of connectivity and access to sufficient bandwidth to be able to attend the online sessions. Given our student demography, it is important to recognise that a large section of students come from outside Delhi and that an equally significant number comes from underprivileged backgrounds and the environment at their homes is unlikely to be conducive for learning.”

It further added that the University and colleges have so far not been able to collect data on how many students have accessibility to the e-resources and lectures shared by teachers. Given the diverse population of students to whom the University of Delhi caters to and the student strength, the means and modes of assessment and examination adopted in the context of the lockdown should ensure that the solutions offered do not further marginalise the already marginalised sections of students or create a situation where large sections of students lose out due to the circumstances they face.

If Delhi University proceeds with online examinations; it won’t only make a mockery of higher education, but also set a dangerous precedent of survival of the fittest- an extremely prejudiced notion that just takes privileged people in its purview. Online Exams cannot happen in this economy, period.

Feature Image Credits: Prabhanu Kumar Das for DU Beat

Prabhanu Kumar Das

Paridhi Puri

DUB Speak

On Goodbyes and Lessons Learned: Signing Off, Print Editor 2019-2020

By DU Beat April 30, 2020

Here are a few words by the Heads at DU Beat, sharing the experiences which built their journey, as they bid adieu to this family. While this journey comes to an end, the memories last forever. Anushree Joshi, Print Editor 2019-2020, shares her honest words with us.

In an Instagram live session with singer-songwriter Ali Sethi, renowned lyricist, writer, and stand-up comic Varun Grover said something which I’ve taken the liberty to paraphrase here – we miss places only after we have left them behind. As I sit here today, thinking about saying some profound parting words as the Print Editor, I am unable to feel a kick of overwhelming nostalgia – partly because I’m not a very sentimental person, and partly because I’m eager to see what comes next for me, outside the mind-numbingly time-consuming and not-for-profit shenanigans of DU Beat.

Let’s call a spade a spade because being a part of this team takes a lot of dedication and patience. I remember being in 12th grade, over-dependent and over-enthusiastically invested in every news update or graphic DU Beat put up because they were the most reliable source for all the information that sustains an anxious high-schooler and a Delhi University aspirant. I knew I had to be there, so I applied to DU Beat immediately after applying to DU, and the rest – as the cliché goes – is history. Never in those moments of peak worry about making the cut in their editorial team did I imagine I would be so invested in something that didn’t even pay me back. However, I also didn’t imagine that I would ever be recognised as the ‘Print Editor’ in the halls of my college, and across DU.

In this daunting vast sphere of diversity, DU Beat gave me a lot of nauseous panic-worthy days, but it also provided me with a stable center to come home to. There may be a lot this organisation has to learn in terms of team diversity, intersectionality, and sometimes empathy too – but it gives one some takeaways for the ages too. In working with excellent designers, photographers, correspondents, and resource-persons across the University, I somewhere became a little more capable. From brainstorming memes to microscopically sifting through PDFs for alignment errors, from dancing at fests to negotiating with the most headstrong authorities, from cursing WordPress as a copyeditor to breaking stories at student protests – DU Beat is the hub of lessons I didn’t even know I needed. There have been a lot of sleepless nights and tiring weekends that I lost to DU Beat, but I gained the ineffable pleasure of holding a newspaper, week after week, and knowing that I had been instrumental in creating it from scratch.

If you are reading it as a DU Beat-aspirant or as a current DUBster, I don’t want to paint a rosy lie and say that there is nowhere else you would enhance your skills in writing, editing, reporting, designing, photography, etc. But I can take a gamble and claim that it won’t be an experience as agency-giving as working with a bunch of students who don’t know everything they are doing, but they figure it nonetheless (and how). DU Beat is a memorable place for friendships and relationships for many – I found some great people along the way too, but the most significant difference this organisation made in my life – and can make in yours too – is the power to believe that I can learn and I can create something, for the ages.

Signing off,

Anushree Joshi

Print Editor 2019-2020