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

DU Plans to Decrease the Number of Cut-Off Lists

By DU Beat January 14, 2018

The long drawn admission procedure to the premier university of the country might be in for a major change as the University of Delhi (DU) is planning to drastically decrease the number of cut-off lists for admission to its three-year undergraduate courses from the academic session of 2018-19. With over 2 lakh applicants vying for 56,000 seats in as many as 64 affiliated colleges, does this mean relief from the tardy and distressing process of admission to DU?

The plan for this maneuver comes at the outset of a record number of 11 cut off lists being released over a period of 2 months in the admission process of the previous year. While the online application process started on May 22, the first cut-off came out on June 24 and the last cut-off on August 23. The session started from the July 20. Unlike most other universities across the country which start and wind up the admission process within a month of declaration of results, DU’s admission process is long, spanning over a period of two months, which witness the students shifting from one college to another with the release of each cut-off.

On conditions of anonymity, a senior member of DU Admission Committee confirmed that this strategy was being adopted so that “the prolonged process of admission is cut short”. Various stakeholders, including college Principals, are to be consulted before coming up with a model for this strategy. The official added that this year, the application process will possibly start 10-15 days earlier as compared to last year. What implication this would have on the students from different boards, considering the lack of uniformity in the dates for the declaration of results, is a question to ponder upon.

In the midst of confusion and apprehension, this strategy, however, raises a glimmer of hope for a more desirable and effective admission process. There is scope for optimism as it is speculated that decreasing the number of cut-off lists may increase the time that a student gets for taking admission, and it is also expected to decrease the overall time of the admission process. In a bid to test waters through this strategy, DU’s admission committee has convened a press-conference regarding the admission processes of undergraduates.

Feature Image Credits: India Today

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

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Golden Globes Fashion: The Best and Worst

By DU Beat January 13, 2018

Kickstarting this year’s Hollywood award season, the Golden Globes emphasised on the fight against sexual harassment and the recent #MeToo and, #TimesUp campaigns. If Oprah’s touching speech and her announcement to run for the Oval Office in 2020 didn’t garner your attention, the all-black red carpet gowns definitely would have. Here are the six best and worst dressed people on its red carpet.

1. Issa Rae

Not many people can pull off a plunging neckline and a thigh-high slit in the same outfit, but, Issa Rae showed us that isn’t one of them. Dressed in a Prabal Gurung gown and Lorrain Schwartz jewellery, Issa Rae was one of the best dressed at this year’s Golden Globes.

2. Viola Davis

Anna Wintour once said that she’ll never feature an all-black outfit in Vogue, but after this award show it may be possible that she’d reconsider. Viola Davis exuberated royalty and regality at the red carpet, wearing a Brandon Maxwell gown, 120 carats of Harry Winston diamonds and, carrying a Tyler Ellis Lily clutch.

3. Noah Schnapp

While the all-black red carpet was not new for the men in attendance, Noah Schnapp made a statement like no one else. The 13-year-old Stranger Things actor was dressed in a Balmain suit, with a Brackish bowtie and Jésù-Ségun London shoes. She completed the look with an Elizabetta Boutique scarf and the cutest smile.

4. Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum can do nothing wrong, except maybe this time. Sporting a high-low hem Ashi Studio dress and Lorraine Schwartz jewellery, her sense of style were forgettable. Perhaps it was the feathery bodice or a train that barely was one.

5. Mandy Moore

Unfortunately, Mandy Moore was one of the worst dress at the ceremony The “This is Us” actress wore a Rosie Assoulin gown with visible wrinkles and a cheap-looking fabric. The red belt looked like someone ripped a strip of the red carpet to put it around her waist.

Emma Watson

While Emma Watson stuck to the all-black dress code, her custom Ronald van der Kemp gown made her age at least by 50 years while her baby-bangs had the complete opposite effect. With this mismatch and her cupcake-wrapper looking sleeves, she could not conquer her hearts like she did in Harry Potter.

We were sure that this year’s Golden Globes would easily become a snooze-fest, given the strict dress code. Nevertheless, everyone on the red carpet proved us wrong which ironically, brightened our day.

Feature Image Credits: Hello Magazine

Varoon Tuteja

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DU Notifies Formula for the Conversion of CGPA into Percentage

By DU Beat January 12, 2018

CBCS System followed at DU is Relative Grading and not Absolute Grading. After many trials and rejections, DU has finally prepared a formula to take out the percentage from the CGPA.

The Examination Centre of the University of Delhi has prepared a formula using which the percentage of the final year students of undergraduate courses can be derived from the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). The University of Delhi shall adopt this formula for converting the CGPA into the percentage:

Final Percentage of Marks (%) = CGPA based on all six semesters × 9.5

The student community has welcomed this development with mixed responses. Srivedant Kar, a final year student of Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC) told DU beat, “I am happy, that at least they came out with an official clarification of this but with the lower patterns of grading they followed in the past two years, this decision should be supported by lenient marking to make this decision effective.” However, Kartik Kakar, a second-year student from Rajdhani College feels that the formula is mathematically incorrect as the maximum a student can score is 95% after calculating with the new devised formula.

Dr. Ashima Saikiya, a professor at Department of Geology says, “Neither percentage nor grades can help the students as long as they are not provided with the marks they scored in the individual subjects.” Indeed, our SGPA is not entirely dependent on our performance. It depends on how our classmates did in exam as well. It is more like they total the marks of all the students in that batch, average it, and then find the standard deviation from the average marks.

The above formula shall be applicable with effect from the undergraduate examinations under the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) to be held in May/June 2018 and onwards. The first batch under CBCS will be getting the percentage derived using this formula. Only the conversion formula will be printed in the certificates and there will be no mention of percentage.

Feature Image Credits: Hindustan Times

Sandeep Samal
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DUB Speak

What Does it Mean to Have a Fresh Start?

By DU Beat January 8, 2018

New Year is usually associated with a fresh start. However, the question to ponder about is what exactly does a fresh start mean? Does a fresh start mean that we leave all our trouble behind and not try to clean up the mess? Shouldn’t we be trying to fix what has gone wrong? More importantly, can we start afresh only at the beginning of a new year?

I would like to believe that you can start fresh at any moment. The second I feel that my life is not turning out the way it is supposed to be should be the time I could start afresh. I shouldn’t have to wait for Day 1 of the year to bring about changes. A fresh start should be changing all your bad experiences while never forgetting them. One should learn to accept the past and make peace with it. A new beginning should be exhilarating, one that makes you feel that everything in the world is infinite. You should be able to feel that you are infinite and capable of achieving anything in the wide spectrum of possibilities. Most importantly, you should decide that anything in the whole wide world that is not able to match with this feeling is perhaps something you should not bother about.

This is because life is too long and somewhere along the line we start losing ourselves to the mundane things about it and stop living. We forget that living is all about jubilation, euphoria, and ecstasy. So when we do get the sense to start afresh, it is important to decide not to lose ourselves all over again to the drudgery aspect of life. So take the trip that you have been long planning to or throw out all the old stuff that is of no use and just occupying space in your closet. Anything that will help you to kick-start your new beginning, you should do it. You don’t have to wait for a special occasion to do it. This is because if you wait for a specific occasion, you will never be able to do it. Seize the day because after all ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.

Feature Image Credits: Videezy

Anukriti Mishra

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News

Supreme Court to Review Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code

By DU Beat January 8, 2018

5 years after it’s initial verdict, a three-judge bench of The Supreme Court of India has decided to review the criminalisation of consensual homosexual sex under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The said law was created by the British during the colonial era and holds that only penile-vaginal sex was not “against the order of nature”. Under today’s order, the court has decided to refer the matter to a larger bench that will re-evaluate the constitutional validity of Section 377.

In 2013, the apex court reversed the Delhi High Court’s 2009 judgement, which held that criminalising gay sex, “does not suffer from the vice of unconstitutionality”. Under the judgement, the court gave the amendment and repealing powers to the legislature, as it deemed fit. Last year, Congress M.P. Shashi Tharoor introduced the Indian Penal Code (Amendment) Bill seeking changes in Section 377 of IPC but the bill failed to gain a majority in the Lok Sabha.

The recent order comes in response to a writ petition hearing filed by five members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community. In the order, the court said, “Determination of the order of nature is not a constant phenomenon. Societal morality also changes from age to age. Law copes with life and accordingly, change takes place.” The court also noted that while choice can’t be allowed to cross the boundaries of law, “The confines of law can’t trample or curtail the inherent right embedded in an individual under Article 21, the right to life and liberty.”

The “section of people who exercise their choice should never remain in a state of fear”, the Supreme Court said in reference to the five petitioners and the LGBT community at large. While throughout the existence of the law, not more than 200 arrests have been made, the police use it to harass and threaten the members of the community.

The celebrated order provides hope and hinges in favour of decriminalisation of consensual gay sex. Akkai, an LGBT activist said “we need to welcome it. We still have hope from Indian judiciary. We are living in the 21st century. All politicians & political parties must break their silence & support individual’s sexuality”

Moreover, the recent judgement on the fundamental right to privacy was also taken into account by the court. The judgement was in favour of respecting the freedom of the individual to their sexual orientation. While the judgement was welcomed by the LGBT community, Gautam Bhan, an LGBT activist, entailed that, “We could have gone to court on privacy grounds. But we didn’t because that is not acceptable. It is just tolerance that favours the elites who can afford to conduct their lives behind closed doors. The judgment is much more than that. It has spoken of privacy with dignity and equality. It reaffirms the Delhi High Court judgment in speaking of sexuality within the framework of constitutionality.”

Feature Image Credits: Daily Mail

Varoon Tuteja
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Gender Based Beauty Stereotypes and How to Break Them

By DU Beat January 5, 2018

Each one of us has encountered various stereotypes since childhood. It begins with pink is for girls, blue is for boys, and goes up to women work in the kitchen, men work outside. These stereotypes put people in a box and it’s necessary now, more than ever, to break these walls down.

Since time immemorial, gender based stereotypes have occupied primal importance especially when it comes to beauty. Forget putting makeup, taking care of your skin is also considered feminine and ‘girly’. When such hard lines have been drawn, it gets even tougher and important to break through and express yourself irrespective of the sex we were assigned at birth.

Being a ‘beautiful’ female has been resonated with having plump soft skin, a curvaceous hairless body, extensive knowledge of makeup, impractical outfits, wearing heels, and, so on. You must have come across incidents where a guy offered a woman his seat or a brother carried the shopping bags for his sister. When fragility is associated with being female, it becomes problematic. On the other hand, for a male, stereotypes range from having a muscular body, keen attraction towards girls, sports, cars, and bikes to showing no interest in shopping, and wearing the same prototype of an outfit regularly (a.k.a. t-shirt, jeans, and shoes). “Boys don’t cry”, “Man up”-are regular phrases used to motivate a gloomy boy. What becomes more perplexing is when the current generation continues to enforce and internalise these stereotypes.

In order to shatter these stereotypes, we need to be proactive. Firstly, we need to re-educated ourselves and stop associating femininity with girls and masculinity with boys. A person’s sex and their behaviour are independent of each other. For boys who want to try makeup, they can get start with a mascara and a tinted moisturiser, working their way upwards. For girls who are not comfortable with their long hair, can get them cut short, bit by bit. The idea is to embrace our femininity or masculinity in ways that makes us happy and we are comfortable with. While these are baby steps that one can take, they are equally important.

One of the biggest reasons we are afraid to experiment is we are afraid of getting a reaction. What will my friends say? What if they mock me? What will our neighbours think of me? What if someone laughs at me in the metro? These are some usual thoughts that might bother you but that shouldn’t stop you. After all, David Bowie, a gender-bending musician, wouldn’t have been the legend that he is, if he would have been bothered by the opinions of some meddling and annoying aunty in his neighbourhood. Life is short and it’s time you are unapologetically and beautifully you.

Feature Image Credits: Paul Windle

Varoon Tuteja
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Arts & Culture

Is a Woman’s Hair a Sign of Power?

By DU Beat January 4, 2018

Our hair is often seen as a reflection of our identity. How we perceive ourselves and how we take on battles can be determined by our hairstyle. However, the dynamics of a woman’s hair and power go a long way back.

In ancient times, long tresses were believed to be a symbol of femininity, beauty, and desire. Hindu widows were expected to cut their hair short or completely shave their heads. This was primarily to establish the fact that they are not someone who can be desired or have sexual desires themselves. This is best depicted in Deepa Mehta’s movie ‘Water’, where Madhumati forces Kalyani(Lisa Ray), a widow into prostitution. As long as she benefits from this business, she allows Lisa Ray to have long, beautiful tresses. When she learns about her budding romance with Narayan (John Abraham), her first step is to chop her hair for having dared to transgress the boundaries.

This method of punishing women by cutting off her hair can also be seen in western culture. Collaboration horizontale or collaboration feminine was the (supposed) sexual intercourse that some French women had with German soldiers after the Battle of France in 1940. The liberation of France in 1944 is eclipsed by the treatment that was meted out to these French women. They were subjected to the humiliation of a public head-shaving. It is said that at least 20,000 women are known to have had their head shaved forcefully.

In the Victorian period, a woman’s hair was seen as a means of expressing her desires and emotions. The Victorian women were supposed to keep their hair tied and could only let it down in their bedrooms. This stemmed from the belief that the power and beauty of her hair should only be reserved for her husband. In ‘Rape of the Lock’ written in Augustan age, Alexander Pope describes Belinda’s locks as chains for enslavement, as snares and traps for men. Thus, her locks project the power that she has over the opposite sex.

Draupadi in Mahabharata refused to tie her hair by which she was dragged by Duhashasana. She vowed that she would not tie her hair till he was killed. Her open hair became a sign of rebellion against the injustice she was subjected to. Therefore, we see that from time to time, women’s hair has acquired new meanings and expressions. She kept on experimenting with her hair until she found a style that brought out her persona and her strength of character. In 1950’s a short bob cut, just below the ears know as “Liberation Hairdo”, became very popular amongst Chinese women. This haircut signified liberation and women taking control of their lives.

Even in modern times, a lot can be deciphered by a woman’s choice of hairstyle. Examples of it can be traced to television characters Alicia Florrick in Good Wife and Olivia Pope in Scandal. In the beginning, Alicia is shown as supporting her unfaithful husband, with flat, swept back hair. However, as soon as she decides to take control of her life, she is shown to have cascading, luscious and coiffed hair. Olivia Pope is shown supporting bangs and curls when she was young and helping Fitzgerald Grant in his elections. But as she begins to find her professional footing, she starts adopting a cleaner cut. Her hair becomes sleeker and longer. This change is suggestive of the maturity and experience that she has acquired with age.

Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that how a woman decides to wear her hair is suggestive of her personality, identity, and disposition.

Feature Image Credits: Getty Images

Anukriti Mishra

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News

New Year Not Happy As Professors Go Without Salaries

By DU Beat January 4, 2018

The professors of the 12 DU colleges have been caught in the crossfire between the university and the government. Professors claim that they do not have money to pay off their regular bills. These professors had to greet the New Year with empty pockets.

An ongoing row between the University of Delhi and Delhi Government has resulted in the freezing of funds for 12 DU colleges. This has not been a ‘happy’ new year for some teachers of the DU. Around 12 colleges including Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Shaheed Rajguru College, Maharaja Agrasen College, and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, which get 100% funding from the Delhi government have no resources left to pay their staff, after the government stopped the funds in July over a tussle on the names for governing body with the university administration.

S.K. Garg, the Principal of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, which is fully funded by the Delhi Government, told India Today, “We are neither in a position to pay salary to our staff nor do we have funds for paying electricity, water, and telephone bills. Financially, everything is held up, as we have not paid our outsourced security staff and sanitation staff,” He also informed that college had to divert funds to ensure the basic functioning of the college.

The President of DUTA, Mr. Rajib Ray, told DU Beat that he has written to the Vice Chancellor and the Delhi Government regarding the tussle. “It is very unfortunate that the professors are suffering due to the non-payment of the salaries,” told Ray to DU Beat.

The Principals are particularly concerned about the salaries of the non-teaching staff because their everyday needs may be affected due to this delay. Aware of the crisis, a senior official of Delhi Government’s education department, told Mail Today on condition of anonymity, “Delhi government will release the salary as soon as the names of panel members of governing body are submitted to us by the university,”

Feature Image Credits: India Today

Sandeep Samal

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DUB News

Resolutions Passed by Students’ Organisations in Youthquake

By DU Beat January 3, 2018

In a press release dated January 3, 2018, several students’ organisations have mutually agreed upon a student resolution that was passed in Youthquake. The resolution deals with recommendations of electoral reforms, Students’ Right Act, the age of contesting elections, and unemployment allowance.

In a resolution passed by the students’ organisations in Youthquake on January 3, 2018, the rationalisation of the student elections and the formation of an independent Election Commission were seen as legitimate demands in the light of the arbitrary decision-making procedures of college administrations. The implementation of Lyngdoh Committee guidelines by the Ministry of Human Resource Development on an order of the Supreme Court adds weight to the demand for a separate legislation to deal with student elections in the country.

The students’ organisations have raised the demand for a separate institution under the Election Commission for conducting student elections and a complaint redressing mechanism. Such an independent Election Commission should be headed by a retired Chief Election Commissioner and should consist of retired members from the judiciary and administration, who possess impeccable records. Calls were made for compulsory and direct elections, revision of election expenditure especially the social media expenditure limit to be set in, the online voting system to restrict violence on students during elections, and reservation of seats for women candidates.

The Charter for Students’ Rights Act, comprising of the Fundamental Rights of Students and Directive Principles for universities and colleges was also laid down, which should be complied with by the university administration at all times. Additionally, a demand for a three-tier enforcement mechanism was also made, and the students’ organisations wanted the age of contesting elections to be brought down to 18 years.

“The Narendra Modi Government promised 2 crore jobs at the time of elections and made promises for unemployment allowances as well. But today, what we can see is that the credibility of universities is decreasing and democratic spaces for dissent are also being curbed by the institutions. Thereby, we have raised demands for the creation of an organisation/body along the lines of the National Commission for Women (NCW) or National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) to address the specific concerns of students- National Students’ Commission,” said Neeraj Mishra, National Media In-Charge of National Students’ Union of India (NSUI).

Several Students’ Organisations like the AISF, SFI, Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha, Naga Students’ Union, PUSU, Jharkhand Chhatra Sangh, Joint Action Commission-BHU, Swaraj Abhiyan, Panjab Students’ Union, Telangana Students’ Union etc. have mutually agreed upon the resolution. The Action Commission of the resolution consisted of J&K Students’ Union, YSR Students’ Union, All India Students’ Association (AISA), DUSU (Delhi University Students’ Union), AMU, SOPU, DURU etc.

Feature Image Credits: New Indian Express

Oorja Tapan

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Interviews

In Conversation with Mallika Arya, a Teach For India Fellow

By DU Beat January 2, 2018

Born and brought up in Delhi, 24-year-old Mallika Arya took the fellowship of Teach For India (TFI) with the humble thoughts of bringing a change in the lives of underprivileged children. She did her schooling from Vasant Valley School and graduated in B.A. Psychology Honours from Lady Shri Ram College for Women. She worked with TFI for two years before taking a gap year to travel. She is currently pursuing her masters in sustainability from the University of Sydney.

In conversation with her, she answered these questions:

Q. What made you decide to join the fellowship?
A. I was a volunteer in a TFI classroom when I was in college and also a part of Project Leap (which later became I Foundation) and that’s when I decided that I wanted to do the fellowship once I graduated. I wanted my own class, my own students, and I wanted to create the change that I had seen in so many classrooms with TFI fellows. I worked with the mindset that I would lead the change and create magic for those kids. I came out of the fellowship with a totally different view – I only went in there as an enabler,and in the end I didn’t create the magic. The kids did it on their own, and the journey with them was life-changing not just for them but also for me.

Q. What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
A. The challenges I faced included not being accepted by some stakeholders. I was extremely lucky to have a co-fellow who had similar dreams. Both of us worked hard together to build relationships with the other teachers. We would make conscious efforts to sit with everyone else during break time and share our ideas, lesson plans, and assessment sheets. Another challenge for us had been to get the parents of the students to understand some of our unconventional teaching methods. There were regular community visits and we were often involved in calling the parents and going home for surprise visits or even just inviting the parents to come and sit in some of the classes.

Q. When did you start seeing changes (that you set for yourself) in your students? Could you recall any exact moments?
A. Looking back at the fellowship now, I think the kids taught me more than I taught them. They taught me to be patient and brought out a creative side to me which I didn’t know even existed! I hated math and science in school, maybe because of the way it was taught, but those were my favourite lessons with my kids. We would go outside and study under the trees. We started a little community garden to see how we could make compost with food waste and that really showed the kids that the solutions to a lot of problems can be found in the little things we do everyday. There were difficult days as well, but on those days it was the kids who pushed me through the rough times.

Q. What did you learn from the fellowship and the children? How did the fellowship help you in your next steps?
A. The fellowship was monumental in helping me decide what I want to do for the rest of my life. It was through our science lessons that we really started to dive deep into environmental issues around us today. I started doing extra research and we spent days following the COP21 news and hours learning about waste and pollution. My kids understood it all so well and wanted to do something about it so badly that it made me introspect my role towards saving the environment. I was immensely passionate about it, and here I am now doing my masters in sustainability in Sydney! It all goes back to my experiences in the classroom and if I hadn’t been a teacher to those 25 amazing little beings I don’t know where I would be today!

Inspired by Mallika’s story? Apply to be a fellow. Last date of application is 4th February 2018.

Feature Image Credits: TFI

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