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Top 10 (guilt-free) Ways to Celebrate Independence Day

By DU Beat August 15, 2023

The following piece promises the top 10 ways to celebrate this Independence Day that you won’t even find on your most favourite blog, read more to find out!

Come August and we see the fervour of patriotism reach it’s crescendo. From spending a lazy holiday with your family at home to extravagantly announcing your patriotism, everyone has a different way of celebrating Independence Day and exercising their own freedom of expression (ahem). So, what are your plans for the day? Finishing all the laundry? Or simply scroll through your Instagram feed for hours on end? Here is a list that might help out.

1. Update your social media with “Happy Independence Day”
The first thing you must do is post a loud and clear “Happy Independence Day” on your page. Next, spam all your contacts (even the ones you don’t really care about) with Independence Day WhatsApp forwards. Remember, the number of Independence Day messages you send and receive is inversely proportional to you being called an anti-national. Do NOT forget to put up the tricolour as your profile picture. Your personality should be entirely “tricolourised” to match with the aesthetic of patriotism.

2. Wear Tri-colour
The next thing you should do after you’ve bombarded all your social media with tricolours and swiped through all the Instagram stories screaming patriotism (read jingoism), you should go and wear the tricolour. Make special efforts to match your outfit with our honourable Prime Minister’s turban, it will add extra punch to your patriotism. Wear the tricolour and while you take pride in its long history of struggle and sacrifice, conveniently forget the sacrifice of those whose tricolours are stained by the blood of pogroms and genocides. Cheers.

3. Listen to our beloved PM’s speech
Even though it’s a holiday and you can sleep till late, you should wake up at 8 am in the morning and get yourself ready, of course you can sacrifice your sleep for your country, right? Switch on the TV and listen to the whole speech by our honorable Prime Minister from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Take special notice of how many times he mentions about Manipur burning, or the recent killings of Muslims in Nuh, Haryana and Gurgaon or even gives cognizance to the fact that so many of our daughters are raped every day. Once you watch the whole speech, just turn to one of your favorite news channels (read Godi Media) for a more detailed analysis of the speech. And don’t miss out on the part where they show yet another record set by the PM for the longest speech (with empty rhetoric). Haha love you Modi Ji.

4. Attend/watch the Independence Day parade
Try your best to attend the parade in person at Lal Quila. If not, you must make up for it by playing it on the television and sitting through the entire event. The parade would give you a sense of glory and charm of the military and developmental prowess of India and you MUST take pride in it (at all costs). As you watch the defence forces march, do not let thoughts of military excesses and humanitarian crimes committed in ‘disturbed’ areas intrude on your national pride in the army.

While you enjoy the glorious parade, do not let anybody remind you of the Kuki woman being paraded naked in Manipur. Let the loud band and shrill music make you deaf to the rage of resistance and shroud the silence of the state. Love for one’s country after all must mean complete complacency with institutions of power. India is a democracy, yes. One that has come to value submission to authority as a mark of national pride. Be sure to uphold that on this Independence Day.

5. Hoist flags

If you don’t live in Delhi and can’t go in person to see the flag hoisting, hoist your own flags. Hang the flag all around the neighbourhood, Wave the flag all around while you take the tour of the neighborhood on your bike. Chant “hyper-nationalist Hindutva” slogans for special effects! Make sure you catch the attention of everyone, the number of people who will see is equally proportional to how strong your identity as a citizen of India is. Christians are advised to take at least two rounds on their bikes, not any less than three is recommended for
Muslims (beware of those who might try to snatch your tricolour, pun intended.)

6. Watch patriotic movies
You must spend the rest of your day with the same patriotic zeal. And what’s a better way of instilling national pride than to consume movies – Bollywood patriotic movies that have just the right amount of tadka, thrill, romance, and an overdose of desh bhakti. Watch the story of an exceptionally talented military officer/ RAW agent whose entire personality revolves around an internalised macho saviour complex and the villain is most likely Pakistan or Pakistani terrorists (let’s learn from phantom). Or you can choose to watch something like Uri
to witness the proficiency and swiftness with which vengeful military decisions are made and mindless violence is presented as defence (indeed similar immediacy in action was absent when Manipur burnt unnoticed and migrant workers died of exhaustion and starvation during Covid. But let’s not remind ourselves of that, lest we hurt our national ego). Well, if you are the dissenter anti-national type, and both of these options are too problematic for you, just watch Veer Zaara (Hopefully it is subversive enough) and call it a day.

7. Reminisce about the freedom fighters
There is no way you can celebrate the present without revisiting the past. Our freedom fighters would indeed be very happy to see the current state of affairs in the country. Our freedom fighters are the personification of the past that is used to amplify and legitimise the hunger for nationalism in today’s India. No, you are not allowed to question or critique them. However, while you praise Gandhi’s plea for non-violence, watch the nation tread the path of militant Hindutva. While you praise Nehru’s plea for secularism, watch India take the alternate road-that to development and yoga of course. Praise Bhagat Singh’s violent resistance to British rule, but do not be a dissenter like him because those who adopted his ways to fight state-sanctioned oppression faced UAPA or death in today’s India. Savarkar must not be absent from the list of great freedom fighters, because who else reflects the idea of India better than him? Gulp in the hypocrisy because embracing apathy and blindness helps you celebrate a wonderfully guiltless Independence Day.

8. Flying kites

Flying kites on Independence Day is one of the most sought out activities amongst children, especially in the northern part of India. So after you’re bored of feeding (manufactured) nationalism and (jingoistic) patriotism, you should try your hands at flying kites. For adults flying kites is an effective leisurely activity to distract themselves from all the next day’s work problems, just like how the government conveniently ignores all the real world problems in parliamentary discussions. Be ambitious like our honourable Prime Minister and cut all the kites soaring higher than you (even if it requires unfair means). All the best!

9. Listen to patriotic songs
Your ears should, at all times, ring with patriotic songs. Be it Lata Mangeshkar’s ode to soldiers at the border in “aye mere watan ke logo”, or the uniting tune of “Kandho se milte hai kandhe” that stirs the army pride within us and asserts “hum chalte hai jab aise toh dil dushman ke hilte hai” (the identity of said dushman is hugely relevant to the creation of the national unity of India along socio-political lines). The idea is to play these songs and dance to them in glamorous Independence Day celebrations at your schools and offices. The idea is to sing them but pay attention to only selective words and messages. While collective thinking, pride, and national glory deserve attention, messages of unity in diversity and pluralism as reflected in some of these songs do not need to be stressed upon. Play these songs on loudspeakers and sing along so you become deaf to the sound of bulldozers uprooting lives.

10. Sing the National Anthem
Sing the National Anthem with great pride and vigour. Stand up for it and make others stand for it too (forcefully and violently at times). This is your duty as a “true” citizen of India. Stand up for the National Anthem, stand up for each other. Yes, you’re not mistaken but maybe for a change try standing up for each other this time. While we nonchalantly sing and repeat those 52 seconds yet again, let us try to absorb and internalize each and every word that we say.

When the whole country stands up in respect, the values of unity amongst all castes, creeds, gender, race, sex, and religion reverberates in unison. Let those words of unity, equality and fraternity not fall prey to any empty electoral rhetorics. Let not any effort to saffronise our national tricolour come to fruition. Working towards and taking pride in an India that is free of all social evils, where everyone feels equally at home and treated with equal respect and dignity. So as we celebrate our 77th Independence Day, let our values reflect the long history and the sacrifices of those who made this day possible. This day is not about a nostalgic romanticisation of the past but about a hope for a better India.

Happy Independence Day!

Featured Image Credits: Bar and Bench

Tulip Banerjee
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Samra Iqbal
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Features

Threads v/s Twitter: Let the Billionaire Cold War Commence

By DU Beat August 14, 2023

Meta just launched a ‘friendlier’ version of Twitter. Within a day of it’s launch, Threads gained a whopping hundred million users, thanks to Elon Musk! But the larger question remains, it is going to make social media good again? Read on to know more.

In October last year after Musk overtook Twitter, he started to literally and figuratively, dismantle the organization and finally turned it into, as a piece in The New Yorker put it- “a decaying dinner party to a bar where the bartender has to eject the last swaying patrons.” He fired more than half of the staff and changed the interface and the functionality of the product, pushing users to sign up for paid subscription of the service. Recently, he limited the number of tweets people could view, thus undermining one of the main appeals of Twitter as a real-time news feed.

Twitter’s downfall created room for other similar services namely Mastodon, Bluesky, Spill and many more. Meta CEO Zuckerberg, who for longest time had been obsessed with Twitter. And had tried to buy it twice, saw an opportunity here. Just like it had done before with Snapchat and Tik-Tok, his company was successful in making another copy, called Threads. Bolstered by Meta’s already huge user base, it was declared an early success.

All this, quite predictably, hasn’t gone down well with Musk, who reacted by suggesting that he and Mark Zuckerberg should have “a literal dick-measuring contest”. He also tweeted: “Zuck is a cuck”. Musk has additionally proposed a literal cage fight with Zuckerberg. On the other hand, Mark Zuckerberg seems to be having an interesting summer, apart from the success of Threads. He has just welcomed a daughter and has been participating in jiu-jitsu competitions. The Wall Street Journal wrote an article about how he might be “cool again”. As Musk has transformed into a rightwing influencer of sorts, in a curious case of schadenfreude, Zuckerberg seems to have gone from the face of all that is evil about Big Tech to having people actively
root for him.

Marketed as a friendlier place to Twitter, the early impression of Threads was largely positive.

“The goal isn’t to replace Twitter. The goal is to create a public square for communities on Instagram that never really embraced Twitter and for communities on Twitter (and other platforms) that are interested in a less angry place for conversations, but not all of Twitter. Politics and hard news are inevitably going to show up on Threads — they have on Instagram as well to some extent — but we’re not going to do anything to encourage those verticals,” wrote Adam Mosseri, head of Threads and Instagram, on the platform.

Logging into Threads for the first time almost felt like the very first day of school, where no one know as of yet who the popular kids are and everyone is just exploring the campus. The enthusiasm was almost nostalgic in some sense, reminiscent of the early days of social media, the rosy era when it felt like it could change the world for good. But Threads isn’t necessarily revolutionary. In a real world scenario, it is just more social media.

Addressing all the talk surrounding this app creating a space for “positive” discourse. Meta has in struggled with creating a safe space on its other platforms in the past. Take the example of Instagram, which has struggled to contain hate speech and misinformation on its platform, contributing to the worsening of mental health among teens and a rise in eating disorders. Andof Facebook’s political and privacy sins. Threads itself, after the launch, has had to collide with the reality of the toxicity of the internet. Within 24 hours of its launch, rightwing figures, including white nationalist, Richard Spencer and white supremacist and outspoken anti-semite, Nick Fuentes signed up for the platform. Reuters reported seeing accounts posting about the Illuminati and “billionaire satanists”, while other users called each Nazis and fought over everything from gender identity to violence in the West Bank.

The Threads versus Twitter, or the Zuck versus Musk, discourse isn’t really about a new era of social media or a change in discourse. Threads may descend into the same cycle of spam, trolls and rage-baiting. And the cage match might never happen. But all this confounds the fact that this whole rumble is just an ego-fuelled
row between two men, who, deluded by obscene amounts of wealth, probably aren’t as smart as they might want us to believe and all that the rest of us can do is watch.

Read Also: The Information Influx and Notification Nuisance
Image Source: The Hindu

Vanshika Ahuja
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Arts & Culture

Barbie: A Review

By DU Beat August 14, 2023

Greta Gerwig’s long-publicized film took theatres by storm this Summer and has become one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

After months of rigorous marketing and anticipation, people expected grandeur from Barbie and that’s what it delivers. Apart from its over-the-top production, Barbie also manages to bring a fresh concept to the fantasy genre which had started to seem repetitive and saturated. The movie has been carefully crafted in order to cater to all kinds of audiences, irrespective of age.

The film follows the Mattel doll ‘stereotypical Barbie’ and her many variants, who live in a whimsical world where everything is monotonous and perfect. When Barbie starts noticing human traits such as thoughts about mortality, body image issues, she and Ken go to the real world to figure out how to ‘fix’ her. She discovers that unlike Barbieland, which is run by all the empowered dolls Mattel released, the real world is patriarchal and a much harsher place for women. Ken, however, is overjoyed by how much power men have in the real world and heads back to rule Barbieland with the other Kens.

The film is ridiculously witty and has done satire really well. There are unique comedic elements such as the break of the fourth wall or jokes about real issues such as Mattel’s incapacities and Ruth Handler’s problems with the IRS. The dig at the ‘Pride and Prejudice watching depressed Barbie’ caters to a very specific niche and shows that the makers of the movie knew their main audience really well. The costume design of the show is impressive as it remakes actual doll clothes that were released by Mattel throughout the years and is a treat for fashion enthusiasts. The performances by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are stellar. The cameos and the musical aspect also add significantly to the overall allure of Barbie.

While the movie ends by portraying the obviously rightful message regarding how no gender should overshadow the other, it does so bleakly. The feminist ideals and dialogues presented are not fresh. But what compensates for it is the unique medium through which a familiar message has been reiterated. The creation of dolls in the image of powerful women and their idolization is inspiring but does not change anything for women in reality. In fact, it sets the precedent for women to “appreciate” the opportunities they now have and make the most of them when women shouldn’t have to always do something extraordinary in order to be paid mind to. This message from America Ferrera’s character is the main power of the film.

Greta’s artistic vision to deliver such a new idea is laudable and so is Mattel’s involvement and accountability. Considering how wide of an audience this movie reached, even if the main point stayed a bit two-dimensional, for many people it might just have been the first step toward understanding the nuances of feminism.

Overall, ‘Barbie’ is a fun, visually stunning and hilarious movie with great performances that leave you inspired. What is that if not cinema at its best?

Read also: The Pitfalls of Therapy-Speak

Featured image credits: Elle Magazine

Arshiya Pathania

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Campus Central

Ragging Allegations Rise as Jadavpur University Fresher Dies after Fall from Hostel Balcony

By DU Beat August 13, 2023

1800-180-5522 : Anti-ragging toll-free helpline by the University Grants Commission (UGC) operational in 12 languages.

TW: Ragging, death, mentions of suicide

An 18-year-old student died after falling from the hostel balcony in Kolkata. Family and friends of the deceased allege ragging by senior students.

In an unfortunate incident, a first-year student of Jadavpur University (JU), Kolkata succumbed to his injuries on the morning of August 10, after falling from the second floor balcony of the University’s boys hostel the night before. The victim, identified as Swapnodeep Kundu, was a student of Bengali Honours and had moved into the hostel two days ago, at the beginning of the new academic session. Parents of the deceased and a large section of the student body have claimed that the 18-year-old was a victim of ragging. According to the initial probe undertaken by the police, Swapnodeep had “jumped off” the balcony. On Friday, August 11, the police registered an FIR under section 302 (murder) and section 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s father. A former JU student, who continued staying at the main hostel after graduating, has been arrested by the police for his alleged involvement in the case.

Shankha Shubra Chakrabarty, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) reported that Swapnodeep had fallen from the second floor of the JU hostel around 11.45 p.m on Wednesday. Police sources reveal that students in the ‘A’ Block of the University’s Main Hostel rushed outside when they heard a loud thud, where they reportedly saw the victim’s naked body lying in a pool of blood. He was taken to KPC Medical College for treatment, where he succumbed to his wounds around 4.30 a.m on Thursday. The initial postmortem revealed that he suffered fractures on the left side of his head and his spine. There were additional injuries on his head, rib, and pelvis, as reported by a senior police official.

According to the testimony of the victim’s father, the student had called his mother multiple times on Wednesday evening, wanting to return home to Hanskhali, Nadia.

My son called and spoke to his mother on Wednesday night. He was very afraid and was under tremendous pressure. He begged me and his mother to come. It was clear that he was being tortured.

the student’s father told the journalists, as reported by The Hindustan Times.

Police have also examined the mobile phones of his roommates to further the investigation.

His phone got switched off later. We are looking into his call list to find out whether he spoke to anyone else after that or not.

stated a senior police officer.

Reportedly, the student’s uncle, Anup, informed the police that the 18-year-old had told his mother that he was not “feeling well” and was “very scared”.

When his mother asked him what had happened, he asked her to come soon. He said that he had a lot to tell her.

– claimed the victim’s uncle.

Anup told The Indian Express that the new session had started recently and his nephew had attended a few classes, informing his father that he was “happy”. Since he wasn’t allotted his room at the hostel, he was staying in a friend’s room. Further, dismissing any speculations of suicide, the victim’s uncle mentioned, “Of course, it is a case of ragging. Why else would a boy with a healthy mind suddenly die?. I want a probe so that no other family suffers like us.”

According to police sources, the deceased’s classmates claimed that Swapnodeep had spoken with them about the problems, which were keeping him from getting any sleep at night. These classmates had also brought it to the notice of the concerned teacher. A social media post by another first-year student alleged that Swapnodeep’s unfortunate death was due to ragging inflicted by some seniors.

My name is Arpan Majhi. I am a first-year student at Jadavpur University. My family is economically backward and I grew up in Asansol. Naturally, I applied for a hostel during admission. Spending two to three nights at the hostel was quite tormenting to me and because of that, I have started looking for a mess despite facing great difficulty, even if I have to take out a loan,

he said in that post.

I have heard many stories about the main hostel. Stories of them helping flood victims, standing by the side of helpless people during the Covid-19 pandemic. I believe most of the seniors in the main hostel carry this fighting tradition. But for a few of them, I lost my classmate,

the student alleged in his Facebook post.

A few students also claimed that Swapnodeep was made to run unclothed on the hostel terrace on Wednesday, which led him to take the extreme step.

However, in a student’s General Body Meeting (GBM) organised by the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union (FETSU), a scuffle broke out between 2 student groups with some students alleging that the victim was not mentally stable and took his own life.

Only a section of students feel that it is ragging. Others believe it’s an outcome of gender-insensitive comments. We want a ragging-free campus,

commented FETSU general secretary Gourav Das.

Kunal Chattopadhyay, a professor of Comparative Literature at the University, also alleged that the student was being ragged.

A first-year student died a little while ago, being a victim of ragging. I remember that pamphlets were published saying that whether ragging is really ‘ragging’ or not, should be decided through a democratic process. Many will try to save themselves after this death.

– wrote Chattopadhyay in a Facebook post on Thursday.

According to police reports, some students claim that they had called the dean, Rajat Roy, around 10 p.m. to bring Swapnodeep’s “abnormal” behaviour to his notice. However, they were told that the issue would be addressed the following morning. Students claim that they called the dean again an hour later, just before Swapnodeep’s death, but their calls went unanswered.

However, in his conversation with the media, Roy claims to have involved the hostel superintendent in the resolution of the issue.

At 10:05 pm on Wednesday, I received a call from a student. He said that another student was facing ‘politicising’. I couldn’t understand and asked him to explain. He said that a student was being asked not to stay in the hostel because if one has to stay in the hostel, he needs to jump from the balcony. I asked him to inform the hostel superintendent,

Roy, dean of students of JU, told the media.

The dean claims to have informed the hostel superintendent himself, who reported no such issues after his inquiry.

At 10:08 pm I asked the superintendent to check. The next phone call I got (was a) little after midnight in which the superintendent informed me that a student has fallen from the balcony and I rushed to the hospital,

Roy added.

Students of Jadavpur University have also alleged that the main hostel, which is located outside the university campus, is frequently visited by ex-students, who stay illegally and harass the younger students. On Friday, the student body staged a protest on the university campus to demand justice for the deceased.

JU students organised a protest against ragging on Friday. Image Credits: The Hindustan Times

Meanwhile, the University has asked the freshers to relocate to a separate hostel while ensuring that no outsiders be allowed at the main hostel. To further investigate the matter, the University authorities have set up a nine-member panel to submit a detailed report in 2 weeks.

All undergraduate first-year students have been instructed to temporarily shift to the New Boys Hostel. No ex-students as well as outsiders would be allowed to stay in the hostel. Hostel superintendents have been asked to send names of ex-students and outsiders who do not comply,

said an anonymous JU official.

Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA) Secretary Partha Pratim Roy advocated that new students stay in a separate hostel as per UGC guidelines. He demanded that former students, who continue to live in the hostel, must be asked to leave.

We demand exemplary punishment for those responsible for the student’s death.

– commented JUTA Secretary, Roy.

Meanwhile, the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) blamed West Bengal Governor, C.V. Ananda Bose and the State Government for the death of the student, demanding a judicial probe into the incident.

We blame the Governor of West Bengal and the state education department for the unfortunate death of a first-year student of Jadavpur University. Because of their conflict, there is no vice-chancellor in the university. With a temporary vice-chancellor, no one is willing to take responsibility for anything. As a result, special surveillance and security arrangements were not made for the first-year students.

read a statement issued by the APDR on Thursday.

Governor Bose, who is also the Chancellor of the University, informed the media that he visited the JU hostel to discuss the matter with the student and teacher body and assured the student’s father of stern action against those responsible for his son’s death.

I went to the hostel, I discussed with the students and also the teachers, they want justice. Justice will be done. They presented before me some of the basic issues here. We’ll address them, we’ll do our best. We’ll give them justice and strong action will be taken.

– stated West Bengal Governor, Bose.

Following the unfortunate incident, he convened an emergency meeting of vice-chancellors, teachers-in-charge of anti-ragging squads, psychologists, and parents on Friday at Raj Bhavan, Kolkata.

It was decided to put an end to the entry of miscreants from outside into the campus of the universities and colleges leading to violence and intimidation of the unsuspecting freshers who join the university,

a representative of the Governor stated.

1800-180-5522 : Anti-ragging toll-free helpline by the University Grants Commission (UGC) operational in 12 languages.

Featured Image Credits: The Indian Express

Manvi Goel

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Campus Central

Text Removal and Renaming in DU’s History Syllabus: Brahmanization Term and Paper on Inequality Dropped

By DU Beat August 12, 2023

The revised history syllabus for the fourth and fifth semester undergraduate students, which was approved by the DU Academic Council on May 26, has been ratified by the Executive Council on June 9, 2023. The removal of a paper on inequality, the elimination of the term “Brahmanization,” and the addition of matriarchal perspectives are some of the changes that have been introduced.

On June 9, 2023, the University of Delhi’s Executive Council, the apex academic decision-making body at the university, ratified the amended curriculum that had been approved by the Academic Council on May 26. The Academic Council revised the history syllabus for the fourth and fifth semesters under the new Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP). A few of the changes include the deletion of the words Brahminization and ‘Brahmanical’, the removal of the paper on “Inequality and Differences”, and the introduction of matriarchal perspectives.

The revision aims to align the syllabus with the suggestions of the New Education Policy, NEP 2020.

-Shri Prakash Singh, Director, South Campus, in a report by The Indian Express

The phrase Brahminization has been removed from the fourth and fifth semester Generic Elective paper ‘Religion and Religiosity’, which has been renamed ‘Religious Traditions in the Indian Subcontinents’. One of the topics in the paper titled ‘Approaches to Brahmanization in the Early Mediaeval Era’ has been renamed ‘Approaches to Shaiva, Shakta, and Vaishnava in the Early Mediaeval Era’. In addition, the revised syllabus removed the term ‘Brahmanical’ from the fifth-semester paper on the Brahmanical Patriarchy. Furthermore, the title of the article has been changed from ‘Evolution of Patriarchy’ to ‘Evolution of Patriarchy in Early India’.

Apart from this, the paper titled ‘Inequality and Differences’ in semester four, which talks about the concepts of jati, varna, caste, class, and gender and their evolution, has been withdrawn.

Constructive suggestions are also given — there is now more diversity and more information. It was a unanimous decision and the changes were reported to the academic council way in advance. There is no dissent. Suggestions were given by the standing committee as well.”

-Dean of South Campus, DU, in a report by Jagran Josh

Furthermore, the paper Women in Indian History will provide fresh perspectives on matriarchy. The units that were previously centred around patriarchy will now also include discussions around matriarchy. The primary goal of this modification, reportedly, is to make students aware of and have a diverse viewpoint.

Image Credits: Devansh Arya for DU Beat

Dhruv Bhati
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Juxtapose

The Pitfalls of Therapy-Speak

By DU Beat August 11, 2023

Therapy has given people a language to talk about their experiences. However, as this language is becoming part of our everyday life, it’s original meaning is being distorted, leading to oftentimes, a lack of nuance in the way they relate to each other.

It’s hard for me to scroll through Instagram these days, without a life coach or some expert explaining how to center yourself. Almost everyone is supposed to be a “narcissist” these days. Terms like “gaslighting”, “toxic” and “boundaries” seem to be everywhere. Words that used to generally be confined to the therapist’s office are making their way into everyday life. However, as they become part of the everyday lexicon, they tend to be taken out of context, with their original meaning usually distorted.

With countries around the world experiencing a mental health crisis, perhaps part of the reason for the rise in therapy-speak is that people are going to therapy more. The pandemic, in particular, has led to soaring rates of people experiencing anxiety and depression, especially among young people. Although, it should be said that the number of people seeking therapy is bolstered by the de-stigmatization of mental illness as well.

While these terms have given language to people to put a name to their experience, it has also eliminated a lot of nuances from a conversation. The new vocabulary has given people terms to encapsulate their experiences but they can just as easily be weaponised. Accusing someone of gaslighting, when they merely disagree with your view or opinion might help you win the argument in that moment but isn’t entirely helpful in the long run. As Esther Perel told Vanity Fair,

“On one hand, there is an importance in gaining clarity when you name certain things. On the other hand, there is a danger that you lose all nuance, that you’re basically trying to elevate your personal comments and personal experience by invoking the higher authority of psychobabble. What you call therapy-speak, we used to call psychobabble—it’s a new word for an old concept.”

Sometimes the misuse of these terms is more insidious than just being used to win an argument. Therapy-speak was again dominating headlines recently after alleged messages between actor Jonah Hill and his ex-partner Sarah Brady were published online, in which he says she should not post pictures of herself wearing bathing
suits, go surfing with men or have friendships that he doesn’t approve, demands that to me seem more about controlling someone than anything else-all in the name of maintaining “boundaries”.

In 2019, a relationship coach’s Twitter thread that offered a template for telling friends who need support that you are “at capacity” drew criticism for equating friendship to emotional labor. As Daisy Jones wrote in the Guardian,

“Often peddled by Tik-Tok life coaches and relationship influencers, these ‘internet terms’ are used to endorse a brand of advice that essentially boils down to: Don’t compromise, be selfish and immediately dump anyone who gives you even a hint of discomfort.”

The rise in therapy-speak has led to an odd way of dealing with relationships, one that, instead of dealing with the messiness of life, prizes fragmentation and isolation. It doesn’t mean we need to stop talking about our emotions or find validation for our experiences.

However, instead of defaulting to these “internet terms”, we need to describe it in more detail and use more words to capture the reality of the experience. We need to limit the use of these terms to an appropriate context, namely therapy and counselling session, where these terms aren’t misused and their meaning isn’t blunted. What you’re experiencing is real, just not necessarily something pathological.

Read Also: The DU-Fied Rizz
Image Credits: Vox.com

Vanshika Ahuja
[email protected]

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Book Review

Samsara: A Fantasy Fiction for the New Age.

By DU Beat August 11, 2023

I wonder, when my time comes, if my soul will be as bright.

We all are in a state of seeking answers, seeking justifications for the experiences we have had in our life. Just yesterday, I was scrolling through Instagram, and a phrase sprung up on my explore page, that said, ‘If everything happens for a reason, what is the reason?’ This is exactly what a reader might feel while beginning this novel.

A sense of pity arises in the reader as they watch Aman Chandra, the protagonist of the story, seeking answers for the state he was in, both mentally and physically. A young boy who was like an innocent child not knowing what is going to happen, is transferred to the valley of Gods in the Himalayas along with ten other souls who are kidnapped from all over India to fulfill a purpose .Even a reader like me, one who does not prefer fantasy or fiction as their first pick, would be happy to give this book a read. Yes, it is indeed that good.

Magic and hope resides in the beautiful valley of the Gods that produces splendid and striking imagery allowing the reader to completely sink in and crave for more. It is wonderful to read a book that has graphics/illustrations, but what is more intriguing is a text which is successful in creating visual imagery through words. This book is the later. The word building of this novel is worthy of appreciation. While reading through, one might ponder on a plethora of questions. One of them being, how the Garg managed to write the book with so much depth a intricacy? The answer lies in a recent conversation Saksham had with an audience member at an event. There he stated that for ten long years, his mind kept on pumping creative fluids that allowed his book to reach the level of output it has achieved.

The detailing in the events that take place in the novel has been well thought over and influences from his college life can be seen throughout book as well. Additionally, the dynamism through which love is depicted between Aman and her lover acts as a bridge to comprehend the plot of the novel more efficiently. Even though the book looks like a modern remake of the ancient Hindu mythology focusing upon Vedic Gods, which is a popular genre and many people end up writing about it, it has some beautiful elucidations that almost makes us think about Samsara to be a real place.

Not withstanding that the book wonderfully interprets the concept of souls reaching one’s final destination, there were some ideas that may leave the reader questioning about it’s moral perspectives. One such idea being the mention of, ‘What is a woman but a worshipper of her man?’ Since it is a modern remake, talking about souls finding nirvana, with the inclusion of technology and the perspectives of science, the ideas of the more feministic approach could have been inserted. Changing the age old cycle of women depending upon men is crucial especially while writing for people in the 21st century. Nevertheless, the immediate flow of thoughts while writing the book is pivotal and cannot be disregarded. After all, the mind of a writer is different from that of a reader. Everyone has different observations to make.

One’s life can be dotted with unsuccessful journeys and incomplete endings, and you may want to escape hardships. Although it is hard to avoid them completely, this book might hold some answers to your questions. Questions that move you, ones that leave you pondering.

Explore this book with the utmost open mind and let it do it’s magic. I would highly recommend you to pick this up, especially if you are a fantasy-fiction lover. You shouldn’t miss out on it!

Aanya Mehta

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Campus Central

A Costly Quest for Fair Grades: The DU Result Predicament and Unwarranted Revaluation Charges

By DU Beat August 8, 2023

In recent years, concerns regarding the evaluation process and its transparency have become increasingly common among University of Delhi students and faculty members. An increasing number of instances of faulty results, in which students are marked zero or absent even though they appeared for the exam, leaves these students with little choice but to seek reevaluation and pay high fees. Students are adversely impacted by the late announcement of revaluation results and the lack of effective grievance redressal.

University of Delhi, India’s one of the most premier public universities, attracts students from all backgrounds. With more than 90 colleges, 500+ programmes and almost 19 lakh students enrolled in different regular, open, certificate and diploma courses. With such strength, the process of evaluation and declaration of result is undoubtedly challenging. However, it is essential for universities to maintain a fair, unbiased and transparent assessment.

In recent years, there have been an increasing number of cases of errors in results in which students are graded zero or absent despite having taken the exam. Students who face such problems are typically advised to request for revaluation by paying a fee of 1000 rupees. However, there is no transparency in this process. Some of the key complaints of students include poor grievance redressal, late release of results, rejection of forms if any information is found to be wrong without notifying the applicant, and so on.

More than 100 pupils received a zero in English in 2012. A similar incident occurred in October of last year, when over 400 students from the faculty of law were marked zero or absent, provoking complaints from student groups. Many final-year UG students received zero or were marked absent in their OBE (Open Book Examination) results in 2020.

How can one get a zero in the open book format where we were allowed to use books? I have already taken admission in an MBA programme in a private institute in Pune and my family also took a bank loan of ₹16 lakh for my higher education. I have to submit my final-year mark sheets by November 10. They won’t allow me to join with this result. I applied for revaluation but I do not know how much time the university will take to declare the results. I am extremely anxious about my future”, says Yogendra Jaisawal, a student of Batch’20 from Rajdhani College in an interview in Hindustan Times

Not just regular students, but also SOL (School of Open Learning) students, experienced comparable challenges. Last September, Students from SOL’s B.Com and B.Com(Hons) programmes protested against faulty results.

They (DU) have made this mistake. They say that it could be anybody’s fault so we can go for re-evaluation after paying Rs 1,000. Where do we get Rs 1,000 from? In SOL, most students, including myself, come from humble backgrounds. We have already paid for our exams and books, though we haven’t received the latter yet”, Pushpendra, Delhi University in an interview on The Quint

Students raised similar problems this year when the semester 4 and 6 results were released in July 2023. Many students from Zakir Hussain College received zeros in “Auditing and Corporate Governance” and “Fundamentals of Investment”. The pattern in these cases is that students with successive roll numbers received zero marks in the same papers.

In other papers, I received 7 GRPT. How can I get a 0? How could someone fail a theory paper unless they left it blank? This ruined my whole CGPA”, a student from Batch’23 of Zakir Hussain College.

Students generally complain about the administration’s behaviour at the examination branch. Usually, students have to wait for extended periods of time since no one is seated at the window. Not only that, but students complained that they attempted to contact the examination branch through email or phone for an update on their revaluation, but no one responded to their emails or texts.

We asked the officers seated on the next window, 2-3 times. We informed him that we had been waiting for 25 minutes. He replied rudely, ‘Wait, there only’.”, a postgraduate student

The issue is not only the evaluation or the student being marked zero or absent and forced to pay 1000, but also the way the revaluation procedure works.

The revaluation guidelines read “If the award of the first revaluator is beyond ± 5% and up to ± 10%, the average of the marks of the original examiner and the first Revaluator will be taken.” Does this mean that incorrectly marked zeros will also be counted when computing my grades? If so, it is completely unjust. That was the fault of the university, not mine”, a student of Hansraj College.

The release of revaluation results is a separate issue. In some cases, revaluation results of students get released after a year. Many students of Batch’24 who were graded faulty score of zero or absent say that they are ineligible to apply for placements in their colleges as a result of this error in their marksheet.

An RTI application revealed that between 2015-16 and 2017-2018, the University of Delhi earned more than 3 crore rupees in fees from students for rechecking, revaluation, or providing photocopies of their answer scripts.

According to the information provided by the university, it earned Rs 2,89,12,310 for revaluation alone between 2015-16 and 2017-18. During the same period, it earned Rs 23,29,500 for rechecking and Rs 6,49,500 for providing students copies of answer-scripts evaluated”, Reports The Indian Express

Such mistakes and technical flaws are possible. However, the number of these cases has considerably grown in recent years. Such mistakes have an impact on a student’s career as well as their mental health. A transparent evaluation and revaluation procedure is of the utmost importance right now. To fix such errors, the institution should devise a quick and simple procedure. Not everyone can afford to spend such large sums only to correct faults created by the institution. As one of the largest and prominent central universities, DU should devise simple and effective solutions for resolving student issues.

Featured Image credits: exam.du.ac.in

Dhruv Bhati

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Admissions

Simulated Rank List Released for UG Admissions

By DU Beat August 3, 2023

On July 29, DU released its simulated rank list for admissions to undergraduate programs. Candidates who registered for DU UG 2023 can access this list by logging in to the admissions website.

The university has released the rank list for candidates to assess the likelihood of admission to their preferred college/course. These tentative ranks have been allocated according to Common University Entrance Test (CUET) scores and chosen preferences.

The candidates have been given time till 11.59 pm, Sunday, to alter these preferences before the first seat allocation list is released. This can be done on the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS) portal.

It must be noted that the simulated ranks are tentative ranks based on the scores and preferences submitted by candidates. These ranks should not be construed as a warranty, express or implied, or creation of a legitimate expectation or as final ranks for allocations of a program of study or college whatsoever”. – Haneet Gandhi, dean of admissions, DU

Final ranks are prone to change as students may add, change or delete college or program preferences till Sunday. The last saved preference will be treated as final.

The next phase of the admission process will begin on August 1, with seat allocation lists being released. Students will be able to accept their seats by August 4 and the online fee payment for the first round will be open till August 6. Inaction will be regarded as non-acceptance of the allocated seat.

Since the simulated ranks are not final and may change owing to the alteration of college-course preferences, students are confused regarding the next course of action. Some have opted to reorder preferences whereas others have decided to wait for the first allocation round.

There was a significant increase in the number of applications for admission to DU this year. The 12.7% rise is credited to the high number of candidates that appeared for the CUET. The university plans to offer 71,000 undergraduate seats across all its colleges.

Featured image credits: The Economic Times

Arshiya Pathania

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Arts & Culture

The DU-Fied Rizz

By DU Beat August 2, 2023

This article is an op-ed about the statement dressing observed across the Delhi university, what it essentially symbolizes and potentially offers to the society in general.

The unanimous euphoria every girl felt in the washroom of the Barbie movie premiere over pink couldn’t help but make me think about this one another symbolic yet statement dressing unifying a large cohort ,that being the “DU dress code”.

What feels like being in the bluepilled matrix of the “bonkers-ification” of college outfits, the raging monopoly of H&M and Zara with their Sarojini Dupes, or the razzmatazz of fast fashion outlets in Kamala Nagar or Janpath, essentially paints a larger picture of what happens to be the “DU-fied rizz”, it’s not about how many times your typical slogan printed tote bag slides off your shoulder, it’s about pulling it back up. It’s about the constant euphoria-esque serve with the statement face paint art at Fests. It’s about finding the perfect faux Pas between upper east side vogue and the fawning desi attires. It’s oxidised Janpath earrings, artsy witch core septum piercings, chikankari kurta slay, MKT thrifts and what not.

It portrays itself with a certain sense of irony how you can easily identify the DU brigade dressed in the spectrum ranging from fab India khaki kurta simpletons to lulu & sky corsets bearing baddies, right from the oversized shirt over tanks and wide legged trousers to the artisanal bangle clad kurti endowed individuals.

More than a sense of fashion, it’s a statement, one that brings together chic with sustainability. Sarojini becomes a high fashion substitute, thrifting becomes the new currency and locally grown businesses the warble call for styling enthusiasts. At the risk of generalizing the human experience curve we have achieved what appears to be a unified assertion of what fashion doesn’t necessarily have to be, it remains to be an inclusive domain for expression of identities. Ofcourse the situation Is far from ideal, arguments in favour of elitist bias, bullying and harassment claims and the general lack of tolerance for the “chalk and cheese” fashion statements continue to exist but from the standpoint of observing the bigger picture it does feel like that Delhi University as an institution offers space to harbour the fraternity of the fashion diaspora that seems to have become a hallmark in identifying the university’s culture by and large.

https://m.timesofindia.com/city/delhi/for-exams-du-fashion-goes-from-chic-to-geek/articleshow/52280156.cms

Featured Image credits: DU Updates

Priya Shandilya

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