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Delhi University’s Ad-hoc teachers go on a hunger strike to earn a permanent status

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Over 200 ad-hoc faculty members of University of Delhi observed a day-long hunger strike on Friday, April, 28th, 2017. The strike was observed in order to press their demand to be absorbed as permanent faculty by the University.

The hunger-strike was organised at the Delhi University Arts’ Faculty premises where the ad-hoc faculty members from across the University discussed the problems and irregularities they are subject to by the University. According to Himanshu Singh, an Assistant Professor (ad-hoc) at Satyawati College (Evening),  these teachers are not being made permanent for a long time, and are forced to enjoy a sub-par status, which does not allow them to enjoy the privileges/facilities the permanent members get. He also added while in conversation with IANS, “Some of us have been teaching us for more than ten years, some even more. Why are we not good enough for permanent status, when the university can trust us with teaching students, their evaluation, and their careers?”

The Assistant Professor also told that the ad-hoc teachers are hired through the same selection process as permanent teachers.

According to another ad-hoc teacher from Satyawati College, they will also march to the Vice-Chancellor’s office and present him with a charter on their demands. The Delhi University Teachers’ Association extended its complete support to the protesting teachers in their bid to earn a permanent faculty status in the University.

 

Feature Image Credits: indianexpress.com

 

Priyal Mahtta

[email protected]

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Innovation Project by Ramanujan College on distributional channel strategy

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A research was conducted by the Innovation Project team of Ramanujan College, titled “Designing Distribution Channel Strategy: Forging Consumer and Product Synchrony” under the Project code “RNC- 302”.

The research conducted by the Innovation Project team of Ramanujan College, University of Delhi, titled “Designing Distribution Channel Strategy: Forging Consumer and Product Synchrony” under the Project code “RNC- 302” dealt with drawing a relationship between consumer preferences and distribution channel preferred (local kirana, malls or online) for a particular type of commodity for a given city, under various parameters. The 3 principal operators of this project were Dr. K. Latha, Ms. Isha Gupta and Mr. Rakesh Singh, accompanied by Mr. Pulkit Garg (Country Head of Operations) Arvind Lifestyle Brands Ltd.) as mentor. The student members were Aakar Mangla, Akshit Kakkar, Aditya Sharma, Bharat Anand, Jamaaluddin, Jyoti Tyagi, Kanak Bohra, Pragya Parashar, Ranjeeta Sharma and Saurabh Singh. The team compiled 4 research papers, out of which 3 were focused on individual cities and the 4th one was a joint study of all the cities.

The study aimed to understand the quantitative and qualitative horizons of consumer behavior in different tiers of Indian cities like, Delhi- a metropolitan, Panipat- a developing business hub and Mussoorie- a tourist destination. The results of the study were based on primary data collected by conducting a survey of 600 individuals (200 in each city) of diverse ages, in the selected cities. The sample in each city was stratified and random, and components of study considered only Groceries (oil, grains, confectionery, etc.) and Electronics (Mobile handsets, refrigerators, computers, etc.), which were judged on following parameters-seller’s goodwill, price, product quality, availability, convenience, discount, packaging, timely delivery and payment security.

The outcome of the study showed that even with the recent expansion of online portals and malls, local kirana stores remain to be a prominent feature of Indian shopping experience in most cities. The reasons being: convenient, ready availability, product quality, and seller’s goodwill. However, offering discounts, attractive prices, and providing honest reviews proves to be a setback for local kiranas. The outcome was reached upon after an extensive and comprehensive study of these cities. Various innovations and business ideas are given in the research papers compiled by the team which would prove to be of enormous help to new entrepreneurs trying to step into this arena. With online portals growing at this pace, local kiranas and malls are required to undergo a makeover to recapture the customer base they have been losing. Hence, any innovation which could bring this revolution would be more than welcomed.

For more information, watch the short film about their project here.

 

Feature Image Credits: rediff.com

 

 Joyee Bhattacharya

([email protected])

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Admissions 2017

Admission Deadline for Foreign Students Extended

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The University of Delhi (DU), which sees students from all across the world enrol into various courses, has decided to extend the deadline for the admission of foreign applicants. Every year, hundreds of aspirants from countries such as Afghanistan, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka apply to DU for courses such as Economics (Hons.), B.Com (Hons.) etc. in the undergraduate programme. This year, the University saw their number rise to a record 3,300. Thus, a conscious measure taken to extend the application deadline was required, in order to ease up the document submission and screening process.

Ashutosh Bhardwaj, a senior official of the admission committee, verified the news to MAIL TODAY. He said that while the deadline for admission to undergraduate courses for non-Indian students has been shifted to 4th May, the deadline for Ph.D. applications has also been extended to 31st May 2017. Earlier, the deadline for online applications for the upcoming academic session was 20th April 2017 for the undergraduate students. The new deadlines, as Bhardwaj confirmed, give students more time to submit their documents for verification. This step does, indeed, create an opportunity for both the students and the University to participate in the admission process and to make it a smooth and hassle-free affair.

 

Feature Image Credits: CryBytes

Deepannita Misra
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100 Years of Powerplay

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As completes a century of US intervention in the first world war, a step foundation-stone to the century of its global dominance, the current global politics indices signal that the hourglass has reversed. With Uncle Sam’s hegemony finally dwindling, the process only hastened in this 100th year after the loss of the president-subject amity, it isn’t hard to imagine where the world goes from here, stuck amid two nations ardent efforts to claim the throne in spite of the third’s vehement refusal to relinquish.

The world keeps on teaching refined lessons. Belittling St. George’s who quit after killing one dragon, the United States of America successfully played the hero in both the world wars. The turn of events ended the ad infinitum era of European dominance consolidating US as the new bully in the block. The states singularly dominated the world diplomatically and economically throughout the 20th century.

At the advent of this century started the phase of decentralisation of power with China and Russia challenging this unipolar nature of world politics. Countries started identifying their self sufficiency in the age of  globalisation. This triggered the imperceptible loss of US supremacy although strong leadership ensured the delayed effects of the inevitable, making the americans believe, at the same time, that all was well.

With the departure of Barack Obama and the advent of the era of Trumpism deepening these writings on the wall, on the face of which, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Xi Jinping couldn’t have asked for a better U.S. premier. Both the national leaders capitalised on the subsequent  friction between the ruler and the ruled in America. Just in a matter of few months, it is clearly evident that Donald Trump’s nugatory ambitions of taming Russia and China diplomatically and hence making America great again had been a massive disillusionment.

Consequently he has resorted to other frantic measures of flexing muscles, with the spectacle of serious bombings in Afghanistan and foolery of locking horns with Russia over the Syrian crisis. Not quite unlike to Donald Trump’s decisions and policies, any sustainable result from these antics is unimaginable.

As secretary of state Rex Tillerson arrives at Moscow on Tuesday in a scheduled meeting with Sergei Lavrov, expecting a massive diplomatic dialogue would be too far fetched. As a third party, the most we should  hope is a mutual understanding of the global causes and a better understanding on the futility of powerplay on already war-torn nations.

 

Image Credits- pintrest.com

 

Nikhil Kumar

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Project Bawarchi Organises Event Against Drug Abuse

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“Teach the youth well about the way they should go; even when they are old, they won’t depart from it.”

Believing in the power of youth, students from Ramjas College working with Project Bawarchi held a campaign against Drug Abuse – “Choose to Refuse” on 17th April 2017, in Sewa Kutir Complex, Mukherjee Nagar, New Delhi.

Project Bawarchi works with rehabilitated victims of drug abuse to instill life skills in them and assist in their reintegration to the society by making them independent entrepreneurs. The Project has taken the initiative to bring awareness and educate victims about the menace of drug abuse in society.

The event invited panelists from different walks that work towards eradicating the menace of drug abuse. Swapnil Tewari, the CEO of Livemad and the youngest social entrepreneur to be featured in Forbes magazine was invited to help bring better ideas about the reintegration of the community members back into the society. Dr. Ravindra Nath, a public health expert helped us know about the existing treatments and myths about drug abuse, with his expertise coming from a medical background. Ms. Aparna Khanna and Ms. Mridula Seth, professors from Lady Irwin College, were a part of the event to help us understand the psychological reform of drug abuse. Mr. Subhash Gautam, Superintendent, Deptt. of Women and Child Development was also present to help us gauge a view from the government’s perspective.

Rightly said by Robert Frost, “Drugs take you to the hell, disguised as heaven.”

The community members working under Project Bawarchi explained the harsh stories about the dark past and how they have been scarred for life because of one evil substance. The discussions between the college students and panelists were done in the presence of the community members to help the youth understand the myths related to the use of drugs, the life after drugs, and the severe downfall that drugs result into.

Drugs don’t help us skip the issues, they only let us escape the reality that furthermore spoils the past, the present and definitely the future.

The members of Project Bawarchi kept a panel discussion on some topics that intrigued the minds of the college youth about the details of topic. The major question that was discussed was ‘Why the first time and what follows next?’

In the event, they also discussed the treatment of rehabilitation, especially the reality and the myths associated with it. The community members were involved in the discussion to hear directly from the experts, and to understand their life after rehab. As a conclusion, we realised this is an essentially contested concept and hence, every stakeholder holds a different view working towards the same aim.

Towards the end of the event, Mr. Shibendu rightly ended it for all saying it’s not the time to lose hope and even if you have fallen into the maze, there’s still a second chance everyday. The first step towards coming out is when you decide that you’re done with all the uncertainty of drugs and you’re not going to stay where you are.

Project Bawarchi is planning to launch a full-fledged campaign from the new academic session while establishing the credibility of the campaign in due course and mobilising people from different walks who are working in this field. This would help bring a difference in terms of the demand reduction of drugs in the first place. The organisation need more youngsters indulging in such works that focus on the transformation of the society on the ground level and not only on paper.

CHOOSE TO REFUSE – Let the change begin.

Image credits: Project Bawarchi

Content by Project Bawarchi

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Admissions 2017

Delhi University to scrap centralised fitness tests for sports quota

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In a change brought about in its admission based on sport quota, Delhi University has decided to scrap the cemtralised fitness test for sports from the upcoming academic session. The fitness test, from this year onwards, would be based on a specific sport and will be held along with the trials of the corresponding sport.
The previous policy, which used the 50-50 formula, giving equal weightage to trials and certificates has now been changed giving 60% weightage to the trials and 40% to the certificates.

According to a senior university official, changes are being made in the admission process of the sports quota in order to make the process more transparent.

“This year, four types of changes have been made, including the decision to do away with the centralised fitness test and conducting a game-based fitness test. This would allow us to judge the fitness parameters of the student in that particular game/sport. Secondly, the weightage of the sports trial marks and certificates has been increased to 60 and 40 per cent respectively,” he said.

Furthermore, the trial test is divided into three sub-categories: game specific fitness test, overall playing ability, and test of fundamental skills of a sportsperson.

Another major change that has been brought about is that it would be mandatory to score at least 30 per cent out of 60 per cent marks. Trials will include points for sports, fundamental skills, and playing abilities. However, nothing has been decided about the number of points to be awarded for each level yet. Till last year, it was mandatory to get at least 25 in the 50 per cent weightage of the trial.

The fourth change is that the category-wise sports certificate list would now be made available in a ‘drop down’ menu divided into nine heads. The aspirants will just have to choose/mark the category under which his/her sport certificate lies, and will have to upload the scanned copy of the same online. The university will also make the verification of the uploaded certificate online.

Source: The Asian Age

Aditya Narang

[email protected]

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Events

Gender Equality Mela 2017 at Miranda House

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Gender Equality Mela is one of the key annual events conducted by the Women’s Development Cell of Miranda House. It is a celebration of the will to survive and thrive. It is a part of the efforts at generating discussions and creating a space for saying what is often left unsaid and for including those who are often left behind in the ideas and plans of ‘development’. The Gender Equality Mela is a part of MH-WDC’s campaign with One Billion Rising (OBR).

This year’s Gender Equality Mela was based on celebrating feminist conversations towards equality, the central theme being ‘Gender and Work’. There was also the celebration of MH-WDC’s Coffee Table Book, ‘Azaad Labon ki Guftagu’ which strives to provide with snapshots of MH-WDC’s journey and their tireless efforts at ‘engaging with wanting to create a more equal and free world, a world where gender equality becomes a live reality for us’, as the book reads.

The 3-day event played host to numerous speakers and panelists like Suneeta Dhar (feminist activist, Jagori), Bulbal Das (legal feminist activist, All India Women’s Conference), Jyotsna Chatterjee and Padmini (Joint Women’s Programme). These speakers emphasised on the introduction to the history of the feminist movement. The topic of manual scavenging was taken up by Bezwada Wilson (National Convener of Safai Karamchari Andolan) and Bhasha Singh. The session on Child Rights and Child Sexual Abuse was taken up by Vaishnava (Bud Foundation), Veronica Xavier (Child Rights and You) and Natuve (dramatics society of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College). The round table discussion on Students in Politics consisted of speakers from Pinjra Tod and Ramjas students. An ‘unconference’ was also organised which placed emphasis on feminism through art, language and music.

On Day 2, the session on Gender and Intersectionality was taken up by Dr. Chandra Sagar and Kusum Ji (All India Network of Sex Workers) and Renuka Bhagat. The session on Trans Community and Work was taken up by Rudrani Chettri. A session on Women and Work through development framework was also conducted by Neetha N. (National Labour Institute). The interactive session on ‘Queering Workplaces’ along with Lafz 2.0, the open mic featured speakers from Nazariya and Delhi Queer Pride. Day 2 also showcased nukkad natak performances by children from SMS (Srijanatmak Manushi Sanstha), LSR dramatics society and Anukriti, the Hindi dramatics society of Miranda House.

On Day 3, the first session on Taking Feminist Conversation Forward was hosted by celebrated author and feminist Kamla Bhasin, wherein she presented her letter to patriarchy. The second session on Women and Media was conducted by Rakhee Bakshi (Women’s Feature Service), Shrey Ila Anasuya (Feminist and Freelance Journalist), Radha Rani (BBC) and Deepajana Pal (fiction writer). The session on Gender and Masculinity was taken up by Pavel (Breakthrough India), Ahmad Farz (CHSJ, Centre for Health and Social Justice) and Apurv Jain (worker on issues of gender and sexuality). The 3-day mela ended with a screening of the movie Hidden Figures.

 

Image Credits: Miranda House Women’s Development Cell

Joyee Bhattacharya

([email protected])

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Cultural Festivals

Vivre of Hindu College Conducts Snap, the Annual Photography Festival

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Vivre – The Film and Photography Society of Hindu College was formed with the aim of bringing together students who share a love for photography and an eye for filmmaking. Every year Vivre organises SNAP –  The annual Photography festival which is the biggest in DU with participation from various universities. Snap, now in its 7th edition, organises events such as workshops, talks, discussions and an exhibition is set up showcasing our best work along with the winning entries. This year Snap featured Asutosh Kashyap along with the members of People’s Instagram page India in Black! Snap was a 2 day event this year.

 

Day 1

The audience was mesmerised by the talks of Mr. Dinesh Khanna and Mr. Gulzar Sethi. It was not an ordinary interaction session, it was a session which enlightened our paths as young photographers. Gulzar Sethi’s team also accompanied him to Hindu College, and personally guided our society members. It was a cherishable experience for all of us. After the talk, BRC took the eminent photographers on a ride full of creativity and imagination. On that day BRC was capturing the essence of SNAP, and inside of it was a magical world of photograph entries from across the country. Mr. Dinesh Khanna judged the entries on the theme ‘colour’ and shared some dazzling techniques on how to play with given camera tools. Mr. Gulzar Sethi judged the competition themed ‘manipulation’. Later, both of them shared their views on the photographs shot by our society members and taught a better way of looking at the world from behind the lens. We wrapped up the day by capturing our blissful moments with Mr. Dinesh and Mr. Gulzar Sethi.

 

Day 2

At 6:00 am it started. Yes. With sleepy eyes, in nightwear and camera in hands, our society members along with the members of India In Black, were ready to capture one of the most captivating sights in Delhi – Chandni Chowk. It was a memorable experience for all of us. And back at Hindu College, at 10 am, BRC was casted upon, with the society members’ photographs. At 1:00 pm, the photography treasure hunt started and one could easily find people running from one side of the college to another. And then the highlight of the second day was the Boomerang competition, themed on the famous melody of Shape of You by Ed Sheeran. Contestants were given 20 minutes to make a Boomerang and we received amazing entries, some dedicated to social causes like body shaming.

We wrapped up the last day of SNAP with hopes of making the next edition more exciting and entertaining to the young hotographers.

 

Watch the incredible work of the society in this hyperlapse video here.

Image Credits: Kanishk Nanda for DU Beat

Srishti Sinha for DU Beat

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MLNCE’s Arthashastra Organises Annual Economics Fest

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Arthashastra, the economics society of Motilal Nehru College (Evening), organised its annual economics fest on 7th of April. This one-day entravagaza saw various colleges competing  in events such as Niti Aayog extempore, Chanakya business solution, stock guru and tycoon the youth entrepreneurs.
Different colleges participated with great zeal and enthusiasm. The department congratulated the students for their contribution in making the festival a success. The festival saw footfall of about 500 people, making it a huge success.
“Tycoon”- Be the Job Creator, was a unique platform that provided an opportunity of accelerating the development of a budding start-up idea and kick-starting itself as an accomplished venture, if you believe your ideas have the ability to make a dent in the universe.
“Chanakya Business Solution” was an event based on solving the real world business problems by obtaining extensive in-depth analysis of persons, groups and phenomenon and add strength to what is already known through previous research.
“Niti Aayog” was an extempore which called out to all those who feel that they have it in them to think on their feet, maintain their temperament in the heat of the moment and effectively articulate their points.
“Stock Guru”, the Wolf of MLNCE Street, was a roller-coaster ride of derivatives and stock-valuations where participants were judged on their in-depth understanding of the dynamics of this tremendously volatile market-place.
The event wrapped up with a vote of thanks.

Content by Arthashastra
Image Credits: Arthashastra
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Love Games? Then You’ll Never Get ‘BOARD’ of these 5 Cafes in Delhi

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Fed up of party plans every weekend? Want to do something different without leaving the city? Then you’ve come to the right place. Head to these 5 cafes in Delhi NCR and enjoy the games and food they have to offer.

Tpot

tpot

Be sure to come to this place if you’re ever in the area because Tpot Café has some great BOGO deals running – which, combined with their delicious Lebanese Chicken Wraps and Pastas – is truly a great way to spend your afternoon. Be sure to come here with friends and family, and play anything from Jenga to Monopoly to while away your time.

Cost For Two: Rs. 400
Cuisine: Café
Address: Malviya Nagar, New Delhi

 

The Colony Bistro

thecolonybistro

Come here if you’ve got a hankering for strong flavors and huge portions of food. They have rows of cupboards filled with board games and books to read, so you’ll probably end up having a great time, with or without friends. Their Chili Chicken Pizza and Strawberry Diaq will surely give you a foodgasm. End your meal with their Chocolate Truffle Jar.

Cost For Two: Rs 1000
Cuisine: Café, Chinese, Italian, American, North India
Address: Lajpat Nagar 4, New Delhi

 

Young Wild Free Café

youngwildfreecafe

A hit with the youngsters of Delhi – Young Wild Free is known for its reasonable prices, great books and fun games. The zesty food flavours can warm the hearts of even the fussiest of eaters. The thick shakes are a must try if you’re ever in the area, and a true Delhiite would sue you if you haven’t tried their Butter Chicken Pizza yet.

Cost For Two: Rs. 500
Cuisine: Café, Continental, Chinese, Italian
Address: Satyaniketan, New Delhi

 

Another Fine Day

anotherfineday

 

As soon as you enter this café, you get a warm, cosy feeling thanks to the cushy chairs, white brick walls, and the humongous collection of books and board games. This place is perfect for chilling out with your buddies while enjoying delicious grub and drinks. Besides being super affordable, their ‘Pancake Steak’ plays a huge role in enticing people to visit this café more than once.

Cost For Two: Rs. 800
Cuisine: Café, Mediterranean, Continental
Address: DLF Golf Course Road, Gurgaon

 

Café Wanderlust

cafewanderlust

As the name suggests, this café woos the traveller in you with its quirky interiors and laid back atmosphere.  The setting is such that you will probably end up spending hours playing classic board games while gulping down their specialty shakes and coffees. A special mention to their red velvet cake. It’s just out of this world!

Cost For Two: Rs 850
Cuisine: Café, Street Food, Continental
Address: DLF Phase 4, Gurgaon

 

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