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Delhi HC Asks DU to not be “Harsh” on Student Leaders

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With the demise of India’s former Finance minister, Shri Arun Jaitley on 23rd August, 2019 and the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections around the corner, the Delhi High Court has asked the University of Delhi (DU) not be “too harsh” on student leaders since they have the potential to become the leaders of the country in future.

As reported by NDTV, while addressing a grievance of defacement of public property during 2017 DUSU elections, the High Court stated that the country gets great leaders from student leaders and the University authorities should not be too harsh on them for their activities during Students’ Union elections.

In a status report presented to the bench previously, a list of 15 students was rolled out who had been involved in the activities destruction of both public and private properties by spray paints and other means of causing defacement.

The bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar said, in an apparent reference to Jaitley, “Don’t be too harsh on them. Don’t put ban on everything. From student leaders, we sometime get great leaders for the country. You know the examples; you must have seen it yesterday,”

The bench also said that civil and criminal action would be initiated as per the law if anyone is found involved in damaging either public or private properties. It also asked that the Centre, the University and the police ensure that all the guidelines are followed and adhered to during this year’s election process. The message of having a wide publicity to be given to penal actions if anyone was found defacing public property was also given out.

The High Court had earlier said prevention of defacement of property during student body polls in the DU was more important than taking action against candidates after they indulge in such activity. It had also suggested putting in place deterrents like disqualification of candidates to prevent defacement of property during the student body polls.

It is thus, hoped that this election season for the DU rolls out peacefully without damage to any person or property and leaders of our future find their way into the government through their political journeys in DU.

Feature Image Credits: Rishabh Gogoi for DU Beat

With Inputs from NDTV

Amrashree Mishra

[email protected]

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Campus Central

PM Set to Launch the Fit India Movement

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In light of the upcoming launch of the Fit India Movement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked students and faculty to walk 10,000 steps daily.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Sunday Mann ki Baat, announced the launch of the Fit India Movement on the occasion of National Sports Day, on 29th August 2019. The launch is scheduled for the entire day, at the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex, where students from all across the country, as well as fitness enthusiasts, will be taking part.

Bringing this movement to the institutions of higher education in our country, the UGC has instructed colleges to prepare and implement fitness plans for their students and faculty members and motivate them to walk 10,000 steps daily. The UGC has also encouraged them to incorporate physical exercise, sports, and fitness activities in their daily routines. The commission has directed the institutions to screen a live feed of the launch event and ensure that faculty and students attend.

The authorities of higher education institutions have been asked to upload their fitness plans on their websites as well as notice-boards within a month. The official notice also said, “Universities and affiliated colleges can make well-meaning efforts for the health and well-being of their students, teachers, staff, and officials to achieve physical fitness, mental strength, and emotional equanimity.”

Abhinandan Kaul, a first-year B.A Programme student of St. Stephen’s College said, “It’s a brilliant step to inspire students who are the future of our nation to adapt to a fit and healthy life and this will surely ensure that India becomes a healthy country full of positivity!” His classmate, Jaideep – a squash player – agreed, “This is a nice initiative. Maybe all the colleges could have a period of 30 minutes, every day before the college classes start, in which students can do some physical activity, even as basic as walking. This would help them to get ready for the day and freshen up. Exercise hasn’t always been a big part of our “campus culture,” but we can gain from it in many ways including more energy, deeper and more satisfying sleep, and increased fitness.”

Although the Fit India movement has already been met with a positive response from students, what remains to be seen is how well it can be taken forward in our institutions.

Feature Image Credits: Akarsh Mathur for DU Beat

Bhavya Pandey

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Arts & Culture

‘Cata Doxa’: in Appreciation of the Cats and Dogs of DU

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From the poised, purring cats of Miranda House to the tail-wagging, sunny dogs of Jesus and Mary College, the collective adoption of campus cats and dogs by college students evokes pawfuls of pure joy.

Canteen specialties, daunting cut-offs, the area undergoing eternal construction and the inconspicuous niches (that allegedly only you and your clique know about) are some things that lend to the identity of a college. But, perhaps, the most aw-inducing of these peculiarities that characterize the day-to-day life in a college is the stray animals that are no longer stray and have found a dwelling in the campuses of different University of Delhi (DU) Colleges.

Along with the haggling auto-vala bhaiyas, hassling security-vala bhaiya, the forgiving canteen staff, and the red-bricked buildings, these animals become a permanent fixture for our colleges. The poised and dignified cats of Miranda House have been chronicled generously over the years and have been immortalized as an essential part of the institution.

The dogs who roll over for impromptu coddling and banish the woes of a morning lecture, and the cats who’s snarky yet validating meow adds a spring to your step, are appreciated by all. Across colleges, students adopt the initiative to care for these beings and instate them as campus pets.

Take the instance of Harman Mangat, a second-year B.A (Honours) English student from Jesus and Mary College (JMC), who started the Instagram page, ‘dogsofjmc’. The page conceived at the beginning of the year hosts about a hundred posts featuring the campus dogs; Draupadi, Leo, Shakuntala and her newly-born pups, accompanied by quirky captions and meme layouts. The account has amassed over two hundred followers with its wholesome content.

dog3 - Copy
Image Credits- Harman Mangat, Jesus and Mary College (dogsofjmc on Instagram) Image Caption- The campus dogs of Jesus and Mary College in their natural element

The campus dogs of Jesus and Mary College in their natural element  Image Credits- Harman Mangat, Jesus and Mary College (dogsofjmc on Instagram)

She also took up the billet, along with a couple of her friends, to look after the dogs. “When I first met the campus dogs, I was taken by their cuteness and wanted everybody to adore them. I also felt the fervent need to protect them, come hell or high water,” said Harman. The dogs are quite independent and are provided with water in terracotta pots and boiled food by the college students. The earthen dishes are regularly washed to avoid the growth of algae or bacteria. A house was made out of a cardboard carton but was demolished immediately, upon completion by the canines, an enamored Harman added.

To provide regularity and structure to the fostering of JMC dogs as well as to pacify the college administration, Vanee Singh, a third-year B.A. Programme student, came up with the noble idea of ‘JMCanines’. The initiative, still in its nascence, possesses long term objectives that include getting the puppies vaccinated, the female dogs neutered and establishing a fixed feeding schedule. Vanee hopes on the solidarity and compassion of the students to further this endeavor.

Feature Image Credits– Harman Mangat, Jesus and Mary College (dogsofjmc on Instagram)

Prisha Saxena

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Campus Central

Buses Sanctioned for the Differently-Abled in DU

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Mr. Manoj Tiwari, the Minister of Parliament (MP) from East Delhi sanctioned the funding for two mini-buses to be able to provide safer transport facilities for the differently-abled students in the University of Delhi (DU).

Mr. Shakti Singh, the current President of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) requested Mr Manoj Tiwari who is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from East Delhi for better transportation facilities for the differently abled.

INR 19,90,000 were sanctioned for the purchase of two Data Winger Motor Cars from the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) fund. These mini buses were provided to Delhi University’s Equal Opportunity Cell (EOC)

Singh made this appeal on the 17th August and two days later, in a communique to the Commissioner, Mr. Tiwari has instructed the corporation to issue technical, financial and administrative sanctions within a time frame of 75 days.

The letter written by Mr. Tiwari to sanction the mini-buses for differently-able students Image Credits: Ashutosh Singh for Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)
The letter written by Mr. Tiwari to sanction the mini-buses for differently-able students
Image Credits: Ashutosh Singh for Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)

The University used to have transport facilities which were stopped in the year 2009. The differently abled living in the hostels had to go through various difficulties. Tactile paths were lacking which made it difficult to move freely. This was then later on dealt with by DUSU.

Shakti Singh DUSU President shared with DU Beat that, “Bohoth sari problems maine dekhi jispar humne kaam kiya. Pehla tha food jisko humne solve kiya, dusra tha tactile path, voh asuvidha bhi humne door kardi. Divyang chatro ko pedal jana padtha hain jo kaafi kathin hain. Humne Tiwari Ji se bath ki aur unhone fund release kardiya. Within 45 days ye laagu hoga (We saw various problems that we worked on. The first one being food which we solved second was tactile path. We resolved that incontinence as well. The physically impared had to walk which is a difficult task. We spoke to Mr. Tiwari and they released the fund. This shall be implemented within 45 days)”

He added that there were further facilities that needed to be provided and that DUSU was working on the same.

Feature Image Credits: The Hindu

Stephen Mathew

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Arts & Culture

Transgender Bill 2019 and the Concerns it raises.

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The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on 5th August 2019. However, has the negative and ambiguous aspects of the bill really been addressed by the public?

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill mandates a two step method for legal recognition of gender for someone from the transgender community. They will first have to apply for a “transgender certificate”, after which they will also have to apply for a “change in gender” certificate, which will get their gender status changed legally. This step seems to require surgery and documentation by a medical authority confirming it. Medical confirmation and surgery was not and should not be a necessary prerequisite for a change in legal gender, as per a 2015 report by the World Health Organisation and the Asia-Pacific Transgender Network, the Governments should “take all necessary legislative, administrative, and other measures to fully recognize each person’s self defined gender identity, with no medical requirements or discrimination on any grounds.”

Furthermore, one of the main clauses of the bill basically says that in cases of acts of sexual, verbal, physical, economic, and emotional abuse against transgender peoples, the penalty will be between 6 months and 2 years and with fine. However, those who perpetrate the same crimes against cis-gendered people have much harsher punishments put in place against them. Essentially, this clause is making a very negative impact on an already marginalized community.

Harish Iyer, a gender-rights activist told IndiaSpend, that the “transgender bill is regressive and half-hearted.” He added that pivotal hardship is that one has to go to a committee or a doctor to get recognized as a trans-person and undergo questioning related to their genitalia which any cis-person would never have to go through.

Prachi Johri, a second-year student from Indraprastha College for Women, when asked for her opinion on the Bill, said that “Going back to the 2016 transgender rights bill where the bill defined transgender individual as “neither wholly female or male”  to the 2019 version of the bill, it still efficiently renders transgender people as second class citizens by providing penal provisions for crimes committed against the transgender community less stringent compared to the crimes committed against women and by failing to keep in place a progressive certification process for transgender.” She also believes that the bill was also suppressed by the removal of article 370. According to her, it was covered and hidden from the masses and media, so, only a few people know about it and are protesting or questioning about it. It was an easy bill to pass for the government.

Esvi Anbu Kothazam, a Mumbai-based transgender spoke with The Print and stated, “What is being done is that the government is trying to legislate without taking into consideration the history of marginalisation and discrimination which the transgender community has faced.” Esvi also noted the absence of any provision for affirmative action. “The main point is that we need a comprehensive reservation policy — in education, employment and political representation, which addresses the needs of all sections of the transgender community,”

The ambiguity of this bill and its clauses makes one question the motive of the government and how it is going to work towards the protection of this community. Furthermore, it is clear that this Bill has many flaws which haven’t been addressed in the political or the public sphere as they should have been.

Feature Image Credits: Feminism In India

Prabhanu Kumar Das

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Arts & Culture

Once Upon a Time in Daryaganj

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On a typical Sunday in Daryaganj, one would fine streets hustling with book vendors, buyers negotiating the best cheapest price for their favourite books and the busy street packed with students from all walks of life. One order and a few officials were enough to make the place dead being almost impossible to recognize now.

 

The Delhi traffic police submitted a report to the High Court stating the NS Marg was a very busy road with high traffic volume at all times, and that booksellers occupied the footpath, leaving no space for pedestrians.  On July 3 the high court issued an order to the North Delhi Municipal Corporation to ensure that weekly bazaars on Sundays were not permitted on Netaji Subhash Marg in Daryaganj.

 

This 50-year-old bazaar was brought down leaving the vendors unemployed for a period and a disheartening the avid book lovers especially in Delhi University. From Manga Comics to NCERTs it was the cheapest hot spot for a wide variety of books for students from the University. Moreover, it was a space where students could actually come out from their graduation textbooks and expand their horizons and just fall in love with books. While reading books becoming a rare activity in this fast-paced world, the 50-year-old ‘jungle’ kept the circle of book lovers alive with its trails of books. It had a cultural influence to make the place known for it and attracted thousands of people. It was about providing a safe space to cherish books and education and an escape from the tiresome world into the world of books.  Jaishree Kumar, a final year student from Ramjas college reacted to the move saying
“Daryaganj was Delhi’s treasure chest of second hand affordable books. It was a place where students and readers of all ages could find what interests them. I’ve been there only once; I wish I visited it more frequently to relish its glory. I wonder how this shutdown will affect the small business owners who relied on selling these books.”

A vendor packing all the unsold books at Daryaganj Image Credits : Mayank Austen Soofi
A vendor packing all the unsold books at Daryaganj
Image Credits : Mayank Austen Soofi

Mayank Austen Soofi is popularly known as the “the delhi walla” wrote about the history of the place. He mentioned that, fifty years ago, a kabadi bazaar selling used clothes, sandals and furniture was held each Sunday near Jama Masjid in the Walled City. The shops lined both sides of what was once Delhi’s biggest fish market. In 1964, three men gate-crashed into the bazaar, set up stalls next to the Victoria Zenana Hospital (later renamed after Mahatma Gandhi’s wife, Kasturba) and started selling second-hand books. After five years, the kabadi bazaar was moved to what is called “Red Fort’s backside”. The ‘backside’ was not easily accessible by public transport; neither was there water or shade available for respite during sweltering summer afternoons. Within six months, Kuldeep Raj Nanda, one of the three original booksellers of Jama Masjid’s kabadi bazaar, left the place. He set up a Sunday stall just below the Lohe Walla Pul, the pedestrian over-bridge made of iron that was dismantled some years ago and became the first bookseller of Daryaganj’s weekly book bazaar. Thus, started this weekly affair of readers and books.

 

The evacuation has disturbed the student community and student collectives from DU are taking initiatives for its relocation and revival. The Books and Documentary Review Club of Economics department at LSR held a group discussion in the college to discuss the status-quo of Daryaganj book market. They helped mobilise people for the protest held on the previous Sunday by the Delhi Book Archive to advocate against the move and relocate the bazaar. They commented “The Daryaganj Bazaar issue has been very close to us. It’s time to give our love back to the books that like mosaic spread out on the pavements of Daryaganj and to the hundreds of men and women who made their lives on the pages of books that they sold.
Let’s not allow the forcible deconstruction of our spaces.”

Group discussion held in LSR on Daryaganj Source: bdrecon_lsr
Group discussion held in Lady Shri Ram College on Daryaganj
Image Credits: bdrecon_lsr

While the decision of the court has been taken keeping in mind the traffic congestion issues, shutting down a place cannot be the solution to it. The cultural hubs and relationships one has formed over years with the place should not be washed away into dead streets with honking drivers. Such spaces have always been the identity of the place and hub for several students in the University. A collective voice should stand for its revival and keeping its identity alive.

 

 

Feature image credits: Mayank Austen Soofi

 

Sriya Rane

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Bazinga

Bazinga: Delhi University to Celebrate Dahi Handi in Campus

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DUSU (Delhi University Students” Union) along with ABVP(Akhil Bharatiya Vidhya Parishad) is organising ‘Dilli Vishvavidyala Dahi Handi Pratiyogita’on Janmashtami i.e 23 August, at VC lawns, North Campus in order to promote cultural identities and traditions of India in the University.

This will be one of the first festivals which will be collectively celebrated across the University as participation in it by all colleges has been made mandatory. An official Press Release was given out by the ABVP earlier this week.

The event will begin at 11 in the morning after the Krishna Aarti rendition by Ilahi, the Indian music society of Daulat Ram College. The event will be inaugurated by DUSU president, Shakti Singhal.

 

Akhil Bharatiya Vidhya Parishad (1)

 

The VC lawns will be separated into different staging areas for teams from throughout the varsity. A special panel will monitor the various colleges on their skills like teamwork, efficiency and handi breaking sound to give away the cash prizes. Cash prizes are as follows:

First prize: INR 10,000 with an all-expense paid trip to Mathura

Second prize:  INR 7500 with free white makkhan (butter)

Third prize: INR 5000 with an idol of Lord Krishna

The player that breaks the Dahi-Handi from the winning team will be called Makhan-Lal and will be given an additional rupees1101.

The President of ABVP, said “This will become a tradition of the university. People from all across India will come to see this remarkable manifestation of Janmashtami. We shall request student unions and faculty to organise this event in other major universities across the country.”

While some students found this idea to be leaning towards a communal tint, others, however, were joyous to have this new event as an annual ritual of the University. Various colleges have already formed special and dedicated societies which will prepare for the competition all year round so as to put their best foot forward when the event approaches.

Anshuman Sharma, third-year B.Com Hons student, Hansraj College quotes, “We are very excited to take this idea ahead and have already selected students for the Dahi Handi Competition. We have also started to formulate this into a proper active society because the event requires lots of perseverance and physical training.”

Students who got admission in the University through the Sports Quota are being actively recruited by the Dahi Handi Societies of various colleges.

Shrijan Banerji, a second-year student, Hindu College, says “We were notified very suddenly of this event. Hence we spent past few days training our athletes in how to form pyramids, how to break the Handi in one ago and how to shout ‘Jai Shri Ram’ very loudly. Due to a shortage of time, we have selected people through sports quota and recommendations but in future, we will find a new and democratic way of screening and selecting students for society.”

This event will mark a historic day in the culture propagated in university. Preparations by DUSU and students of various society have been going on in great proportions. This may receive one of the biggest turnouts of students so far in any college event, it is said to beat the crowd witness at college fests with bands like The Local Train.

Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly coloumn of almost believable fake news. It is not to be accepted, but only appreciated.

 

Featured Image Credits- Rediff

 

Amrashree Mishra

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Chhavi Bahmba

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Campus Central

Ramjas, gamcha and the unspoken love story

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Colleges may be famous for varied things. It can be the mouth-watering food at the cafe, famous alumni like Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bacchan, a Parliament or something really bizarre like a tree! But, one of the oldest colleges in University Of Delhi, Ramjas college stands out for its Gamchas!

 

Many Ramjas students can be seen sporting a Gamcha with T- shirts and shirts on, which seem really odd and out of place to some eyes, however it is indicative of the mixing of Western and Indian cultures representing the melting point of all ends- a typical attribute of the North Campus. Other live examples of this can also be seen in Nukkad Nataks wherein participants usually wear Kurta and Jeans. This “Gamcha” style has somewhat contributed to creating a distinct identity of Ramjas students and at the same time has given rise to a whole bunch of Gamcha– Ramjas memes.

New meme content is something people strive for. Now let’s address the elephant in the room, how long are we going to keep stretching that “Mature Bag” thing or the “JCB ki  khudai?” Although these Ramjas- Gamcha memes aren’t that popular, anyone who’s familiar with the students’ obsession with Gamcha would laugh his or her face off! But where does the meme hail from? So we got our detective coats on and went ahead to deconstruct the famous ‘Gamcha memes’

Now, if we have a parochial view, some may call it a stereotype or preconceived notion, or even take offence (Quora knows! *wink*) but that is actually not the case! What many of us fail to see is that DU’s talk of the town- Ramjas, gives you a canvas where every community and culture can splash their unique hues and colours!

Thanks to some of the students from Ramjas, we got to know that the “Gamcha” culture can be traced back to the historically huge diaspora of students who hail from Bihar and Haryana at Ramjas College, as well as the politically active nature of the college. Ramjas College known as a breeding ground has given our country many tall leaders and freedom fighters like Chaudhary Brahm Prakash (Freedom fighter and first Chief Minister of Delhi) and Sarup Singh (Former Member of Rajya Sabha and former Governor of Gujarat).

There is a deep connection between Indian politics and the Gamcha, because, well let’s get the preconceived notion for a bit, we generally have a set gamcha or Nehru coat for every political entity. Just as the universal dress of politicians and leaders in India is white sparkling and crisp Kurta-Payjama, it’s their colourful Gamcha (with a streak of their party colour) which denotes their political affiliations. Therefore, in this context it isn’t wrong to say that although leaders have come and gone over the decades, the Gamcha has retained its significance in the political attire and hopefully, it is here to stay.

 

Featured Image Credits: Instagram

 

Abhinandan Kaul

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Priyanshi Banerjee

priyanshi3011banerjee@gmail.com

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Arts & Culture

Shayari ka Sahitya: Getting Closer to Urdu Poetry

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Urdu poetry brings a deep sense of solace and provides refreshing perspectives to mundane incidents. Here’s a beginner’s story of delving into the world of Shayari.

Allama Mohammad Iqbal has written,

“Band-e-Takhmeen-o-Zan! Kirm-e-Kitabi Na Ban

Ishq Sarapa Huzoor, Ilm Sarapa Hijab

(O slave of calculation, do not be a bookworm! Love is present everywhere, knowledge is nothing but a veil).”

These lines aptly sum up the outlook of a shayar for me. It involves the intention of conveying freshness and expressing something novel yet familiar.

What is it?

Shayari is a poetic expression. It is a combination of two or more ashaars/shers put together to result in a couplet, triplet, quadruplet, nazm (poem) or ghazal (song). In Urdu poetry, compositions have names based on their content. Thus, a poem with a humorous subject is called a Hazal, while a Madah is written to praise patrons and kings.

Beginner’s Approach

The Holy Trinity of Shayari – Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza Ghalib, and Amir Khusrau are the poets who have shaped the literature of Shayari. Mir, a poet from the Eighteenth Century Mughal era is regarded as one of the pioneers of the Urdu language. Mirza Ghalib was a prominent writer in the last years of the Mughal Empire and is one of the most-quoted poets of all time. And Khusrau was a Sufi poet as well as a disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya of Dilli. Their works occupy a place of pride in World Literature and have formed the starting point of my journey through the abode of Urdu Literature.

A mention is also owed to prominent contemporary Pakistani poet Jaun Eliya, who is known for his unconventional words and is one of my favorite poets.

How to read?

For me, the initial stages of reading shayari entailed a three-step approach – comprehend, contextualise and absorb. If one is not familiar with the Urdu language, before delving into Urdu Shayari, I suggest one should first try to read poems and pieces in languages they are relatively comfortable with – such as Punjabi, Hindi or local dialects.

The second step involves understanding the context of that sher, that encapsulates the message that the Shayar wants to convey. And once one has succeeded with that, one will be able to absorb the meanings of the lines, connect with them and come back to them. I would like to recommend the Rekhta online sources as one of the ideal platforms to explore shayari.

In parting, I’d like to leave you with some food for thought, lines by Jaun Eliya,

 “Uss Gali ne ye sun ke sabr kiya,

jaane vaale yahan ke thhey hee nahi”

 Feature Image Credits: The Tribune

Bhavya Pandey

[email protected]

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Beyond the Obvious of Delhi University Colleges

The Relevance of Central Delhi for DU Students

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How many times have we rendezvoused at Rajiv Chowk with our opposite campus friends or clicked ourselves in the picturesque lanes of Connaught Place (CP)? Here is a story of appreciation for Central Delhi.

There have been more than a few instances of my friends and I wanting to go out together and have fun, and ending up at CP, which some of my friends call the ‘heart of Delhi’. This British architectural marketplace is a student’s favourite with cheap first-copy goods of Palika Bazaar, clothing and the accessory haven of Janpath, and fancy café lanes, there is a place for everyone to belong here. 

The complex-and-crowded-10-gate-Metro-Station of Rajiv Chowk lies centrally on the map of Delhi. It is an intersection between the two most crowded and heavily connected lines of the Delhi Metro – the Blue and Yellow lines. Hence, this becomes a perfect location to rendezvous with friends from different corners of Delhi. Shubhi Gupta, a student at Lady Shri Ram College, shares that meeting her friend from St. Stephen’s in the North Campus becomes easier at CP because it is equal travel for both of them.

The Central Park in CP sees several young couples venturing out and enjoying a simple yet romantic picnic date. In the evening, ice-cream vendors line up and bhelpuri sellers with balloon vendors create the vibe of a fair. Families come together to enjoy a peaceful evening here, and recently CP has even become a spot for extravagant wedding shoots.

Himanika Agarwal, a student at Gargi College calls CP wholesome in its appeal. She says, “It has fancy brands and top-notch expensive Italian cafes like H&M and Cafe Tonino along with the roadside chaat and rolls and cheap tops, denim, and bags from Janpath. You find the real Maybelline being sold at high prices on the ground and fake first copies being sold underground in Palika. Rajiv Chowk is a place for every mood.” 

Although, many complain of the crowd at Rajiv Chowk Metro Station and many even call CP a by-product of elitist and capitalistic tendencies of the society where Janpath and Palika become home to the struggling crowd while the lanes of CP remain pristine with its upper-class crowd. The seclusion becomes apparent despite it not being deliberate.

Feature Image Credits: Rishabh Chauhan for DU Beat

Sakshi Arora

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