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Admission Gets Cancelled Due to College’s Negligence

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Getting merit-based admissions in Delhi University is the dream that every student in the country nurtures. The candidates and their parents heave sighs of relief once the formalities are finalised, and the acknowledgment slip is procured. But, that’s not what happened with Lariba Ashfaq Ahmed, an aspiring Literature student at Sri Venkateswara College.

It can be agreed that procuring admission in a reputed college can be a tricky business, but for Lariba, it turned out to be a nightmare altogether. On the last day of admissions in the 10th Cut-Off list, Lariba reached Venkateswara College, to inquire about the vacant seats in the Department of English, and procure one, if available. Subsequent to her arrival at the college, she happened to bump into a lady staff, Ms. Nidhi, who directed her to the Head of the Department, of English for clarifications and attaining information about the vacancies. Having obtained a nod of approval from the Head, Lariba rushed to Kamla Nehru College, (where she had already taken admission in a prior list), to cancel her admission and migrate to Venkateswara.

After the admission formalities were over, the college administration handed over an “acknowledgment slip”, bearing Roll Number- 21083 to her, which she accepted, preserved, and left for her home. But this was hardly any cause of rejoicing for her. As soon as she reached her home, she received a call on her mother’s phone, over which the caller alleged that there had been some issues with the verification of her documents, and hence, she should pay a visit to the college in the company of her father the next day.

Upon her visit to the college the next day, she was exposed to the cunning of the college administration. The college staff, somehow caught hold of the acknowledgment slip from her, and, having done that, slammed her documents on her face, stating that she couldn’t be admitted into the college.

This left the student in the doldrums. Having cancelled her admission in KNC and been cunningly struck off the rolls at Venkateswara, she had nowhere to go to. Even though she tried to procure legal help from the police, but all that she could get was the mere fulfillment of formalities. The PCR simply took her statement, making their evergreen promise to “Look into the matter and carry out a thorough investigation”. Meanwhile, the concoction of the administration staff at Venkateswara brought dark clouds over the candidate’s future.

However, Kamla Nehru College came to her timely aid. The college, considering her ordeal, gave her admission in the same cut-off, and the process was glitch and tension free. This entire chain of events brings to the limelight the disheartening treatment the candidates are exposed to at the hands of the unruly administration staff at colleges. Not only is their future played with, there’s no acceptance of the deed or an apology from the college’s end.

Interestingly, students at Venkateswara had remained oblivious to the incident, until an FB post and a YouTube video went viral. According to the students, the college has been manipulative enough to ensure that the incident doesn’t come out to the reach of the public spectrum, because they think that the college is already acquainted with the fact that the students are not in favor of the administration staff.

The students have shown a marked resentment against this agitating incident and expect a proper explanation and solution to such problems. Even though they request that their identities are kept hidden, their words will surely shine bright like the moon on the full moon night, through DU Beat.  Their thoughts are fraught with resilience and expect a concrete solution from the varsity’s end regarding behaviour of the administration staff, rather than the college’s end, because this is more or less the story of every college.

“If the candidate wasn’t eligible for admissions, why wasn’t she told that in the first place? Why did the college play with an innocent student’s career?”, said a student of Venkasteswara College, on anonymity..

“The problem is, the administrative staff does not care about the future of the students. They have a gala time in their A/C offices sipping tea, while the students suffer”, mentioned another student from the same college.

If things continue this way, the students are afraid that the college will lose the reputation that it enjoys, which shall pose serious detrimental effects to the interests of the students. This was more or less a case of infringement of the student’s right to education, and it must be looked at with profound gravity.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Aashish Jain
[email protected]

 

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An Introduction to the Delhi University Students’ Union Politics

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Even though each DU college has its own students’ union, the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) is the body that encompasses most of the colleges and faculties that are affiliated with it.

DUSU is a students’ organisation that handles politics at a university level. With the University of Delhi (DU) being
one of the biggest central universities of India, their position becomes all the more important and they go on
to decide the mood of the political environment of the country. They have a constitution with objectives
like ‘promoting the spirit of oneness among students’ and ‘service towards the state’. DUSU is also responsible for organising debates, meetings, and programmes for the students. DUSU’s most important function, however, is making representations to the University authorities on matters concerning the students.

Known to be one of India’s largest student elections, the DUSU elections happen every year in either the month of August or September. As announced by the University, the elections for this year will be held on 12th September. The elections for the Delhi University Students’ Union are by direct voting of the students of the colleges affiliated
with it. The panel consists of a duly elected President, Vice President, Secretary and Joint-Secretary. For the year 2017-18, Rocky Tuseed was the President of DUSU, Kunal Sehrawat was the Vice-President, both from the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), while Mahamedhaa Nagar was elected Secretary and Uma Shankar, the Joint Secretary, representing the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

However, colleges like St. Stephen’s College, Lady Shri Ram College, and Jesus and Mary College are not affiliated with DUSU. In fact, most of the girls’ colleges don’t associate themselves with the Union. They have their own internal students’ unions to represent their issues in front of the college authorities. The manifestos of the parties remain focussed on women security, affordable hostel facilities, proper implementation of the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS), anti-ragging, and anti-discriminatory practices and so on.

The major parties contesting for the DUSU are the ABVP of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the NSUI of the Indian National Congress (INC). For the past few years, the presidents have been members of either of these two
parties. As they campaign vigorously, aggressive competition is witnessed between them.
Apart from these two giants, there are parties like the All India Students’ Association (AISA) of the Communist Party of India -MarxistLeninst, the Indian National Students’ Organisation, and Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), the student wing of the Aam Aadmi Party. This year, CYSS and AISA have decided to contest DUSU elections together. They will raise issues like student passes in AC buses, decrease in metro fares, 24-hour library facility, and installation of CCTV cameras.

DUSU has been a gateway to real-world politics for many of its former members, and several of them now hold office at the local and central governments. Leaders like Arun Jaitley, Ajay Maken, Vijay Goel, Vijay Jolly, Alka Lamba, etc., have been union members of the DUSU in their time in DU as students.
With campuses littered with a sea of campaign posters and blaring voices on megaphones promising better infrastructure, the DUSU elections are worth all the hype they get. Because it is the voice of the youth that goes on to decide what the country will look like in the next few years.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Maumil Mehraj
[email protected]

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Campus Central

Turning Back Time: A History of DUSU

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The DUSU we recognise today has its roots in the power tussles, falls, and revolutions of the past. How much has it changed? Read on to find out.
As the capital of this democracy, Delhi has always experienced the uprising of revolutionary, sometimes unsettling, but always a realistic picture of the national politics. The student population of the University of Delhi (DU) comprises of 1.5 lakh diverse individuals today. But back in the time when the University was in its inception stages, the issues faced by the country were still concrete and significant although they were not enormous in number. It is not an unexpected predicament that the Delhi University Students’ Union has been addressing and even reflecting the politics of a much larger realm since 1954, when the first polls of the DUSU elections were held.
Paving a path for prominent positions in the national political parties of India, DUSU has had a history of producing leaders who proved their motivation. During the Emergency in the nation, the then General Secretary of DUSU was allegedly jailed and subjected to torture for raising a voice against the advent of fascism. Moulding, adjusting, and
treading the tightrope of similar ideals, the present day parties contesting in the DUSU elections draw a lot of
their narrative, structure, policies, and campaigning methodologies from their older counterparts.

Mirroring the hyped affairs of the contrasting politics of the two most popular political factions today- the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party on one hand and the Indian National Congress on the other- the DUSU elections of 2018 might create an illusion of a power struggle only between the student units of the said political bodies, namely the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the National Students’ Union of India, respectively. The truth is – like a national democracy cripples without the existence of real choice in its representatives, student governance too suffers a downfall. This is why, choices and political parties have come, gone, and changed through the course of DUSU’s journey.

For instance, the Indian National Students’ Organisation stemmed as the student wing of the Indian National Lok Dal and enjoys strong favorability in the state of Haryana at present. In the year 2008, INSO contributed to a seemingly radical initiative for that time by reportedly being the first party to field a male candidate from the Sikh community for one of the four office bearers in the central panel at the DUSU elections. This report published in The Hindu provides a clarity of thought to the understanding of numerous parties’ participation in bringing the University’s politics to the forefront.

Aam Aadmi Party’s student wing Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti, a relatively nascent organisation, joining forces with the left-wing All India Students’ Association, may seem like an unprecedented move, for the politics at DU, but the very foundation of the much notable NSUI was laid by the then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi. Saimon Farooqui, the National Secretary at NSUI, told DU Beat that the 2013 DUSU elections were a crutial determinant of the Vidhan Sabha and the Lok Sabha political upheaval and outcome. He believes that the Lok Sabha elections of 2019 too find a significant sway with the DUSU politics for this term.

Almost six decades later, DUSU has seen a plethora of political tussle, and a vision for the future of this University and the capital must not be forgetful of the history that changed its course in every way.

Feature Image Credits: The Hindu

Anushree Joshi

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DSJ Controversy: All You Need to Know

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After more than 48 hours of continuous protest and withdrawal of the suspension of 8 students by the administration, students have been assured that their grievances will be addressed on 14th September 2018.

On Monday, 27th August 2018, the students of Delhi School of Journalism staged a protest outside the Arts Faculty demanding a meeting with the Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi. The protest began when Professor JP Dubey on Friday, 24th August 2018 told the students that the administration cannot give a deadline to any of the demands of the students and they should do whatever they want to in their capacity. The students have time and again protested about the poor infrastructure facilities, unavailability of the media lab and the high fees and wanted to meet the VC regarding the same.

Arts Faculty Protest Pic
Image Credits – DSJ students

 

The protest was then shifted in the DSJ campus where the students protested against the administration and their behaviour towards the charter of demands issued by the students on 2nd August 2018.Mohd Alishan Jaffri, a second year student of DSJ says, “We launched a complete non co-operation movement against the DSJ administration and organized a sit-in in the college premises. The whole act was peaceful and Gandhian in nature. The administration tried to move us, but since no written assurance was provided, we continued the protest.”

On the same day, a meeting was organized by the administration to look into the matter again, but the meeting ended in a deadlock. The students continued their sit in demonstration in the evening and few stayed inside the college campus overnight.

Late night protest
DSJ students

The agitation continued on 28th August 2018. The administration agreed to send a delegation of 6 students to meet the VC and present their grievances to him. However, in the evening, this proposal was rejected. The students were also locked inside the college campus. The situation worsened when the students were manhandled by the security guards of the college. Ambuj Bhardwaj, a second year student was hit by one of the guards.  Delhi Police was called in to intimidate the protestors both in afternoon and in the evening.

Suspension order
DSJ students

A suspension letter was issued to 8 students of DSJ around 8 p.m. on 28th August 2018 for repeatedly violating the discipline of the Delhi University while disrupting the classes since August 27 and not letting administration to carry on their official work by blocking the entrance to the Director’s room.
However, the revocation to the suspension came in half an hour after protest was called off by the students. The same was conveyed to the students through an e-mail late at night.  

Neeta Sehgal, Proctor, University of Delhi came and discussed the matter with the students. She also gave a written assurance to the students to look into the matter and solve the grievances of the students. She has promised to meet the students on 14th September 2018.

IMG-20180829-WA0007
DSJ students

 

Manasvini Yogi, OSD, Delhi School of Journalism informed the students on 29th August 2018 that a media lab has been arranged for the students in the School of Open Learning. The practicals will be held in the lab from 15th September 2018 onwards.

Feature Image Credits: Neerav Yadav

Anoushka Sharma

[email protected]

 

 

 

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Delhi School of Journalism: A Shattered Dream?

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While the future of Delhi School of Journalism hangs in uncertainty, the administration asks students to “have faith.” With #FraudDSJ trending on Twitter and other social media platforms, DU Beat presents a situation explainer.

“I want the Delhi School of Journalism (DSJ) to become an even better centre than the famous Columbia School of Journalism,” said Prof. Yogesh Tyagi, the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Delhi, during the orientation programme of Delhi School of Journalism last year. Fast forward one year and it seems that the VC’s dream project has turned into a nightmare. Expensive Course, Infrastructure Woes The students of DSJ have shown displeasure over lack of facilities. The new entrants pursuing one of the varsity’s most expensive courses have continuously complained about poor infrastructure.
One of the core issues raised by the students is the lack of a library facility. Instead, they have a “reading room” which has the capacity to accomodate only ten students to sit and read at a time. Students have proposed that since there is no proper library in the campus of DSJ, they should be given access to the Central Library, but to no avail.
Another issue raised is regarding the sports facilities, citing that they are not allowed to use the sports ground despite the campus being in the University Stadium Complex. With a high annual fee of 70,000 INR, this self financing journalism course is without a media lab. DSJ Needs Fresh Air, Literally.

DSJ is housed in the University Stadium Complex which is centrally air-conditioned. However, the air conditioning system has failed miserably. As a remedy, the administration installed pedestal fans which have been ineffective. There is no ventilation and the fans create a lot of noise which further prevents the possibility of any constructive academic discourse. On 30th July 2018, the students staged a sit-in protest to demand “fast-track action” by the varsity. “The air-conditioning system stopped working 20 days ago. The engineering department of the University repaired it, but it stopped working again. We are doing our best. Please have faith,” Dr. M.M. Yogi said, while looking visibly tired. The classes for the third-semester students were subsequently suspended from 31st July to 5th August owing to the ovenlike the condition of classes.
Rohit Shukla, a student of DSJ, expressed his displeasure by stating, “DSJ is just like an election manifesto of any political party which looks and sounds extremely great from outside but it just remains only on paper.” It’s a ‘subject’ Matter DSJ follows the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) which means that apart from the compulsory core courses, students have the freedom to choose their elective course from a pool of options. However, students were denied options in choosing General Electives in the first and second semester. They were forced to study other subjects without explanation or justification. The students believe that this may be due to an acute shortage of funds or space to conduct classes at the same time. The same happened with Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course (AECC) and the language course they are supposed to study according to CBCS.
A few students were forced to take Hindi as AECC despite lacking the basic knowledge of the language. The programme offers four options for both foreign and regional languages. Some students have resented the denial of Urdu as a regional language. A student informed DU Beat that despite appealing to the management for the
inclusion of Urdu, the officials rebuked by saying, “If we offer Urdu, then all the Muslims will top.” However, Dr. M.M. Yogi, Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Delhi School of Journalism, said, “Urdu was offered last year but there were not enough students who volunteered to take up Urdu as their regional language. At least a group of 20 students is required to introduce a language in the course.”
Of Promises, Accountability, and ‘Faith’ Delhi School of Journalism organised its orientation programme for the upcoming batch of students on 2nd August 2018. The students of the first year protested near the venue. They submitted a list of demands stating the problems mentioned above, some of which needed immediate attention. The students also demanded the budget for the current annual year and the previous year be made public. Prof. J.P. Dubey, the honourary Director of DSJ, assured the students that these demands will be taken care of, but refused to answer by when. DU Beat spoke to Dr. M.M. Yogi after the protest on 2nd August 2018. She informed that efforts are being made to fulfill the demands of the students since the demands are genuine and not wrong. Adding to that, she said that the administration cannot provide a target date since most things depend on bureaucratic measures that await the approval of higher authorities. On questioning the “leaked budget details” of the year 2018-19, the management informed that the unspent balance of 2017-18 which estimates to INR 46 lakh will be used in setting up the digital media lab and for purchasing the softwares required for the course.

“The bills about the purchases have been made and sent,” she added. She also asserted that there will be enough space to accommodate both the first year and second year students when the college resumes on 6th August 2018. Since the third semester has subjects like design and layout, the students wanted to know whether they will be re-issued laptops. Dr. Yogi informed DU Beat that the students may avail the laptops again after the fee payment of the third semester. She also assured that the students will not suffer any academic loss and every measure will be initiated to establish the best academic facilities.
However, against the backdrop of unfulfilled expectations and invisible progress, OSD’s reassuring words, which are supported by decades of experience, sound unconvincing. As just a year old organisation, DSJ has garnered much bad press. At the risk of portraying an overly optimistic perspective, what needs to be noticed is, from amongst the chaos here is an emerging student democracy at play. One hundred and twenty students are challenging the administration headon and the faculty, in the face of acute allegations, is accepting this rebellion with respect. If nothing, then at least this vibrancy should be accepted and appreciated.

The Current Situation

The situation at DSJ has worsened as students demand basic amenities. From yesterday evening, students have continuously been protesting in the campus premises. Earlier this evening, protesting students had been locked inside the campus. Students have alleged being mishandled by the college guards.
Police officials have attempted to stop students from recording videos at the protest. As of now, 8 students have been suspended until further notice.

Anoushka Sharma

[email protected]

(With inputs fron Maknoon Wani)

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DU to Introduce Course on Entrepreneurship Next Year

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The University of Delhi is planning to start a new course on entrepreneurship from the next academic session i.e. 2018-19. The course will be a three-year degree program and will be called BBA Entrepreneurship.

The standing committee on academic matters met on Monday, 20th August 2018 and welcomed the proposal to introduce a course on Entrepreneurship. The course is yet to be approved by the academic council. It will be established under the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences and Humanities.

For admission into the course, there will be a three-stage procedure. The first round will be a national level entrance test, followed by a group discussion round as the second stage, while the last stage will include personal interviews. The entrance test will be designed to check the logical and quantitative reasoning of the students. During the course of study, the students will be expected to complete two internships and submit a dissertation by the end of the third year. The course will follow the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) and a total of 158 credits will be awarded to students completing the course.

DU Beat contacted Ms. Poonam Verma, Principal of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS) who made this proposal. She remarked, “The course will start from next year. The academic council and executive council of the University will pass the proposal in  reasonable time so that the admission process can get started for the next academic session. Once we get the approval, we are going to get started with it.” She informed that the course will be first of its kind in the University. Ms. Verma also spoke about the two most sought-after courses in University of Delhi- Bachelors of Management Studies (BMS) and Bachelor of Business Administration in Financial and Investment Analysis (BBA-FIA)which are available in her college. The course, BBA Entrepreneurship, will start from her college if approved. She hopes that other DU colleges also welcome the course so that maximum students get the benefit. Ms. Verma also mentioned the incubation centre in SSCBS,  which could provide a progressive and comprehensive platform to the budding entrepreneurs.

The course aligns with the Delhi government and Central government’s initiative for skill development and entrepreneurship at academic and undergraduate levels. Currently, very few universities in India offer BBA Entrepreneurship and most of them are private institutions.

 

(With Inputs from TOI)

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Anoushka Sharma
[email protected]

 

 

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A Tussle between the ABVP and NSUI over the Installation of Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines

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A senior leader of the ABVP and DUSU Secretary Mahamedhaa Nagar accuses DUSU Vice-President and member of the NSUI Kunal Sehrawat of stealing credit in what appears to be a tussle over the installation of sanitary napkin vending machines in DU colleges.

In a recent move by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and National Student’s Union of India(NSUI)-led Delhi University Student’s Union (DUSU), 56 colleges of the University of Delhi (DU) have received sanitary napkin vending machines. Each of these machines can store up to 25 napkins and can be accessed by the students.

The journey of installing these machines in all of these colleges began on the 22nd of January 2018 when Mahamedhaa Nagar, Secretary of DUSU, had organised a women’s marathon in association with the Sky Touch Foundation. The aim of the marathon was to question the tax imposed on sanitary napkins and the stigma surrounding menstruation. The marathon was flagged off by Akshay Kumar who was invited as the Chief Guest of the event. He was there to promote his movie ‘PadMan’ which spoke on the same issue. On the same day, Mahamedhaa had made the announcement of setting up sanitary napkin vending machines in all colleges affiliated to DU. Akshay Kumar and the two ABVP members occupying the DUSU had also launched 10 sanitary napkin vending machines on the same day.

Mahamedhaa wrote a letter to the Vice Chancellor of DU on the 15th of January 2018 regarding her announcement. He had welcomed the move and had also circulated the letter to all DU college Principals to take necessary steps.

Mahameda Nagar's Letter

Image Credits: Mahamedhaa Nagar, Secretary of DUSU

But, in a recent letter signed by the Assistant Registrar of DU, DUSU’s Vice President Kunal Sehrawat has also been given permission to set up sanitary napkin vending machines in the premises of WUS Health Centre and the Utility Centre, both of which are situated in the North Campus of DU.

Kunal's Letter

Image Credits: Kunal Sehrawat, Vice President of DUSU

In a conversation with DU Beat, Sehrawat said, “As per the research and data procured, we have found that 60% of the total students across DU are females. Also, 15 colleges are solely for girls. In addition to that, we also have females including teachers and administration staff. Our main aim of launching and installing sanitary napkin vending machines are affordability, to eradicate social taboo associated with it, easy accessibility and spreading awareness among the youth.”

To resolve this confusion, DU Beat contacted Mahamedhaa Nagar. She informed the DU Beat correspondent that she had written a letter to the VC for the installation of the machines in DU colleges in January. The VC had replied back in March by welcoming the initiative. However, by then, she had already contacted the Principals of various DU colleges and installed the sanitary napkin vending machines in 20 to 25 colleges. Nagar also informed that they have offered a year’s free maintenance of the machines installed in the DU colleges. She mentioned, “Before starting the process of installation, I did a small survey. I approached the Principals of different colleges and asked what features they are looking for in a sanitary napkin vending machine. I found, for instance, that Hindu College already had a vending machine, but the problem was the quality of sanitary napkins the machine provided.” She had also sent out a proposal to the Ministry of Women and Child Development to help her with the setting up of machines. The CSR Research Foundation had helped Mahamedhaa in getting the sponsors for the sanitary napkin vending machines. By now she has installed such machines in 56 colleges and 8 schools.

When Kunal Sehrawat was asked to comment on the same, he said, “Who gets the credit really doesn’t matter to me. All that matters is that some work should happen for a noble cause. The students and the society should benefit from the same.”

 

Feature Image Credits: The Hindustan Times

Anoushka Sharma

[email protected]

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Help God’s Own Land – Kerala

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In the worst flood of the century for Kerala, it has become difficult to keep track of reliable sources to provide practical support to our people. Read below to find a list of methods and organisations to support the cause and sufferers of Kerala.

Since the past two and a half months, Kerala has been in a state of despair. The monsoon season took a disastrous toll this year into what has now been termed the ‘worst flood of the century’. The Chief Minister (CM) of the state announced on Friday evening that the lives of 324 people had been claimed, over three lakhs had been displaced into relief camps, and the affected individuals were over two crores.

As a university with the student population hailing from diverse backgrounds and states, the University of Delhi (DU) has the responsibility to participate in helping the victims and the sufferers in every way practically possible. Apart from offering moral and emotional support to all our friends from Kerala, it is integral to contribute to the rescue/relief mission through donations.

Here are some authentic organisations which are accepting donations, and providing methods to serve the cause:

  • Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund

Pinarayi Vijayan said, “At this point of time, nothing can help as much as money.” In lieu of this, the CMDRF serves as the most authentic, secure and trustworthy way to donate money. The account details are as follows:

Account number: 67319948232
Bank: State Bank of India
Branch: City branch, Thiruvananthapuram
IFS Code: SBIN0070028
PAN: AAAGD0584M
Account-holder Name: CMDRF

Either go to the website- http://www.donation.cmdrf.kerala.gov.in, and fill the Online Donation Form by logging in, to be redirected to a payment gateway, or use any online portal to directly send the money to the aforementioned account.

The donor may use a Demand Draft, or cheques and address those to the Principal Secretary (Finance Treasure) and send to the following address:

Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund,

Secretariat,

Thiruvananthapuram – 695001

  • NGO Goonj

Goonj is an NGO located in various parts of the country, including Delhi-NCR. Along with money, the sufferers in Kerala are in dire need of numerous items. The NGO has a website- https://www.goonj.org/dropping-centres/ which has a list of all the places in Delhi where collections are being conducted.

The items required by the individuals trapped in the floods are bed sheets, blankets, undergarments, rice, dals, Dettol, torches, sanitary napkins, biscuits, tinned foods, candles, sleeping mats, sugar, and turmeric powder.

  • Kerala Rescue

This is an initiative undertaken as collaboration between the Government of Kerala, Kerala State IT Mission and IEEE Kerala Section, and it provides multiple ways to help the cause in Kerala. From monetary donations to volunteering services, you can provide your support in every possible way. For the stranded individuals’ families, there is an option to access the helplines and relief camps.

Here is the link to the website: https://www.keralarescue.in/

  • Paytm

The most accessible alternative for all students, Paytm has dedicated an option on its home-page which allows users to donate for Kerala floods. It is a safe option which only requires you to enter your details, log-onto the app, and makes the transaction as conveniently as possible.

Your BHIM UPI details are also of use for the same, and you receive a receipt in the mail which assures that your donation has been successfully accepted.

  • Amazon India

This is perhaps the most practical measure in terms of non-monetary donations to the state. The popular e-commerce giant has partnered with three NGOs, namely- Habitat for Humanity, World Vision India, and Goonj. On the website/app, there is a page dedicated to the donations for the affected in Kerala where each NGO has a wish-list of products, ranked in order of priority. As mentioned in the list above, the items vary according to the pressing need of the area in which the NGO is prominently delivering.

On the addition of the products to the cart in the usual way, select the gift registry address of the NGO (mentioned there) in the address portal, and then Amazon will deliver to the said address from where the NGOs will be responsible for getting those to the flood victims.

  • Uday Foundation

Uday Foundation, located in New Delhi, has a page dedicated to the Kerala Flood Relief Mission on its official website- http://www.udayfoundationindia.org/kerala-flood-relief-3/ and there is a provision to make donations of money and other items as well.

In order to make online donations to the victims through the foundation, use the following details:

Bank name: HDFC Bank

Branch: Adchini, New Delhi 110017

Account name: UDAY FOUNDATION FOR CDRBG TRUST

Type: Savings

Account number: 03361450000251

IFS Code: HDFC0004397

The cheques and demand drafts are to be made in the favour of “UDAY FOUNDATION FOR CDRBG TRUST”, and the same must be sent to the following address:

Uday Foundation,

13A/1, Adhchini,

Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi 110017

The same page also mentions the items that are needed by the victims, and also gives details of where to send the items (the head office is the usual address). The live social media updates by the foundation make it easy to keep track of the happenings in Kerala, and also provide the donor with a sense of belief that the donations have been delivered to the right place.

  •  Person Finder

In partnership with the government, Google has launched the following website: https://www.google.org/personfinder/2018-kerala-flooding to locate those who need rescue. According to multiple sources, every family in Kerala has at least one missing member, and it is significant to extend help by filling the form for those who can’t do it themselves right now. The network connectivity in the state, as expected, has deteriorated to an inaccessible condition. It is important for all of us to be vigilant about our peers or acquaintances that have families stranded in the state.

  • Kerala House

Kerala House is the official state mission on behalf of the Government of Kerala, located in New Delhi. As a highly reliable organisation, the place will be airlifting goods and necessities to be provided to the victims of the flood. The items must be delivered to the following address:

Kerala House, No. 3 Jantar Mantar Road,

Janpath, Connaught PlaceDelhi- 110001

The place is open for seven hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will be airlifting goods on multiple dates. Make sure to deliver your items at the soonest possible time, so that help can be extended earlier.

  • Flood- Kerala Emergency Numbers (App)

In a flurry of social media messages and pictures, it becomes difficult to keep track of authentic helpline numbers. This app on the Google Play store provides a list of such numbers that can be contacted by the victims and the ones searching for missing people in Kerala. By downloading the app through the given link- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.braveheartcreations.floodhelpinenumbers, one can keep others informed about the right numbers and people to contact.

It is important to note that the innumerable calls being made to helplines at the moment makes the numbers a tad unavailable to reach, but there are a number of options available as of now. Keep trying to contact the numbers mentioned in the app, and help is going to find the sufferers hopefully in time.

  • DONATE Kerala

In order to collect relief materials to support the needy in Kodagu, Aranmula, Pandalam and Pathanamthitta, Aranmula (districts in Kerala), Prateek Debnath and Sreelakshmi Menon have initiated a drive. The collection points are situated in Dwarka Mor and Connaught Place, from where the essential items will be flown to the affected population through Indigo Airlines.

The items will be transported from New Delhi by Friday, 24th August 2018.

One may directly drop the packed items at the given locations, or may coordinate with the following representatives:

Prateek Debnath: +918700377767

Anindita Debnath: +919560499602

Apart from these initiatives, there are many Malayalee groups in the various college of DU, which are providing comfort and practical support to the families of the victims in Kerala. Hindu College, Daulat Ram College, Jesus and Mary College, St. Stephen’s College, Miranda House, and Lady Shri Ram College have been organising informal collection and donation drives with affiliation to the Malayalee committees and the Student Unions of the respective institutes.

One member of the Malayalee community at Lady Shri Ram College, Athira Raj, voiced her advice to the ones willing to help- “Although rescue teams have saved lakhs of people, there are still lakhs who are stranded. Some, about whom people don’t even know. They try to call for help through Facebook posts. So people should keep an eye out for them.”

There is a strong wave of support for God’s Own Land right now in the institutes of Delhi, and it is our prerogative as human beings to participate in it for our people, who have given us countless memories through their culture, aesthetic atmosphere, warm locals, and home-like vacations.

If you have any further information on authentic sources of help, contact the undersigned or team DU Beat with the details. Our home is breaking, and we must stand united to keep it alive.

Feature Image Credits: Hindustan Times

Anushree Joshi
[email protected]

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Campus Central

Kalki Visits St. Stephen’s, Talks About Her Upcoming Podcast with BBC

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Actor and writer Kalki Koechlin visited the St. Stephen’s College on the 14th of August 2018 to talk about her new BBC World Service podcast, ‘Kalki Presents: My Indian Life’.

The podcast, released on 4th of August, is a series of real-life experiences that talks ‘about being young and Indian in the 21st century’. “It is about great, compelling, fascinating stories from all around India,” said the film and theatre artist, who is also known for actively speaking about social issues.

After a small welcome, the Margarita, with a Straw star and her fellow panellists, Geeta Pandey, Mallika Taneja, Eshan Hilal, and Aditya N. had an interactive session with the audience in the college hall. Some students had an on-stage belly dancing session with Eshan, who has been featured in the first episode of the podcast, ‘Dancing To His Own Beat’, a story about a Delhi-based professional belly dancer from an orthodox Muslim family. The best belly dancer won a solo photograph with Kalki.

Aditya performed a song for the crowd. “I found myself in the St. Stephen’s College stage after almost 16 years,” said theatre artist Mallika, an alumna of Kirori Mal College, who appears in the second podcast which is about a woman using her naked body to convey a powerful message. The event went on till 4:30 p.m.

Kalki gave autographs and also allowed clicked selfies with fans. “The program was supposed to start at 3 p.m. but she (Kalki) reached here at 2:30 p.m. and I think that’s super nice of her as an artist. She’s a beautiful person with a pyramid of kindness and professionalism in her,” says Aashiya, a student of St. Stephen’s College who attended the event. BBC informs that there would be ten episodes in the podcast and that it would be made available on as many platforms as possible.

Feature Image Credits: Geeta Pandey

 

Ananya Acharya
[email protected]
(Inputs from Aashiya, St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi)

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DUB Speak

Why I Am a Hindu: Decoding and Rediscovering the World’s Oldest Religion

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Delving into Why I Am a Hindu by Shashi Tharoor and realising the truth about one of the oldest religion in this world and what it has become now has been nothing less than a tryst between our past and present.

I was a part of the Delhi University Theatre Circuit (DUTC) and anyone even briefly acquainted with DUTC knows very well that DUTC is crazy about Hinduism and Hindutva Politics. Ever since the game-changing play – Welcome to the Machine by Ankur, the theatre society of S.G.T.B Khalsa College came in 2014, the Delhi University campus saw conversations about saffronisation being loudly irked in public domain. And so I decided to read more about Hinduism and Hindutva. After a whole lot of research and reading several books, I stumbled upon Why I Am a Hindu by Shashi Tharoor.

Tharoor creates a mind-changing and super-impactful literary masterpiece that not only glorifies Hinduism in its pure form but also raises several questions regarding its current state in the mind of the readers. I, as a literature student, fell in love with the way the book is structured. I actually went over the index multiple times. Section one of the book makes the reader take a walk through parts of several religious books like Vedas, Upnishadas, Mahabharata, etc. It carefully explains truths, myths, rituals, and espoused in the dense religious texts. The second section deals with political Hinduism and sensational topics of Hindutva and cow politics. And then there’s section three, that asserts the hard-hitting truth and the alterations which we need in the current times.

Tharoor also focuses on several aspects to ponder about like Orientalism, Intellectual colonialism, retaining the pluralistic nature of Hinduism, and so on. Each of these aspects can be further elaborated in separate articles.  In times of constant turmoil of religion and politics, arming oneself with knowledge is one of the most impactful ways to contribute to the struggle of orthodoxy and fanaticism.

Feature Image Credit: Manorama Online

Palak Aggarwal

 [email protected]

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