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Stress Busters for the Exam Season

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With end semester exams right around the corner, here are few cheap and doable stress busters you can count without burning a hole in your pocket or being too elite or pretentious.

When exams knock at the door, it is common to go paranoid. Exam stress is an actual accepted psychological distress. It can lead to severe anxiety, that turn into physical symptoms like nausea, stomach ache, headache and even dizziness. In this time of chaos, one looks for easy stress relievers that don’t put a dent in your college finances. Often, stress busters are highly elitist, they involve dinners at expensive restaurants and retail therapy that one can’t cope up with.

Here are few stress busters you must do in times of distress:

  1. Talking is Therapeutic

Of all exam stress busters, the best is, of course, talking and communicating stress. If you just cannot get rid of the constant exam tension, how about talking about it with your favourite person? It can be your friend, cousin, sister, teacher, classmate, parent or anybody else. Saying your problems out loud will even help you articulate.

  1. Music and Dance on the Loop

“Mujhe naachne or gaane ka bahut shaunk hai.” (Dancing and singing are my favourite hobbies.) . Read the phrase in typical Anjali’s voice from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Indeed, music transports you and the energetic dance can rejuvenate you from the many all-nighters you will pull this semester. Plus, music is a great way to not feel alone while studying. Pro-tip: The Local Train can literally save all of us.

  1. Sound Sleep

This is probably the most important one. With exam season upon you, it’s important to keep in mind to sleep well. Most of the students often spend all of their time worrying about the exams, and tend to sacrifice their nights for the same. Always remember, a well-rested mind can do wonders. Use white noise or a constructive podcast to listen to while sleeping, that will help with your concentration and productivity.

  1. Slow and Deep Breaths

Before reacting to the next stressful occurrence, take three deep breaths and release them slowly. If you have a few minutes, try out a relaxation technique such as closing your eyes and meditating or just shouting loudly. These are some tricks to calm oneself down.

  1. Talking Loud and Slow

Whenever you feel overwhelmed by stress, practice speaking more slowly than usual. You’ll find that you think more clearly and react more reasonably to stressful situations. Stressed people tend to speak fast and breathlessly; by slowing down your speech you’ll also appear less anxious and more in control of any situation.

  1. An Effective Time Management Strategy

Choose one simple thing you have been putting off (e.g. buying the book for a particular subject), and do it immediately. Just taking care of one nagging responsibility or subject can be energizing and can improve your attitude.

  1. Drinking plenty of water, eating small, nutritious snacks

Hunger and dehydration, even before you’re aware of them, can provoke aggressiveness and exacerbate feelings of anxiety and stress that exams give you. Thus, keep yourself energised and fit by having fppd at regular intervals.

  1. A quick Posture Check

Hold your head and shoulders upright and avoid stooping or slumping. Bad posture can lead to muscle tension, pain and increased stress. It’s most like that you’ll be stuck at your desk most of the day, revising or studying the vast syllabus. In those times, make sure your workstation reflects good ergonomic design principles meaning it’s good enough for your height, doesn’t require you to stress your arm to rest and is comfortable.

  1. Setting Realistic Targets

It is advisable to make realistic revision targets per day instead of trying to squeeze in a lot in one day. If you make unrealistic targets and are unable to achieve them, stress will definitely shoot through the roof and lower your learning power.

  1. Taking out time to unwind

Take out at least half an hour to watch your favourite TV programme or surf the Internet for fun or listen to your favourite music or just laze around. Getting bogged down with too much stress can ruin your positive energies so take that short break and don’t feel guilty about it.

Hopefully these 10 stress busters will equip you enough to handle exam stress like a pro. If you still feel stressed, seek help with people around you. All the best for your exams.

 

Feature Image Credits: Scopio

 Chhavi Bahmba 

 [email protected]

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The Dearth of Home-Cooked Meals

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Being an out-station student isn’t easy, especially when it comes to compromising on food. Let us look at the role the college canteen plays in a student’s life.

Good food is probably on the top in the wish-list of all university students. However, most of the students don’t have access to the heart warming home-cooked meals. After a long and exhausting day of sleeping during lectures and wrangling in society meetings, we all long for comforting meals. But, where does one find them?

After discussing about this issue with lots of students at a personal level, I found out that most students resort to the college canteen for their meals. A very small proportion actually carried lunchboxes. Even the hostellers and PG-dwellers prefer the canteen over their promised, paid meals.

“Being a PG student, the lunch that I get is usually iced coffee or bread butter everyday.  Although I don’t prefer eating food from canteen daily but I have to rely on it. If I were a Delhi student, I would never consider food from canteen. Also being a PG student, I am broke more than half of the time so it’s real struggle deciding what to do about lunch. So although I don’t love canteen food, but it has become my lunch everyday,” says Avni Dhawan, student of Kamla Nehru College.

Deewanshi Vats, a resident of the Under Graduate Hostel For Girls (UGHG) says, “Though we have a 4 meal package in a day, the quality of food is pathetic. You literally have to search for dal in dal which is just nothing but water! We don’t get nutrient rich food like sprouts and dry lentils at all; also no curd! Salad (only cucumber) provided is usually stale. Quality of rice and other vegetables is really low.”

With the poor quality of meals provided, most students have no choice left but to fall back on the canteen food. This affects them both financially and health-wise. Spending good proportions of monthly pocket-money on unhealthy, and often not very tasty food is not the ideal preference of any student. This is where students cherish home-cooked meals packed in lunch boxes the most.

“One thing you miss more than home is homemade food! It’s quite understandable that you cannot get the same ‘ghar ke khana ka taste’ when you move to a different city; and for a while will enjoy eating fancy food and junk, but there is this saturation point where you will miss basic daal and roti and then no other food will be able to satisfy your tummy!” commented an out-station student of Daulat Ram College.

It truly becomes a sorry state of affairs for the outstation students when it comes to the matters of food. But there is one ray of hope for all the outstation students. With the end of the semester around the corner, one can comfort themselves with the loving thought of returning back to home after the exams are over and enjoy the warmth of those homely meals to their hearts’ fullest content. It almost seems like the delayed gratification, worth all the while.

 

 

Feature Image Credits: The Outlook

Aditi Gutgutia
[email protected]

 

 

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Pursuit of Perfection: A Drive Towards Unhappiness

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People at this moment are running against themselves in a pursuit of perfection. Does perfection even exists? How is this pursuit affecting you? Read on to know more.

We all aspire to be a better version of ourselves every day. Growth is an indispensable part of our lives and we must strive to enhance ourselves and keep adding new feathers in our wings. But for some, things don’t end just at personal growth for betterment. They are on a different race altogether, an endless pursuit- the pursuit of perfection. And, there exists a stark difference between the two.

When one is striving to grow to be better, they are fueled by motivation and inspiration but when one is driven to achieve the unattainable state of perfection, they are fueled by a state of discontentment, low self esteem and unrealistic expectation.

There are no two ways about the fact that perfection is a myth. It is a state of mind and cannot be achieved through any outer validation or achievement. It is imagined to be the state of flawlessness and completeness where nothing can possibly go wrong. This very imagination is enough to reaffirm the fact that this state is unachievable. If you are one amongst the people who are constantly hustling to achieve ‘perfection’, then sorry to burst the bubble but you aren’t getting there. You’re getting to a life of depression and discontentment from yourself, despite of all the efforts and hard work you put in.

The downsides of this pursuit of perfection doesn’t just end at it being a futile chase; it can have far worse implications. Studies define perfectionism as “a combination of excessively high personal standards and overly critical self-evaluations.” The very motivation to embark upon this pursuit is driven by a lack of self-esteem and unhappiness with one’s own self.

When one strives to become ‘perfect’, they become over critical of theirselves and indulge in the unhealthy practice of self-sabotaging. Even their most stellar achievements appear to be too less as compared to what more can be achieved.

We are constantly seeking more. This is a constant look out for something more amazing, more validating or more fulfilling.

And this cycle results in a persistent state of unhappiness where nothing or no one in life makes us joyous. As a result, in its worst consequences, it directly impacts our mental health. When one’s pursuit bears no fruit, they can get engulfed into anxiety or depression. This is alarming!

Advertisements feed upon this very insecurity and make us feel that something is missing in our lives. Social media is a worldview of perfection. It instigates within a person the idea that everyone around them is living a perfect life and makes them loathe their very existence. But it is important to remember that nobody lets their flawed self surface on the feed of Instagram without filtering it. It must be remembered at all times that actions such as posting vacation or party pictures or pictures of one’s expensive car or phone are no proof of them living a perfect life.

To liberate oneself from this futile pursuit of perfection, it is extremely essential to learn the art of acceptance. Acceptance of who you are, however flawed and far from being perfect. Also, it is pertinent to understand that this pursuit is robbing one of happiness and pushing them into an endless dungeon of self-loathe.

 

Shreya Agrawal

[email protected]

Feature Image Credits- Scopio

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JNUTA March Against Arbitrary Fee Hike  

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Following a press briefing by JNUSU (Jawaharlal Nehru University Student’s Union), teachers of the varsity marched around the campus to bestow solidarity with students who faced the wrath of police forces on Monday in light of their protest against the arbitrary fee hike.

 A day after several  Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students were thrashed, manhandled and jailed for protesting against the fee hike, the varsity’s teachers association marched past the campus in solidarity with the students. The protest on Monday was marred with intense scuffle between protesters and police forces. Around 100 students who were detained yesterday have been released. Several students suffered injuries after government deployed 2000 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to contain the protest.

As the march began at campus’s main gate, teachers of the varsity started raising slogans such as “Fee hike waapis lo” (Revoke the Fee Hike), “JNU VC Ko Jaana Hoga” (The Vice Chancellor must go), demanding for the Vice Chancellor’s resignation.

“We are standing with students from the very beginning. Fee hike should not take place otherwise underprivileged students will lose the opportunity to study. If public education system collapses than people like us talking here won’t be in a situation to raise voices”, said Professor D.K. Lobiyal who teaches in the School of Computer and System Sciences.

On the question of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) forming a three member committee to look after the fee hike issue he said,  “The committee is saying that (Vice Chancellor) VC should talk to the students. So, MHRD had to formulate a committee for getting the Vice Chancellor in touch with students? Why is the Vice Chancellor there for?” Demonstrating his displeasure he went on to to bring into light that if it requires MHRD to instigate a conversation with students then what’s the need of Vice Chancellor in a University. He added “MHRD has legitimised our claim that this VC is incapable of running JNU.”

NDTV Balaji

Media flocked in the campus to cover the protest. In picture: N. Sai Balaji (ex-JNUSU president) talking about the issue with NDTV. Image credits: Priyanshu Sinha for DU Beat

Various media organisations had flocked in to cover the event which was preceded by a press conference by the JNUSU. Reconciling his chilling encounter with police yesterday, Shashi Bhushan Pandey, a student union councillor said, “I told them (Police) that I am visually impaired, so that they would spare beating me. But No! One of them hit me from the front and when I tried to flee, I was beaten on my leg. The boy who helped me and took me to the hospital was also attacked by the Delhi Police.”

The brutality on Pandey, a visually challenged student got the University’s Visually Challenged Students Forum to issue a notice condemning Delhi Police’s action towards students taking part in peaceful march demanding accessible and affordable education for all.

JNUTA PROTEST

Teachers assembled near the main gate with placards in hand. Image credits: Priyanshu Sinha for DU Beat

Later on Tuesday, the JNU outfit of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) issued a statement  that condemned the JNUSU and alleged that the left led student union of making the issue their agenda leaving behind rest of JNUites who oppose their ideology. The statement said that as the hike affects every JNU students, their should be a joint struggle committee consisting students from all ideological background. ABVP, who holds no political representation in University’s Student Union rejected the high power committee set up by MHRD and demanded JNU administration to reclaim the 6.7 Crore Rupees that University Grants Commission (UGC) had promised to waive off as additional fee charges.

The protest against exorbitant fee hike entered its 21st day on Tuesday. The exponential hike increased room rent from INR 10-20  to 300-600 per month. An additional service charge of INR 1700 will surge the fee to INR 2,000-2,300 per month. This hike would make Jawaharlal Nehru University the most expensive Central University in India, surpassing even Delhi University whose average annual fees is Rs 40,000-55,000 . After dissatisfaction on a partial rollback by University’s executive council, the Student Union went on with their protest which has already witnessed the participation of huge number of students, many even from outside the campus flocking everyday to stand with the students.

 

Priyanshu Sinha 

[email protected]

 

Feature Image Credits : Priyanshu Sinha for DU Beat

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Understanding the Idea of Hyper-masculinity

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Let’s all take a ride through the jungle of Hyper-masculinity to know how it affects our men and how can we help them to emerge out of this jungle safely.

Many people consider hyper-masculinity as an interchangeable term with toxic masculinity. While both of them are by due diligence of patriarchy, both have very different context and meanings.

Toxic masculinity means to use masculine traits to be abusive, hostile or to hold social power to condescend others. While on the other hand, hyper masculinity is just an very exaggerated form of masculinity, which works towards reinforcing the conventional and rigid concept of masculinity.

Taking an example, for instance you’re walking on the footpath, you see a car parked next to it, the car has a man just sitting, what’s amusing is the moment a girl passes by he cranks up his football radio or tries to loudly tinker his car so that girl can see how  masculine that man is. This in its truest form is hyper-masculinity.

Hyper-masculinity, is a sociological term denoting exaggerated forms of masculinity, virility, and physicality. With that answered, let’s trying answering few other questions to understand this concept better.

Why are we considering hyper-masculinity as a dire problem?

Every man is not the same. The individual freedom that each man is entitled to is often taken away by hyper-masculinity. It burdens them with unrealistic standards of being a man. It promotes a binary concept of gender, than what it is, fluid. In many cases it leads to violence against men, and in all cases it leads to mental harassment.

Scholars have suggested that there are three distinct characteristics associated with the hyper-masculine personality. They are-

  • The view of violence as manly
  • The perception of danger as exciting and sensational
  • Callous behaviour toward women and a regard toward emotional displays as feminine

 

Consider the above with these few real life examples of our own nation.

  • A 12 year old boy was beaten traumatically by his classmates for wearing a pink shirt to his classroom.
  • More than 56% of men face psychological abuse from unrealistic male expectations.
  • Almost all boys have always been told that they’re not supposed to be kind or gentle or even cry.

 

Hyper-masculinity enforces toxic masculinity which paves way for many social evils like rape culture, mental harassment and much more.

How have we internalized this behaviour as a society?

Hyper-masculine archetypes abound in the mass media, especially action films. There are uncountable films that features a strong, silent hero who exhibits no emotion as he dispatches his enemies. A female lead character with exaggerated “feminine” qualities is often added to accentuate the masculine traits of the hero.

The other way of internalization comes from family power dynamics. It’s imperative to realise how to raise our men. Mothers raising their son to be tough, to not allow them to play with dolls and laugh at any sensitive thing they do are the prime cause of this evil.

Often, these ideals of idol men are enforced on men of the society by their most inner circle of family and friends, making them feel maybe this is the way to be.

How can we help?

The biggest help would recognising this behaviour and calling it out. If it’s been told as wrong then are there, it will be stopped from being a norm. Calling out of people, movies even elders is the way to go.

The other way is to sensitive about it with them, this is what they’ve seen their entire lives, they would need time to realise this isn’t the way to be.

Another way could be to normalise them with them also expressing their feelings and also crying.

Hyper-masculinity isn’t a man’s problem, it’s a societal issue. It’s a burden with which most men live, and it’s time for them to break free.

 

Feature Image Credits: What’s wrong?

Chhavi Bahmba

[email protected]

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The Unspoken College Essentials: Delhi Metro and Buses

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This piece aims at comparing and contrasting between two of the most popular transportation mediums amongst the students of the University of Delhi (DU) in light of the National Transportation Day.

The daily pilgrimage to college is clearly left incomplete if one does not mention about transportation, be it the long metro rides or the jam packed buses! Here is a comparison and evaluation of Delhi Metro and Delhi Buses on various factors ranging right from comfort to money.

1. Comfort:

The metro offers a comfortable journey as one is away from the sudden breaks and jerks. But the seats are something which everyone has a mutual hatred for! Hard and uncomfortable, with people trying to squeeze into the tiniest of cracks and effectively invading your privacy is something everyone is troubled during the metro rides.

The buses on the other hand have a much more deadlier relationship when it comes to seats and people. The local buses which you board on places near the campus are surely very crowded. But the ones that connect bigger areas offer respite with only one person per seat.

 

2. Time efficiency:

The metro is steady, stable and unvarying in this attribute. It takes the same amount of time, every time, more or less. Constancy is a much desired trait, no doubt, in humans as well as in one’s means of transport. The bus on the other hand is at the mercy of the city’s infamous traffic jams. Bus travel can stretch excruciatingly long at times but that is if you are truly unfortunate. For reliability, metro is always the wisest option.

3. Expenditure:

The bus wins this one hands down! Personal observation! Where it costs me about 200 rupees for 5 days of travel in the metro, and that too if I stick strictly to my route from home to college and college to home, the bus offers unlimited travel for Rs. 165 a month to wherever I may want to venture (student perks, y’all! ). So much more money for food

4. People:

Travelling alone in the metro can be quite tiresome when you are forced to eavesdrop on conversations you otherwise will have no interest in. Although for some it’s the opposite, some who find spicy snippets of gossip amusing.

The bus on the other hand has not yet put me through such an ordeal. Till now I have found the people in the bus to keep their love affairs to themselves. Although there is no guarantee of this remaining unvaried in the future since the people everywhere are still the same puerile Delhiites.  (Of which I’m one and proud to be so!)

5. Congestion:

This is completely susceptible to the time of your travel. Both the metro and the bus fare more or less the same in this category. Both are filled to the brim in office hours with no breathing space. People are known to die (almost) in both. Both subject people to the same kind of harrowing treatment on trying to board or de-board the metro/bus. People are inconsiderate of others in both and no matter how crowded, they often tend to let other people have a whiff of the gases brewing inside them

6. Accessibility:

Bus stops are everywhere. Metro stations are on their way but even then, in a city like Delhi, they cannot achieve the ubiquity of the bus stops. Constructing metro stations is a lot more work and requires a lot more space. Buses are far more convenient on this front.

7. View:

Metro gives an aerial view and can be quite awe-inspiring the first few times. One is left gaping at the neat roads and tiny cars crawling along, their rash movements imperceptible at the height I was at. But one gets used to all things in life, especially the good ones. No one stares out the window in the metro any longer, they are all busy staring at their phone screens, texting, playing games or have earphones plugged on. Soon I started feeling nostalgic for the road. The metro gives an isolated feeling at times, as if you are disconnected from the outside world.  On the road you get a closer view of the workings of the city, you feel closer to its heart brimming with blood and activity!

 

Feature Image Credits: Hitesh Kalra for DU Beat

Chhavi Bahmba

[email protected]

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The Luxury of Riding a Cycle Rickshaw

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With a lot of us using public transport to commute daily for college and to other places we go to, we sometimes take these for granted and fail to see the little bundle of happiness that the public system of transport is.

“Metro se Kaun-Kaun jayega?” (Who all will take the metro back home?) is a question that is very common in the college campuses of the University of Delhi. Whether you might be a student from the Delhi NCR region or somebody who lives away from college intentionally to save some money, we all have used the Delhi Metro a lot. And certainly, the Delhi Metro has had a lot of importance in the daily lives of Delhiites, but it’s not like all the colleges are at a walking distance from their closest metro station. Thankfully we have a lot of public transport facilities available to make that small commute easier, in the forms of E-Rickshaws or Auto Rickshaws. But there exists another form of transportation that maybe has gone oblivious with the fast moving world, that is the quintessential ‘Cycle Rickshaw’.

Cycle rickshaws are the type of three wheeler public transport which is structured a lot like any other type of rickshaw, except it is pulled by cycle like mechanism and is powered by a human! Look at it this way, a human, in the 21st century, willingly pulling a cycle rickshaw for you and doing so much hard work just to earn some money. It almost sad but remains a living reality of a large part of India.

It is truly ironical that such a cheap luxury is available to us and still we rarely ever use it. Since the cycle rickshaws are a dying industry, it is mostly run by fairly old men and it is heartbreaking to see an old person doing the hard work for you. When asked, they simply smile and reply something along the lines of “Beta abb toh aadat si ho gayi hai” (Oh child. Now,I am used to it). And truly, these rickshaw pullers would be one of the fittest people you would ever meet.

Cycle rickshaws were initially a very big part of our childhood as well, from fighting with our cousins to sit at the back of the small seat to sometimes even asking the rickshaw puller if we could pull it; even seeing a cycle rickshaw can sometimes bring back the most beautiful memories and one can simply forget all the worries of life with a ride. But they need not be restricted to just reliving old memories, they can also be used to create new ones. Cycle rickshaws are perfect to ride with dates; they are silent, eco-friendly and some of them can only carry two adults at a time; the perfect kind of privacy you need! Not just that, they are versatile because one can enjoy cool breeze without its overhead roof and can also protect oneself from the sun with its adjustable roof, sort of like a sports car; which makes it a luxury in another aspect!

Cycle rickshaws have a beauty of their own in terms of aesthetics and one can enjoy life at its slow pace while enjoying this modern day luxury. One can also learn a lot from a simple conversation with any rickshaw puller because they have a lot of experience and a simple act of kindness brings upon such a big smile on their face, it certainly lights up one’s day.

 

Feature Image Credits: Deewanshi Vats for DU Beat

Akshat Arora

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Constructing a Smile

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Why is it that in this gloomy, fast-paced world we don’t put in a little extra effort to make others smile more often? On World Kindness Day, this year let us try a bit harder to turn a few frowns upside down!

As children we’ve all been told on countless occasions to be kind to those around you. It sounds like such a simple and obvious idea and well, it really is! But somewhere down the road the whole concept seems to have gotten lost in its journey. We tend to forget how easy it is to be kind. Kindness is a gift which everyone can afford. So why is it that we don’t share it more often with people around us?

The single, smallest and the most random act of kindness can make a person smile. Given that we live in such a dismal and cynical society, we all can use a little cheering up. Little acts such as greeting the cab driver a good morning with a happy face can bring joy to a person in ways one never thinks. Who knows your day will turn out beautiful just by saying kind words? It’s almost saddening to see how nobody greets each other anymore.

Our lives these days are very busy. It’s as if we barely have time for ourselves, let alone others. We are so occupied in our own businesses that we ignore the others’. We fail to ensure whether those around us are doing well or not; did they smile today or not? Just a “How are you?” after a “Hey” can make a person feel special and acknowledged.  The words of Dalai Lama ring all the more true now when he said, “When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace,”

Being kind is like giving hope to someone who feels alone. We don’t realise how our words and actions impact those around us. Nobody knows what the other is going through. We casually crack jokes that often can be derogatory but are yet supposed to be “funny”. Thus, always think twice or thrice or maybe even a hundred times before being rude to someone.

It’s the best time to be nice to people around you. Kindness can be expressed in the most mundane actions, for instance, smiling at someone, offering to open the door, letting them know they look nice or maybe just making them laugh.

On asking around I received different views by others as to what they feel is an act of kindness, most people associate kindness as an act which makes them smile. This includes gestures right from sharing music, reminding your friends to ‘stay hydrated’, a random hug, marking your friend’s proxy or just recommending a good book!

What act of kindness did you do today? Did you make someone smile?

 

Feature Image Credits: Navya Jindal for DU Beat

Aditi Gutgutia

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

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LSR and the Concern of Juxtapose ’19  

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The Annual Academic Meet- Juxtapose’19 to be held on 7th and 8th November 2019 at Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) was cancelled a day before the event.

The Annual Academic Meet- Juxtapose’19 to be held on 7th and 8th November 2019 at Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) was cancelled a day before the event.

The Department of Journalism was at the forefront of discussions inside the gates of Lady Shri Ram College for Women since the last week due to concerns centered around the Annual Academic Meet- Juxtapose 2019.
Juxtapose’19- scheduled for 7th November and 8th November 2019, was aimed to be focusing in a quest to engage students in a two-day event raising questions and saving the integrity of Media as a whole. However, the event ceased to face the light of dawn. The reasons behind the cancelling of the event are majorly cited as administrative and departmental glitches and communication gap.
The RnR held in the campus on 8th November 2019 put forth the take of the Department of Journalism which comprised of the President, Treasurer and the General Secretary. The Department Union expressed the incident to be disheartening as it culminated the hard work of 1.5 months. It was said that the proposal for the Academic Meet was not signed, as a result of which-the Union had to wait for long hours for sanctioning of the needful.
The Student Union of the Department admitted the fault on their part of circulating a message which reiterated their concerns, parts of which received backlash. Thereby, a message was issued which mentioned an apology for the manner in which the message was framed and its articulation.

The Organising Committee of Juxtapose released a WhatsApp message which stated that the Principal had not checked the proposal despite frequent visits of the students. However, soon after, the department issued an apology stating that their intention was not to defame their Principal but to bring attention towards their issues.

Another WhatsApp message mentioned that, “We phrased a new theme, reworked a competition, invited another key note speaker, made new trailers for the event, edited the posters and proposals to incorporate the changes. However, at 2.30PM in the afternoon, the students were told that Juxtapose cannot happen since the proposal cannot be signed one day before the event.”

Adequate response could not be gathered from students as one of them responded, “We as a department have decided to be united and have only the union talking about these matters.”

The statement further informed that the Union plans on engaging in a healthy conversation with its faculty to discuss the concerns and to formulate a plan of action in order to ensure that similar incidents do not take place in the department again.  The Union mentioned that a statement would be released soon and did not wish to respond as they mentioned that they are “in the middle of making a plan of action which requires the consensus of the entire department.”
Arpita Chowdhury, first year student pursuing English Honours who witnessed the meeting during the RnR said, “The meeting was fruitful because I wanted to get a clear view of the matter. It was a good idea to clarify on this issue. It also made me come across the proceedings of the college.”

The Department released its official statement on 10th November 2019.

Image Credits: Department of Journalism, LSR Image Caption: Statement released by the Organising Committee of Juxtapose'19 (Part 1)
Image Credits: Department of Journalism, LSR
Image Caption: Statement released by the Organising Committee of Juxtapose’19 (Part 1)
Image Credits: Department of Journalism, LSR Image Caption: Statement released by the Organising Committee of Juxtapose'19
Image Credits: Department of Journalism, LSR
Image Caption: Statement released by the Organising Committee of Juxtapose’19 (Part 2)

A response from the staff and administration is awaited. A General Body Meeting is said to held on 11th November to discuss the matter further.

Feature Image Credits: Career India

Priyanshi Banerjee

[email protected]

 

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Chai Pe Charcha : The Love for Chai at Campus

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From the loveable Raja bhaiya at the Patel Chest in North Campus to the Chai spot behind Jesus and Mary College in the South Campus, the entire University of Delhi (DU) has fallen in love, head over heels over Chai, and this article traces why is that so. 

Tea is more than just a beverage, it’s the elixir of life. Here are few of the many reasons why DU can’t be imagined without chai and chaiwallahs.

Chai brings an inevitable feeling of belongingness and warmth. It’s like a home away from home. This feeling of familiarity that chai brings often takes away the anxiety of starting somewhere anew, hence precisely why the Fresher’s feel at peace when they are on the campus with their favourite chai spots. It’s often that the vibe of the place and the people make you fit in.

Abhinandan Kaul, first year student from St. Stephens College, said “As I entered the DU North Campus, I had been introduced to the famous Sudama Tea stall, “north campus ki shaan!” “Sudama“- the Amar Chitra Katha character symbolizing true friendship, transforms friendship in DU too. It’s such a cute place to build strong bonds with minimum resources, I always go there with my friends to chill out with a hot cup of tea and biscuits!”

Drinking chai is a habit, it has become part of the everyday routine we follow. There’s a specific time for it. There’s a specific place for it and a specific ‘nashta’ or food to go with it.  Whether it be after the 2 p.m.  lecture or receiving calls from your mother everyday exactly at 6:30 in the evening to ask you only would you be home for chai, A hot cup of tea cannot be missed.

Noihrit, third-year student from Ramjas College said,  “Chai is constant for me. Whether I scored well or poorly in my exams, had a good or a bad day, hectic or leisurely society work, chai is indivisible from me. Spending my evenings with friends and chai at the tea point at Old Gupta Chowk is something which I’ll relive forever.”

Infact, while many of us fall in love with chai, there are many who fall in love at chai. With a cigarette in one hand, chai in other, sitting on the plastic stool, bursting out with our most vulnerable thoughts, discussing everything from weird exes to family troubles to even anxiety issues, chai spots pave a way for a perfect conversation with your special one. Chai and momos constitute a perfect day at the campus.

Prabhanu, first-year student from Kirori Mal College says, “I met this girl online way before I got into DU and I live in South Delhi. So we started talking and to meet her I had to go all the way to Civil Lines and all we used to do was drink chai and smoke sutta (cigarette) for hours until I had to go back home. Our first date included going to a hospital in Civil Lines, chai and sutta. And we are currently seeing each other.”

Its 3 a.m. and you have a sociology internal in the morning, an economics assignment to submit and a begging session to ask your teachers for attendance is also due. Chai in this moment of extreme chaos, rescues you.

Jaishree Kumar, third-year History student, Ramjas college said, “I once stayed up all night to finish my assignments. No sleep at all. Nada. Chai came to my rescue to keep me up.”

Chai is the staple for all societies, whether it be to survive the rigorous practice sessions or just to gossip about other societies with a cup of tea in hand. Chai helps all to perform.

Yaksh Handa, first-year student at the Hindu college said, “So members of the Deb Soc, before commencing the day’s proceedings, would go out to the Hindu ke saamne wali chai tapri, to get a shot of adrak wali chai, and over chai, everything from politics of the right wing to the stupidity of the debsoc seniors and to the quirky nicknames for our debsoc tshirts was discussed. I feel such short and unplanned chai tapri visits keep the soc entangled in a common thread.”

One will be amused to know that chai has a very special place in hearts of this organisation, the DU Beat, as well. Infact, the very feature image you see, is the last spot of the senior-tour which apprised the juniors of the most memorable places at college campuses from there to be gone seniors.

Vaibhav Tekchandani, Photographer and Video Editor at the DU Beat, said “The last fest season, all of us, i.e. The Village Area, the photog family, as well as the correspondents, without any said notice or gesture used to accumulate at these chai wali tapris and everything from the live updates to the captions was discussed. It was a beautiful feeling and I’d give anything to go back to those days.”

From broken hearts to broken hands, all was treated at the chai wali tapri. It is the greatest source of making memories that will give you nostalgia every time you pass through that place.

Janesh Sahni, Photographer and Video Editor at the DU Beat says, “Raja bhaiya’s Tapri has been our go to place since like forever. I broke my hard drive last year during Tempest and we all tried to fix at Raja Bhaiya while I panicked hard. “Meltayi Maggie” is melted cheese Maggie that you can get at Raja Bhaiya, we coined that term.”

Chai brings a pool of memories for not only just for society members or DU Beat members, but for each student of DU. From assignment discussions to ranting about college professors; everything takes place at chai wali tapri. People like Raja Bhaiya and things like Sudama ki Chai becomes actual realities of our lives, than just places.

Waise bhi, it’s the gospel truth that Chai bina Chen kha re. (All this while one thing remains the gospel truth; there is no peace without a cup of tea.)

 

Feature Image Credits: Janesh Sahni for DU Beat

Chhavi Bahmba 

[email protected]

 

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