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Admissions 2014

A complete guide to ECA admissions in Delhi University

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In an attempt to have holistic admission process, Delhi University allows 5% quota in admissions through ECA or Extra-curricular activities. Students can take admission based on their skills in dance, music, art, photography, debating and various other activities. Yet, a students academic percentage is still of extreme importance for admission through this category. Not uniform for the entire University ECA admissions can be confusing, if not tiring. We bring you the breakdown of the process.

The forms:

Forms for ECA trials are released independent of the University by every college. As of now a number of colleges have already released their ECA forms which will be available to candidates on request.  Akriti Gupta, President of the western dance society at Miranda college advices students to keep a track of the colleges website and the notice board in college as they are the only way to learn about the forms release date. A student can apply for one or multiple ECA’s in the form.

The certificates:

Students applying through ECA are required to submit the photocopies of their certificates and portfolios’ at the time of application. This may differ from college to college. In Lady Shri Ram College, a student’s application, certificates/portfolios are the first criteria to be shortlisted, while for some colleges portfolio is a formality and performance during trials matters the most.

A student’s percentage also matters for admission through ECA. Relaxation ranging between 5%- 15% is given to candidates after the release of the first cut off. Apart from filling up the forms, colleges also expect digital versions of students performing their art. Says Abhilash Sinha, President of Western Music Society at LSR, “LSR usually requires a CD of your performance like a video of your music/dance performance or a portfolio for art/ photography; it is all specified in the ECA form.”

The certificates of the past three years matter the most for ECA admission. Guneet Singh, President of Ankur, theatre society of SGTB Khalsa considers certificates an important aspect of decision making. He says “If a student wants to be called back for trials, then certificates are very important.” Akriti also suggests that aspirants include a Letter of Recommendation, if possible.

The Audition:

Auditions also vary between colleges. While in some Presidents of various societies conduct the trials, in others it is only the teachers and sometimes the Principal present.  Do expect presence of experts from various fields during the auditions. Trials can range from one round to three or more rounds depending upon the college and the number of applicants.

In the first round of trial, a student is usually given ten minutes to present their art. For music Abhilasha says it can go beyond “just singing”. A student can display their range, tenor or type of voice. Auditions for theatre are usually more than two rounds. Says Guneet, “Auditions for theatre can include anything from using a prop to create a scene or enacting a given situation, we are basically looking for how candidates react to spontaneity and improvisation.”

For debating auditions, candidates are usually given a topic and 5-7 minutes to prepare for it. Debating in Delhi University is a slight shift from the debating in high school.  Colleges usually account for good argumentation, reasoning skills and clarity in speech.  Auditions may include turn coat debates or extempo speeches, all upon the discretion of the college. Rounds can range from one to three or more. Ramjas College is known to have three rounds of trials.

The Competition:

Competition for admission through ECA is as cut throat as SRCC’s cut offs. In 2013, LSR College received around 600 applications last year of which 35 were shortlisted and 7 were actually given admission. The western dance society of Miranda College received some 35-40 applications for western dance of which 2 were selected.  2-3 students per course are taken in through ECA.

The Binding contract:

According to Delhi University rules, the ECA contract is binding which means a student has to be a part and perform with the society they are chosen, for the entirety of four years. Failure to do so will probably lead to expulsion from the college.

NOTE: ECA trials for many colleges can sometimes be on the same day. If faced with such a situation, students will either have to request the college for a different slot or if worse comes to worse choose between the colleges. ECA trials are usually a lengthy process so go stacked with food, water, sleeping bag maybe.

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DUB Speak

At DU Beat, dreams are not just limited to eyelash blowing!

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DU Beat

The first time I read a DU Beat newspaper was when I was in Class XII, my elder sister had carried home a copy.  At that point I was debating between a very crucial matter of mind and heart, to either study engineering or choose a career in journalism. Though I did not end up choosing what I really wanted,  the innocuous edition of the newspaper constantly remained in my head throughout the year and I can safely say, that it being my first physical evidence of student reporters actually existing, became the stuff of dreams. Not only did I end up joining DU Beat as a correspondent but had the amazing opportunity to lead its Web Editorial team. I realized that dreams are not just limited to eyelash blowing and shooting star gazing. I was here, I was part of the team.

It wasn’t all glamorous though. There were deadlines and scathing feedbacks, there were low days when the audience wasn’t appreciative and days when I questioned the purpose of it all. But then there were days, when the story you worked your ass of on got some really wonderful comments, the ideas you imagined were wonderfully executed, but the silver lining for me in every situation was the people I worked with. Some of the best the University could provide, they are creative, intelligent and thankfully, have a good sense of humour. I have spent more than a year with them and calling them a family would be an understatement. We have worked harder during the low times, and celebrated the exuberance of the good ones. And yes, we have partied like nobody’s business.

This year, we have more or less achieved what we had set out for and in the process not only did we grew up but learnt responsibility and teamwork in a manner no one else could have taught us better. Sure, my social life would have fared a little more better if not for DUB and I probably would have been hated a little less by my college authorities but no way could I have ever had the opportunity of proudly exclaim to be friends with people from across the University, to be able to talk to people, and by people I refer to everybody from society members, DU administration (usually inaccessible but not very unfriendly), random college students, cleaners, auto drivers, people who we see almost every day but do not have an incentive to speak to. DUB gave me an incentive, it taught me that stories exist in the most unseeming discussion. It allowed me to participate in protests as well as concerts, meet Bollywood heartthrobs and scrounge and interview the talented students in the University.

It will be really hard not being a part of several DUB WhatsApp groups and being instantly aware of any incident that occurs in the University or looking at everything with an aim to report. Of course I am miserable at the prospect of leaving, I had become accustomed to this life but as they say, new opportunities await and I can’t wait to boast about my association with DU Beat with future acquaintances, not that I do any less of that now. I am extremely proud of the people who will be leading the team next term and it won’t be a long shot from truth to say, that I feel like a mother hen around them. I have helped recruit some and hopefully taught something to many. I am sure when I say this, we all will carry a part of DUB wherever we end up in life and as it has become a common motto in the team, “DUB is for life.”

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Lady Shri Ram College for Women

Dr. Suman Sharma to join Lady Shri Ram College as the Principal

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Almost six months after Dr. Meenakshi Gopinath retired as the Principal of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Dr. Suman Sharma would be joining as the Principal of the college. Dr. Sharma will officially address the students of the college tomorrow i.e. 4th March, 2015.

Dr. Suman Sharma had previously been serving as an Officer on Special Duty Principal for Dyal Singh College Evening. She belongs to background of Political Science, much like the previous principal. She was nominated as the principal of Lady Shri Ram College from a shortlist of twelve candidates which included personalities like Dr. Alka Sharma, Dr. Shobha Bhaghai and Dr. Krishna Menon.

Dr. Sharma would be taking over the position of Dr. Gopinath, a position she had held for 27 years. Dr. Gopinath has left a vast legacy behind her and is revered in the College and University. She was the first woman to serve on National Security Advisory Board of India.  Read about the retirement of Dr. Gopinath.

DU Beat wishes Dr. Sharma a wonderful journey of Lady Shri Ram College for women.

 

 

 

 

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Kamala Nehru College

English department of Kamala Nehru College organizes Horcrux Hunt

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The English department of Kamala Nehru College organized their annual fest, LitLuminous on 27th February, 2015. The theme of the fest this year was borrowed from the J.K. Rowling’s fantasy fiction, Harry Potter and the world of fantasy.

A kaleidoscope of various events, the fest managed to be entertaining as well as innovative in its execution. With events like Horcrux hunt and fan fiction writing competition, the fest was a delight for Harry Potter fans, a lot of whom came dressed up as characters from the series.

Creating a fest on Harry Potter wasn’t easy because the chances of getting it completely wrong were far greater with something so dear and dynamic.

Says the Vice President Rupal Bhandari, ” We owe our childhoods to J K Rowling. KNC turned into Hogwarts today, so much so that even Voldemort found it significant to send his troops to attack us, except his spiders were unavailable and his bees were met with determined PotterHeads. ” The reference to bees being an actual attack by honey bees which occurred in the college due to a hive breaking.No student was seriously injured but it did create a scare among the students and faculty.

IMG-20150228-WA0014

Dr. Giti Chandra, an author, researcher and faculty member at St. Stephens College, inaugurated the festival by delivering a speech on  the idea of “taking fantasy seriously” where in she talked about various fantasy series, like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games and others being a critique of the world.

This was followed by a panel discussion among Samit Basu ,a writer of books, films and comics , Dr. Chandra and Ms. Anita Roy, who in her own words is  a writer , editor , publisher , story teller and performer .This was a passionate discussion about the various sides of fantasy literature, with a focus on Harry Potter. Laughter and cheers were heard in unison a number of times as Potter fans and otherwise enjoyed and participated in the discussion.

Not only was the fest well managed in its deliverance but it also quite innovatively generated an academic discussion on fandom. “Organizing the fest to be something different, something unlike most other fests was a very difficult thing to do, I’m glad that everyone in the organizing team managed to put together such an amazing fest,” stated Saushriya Havelia, an Event Head.

Winner’s Tally

Paper presentation :
1st Prize- Grace Mary S, Miranda house
2nd Prize- Mallika Khosla, Kamala Nehru College
3rd Prize- Ronak Batra and Khushboo Mahajan, MA English Delhi University
Consolation: Ayush Jain and Unnati

Word Duel:
Best speaker (Affirmation )- Ambika
Best speaker (Opposition )- Akshay
Consolation – Bhavya, Charumitra, Aniket

Horcrux hunt :

1st Prize-Shambhavi Vats
2nd Prize-Sumira Vig
3rd Prize-Deepthi Karat

Image credits: Ritu Tokas and Sharmin’s photography

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Top Picks

Best of Twitter: India’s victory over Pakistan at the WC 2015

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Yesterday as the World Cup match between India and Pakistan took place, fans took to Twitter (as always) to tweet funny posts about India’s victory over its neighbour. Even though the World Cup has just begun, for us Indians, it feels as though we’ve already won! We’ve compiled some of the best tweets post the victory here; give them a read and relive those celebratory moments once more!

Featured image adapted from bgr.in

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Campus Central

Inspections in Delhi University: A case of sweeping under the carpet

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Mentions a student of the college, “Corridors and rooms which had never been touched were now being cleaned fervently.” Kamala Nehru College on the other hand while providing fully functional Wi Fi to it students, provides quite low standards of cleanliness in some of its washrooms with lack of basic facilities like soap, water in its cisterns, empty sanitary napkin dispensers and irregular cleaning of the loos. But the inspection team probably did not get to see this, for the toilets were scrubbed clean, gleaming with emptied dustbins and toilet paper roll in every cubicle as the cherry on top of this highly sanitary cake during their visit. What was also disappointing was the temporary measures employed in the cafeteria of all colleges including Gargi College. The cooks at every stall wore hairnets and gloves for an entire period of two days before they reverted back to their original protection less glory and not a peep was heard from the administration for this blatant disregard of health standards. The problem that emerges in this scenario is the hypocrisy of college authorities to harp about ‘Swach Bharat Abhiyan’ and indoctrinate cleanliness in its students while completely turning a blind eye to its responsibility and duty. The changes that occurred for two days clearly states that a) we are aware of the health standards and b) that we are also capable of implementing them.

  Either the college does not have the required funds or labour to implement these measures constantly and periodically or there exists no system of checks and balances to keep a constant watch over the implementation of these policies.
Quoting a Union member of one of the colleges in South campus, “The Proctoral committee is responsible for the sanitation facilities in college. The problem is not the cleaners but the students who do not throw the trash in dustbins. Also, the lack of female cleaners is an issue.” While the irresponsible behaviour of the students might be a slight factor, colleges cannot shrug of their responsibility by blaming it on the students. After all, students are not expected to come to college armed with soap, water and toilet paper.
Is it too much to demand that all cooks wear gloves and plastic caps while preparing or serving the food?
One solution to this situation could be that when colleges sign contracts with these vendors, they include a health standard clause which needs to be abided by at all times. Colleges can also create a committee comprising of students and teachers which will not only be responsible for keeping a tab on the implementation of these clauses but also improvising new mechanisms for improving food quality. With slight changes and a stricter checking mechanism, colleges will not have to rely on the hurried damage control mode before the next inspection.]]>

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DUB News

Ban Ki-moon delivers lecture on ‘India and the United Nations in a Changing World’

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Ban Ki-moon at New Delhi

His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, United Nations’ Secretary General delivered a lecture on ‘India and the United Nations in a Changing World’ at the Indian Council of World Affairs last week. The Secretary General spoke about India’s accomplishment in peacekeeping and the potential the country holds in this sector.

Coming to New Delhi after a long time, Mr. Moon was nostalgic about his association with the country. He said, “What I am here started from here, whenever I come back to Delhi I become a full man.”

Mr. Moon emphasised on the potential of India as a driver for peace. “As the world’s largest democracy, India has a lot to teach the world”, he said. He mentioned how there are about 8000 Indian peacekeepers serving in the United Nations where two out of every three of them serve in an ongoing conflict.

Stating how South Asia faces the threat of nuclear weapons, he also called on India to renew its leadership in disarmament. He emphasized on how the world is looking for a secured visional environment which requires an engagement between India and Pakistan through growing bilateral agreements.

Mr. Moon also stated that we all together have to ‘make it green in India’. “By respecting the environment, we can grow economically”, he said.

Image Credits: www.flickr.com

Niharika Singh
[email protected]

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Campus Central

Celebrating the white cane: Save the Quest organizes walk-a-thon for the visually impaired

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  [gallery ids="26989,26991,26993,26994,26992,26990"] The event began from Hindu College with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Volunteers acted as guides and ensured safety as participants walked across North Campus. Ganga and her partner Rajeev, who is visually impaired were one of the early teams to finish the walk-a-thon. For Ganga the experience as she states was ‘extremely frightening in the beginning. “It was made easier by Rajeev who constantly guided me on how to use my cane and depend more on my other senses of sound and touch,” she says. Rajeev, for whom this was a first teaching experience, wishes every person to try and walk around blindfolded at least once a week to reduce the idea of ‘miserability’ in their minds.

People who are visually impaired do not require something very different. They just need the basic services which does not make them feel disabled
Diwakar’s performance at the end of the conclusion of the walk was thoroughly enjoyed by the crowd as they indulged in games which required to be blindfolded set up by Save the Quest. On associating with such a cause he says, “ We all should be a part of their lives and appreciate what they have achieved. We should change ourselves for them and they should not have to change for us.” As for the performance he states “It was worth it.” Save the Quest has plans to conduct more such event and at a larger scale in future. “We are planning to organize an Olympic next. In India, it is almost a distant concept. The focus is always on education but for holistic development we need to expand our focus.” adds Saif. Follow Save the Quest on Facebook: Save the Quest]]>

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DUB Speak

End the cycle of violence on this International Day of the Girl Child

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It was a conflicting emotion that we all went through when UN announced its theme of International Day of the Girl Child for 2014, Empowering Adolescent Girls: Ending the Cycle of Violence. The International Day of the Girl Child was recognized in 2011 and now in 2014 we still are at war to end this cycle of violence against women and girls. The good part is that we have recognized it and adapted it to some extent and are working towards a significant change.

It is not an easy life for a girl in Delhi, India or anywhere in the world. Being paranoid and at alert at all times has become an almost natural state of our being which definitely indicates to the stressed state of mind we live in. To change this lifestyle, to not be so afraid at all times, to be able to express oneself without being overwhelmed by the pointed fingers requires a tremendous amount of hard work but just a simple change in the mindset and acceptance.

The issue can never be solved in the offensive. Increase in severity of punishments, being covered at all times are short battle won but the war can only won victoriously when we focus on the adolescent. The minds which have yet to be hardened by society’s ideology, these minds can be protected and made aware of their rights, become activist, be the beginning of a generation which does not need a day to protect its girls.

At a student’s level our contribution can go beyond the customary likes and posts on the social media. It needs effort, may take time out of our social life but in the end it is worth it. I have mentioned below a few organizations that you can approach if you are really interested in contributing towards the empowerment of adolescent. If you do take it up, I promise you will not only help in their empowerment, you will definitely come out as a stronger person.

Know Your Body, Know Your Rights: The YP Foundation

‘Know Your Body, Know Your Rights’ (KYBKYR) is a youth-led and -run national policy and peer education programme, founded in 2002 by The YP Foundation, that empowers young people to address their sexual and reproductive health and rights. The key focus of the KYBKYR programme is to build young people’s technical capacities to access unbiased, evidence-based information on gender, sexuality, health and rights, enabling them to negotiate cultural and political barriers faced at both community and policy levels.

For more information, click here for their website
For the Facebook page: KYBKYR

Jagori

Jagori means “Awaken, women”. Their objective is to have awareness building on violence, health, education, development, and other issues critical for women´s individual and collective empowerment.  They also disseminate information and knowledge on feminist concerns to meet the needs of women´s groups, NGOs, and development organizations and advocate on women´s rights and gender equality.

For more information, click here for their website

Because I am a Girl: Plan International

Through the Because I am a Girl campaign, Plan‘s projects attempt to address the barriers to girls completing a quality education of at least 9 years, as well as equip them with the assets they need to safe guard their future, promote gender equality and improve their lives. The campaign aims to reach 4 million girls directly – improving their lives with access to school, skills, livelihoods and protection. You can sponsor a girl child and also make a donation.

For more information, click here for their website

Bachpan Bachao Andolan:
Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) symbolizes India’s largest grassroots movement for the protection of children, ensuring their quality education. By 2013, BBA had rescued more than 82 800 victims of trafficking, slavery and child labour and has helped them re-establish trust in society and find promising futures for themselves.

For more information, click here for their website

 

Feature image: http://becauseiamagirl.ca

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