Most people who take up History in college expect a lot from the subject. One can usually see enthusiastic first years say on the first day of college, “I want to do archaeology, hence I took up history”, “I like history as I love memorising dates”, and then one can also hear the clichéd line, “I want to crack the Civil services, hence I took up history”. Well, all first year history students should brace themselves for something completely different! History is not just about dates and wars, it’s a discipline that transcends all conventional notions of education. I am sure teachers must have already started giving out huge bibliographies to you all, which must have tired your wits out! It’s completely understandable, that after coming from diverse backgrounds and schools, you will find it difficult to initially adjust to the incessant xeroxing and fragmented readings. But like our NCERT and Frank brothers, we also have some base books for History (hons.), which will help you garner a good grounding in your subject.
But the million dollar question is: Which are the books that will help me sail my way through the first year? Don’t assume that I am creating a guide book list for all of you: this is just a preliminary guideline, to help you in your initial days through this indecipherable course called History (hons.) in Delhi University.
The first honours paper: Ancient India, seems like a very difficult paper in the beginning, but one book will save everybody’s souls and studying time- ‘A History of Ancient and Medieval India: from the stone age to the 12th century’ by Dr. Upinder Singh (yes, she is Manmohan Singh’s daughter). The name of the book may sound daunting, but trust me; it is your bible in the first year. Not only will this book save you hours of reading through subsidiary readings, it is also an excellent resource for the section on Harappa. But at the same time, it is also quite inadequate for a lot of stuff, so don’t do the mistake of reading this book alone! You can also buy R.S Sharma’s ‘Ancient Past’ if you want (but for those people who are content with buying Upinder Singh: it won’t be much of a loss). But the real joy of Ancient India comes through reading up lots of stuff, so please do not miss out on that. The paper requires a lot of debate, so make sure you read up as much as possible, so that you can substantiate your paper with relevant arguments.
The second paper: Social Formations and Cultural patterns of the Ancient and Medieval world (don’t worry about remembering the name, most of us forget it by the time we reach our third year), or popularly called, “Sofo”, can be cracked with the help of Dr. Amar Farooqui’s famous book (every student in DU reading history has read him once in their lifetime), ‘Early Social Formations’. This is undoubtedly the most comprehensive and detailed book on the subject. There is just one problem- in case your college teaches you Shang China, then the only person who can save you is K.C Chang. Otherwise, it’s Amar Farooqui all the way!
And as for the qualifying paper: Hindi, life would have been so much easier without this paper wouldn’t it? The only guidance I can suggest is guide books. They will be enough to make you pass with a decent grade. The second semester will hopefully be less hard for you all, as by then you would have learnt to navigate your way through this course and of course your college! And above everything, there are always teachers and seniors to help you all out, so keep them on your reference list too!
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Much has been said about the first ever Gyanodaya Express – the educational train journey for NSS & NCC girl students. Aimed at broadening the horizons of learning beyond the classrooms, this excursion toured Ahmedabad, Wardha, Mumbai, Goa, Bengaluru and Mysore this summer. But did the journey actually live up to all the hype? We get to you a first-hand account of Gyanodaya and an answer to that question.
July 8, 7:30 am, Safdarjung station: Aboard the Gyanodaya Express, we had little idea about the journey we were going to embark upon. Only high excitement levels. Pure adrenaline rush. A traditional welcome with shehnais and garlanding at the station awaited us followed by a warm send off by the Vice Chancellor himself. Counting heads, shifting seats, and managing the luggage, 940 girls aboard the train started their journey of knowing one’s own country, the Gandhian way!
Day long journey till our first stop, Ahmedabad, and we were all assigned multiple projects, given books and laptops with internet dongles so as to facilitate the process of preparing travelogues, book reviews and reports. The announcements of singing, sketching, photography and poetry competitions kept us on our toes. Sounds of antaksharis and dumb charades echoed the compartments and the tinkling sounds of raindrops outside made life in the moving train absolutely blissful.
July 9-10 – Destination One – Ahmedabad – We deboarded only to find Mercedes Benz buses waiting for us (ooh yeah!) to take us to our respective hotels. After wash and change, we were taken to Tri Mandir followed by Vaishno Devi Mandir (yes, Gods first, after all!). Greeted by Bapu’s three bandars, we spent the evening by the banks of the Sabarmati river at the Sabarmati Ashram which gave us a
first hand experience of life at Gandhiji’s residence.
Interactions with the students of Gujarat Vidyapeeth the next day was followed by a visit to the magnificent Akshardham Temple – an architectural delight, a beautifully carved stone edifice, surrounded by expansive gardens with the backdrop of heavy and heavenly monsoon rains. The buses took us straight back to the station – where the Gyanodaya express was waiting to be boarded for our next destination – Mumbai.
July 11-12 – Arrival at aamchi Mumbai and departure straight to The Naval Base, Colaba. Our excitement knew no bounds because well within sight were a fleet of ships and frigates of the Indian Navy all marked with initials INS – Indian Navy Ships. Our contingent was taken inside INS Viraat – the second largest ship (aircraft carrier) in the Indian Navy. The disciplined (and handsome!) Navy officers not only exhibited how a ship this big rules the sea but also gave an insight into the tough life of the defense wing of the country.
Colaba to Juhu was a journey to remember – crossing Santacruz, Ville Parle, Bandra, Marine Drive, Worli Sea Link, Taj Hotel and the ‘dwellings’ of The Ambanis, The Jindals, The Bachchans and The Khans and Kapoors caught our fancy. An evening at the Juhu Beach with friends in tow, what more could one ask for!
Day two at Mumbai began with a visit to the Marine Drive, the famous Mahalaxmi temple and the Dargah of Haji Ali. No stopping at Gateway of India while in Mumbai and giving the girls no time for shopping – surely a criminal offence of it’s kind! With long faces, we were dropped at the station at 1 pm while the train was scheduled for 6!
July 13-14 – Destination Goa, Let’s give time a break! The land of silver sands, grey rocks and rushing waters awaited the Delhi damsels! Worth a mention is our Goan Resort with the pool and spa that refreshed our tired travelling souls and the day was spent at the beautiful and picturesque Calangute, Baga and Anjuna beaches and shacks that looked majestic in the monsoon rains!
Being among the lucky few who had the opportunity to peep into the second half of the defense wing and visit the air base in Goa, found it an extraordinary experience. Fascinated by the grandeur of INS Hansa and the expertise of the Indian pilots, we saluted our security wings for safeguarding the nation. The Portuguese architecture of the Goan Churches caught our awe and the afternoon was spent at the Old Goa Church after which we returned to our hotel-on-wheels, the Gyanodaya Express!
July 15 – The Garden City of Bengaluru beckoned us! A visit to the Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) provided a sneak-peak into the space world and the working of the satellites. We made the most of our leisure free evening at Brigade road and MG Road satisfying our junk food appetite!
July 16 – City of Palaces, Mysore was our destination next! Starting with a visit to Tipu Sultan’s Museum to handicraft shopping and
buying the famous Mysore silk sarees for our mothers back home, we girls spent hours in the streets of Mysore culminating it with a visit to the Chamunda Devi Temple. Next stop was the profusely decorated Mysore Palace, the majestic, mystical and mesmerizing beauty of which left us absolutely spellbound!
July 17 – Back on the tracks (quite literally!) as it was another full day in the train heading towards Nagpur and Wardha, our last stops. The projects were in full swing with everyone occupied head on. The library-on-wheels, providing us food for soul and the doctor aboard attending the homesick-ness cases!
July 18 – Nagpur neglected, we were dropped off directly at Wardha. The university arranged for a hundred and thirty Innova cars to take us to Wardha University. Their VC addressed the DU-ites after which we headed towards the Village of Service, Sevagram. The journey in its last lap made us very ambivalent about the fact that we were returning to Delhi. While we were making the most of the last moments of being together, the night saw an unforeseen and unfortunate event of the express being looted at around 2 in the night. Laptops, purses, chains, mobiles, cameras and other valuables in coaches 8 to 15 were robbed leaving the entire train shocked and terrified in the middle of the night. In spite of high security provided by the university, the unwanted visitors had a field day as they managed to have their way. After the investigations and FIR formalities and a delay of five hours, we headed towards Destination Delhi.
The goods – We owned an entire train, the staff not only made sure we were comfortable with leaving our luggage and carrying just one bag for two days to every state but also took care of the lost and found. As promised, the buses and hotels were all air conditioned. Providing internet did help us stay connected with our family through skype besides facilitating making of the projects. Also, we stuck to the itinerary, so everything went as planned.
The bads – Food. Main problem. Food. Sure, they hired the best catering services of the railway industry and having it while in the train was never a problem, but we had little idea this food would be given to us thrice a day for 12 days, even in the hotels! But a Delhiite’s appetite is never complete without hogging on KFC, Mcdonalds, Pizza Hut and the chatpata street food – thepla, khakhra, dhokla while in Ahmedabad, panipuri and vada pav in Mumbai, Sea food in Goa and Sambhar Dosa while in Bengaluru and Mysore, we had it all by cutting on our leisure hours or getting it room delivered!
Another important thing that the trip organizers overlooked was arranging for a guide to guide. We wish the security agencies were vigilant enough not to spoil the trip of those who lost their valuables. Little hiccups here and there like not letting us wear shorts(even knee-length) on the beach or not giving us time to shop in Mumbai, did not matter much with friends around to have a merry time with!
Overall, the journey was an experience of a lifetime and also a wonderful initiative taken by the University and well conceived by Professor Dinesh Singh. Not only did it teach us lessons of trust, patience and endurance, but the unexpected and unusual intrigued us to delve into the place’s very heart as life drifted by in slow motion for us to discover its simple joys…
Surbhi Bhatia
[email protected]
54,000 students take admission in Delhi University every year. But are they all of the same kind? I don’t think so. Here I take a look at the very many facets of this unique species called “fresher”, spotted only in and around the DU campus!
(1) The “rag me!” – These freshers are the ones who come to experience the quintessential Delhi University life. They are so interested in trying out everything that is “so DU”, that they even want to be ragged! I encountered one such fresher during my college orientation; she actually stood up and told her seniors, “I want to be ragged. Shall I do a dance number?”
(2) The “chilled out!” – These types of freshers are not even remotely scared of their professors. They never submit assignments on time, their course book probably wouldn’t show signs of human touch and their short attendance would probably be excused with an easy medical certificate. They believe that college is a place where one should just take it slow, and they certainly are in no hurry to end the post-boards-enjoyment-break.
(3) The geek and nerd – The type of freshers who their college studies seriously are the ones who are mapped in this category. The only problem is, a bit too seriously. They’re always found in the library or with a professor, trying to gain an even higher level of expertise in their respective skills. No doubt, the Sheldon Coopers of DU excel in academics and are likely to get placed in a good job, but some amount of fun wouldn’t cause any harm, would it?
(4) The “I will try for every college society” – These kinds of freshers are exactly the opposite of nerds. They take every ounce of advantage that DU’s vibrant ECA circuit provides. They will audition for almost every society, and try to participate in as many activities as the college allows them to be in. They make their presence felt and are usually quite popular in their respective colleges. Probably a rare sight in classrooms, their professors might not recognize them if they ever enter the classroom (if they get a break from rehearsals that is).
(5) The social activist – This category of freshers usually comprises of the ones who aim to join politics in future. They are rarely involved in extracurricular activities, but try to make the most of student unions, organizations, Parliaments. They aim to make it to ABVP or NSUI, and hope to become the DUSU president in their final year.
(6) The “trying to fit in” – This division of freshers try hard to fit in and gel with the crowd. But at times, their efforts become a wee bit over-the-top. They will shop till they drop. Looking for the trendiest bags, tops, jewelry and other stuff that comes with a “popular in DU” tag. However, after some time, the excitement wears out and people come back to the evergreen jeans and tee combo.
See what category you fit into and tell us!
P.S. in case you’re wondering what category I belong to, I’m a mix of category 3 and 4!
Picture credits: Additi Seth]]>
Hi,I am Akshita Luthra.
My attitude is my style, when it comes to life I don’t compromise. I follow my dreams, I will get there in my own time..I am a B.A. Honors English student at Gargi College, University of Delhi.My attitude is my style, when it comes to life I don’t compromise.
I follow my dreams, I will get there in my own time…I work as the Human Resource Head with DU BEAT.
I love writing poetry and singing.
My favorite sport is cricket and favorite player is Gautam Gambhir. To interact with new people is what interests me and DU BEAT gives me the opportunity to do so on a massive scale.My job gives me immense satisfaction and I term it as the best kind of exposure that one can get at this level.
Switch. A 19-year-old clad in a khadi kurta and jeans along with his teammates, is performing a street play on ‘Whistle Blowers’ in a slum in north Delhi. Lavanya, another 19-year-old girl, from a well-off family, is teaching kids of sweepers and peons near Nehru Place metro station, while another group of 19 to 20 year olds is preparing for a flash mob in an east Delhi mall.
All these cases have one thing in common. People of the college-going age are taking up causes, and working to eradicate them.
Today’s youth has long been tagged as the ‘indifferent lot’, obsessed with technology, clothes, flashy cars, money minded to the extent that they’d pursue their higher education from the country’s top colleges and then go serve in the foreign land for the sake of heavy pay packages. This might be true for a percentage of the present generation, but the majority tells a different story. Street theatre, environmental activism, teaching underprivileged kids along with pursuing their own studies are only a few examples of the various ways by which students of the varsity are showing their patriotism. But if you go talk to them, they’d call it not flashy patriotism but would rather describe it as their duty.
Street theatre in itself is aimed at bringing to the fore a social cause and talking about it to the public. This year again, the Delhi University theatre circuit has seen a number of commendable street plays based on often-ignored issues like promotion of secularism, whistleblowing, and the problems faced by the people of north-east India.
SGTB Khalsa College’s play, ‘Dharma’ is its students’ initiative to promote secularism in the country. The play talks about the existence of unseen lines which prevent people from marrying a person of another religion, or worse, even visiting an area dominated by people of a religion whom they abhor. Intolerance towards other religions is an abomination that is prevalent especially amongst the people who call themselves educated. The play does not promote atheism or target any particular religious group, but is rather aimed at promotion of secularism amongst the people. “Religion is not a way to reach God but rather a way to live life. Religion dominates our life and through ‘Dharma’ we wish to promote religious tolerance amongst the people”, says Kunal Arora, a member of Ankur, the dramatics society of SGTB Khalsa College.
The members of Verve, the dramatics society of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, have made a street play on ‘Tu maar de seeti’ which literally translates into ‘blow the whistle’. The play revolves around the concept of whistleblowing, which is the act of telling on all sorts of wrongdoers. Abraham Lincoln had once said, “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards out of men.” Whistleblowing, rightly justifies this dictum, instead of being a passive observer, one should consider this active approach and raise his voice against all forms of oppression/injustice/wrongdoings. Another thing that instantly made these young men and women fall in love with whistleblowing as their theme is a song called ‘Bilqis’ by Rabbi Shergill. The song talks about the tragic fate of a few, then relatively unknown people, who were ruthlessly murdered for talking about the right things. A refrain from the same song goes, ‘Jinhe naaz hai Hind par wo kahan the?’ (Where were those who took pride in India?) All of the team members could easily and very strongly relate to this refrain and this has been an inspiration for them ever since.
Another striking feature of this theme is its timing and its relevance. It comes at a time when the whole nation is riding on an Anti-Corruption, patriotic sentiment. This theme tries to make people realise that they are equipped and they can actually make a difference on an individual level. “The idea behind performing this play was never for garnering acclaim or winning competitions, it was more of an endeavour by a few college students to actually set things in motion and harness the power of street theatre to bring about change. As soon as we could, we took this act to the streets between ordinary people and tried to share our vision with them. This play has already been performed at Hauz Khas Village, Chandrawal Village and Green Park area in New Delhi. This is also our tribute to those martyrs who were killed for making the right noises”, says Rohit Benival, a member of Verve, the dramatics society of SSCBS.
“Our biggest motivation is a sense of patriotism and consequently, the biggest reward is somebody actually absorbing the essence of our act. In our act, we use whistles as a symbol for raising our voices against all things wrong. The simple message that we try to communicate is: whenever you see something wrong happening, don’t stay quiet, blow the whistle! After one of our performances in Chandrawal village, a kid, somewhere around ten- eleven years of age, came running towards one of our actors and said, “Can you give me your whistle? Our canteen-wala (School caterer) charges extra for bad food. I will blow the whistle””, he adds.
North-east India has always been considered a region unsafe to visit, while the problems of the people living there have always been ignored. “Our play, ‘Ugte Suraj ka Sapna’ talks about how the people of the north-eastern part of the country are still fighting for their existence in the “mainland India”, as they say. It depicts the discrimination of the people of that specific region. It also discusses the loopholes in the constitution regarding that area. It shows the disparities between the rights of northeast people and the rest of Indians. The region has faced decades of ignorance from the media. None of the major movements have been covered by the media. It has failed to capture the 11 year long hunger strike/struggle of Irom Sharmilla against the law. The centre point of the play is that the common man of north-east India gets sandwiched between the pressure of insurgence and the implications of AFSPA and they still have hope for a new morning,” says Ayushi Aggarwal, a member of Manchatantra, the dramatics society of SGGSCC. “It has been years and they haven’t seen the dawn. It’s high time for the sun to rise in the north-eastern part of the country. Our slogan is ‘Save Democracy, Repeal AFSPA’”, she signs off.
Lavanya Julaniya, a second year student of Miranda House has an interesting and inspiring story to tell. Lavanya attended the Global Youth Summit in London in January, 2009.
Global Changemakers was founded in 2007 when six young activists, brought together by the British Council, were invited to lend the ‘voice of youth’ to the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum. Since then, the network has grown to a community of over 730 Changemakers in 121 countries world-wide. The mission of the programme is to empower youth to catalyse positive social change and to bring together social entrepreneurs. It has expanded since its inception, and is now built on three pillars: Learning, Doing and Advocacy.
Amaani, meaning aspirations in Arabic was envisioned at the Global Youth Summit after seeing so many young people take action in their own communities to bring about a positive change. Amaani is a non-profit teaching initiative for disadvantaged children who do not otherwise have the means to obtain quality education. Amaani is supported by the British Council’s Global Changemakers Programme and is collaboration with Leaps and Bounds institute. Amaani breaks from the conventional class room teaching and classes are conducted with hands on models and experiments. Creative and innovative methods are used in order to facilitate growth in the child’s knowledge and imagination. Fun workshops are conducted from topics ranging from subjects like astronomy, botany, zoology, history, geography, literature; all are part of the curriculum. A nature table, story time and celebrating festivals are integral to the program. It roughly takes about a month’s time to complete one project. At present there are four centres running in New Delhi – evening classes for children of workers, sweepers, peons etc at St. Stephen’s College, SRCC, Hansraj. The fourth centre is outside Nehru Place metro station where such workshops and teaching is organised for children who live in the nearby slums and often beg all day.
Rohit Beniwal, Kunal Arora, Ayushi Aggarwal, and Lavanya Julaniya are only a few names. There are thousands of more young people who in contrast to the general perception about the youth are coming forward to show their love for the country, and spreading out their message through their work.
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Post graduate students of MA/MSc Mathematics and BSc Physical and Life Sciences held a demonstration outside the VC’s office earlier this Friday to protest the irregular conduct of classes and push for an inquiry into the semester results. They alleged that a faculty member teaching ‘Measure Theory and Integration’, had been absent since the start of the current semester and that the students had already lost three weeks. The students also conveyed that their seniors had also suffered because of the same teacher in the last semester.
“The department is yet to take any steps”, Prof. Bal Kishan Das, the HOD of Mathematics of Delhi University was quoted saying. “The issue is on record of the university and they are looking into the matter. The department heads can only report things to the university, they can’t take any further steps.
“The department is conscious of the students’ requirements and demands. I had personally assured the students that they will not have to suffer. But they seem to have lost their cool.”
On asking the reason why the teacher hasn’t turned up 3 weeks into the semester, he said, “The teacher seems to be having some issues with the department. But I had mentioned this earlier as well that these things should be sought out as a different issue altogether”
Everybody is supposed to perform their specific duties, which they are, except for this particular teacher. Every time the issue was brought to notice, the department took cognizance of the situation and came out with a solution. There was a little gap, yes. But ultimately something was done to fix the problem.”
Another protest outside the VC’s office saw a strength of around 200 students of the third semester of BSc Physical and Life Sciences. The students demanded an inquiry into the semester results where 73% of the students had not cleared the exam. The students were accompanied by the DUSU President, Ajay Chhikara.
“The result has been extremely poor. Only 22-23% of the students have passed. And what is surprising is, that the students whose results showed that they had passed till morning, the website suddenly showed them as ‘failed’ by the night. This clearly goes to show that the results have been regulated. Therefore, we are protesting against this”, said Ajay Chhikara.
He further said, “The same problem had occurred last few times as well, with this very course. The syllabus is quite heavy and has not been moderated according to the semester system. I also feel that more importance and priority was given to the first semester results as the university wanted to show the success of the new ‘semester system’. And because of this the second years have been neglected, which can have a heavy impact on their futures.”
For all those who missed out in August, AIESEC in Delhi University’s February recruitment has kicked off and if you’re someone whose unsure of what the organisation is all about, how you can apply and the kind of work that one is required to do, we provide you a rather candid insight into the functioning of the organisation.
Present in over 110 countries and territories and with over 60,000 members, AIESEC is the world’s largest student-run organisation. AIESEC India currently has 24 local chapters namely Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Baroda, Bhubeneshwar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Deccan, Delhi IIT, Goa, Hyderabad, IIT KGP, Indore, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Kochi, Kolkatta, Lucknow, Manipal University, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Vidyanagar and Delhi University.
An AIESEC aspirant will have to go through a three round process which will include; a group discussion, team activity and personal interview. Group discussions have officially started today, the team activity will be a simulation of the work that AIESEC does, and the personal interviews will commence at a later stage. AIESEC Delhi University stands out in the national circuit for its innovative thought process and creativity, and so, thinking out of the box and having excellent communication skills will be essential to crack the personal interview.
“We at AIESEC engage people from all over the world to achieve meaningful ends. Its all about the experience. If you say you’re with AIESEC, you can be: a) doing an internship in any country of any continent, except Antartica, b) providing international human resource to companies like TCS c) running your own social development project d) doing a lot of cool value adding stuff like sales, marketing, design, communication, public relations e) having fun in life“, says Adhiraj Singh, Local Committee President(E), AIESEC in Delhi University.
He further puts an AIESEC stereotype to rest and states, “The popular belief among DU students is that AIESEC is a party organisation. And I must say that they’re right. We do party. But they miss the complete story, we work and party and thats the cool part about us. We don’t get paid for what we do (don’t frown please, we do get reimbursed) but for us AIESEC moments are worth a life time. So if you’re someone who wants to connect, learn and contribute, or simply want an awesome C.V. Then are three words for you, AIESEC Delhi University”
Still not convinced? Megha Dasgupta (Vice President, Talent Management, AIESEC DU) tells us why one should not miss out on this opportunity, “At 20, I managed the human resource of a 200 member Local Chapter, with knowledge of and experience with HR operations ranging from talent planning, induction, training and performance management. I have always been passionate about societal development and got an opportunity to lead a 10 member organizing committee that planned and delivered the social impact event “Udaan”, an initiative of AIESEC in Delhi University to bring out the artist in every child by providing underprivileged children in our city, the opportunity to exhibit their dormant talents by expressing them through cultural workshops and competitions and direct them towards quality educational opportunities, giving me holistic event management experience, with focus areas ranging from logistics, event funding, partnerships, working with NGOs and under privileged schools in Delhi and NCR”
She further adds, “AIESEC life is surreal. The whole journey and experience is inexplicable. Its a revelation every single day; be it the people, the work or the environment”
If you’re the lucky one who gets to call him/herself an AIESECer, you will get to work in one of the following departments of AIESEC in Delhi University.
Corporate Relations
The corporate relations department of AIESEC DU is the best in AIESEC India. It provides international interns to corporate fulfilling their short term HR requirements. Some of the clients are TAJ, TCS, FORTIS.
Development Sector
This department works for the welfare of the society by undertaking various social projects and also by providing interns to the NGO’s. It runs various projects on wide spread issues like Casteism, Environment, Child and Women Empowerment. The local chapter through one of its projects is also sponsoring the education of 30 children in Seemapuri
Educational Sector
It runs various projects in premier institutes and schools across Delhi and NCR, focusing on soft skill development, cultural education and language training.
Outgoing Exchange Sector
This department works in sending Indian students on international exchange programmes. It offers management, technical and social internships to students.
External Relations
This department handles sponsorships and various external partnerships for AIESEC DU.
Communications and Information Management
This departments handles the external branding of AIESEC DU, working with various media houses. Some of the organizations they’ve worked with are MTV, Red FM, NDTV.
Talent Management
This department manages the HR of the organisation handling 200 odd people.
Finance
This department manages the administration and finances of the organization. Also works on preparing and maintaining the budgets hosted by the organization.
So if you’re from North Campus or a student of LSR, Gargi or DCAC, or if you study in Amity University or any other private institution and want to be a part of the world’s largest youth run organization, then register here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEVvU25WTFY4SFJKQW45ckp0dmZBRWc6MQ#gid=0AIESEC in Delhi University- Recruitment Registrations , 2012″
DAY 1 (16th January, 2011)
The Dramatics Society of Shri Ram College of Commerce with their sweatshirts reading ‘100 percent cut off, 200 percent dramebazi’, began the first day of their annual fest ‘Histronica’ by singing their official ‘Oha!’ song. Though the event got delayed as a consequence of campus placements going on in the college, as well as the Indo-US meet, the fervour and energy was soon on display as they filled the air with calls of ‘aao aao..natak dekho…srcc ka..natak dekho’ in tandem with their dafli beats.
The main event of the day , ‘The Street Play Festival’ began soon after. With a stupendous footfall of hundreds of people, the street play festival was filled with scintillating performances by CBS,Hindu,IP (for women), Hansraj, SRCC, DRC, Khalsa and GGS. The street plays through their songs, squeals, screams, calls and subtle satire, spoke of a wide array of themes such as whistle blowing, child abuse, right to education to name a few. The event was judged by Ms.Tejaswini (LSR passout currently practising street theatre in Law Faculty) ,Soumyajeet (Indian representative for Lok Theatre Group) and Mr.Shirish (works with National School of Drama).
Plays titled ‘Tu maar de seeti’ (cbs), ‘zaruarurat kyat hi ‘(hindu),’albert pinto ko gussa kyun aata hai’ (ip for women), ‘dharm’(khalsa), ‘laalsa’(hansraj), ’prathmik’(srcc), ’ugte suraj ka sapna’(ggs), ’mehfooz’(drc) kept the crowd gripped and staring on in awe at the sheer brilliance of it all.
Students devoured on food at the various stalls which included Kolkata Biryani House, Dominos, Brown Sugar and Kwality Walls. After the street play exhibition, the side events commenced. The main filler events were –Shutter (photography event), Twister (game) and Poem Writing. With a staggering participation of 100 students in shutters, 150 students in twister and 35 students in poem writing, the competition was palpable at the fest.
Later as the evening progressed, it started to rain. The judges sat with the teams for comments and suggestions till 9 pm and in their 3 hours dialogue they expressed how they loved the creativity exhibited in the performances. In a well decorated college with ‘angeethis’ to warm the students in the evening, an intellectually stimulating talk with the judges was the perfect way to call it a day.
Navika Chaudhary, member of the SRCC dramsoc, went on to say, “drama is more than just a passion, it’s a way of life, and the dedication and commitment with which the teams performed today proved exactly that.”
With the sounds of “o baake chunar…munariya hoye…o baake ammi boli hoye…o beta…jeet ke aana..’ still in their hearts, everyone went home a winner.
DAY 2 (17th January, 2011)
The second day of the SRCC dramsoc fest ‘Histronica’ was as thrilling and eventful as the first. With more people coming in, despite the chilly winds and extremely cold weather; it was the day for stage plays. The entrance to the college was elaborately decorated with painted matkas and masquerade masks.
The list of people judging these plays is worth a separate mention. The first being Geeta Sudan who herself happens to be an SRCC alumnus and is presently a director at Paradine. She has also acted in accomplished films such as ‘No One Killed Jessica’ and ‘Udaan’. The second being Deepak Dhamija who is currently an entrepreneur, as well as the founder of Shoelace Production. He has also directed 10 plays. The third being Amrita Laalji, who teaches theatre at Shri Ram School and National Open School. She also happens to teach a practical course in ‘drama in exploration’ in Delhi University.
After a warm welcome to the judges, the four plays commenced in the auditorium. The acting was par brilliance and so were the themes and scripts. The sets only added to the sheer brilliance of it all. SRCC performed ‘The Untitled,kyunki kuch cheezon ka zikr nahi kiya jaa sakta’ centred around the electra complex. The second was a brilliant adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel ‘A Mousetrap’ and was titled ‘The Three Blind Mice’. The third play titled ‘Mr.Kolpert’ was a dark comedy and was presented by Ramjas. The last play was based on schizophrenia, was titled ‘Uss Paar’ and was acted out by the team of Hindu College.
Once the plays ended, the judges as well as the audience lauded the efforts of the teams and the judges went on thave a discussion with them. In the dialogue that followed they said that the script of ‘The Untitled’ was commendable because the concept of electra complex is difficult to portray, therefore writing a script on it was a brave move. Also Hindu and Ramjas were appreciated for their remarkable acting. And the adaptation of script of the ‘Three Blind Mice’ was exalted as well.
This was followed by a musical rendition by Harpreet Singh as well as a magictricks performance by Karan Singh. The filler event which happened later was ‘Ad Mad’ and it was won by Akshay and Mariam from Hindu College. They won Rs.1000 and special mugs sponsored by Worlds of Wonder.
It was yet another brilliant day hosted by SRCC’s dramsoc. And in Ayusha Kaul’s (who is a part of SRCC dramsoc) words ,”drama is life,you must live it well,enough said.” This was definitely another ‘well lived’ day.
Mannat Sandhu
[email protected]
“I’m going back to basics
To where it all began
I’m ready now to face it
I wanna understand”
So go the lyrics of a popular song by Christina Aguilera, and the same line of thought was followed by the students of the Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, lovingly called DCAC, who in their maiden attempt at hosting a Model United Nations (MUN) conference, titled DMUNC (hosted between August 26-28), made sure they stood out from the rest.
For all those who are clueless about what MUNs are, we give you the official definition by the United Nations Association of the USA: “The Model United Nations is a simulation of the United Nations system. Students assume the roles of ambassadors to the United Nations and debate the current issues on the UN’s agenda. Through diplomacy and negotiation, Model UN students seek ways that the world community can deal with complex global concerns such as the environment, economic development, refugees, AIDS, conflict resolution, disarmament and human rights. Young people of all backgrounds and walks of life participate in these educational exercises to experience first-hand decision-making processes and diplomatic work at the United Nations.”
MUNing has become a verb in its own right and over the last few decades, it has seen a rapid increase in popularity amongst school and college students alike. For those who are frequent MUNers, it is nothing less than an addiction. For proof, search Facebook for a page titled ‘MUN Addicts Anonymous’. From actor Samuel L. Jackson to Chelsea Clinton (Don’t ask us who she is), many popular faces in law, arts and business have MUNed in their early years. Many claim that they have benefitted from this experience and it is regarded as a very engaging means to the development of important skills such as research, public speaking, problem-solving, cooperation, formal interaction and reporting. In India, the earliest MUNs were given an impetus by law schools, which deem it necessary for their students to have this experience. However, it wasn’t long before other colleges caught on, and schools followed suit too. College MUNs saw a relatively freer atmosphere than MUNs at the school level, because of the evident difference between the conduct of a school student and a college student, and it is a widely held opinion that school MUNs are relatively “stricter” in their rules and manner of running.
MUNs at the university level often witness a lot of frolicking and merriment, where flirtatious or cheeky exchanges between delegates abound in the formal course of the conference. Punning, mocking, innuendos and double-meaning statements are even more commonplace. While MUN Purists regard this playfulness as “degeneration” of MUN values, more liberal MUNers look forward to it as a good way of making new friends and added social interaction. Whether this takes away from the core spirit of an MUN, which involves stimulating debates and intense research, is a contentious question. Purists also believe that over the years, the quality of research and training, which a delegate ought to undertake before every MUN conference, has also seen a plunge. Participants are thought to be more concerned about the lunch timings than what they are presenting.
Sidharth Das, regarded as one of the best MUNers in the country (with a profile that boasts of 35+ MUNs), Secretary General of DMUNC ’11 and President of DCAC’s MUN society ‘MUNitions’, says about this degeneration: “A major difference between now and then is that almost every delegate was trained properly prior to an MUN and the difference between a trained delegate and the others was clearly visible when they stepped into council. Hours were spent in front of the computer reading through all possible documents that might help us in the council, that might give us an understanding of our countries’ foreign policy, or a flaw in another’s which we might point out and question them on.” He goes on to talk about the current scenario where most just browse through Wikipedia for information, how many are unaware of the rules of procedure, take greater pleasure in passing chits than raising a noteworthy point, and adds “While there isn’t anything wrong with having fun, but perhaps fun at the expense of the purpose of the Conference is a flaw that needs correction.”
When Das announced DMUNC, everyone knew it would be something to look forward to. And he proved them right by conducting a conference that followed the philosophy of “Back to Basics”, ensuring that everything in the conference would be just like a school MUN, minus any frivolity and solely for the purpose of competitive and stimulating debating. It was an effort that was much commended, and nobody could deny that delegates were enjoying the intellectual challenges posed to them.
It was an effort that was much commended, and nobody could deny that delegates were enjoying the intellectual challenges posed to them. Prakriti Kargeti, Undersecretary General, accrues the success of the conference to Das’ dedication and commitment, and adds that all their hard work and almost unfairly “rigorous sessions” of training paid off, enabling them to host an event that broke away from the tradition of contemporary Indian MUNs, from the initial application process to the closing ceremony.
No wonder so many tagged it as the ‘Das Model United Nations Conference’!
Aayushi Sinha
[email protected]
A Rap on the Wrist for DUTA
The Delhi High Court on 15th November reprimanded the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA)
for striking work and not holding classes in protest against the implementation of the semester system.
The court directive comes after a large portion of the academic year being interrupted by recurring
strikes and demonstrations.
The Division bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said, “Education cannot be thrown into the
ocean by these teachers, who are taking the law into their hands by going on strike. The rule of law
has to prevail and teachers are bound to follow the instructions of the University administration”,
while directing teachers to return to their classes and conduct classes in accordance with the semester
system. The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by Professor M R Gupta against the
teachers who had been on an indefinite strike since October 25th. DUTA was a respondent in this
particular PIL.
Even though this is an interim order, members of DUTA expressed their dismay at the court’s orders.
Said Ms Ujjaini, “We are definitely disappointed since the court has failed to recognize our motive. We
have been against the Semester System for two reasons. The first was the fact that it would lead to the
dilution of the academic standards and its implementation is seen as a ruling out of skilled technicians
from India’s premier league universities.”
The High court also put on hold the semester exams which were scheduled to begin on the 6th of
December, in light of long strikes and the controversial issues concerning the new system. This
prolonged the uncertainty shrouding the exams and prompted confusion among the students of several
colleges. As late as Saturday, reports of some colleges holding exams in January, while others continuing
with the December schedule kept trickling in. A clearer picture will emerge after the University sends
all colleges a communiqué in the matter. Internal exams are likely to be postponed by at least a week, if
not more.
As far as the allegations of procedural and legal violations in the implementation of the system are
concerned, the High Court adjourned the matter till the next hearing which is to be held on the 13th of
December. A member of DUTA, who did not wish to be named said, “DUTA will file their complaints
regarding the violations of law and procedure by the administration in the semester system before the
next hearing. As far as future course of action goes, there are two things that need to be done. Outside
the court, we will continue to spread awareness and sensitize all the stakeholders about our stand
against the semester system. Inside the court, the legal recourse that DUTA now plans to take has not
been decided. We are consulting our lawyers in the matter and can take any action necessary, whether
it is approaching the Supreme Court or filing a separate plea in the High Court itself.”
In the meanwhile, some teachers also expressed their dissatisfaction with the recent events. Said
Mukul Manglik of the History Department of Ramjas College, “In the last 6 months, the University has
gone to court over an academic issue. This is a most disturbing trend. For the University to support a
PIL lodged by an outsider is equally unsettling. An issue that affects the intellectual and academic life
of the University should be resolved within the University itself. A University is a place for debate and
discussion and the semester issue should be resolved in a similar manner. The lack of discussion sets a
dangerous precedent for the University, and for the society at large.”
-Surabhi Mall
Devika Dutt
The Delhi High Court on 15th November reprimanded the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA)
for striking work and not holding classes in protest against the implementation of the semester system.
The court directive comes after a large portion of the academic year being interrupted by recurring
strikes and demonstrations.
The Division bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said, “Education cannot be thrown into the
ocean by these teachers, who are taking the law into their hands by going on strike. The rule of law
has to prevail and teachers are bound to follow the instructions of the University administration”,
while directing teachers to return to their classes and conduct classes in accordance with the semester
system. The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by Professor M R Gupta against the
teachers who had been on an indefinite strike since October 25th. DUTA was a respondent in this
particular PIL.
Even though this is an interim order, members of DUTA expressed their dismay at the court’s orders.
Said Ms Ujjaini, “We are definitely disappointed since the court has failed to recognize our motive. We
have been against the Semester System for two reasons. The first was the fact that it would lead to the
dilution of the academic standards and its implementation is seen as a ruling out of skilled technicians
from India’s premier league universities.”
The High court also put on hold the semester exams which were scheduled to begin on the 6th of
December, in light of long strikes and the controversial issues concerning the new system. This
prolonged the uncertainty shrouding the exams and prompted confusion among the students of several
colleges. As late as Saturday, reports of some colleges holding exams in January, while others continuing
with the December schedule kept trickling in. A clearer picture will emerge after the University sends
all colleges a communiqué in the matter. Internal exams are likely to be postponed by at least a week, if
not more.
As far as the allegations of procedural and legal violations in the implementation of the system are
concerned, the High Court adjourned the matter till the next hearing which is to be held on the 13th of
December. A member of DUTA, who did not wish to be named said, “DUTA will file their complaints
regarding the violations of law and procedure by the administration in the semester system before the
next hearing. As far as future course of action goes, there are two things that need to be done. Outside
the court, we will continue to spread awareness and sensitize all the stakeholders about our stand
against the semester system. Inside the court, the legal recourse that DUTA now plans to take has not
been decided. We are consulting our lawyers in the matter and can take any action necessary, whether
it is approaching the Supreme Court or filing a separate plea in the High Court itself.”
In the meanwhile, some teachers also expressed their dissatisfaction with the recent events. Said
Mukul Manglik of the History Department of Ramjas College, “In the last 6 months, the University has
gone to court over an academic issue. This is a most disturbing trend. For the University to support a
PIL lodged by an outsider is equally unsettling. An issue that affects the intellectual and academic life
of the University should be resolved within the University itself. A University is a place for debate and
discussion and the semester issue should be resolved in a similar manner. The lack of discussion sets a
dangerous precedent for the University, and for the society at large.”
-Surabhi Mall
Devika Dutt