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Exploring Queer Households and Relationships: Review of ‘The Pink Room’

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With the tagline of ‘Dance, drama and desire’, Gulabi Aaina or ‘The Pink Mirror’ is India’s first film with focus on drag queens. The film was banned in India but went on to be a part of multiple film festivals abroad.   Gulabi Aaina or The Pink Mirror is a 35-minute short film directed by Sridhar Rangayan. The film is Rangayan’s first short film and explores the story of two drag queens (Shibbo and Bibbo), their ‘personal boy’ Mandy and a budding young actor called Samir. The film was set to release in India in 2003 but was banned by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on grounds of being ‘too vulgar for the mainstream audience’. The film begins with a shot of Bibbo as a Mughal era courtesan. We see the playfulness in her eyes and the mischief in her smirk. We are soon introduced to Shabbo who is seen fretting after a face mask recipe goes wrong. The first sign of the relationship between the two leads is shown in Bibbo’s entrance to the house where we’re also introduced to Mandy, Bibbo’s ‘personal boy’. Mandy is a shy gay teen who understands very little Hindi. After a few scenes, we are introduced to Samir, Shabbo’s ‘driver’. What progresses from that point is almost a playful fight between the two drag queens and Mandy over Samir’s attention. The film cannot simply be out under the genre of comedy, in its 35-minute run time of over the top singing, colour and flamboyance, it subverts definitions of genre the same way the protagonists subvert the heteronormative definitions of gender and sexuality. Shabbo and Bibbo share a mother-daughter relationship, their solidarity and love for each other remains omnipresent in the film. Solidarities would be the central theme of the film. In the queer household, solidarity goes beyond acceptance of identity but extends to comfort and sacrifices in the time of distress. The pink mirror on Shabbo’s boudoir is a witness to her and Bibbo’s relationship, it’s where they laugh, cry, dress up and perform. The film also emphasises on queer desire with Samir’s character. He is young, attractive and seemingly unattainable. The second half of the film is filled with comical attempts to seduce him. The drama and the cinematography of the film takes one back to the soap operas of the 90s and the early 2000s. The acting isn’t perfect, in some places it is obvious that the cast is new to being in front of the camera. In many parts, the sassiness of the characters comes off as virulentness. The HIV angle to Bibbo’s story seemed unnecessary. The singing sequences could be way shorter and simply see over dramatic but these flaws aside, one cannot deny that The Pink Mirror was a film way ahead of its time, labelled as ‘vulgar’ and ‘obscene’, the film transcends those definitions and becomes a testament and an urban Indian outlook to drag queens and gays.    Image Credits: Netflix   Jaishree Kumar [email protected]]]>

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DUB Speak

No Seats For Men In Delhi University

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Psychology, Journalism, Geography among others are not available to men in DU. Despite being popular choices, male aspirants need to turn to alternate universities to pursue these courses.

University of Delhi (DU) gains as much criticism as is the prestige around its colleges. With the cut offs rising so fast students invest their all to ensure they can secure a seat in a top college. Is it possible for some to lose in this race even before they begin? Or for some students to win the race but not the prize?

This is the fate of men wanting to pursue courses such as Psychology, Journalism, Geography and Sociology in DU. These and several other courses are only offered in girls’ colleges or in very few co-ed colleges, which has gained the University a lot of criticism. It then becomes a matter of approaching different Universities or choosing a college among the few that offer the course of choice.

Journalism is only available to men in three colleges including Delhi School of Journalism, Delhi College of Arts and Commerce and Maharaja Agrasen College. Among the 16 colleges for Philosophy, ten colleges are for women, leaving St Stephens, Hindu College, Ramanaujan College and few others for male aspirants.

Sociology is available in only two colleges- Hindu and Sri Venkateshawara College. Psychology is offered to men in Zakir Hussain, Keshav Mahavidyalaya and Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar College.

Geography is offered in co-ed colleges such as Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Dyal Singh College, Kirori Mal College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Shivaji College and Swami Shardhanand College.

Home Science not offered to boys in any of the 90 colleges in DU. Some of these courses are included in BA Programme and are offered as minor or General Elective courses. But this means the students will have to compromise on an Honours degree in the subject they love.

These courses remain restricted to girl’s colleges and our education system remains regressive.

Rishabh Kumar, a student of Psychology from Christ University expressed his grievance, “This is an appalling scenario for an institution like Delhi University. Since we are transcending the biological differences that did exist, a decision of that sort needs to be revised. It’s unimaginable to exist in an environment where comprehension of knowledge is limited to certain gender.”

Raunaq of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College commented, “For me it was a choice between Political Science and Psychology as my major. The latter was offered in only few colleges, where I was not keen on studying, therefore I went ahead with Political Science. I do believe I am one of the lucky ones as compared to the guys who only want to do Psychology.”

Turning to private universities also means a huge increase in the annual fee and pouring lakhs of rupees each year. While some are saving up for their Masters, others simply do not have this privilege. This can become distressful, especially with those lacking flexibility in course.

On speaking to a national daily, Ms Anupa Siddhu, Principal of Lady Irwin College said how there was no “gender bias” but identified the problem as co-ed colleges not “showing interest in starting the course”.  On speaking to the same daily, the Principal of Aryabhatta College expressed that there exists a “lack of demand” for Home Science and offering these can be difficult due to limited resources. He further went on to suggest that the women’s colleges offering these courses should accommodate male students as well.

“It was extremely difficult to find a good college which offered Sociology for boys, without having to dish out ten lakhs. This reflects on the prevailing mentality in DU that only girls take Sociology”, remarked Kabir Madan a student of Sociology from Shiv Nadar University.

The race will soon begin as the cut of lists will be released this week, students wait in anticipation not knowing what the future holds. On asking many students, who faced this situation in the previous years, what advice they had for aspirants they all emphasised on how happy they were wherever they had ended up. Many talked about how with the existing mindset it is already difficult for many to open about how they are now aiming for these courses, it becomes further demotivating to not be able to qualify for DU. However, one year down the lane, it will seem like the right decision.

Madan added, “I think most of my batchmates ended up in places we least expected to end up in at the beginning of 12th grade. And it all turned out to be great for me, even though I did not initially expect it to (at that time). After a year, I am very happy with my decision.”

Image Credits: Hindustan Times

Shivani Dadhwal

[email protected]

 

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Admissions

High Court Directs DU to Extend Admissions Deadlines to 22 June

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Considering difficulties that the applicants might face, Delhi High Court has ordered DU administration to continue with previous year’s admission criteria. The decision comes along with the extension of registration dates.

The last day for registration which was ought to be June 14 has been extended to June 22 by Delhi High Court. The HC order which reprimanded the varsity of its abrupt decision of changing admission criteria has also asked the university to revoke it. The decision was met with criticism by teachers and students alike, as reported by DU Beat earlier. The recent changes involved inclusion of maths in the best of four subjects for admission in B.Com (Hons.) and BA(Hons.) Economics.
While hearing three petitions against Delhi University the bench made it clear that changes in eligibility criteria have to made in accordance with law, which would require a minimum of six months of public notice to the public at large. It also debarred the university from making changes to the eligibility criteria in the forth coming year to its UG courses.
Lawyers representing the varsity told the judges that DU changes its eligibility criteria every year and the Bulletin of Information (BIS) was meant for this specific year and therefore it didn’t qualify as a statutory rule. Lawyers also argued that no student will be deprived of admission due to changes in rules and if anyone is affected then they can approach the grievances committee.
“The High Court order to quash Delhi University’s new admission guidelines is good because the timing of DU’s decisions can be questioned as it can disrupt how people plan their admission. It’s not about questioning the quality of this decision but the timing could have been better.” says Ayaan Kartik, a Journalism undergrad at Delhi University.

On the issue of extension of dates, Kartik Pande, an aspirant says “I believe that this has two sides to it. The positive thing is that the people who accidentally missed the registrations or did some mistake can re register, while the negative thing is that the competition will increase for students. I don’t think I’m inclined towards any side as the decision is alright according to me so yeah that was it.”
Admission to various UG courses that commenced on May 30 has witnessed an entry of 3.31 Lakh applicants. The HC decision might extend the date of first cut off which has not been announced yet. As speculations suggest, the first list might release somewhere around the end of June.

Image Credit- Dainik Jagran

Priyanshu
[email protected]

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Admissions

Your Guide to MPhil and PhD Admissions in DU

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With the admissions to MPhil and PhD courses in Delhi University having begun, here’s an easy guide to help you navigate through the procedure.

 

The Delhi University has begun the admission procedure for students seeking admission in its MPhil and PhD courses. In a nutshell, the admission procedure for MPhil/PhD programmes is a three-step process comprising online registration followed by an entrance exam and then an interview.

Online Registration

All aspirants seeking admission to the MPhil/PhD programme are to register through the online admission portal of the University, which will remain open till 17 June 2019. This is a common web portal for centralized registration of applicants.

By clicking on the ‘New User Registration’ button, the applicants can open the ‘Login Details’ wherein they need to furnish their personal details. Following this, applicants need to confirm their registration by clicking on the link sent to their registered email ID. The applicants need to re-login to the portal and submit the following documents:

  • Passport size photograph
  • Scanned signature
  • Identity proof, which includes Aadhaar Card, Voter’s ID, PAN Card, Passport, Driving License, Ration Card

After furnishing all the necessary documents, the applicant can proceed to pay the application fee through net banking, credit card, debit card or UPI. The application fee for ‘Categories under Reservation’ is Rs 300 per course and for ‘UR (unreserved) and OBC’ is Rs 700 per course. The same amounts also respectively apply to these categories as registration fee for the written exam.

Following this, the applicants must choose the MPhil or PhD programme for which they wish to apply. The applicant can then proceed with the application by clicking ‘Apply’ and move on to provide educational details. PhD aspirants with approved scholarships/fellowships shall also provide details of the financial support to pursue the course.

The applicants also have to submit their ‘Research Proposal’, in case the course to which admission is being sought requires it. In this, the applicants need to provide the following details:

  • Proposed theme and scope of research
  • Major writings in the field in which the MPhil/PhD is being sought. Any original contributions in the field of proposed research should also be mentioned.
  • Primary sources/field work, methodology, hypothesis/research, questions and issues in the proposed field of interest, in about 2500 words
  • Any past research experience or publications
  • Additional information

The applicants may write “Not applicable” in the above fields even if the ‘Research Proposal’ is not mandatory for their chosen programme as it is not possible to proceed further if the above fields are left blank. Alternatively, the applicants may still provide these details even if they are not mandatory for their programme.

After providing the complete details, the applicants can proceed to making the fee payment by clicking ‘Pay Fee’.

A separate registration form for each programme is needed if a candidate wishes to apply to more than one programme, irrespective of whether they are in the same or different departments. The same login details would apply to all forms. However, each form requires a separate payment.

Entrance Exam

The University has provided for 18 exam centres in cities across the country, which can be selected by the applicant while filling the form. These include Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Ranchi, Trivandrum and Varanasi.

There shall be a two hour common exam for both MPhil and PhD programmes. A candidate can apply to both programmes offered by the departments by selecting the courses in their form. The syllabi for the exam of each course is the corresponding Master’s syllabus of Delhi University or as given on the department’s website.

The candidates are required to bring with them their admit card, a passport size photograph, any one of the Identity Proofs issued by the Government of India, Persons with Disability (PwD) certificate if the candidate is claiming relaxation under PwD category.

The University website will also make available the information for the display of the ‘Answer Key’ of the questions to give the students an opportunity to challenge the Key.

A 50 percent score in the exam is required to be shortlisted for the interview. The syllabus for the exam contains 50 percent questions on research aptitude/methodology and the rest subject-specific questions.

Interview

Candidates shortlisted after the exam would be called for the interview, the list for which shall be made available on the admission portal. In cases of departments that require the ‘Research Proposal’, the candidate is to bring a copy of the Proposal at the time of the interview.

Certain departments may opt for a different mode of evaluation than the interview; some departments may take a second test prior to the interview.

Announcement of Results

The results of the entrance exam and the interview shall be made available on the University website; information regarding the subsequent lists of selected candidates shall be notified on the admission portal. The selected candidates can then contact the department to furnish the necessary documents and secure their admission in the programme of their choosing.

Eligibility

A common eligibility criterion for all MPhil and PhD courses is a that the applicant must have a Master’s degree or a professional degree, such as MTech, LLM, MD or MS degree, in the same subject or subjects allied to the department to which admission is being desired, with a minimum aggregate of 55 percent marks, or an equivalent degree obtained from a foreign educational institution.

The eligibility criterion provides for a 5 percent relaxation in the minimum marks required for admission in cases of candidates belonging to the reserved categories.

Other Information

Candidates belonging to reserved categories, who figure in the merit list of unreserved candidates, are entitled to be considered for admission under the unreserved category.

Whether the ‘Research Proposal’ is required or not for the MPhil and PhD programmes can be viewed respectively in the Annexure IV and Annexure V attached in the ‘Bulletin of Information’, which can be accessed from the www.du.ac.in.

Annexure VI and Annexure VII of the Bulletin respectively mention the specific eligibility criteria for the MPhil and PhD programmes of different departments. Annexure IX provides information about the major areas of research in various departments.

Annexure XI gives a list of candidates who can appear directly for the interview, bypassing the entrance exam, if they fulfil certain qualifications and meet the minimum eligibility criteria.

All other information can be accessed through the University website.

 

Image credits- Hindustan Times

 

Prateek Pankaj
[email protected]

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Features

My Brother…Nikhil: Revisiting the AID-less gay romance

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Before Sonam Kapoor’s lesbian character in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, before Dostana brought gay romance in a problematic/not so problematic light, there was Onir’s 2005 classic My Brother…Nikhil.

Written and directed by Onir (that director whose one or two offbeat film you might be knowing, it stars Sanjay Suri (that actor you might have seen in some film or the other but you don’t know his name) as Nikhil, a gay swimmer in Goa growing up in a cosy yet subtly problematic family. However, to his emotional aid, are his sister played by a not-so-fresh Juhi Chawla (that actress in many an SRK film) and his boyfriend Nigel played by a fresh Purab Kohli (that drummer guy in Rock On). My Brother…Nikhil has this and that person involved in it, and it might not be fully mainstream, but still it shouldn’t be seen as ‘that gay film’. It’s more than that.

When Nikhil is suddenly infected with AIDS, the people around him start shunning him. He gets detached from his swimming, his parents, and everything else. He’s basically aidless.

But unlike all the LGBTQ related films in India before (the lesbian drama Fire being a major example), Onir’s drama is not that intense. And the simplicity in its narrative is what makes My Brother…Nikhil a heart-warming watch for the family.

Previously, there were just arthouse films on gay couples that were quite disturbing in the effort to accurately show reality that the oppressed face in India. This U-rated movie is no art film. There aren’t any dramatic ‘Ma, I’m gay’ monologues either. But it still manages to hit the right spots with the subtle realities of the Indian setting in which it’s based.

Nikhil’s father loves his son more with toxic manhood rather than fatherhood. He frowns whenever Nikhil’s mum calls him a ‘little boy’. If Nikhil loses a competition, all he hears is ‘This because of your lafandar friends’. When his sweet mother asks him to marry a woman just because she respects elders, Nikhil sums up the millennial view by saying ‘Typical Indian parents’!

When the AIDS angle is introduced, we see the expected stigmas of people treating Nikhil like how any vile Brahman would treat a Dalit. They stay away from him and his ‘bad touch’. These scenes are shown in a straightforward manner, no rivers of tears flowing and no tragic violin music playing in background.

Simplicity is why the movie shines. That’s why wherever it tries to go a little extra be it with the sentiments or Juhi Chawla’s English accent, it fails. On the other hand, the scenes with the parents and Nikhil’s boyfriends flow smoothly.

Coming to the boyfriend, Onir beautifully shows an ordinary relationship between two men showing that they care for each other. There are no stereotypical tropes of Bollywood romance or any forced ‘special’ aspect to the bond. Onir, who himself came out of the closet a few years back, doesn’t make being gay some sort of special thing, not like other problematic representations which try to gain sympathy and nothing else.

Being gay is just being human, like everyone in society. For this reason, My Brother…Nikhil definitely deserves a watch. You can stream it on Netflix or Hotstar.

 

Featured Image Credits- My Brother Nikhil

 

Shaurya Singh Thapa

[email protected]

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Features

Autobiography of a Delhi Sparrow

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The English-speaking world calls me a sparrow. The Hindi speakers here in the city, call me a gauraiya. And some who can’t master the colonial accent call me an ‘eesparrow’. Whatever my name is, I don’t want you to care about it. All I want you to care about is…my life.

I and my friends have been living in Delhi since four generations. It is an extreme world. The summers are extremely hot. The people are extremely impatient. And the landscape is extremely changing. My mother says that earlier, the human nest-builders called architects made more ‘sparrow friendly’ houses in the city.

My family also used to own good property near window sills. But then the temperature rose with this thing called global warming, and all window sills began to be covered with these white boxes called air-conditioners.

Now these ACs are funny inventions. They are meant for cooling rooms of human beings. So, I too went towards the outer side of the AC hoping to get some cold air in these hot days. Ah! Little did I know the AC releases hot air from the outside! I nearly burnt myself that day.

We are much like the humans who are of the ‘displaced labour’ species.  We get no permanent nests and no permanent rest.

Ornithologists say that we, the sparrows, act as ecological indicators and reducing numbers show an imbalance in the ecology of Delhi. I don’t like these ornithology chaps. They are these experts who keep on staring at us without consent. These creeps even have a term for it: bird watching.

But I agree with them, the environment here is really messed up. And it might get more messed up for our lives if people are selfish enough to care about themselves. Along with AC, another invention killing my brothers and sisters is the mobile phone.

You see I used to live on the roof of this boy. He was nice to me, used to feed me every day. But my lungs got damaged because every darned day, he used to sit on the terrace, talking on the phone to his girlfriend. Then one day, she had dumped him. This sounded like good news but as ill my fate was, he began to spend even more time on the phone, calling his friends for consolation.

And I don’t know who will give me consolation.  Sigh.

I live on the outskirts now as they are still sparrow friendly. If this settlement also changes its environment, then I don’t know where I’ll fly off to. I can’t fly all my life. I want to settle down. After all, I’m just a house sparrow.

 

Shaurya Singh Thapa

[email protected]

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Features

Autobiography of a DU plastic straw

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Hey there! How are you? I am plastic. Not plastic like your college friends; I’m the real deal. My breed is straw, and my colour is white, but out here in the plastic world, we don’t judge each other in terms of colour or breed. Who does anyway?

I was last used at PAM, this eating joint at Hindu College. PAM stands for Pizzas and More, but the funny thing is there are no pizzas here. I feel like I should petition to change PAM’s full form to ‘Plastics and More’!

So, I was a fresh new kid ready to be dipped in a nice cup of not-so-nice cold coffee. But then members of this college society told the owner, a grumpy white-haired uncle, that he should stop using plastic straws in his shop. They called me and my plastic family murderers and said that he should play his part in saving the environment by banning us. To this, PAM uncle did what he’s best at: he told the students to bugger off.

I felt offended that those students called me a killer but as I realised later, that’s the sad truth. I could have said this is my autobiography but this is more like a confessional. You see no one is a natural born killer. Killers are made, rather than born. I too was made a killer by my creators, human beings.

You see I look good when you are French kissing the life out of me, sipping on your drink. But then, you dispose me off. And when I am disposed, I wish for a nice, calm death. The purpose of my life has been served. However, it seems that I’m borderline immortal. The problem with being immortal is that you can get extremely…bored.

Now I lay in this pile of garbage to rot but I won’t even rot; the organic things have it easy, I tell you. No one would pick me up and reuse me. And just to add to my concerns, I have unintentionally started destroying and killing things.

This bird was scrounging for some food in the garbage and the dumbo swallowed me down too. The feel inside his body was gross but what felt grosser was when it vomited me out. The poor creature couldn’t ingest me. I told you right, I just can’t die!

The bird kept on choking for some time and to my horror, it just stopped breathing in a few minutes. That was when I became a killer. I imagine how so many members of my family might have become such unintentional murderers. Those ‘woke’ students were right.

I have blown with the wind now to some littered road in Delhi (there are many in the city), waiting for my death. But instead, all I do is just stay in my non-biodegradable state killing Mother Nature slowly (I heard this science kid talk about me like that once; he also said that some of the straws kill marine creatures).

I wish that in the next life, I’m not reborn as a plastic straw. Maybe in the future, humans stop using plastic straws altogether so we’ll never be created and we’ll never be killers. Maybe…

 

Shaurya Singh Thapa

[email protected]

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DUB News

The EWS effect

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The EWS bill was welcomed both in parliament and by the public but without equipping institutions to deal with such a change, it may turn out to be more of a burden than a blessing.

 

The buzzword this admissions season is the freshly passed 124th Constitutional Amendment bill (10% Quota Bill) which is set to be implemented for the first time in the academic year 2019-20. This bill provides for 25% of the total available seats to be reserved for candidates belonging to the economically weaker sections of society as defined by the bill. To lessen the burden of this significant change in numbers, University of Delhi is carrying it out in two phases. This session we will see a reservation of 10% of the seats for the EWS category and the other 15% will be implemented in the next academic session.

This bill has been designed in such a way that it does not carve these seats out of the available seats for the general candidates. The intake of general candidates will still remain the same so to accommodate the bill, the total intake of universities increase. For the university of Delhi, this means that the total increase in seats would be 16,000 but for the academic year 2019-20, we will see an increase in by 6400 seats.

In 2007, a similar legislation was passed creating the 27% reservation for students belonging to other backward categories (OBC). To accommodate this change, additional funds and new teaching positions were sanctioned. However, according to Professor Abha Habib of Miranda House, “The OBC expansion remains incomplete even after a decade as the promised expansion of teaching and non-teaching staff has remained incomplete. DU colleges are largely working with only half the additional posts promised under OBC expansion.”

In light of the above statement, it is evident that the pressures of the change is still being endured by the faculties of various colleges. Instead of completing the 2007 expansion, the faculty will now be additionally burdened as the current government has provided no guarantee that it will help universities by increasing funds or sanctioning additional teaching positions. Ms. Habib also went on to explain that under these circumstances, the decision to pass the EWS bill was rushed as the support required has not been provided.

To accommodate this change, the colleges will require a change in infrastructure to increase classroom sizes, residential facilities and create additional laboratories. Mr. Hansraj Suman, a former member of the University’s academic council mentioned while speaking to the Hindustan Times that 800 to 1000 more teachers will be required to meet the increase in number of students. In this scenario, with no funds being provided, colleges are left in a position to deal with the these problems themselves. This could lead to the creation and division of students into sections as classrooms are designed to accommodate only a fixed number of students. As a consequence of this, college hours would be extended and students could possibly face an increase in gaps between lectures which has been a problem expressed multiple times over the years.

Conversely, the creation of new sections would amplify the pre-existing shortage of teaching staff. However, if colleges choose not to make any such changes, it would result in skewed teacher student ratios and overcrowded classrooms and laboratories.

 

Featured Image Credits- Hindustan Times

 

Pragati Thapa

[email protected]

 

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EWS Quota: Ph.D. and MPhil Students to Receive the Benefit

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The University of Delhi has decided to increase the total number of seats in order to implement the 10% Economically Weaker Sections (quota). The increase in seats will be implemented in two phases- 10% in 2019 and 15% in 2020.

 

After approval of the provision of reservations for economically weaker section students (EWS) in Central Education Institution, the Delhi University decided to increase the total seats by 25% in two phases- 10% in 2019 and 15% in 2020. The provision for reservations for economically weaker sections has been provided for in the 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, which provides for the advancement of the “economically weaker sections” of the society.

 
Earlier, 15% of seats were reserved for SCs, 7.5% for STs, 27% for OBCs, 5% for PWD, 5% for CW category, 5% for Foreign Nationals and 5% for Sports/ECA people.
The increase in seats is to be implemented in order to ensure that the students of the general category are not at a disadvantage because of the increase in total percentage of reserved seats. The seats for MPhil and PhD section of Mathematics, Science, Commerce and Social Science will increase with the enforcement of 10% quota. The seats are likely to be increased by 148 for the reserved categories.

 
Professor Hansraj Suman, Chairman of Delhi University SC/ST/ OBC said, “Currently 660 seats are sanctioned under MPhil programme, in which 467 aspirants were admitted while 237 seats remained vacant in the previous academic session. In allotted 467 seats, seats allotted for the general candidate- 246, OBC-116, SC-69, ST-36, and PWD – 16 got admission in the previous year. With the enforcement of EWS, seats secured to the general candidates are 338, OBC 182 and SC 101, ST 51, EWS 68 seats.

For the same, the PhD has 800 seats in total in which 500 seats are sanctioned for general candidates, OBC 156, SC 110, ST 34, and PwD 15, whereas with the enforcement of EWS quota, 400 seats are for general candidates, OBC 216, SC 120, ST 60, EWS 80,” as quoted in Millenium Post.

Professor Suman added that the Dean has also informed him that due to the increase of 10 percent EWS seats, a teacher can also appoint researcher as their subordinate research director under the UGC rules. And as per the rules, 8 PhDs and 3 MPhil students can do their research work with a professor, while with associate professor 6 PhDs and 2 MPhil students can do their research work and with an assistant professor, 4 Ph.D. and 1 MPhil.

 
Abha Dev Habib, a DUTA member told DU Beat, “The last time when there was an increase in number of seats because of a resolution for 27% reservation for OBC students, the University was provided with funds to improve the infrastructure of colleges and to recruit more teachers but the process is still incomplete as formal letters were not issued and the required number of posts were not released. Now, for 10% EWS quota, 25% of total seats are to be increased but no provision for improvement in infrastructure has been provided. This will lead to overcrowded classrooms and in order to impart quality education it is necessary to maintain the required student-teacher ratio.”
She further added, “Around 60-70 percent of the students will be from the reserved categories which make it necessary to give more focus on improving the quality of education and equipping the labs with proper equipment in order to make the degree meaningful for them.”
However, many other changes have also been suggested by the admission committee in order to make the admission procedure simpler and more efficient, which includes developing a mechanism to avoid duplication of registration data. The University has decided to share filled up dummy forms release tutorial videos on its official website to guide students on how to fill the forms. The committee has also decided to finish the admission procedure before the session commences. However, there have been constant delays in releasing of admission forms and it is now confirmed by the Dean of Students Welfare, DU that the forms will be out in the beginning of June.
On the issue of delay in commencement of the admission procedure, Abha Dev Habib said that the delay is because of the new changes that are being made in the process. She went on to add that the introduction of new changes every year is very unsettling and the University should try to get done with the process soon as usually, the admissions go on till September which makes it difficult for the students to put up with the semester system.

 

 

On Monday, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad (ABVP) submitted a letter to the varsity administration in order to inquire about the delay in the beginning of the admission process. They also urged them to initiate the process quickly and remarked that the delay is worrisome for the students.

Featured Image Credits- The Indian Express
Priya Chauhan
[email protected].

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DUB Speak

Period:End of Sentence, a Review

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A retrospective review of the Oscar-winning documentary short on India and menstruation.

I don’t watch many documentaries on Netflix. I believe many other millennials also don’t. However, I still watched Period: End of Sentence for the most millennial reason ever: “hype”.

The film was hyped as it won an Oscar for best short documentary and was based in India. These were enough excuses for me to spend 30 minutes watching this Rayka Zehtabchi directed short feature.

To put it simply, the movie travels across a few North Indian villages and decodes the taboos and stigmatic attitude associated with menstruation prevalent there. There are those typical foreigner-directed Indian film shots like open fields and smiling villagers.

The film shows the sad reality and at the same time, gives optimism with certain figures who are trying to create awareness for menstrual hygiene, workers who are making organic pads in factories and an interview with Arunachalam Muruganantham, the inventor of low-cost sanitary pads (the inspiration behind Akshay Kumar’s Pad Man).

While the fictional Pad Man was preachy and stretched, this movie gets the message straight in its short duration. It shows that the first step towards menstrual hygiene is changing attitudes, simple as that.

The interview snippets feature prude men and women, scared school girls, and unaware boys,  talking about periods with a lot of hesitation. In one of the scenes, a teenager is asked if he knows what periods are, he smiles and asks “School wala period?“. Similarly, another girl answers this by saying that it’s a sickness. Such scenes don’t show any triggering material but the attitudes itself make you feel sad about the reality.

When it released on Netflix, I heard many complain about the director’s approach as she covered only certain areas instead of the whole country. I too wished I could see more being explored about this subject but then, I feel even if she covered one village in half an hour, it’s impactful enough.

If she would have brought out many narratives at once in a short format documentary, it might have ended up looking rushed. Instead, Rayka gives us one example and opens our eyes to see how these villages are a mixed bag of orthodox practitioners as well as unorthodox trailblazers. We have a long way to go but there’s still some hope.

Zayka didn’t feature the extremities of menstrual taboos in rural India with women being killed or denied entry in temples for bleeding. Maybe she chose to ignore it or maybe she didn’t know if this at all. In this regard, yes Period still feels like a more Utopian version of the darker truth.

The Oscar win would again help the First World be more aware of such ground realities in India. I hope Zayka or another filmmaker makes a film on urban attitudes around menstruation (as the so-called English speaking elite also is no less with period stigmas) and other trends.

Period: End of Sentence, isn’t the end of all menstrual discrimination but is definitely a great step forward.

Featured Image Credits- Netflix

Shaurya Singh Thapa
[email protected]

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