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Shankar Ehsaan Loy Close Day 1 of Rendezvous; Rain Washes Away the Star Night on Day 2

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Rendezvous 2019, the annual cultural fest of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi began on 2nd October 2019. Here is an outlay of what went down at Day 1 and Day 2.

The western dance competition marked the unfolding of the four day long fest with great zeal and excitement. The first round of the event began at 9 a.m. with eyes glued on to the dances which set the stage ablaze. Satviki,Sanjay, a student of Miranda House said, “The performances blew my mind and made me want to dance myself”. Another student from Lady Shri Ram College for Women said, “The teams left us jaw dropped. I really liked team Nritya, looking forward to seeing them in the finals”. “The teams entertained us thoroughly. The hosts added their own quirks, but sexist jokes did resurface again and again,” added a student who wished to remain anonymous. The judges of the event were Akshat Dhanvani and Reuben from Ace Crew.

Mimansa, the street play competition was organised by the dramatics society of IIT Delhi, saw participants gearing up for the preliminary round with vocal exercises as early as 7:30 a.m. After an impromptu session, the competition began at 11:30 a.m. From over 120 online entries, 37 teams made it to the preliminary round. The competition was judged by theatre artists- Rajneesh Gautam from Saitaan Theatre, Yogesh Kumar from Jazba Theatre, and Ankit Dhawal from Theatre Leela. The teams captivated the judges and audience alike with their well-crafted dialogues and punch lines on socially relevant issues such as sex education or the role of government.

“But comedy is more than just humor. It is about confidence, wit and understanding of the audience,” reads the description of Comedy Hunt, competition for talented comedians to up their game of humor. True to its words, 9 shortlisted comedians competed in the finals to captivate the audience. The competition was judged by the comedians Srijan Kaushik and Pratyush Chaubey. It saw the audience rolling with laughter at jokes on hilarious human traits, religion, politics, sex, and relationships, among other things. Comedians Mohit Arora, Zubin Jacob, and Shubham Pujari bagged the third, second and first prizes respectively, collectively getting cash prizes worth more than INR 15000. “We are not an official club. Just a couple of students enthusiastic about comedy,” said a member from the organising team of Rendezvous’19.

Day 1 at the fest also saw aspiring rappers battling it out at the preliminary rounds of Hip Hop Fiesta: Rap Battle in the Lecture Hall Complex of IIT. Judged by rapper MC Kode, the event had 16 shortlisted candidates for the final rap battle. The Lecture Hall Complex in IITD was also home to a number of writing competitions such as ‘My Jottings’ and quizzes such as Shabdvyuh and Chakravyuh.

Mridang, the the Indian Music Society of IIT Delhi organised the first musical event of Rendezvous 2019, ‘Agaaz’, the eastern group singing competition. The event saw participation of 14 colleges who were judged by a panel of two eminent musicians, Dr. Mahesh Deshmukh who has been trained in Indian classical music under the tutelage of one of the finest Sitar Maestro in India, Ustad Usman Khan and has performed at eminent music festivals in India and countries across globe, and Mr. Pt. Chetan Joshi who is one of the senior most flutists of Indian classical music who has introduced several innovations in the sphere of flute playing which have become parts of his repertoire. Alahyaa, the music society of Daulat Ram College bagged the first position for their performance “Original Piece For The Year 2019-2020 in raag Shankara and Chandrakauns”, while Mridang, the music society of IIT Delhi came second for their performance ‘Krishna Morari Kala- a tribute to Lord Krishna’, and the third position was won by shared by Musoc of Kirorimal college and Alaap of Indraprastha College for Women for their performances “Garaj- Garaj Raghmiya Ki Malhar” and “Naam Ratat” respectively.

The second half of day one of Rendezvous commenced with prelims of Beatboxing contest of the Hip-Hop Fiesta. The event had a participation of 126 teams out of which only 16 teams qualified for the final round to be conducted on 4th October. The event had a footfall of about 80-100 students who thoroughly enjoyed the Beatboxing battle. The event was adjudged by N-Grave, a prominent Indian Beatboxer.

Abhivyakti, Hindi creative writing competition took place at LHC-114. The event had on the spot registration and had almost 150 participants. It was judged by Smt. Rajiv Kumar Shukl, Delhi Director at Aakashvani (All India Radio) and Smt. Ravi Shankar, Creative Director at an Advertising agency. The participants were given topics on the spot by the judges. They were first asked to write on the topic “Gandhi aaj mere liye” in reference to the date of the event,  2nd October. The students were reluctant to this topic so the judges gave them two more topics – “Swachhata, tan ki bhi, man ki bhi” and “Gandhi Vichar aur humara paryavaran“. The students were given the liberty to write on any one of the three options given to them. They were given about 1.5 hours to submit their piece and in any literary format they wished to.

At Pratirodh, the protest poetry event, a total of 9 poets took to stage and used the medium of poetry to express their emotions and views about various social and political issues of the world. The organisers defined poetry as a concept of how one “names the nameless”. Being a non-competitive event, it still witnessed a crowd of about 60-70 people. The participants spoke against mob lynching, female genital mutilation, marital rape, and various other issues of the nation. They addressed these crises in the form of art which really influenced the audience and even left them in tears.

In the later part of the afternoon the Dogra Hall hosted the Young India Debate moderated by Tanvi Shukla, News Editor at Mirror Now. The discussion involved well known panellists like Mr. Aman Sinha BJP Spokesperson, Mr. Raghav Awasthi member of the RSS, Yogendra Yadav Political Activist and Sanjay Rajoura from Aisi Taisi Democracy.

The agenda for the debate was, “Is New India More Intolerant?” Mr. Yogendra Yadav opened the debate denying that New India is intolerant in any way. He stated that intolerance has been privileged from a certain class in the society and is being systematically constructed.  He said, “When lynching takes place the spirit of new India is violated, however this is due to the political cloud that surrounds it.”
The debate went on to have a heated discussion on the growing intolerance towards caste, political ideology, gender, language, and religion. On the other hand, BJP spokesperson, Mr. Aman Sinha stated,” India has been a tolerant and diverse country right from the ancient to contemporary times.” The other speakers brought to light about the various aspects of tolerance and collated it with the national party regimes. Social media and its democratisation was debated extensively and the young student audience acknowledged the debate with equal fervour through active participation.

Just after the Open Sports Quiz, the IIT Delhi Quizzing Society organized its second event on the first day of Rendezvous’19, Karnival-Open Mela Quiz. Over 60 teams, each comprising of 3 participants came together to fight for the top spot. The event began at 2:30 p.m, with the quizmaster coming up with the first question of the prelims round, where a set of 20 mind boggling questions from various fields and interests were derived to decide the participants of the finals at the end of the first round, top 10 teams were selected to proceed for the final round where another set of questions were waiting to be answered by the super genius participants. The competition was a close affair with an enormous amount of coerciveness & fierce quizzing attitude interplaying throughout the game.

The day came to a magnificent close with performance of the trio, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, which swept the crowd of its feet. The audience grooved to their numbers such as Locha-e-Ulfat, Mitwa, and Dil Chahta Hai.

With great vigour and enthusiasm, the second day of Rendezvous, IIT Delhi was welcomed by excited participants and a plethora of events.

Madhubani Painting Workshop was conducted by Ms. Manisha Jha who enlightened the eager participants on the significance and history of Madhubani paintings. From a communal, caste and gender background she went forth to explain the background of prominent paintings.

JAM or Just-A-Minute tested the wit, fluency, presence of mind and grammar of the participants. The judge Dr. Sanjay Chugh left the audience in splits while the participants tried their best to not stutter. Aashima Anand, Aditi Utreja and Chim Sharma stood out as the ultimate winners of the game.

‘Mimansa’ or the street-play competition revolves around the theme of a social message. Participating societies educated the audience on themes related to human trafficking, sex, bias media, faulty legal system and the likes. The winners of the competition are, Hindu’s Ibtida bagging the first, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma’s Rangayan at second and College of Vocational Studies’ Dramanomics at third. The ‘Best Actor Male’ was from Deshbandhu, ‘Best Actor Female’ from Janki Devi Memorial College and the ‘Best Musical Play’ by Sri Venkateshwara College. The judges consisted of seasoned artistes; Tarun Kohli from Akshara Theatre, Varun Sharma from Theatreleela Studios and Vipul from Asmita Theatre.

The Mythological debate, Aaj Ka Narad, was also conducted. The event was judged by an ex-IITian, Mr Yatish Kumar. It was an open event with both college and school students participating. The participants were divided into teams of three each with two rounds- prelims and finals. The first position was backed my Mr Shivam Sanoria, while the second and third positions were shared by three contestants each.

A perfect platform to rant your hearts out, Spin-a-Yarn was a fan-fiction writing competition, an open event for both college and school students. The participants were given 2.5 hours to write a story on any of the prompts given. A total of five themes were addressed- Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Death Note and Percy Jackson. For each theme three situations were provided out of which the contestant could choose to write on any one. This competition was subject to internal checking and the results for the same would be announced in about a week or two’s time.

A melodious touch to Rendezvous ‘19 was added by the fusion band competition of Tatva. 8 college bands participated in this event and gave outstanding performances that truly touched the audience’s hearts. The first position was backed by Happy Together (SGTB Khalsa) while the second and third positions were backed by Raag Shas (IITD) and Calico Skies (CVS) respectively. This event was judged by Mr Raghav Verma and Mr Kartik Dhar.

After a tiring day at IITD Rendezvous, comedians Appurv Gupta and Gaurav Kapoor tickled the funny bone in every person by performing their hilarious sets at the Comedy Fest. Addressing all topics like DU students to a typical day with your father, the comedians well managed to throw everyone off their seats laughing.

Sketch-A-Spot was an open and live sketching event with over 450 participants. Participants were asked to discover their own place in the campus and draw the same. The event was judged by Dr. Rajashri Chakrabarti, professor at the College of Art and Shri Saumya Samanta.

Debutante was an intense debating session bifurcated by different rounds. With sharp minds and even sharper tongue, participants ranging over 40 teams battled it out on several themes spanning across several rounds. Over a period of two days, ranging from feminism and Indian politics to pop culture and economics, the participants were welcomed with a variety of themes. The finals remain awaited on the 4th of October.

The prelims for the Mela-Ish Quiz, organised by the Quiz Club of IIT Delhi. Almost 60 teams participated in the event out of which, only eight teams were supposed to qualify for the finals. It had questions from all sorts of topics, covering Music, Entertainment, Art, Indian history, Science etc. The questions very detailed and had the participants scratching their heads. The quiz consisted of about 20 questions and the participants were given a time of 2-3 minutes for one question. The event was judged by the Quiz society itself and was very well informative throughout.

Hindi Samiti (The Hindi society of IIT Delhi) in collaboration with Nojoto, an app that provides aspiring writers a platform to pursue their dreams, organised a poetry competition, Chhatra Kavi Sangoshthhi. The event had about 250 registrations who submitted their poems to the organisers and only 27 participants were shortlisted for the second round. The event was judged by Smt. Rajiv Kumar Shukl, Delhi Director at Aakashvani (All India Radio) and Smt. Kinshuk Gupta, Chief Juror for Konark literary festival. Each participant was given five minutes to present their Shayaris. The audience was deeply touched by the emotions of the poets who well connected with everyone through their poems.

The Dance Club of IIT Delhi organised a Solo Dance competition. They invited registrations through submission of dance videos of people. They received videos of about 300 aspiring dancers, out of which 45 were shortlisted for the prelims. After the prelims, only nine qualified for the final round. The competition was very diverse as the participants performed all different kinds of dance, western, classical, street dance, etc. After the performances of the participants, Deepanshu, A member of the Solo Dance Club of IIT Delhi took it to stage and left everyone awestruck by his dance. The event was judged by Sanyam Bhayana, Choreographer at University of Delhi and a renowned dancer. First position was bagged by Tiger Pop and the second prize was given to Shreewarna Rawat. After the results, the audience chanted the name of the judge askin him to dance. Sanyam took to stage and danced phenomenally, which was clear by the applause from the audience.

Day 2 ended with harsh rain showers and thunder, due to which the Pronite with Ritwiz was cancelled. The weather turned sour, and led to felling of trees. The Organising Committees at Rendezvous uploaded information regarding safety of the participants, students, and attendees. Allegedly a few people were injured and taken to the hospital on campus for immediate first-aid. The thunder washed away the décor and made a ruckus during the pronite.

Feature Image Credits: Gauri Ramchandani for DU Beat

Anandi Sen

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Avni Dhawan

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Abhinandan Kaul

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Sriya Rane

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Bhavya Pandey

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Satviki Sanjay

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Done and Dusted: DUSU Elections 2019

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The declaration of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) results on 13th September ended a month of hooliganism, ruckus, and violation of rules in the name of campaigning.

Every year, the months of August and September witness frenzy and chaos. The roads are littered with flyers and posters, a number of posters with misspelt names of the candidates are pasted on the walls in the Campus area, and rallies pave way for traffic jam. This year too, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) won three seats out of four, establishing their majority in the
DUSU.

The voter turnout was recorded at 39.9 percent this year, over four notches down from the last year voter turnout. One of the key points highlighted in this year’s manifestoes of various student political organisations was less wastage of paper. However, candidates contesting DUSU elections clearly violated this rule. The shocking thing here is, that even though the University has a regulatory authority to check these violations, no one comes forward to point these; not even the administration. It is easy to notice all the enthusiasm of the  newly elected office bearers slowly fade away as we inch closer to the end of the year.

I remember, during an interview with Sunny Chillar, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) Presidential candidate for DUSU elections, 2018, the demand of a subsidised INR 10 thali (platter) was discussed. The students of the University were assured that no matter what the election results would be, the thali will be provided to them, since, over 70 percent of students are from the economically weaker sections of the society. A common agenda discussed by both the ABVP and the NSUI almost every year is concessional Metro and Delhi Transport Corporation bus passes for the students of the University of Delhi (DU). However, we, as students, are only able to see a few protest marches and letters written to different ministers and the Administration. On questioning about the same to our student leaders, they reply, “It will happen soon.” Will it be soon enough, for the next set of candidates, to put forward the same demand in next year’s manifesto?

In the race of winning the elections, what the student leaders forget is the reason they are running for the position. Is it for fame? Or, is it for representing and working for the student community? Attacks on opponents are not something new in the election season. The sad part here is, that most of the students of the University equate DUSU election season to violence in and around Campus. The manifestoes talk about the safety of students but, in reality, election season makes us, the student community, feel more unsafe than ever.

Did you know that the DUSU also has a constitution of its own? Yes, most of you do not. The official website of the University has a link to the Constitution. It is a 16-page document which roughly has eight chapters that broadly discuss the functioning, funding, and objectives of the Union. The Vice Chancellor of the University is the Patron, and takes all the necessary steps for the smooth  functioningof DUSU in accordance with the DUSU Constitution. The underlying fact is that, even though all this has been defined in the Constitution, our very own elected student leaders fail to abide by it. Or rather, they forget the ideals upon which the Constitution was established. It is sad to see them absent from the important student-related issues but they are present when a Bollywood celebrity visits a college.

Concluding in the words of Srivedant Kar, former Associate Editor of DU Beat, “It’s high time these elections stop referring to things that the Union cannot do and instead start becoming a fight about what the Union can, and should, do.”

Anoushka Sharma 

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DUSU Elections 2019: ABVP Bags 3 Out of 4 Seats

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After a tumultuous day of tensions , the DUSU election results were announced, with ABVP’s Akshit Dhaiya elected as the DUSU President and ABVP’s Pradeep Tanwar winning the post of Vice President, NSUI’s Ashish Lamba securing the post of Secretary, and ABVP’s Shivangi Kharwal winning the post of Joint Secretary.

 

IMG-20190913-WA0017hh

The counting took place in Community Centre, Kingsway Camp. The counting began after a delay of almost two hours as opposed to the scheduled timing of 8.30 am as the candidates turned up late, news agency PTI reported.Around 2:20 p.m, ABVP was leading on all the four posts.

 

 

 

 

The voting turnout was recorded at 39.90 per cent this year, over four notches down from the last year.Last year, the election saw a 44.46 per cent voter turnout. The polling for four positions of  ended amid allegations of Electronic Voter Machine (EVM) malfunctioning. More than 1.3 lakh students were eligible to cast their vote this time. As many as 144 EVMs were used for Delhu University Students’ Union polls and 137 were used for college union polls. Polling began on 12th September 2019 for morning colleges at 9.30 a.m .and ended at 1 p.m, while in evening colleges it commenced at 3 p.m. and ended at 7.30 p.m.

 

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Being Camera Shy in the Age of Instagram

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Do you feel the pressure of getting good pictures clicked for your social media accounts? Read on to find out how many of us do.

Cameras play an essential role in our lives. Students document beautiful moments of their day, share pictures with their friends, send them back home to their parents, and upload them on Instagram and make Vlogs. They also share the details of their bad days through pictures, videos, and stories.

However, many of us undergo a slight pressure to conform to the aforementioned millennial practice because a section of the student body is camera shy. A student from Jesus and Mary College said, “My friends get pictures clicked almost every day and it is always fun. But, I don’t get myself clicked because I feel this pressure to look pristine in pictures that are shared on social media.” She added that the compulsion to look great in pictures gives her unnecessary stress.

Being camera shy becomes a liability at times. One feels excluded from their friend’s shenanigans and feel insecure about their body image. It becomes an activity which they don’t want to be a part of. Another student commented, “There is envy attached to pictures. A feeling of the other person looking better and more put together than you do. Shying away from camera becomes second nature to avoid the scrutiny of looking too tall, too short, too fat, etc.”

On the other hand, many students embrace their camera shyness by clicking pictures of other things, people, and animals. Gaurvi Rustogi, a student of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Commerce shared that she clicks the pictures for her friends always, while another student added that he loves clicking pictures of the sky, dogs, squirrels, tall trees, and anything aesthetic that comes in his way randomly. According to them, “Memory documentation doesn’t always involve you clicking pictures with you in it. Clicking pictures of things around you will make you remember that day, and bring peace.”

Recently, filters on social media applications have become another new trend for the students. A teacher in class once condemned these filters and said that “They have ruined the sanctity of photography.” But the students call them light and easy fun. Applications like Huji Camera and filters on Snapchat have become very popular among the youth.

Another aspect added by the editing apps that they remove blemishes off your face or makes your skin tone lighter. This also helps to uphold the unrealistic and unhealthy beauty standards already prevalent in society. While, a few argue in their favour by saying that they make one ‘feel good about themselves’ the counter opinion supported by many, including me, is that no one should need to remove a pimple off their pictures to feel good about themselves.

Even a daily millennial practice like clicking pictures comes with its stereotypical politics. People think that the girls who post more selfies want to grab attention while those who don’t are boring, those who use make-up are faking their beauty and those who don’t are just too simple. These gimmicky stereotypical narratives also push students to get out of their comfort zone- to get dressed and pose for a photograph.

Camera shyness isn’t easy to handle. It comes with its own problems but that is just the way some of us are. And, the real victory over it is to accept it rather than making efforts to look better or pose better, and conform to millennial norms of the era we live in.

Feature Image Credits: Chahat Singh for DU Beat

Sakshi Arora

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Arts & Culture

The University and the Society Culture

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Every year, lakhs of students apply to the prestigious University of Delhi, thousands get it, and a few hundred join the college societies. The month of August in the University calendar witnesses orientation programs, society auditions, WhatsApp forwards to the freshers, and posters on notice board informing about the society. 

Amidst the arduousness of the ensuing academic pursuit, a college society plays an important role in giving its members the kind of experience they have never witnessed. Most of the students join these societies in order to enhance their curriculum vitae. However, down the line, they also understand that the exposure from the society not only transforms them, but also plays an important part in their holistic and professional development. It helps them express themselves, raise their voice against something which can create an impact in the university space. Meeting the deadlines, working in a team, recruiting people, generating revenue, and day-to-day management are some of the responsibilities handled by the society members. This extensive work that goes into making of any society, be it a newly formed one or an already existing one, demands enormous amount of energy and dedication. Shreya, a member of the fashion society of her college said, “Like every coin has two sides, it is the same with societies. Sometimes, the job is taxing. There is a schedule to be followed, a number of things to be done, paper work, coordinating with the society members, and what not. But at the same time, it is fulfilling. I have become confident. I know how to manage a team. Over the years, the society members become your family, you practise with them, eat with them, travel with them. Half your day is spent with the members. Your seniors teach you so much, and probably that is the best thing. When you see them working with sincerity and dedication, it really pushes you from within to strive for better, each and every day.” It is true that society is a gateway for finding friends in college. It helps build a mutual relationship of trust and respect, and also paves a way for healthy discussions.

Having said all this, I do realise some of us are not a part of any society. There can be multiple reasons, though. Some of us didn’t get in, some may have left the societies after having an idea of the hectic schedule, or probably some of us did not bother to join a society at all! A common factor the students who were not a part of any society talked about was the work and hours of practice. Some of the students live far away and dread reaching the college sharp at seven in the morning. Others believe that it is important to prioritise academics over extracurricular activities. Amanya, a recent graduate who was a part of the western dance society of her college said, “I joined the society in my first year. Hours of practice, missing classes, not being able to cope with my studies, and reaching college early in the morning were the reasons I had to leave my society. The fest season drove me crazy, I used to reach home late and had no energy to do anything productive after that. It was extremely difficult to manage. After a point of time, it felt like a burden.”

Coming to the those of you who did not get into any society this year- it’s okay if you failed that society audition. Your college life is much more than one audition. I have always believed that something better awaits all of us. Having given your best and still not being selected is something most of us have experienced at some point of time in our lives. You might feel disheartened and dejected. But utilising our potential in a productive way is totally up to us. Keep an eye on other societies, if not western music society, you might end up being a part of Enactus of your college. If not all this, make sure you indulge in something you like, maybe you can join a certificate course or try learning a new language. College life is about discovering yourself and your abilities. There are a variety of options available in this free world. Being or not being a part of any society, I hope your college years transform you into a confident, informed, and a more responsible individual.

Anoushka Sharma

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Students of SOL Protest Against Introducing CBCS System

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The students from School of Open Learning have started an indefinite hunger strike against the University of Delhi regarding the decision of introducing the Choice Based Credit System from this year onwards.

On Monday, 19th August, 2019, students of School of Open Learning (SOL) along with activists from Krantikari Yuva Sangathan held a protest at Arts Faculty, University of Delhi. They have also launched an indefinite hunger strike from Tuesday, 20th August 2019.

The University of Delhi (DU) recently decided to implement the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) in the School of Open Learning and Non-Collegiate Woman Education Board (NCWEB), removing the existing annual mode. The University has decided to change the syllabus of these institutions after 12 years. The decision was taken during an emergency meeting of the University’s Executive Council (EC) on Saturday, 17th August 2019, but four members recorded their dissent to the idea.

In 2015, DU had decided to drop annual examinations and paved way for the semester examinations for all its regular colleges under CBCS. SOL and NCWEB were exempted since there were no regular classes for these students. The latest decision will bring the two institutions at par with regular colleges. However, the decision has faced backlash by people even before it was implemented.  Members of Academic Council questioned the implementation of the programme. Questions relating to the semester system and examinations were also raised.Around 1.5 lakh students are enrolled in SOL and NCWEB has more than 2000 students in the institution, making it a dire issue affecting the future of many.

This decision is being highly criticised because of the following reasons:

  1. The decision has been implemented in haste. “This is a very welcome step but the way DU is planning to implement the scheme in a hurry will harm the students. This will also face legal issues as the varsity has invited applications and conducting admissions as per the previous method i.e., annual pattern,” said Pankaj Garg former member of the Academic Council.

 

  1. The material of the annual mode of exam has already been distributed. What is more shocking is that until a few days ago, students of SOL and NCWEB were studying the same annual mode syllabus. “Study material of annual mode and old syllabus has also been distributed. If we change the system now, there is going to be increased expenditure” said Rajesh Jha, EC member. “The university will distribute online material but half of the students enrolled in SOL are coming from economically weaker sections and many do not have computers at home,” Jha added.

 

  1. The students who preferred choosing the annual mode over CBCS weren’t given a choice to express their consent. Janmejoy Khuntia, SOL Staff Council Secretary, said, “While the CBCS system is welcome, students have paid fees in annual mode so it may be unfair to ask them to switch. The university must look at the implementation and avoid haste.” Khuntia further added that as per the University Act, it is the Academic Council which should decide upon the conduct of examination.

 

  1. A major change like this will also affect staff requirement as well staff training. Lack of preparation there could hamper the education of these students.“Since the workload would increase, the staff should also be increased. We are exploring possibilities to develop a third examination branch in the lines of south Delhi campus examination branch under the Campus of Open Learning (COL) to undertake these responsibilities,” a senior DU official said requesting anonymity.

 

  1. The students of SOL programme would have to face a more rigid and harsh schedule as while NCWEB students and SOL honours students will have their examination with regular students. Other than them, their tests will be conducted after regular classes end and before their examination begins and also during the interval following the completion of regular examinations.

 

Bringing a contrapositive opinion, another member of EC as well as officiating Director of NCWEB, Geeta Bhatt said, “Obviously the university is implementing the scheme with proper and articulated planning. Further, admissions are still going in the SOL, NCWEB and even in some regular colleges.”

Feature Image Credits: Jagran Josh

Chhavi Bahmba 

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No Congress Supported Candidate for DUTA President Post

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No candidate supported by the Indian National Congress is contesting elections this time for the post of Delhi University Teachers’ Association’s President.

For the upcoming Delhi University Teacher’s Association (DUTA) Elections for the year 2019-2021, no candidate supported by the Indian National Congress is standing up for the post of President. Senior Congress leader, Kiran Walia said that the party didn’t want to divide secular forces and so chose to keep away from the DUTA polls.

Mr. Ashwini Shankar, the Chairperson of Indian National Teachers’ Congress (INTEC), the official Congress teachers group at the University of Delhi also commented on the issue. He said, “With the country in such turmoil, we wanted to put our best foot forward. Academics for Action and Development support our ideology and so this time we have decided to join our forces and support their candidate, Aditya Narayan Misra. He is a strong candidate and we have faith in him.”

The INTEC has, however, put up three candidates for the 15-member Executive Council. Walia, with full confidence said, “We have fielded three EC candidates and all three are likely to win.” These candidates are Vivek Chaudhary, sitting secretary in DUTA, Udayvir, a teacher of Electronics at Acharya Narendra Dev College, and Pradeep Kumar, History teacher at Zakir Husain College. She said that she does not believe that the ideology of the Congress party has lost its relevance in the University campus as a result of the recent Lok Sabha and State Elections.

Rasal Singh, member of the Academic Council, however, believes that the result of the DUTA Elections will reflect on the upcoming Assembly Elections. “The Modi factor will impact this election too and the outcome will impact the Assembly elections as the DUTA election reflects the mood of the intellectuals.”

The DUTA Elections 2019-2021 are going to be held on 29th August 2019, and the votes will be counted on the same day.

Feature Image Credits: The Indian Wire

Juhi Bhargava

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ABVP Demands DUSU Office to be Named after Veer Savarkar

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Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has called for renaming the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) Office after the progenitor of Hindutva – VD Savarkar.

“Our University has forgotten the heroes of our freedom struggle. The place where Bhagat Singh was kept doesn’t even have a statue of him in the entire complex. I don’t even think half of the students even know of the Bhagat Singh jail below Vice Regal Lodge. Same is with Veer Savarkar. If studied thoroughly, he is the true inspiration for youngsters,” says Siddharth Yadav, the ABVP Delhi State Secretary, explaining why the DUSU Office should be renamed after Savarkar.

As reported by Outlook, Shakti Singh, President of the ABVP-led DUSU, had demanded that the DUSU Office be named ‘Veer Savarkar Bhawan’. The demand was made during the staging of the play ‘Hey Mrityunjay’, which is ‘based on time spent by Savarkar in the Andaman jail’ on 12th August.

An atheist, Vinayak Damodar ‘Veer’ Savarkar is credited as being the father of the Hindutva thought. Even though he did not coin the term ‘Hindutva’ – or “Hinduness” as he explained it – he theorised it as a cultural and political ideology. An advocate of acquiring independence from the British through revolutionary means, he was imprisoned due to his anti-British activities. A failed attempt to escape from prison landed him at the Cellular Jail or Kala Pani  in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. During this time, Savarkar wrote ‘Hindutva’, laying out an ideology that is at centre stage of contemporary Indian politics.

Perhaps even the admirers of Savarkar would agree that he is not an uncontroversial figure. Not every party holds him in the same high regard as the Hindutva parties do. Asaduddin Owaisi in a speech had questioned the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) by alleging that Savarkar had claimed that the tricolour could never be India’s national flag. Rahul Gandhi had in Parliament contrasted the Congress and the BJP’s ideologies by evoking the contrast between MK Gandhi and Savarkar; a row had followed. Savarkar was also tried, though acquitted for involvement in Gandhi’s murder.

The legitimacy of numerous claims can be discussed separately. Similarly, debating Savarkar’s political philosophy here would be futile; quoting a phrase or two from a whole body of work does not do justice to the writer or their thought – both the critique and the approbation remain shallow in that case. Yet, the point remains that Savarkar is a polarising figure.

So is it justified for the ABVP to demand that a student union office be named after a figure so controversial, especially when many parties would probably not consent? Mr. Yadav comments, “It is a demand and we have all the right to do so. Surely if discussions are done the so-called controversy would also be cleared. That was also one of the purpose[s] of the play where this demand was raised, to bring out the truth.”

Perhaps Savarkar deserves more attention, as do many other Indian revolutionaries in the historiography of the colonial period. Hindutva is a fascinating read, despite its holes and problems. Given today’s reality, it would only be wise to better understand the fountainhead of this ideology.

Yet, why should a university student union office be named after a political figure? Why can’t the name of the office remain apolitical, in spite of all the student politics around it? Moreover, why only Savarkar? What will the ABVP’s reaction be if the Left parties demand that the Office be named after, say, M.N. Roy?

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Prateek Pankaj

[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

Sacred Games Season 2: Aham Brahmasmi > Apun Hi Bhagwaan Hai

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Sacred Games season two came out on the eve of Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan, a strategically positioned release date, or fate? (Only Guru Ji knows)

Our Web Editor, Shaurya Thapa commented that if Season 1 of Sacred Games was set in Kashyap’s Wasseypur world then Season 2 took inspiration from his No Smoking cinematic universe. This review begins on a comparative note because this whole show does the same. It is a comparison within itself, contradicting its characters, creating parallels with the previous season, mirroring the outer world, reflecting on the World’s political climate, driving on India’s history and dramatising on the didactic dilemma of this decade: Is this world worth saving?

Season two is packed with a lot of brand new information, twists and turns wrapped up in the eight hour long cinephile’s dream. It comes full circle with completing almost all the strands left loose in the first season. It is the story of a chase against time, personal conflicts, greater good and men in white tripping over red pills and drinks.

Guru Ji and his ashram, which was barely touched upon in season one, takes the centre stage this season. Kalki has less to do as Batya, but it is ominous, arbitrary and satisfactory. The angle of the third baap and Gaitonde’s Freudian obsession with his baaps make way more sense now.

At its heart, despite all its nuclear bomb threat to Mumbai and Sartaj Singh’s race against time to prove his masculine heroism, Sacred Games is the story of Ganesh Gaitonde. His rise, his fall, his obsessions, his pre-occupations, his business, his enemies, his love, his life, and Mumbai is what makes the revolutionary plot. He has the best lines, direction, writing, acting and side characters. Season one’s ferocious Kantabai and frivolous Kuku take a back seat as compared to the new characters- RAW agent Yadav Sahab, and conflicted JoJo.

Characters in this show don’t pop up out of no-where; they rise out of a connection and become important eventually. Parulkar, Trivedi, and Bhonsle all make appearances in Gaitonde’s formative years to become an integral part of the Sartaj Singh plot. Dilbagh Singh’s involvement in the annihilation plans is ambiguous yet it connects all the dots. Zoya or Jamila’s involvement becomes a full circle and even a minor mention of Anjali Mathur’s father’s death gets an explanation.

The traje(dy)ctory of Inspector Majid Khan is the most surprising of all. With chilling dialogues like “Musalman ko uthaane ka police ko kya bahaana chahiye” and “Majid Khan hone se Parulkar ka banda hona behtar hai” and an equally disturbing scene of a young Muslim boy being forced to “Say It” and eventually being brutally lynched, the show takes a much-needed stand in today’s time. What is even more tantalizing is that among that mob we know one character, a devastated boy who is finding his peace in the brutality of a religious war.

On the other end of this spectrum stands, the almost comical parodies of real-life people. We can easily see the inspiration behind them and how easily the writer’s incorporated them into the story. Ram Gopal Verma and Osho are the influences woven strongly into the story with brilliant writing.

The end is a rollercoaster. The viewers have to scratch the reality away from the imagination. They are stuck together side by side, one striving on the other’s existence, one is real and the other is the influencer. The red pill and tripping play a major part in the culmination, Sartaj is still running on them, making hasty decisions, delayed realisations and maybe even mistakes.

The takeaway from this open end is that the detonation of the bomb doesn’t even matter. The world is killing itself, it is moving towards mass destruction with corruption steeped into its being. The use of a real-life footage in the background during Guru Ji’s convincing ‘let’s kill everyone and bring about Satyug’ speech fuels my conclusion that even without such Guru Ji’s involvement in our real life, American mass shootings are on a rise, Palestine-Israel conflicts is still alive, the Middle-East war seems never-ending and India-Pakistan are still on the Colonial crossroads. Adding to this, without Guru Ji we still have Rohingya annihilation, Sri Lankan bombings, New Zealand mass killings, and climate change. So that bomb, really doesn’t matter, we will get to the end of the world even without it.

Feature Image Credits: Business Insider

Sakshi Arora

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Expectations Versus Reality: A Fresher’s Perspective

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A look at the expectations of a fresher in the University of Delhi (DU) and the reality which sets in half a month into college.

After the mad scramble of getting a seat after the cut-offs came out settled, and there were a few weeks left until the beginning of life in college. Everyone began cultivating certain expectations from college, how they will fit in, how the culture would be different , how life would change after we got into DU.  Two weeks into DU, have these expectations held or did reality turn out to be different?

DU is known nationwide for its academics, and everyone had expectation of a different level of education regardless of where they came from. Jason Patrick Gomes, a resident of West Bengal, and a first-year student at Kirori Mal College says “In Bengal, there is a big hype about the University and it is considered one of the best universities in India. However, expectations are different from the reality, so when I entered the college, the ambience and the crowd was good. After a while, the reality set in. The fans were not working and sometimes we couldn’t even  hear teachers. But it’s still good, it’s okay.”

Sehaj Singh, another first-year student from Kirori Mal College expected college to be similar to school.  He said, “Unlike schools, there are no compulsions about attending classes, and there is more freedom, you don’t have to attend classes. It’s your choice, you set your own priorities, whether its classes, societies, or maybe just sitting in the library, or working.”

In the university space, there is an air of diversity but also acceptance of everyone. While DU has not met all our expectations, it has thrown some surprises, some pleasant and some not so pleasant one’s.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Prabhanu Kumar Das

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