Delhi HC has rejected DU’s preference for CLAT instead of CUET for its 5-year law courses. The respondents of the PIL are DU’s Faculty of Law, Vice Chancellor of the University, UGC and Union of India through the Ministry of Education.
On Thursday, August 17, the Delhi High Court questioned Delhi University on its decision to admit students to its new 5-year integrated law courses based on the Common Legal Admission Test (CLAT-UG) 2023 results. A petition submitted by Prince Singh, a student at DU’s Faculty of Law, challenged the University’s announcement of the 5-year integrated law courses, beginning in the academic year 2023-24. The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by him sought admission to these courses through CUET UG 2023, following the directives of the Universities Grant Commission (UGC) for central universities. The Court granted Delhi University and the Centre time until the next hearing on August 25 to file their responses to the petition.
The bench, which included Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula, stated that the Government of India, through the National Education Policy, had decided that admissions to all Central Universities would be done through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) introduced by the Ministry of Education (MoE) and that Delhi University is “not special.”
You are not special. There is a national policy. If 18 other central universities are relying on the CUET scores for admissions, why is DU not doing the same?” the bench remarked.
The court granted the University’s counsel time to file a counter-affidavit before the next hearing on August 25. The Union of India has also been given time to “file its reply” or seek “appropriate instructions in the matter.” However, the court stressed that if no counter-affidavit is submitted by the next hearing date, the matter will be heard on the question of grant of interim relief.
Delhi University’s counsel, Advocate Mohinder S Rupal, contended that the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Yogesh Singh, formed a special committee of specialists, which delivered a detailed report to the Academic and Executive Councils of the University. During the hearing, he argued that the University only launched the 5-year integrated law degree this year and that if a stay is granted on the operation of the August 4 notification, the entire academic year will be wasted. He alleged that DU had not yet provided a schedule or timeline for admissions to its law courses.
It is not as if we are rushing the process. We haven’t started the admission process yet. The University will not issue any advertisement regarding applications for CLAT-based admissions to the 5-year law course till the next date of hearing.”- stated DU’s counsel, Mohinder Rupal.
The PIL was filed in response to a notification issued by Delhi University on August 4 announcing the introduction of the Five-year Integrated Law Courses- B.A.LLB (Hons.) and BBA.LLB (Hons.), admissions to which would be undertaken by the CLAT scores of the aspirants.
“The Bar Council of India in its letter dated 26.07.2023 has accorded its approval of 60 seats for BA LLB (Hons) and 60 seats for BBA LLB (Hons). Admission to BA LLB (Hons) and BBA LLB (Hons) shall be based on merit in the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) UG 2023 result. The classes for BA LLB (Hons) and BBA LLB (Hons) courses will be held at the Faculty of Law, Kanad Bhawan, North Campus, University of Delhi. The online application for admission to BA LLB (Hons) and BBA LLB (Hons) courses will be announced by the University soon,”stated the notification by Delhi University.
The petition contended that by issuing this notification, Delhi University has placed a “wholly unreasonable condition” that violates the Right to Equality under Article 14 and the Right to Education under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. The plea stressed that CUET is conducted in multiple languages while CLAT is held only in English, which leads to an admission advantage for a specific sub-group at DU’s Faculty of Law.
That the condition imposed for admission to the five-year integrated law courses at the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, is wholly unreasonable and arbitrary. It lacks any intelligible differentia and has no rational nexus with the object of admission to the five-year integrated law courses at the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi,” the plea by Singh stated.
While the University Officials work on finalizing the dates, student leaders have started preparing for their election campaigns.
The student elections at Delhi University are scheduled to take place in September. The Delhi University Students Union is the representative body that stands for the majority of colleges and faculties’ students. Aside from this, elections are also held each year for the students union at every college. The Delhi University Students Union is elected directly by the university’s and its member colleges’ students. Every year, the elections are typically held in August or September. Occurring every four years, it was last held in 2019, and was halted as a result of the Corona virus pandemic and its effects on the academic calendar.
Officials from the university stated earlier in July that election preparations will begin as soon as the university finished the admissions process for the upcoming session. Although the date has not yet been confirmed, DU registrar Vikas Gupta stated that it would be announced shortly and that one may anticipate it to happen in the final week of September.
Vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh, who will oversee the election process, named office bearers and members for the central council of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) for the academic year 2023–2024, according to a University announcement dated August 1. The VC also appointed college principals and heads of institutions to serve as office holders and council members in their respective colleges. The chief election officer, Professor Chandra Shekhar, has stated that the employing of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be done during the entire election process, which is expected to last between 10 and 12 days. In 2019, the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) gained three seats, while the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) gained one. Akshat Dahiya of the ABVP served as President, Pradeep Tanwar as Vice President, Ashish Lamba as Secretary, and Shivangi Karwal as Joint Secretary for the 2019–20 term.
Elections will be held for all four of these positions once again this year. All around the University, especially in the North Campus, preparations are being made for the same. While student leaders are planning, students are actively responding. The current president of the ABVP, Akshat Dahiya, states that they are getting ready to nominate their student leaders and will also begin disseminating information about the election procedure for students. Additionally, other organisations like the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) are prepared to start their election campaigns. The previous president of SFI says that they will focus on issues that are specific to students, such as accommodation and other problems that students have on a daily basis, whereas ABVP will centre their election campaign on the four-year undergraduate programme, FYUP. In the meantime, the elections for the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) have been set for September 27. The election calendar states that teacher nominations must be submitted by September 1. At the north campus of DU, the Arts Building complex and Satyakam Bhawan will serve as the locations for the voting.
On August 12, a number of teachers’ organizations, including the Democratic Teachers’ Front, merged to form the Democratic United Teachers’ Alliance. Among them were the Democratic Teachers’ Front, the Academic for Action and Development Teachers Association, and the Indian National Teachers’ Congress, which is a branch of the Congress. They declared Aditya Narayan Misra as a potential candidate for the position of DUTA president.
The University of Delhi student elections are unique and prominent, adding to the capital’s already politically charged climate. These elections hold value for the future of the University and also reflect student sentiments.
DU, often seen as India’s premier public institution, is technically equipped with a flurry of departments, from Finno-Ugric to Persian ones, but given Delhi University’s limited funds, inefficient administration and other maladies which rather famously plague the institution, one does question how well these departments continue to function?
One of my first experiences of the infamous DU chaos was when I visited the Faculty of Arts campus, to sign up for Russian classes, from the Slavonic Studies Department, the only one in the entire country. Not exactly to my surprise, most people I asked had no clue where the department was located within the campus. Eventually, from a back entrance, up a cobweb-covered staircase, I did find the department, a singular hallway with classrooms on either side and an administrative office with an aversion to Gmail.
While my experience was obviously personal to me, the state of our foreign language departments, once created in order to help foster bilateral ties internationally, create a globalized perspective and in general, integrate the Indian student body with the rest of the world. However, some problems continue to persist.
Both the Persian and Slavonic Departments have extremely low research output, as intimated by the information made public on their websites with the latter showing only 18 research candidates between 2004 and 2017.
Departments like those of Germanic and Romance Studies, simply do not seem to have functioning websites, which raises questions as to how interested students are to access crucial information regarding syllabi with ease, without even getting into the lack of awareness given the inaccessibility. Similarly, the epartment of Arabic studies, too, doesn’t have its own website to access.
Furthermore, a quick glance at the respective syllabi raises questions about its relevance, especially in comparison to universities abroad, which have far more extensive, well-rounded and relevant curriculums as related to DU whose department plans consist primarily of standard, older syllabi plans, with little to no practical component.
These foreign language departments are usually aimed at fostering a sense of internationalism and facilitating India’s international relations ties, by creating academics and linguists who could encourage and foster a sense of globalism. But, as these departments blend into the shadows, it makes us question if India’s premier institution is losing its sense of internationalism, as a whole.
Heartstopper, the on-screen adaptation of a well-known graphic book by Alice Oseman, debuted its second season on Netflix on August 3, 2023. The television show, much like the first season, reshapes representation by delicately examining topics of love, identity, and friendship while offering a genuine and multidimensional picture of queer lives. Here is a careful examination of some of the themes that the show so wonderfully explores, thereby casting them in a new light.
Heartstopper, the acclaimed LGBTQ+ series, has emerged as a trailblazer in reshaping the portrayal of queer relationships, love, identity, diversity within the community, and friendship in a world where representation and diversity are becoming increasingly important and where representation is based on misconceptions and stereotypes in literature and cinema. The show has challenged these deep-rooted clichés by depicting its characters as diverse individuals whose sexual orientation or gender identity is only one aspect of their existence.
Heartstopper is centred on two primary protagonists, Nick and Charlie, as they navigate their way through love, self-discovery, friendship, and acceptance. However, the series covers much more. Whereas mainstream LGBT representation in films and television shows often focuses solely on two cis-guys falling in love and their sexual relationships, Heartstopper delves deeper. It highlights trans representation, lesbian relationships, self-discovery and acceptance, asexuality, disability, normalising older queer relationships, dilemmas in friendships, eating disorders, consent, healthy relationships and friendships, and highlighting that coming out is a personal choice and that it is not mandatory to come out.
While Kit Connor and Joe Locke steal the show as romantic leads Nick and Charlie, recognition is also due to the creation of characters such as friends Elle, Tao, Tara, and Darcy, perfectly crafted parents, and even attentive teachers. Heartstopper succeeds because it is such a well-rounded and balanced narrative about preteens navigating the challenges of a same-sex relationship.
-Collider
Trans Representation
Transgender representation in both literature and cinema is sorely sidelined or completely absent. Most transgender representation in literature and film only touches the tip of the iceberg, as trans characters are portrayed as “supporting characters” or “the best friends of gay protagonists.” Moreover, trans roles in film continue to be mainly acted by cis individuals, eliminating the very purpose of representation. However, in Heartstopper, Elle was presented as more than that. The series digs into Elle’s life and emphasises that her transgender identity does not define her.
Heartstopper sends the message that trans people are allowed to fall in love and be loved. That they too experience all the wide range of emotions we all do.
-gendergp
Elle and Tao’s tale is equally lovely. The dilemma of admitting your love to your closest friend, as well as the dread of losing them as a result, is well expressed. The bond between Tao’s mother and Elle is one of the most lovely aspects of the story. Tao’s mother’s reaction when she learns that her son and Elle are dating is heartwarming to say the least.
Bisexual Representation
There are many misunderstandings about the bisexual community, both within and outside the queer community. Bisexual individuals are frequently questioned about their sexuality, with the assumption that one cannot be bi if one prefers one gender over the other.
Nick had to constantly tell people he’s bi just goes to show how many people dismiss his sexuality and how disregarded bisexual people are in general within their queer community. He has every right to be loud and proud about his sexuality. don’t take that away from him.
-a Twitter user
This portrayal and discussion of Nick’s bisexuality sends a clear and loud message that bisexual people who have only dated people of the same gender are just as valid as bisexual people who have dated more than one gender or haven’t dated anyone at all.
Lesbian Representation
Queer representation in films and literature has been traditionally dominated by the narrative of two homosexual protagonists. When it comes to WLW relationships, a lot of stigma and misconceptions permeate society. Tara and Darcy’s story is just as important and eloquently depicted as Nick and Charlie’s. Season 2 showed Darcy’s connection with her mother and how queer people face a lot of alienation and hatred from their loved ones.
The reoccurring animation of darker colours flooding Darcy’s house, because it’s such a negative place for her, is so. It’s not safe, it’s not her home; when she’s there, it feels like she has a storm cloud over her head like she can’t be herself at all, and my heart breaks for her.
-Twitter user @spring_nwinter
Asexual Representation
The portrayal of asexuality and aromanticism is one of the most brilliantly crafted sections of Heartstopper. Isaac’s frustration at his friends for assuming a romantic relationship between him and James demonstrates how asexual people have to go through a lot to come to grips with their sexuality. The series emphasises the value of platonic love, demonstrating that romantic or sexual desire is not constant but fluid.
Isaac getting his own “heartstopper moment” as he clutches a book on being ace means so much to me. As an aspec person seeing that little thing reserved for moments of love symbolises his first steps in working out who he means a lot. self-acceptance is a form of love.
-Twitter user @clingynelson
The Dilemma of Coming Out
Coming out is never easy for queer people. In season one, Nick is coming to terms with his sexuality and is torn between wanting to come out and being afraid of doing so. The best aspect is the support he received from his friends and his boyfriend.
I want you to come out when and how you want to
-Charlie to Nick
Coming out as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community can be a complex and deeply personal process, often accompanied by various emotions and challenges. While it can be liberating and help individuals live authentically, it also comes with potential risks and considerations.
Normalising Older Queer Relationships
Older queer relationships are not free from societal stigma, a stigma they face from not only those outside the community but also from the younger generation of the community.
Queer people of all ages exist. It will always be so important to show that the way Heartstopper manages to pull it off is so beautiful. I love queer happiness. It gives you hope for the future, you know?”
-Twitter user @spring_nwinter
Families and Queer Acceptance, or Lack Thereof
Having a supportive family may be quite beneficial for queer individuals, but it can also be a deep challenge if the situation is reversed. The fact that season 2 gave us a glimpse of everyone’s family, whether supportive like Elle’s parents, Tao’s mother, Nick’s mother, and Charlie’s sister, or not supportive and hostile like Darcy’s mother and Nick’s brother, these small characters had such a large impact on the series and the emotions its viewers felt.
I appreciated that Elle got her stereotypical girl come down the stairs moment while her parents were interrogating her date. She gets to have all of these movie-worthy girl experiences, and it makes my heart feel so full. It’s something so small but so special to me.
-Twitter user @spring_nwinter
Friendships and Queer Platonic Love
Heartstopper discusses not just love and the queer community but also the importance of platonic love and friendship.
I will always praise Heartstopper for how they show such healthy friendships. how they show platonic love can be just as strong as romantic. Charlie and Taos’ bond is something so important to both of them and so familiar. they’ve got each other’s backs and always have.
-Twitter user @clingynelson
Healthy Relationships
Heartsopper discusses the characteristics of healthy relationships, both platonic and romantic. Whether it’s Tara confessing her love for Darcy or Charlie being the shield for Nick when Nick was deciding to come out.
I love you. That’s not me asking you to say it back or anything.
-Tara to Darcy
I am gonna do everything I can so that Nick doesn’t have to deal with what I did (in reference to bullying).
-Charlie to his sister
Eating Disorders
TW// ED
Heartstopper season 2 slowly introduces the conversation on eating disorders. By examining disordered eating in one of its main characters, who represents a wide range of identities and experiences, Heartstopper Season 2 defies preconceptions. The series deftly addresses compulsive eating, gradually bringing it to light as Charlie’s boyfriend, Nick, becomes aware of his eating habits. Heartstopper explores a variety of aspects of disordered eating, stressing how it affects relationships and loved ones and underscoring the value of open communication and support.
Conclusion
In essence, Heartstopper is more than just a straightforward love story. It represents a push for accurate and inclusive representation. The series bridges understanding barriers, develops empathy, and promotes a more inclusive society with its multiple characters and relevant situations. Discussions regarding the value of recognising queer relationships and people’s freedom to live truthfully are made possible through this.
In both cinema and literature, Heartstopper is a transformational force that has changed how queer relationships, love, identity, and friendships are portrayed. The show sparks dialogue and questions social conventions by emphasising the universal features of human connection while accurately depicting LGBTQ+ experiences. Heartstopper not only presents a moving narrative but also advances a more forgiving and accepting future in a society where varied perspectives are respected evermore.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
