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Hindu College

A peek into the the Parliamentary System of Hindu College

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War cries can be heard amidst scores of people seated in the Hindu College auditorium. It’s the day of the Prime Ministerial Debate, a battleground among warring factions that sets the tone for the highly anticipated college elections a couple of days later. It’s a pleasant pandemonium. Each Member of Parliament, seated, or standing high in passion to congratulate or hit back at the contestants in the cult like rhythmic chants of the crowd, is engaged in rhetoric, enabling a process that also keeps the person next seat engaged, politically. In what might seem like a cacophonic environment characterised by sloganeering lies the political dispensation of Republic of Hindu College that every student here actively engages in.

Poetics doesn’t seem to shy away from the jam-packed auditorium for the right and the left sides support different candidates. The event, which is in its 5th year now is organised by the Symposium society of the college. It is a celebration of the parliamentary system that the college follows, a microcosm of the national level parliament.

The college parliament is a students’ representative body that has a Prime Minister with her cabinet, the leader of opposition, Speaker and the President. Members of Parliament are the students of the college who sustain the ethos of the system by coming out in large numbers to vote on the day of elections. The cabinet has ministers with individual responsibilities of Finance, Literature, Sports, Culture, etc. The Prime Minister, on her discretion elects the cabinet ministers. Even the Civil Services finds representationas secretaries actively work under various ministries.

With the beginning of the session, political activity in the multi-layered structure of varsity politics at DU is visible in the college, much in line with other colleges. In the run up to elections, bringing in various departments (smaller political bodies) and societies within the fold of a faction forms a major part of the political strategy. That identity politics keeps at an arms-length from the college’s political contest is evident from systematic bludgeoning of any attempts at giving the contest an identity based colour.

The Parliament is also responsible for allocating funds to various societies that run in the college. Part of the agenda is focused on enabling impediment free environment to the societies and their functioning.

As an institution, its functioning is steered by the Speaker (a faculty member) whose appointment is done by the President (College Principal). With seasonal sessions, on lines with the national Parliament, one dispensation of the Hindu College parliament functions for one fiscal year.

Over the years, debates and discussions on various international issues like the Cold War, 1962 War with China, 1972 Liberation of Bangladesh and state sanctioned excesses and human rights violations have upheld the sundry nature of issues discussed. The parliament has passed various bills in relation to issues of national and international importance.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s approval of the college’s system while claiming that “India has only 2 Prime Ministers. One sits in the Indian parliament and other in Hindu College”; his categorical equation, is symptomatic of not just the structural credibility of the institution but also its workability in representing the students.

 

Sidharth Yadav

[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

How to deal with ‘I feel like a nobody in college’ syndrome

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Yes, it’s the first week of college. Yes, it’s nothing like you imagined. Yes, you do feel a little lost. Here’s a revelation: you’re not alone.

Typically, the first few months of college require loads of patience from your end. And every senior who looks well settled in her/his place right now has been in your shoes at one point of time. Everyone may seem like a ‘someone’ right now but no one walked in to college all popular and confident!

So while you’re still in your ‘figuring out’ phase and are getting depressed over the fact that you’re just one of the crowd, here’s how to deal with the ‘Nobody Panic Syndrome’:

  1. Join a society: College will offer you a society for whatever suits you the most. As clichéd this advice may seem, you’ll bear the fruits eventually. By the time the first semester ends, you’ll realise that not only your teachers identify you as a member of that society but also your friends and peers from different departments.
  2. Chisel those conversation skills: The first few months in college will bring you the friends that’ll stay with you for a lifetime. Talk about chicken, Big Bang Theory, Sky-diving, exploits in parking lots; whatever sails your boat! It’s easier than you think because everyone is as awkward and confused as you are.
  3. Hanging out should be a priority: Go out with your peers, explore areas in and around college. This should be your top priority (side note: even more important than attending classes!). Not only do you get to know about the food you’ll survive on the next couple of years, you’ll bag loads of memories.
  4. Associate yourself with activities outside college: You want to be a go-to and contacts person? Know your business outside college too. Capitalise on your skills and be open for new ventures. Join organisations that work outside the ambit of your course.
  5. Most importantly, make your presence felt: Don’t want to feel like a nobody? Participate in fests, volunteer for department and college work. Keep up that enthusiasm; you are being slyly observed, you don’t know it!

 

Arushi Pathak
[email protected]

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DUB Speak

Busted: The truth about life in college

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As rosy as the picture may seem, college life isn’t all about bunking, sleeping or partying. For all 12th grade graduates who are looking forward to this enthralling college life, here’s something to burst your bubble. Movies have painted a very misguiding image about college life where it seems to be just about  hanging out in canteens, going out with friends or sleeping if there’s nothing better to do. And since we believe that you have the right to know what it actually is like, we bring to you the truth about the much-hyped and much talked about life in college:

1. Studies don’t matter a bit!

This. Is. Not. True. There’s no more or no less to add to it. Whether you’ve enrolled yourself in an arts or science course, studies do need to stand in your priority list. Sadly, the fact is that competition doesn’t cease to exist in college either. So one does need to be in the game to sail through. Though whether you do these studies throughout the semester or towards the end is another issue (and choice) all together.

2. Bunk college, nobody is going to care.

Well, guess what, you’re going to care immensely when you’re required to sign a monetary bond in case of your attendance being short. Certain colleges are no less strict than schools when it comes to attendance. So, the next time you plan to bunk college to catch a movie or go out to your favourite restaurant with your friends, think about the money you’ll have to let go of towards the end of the semester.

3. Girls’ colleges and the stigmas attached

Okay, let’s get it straight. Girls’ colleges are no unending Lakmé Fashion Weeks. No, girls don’t dress up to colleges; no, there are no cat-fights and no, they definitely are no boring places with gossiping girls all around. Quite honestly, girls’ colleges are as fun as co-educational ones; with equal opportunities and avenues. One can witness girls in all sorts of apparels- from pyjamas to dresses. (Get over this myth, please!)

4. You’re all grown up and have it all figured out.

Apart from all the fun college has to offer, there certainly are times wherein you miss being younger. Taking decisions independently, working out your finances on your own (there are going to be lots of debts) and the idea of living alone does intimidate one. It’s natural to mess up a bit in the beginning but one does figure it all out eventually. You do grow up through the course of college.

5. The crowd college has to offer

It’s very easy to adjust; given that everyone is new, everyone is in the same boat as you are. You’re likely to meet multiple people before you belong yourself to that one group. With this, college has a very vibrant and dynamic cultural life to offer wherein you meet people from all across the country. So no, there are no snobs. People are quite friendly on the other hand! Also, since everyone is trying to fit in, there’s a rare chance for you to find that ‘someone’ within a few months of joining college. Try to not look, in fact. You’re likely to have better chances then!

No matter what anyone says, college life is genuinely the best time of one’s life. Explore your possibilities and opportunities. You’ll go places. And even though it may seem than college has no rules at all, there certainly are a few which one should adhere too. Also, things might go a little rough on your pockets at times, but friends are the best debtors after all, aren’t they?

Feature image: campus.ie

Arushi Pathak

[email protected]

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Admissions 2016

Required Documents for Undergraduate Admissions at DU

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The University of Delhi has officially declared the date for the commencement of undergraduate admission process as June 1. The admission application process has been decided to go completely online this year including application process for ECA and Sports Quota, Kashmiri Migrants and CW (Defence) Category. Following this, DU has released a list of documents required, self attested copies of which shall be needed to be uploaded with the application.

Here’s the list of documents (self-attested) required for the application process:

1. Class X Board Examination Certificate
2. Class X Marks Sheet (In case it is not combined with certificate)
3. Class XII Marks Sheet
4. Class XII Provisional Certificate/ Original Certificate
5. Character Certificate (Recent)
6. Transfer Certificate from school/college as well as Migration Certificate from Board/ University are required from those students who have passed senior secondary exam from outside Delhi.
7. Recent photograph
8. Scanned copy of Signature
9. SC/ST/PwD Certificate (in the name of the candidate) issued by a competent authority
10. (a.) OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) Certificate (in the name of the candidate) issued by competent authority
(b.) Income Pproof
11. For Kashmiri Migrant Quota : Kashmiri Migrant Certificate issued by Divisional Commissioner/ Relief Commissioner
12. For CW Quote: Educational Concession Certificate issued by a competent authority
13. Sports/ECA Distinction Certificates for the last three years in descending order (1st April, 2013 to 31st March, 2016)

More details regarding procedures of ECA and Sports Admissions shall be released soon.

 

Image Credits: shiksha.com

Arushi Pathak
[email protected]

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Admissions 2016

DU opens applications for Ph.D. and M.Phil Programmes

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Delhi University (DU) has opened applications for Ph.D, M.Phil and Undergraduate Courses that require entrance tests. The registration process begins on 13th May, 2016 at 8 pm and shall continue till 31st May, 20116 midnight.

Basic Guidelines:

1. The registration process shall be strictly online.

2. The admission tests shall be conducted at six centers and will be in the Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) Format (except Language papers like Persian which may include subjective questions)

3. The following details shall be made available to the applicants online:
(a.) Center Allocation
(b.) Admit Card
(c.) Entrance Results
(d.) Venue of interviews and group discussion

4. The submission of registration fees shall also be online.

5. Entrance examinations will be conducted at the following locations: Bengaluru, Delhi, Jammu, Kolkata, Nagpur and Varanasi.

6. The entrance test shall be of two hours.

7. The question booklets shall be bilingual wherever applicable.

8. All entrance examinations are likely to be held between 19th June and 23rd June, 2016.

9. Registration Fees:
(a.) Unreserved and OBC Categories: Rs. 500
(b.) SC/ST/PwD Categories: Rs. 250

 

Image Credits: duadmissions.com
Arushi Pathak
[email protected]

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DUB Speak

Odd-Even Rule: Works for the semesters too

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Keeping aside the always-in-headlines Odd-Even Traffic Rule, there’s an odd-even pattern witnessed in the semesters too. The odd ones, marking the beginning of the academic year witness much enthusiasm (and attendance) while the even ones are just feel just like a lazy, broken momentum passing on. Don’t believe? Here are five reasons we think they’re both different:

1. “New year, let’s make it a big one!”

Let’s face it, we all say something on these lines every July. And by the time March winds up, we know we did no better this year too. So while the beginning is fresh we try our best to give up the comfortable abode of our beds to attend college and try to make it things work out before the submissions deadline. There’s zeal, agility and most importantly hope!

2. “Couldn’t do much last semester, will try again next year…”

And when we are not-so-successful in breaking through the deadlines by November, well then, there’s not much we can save through the rest of the year. Let’s just keep it simple and try again next year? Meanwhile, why not catch on to the sleep?

 3. Seriousness across campus v/s the exuberance of fest season

Things are continuous and you’re able to keep tab of things: that’s what the odd semesters are about. In the even ones, well there are fests every week to distract you. By the time you decide to work on that assignment, you hear Amit Trivedi’s performing in a college and who’d like to miss the music maestro for a bunch of marks anyway?

 4. If you’re in a cultural society, when was the last time you attended class?

The fest season, with all of its exuberance brings a lot of work too. Whether you’re in a performing society wherein you’ve to tax hours to bag the top position in competitions or a member of the organising committee of any of the fests; there’s a high chance that you wouldn’t be aware which top your class is on…in every subject. Missing classes becomes a routine and now that that’s done, another committee meeting maybe?

 5. One too long, two ends too soon.

Odd semesters seem uncannily long, thanks to the slow pace of activities across campus. The even ones seem to be like on a rat race, semester exams stand staring at you right in the eye before you know it. The commitments too, are substantially different. Odd semesters give you a chance to redeem all lost hopes you had in the last even semester (while also giving you a chance to mess up the upcoming even semester) and the even ones? There’s too much happening around campus to be inside the walls of a classroom, right?

 

Featured image credits: www.9gag.com

Arushi Pathak
[email protected]

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DUB Speak

DUCR airs ‘Manzoori’, a radio show on homosexuality

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The Delhi University Community Radio (DUCR), in association with Sana Fatima, a second year Masters in Social Work student hosted ‘Manzoori’ in a bid to sensitise people on the idea of homosexuality on 6th May, 2016. The primary motive, as in words of Sana Fatima, is to increase the acceptance level towards the LGBT & MSM community.

The program aimed to focus on all aspects of life: the social stigmas homosexuals and transgenders face, economic and financial issues they are forced to battle, their standard of living and health and the big question mark associated with Article 377.

Sana Fatima approached Mr. R. K. Singh, spokesperson of the Department of Social Work of Delhi University after the proposal of such a radio show got approved with the organisation she was associated to for social work. Researching for the show, she interviewed some gays and transgenders from the organisation she was a part of, read articles and journals on the atrocities faced by the LGBT community in this country and followed TV shows like ‘Zindagi Live’ and ‘Satyamev Jayate’ to gain more insight on homosexuality.

“Being a social work student I felt I should make use of every opportunity which is available to me. Indeed homosexuality is a very controversial topic, but that doesn’t call for ignoring it.”, Sana said. After thorough research, Sana, Mr. Singh and two volunteers from DUCR, Ms. Alisha and Ms. Saniya started recording for their program which was titled ‘Manzoori’ that hints at their crusade towards acceptance.

Along with sharing real life incidences and experiences, the program also hosted a few volunteers, working for the rights of the LGBT Community and a few doctors and lawyers for covering the health and legal aspects of such individuals’ lives.

“All we need to do is give ourselves time to get in terms with homosexuality, but do not name it as a disease or something abnormal, because it’s something as natural as heterosexuality. It’s just that homosexuals are in minorities, but we shouldn’t forget that minorities are very much a part of our country and society.”, Sana added.

The program aims to face every challenge posed by the existing regressive ideology of this country head on and the volunteers are motivated to eradicate the idea of ‘homosexuality’ as being something that’s abnormal or not human. They also question the lags and callous attitude of the Indian Judiciary towards section 377 due to which sexual minorities have faced endless violence and marginalisation. They aim to make their voices heard, infuse the idea of how homosexuality has been a part of the society ever since its existence and emphasise on the dire need of having policies for the upliftment of sexual minorities, so that their education, health and employment aspect is not ignored.

 

With Inputs from Sana Fatima

Image Credits: theodysseyonline.com

Arushi Pathak
[email protected]

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DUB News

SFI protests against the callousness in investigating Jisha’s rape and murder case in Kerala

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The country knew that it’s certainly not on the path of social growth when the reports of  rape of a Dalit student, Jisha in Kerala surfaced in the media. The 29 year old law student was brutally raped and physically mutilated before being murdered on April 28th in Perambavoor, Kerala. Within a week, the report of rape of another 19 year old Dalit girl who was a nursing student emerged from Varkala, a district in Kerala.

A huge gathering of people along with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) participated in a protest at Kerala House today against the inefficiency of the authorities and the carelessness and insensitivity with which  the case has been handled. They raised their voice against the increasing brutality and offences not only against women but also against the underprivileged sectors of the society. The protest focused on how such crimes are nothing but an “exercise of naked power” on women in the patriarchal society of today.

The attention to this case has been highly inadequate where relevant investigations were undertaken only with a toxic lag. Postmortem reports vividly explain how henious the crime was where Jisha’s body was manhandled and mutilated before being stabbed to death. The local police failed to cordon off the area of crime and no substantial leads in the case have been discovered up till now. Despite Jisha’s mother approaching the police a few days before the rape and murder sensing a threat to their safety, no support was provided to her and her daughter by the local police. The police also failed to file an FIR for more than five days post Jisha’s death.

The protesters demanded a speedy investigation and arrest of the culprits along with the implementation of the report of the Justice Verma Commission which focused on the reforming and invigorating anti-rape law after the Delhi Gang Rape Case of December 2012. A memorandum was also submitted to the resident commissioner of Kerala House.

 

Image Credits and Inputs: Students’ Federation of India (SFI)

Arushi Pathak
[email protected]

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Admissions 2016

Applications to DU LLB Program 2016 open

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The applications to DU LLB Program 2016 have been declared open. The application process that began on 28th April shall continue till 24th May, 2016. The application process is online and all relevant details regarding LLB Admissions 2016 are now available on the university website.

Step 1-

Details required to be filled in the registration form:

  1. Personal Details: Name, Date of Birth, Mobile Number, E-Mail ID, etc.
  2. Uploading Photograph and Signature:
    Guidelines-
    (a) Photograph: A recent photograph- 100×130 px and not more than 50 KB in size
    (b) Signature: A recent signature- 140×60 px and not more than 50 KB in size
    (c) Identity Proof: An ID Proof (Self Attested) and not more than 100 KB in size
    (d) Matriculation Certificate: Self Attested Matriculation Certificate, not more than 100 KB in size
    Candidates will be required to keep a scanned copy of the aforementioned details in .jpg/.jpeg format.
  3. Check the inbox of the registered E-Mail ID after the registration process is completed to check for the Login ID and Password.

Direct link for registration and application form: http://admission.du.ac.in/pg16/index.php/site/login

Step 2-

  1. Filling the DU LLB Application form:
    After registration, candidates are required to fill DU LLB Application Form for the entrance exam. Candidates need to be careful about the details they fill in. No changes in the details on the application form can be filled after the payment of the fees.
  2. Application Fees:
    Application fees can now be paid in a fully online format.
    Category-wise fee structure-
    General Category- Rs. 500
    Reserved Categories (SC/ST)- Rs. 250
    Fees can be paid via Credit Card/ Debit Card/ Net Banking

Important Details-

  1. Candidates are advised to keep a check on the DU LLB Entrance Portal (http://admission.du.ac.in/pg16) for any changes.
  2. For each course, a separate form needs to be submitted.
  3. Information once filled cannot be changed.
  4. Only a single applicant can apply from one registration.
  5. The applicants should keep the following documents handy while filling the form:
    (a) Passport Size Photograph (min 140×130 px)
    (b) Signature (min 140×60 px)
    (c) ID Proof (Self Attested): Aadhar Card, Driving License, PAN Card, Voter’s Identity Card, Passport are accepted.
    (d) Class 10th Certificate (Self attested, max size 100 KB)
    (e) Caste Certificate (Self Attested, max size 100 KB)

Important Dates-

Start Date of Online Registration 28th April, 2016
Closing Date of Online Registration 24th May, 2016
Dates for conduction of entrance exam 19th to 23rd June, 2016
Announcement of results of entrance exam On or before 4th July, 2016
Date to deposit admission fees (for shortlisted candidates) On or before 18th July, 2016
Commencement of Classes 20th July, 2016

Image Credits:admission.aglasem.com

Arushi Pathak
[email protected]

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Events

eCognitio: A workshop on E-learning hosted in SBSC by students of Kamala Nehru College

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The students and teachers of Kamala Nehru College hosted eCognitio, an innovative e-learning workshop promoting collaborative learning, in Shaheed Bhagat Singh College on 22nd April, 2016. The workshop witnessed enthusiastic participation from from both students and teachers. Held in association with the DU Innovation Projects scheme, under Dr. Rupa Basu and her team of students, the one-day long workshop focused on the use of e-learning tools and Open Education Resources (OER).

The workshop began with a formal introduction of e-learning techniques that can be used to make classroom learning more interactive. This session was conducted by Mrs. Aditi Basu Roy, a pedagogy and subject matter expert in e-learning. The primary objective of this session was to introduce the concepts of active and blended learning from the elementary level. The session was well received by the attendees who focused on the relevance of offbeat thinking in education.

Post this session, Ms. Sheetal Kale, an e-learning entrepreneur took over where she discussed the uses of basic Google tools of Google Drive, Google Sheets, Google Docs, etc. This session was most appreciated by the participants as they received a hands-on experience and practice of such tools. Training slides were presented to the participants on a projector and they were required to simultaneously work on their respective computer systems.

Mr. Sandeep Srivastava, a computer engineer and educationalist, joined in this session where he shared his personal experiences with e-learning and talked about the fallacies of the education system of the country today and the scope for improvement. “The system of inspection and correction with the use of e-learning in modern education has an unparalleled creditibilty.”, he emphasised.

By the end of this session, the aim was achieved successfully where each of the participants had their own personal sites which they created with the use of Google Sites.

The workshop wound up with a session that centered around a brief introduction of Open Education Resources by Ms. Anindita, a corporate expert on video-editing who explained the intricacies of video-editing with the help of clipconverter.cc. The team also circulated awareness forms on e-learning tools and feedback forms of the workshop with the aim of collective primary data for further research in the field.

One of the many such workshops, eCognitio plans to improvise on the content and cover as many college in DU as possible to garner a larger reach. The initiative aims to increase awareness and use of e-learning techniques in colleges and universities.

Arushi Pathak
[email protected]

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