Shivani Dadhwal, Author at DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

DUB Speak

The Intern’s Dilemma: Fledgling Start-up Vs Established MNC

Adding fuel to the start-up versus Multi-national Corporation (MNC) debate, we discuss the pros and cons that both the entities have on offer for college interns.

“IIM Lucknow has a median salary of X INR!”

“Great, but IIM Calcutta recorded (X+Y) INR last year.”

“That’s nothing, FMS (Faculty of Management Studies) Delhi went all the way to (X+Y+Z) INR this placement season.”

More often than not, most of us have had similar conversations, which perfectly encapsulate the current rat-race involving institutions, companies and jobs in the country.

With the increasing number of access points of good quality higher education in the country, coupled with innovative methods of teaching going far beyond the pages of the academic curriculum, the past two decades have witnessed an enormous rise in competition among graduates and post graduates for jobs, both in the private and the public sector.

This cut-throat competition necessitates the need for job applicants to stand out from the crowd if they wish to get a decent working position in a – preferably creamy layer – company, which means they need to stack up their curriculum vitae, or resume, the most prominent catalyst instrumental in landing them their dream job in their dream company, the importance for which was aptly described by writer Mokokoma Mokhonoana as, “Give a typical employee a million and he is most likely to use the money to print his CV on fancier paper”.

An ideal Curriculum Vitae (CV) of a fresh graduate or post-graduate contains, apart from academic and extra-curricular achievements, a list of organisations or companies where he/she spent time attempting to learn the particular trade, or in other words, worked as an intern. This list of internships gives the prospective employer examining the CV a fair idea of the applicant’s capability and area of expertise, and also a stamp of validation. “Sometimes your marks might not be able to land you a seat in a prestigious university abroad, or a prestigious company, but the right amount of internships at the right places surely can,” said a University of Delhi, Professor, on the condition of anonymity.

One’s CV undoubtedly holds a huge stake and influence in one’s future, and thus, an undergraduate student needs to take calculated decisions while choosing one’s preferred places of internship. With the country riding on a remarkable rise of economic and industrial growth, numerous successful start-ups have popped up, while already existing corporate firms have registered gains. A huge dilemma which students, mostly freshers, face, is making the choice between interning at a growing start-up or interning at an established multinational corporate. Both entities have certain distinct characteristics which might be a stimulant for some, and a deterrent for others.

Writing for Business World, Pulkit Jain describes start-ups as comprising of “casual wear, no-formalities-involved-group-discussions , no fixed working hours, fresh and flexible” while for MNCs he writes “formal wear, sophisticated meetings, nine to five on the dot working hours, prim and proper,” thus driving home the significant gulf between the work atmosphere and living spaces of both entities.

To the inquisitive and innovative intern with an entrepreneurial bent of mind, the flexible and out-of-the-box attitude of the start-up would be more appealing – though opining that MNCs do not receive such types of interns at all, would be a wrong assumption to make. Working at a start-up also allows for more widespread exposure to the corporate space and atmosphere for a new entrant, due to the relative absence of an in-built hierarchy. The intern will get to juggle a wider variety of roles, sometimes even highly critical ones, as opposed to the MNCs which mostly have a distinct horizontal separation of numerous departments and a distinct vertical hierarchy, and thus will offer a distinct and smaller role.

But a valuable point to be noted is that working in a smaller role will allow for far more specialisation in that particular area of expertise and shall allow the entrant to perform well in similar roles in the future. A significant number of people would prefer to learn specific skills in depth, with a security net, one at a time, instead of trying to juggle and gain experience in multiple areas of expertise at once, though conversely the latter would have a considerable amount of takers too.

One area in which the MNC has sole bragging rights over the start-up is brand name and recognition – not taking into consideration extremely successful unicorn start-ups like Flipkart, Swiggy, Byju’s etc. While the start-up might provide an intern with an unorthodox set of ideas and new working styles, something which the MNC will not, it cannot be denied that work or internship experience at a well-established conglomerate, say Goldman Sachs, or Deloitte, weighs far heavier than one at a start-up, on a CV, and might turn out to be a clinical deal clincher when the candidate applies for a full-time job in the future. In fact, interning at such a place also increases the chance of the candidate being offered a job at the same company after his/her graduation.

A start-up allows more freedom in terms of expression of ideas, as opposed to the largely orthodox and time-tested work methods applied in the conglomerate structure. Thus, the risk factor in MNCs is low while its significantly high in start-ups. Outcomes are extreme in the start-up world, and a large proportion of them fail in the initial stages itself. Out of the small proportion which do manage to stay afloat, an ever smaller proportion is ultimately able to rise to sub-unicorn and unicorn levels, albeit in a short time. This can be beneficial for interns and new entrants who were a part of the start-up in the initial stages, who might get top designations in a very short while. On the other hand, in MNCs, the rise to the top of the company takes several years.

Every college student has different ambitions and attitudes, some are ready to take risks, some want a secure future, some wish to build their own company, some wish to work in their dream company. Interning at a conglomerate and at a start-up nurture these different paths for them. Japneet Singh, a Computer Science undergraduate at IIT Delhi, opines, “It’s not right or wrong to choose a particular option between the two, both offer valuable learning experiences and I think one should make the choice based on one’s needs and ambitions”.

Featured Image Credits: Analytics India Magazine

Araba Kongbam

News

Two DU Students Found Dead in Jamia Nagar Flat

Trigger Warning: Suicide

Two students, studying in the prestigious University of Delhi (DU), belonging to Ladakh were found dead in a flat in Jamia Nagar. Delhi Police suspect suicide and recover two suicide notes.

On 1^st March 2020, the Delhi Police reported that the bodies of two 23-year-old students were found dead in a flat in South East Delhi’s Jamia Nagar. The Police report that both these students were from Ladakh and it was a man and a woman. The Delhi Police suspect suicide and two suicide notes have also been recovered. While the Police has not shared any details of the suicide notes, they have disclosed that a one-page suicide note was left behind by the man and a two-page suicide note was left behind by the woman.

Both the students had injuries to their necks and two knives were recovered from the flat, however the door had been bolted from the inside. R.P Meena, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South East District on speaking to the press discloses some information from initial enquiries. He says that the man stayed alone in a flat in Jamia Nagar’s Batla House area while the woman used to stay in North Campus and had come to meet the man at his flat on Saturday.

He said that the door of the flat had been bolted from the inside and was broken by a security guard, and his son Vinod, and they had found the bodies. He added that the place had been photographed and inspected. He further informs that the bodies had been moved to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Forensic Science Laboratory will conduct further examination. The families of both the victims have reached Delhi.

Feature Image Credits: Economic Times

Prabhanu Kumar Das

DUB Speak

Thoughtcrime: The Parallels Between 1984 and 2020

Have we given the government too much power over our thoughts and freedoms?

What is “Thoughtcrime”? Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the fictional city of Oceania and its language, “Newspeak”. To give you some context, 1984 a book by George Orwell tells the story of Oceania, a totalitarian, dystopian state controlled by the ruling party “Ingsoc” (English Socialism) and its mysterious leader figure “Big Brother”.

Orwell’s writing is known to be precise and to the point, usually avoiding the use of intricate language. He was critical of the use of euphemisms and pretentious language, which the fascist regimes of the time used to manipulate or obscure the truth. He believed that literature was meant to be clear and understandable by all.

In order to control the people and propagation of ideas, a new language with a heavily restricted and limited vocabulary, “Newspeak” was created. The Ingsoc intended to completely replace “Oldspeak” (Standard English) with Newspeak as the exclusive means of communication for all members of the party and society, except the “Proles” (Proletarians, or the working class) who were the condemned to a life of manual labour and poverty, and did not concern the Ingsoc. Newspeak, with its odd grammar and structure, fulfilled its purpose by curtailing the freedom of thought, expression, and personal identity while allowing the party to propagate its own ideology and worldview.

“Thoughtcrime” also known as “crimethink” refers to any politically unorthodox thoughts that do not align with the beliefs or ideology of the dominant party, Ingsoc. The group responsible for the detection and elimination of thoughtcrime is the “Thinkpol” (Thought Police) and the punishment for thoughtcrime is death. The Thinkpol employ the use of aggressive surveillance through “Telescreens” which are devices that function as a television, camera, and microphone that constantly monitor party members in public as well as in private. Simply put, privacy or freedom is non-existent, with newspeak not even having words to convey the idea of freedom.

Perhaps you may find similarities between the ruling party of Oceania and our own. The suppression of freedom of thought and expression or the manipulation of language to obscure reality. In the way politicians discuss a matter to great lengths, only to say later claim that they never discussed it at all and change the narrative completely. Or the “Telescreens” of our age, the internet, and social media which have come under heavy criticism for breaches of privacy.

Governments across the world are being accused of surveillance of its citizens and misuse of social media to influence elections and political campaigns. The resistance towards certain government actions, ordinary people taking to the street and students, more politically aware than ever, taking the lead. Maybe some of you have been accused of thoughtcrime by being called “anti-national” or a member of the “tukdre-tukdre gang”. The Thinkpol silence protests and detain people to suppress any thoughts that do not align or contradicts the ideology of the party in power. Perhaps you relate to politicians and leaders claiming that “everything is fine”, unbothered by the common person’s problems, much like the Ingsoc and Proles, or a single party passing rapid-fire legislation while steamrolling an ineffectual opposition.

I believe that we should all form our own opinions. A future without dissent is a dark one, where a single group has supreme power, and no one can raise as much as a question to this group. Oceania had perfected the art of manipulation with an authoritarian government that changed history books and reality itself to suit its agendas. By no means are we there yet, but happenings from around the country are concerning. Silencing of journalists and the buying of media channels who scream the supposed ‘truth’ at us, all while creating an evil image of those who dare question the government or protest. These strategies are working to some extent and their effects can be seen in hostile and polarised opinions held by some. Perhaps we’ve come closer to Orwell’s 1984 than we realise.

‘Until they become conscious, they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled, they cannot become conscious’ – 1984

Featured Image Credits: Paste Magazine

Tashi Dorjay Sherpa

News

DU Student Breaks Locks of Girls’ Hostel; University Issues Notice

Pallavi Raj, a postgraduate student of Political Science from Kirori Mal College (KMC) broke the locks of the undergraduate hostel gates on 29^th February.

The students along with Pallavi, a resident of the North East Students’ House for Women (NESHW) was one of the protesters held on 29th February, went for a march to the Vice Chancellor’s (VC’s) residence on the same day. However, it soon started raining because of which they put the mattresses and bedding they were using for the sit-in inside so that it does not get wet. “The administration must have thought that we had given up and they took that time when we were at the march to lock the doors. When we came back we asked them to open it and they did not let us in. They had chained down the gates and locked it. Then we had no other way but to break the locks,” said Pallavi to Indian Express.

She was issued a letter on 2nd March by Delhi University (DU) which claims her of indulging in activities that bring embarrassment to the Hostel. The letter asks her to focus on her studies and stay in the hostel with peace and order. She replied to the letter saying that the Provost has no right to send a letter that accuses her without even issuing a show-cause letter or a proper hearing.

Dr. Rita Singh, the NESHW in a statement to Indian Express said, “Before we delve into details of what happened we need to understand that the letter sent on 2nd March was legally sound. If a student has done something wrong, they need to send a show-cause notice for that behaviour and let the student explain the situation. But this letter is just like an advisory that has already accused me of an act and is warning me against consequences.”

The curfew timings for the Delhi University Girls’ Hostel for undergraduates is 7:30 PM while for postgraduates its 10 PM. There have been several protests for extending the same, the most recent being on 27th February at DU Girls Hostel Main Gate, Indira Vihar. But, the aspect which differentiates this recent one from the earlier is that for the first time the students of all the five hostels housing the students of Delhi University are protesting and attempting to seek their demands in unity.

Feature Image Credits: Edexlive

Kriti Gupta
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DUB Speak

The Talk: Neglecting Mental Health Issues

The stigma surrounding mental health is problematic for children that are brought up in an Indian household. Often due to parents’ refusal to accept the fact that there may be something wrong with their child.

Studies suggest that one in every four individuals experience mental health problems once in their lifetime. The stigma associated with mental health arises from the fear of being judged by society. There is a dire need for normalization of mental health issues that arise due to imbalances of chemicals in the brain. According to a survey, more than 50 percent of parents stated that they had never given ‘the talk’ to their children. The others claimed that they were clueless about how to address this issue. There were also some parents who claimed that they never felt the need to discuss the matter of mental health, as it was not important.

The narrative that mental health is not real because one cannot physically see it is utterly baseless. The brain is as much an organ as the heart, and moreover, it controls every part of the brain. MRI scans show the faulty production of chemicals, such as dopamine or serotonin, which are responsible for causing mental health issues like anxiety and depression.

Rebecca, a student of St. Stephen’s College, opines, “Some parents are supportive if we consider mental health and the others aren’t, but they can’t be blamed because this is how they were brought up and that reflects in their parenting.”

In addition to this, men are more likely to attempt suicide than women solely because they are conditioned to unhealthy insinuations such as “boys do not cry” and “man up”. These unhealthy behaviours are learned at an age when boys are extremely young. Seeking professional help does not come easy to children because their parents never created a safe atmosphere for them to talk about what they may be going through. Moreover, professional help cannot be sought without informing parents due to high expenses.

Many children and young adults continue to suffer in silence because they are afraid of what their parents might have to say about their situation. However, they fail to realize that communication is essential and talking to their parents may actually bring out their empathetic side.

Feature Image Credits: Kids Helpline

Suhani Malhotra

DUB Speak

Love and Late Capitalism: Sally Rooney’s Normal People

Evaluating affection in Sally Rooney’s Normal People, the story of our current post-recession movement, and a keenly observed movement in time.

Normal People is your (and not your typical) young-adult novel, set up in Ireland, as opposed to the favoured land of white coming-of-age stories, America. When I first started reading Normal People online, I thought I downloaded the wrong PDF. The prose did not make a lot of sense at first – it was unlike anything I had ever read, much less in a book written about teens.

In a post-John Green world, where disregarding young adult novels have become the mark of intellectual superiority, the Booker Longlist and the many awards Normal People fetched has reignited an opportunity for us to ponder over stories, like that of Marianne and Connell.

A lifelong Marxist, Rooney is particularly outspoken about issues that stir her social conscience. It is set during the 2000s downturn period in Ireland. The pair weave in and out of each other’s lives across their university years, developing an intense bond that brings to light the traumas and insecurities that make them both who they are. There is no big quest in Normal People. The plot feels incidental, a not-so-elaborate set up to let the Rooney interpersonal-insight machine shine.

Casually sharp interpersonal insights seem to roll offhand through their conversations as well as their consciousnesses, dazzling the readers. Even if we cannot picture them, the characters are creatively attuned to every impulse they experience, the words a loud echo of their emotional and physical reactions that analyse the gestures and comments of everyone they encounter. The adventurous writing of Sally Rooney evaluates the notions of shame, social class, vulnerability, popularity and the intersection of art majors and the dichotomy of a generation too lost in the heat stemming from a past full of deceit.

Meaghan O’Connell writes, “Connell and Marianne’s fates may be partially determined by their social class (“A lot of critics have noticed that my books are basically nineteenth-century novels dressed up in contemporary clothing.” Rooney told Lauren Collins of The New Yorker) and the poor economy, but they are also shaped (if not saved) by each other and their shared dynamic. People can change, for better or worse, Rooney argues in this book, especially young people.

In the end, it’s the very influence that Connell and Marianne have over each other that gives each of their lives too much momentum for the traditional marriage plot. Or maybe this is the marriage plot made current: two star-crossed lovers, trading emails over oceans while one of them gets their MFA.

Normal People may not be about being young right now, but better than that, it shows what it is to be young and in love at any time. It may not be absolutely contemporary, but it is a future classic.

Feature Image Credits: New Yorker

Paridhi Puri

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Protest Surrounding Annual Fest at Motilal Nehru College

By Shivani Dadhwal February 20, 2020

Motilal Nehru College(MLNC) witnessed a two-hour-long protest organised by the Student Union; many students blocked the college gate, making it difficult for vehicles to enter or exit. The protest was called off and many students went down to the Delhi University Student’s Union (DUSU) office to protest again.

It all began from MNLC’s Student Union’s desire to have a high budget fest this season. Before this year; the cultural society of MLNC(M), the student union of MLNC(M), and the student union of MLNC(E) used to have separate fests with separate names. This year, all of them collectively decided to have a single, high budget fest. There were many issues within the organising committee itself regarding the name of the fest, given all 3 used to have different names, but more problems awaited them owing to lack of cooperation from the administration.

As it goes at any other college’s fest, the organising committee worked day and night to gather sponsorship and finalise an artist to make their event bigger and better. The union had finally locked down Punjabi Singer “Karan Aujla” and even a pseudo-MoU had been signed. Whatsapp Groups of the students of MLNC saw this graphic being circulated.

But shortly after, the administration office introduced several restrictions for this new fest, they demanded no other student apart from MLNC to be able to enter or attend the Star Night event. This caused a lot of backlash from the student community and only half an hour later, these two graphics were circulated amongst similar groups.

Next Morning, many students participated in the protest organised by the Student’s Union. The Student’s Union highlighted many incidents of Corruption from the Administration office, giving examples of Letterheads and lack of Nescafe booths in the college premises, and demanded for the star night to be brought back with their demands and for the administration to cooperate regarding the signatures on the MoUs.

An English Professor from MLNC said, “There is always a gap between the understanding of the advisory committee of the Student’s Union and the people from the Student’s Union. If they claim for the Administration (office) to be corrupt, you cannot ignore the fact that they are somewhat corrupt too and this might be the reason that they joined student politics in the first place.”

According to the Union and the organising committee, the administration office has not been really helpful or supportive regarding the annual fest ever, and this year has been way worse compared to previous years and the efforts being put in the Student Union.
The sit-in protest at the college gate lasted for almost 2 hours, during which only selected vehicles could enter or exit the gates. This led to disruption in the day-to-day activities of the college and after a while, the protest had to be called off because of pressure by the Police officials and the administration.

Featured Image Credits: Anonymous

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Gargi’s Fact-Finding Committee Releases Statement on Day 7

By Shivani Dadhwal February 20, 2020

Gargi College’s Fact-Finding Committee had a GBM with the college’s students on Day 7 of the demonstration against the incidents of Reverie and addressed concerns regarding the issue.

A statement released for Day 7 of the demonstration in Gargi College against the sexual harassment incident that occurred at this year’s Reverie stated that the college’s Fact-Finding Committee which was formed to gather official evidence regarding the incident had a GBM with the students.

In the meeting, various concerns were raised. The fact-finding committee found out that there was a “gross lapse in the overall security of the fest”, and that it was the fault of the administration who had underestimated the expected peep count at the event. The committee also recommended that the college’s staff be sensitised to gender issues after many students complained about the lax attitudes of the administration when the misdemeanours had first been reported.

The Committee also said that a second, more conclusive report would be constructed to address the event in its entirety, and laid emphasis on the fact that the college’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) is grossly biased and compromised. As a result, a decision has been taken to form a new ICC as per the requirements of the University Grants Commission (UGC). The committee is to be formed by the end of February.

The Committee has also stated that due to available discrepancies in the report existing on various different levels, and with the Delhi Police not having answered any of the questions posed by the committee as of now, it would take time to form and finalise a conclusive report.

Another concern made by the students was regarding the budget of Reverie, and where it was spent, with the administration having spent little to none on security. As a result, the budget was presented but not in its entirety, and students are therefore looking for alternatives to an RTI to gauge the budget.

The students also requested the resignation of the teachers and administrators who were directly responsible for the lapse of security from their posts as OC of Reverie, and this will be decided upon by the Governing Body of the College.

After the FCC came out with its findings, the student union of Gargi released a notice stating that they would now aim at redress all for student welfare.

Feature Image Credits: Sanyukta Singh

Shreya Juyal

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DUB Speak

A Night at Shaheen Bagh

By Shivani Dadhwal February 20, 2020

With Shaheen Bagh talked about so much and a wide spectrum of opinions, I set out to see for myself, what it is all about.

It was the 11^th of February, 2020 and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had just been declared the victors after months of campaigning leading up to the Delhi State Elections. Armed with my camera and a head full of questions I embarked on an hour-long metro ride from the Delhi University North Campus to Shaheen Bagh, the site of a continuous protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Registry for Citizens (NRC), and National Population Register (NPR).

I take the liberty to assume that everyone has at least heard of Shaheen Bagh considering the comical number of times it has been referred to by Politicians. It was as if the entire Delhi State Elections was fought on the matter of Shaheen Bagh, with promises to clear out the entire protest site within minutes if they were to come in power because of course there aren’t any other paramount issues. From a hotbed of Pakistan-sympathizing anti-nationals to a shrine of dissent and the freedom of speech and expression, the opinions on Shaheen Bagh vary wildly. However, the question still remains; Has Shaheen Bagh outlived its purpose? What drives the people who protest there, day and night? Amid accusations of being a part of the ‘tukre-tukre narrative’ or being funded by political parties or other organizations, what is the ground reality?

Upon arriving at Shaheen Bagh, it was a short walk to the protest site. I noticed “Reject CAA, NRC, NPR” posters put up on every building and shop with one restaurant even offering 10 percent off if you showed them your ‘inked’ finger, indicating you had voted, with the accompanying message ‘Not voting is not a protest, it is a surrender’. Arriving at the protest site, I was greeted by droves of protesters chanting slogans and banners criticizing the CAA, NRC, and NPR. Walking around with a camera and tripod did stir a few apprehensive looks, with many people asking me what news agency or newspaper I belonged too. Shaheen Bagh is definitely wary of journalists, and understandably so. The media hasn’t exactly been fair in its coverage of Shaheen Bagh.

Walking about the area, I stopped by a group of older men seated and enjoying a kebab roll. They struck a conversation and told me that they have been coming there on a daily basis and distributing food and water. On being asked about the accusations that the protesters are being paid or funded, they laughed and said they have been scraping together whatever little they have and raising money from people in their localities, saying it is a small sacrifice in comparison to the people out there on the road, day and night. After wishing me the best in my studies and giving me their blessings, they headed off.

Protesters camped out in tents warmly welcomed me and talked about their disappointment with the ‘fake news’ that ‘brainwashed’ people and told me that no organization or political party, but rather a spontaneous out-pour of support had kept the movement alive. They assured me that the kindness of people has kept them fed and well and joked that they have all the biryani they want. I was told the model India Gate erected there would bear the name the names of all those who lost their lives protesting against the government. One of them, who had left his job in a different city said, “Many have died for this cause, and many more will. I know that I will die first, but I hope our effort will save our country”.

One constant was an immense feeling of nationalism, political awareness and a desire to start a conversation to educate people on the issues that our county faces. Shaheen Bagh definitely won me over with its warmth and resolve to keep dissent and political discourse alive and I hope to be back soon. Inqilab Zindabad!

Featured Image Credits: Tashi Dorjay Sherpa

Tashi Dorjay Sherpa