Anoushka Sharma, Author at DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

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Student Alleges Being Wrongfully Detained from Completing Exam

By Anoushka Sharma December 15, 2018

A Keshav Mahavidyalaya student was recently thrown out of the examination hall on account of the alleged misjudgment of the invigilator.

A University of Delhi (DU) student was recently subjected to misjudgment on account of the invigilator while writing her exam. The student, Shweta Yadav is from Keshav Mahavidyalaya and was writing her accounts examination when the examiner wronged her for cheating and snatched the paper away, fifteen minutes prior to the completion time.

According to Shweta, it all started when the student was asked to fill up the details and tie the supplementary answer script by the invigilator. Upon constant insistence, she did the necessary. The student had done some rough work on the question paper, which was objected by the invigilator. However, instead of a warning, her paper was snatched and she was asked to leave the examination hall with the invigilator’s assertion that, “tumhe pata haina paper par nahi likhte? Ab nikal jao ho gaya paper”. The student stated this as she had to leave a 27 mark question due to the ruckus.

The student was sitting on the first bench and she informed that there was no scope of cheating or exchanging of papers. She did not even have the intention to do so. The rough work was a simple mathematical calculation done in a hurry. Despite apologizing to the invigilator, the student was not given her answer script back, and was asked to leave the premises of the examination hall that very moment. The invigilator was from the Mathematics department of the college.

Shweta mentions she has had a word with a member of CYSS regarding this issue right after the examination ended.
She also adds that she hasn’t received any information from the administration and the concerned invigilator, but the Students Union is aware of this situation and has enquired her to look upon a solution for this.

The wrongful harassment on account of examination invigilators should be kept in check, and brought into the limelight. The college student unions should be more assertive in their role and attend the discrepancies faced on account of the students.

Feature Image Credits: Justdial

Avnika Chhikara

[email protected]

Campus Central

Moment of Reckoning: DU Accredited ‘A+’ NAAC Ranking

By Anoushka Sharma December 1, 2018

The University of Delhi has been awarded ‘A+’ grade with a corresponding cumulative grade point average of 3.28 by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council .

One of the most prestigious universities in the country, the University of Delhi has come to its reckoning with the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grading. After a comprehensive evaluation of various departments from across the varsity, it has been accorded an ‘A+’ by the NAAC.

The cumulative grade point average (CGPA) for A++ accreditation is between 3.51 to 4. As per an official, the council review was held in the last week of October. Last year, the Jawaharlal Nehru University was ranked “A++” in the NAAC review. The council grading is crucial for funds and grants allotted to a varsity by the University Grants Commission.

As reported by the Press Trust of India, a detailed questionnaire assessing a multitude of aspects- from inclusivity to flexibility or rigidity in practising rules in the colleges were sent to the Department Heads across the varsity ahead of the official NAAC visit. There were 103 questions in total. Does the DU department celebrate national festivals or observe birth and death anniversaries of great Indian personalities; Is there a policy in place to check plagiarism were some of the questions in the questionnaire.
The accreditation is as per the Revised Accreditation and Assessment Framework launched by the NAAC in July 2017, which represents an explicit paradigm shift in the accreditation process, making it ICT enabled, objective, transparent, scalable and, robust, DU said in a statement. As reported by The Indian Express, the primary focus of the shift is from qualitative peer judgment to data-based quantitative indicator evaluation with increased objectivity and transparency. These include combination of online evaluation (about 70 per cent) and peer judgment (about 30 per cent), it added. DU has been accredited (First Cycle) with a CGPA 3.28 with A+ Grade, valid for a period of 5 years from November 30, the statement said.

With inputs from The Indian Express.

Feature Image Credits: India TV

Kartik Chauhan

[email protected]

DUB Speak

26/11: The Attack on the Privileged

By Anoushka Sharma November 26, 2018

The 2008 Mumbai attack is globally recognised as an important part of the history of India, it may not seem unusual at first, but the traction is problematic.

For Indians, sweater weather brings with it clouded memories of the Mumbai attacks of 2008; broadcast tributes can be found aplenty, people get clicked while the bullet studded walls of Leopold Cafe provide a backdrop, and the ones that were directly affected are forced to relive the trauma. The media coverage expected this year is perhaps tenfold, since this year marks the ten year anniversary of the attacks.

It’s important to mark the bloodiest days in history and remember them from time to time, honour the unsung heroes, pay respect to the innocent, and learn from past mistakes. The Mumbai attacks are, globally, the most well recognised and empathised terrorist attacks in India. However, a brief history lesson on the deadliest terrorist attacks in India highlights several ones that exceed the 26/11 attacks in terms of quantum of lives lost. It’s diabolical to evaluate the damages caused by terrorism in the utilitarian sense of the world; any loss of lives is appalling regardless of the number. The only mildly troubling aspect of the attention given to 26/11 attacks is that the international media coverage given to the attacks due to the number of foreign lives threatened and lost. The attacks were meticulously planned and executed along the most famous tourist spots in Mumbai, including the Taj Hotel and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. Since high profile tourist spots were targeted by the infiltrators, many foreign lives were lost on the Indian soil and that is primarily why the bombings garnered international traction and interest. The New York Times or the BBC were obviously not as interested in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings or the stream of deadly violence prevalent in Assam since decades. The modern world is such that European and American lives are often given primacy over the Rohingyas of Burma, the Syrians forced to abandon their homes due to genocide funded by Uncle Sam, the Hondurans fleeing political unrest, and the millions plagued by starvation and unemployment. India has long been stung by foreign (and even domestic) forces propagating violence and instigating fear.

The ball wasn’t entirely in the court of international media houses. The fate of the accused was addressed by the Supreme Court in this case, but there remain tens of other terrorism cases dated decades back, that await verdicts.

There is no doubt that all matters of national security, in any part of the country, are to be given equal importance and priority. In the status quo, sadly, privilege plays a huge role in the action taken by the respective authorities. Perhaps that’s why the valleys of Kashmir witness day-to-day bloodshed, the children of Chattisgarh live in fear of Maoist insurgencies and Cow Vigilantes continue to haunt the streets of Uttar Pradesh- unchecked.

Featured Image Credits: Indian Express

Nikita Bhatia

Campus Central

Student Denied Admit Card as an Act of Vengeance

Bureaucracy and fake admissions have loomed over the credibility of the University of Delhi since its inception.

The discourse around illegal admissions in the University of Delhi was recently in the limelight, owing to the scandal around Ankit Baisoya, former Delhi University Students Union President. The most recent addition to this discourse is Swami Shraddhanand College. The students of the college have raised several questions about the same in the past and, in one such instance, Riya Gulati, a final year B.A. Programme student filed an official complaint alleging ‘fake admission’ of the college’s Students Union President, Nitika Mann in October 2018. Mann is a third year student of the college pursuing B.A. Programme.

The University of Delhi mandated the college authorities, namely acting Principal Dr. P.V.Khatri, who is yet to formally investigate the matter. Sources claim that the mandate was dismissed by the authorities, who claimed that the original admission form of Nitika Mann had been ‘lost’.

A copy of the DU Mandate to the College Principal. Image Credits: Riya Gulati

A few months later, Riya Gulati accused the college’s Acting Principal, Dr. P.V.Khatri, of selective harassment. Riya was denied her Admit Card, which is needed to appear in semester examinations. The Admit card is allegedly kept in the personal custody of Dr. Khatri, who refuses to grant her the Admit Card (without her parents’ visiting the college) on grounds of shortage of attendance. Riya claims that all other unperturbed students with attendance falling below the statutory minimum have received their respective hall tickets and are already appearing for their Practical Examinations.

DU Beat tried contacting Dr. Khatri, but he was unavailable for a comment.

With the examination dates looming close by, any uncertainty especially regarding to Admit Cards are a major cause of distress to students. Adding to this, lack of formal investigations, disciplinary actions and the blatant display of a vengeful attitude on behalf of college authorities are extremely problematic. The lack of responsiveness and responsibility can appear to add credibility to the malpractice allegations against the college authorities.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Nikita Bhatia

DUB Speak

Distractions During Exams

Studying is never as simple as it sounds.Targets are set and schedules are made to be followed during the preparation leaves before the semester exams. But, the fortnightly ‘vacation’ is riddled with distractions and procrastination.

Image Credits: Aakarsh Gupta for DU Beat.

Friends

A very important group of people in your life that will surely ping at all the wrong times during exams. Exchange of notes over late night cups of coffee acts as a great stress buster, but not when you have the syllabus piled up!

Image Credits: Mahi Panchal ad Vaibhav Teckchandani for DU Beat. — Image Credits: Mahi Panchal for DU Beat.

Lovers

Lovers, the people you can rely on for almost everything. They will pick you up when you fall down, and love you even at your worst. But have patience, young lovebirds! Love can wait, but exams can’t.

Image Credits: Mahi Panchal for DU Beat.

TV Shows and Movies

TV Shows and Movies gravitate a serious attention during the exam time. One might resolve to watch them during breaks, but at times it happens that some videos that we watch tend to stay with us and, hence result into a major distraction. A subtle escape mechanism from the melancholic exam schedule, watching movies is definitely one of the most time taking distractions.

Image Credits: Mahi Panchal and Vaibhav Teckchandani for DU Beat. — Image Credits: Vaibhav Teckchandani for DU Beat.

Party Plans

A party during exam? Doesn’t sound that bad. That is what you find yourself saying when your phone pings on the table covered with books. Friends are going, what is the harm? Well, the harm is that the party will turn into an after party, and you won’t know when to stop. Be the party pooper if you have to. Reserve such parties after exams when the weight of the semester lifts off your shoulders!

Late Night Hangout Plans

How could you say no to a late night plan of driving across the city with friends or simply hanging out at a friends’ place? After all, it does seem to be relaxing, especially after a day wrapped in a tight schedule of studies. Everything seems to lure during the exams, but drawing a line between a ‘relax-time’ and distraction is what it’s all about.

Feature Image Credits: Aakarsh Gupta for DU Beat.

Akshada Shrotiya

Mahi Panchal

Vaibhav Teckchandani

DUB Speak

The Liberal Manifesto

There is no such thing as the liberal manifesto, precisely because liberalism was never centered around a set code of ideologies, theories or conduct. But with the growing extremism and intolerance, it might just have the unappealing elements of how a manifesto is enforced.

Liberalism, as a social movement, is a therapeutic mission that revolves around the modern concept of identity and extends it to schools, universities, hospitals, and the social services offered by the state itself. It is the brainchild of the world where less people turn to priests and ministers for solace, but to self-help groups and psychiatrists (and perhaps thousands of strangers on Twitter). The discourse around race, gender, sexuality, and freedom are more over offended dignity than over material resources. On paper, liberalism sounds like the ideal safe haven for all kinds of people. In reality, with some new shenanigan every day, it’s piercing its own tongue. The Hindi saying ‘Apne pairo pe aap kulhadi marna’ would be appropriate in this situation.

However, the flipside of the same is more grounded in reality. Liberalism made the modern world, but the modern world is turning against it. Europe and America are in the throes of a popular rebellion against liberal elites, who are seen as self-serving and unable, or unwilling, to solve the problems of ordinary people. Politically, the liberals are messing up, and this originates in the birthplace of this social-political movement; the US of A. Followers of an ideology built on tolerance and harmony, many progressive leftists are turning increasingly intolerant of their conservative and republican counterparts. Hillary Clinton recently said in an interview, “You cannot be civil with a party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about”. Some Democratic politicians are urging protesters to hound republicans out of restaurants and pursue them at departmental stores.

The failure of the Democrats can also be attributed to the privilege and elitism associated with liberals that preach minimal state intervention, privacy and, identity as gospel. The overwhelmingly rural voters who supported Republicans explained that the elites in the big cities simply did not understand or pay attention to their problems. A New York Times report quotes a Republican voter saying, “They live in a country onto themselves, they have no idea what the nation is up to. They are too absorbed in studying their own belly button.”

The problem with the contemporary left is the particular forms of identity it has chosen to represent. Rather than building solidarity around large collectives such as the working class or economically exploited, it has focused on smaller groups to the extent that others were actively ignored. At the end of the day, one community is being actively supported, which inadvertently leads to others being compromised on.

Liberals dominate the entertainment industry, many of the most influential news sources and America’s universities. These platforms come with a lot of power to express values, and confer credibility. Female Republicans who supported Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination were denounced and condemned as gender traitors. In India, Mallika Dua was disparaged and trolled for standing by her father in light of the sexual misconduct allegations against him. The #MeToo movement has has spiralled from a safe space of assault survivors into a vendetta culture based on rumours and whisper networks. YouTube and Facebook are secretly censoring alt-right content, Twitter mobs are getting people fired and, college students get speakers cancelled- you’d think that a college campus in the liberal world would be tolerant of free enquiry and academic discourse in the very least.

A movement that was supposed to be at the forefront of abolishing hate and intolerance from the world has become hateful and intolerant. They aren’t as smart as they think and while they lecture, judge and disdain, they are igniting a backlash against themselves. The extremist liberal control of the commanding heights of American culture is increasingly driving people away. This only validates their own worst prejudices about the other America.

Feature Image Credits: Steemit

Nikita Bhatia

DUB Speak

The Reality Of College Exams

In school, we are often provided with this rosy picture of college where the academic environment seems to be pretty chill. Except, when you actually step into the college doors, you do realise that it is a far cry from it.

One often gets to hear how getting marks in the 12th standard should be our primary concern in life, almost offering a silent implication that it all going to be smooth sailing from there onwards. As much as I and the rest of the student community would have liked to believe so, here is a warning for all the freshers reading this, if that is you’re still not aware, that it is not to be so.

College, as an environment has become synonymous with freedom, independence, and low-key academic tension, going by what pop culture has very conveniently fed us, resulting in this popular notion. You are almost entertained with the whole idea of what walking into the college doors would be like, of course, only to be slammed on the face with this door, namely, reality.

College marks and exams almost seem insignificant in school, what with all the pressure to clear all those engineering exams and scoring above 95% in boards. Clearing these, make it seem like the battle won, except it is not even half of it. College placements, cracking entrance exams for masters, filling up applications for higher studies; all have a pre-requisite of a decent GPA in college. I hate to break it you, but it is an endless, vicious cycle. One which you unintentionally signed up for, the moment your existence came to be. There isn’t really an escape route.

For starters, acceptance might just help you deal with this a lot better because life is such. Secondly, it would be advisable that you probably stop reading this article and start scramming, because other things can wait but you probably really need those marks right now. Thirdly, if you feel demotivated

at any point, I take the last point back. Marks are just a number and numbers shouldn’t really define you. Your success wouldn’t be determined by one bad external. However having said that, even though your success isn’t really hinged on how well you do in college, I do believe that it is important to work hard in whatever capacity you can towards your goal and making your dreams a reality.

College might just be some of the best years of your life, however, they are also the years that truly define you as a person and help form a foundation. It is important to live and enjoy your college life to the fullest, but it is almost important to utilize this time to figure things out. The next time you hear an adult telling a kid how college is going to be all fun and games, stop them right there, or on second thoughts, don’t.

Feature Image Credits: GK India

Anoushka Singh
[email protected]

DUB Speak

English: A Binding Force or an Unsaid Division?

By Anoushka Sharma November 23, 2018

It is a fact that Britain has been a country that had colonized many parts of the world, and the inhabitants of the present USA were actually British. These factors led to English becoming the global language that it is, today.

Language is an invention, quite possibly the most dynamic of things created by humankind because it encompasses all. Feeling a certain feeling, and then having the privilege of expressing it is something we all take for granted, but shouldn’t because it is the one thing every person that has ever lived has contributed to. Be it by adding new words into the language, passing it down generations, or simply by conversing and keeping the language alive.

Today’s world is one where there are no borders, anything and everything is accessible to those who want it. Such times call for a unifying method communication, and for better or for worse, English has emerged as that binding force. It is one language that is almost universally accepted and is spoken more than any other language in the world. A person from India and a person from Japan don’t have to learn both the languages (and that of any other area the other person is from) rather, everyone speaks English.

However, in recent times, English has unwittingly become a symbol of how ‘educated’ or ‘learned’ a person is. People tend to not pay heed to what a person is saying if it’s in a local dialect.

In institutional spaces, too, people tend to listen to just about anything, provided it is accompanied by good oratory skills and, of course, English. There is a sort of separation between those who are familiar with the language and those who are not.

As a result, many people who may know the science of things, get discouraged and their genius remains undiscovered. They will refrain from raising up their hands and talking about issues that concern them due to this unsaid barrier.

When English gives us a common identity, it can also rob us of our basic one. Due to the glamorization of English, we are not getting familiar with our respective dialects and feel a sense of shame in using it to converse.

What can be done in the world which has turned into a ‘global village’ is that we may embrace English, but also not forget to water our heritage and never to undermine those who don’t speak it.

Feature Image Credits: Plato-Edu

Maumil Mehraj

DUB Speak

The Life Cycle of an Introvert

By Anoushka Sharma November 19, 2018

Approximately one third of the global adult population exhibits introverted traits, yet young adults often have difficulty using this personality trait to their advantage.

A college campus is a kaleidoscopic mix of hundreds of young adults, bustling with activity at any given point of time. There are people to see, clubs to join, and parties to turn up at. Oh, and sometimes there are classes to attend.The chaos of student life can prove to be quite overwhelming for most students. Some exhibit major FOMO, some procrastinate endlessly, some won’t speak up in class even when they know the right answer to a question, while others end up completely isolating themselves. In other words, the fear of losing what are supposed to be ‘the best years of your life’ sets in, and it’s daunting.

Everyone has extroverted and introverted traits, people just lean into different sides of the spectrum. In the first year of college, most of us face a personality overhaul. Generally, this change is a three tier process.

1. The Epiphany

School is a safe and gated community. Most students are extremely comfortable in the familiarity of their local schools, and the first few weeks at college introduces them to the hardships of adjustment, compromise and initiative. Students end up realizing or at least considering the fact that they might not be as social and amiable as they thought.

2. Denial

It is expected of people to want to be social and enthusiastic, most borderline introverts force themselves into uncomfortable situations to fit in better. We live in an over-competitive and capitalist society that particularly values extroverted traits because introversion is often considered to be a weakness. Susan Cain, famous author and Harvard Law School graduate, calls this the ‘Extrovert Ideal’. It is the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha and comfortable in the spotlight which causes introversion to be considered a ‘second class trait.’

In a university where class participation, group assignments with randomly assigned members and ‘networking’ are over emphasized, colleges often neglect to cultivate the introverted side of their students’ personalities.Anushree, a first year student at Lady Shri Ram College for Women says, “I am a very reserved person, it takes me a long time to adjust to change since I don’t connect with people that easily.”

Long story short, several people feel disadvantaged due to their social skills (or lack thereof) or disdain for excessive human interaction. Be it regarding employment prospects, co-curricular activities, class participation or human relationships, they feel like they are missing out.

3. Acceptance

After a couple of miserable months spent in pretense, people realize that at the end of the day, it’s important to remember that different people flourish in different environments. A textbook introvert may feel more comfortable in an intimate setting or in one on one interaction. They add value to any piece of work because of their scrupulous nature and creativity. In friendships, feeling the tranquil pleasure of being near a gathering but not quite in it like resting your head in the backseat of a car listening to your friends chatting up front, bonding with a friend at a party while everyone dances inside. The feeling is blissfully invisible yet still fully included feels pretty great.
Feature Image Credits: Tee Public

Nikita Bhatia