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Best of Delhi University 2016: Personalities who visited DU

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The University of Delhi is a dynamic place to be, and records new highs with various achievements but also new lows with several controversial issues taking place every year. With another academic session coming to its end, we bring to you another edition of The Best and Worst of Delhi University series.

This academic year has seen personalities from various walks of life, who have achieved a remarkable measure of success in their respective fields, sharing their thought – provoking ideas with Delhi University’s student community. From stand-up comedy to business, politics and film-making, visiting personalities have provided insights into their work and lives, leaving valuable advice and enriching the college experience of students. We take a look at the well – known personalities who visited DU this year, contributing to the potpourri of cultures, visions and ideas that the University embodies.

1. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kapil Dev, Varun Agarwal and other stars at SRCC Youth Conference

September 2015: The annual Youth Conference at SRCC, with the theme ‘And the victor carries on’ saw the presence of several eminent personalities. An interactive session with cricketing legend Kapil Dev revealed his love for the sport as he encouraged students to follow their passion. Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui spoke about his early days and struggles as a budding actor in Bombay. Founder of Alma Mater, Varun Agarwal, shared his insights on his book ‘How I Met Anu Aunty and Co-Founded a Million Dollar Company’ and motivated the audience to refrain from procrastinating. Comedian Biswa Kalyan Rath of the ‘Pretentious Movie Reviews’ fame kept the audience engaged with his wise cracks on enthusiatic festival celebrations. Abish Mathew’s song on how youngsters shouldn’t waste their lives over drugs left the audience in splits.

Biswa Kalyan Rath at the SRCC Youth Conference
Biswa Kalyan Rath at the SRCC Youth Conference

Read the full coverage here.

2. Kiran Bedi at IPCW

September 2015: Former IPS officer, social activist, and politician, Kiran Bedi, was the Chief Guest at Indraprastha College for Women, as part of the Pink Chain Campaign, an initiative by Punarjeevan to spread awareness on breast cancer. She emphasised on the need to prioritise health and check-ups, keeping in mind the busy schedules of the youth in current times.

Kiran Bedi
Kiran Bedi

Read the full report here.

3. Markandey Katju and Subramanian Swamy at KMC’s ‘India 2020’

September 2015: Former Supreme Court Justice and Press Council of India Chairman, Markandey Katju’s address flagged off ‘India Vision 2020’, organised by the Round Table society at Kirori Mal College. He spoke of the significance of a modern, rational, scientific and inquisitive mind, with references to several anecdotes and instances from history. He lamented the pitiable state of affairs of the parliament, bureaucracy and media in India. Former Cabinet Minister Subramanian Swamy also addressed the gathering. Replete with witticisms, he put forth the hope for India as a developed country, provided we get our act together.

Markandey Katju
Markandey Katju

Read the full article here.

4. Abish Mathew at Entreyug’15, Jesus and Mary College

November 2015: Comedian Abish Mathew’s rib-tickling act was an entertaining conclusion to Entreyug’15, conducted by Entrepreneurship Cell, Jesus and Mary College, in collaboration with the E-Cell, Delhi College of Art and Commerce. Following speakers like Vineet Taneja, CEO of Micromax, and Rajat Jain, former MD of Walt Disney, Abish Mathew enthralled the audience with his typical brand of humour.

Abish Mathew
Abish Mathew

Read the full report here.

5. ‘Ask Sundar Pichai’ at SRCC

December 2015: Shri Ram College of Commerce hosted Google CEO, Sundararajan Pichai, who addressed a crowd of over 2000 students, in a session moderated by commentator, Harsha Bhogle. Mr. Pichai emphasised upon the importance of doing something that one is excited by, and using every opportunity to reinvent ourselves. He shared his vision for Google and his hope of making technology a one-stop solution to every problem. On being asked about his 12th standard percentage, Pichai quipped that it would not be enough to get him into SRCC.

Sundar Pichai
Sundar Pichai

Read the full report here.

6. Najeeb Jung, Papon and East India Company at Ramjas College’s centennial celebrations

January 2016: Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung stressed the need to think freely as citizens of a country that is progressing, as the Chief Guest on the first day of the celebration held to mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Ramjas College. Papon, founding member of Assamese band East India Company, enthralled the audience along with his band, with their lively performance and energetic beats.

Papon
Papon

Read the full report here.

7. Boman Irani at St. Stephen’s College

January 2016: The Entrepreneurship Cell, St. Stephen’s College, organised ‘The Journey,’ a talk by film actor Boman Irani. In the course of the inspirational talk, Mr. Irani spoke about his anecdotal journey and the power of dedication, perseverance, and dreaming big. His unique tongue-in-cheek style of humour, along with personal experiences, kept the audience hooked onto every word of his motivational address.

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Boman Irani

8. Durjoy Dutta and Ravinder Singh at SRCC’s Literary Festival

February 2016: Zephyr, the Literary Festival conducted by the English Literary Society at Shri Ram College of Commerce, saw author Durjoy Dutta explaining to the audience his initial dreams of becoming a writer and its gradual fulfillment. Bestselling author Ravinder Singh of ‘I Too Had a Love Story’ fame motivated the students to pursue their dreams, through his interactive session with the audience.

Durjoy Dutta and Ravinder Singh
Durjoy Dutta and Ravinder Singh

Read the full report here.

9. Sheila Dixit at SRCC’s Odyssey’16

February 2016: The annual fest, Odyssey 2016, was held by the History and Political Science society, Shri Ram College of Commerce, with the theme ‘The changing face of Indian society – the good and the bad.’ The inaugural talk was by Mrs. Sheila Dixit, former Chief Minister of Delhi, whose interactive session with the audience saw her facing questions on the comparative policies of the current government in Delhi to that of her government.

Sheila Dixit (Image credits: veethi.com)
Sheila Dixit (Image credits: veethi.com)

Read the full report here.

10. Prof. Irfan Habib and Anjolie Ela Menon at the Academic Conclave, St. Stephen’s College

February 2016: Ancient and medieval Indian history stalwart, Professor Irfan Habib, addressed the Academic Conclave as its plenary speaker on the day of its commencement, on the topic ‘The National Movement and its Legacy.’ He quipped that, “After 1947, every coward can be a patriot.”

Leading contemporary artist, Anjolie Ela Menon, discussed the history of the patronage of art.

Irfan Habib
Irfan Habib

Read the full report here.

11. Adi Godrej, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Nitin Gadkari and others at the SRCC Business Conclave

February 2016: SRCC’s Business Conclave saw a host of eminent personalities addressing the audience. In his session, BJP party leader Nitin Gadkari spoke of the importance of the youth in nation – building. Sunil Bharti Mittal, CEO of Bharti Enterprises, shared stories of his struggles and success. Medha Patkar, an activist for Narmada Bachao Andolan highlighted the importance of human resource saying, “Money alone cannot give you the suit on your body, the paper we use and even the currency notes.”

Adi Godrej, from Godrej Group, spoke on how fundamental enforced legislation is to the growth of the country but how often too many rules and regulations can also slow down the process of growth. The concluding speaker at the 3-day event was actor Rishi Kapoor. When asked about Bollywood, he said, “The business of cinema is huge. The only entertainment after cinema is sex.”

Eminent personalities at the SRCC Business Conclave
Eminent personalities at the SRCC Business Conclave

Read the full report here.

12. SRK visits Hans Raj College

February 2016: Bollywood superstar and Hans Raj Alumni Shahrukh Khan visited his college in the month of February to promote his much anticipated flick- Fan. The actor was also felicitated with the degree of graduation which he completed back in 1988.

 

 

13. Meera Nair and Onir at St. Stephen’s College

March 2016: Directors Mira Nair and Onir visited St. Stephen’s College for a screening of their respective films, Reluctant Fundamentalist and I am Omar. The screening, held by the Gender Studies Cell, St. Stephen’s College, in collaboration with Engendered, was followed by an interactive session with the two directors. Mira Nair spoke of the “need to express oneself with absolute boldness.” “We must tell our stories for, if we don’t, nobody will,” she pointed out. Onir also spoke of the importance of self-expression irrespective of whether or not it pleases anybody else. “An artist cannot paint their canvas according to what pleases everybody,” he said.

Mira Nair and Onir
Mira Nair and Onir

Stay tuned for more articles within the series!

Abhinaya Harigovind

[email protected]

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Bazinga

Delhi University set to give ‘phone a friend’ option during exams 

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Delhi University and its administration have been through a couple of topsy-turvy years, resulting in each of the three current batches operating under different programs- the ex- Four Year Undergraduate Program, the Three Year Program, and the Choice Based Credit System. With a new Vice Chancellor in power, the university seems eager to leave behind this mess and enter the next academic session with a clean slate. The buzz is that DU might introduce a ‘phone a friend’ option during exams to help all students pass so that the current lot studying in these mismatched programs graduate as soon as possible.

The university’s eagerness to wash hands off the ex- FYUP batch became apparent when they issued a notification last semester passing every student, even those who hadn’t even filled out examination forms. Speaking exclusively to our correspondent, a senior professor, Ms. Halka Alka said, “We have held many meetings this semester thinking of how to get rid of this batch of guinea pigs. After narrowing it down to allowing either pharre or the phone a friend option, we are leaning towards the latter because the method has been promoted by superstars and DU alumni, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan on their TV show.”

Time stipulations and a restriction on the number of calls are yet to be announced but as Ms. Halka Alka further divulged, “We want to pass all students, but we can’t make the phone a friend lifeline too easy an option. After all, we strictly condemn cheating!” Like always, the Delhi CM seems to have sniffed out the real scam behind this lifeline option, claiming that the government has colluded with telecom giant UnReliance to make money off the aam students through these phone calls.

Disclaimer : Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. You will still have to rely on old methods to pass these examinations (we mean studying, of course)!

 

Vani Vivek

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

Delhi University – Proceed with caution

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To be very honest, most people who’ve been posting how they are going to miss college post graduation are lying. The reasons might differ, but they’re lying alright. I agree there are a few people who are legit distressed about graduating (already?!) but a few of us are actually very glad that this is happening. I am just concerned that I don’t see more of people like that. Instead, all I have on my news feed are emotional messages about how transforming the past three years have been. Personally, they sucked. Somewhat yes. Maybe truly.

We all entered this phase of our lives with bright eyes and high hopes of getting a taste of what it’s like being in the ‘real world.’ Instead, regulations even worse than our school life greeted us. While the course curriculum remains as weak as ever (FYUP, give me that one year of my life back), placements are as ineffective as the administration even in some of the ‘better colleges,’ and extra-curriculars are restricted to dramatics and dancing.

I know everyone knows this already but what I don’t understand is how easily people are choosing to ignore that as we are graduating. This was not the ‘DU experience’ I was given hopes for, this will not be why I’ll ever put my younger sibling through all the Class 12 boards’ pressure. It’s simply not worth it.

While there are opportunities for you to build on your talents and creative genius in several extra-curricular activities, they are not the only parts of an amazing collegiate experience. Other factors like academics, infrastructure, volunteering opportunities, skill-training workshops, business seminars and conferences are all overshadowed and dwarfed each year. That is not acceptable.

I know leaving an institution is always a tricky affair because as you leave a certain place you also have to bid goodbye to a regular sense of comfort and certainty. Personally, I could not be more ready for it. By that, I don’t mean even slightly, I have my life plans all figured out. Thanks to DU and the FYUP debacle, some of us may take longer to get our plans right. What I mean instead is that being in as ‘floopy’ an environment as DU has opened my eyes to see beyond just the ‘stage moments’ of an institution.

As another batch of students enter Delhi University in the next semester, I want to caution them to proceed with the utmost care. Don’t just give into the media hype of being in Delhi or in DU. Decide your future course of action carefully and base it on your research. Look for the courses you’re applying to (hopefully you’ll get to do them all unlike the FYUP batch) and look for the academic faculty in colleges. These are important decisions, and an informed decision can only make the next three years of your life (consequently your next 5 years and 10 years and so on) better.

Just saying.

Signing off, your overly enthusiastic about graduating Senior,

Surbhi Arora

[email protected]

Featured Image: theodysseyonline.com

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Arts & Culture

Delhi Odia Students Association (DOSA) celebrates ‘Utkal Divas’

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Delhi University has been a home to a variety of students who come from various states of India. They bring with them various cultures, languages and regionalism, which constructs an image of a multi-cultural India in most of the classrooms across colleges. The Odia students of Delhi University celebrated ‘Utkal Divas’ on 1st April at Ramakrishna Hall of Institute of Economic Growth. The event was marked with a speaker session followed by Odiya music and popular mouth-watering regional sweet ‘Chenna Poda’.

The speaker session, based on the theme, ‘Odisha’s contribution towards development of India in 21st Century’, started with an introductory speech by Sibananda Mishra, a member of DOSA who spoke about how Odisha has overcome its problems in the past and its rich contribution in India’s cultural panorama. This was followed by the address of Dr. Arun Kumar Rath, an ex-bureaucrat who was one of the key persons behind the Right To Education Act, 2009(RTE 2009).  Mr. Rath spoke about how Odisha’s educational demographics have significantly changed in the past years.

IMG-20160401-WA0034
Eminent speakers present at ‘Utkal Divas’ spoke about Odisha’s contribution in India’s development

This was followed by an interactive speech by Tapas Dasmohapatra who asked the audience to learn the importance of support in one’s life. Being one of the most popular motivational speakers, he inspired the audience to go after their dreams with both their efforts and support of others.

This was followed by the address of Dr. Manoj Panda, director of Institute of Economic Growth (IEG). He gave an academic account of how Odisha has contributed significantly in the industrial growth of the country. He also discussed about other problems like urban migration and its solutions in context of Odisha.

This was followed by vote of thanks by Arya Tripathi, a student of KMC and a member of DOSA. The programme ended with the audience and the panellists singing ‘Bande Utkal Janani’, the anthem of Odisha. Sabyasachi Puhan, a student of Dyal Singh College said “The event made me feel like being in Odisha”. 

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DOSA student members singing ‘Bande Utkal Janani’ at the closing of ‘Utkal Divas’

If you are an Odia student, you too can join DOSA. For more information, visit their Facebook page here. 

Image credits: Nikhil Agrawal 

Srivedant Kar

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Innovation Projects

Innovation Projects 15-16: Deshbandhu College takes on air pollution in Delhi

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Project Title: Unbeatable Air Pollution in Delhi

Principle Investigators

1. Dr.D.K. Mallick, Sr.Assistant Professor, Department of Botany

2. Dr.Aparna Nautiyal, Assistant Professor, Department of Botany

3. Dr.Aparna Shekhar, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry

Mentor

Dr. Chirashree Ghosh, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi

Student Members

Ambikeya Sharma, Ashutosh Sharma, Nima Sunny, Payal Shaw, Priyanka Sharma, Tanujeet Ghosh, Sangraj, Vrashti Goel, Sharad Negi, Vikas Kumar

Deshbandhu College was awarded 12 innovation projects under DU Innovation Project Scheme 2015-2016. Each project has 10 undergraduate students of Deshbandhu College working under 3 faculty members and one external mentor. The projects provided the students from different backgrounds and discipline a space to explore new things, work in a team, develop confidence, experiment with innovative ideas and broaden their horizons beyond the classrooms and curriculum.

Urban air pollution is a serious problem in both developed and developing countries. As a rapidly expanding center of government, trade, commerce and industry, Delhi, being the capital of India has been facing many air pollution related problems and has also been ranked the most polluted city in the world. Regular checking of the tolerance of the existing tree species with respect to pollution and plantations of such more tolerant species is supposed to have a marked effect on various aspects of the air quality of urban environment and cleanliness of life in a city.

The Project DBC-311 entitled Unbeatable Air Pollution in Delhi: Trees for Rescue is a comparative study of different plant species to combat rising pollution in Delhi.   The Air Pollution Tolerance Index(APTI) of the plants needs to be monitored and checked for the predominant species that are located in this city. The research takes into account the ATPI value of 4 tolerant species, each of which are planted in the 4 distinct areas- R.K. Puram, Deer Park, Okhla and Nehru Palace, which are being used for the green belt planning, plant five samples of different species at these sites and after a certain period of time visit them again to analyze the amount of chlorophyll deducted during this time period as a result of increasing pollution.

The research shows that apart from the beauty provided by them, the trees also play a major role in detoxification of the polluted air. Also, the study of different land use site will help in making the city comparatively cleaner. In order to understand the effect of air pollution on plants and the adaption mechanisms of plants and the adaptation mechanisms of plants under stress conditions, present study is based on the idea of integration of two departments, viz., Botany and Chemistry to examine the impact of air pollution on a few commonly occurring tree species of Delhi.

The project was started in September 2015 and half the project has been done till March 2016 and yet more investigation is going on. The outcome of this project will generate further understanding about how efficient the existing plant species in the city are to combat the rising air pollution, so that strategies can be formulated and implemented not only to protect the existing species but also to look for more tolerant species to be planted. Different sites within Delhi have been surveyed for selected plant species to find out the effect of rising pollution in Delhi over the years.

Shreya Srivastava

[email protected]

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Events

Spoon University launched its Feed The Need campaign at Spoon Summit ’16

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Spoon University- Delhi held its first ever Spoon Summit on 20th March at Innov8, CP. With the theme ‘Feed the Need’, the program featured a host of activities. Beginning with the Speaker Session, wherein Mr. Jatin Chanana, Marketing Head of FooDrool, began with the history of this startup and leading onto the suggestions as to what companies can do to solve the problem of food wastage and hunger by associating with NGOs and food banks. A very thoughtful suggestion from him was that similar to Blood Donation Camps in residential colonies of Delhi, there must be organization of even Food Donation Camps. In fact, he went on to say that charging for wastage of food should be practiced at restaurants and cafes. The questions that followed raised thought-provoking facts such as the absence of a Samaritan Law, and also that food safety maintenance cause a hindrance to food donations.

Photo by Yatin Arora
Photo by Yatin Arora

This was followed by a documentary made by the Spoon University members titled ‘Feed the Need’. Conceptualised by Arushi Sharma and Sonal Chanana, directed by Kritika Narula and with cinematography by Sabhyata Badhwar, it explored the hunger situation in the country and the network of Delhi Foodbank in curbing it. The documentary featured the need for foodbanking, DFB’s initiation, challenges faced (Institutional support, financial help and scaling up) and their vision that ‘No one should go hungry to bed; at least everyone should be able afford one meal a day’.

A new and healthy product was also promoted, called ‘FYNE’, a nutritious dip that is rich in Flavanoids and Omega Fatty Acids. This was followed by a gig by Wannabe Anonymous’ Siddharth Singh and Prakhar Maheshwari. Their jokes ranged from food cuisines from various states battling for a place on the diverse ‘Thali’ to comparisons between food items and Bollywood stars to their satirical takes on the government issues regarding state biases. Their gig culminated to an end with the association of various fruits to real life instances.

Photo by Mehak Dhawan
Photo by Mehak Dhawan

The concluding event was the Panel Discussion. Moderated by Mr. Kunal Arora of The Education Tree, the panelists included Mr. Kuldip Nar, CEO, Delhi Foodbank, Chef Saby, a Foodpreneur, Mr. Arun Bhati, Founder, Orahi app and Mr. Aashish Beergi, Co-founder, The MASH Project. The discussion began by stressing how important per capita nutritious food consumption is by linking it to national growth, and the lack of which leaves severe health impacts. The discussion further identified the reasons as to why large amounts of eatables or dishes are cooked, highlighting an issue such as the ego! A problem that was openly stated was that expecting food banks to collect eatables late at night or even midnight, when more than half the society, including the beneficiaries, are asleep.  Handling of food properly was advised as something to be advocated. The role of the youth to connect beneficiaries to donors was highlighted. In fact, as a suggestion, the fact about Food Distribution being branded as Corporate Social Responsibility was also widely talked about. Finally, the lack of any government support was seen to be a major problem in the recognition of hunger and food wastage as important issues.

In the end, while Spoon’s initiative was widely praised, Chef Saby was quoted as saying that “Attitude of the youth is very important. Infact, rather than depending upon foreign companies feeding our hungry population as a part of their CSR, we must integrate farmers to the plates. Urban people, who have lost touch with the cycle of food production, must be reminded about it.”

Featured Image Credits: Mehak Dhawan

Ayesha Sareen

[email protected]

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Uncategorized

Top 4 hopefuls for the post of Vice Chancellor of Delhi University

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After former Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh’s “tumultuous” term ended on 28th October, 2015, Provisional VC, Sudish Pachauri was made the acting Vice Chancellor. Credited with establishing the Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC) and a culture of innovation in DU colleges, the former VC had faced many allegations of administrative irregularities towards the end of his tenure. To replace him a search committee was headed by UGC Chairman, Ved Prakash. After having 280 recommendations, finalising 30 and narrowing it down to 10 candidates, the list was submitted to the Ministry. Awaiting a final approval from the President, here are the top four candidates for the post of Delhi University’s Vice Chancellor:

Professor Bidyut Chakravarty

Former dean of the Faulty of Social Sciences and former head of the Department of Politcal Science, University of Delhi, he had also been appointed by the President to the executive council of Jawaharlal Nehru University on October 8, 2015. His candidature has been opposed on the grounds of a  sexual harassment case filed against him by an employee of Gandhi Bhawan in 2007. He had been removed from the post of Director and HOD, Political Science department and was barred from holding any administrative position in DU for a period of three years.

VC Post Prof Bidyut Chakravarty

 

Prof Hem Chandra Gupta

Known educationist and former Vice Chancellor of Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, Prof. Hem Chandra Gupta is a professor at IIT Delhi and was appointed as member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) last year for a period of six years. He was a lecturer in K.M. College from August 1971 to April 1981 and also the Deputy Director at IIT Delhi from April 2006 till June 2009.

Prof Rameshwar Nath Koul Bemezai

An alumnus of AIIMS, Rameshwar Nath Koul Bemezai is an Indian Scientist in the field of human genetics and cancer biology. He is the coordinator of the National Centre of Applied of Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, JNU. A Padma Shri Awardee in 2012, he was also the Vice Chancellor of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University.

VC Post Rameshwar Nath K B

 

Professor Yogesh Kumar Tyagi

Prof Yogesh Tyagi is the Dean and Professor of Faculty  of Legal Studies at South Asian University. Along with Professor Bemezai, both of them were in the shortlist for the post of Vice Chancellor at JNU also and currently both of them are the front-runners for the coveted post of Vice Chancellor at Delhi University.

VC Post Yogesh Tyagi

 

Arindam Goswami

[email protected]

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Campus Central

Best and Worst of Delhi University in 2015

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Each year in DU is a new experience, constituting both good and bad happenings. From being the top notch university to being the controversy’s favourite child, life in Delhi University has always been like an exciting Bollywood entertainer, where its possible to have both moral and impromptu controversies, all happening at the same time. Replete with changes, policy decisions, criticisms as well as achievements, let’s take a look at the various significant moments that acted as a crucial marker in the year 2015 for the University of Delhi!

Best of 2015 at Delhi University

JANUARY 2015

1. Saachi Soni scaled new heights, climbed 10 Aussie Peaks

Saachi Soni, a student of Bachelors in Mass Media at IP College, University of Delhi went for the Reliance and Deuters sponsored Aussie 10 Peaks Mt. Summit. Saachi became the Youngest Indian Person to expedite 75-80 KM in only 2.5 days!

[caption id="attachment_37636" align="aligncenter" width="290"]Aussie Peak Saachi Soni[/caption]

Further Reading: Saachi Soni from IP College creates new record 

2. Gargi student Vasundhara Choudhary, elected as the Sarpanch of Lilawali, Rajasthan

Vasundhara Choudhary, a 21 year old student, studying Psychology Honours in Gargi College, was elected the Sarpanch of her ancestral village Lilawali, in Rajasthan. Her feat is indeed extraordinary; she being the first woman Sarpanch of Lilawali, and second woman to hold the office in Rajasthan apparently, after Chhavi Rajawat, a management graduate who was elected as the Sarpanch of Soda village in Tonk, Rajasthan.

[caption id="attachment_37643" align="aligncenter" width="816"]Sarpanch Gargi Vasundhra Choudhary[/caption]

Further Reading: Vasundhara Chaudhary from Gargi elected as village president

FEBRUARY 2015

3. University of Delhi won the ‘Visitor’s Award’ in the ‘Best Innovation Category

Delhi University grabbed laurels at the Visitor’s Award for Central Universities in the category of ‘Innovation’. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the award in a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on February 4th, 2015. The award was received by Prof. Vijay K. Chaudhary and Dr. Amita Gupta of DU who invented a rapid diagnostic test for Tuberculosis, named ‘TB Confirm’. They were rewarded with a Citation along with a cash prize of Rs.1,oo,ooo INR.

Visitor Award

Further Reading: Delhi University grabbed laurels at the Visitor’s Award for Central Universities 

APRIL 2015

4. CBS graduate Aditi Arya won Miss India 2015

Aditi Arya, an alumnus of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, won the Femina Miss India 2015 title on the 28th of March. Aditi bagged the Miss India crown after winning the title of Miss Sudoku and Miss Beautiful Hair at the event.

Miss india

Further Reading: Aditi Arya from Shaheed Sukhdev College won Miss India 2015

AUGUST 2015

5. Hans Raj College appointed its first female Principal in history 

Hans Raj College, appointed Dr. Rama as the new Acting Principal after the successful tenure of Dr. V.K. Khwatra, the outgoing Principal. It was for the first time in the 67-year history of Hans Raj College, that the command of the institution was handed over to a female. Dr. Rama had taken over as an Assistant Professor for Hindi at the college in August 1991.

[caption id="attachment_37639" align="aligncenter" width="620"]Hansraj Dr. Rama as the Principal for Hans Raj College[/caption]

Further Reading: Hans Raj College appointed first female principal

6. Ramjas College and Hans Raj College bagged the second and third spot respectively at Enactus Nationals

Enactus conducted a national competition which saw a participation from 60+ college teams from across the country. While all of the teams had projects which made a difference for a different community, teams from Hans Raj College, Ramjas College, and IIT-Delhi stole the show. While Enactus Ramjas portrayed 3 major projects including- Project Transcreations and Project Aradhaga and were adjudicated as the first runner up,  Enactus Hansraj with two major projects- Project Boond and Project Mithaas was adjudged with the third prize.

ENACTUS

Further Reading: DU shines at Enactus Nationals

SEPTEMBER 2015

7. DU Professor Rajeev Gupta received CRSI medal

Professor Rajeev Gupta of Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi was honored with the Bronze Medal (2016) by the Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI) for his contributions to research in Chemistry. The CRSI was founded by Bharat Ratna Prof. C. N. R. Rao in 1999 and is the largest chemical society of the country.

[caption id="attachment_37642" align="aligncenter" width="427"]Rajiv Gupta Prof. Rajeev Gupta[/caption]

Further Reading: Chemical Research Society of India honours Prof. Rajeev Gupta of DU

OCTOBER 2015

8. DU student honoured with NATIONAL RTI AWARENESS AWARD, 2015

Himadrish Suwan, a second year student of Political Science, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, was presented with the RTI Awareness Award 2015 by the RTI Institute of India on 28th September, 2015 (International Right to Information Day), for his contribution in the field of RTI activism.

Further Reading: National RTI Awareness Award won by a DU student Himadrish Suwan

DECEMBER 2015

9. Google CEO Sundar Pichai visited SRCC

The man behind the topest-notch corporate Google Inc. Sundar Pichai visited Shri Ram College of Commerce in December. The session at SRCC was an interactive one, as they invited students to “Ask Sundar”. The Chennai-born executive is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur. He joined Google in 2004 and worked as the Product Chief before taking over as the CEO.

[caption id="attachment_37645" align="aligncenter" width="735"]sundar-pichai Sundar Pichai[/caption]

Further Reading: Sundar Pichai at SRCC for #AskSundar by Google

Worst of 2015 at Delhi University

FEBRUARY 2015

1. DU B. Tech students fought for an AICTE approved degree

Despite the rollback of the FYUP scheme, the agenda of proper recognition of student’s B.Tech courses from the AICTE was not paid attention. Many students had come together to voice their grievances.

Further Reading: AICTE degree debacle

MARCH 2015

2. ‘DU Bachao Maha-Rally’ by ABVP lathicharged outside VC Office

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Delhi University Students’Union (DUSU) on 27th March 2015 held a massive rally against the DU administration on their nine point demand agenda. The ‘DU Bachao Maha-rally‘ attracted more than four thousand students who gathered at the Arts’ Faculty for the same. When the protesters reached near the Gate number 1, a barricade broke due to the excessive rush. Nine students, including two DUSU office bearers were severely injured and dozens other injured in police lathicharge outside VC Office Gate no 1.

[caption id="attachment_37635" align="aligncenter" width="960"]ABVP lathicharge Injured after the lathicharge[/caption]

Further Reading: Nine injured at ‘DU Bacchao Maha Rally’

APRIL 2015

3. St. Stephen’s principal banned E-ZINE

St.Stephen’s principal Valson Thampu banned a student run e-zine following the magazine’s publication of the principal’s interview without his permission. The e-zine, which was started by four philosophy students of the college, went live on March 7 and registered over 2000 hits on an interview of the principal. The principal had banned the e-zine for not seeking clearance for the issue.

Further Reading: Valson Thampu banned student run e-zine

AUGUST 2015

4. SFI conducted referendum on CBCS, more than 90% voted ‘NO’

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI), CPI (M)’s student wing, conducted a referendum on the widely debated Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) which was implemented at the undergraduate level this year by the Delhi University. In the referendum it was found that more than 90% students voted against CBCS System.

Further Reading: Majority vote against new CBCS

SEPTEMBER 2015

5. ABVP, NSUI & CYSS clashed during DUSU elections

NSUI supporters along with their presidential candidate Pradeep Vijayran and Vice Presidential candidate Prerna Singh had been physically assaulted when they were campaigning at PGDAV College at Nehru Nagar.

NSUI

Further Reading: NSUI candidates assaulted while campaigning

OCTOBER 2015

6. Right to Accommodation goes on hunger strike

The members of  the Right to Accommodation group went on an indefinite strike for 44 days outside Gate No. 1 of the Arts Faculty building in North Campus protesting against the lack of rent regulation and hostel accommodation for the students staying in and around Delhi University.

Further Reading: Right to Accommodation group protest against lack of rent regulation

DECEMBER 2015

7. Infrastructure Issue at Delhi University

This year, colleges tried numerous ways and means to hold exams for the excess number of students. In a lot of cases, same exam timings for students of Morning and Evening Colleges led to chaos and the problem was seen in colleges in North, South as well as off-campus.

Infra DU

Further Reading: How DU colleges scored at Infrastructure this exam season

All the images used here have been cited in the respective articles quoted, along with required credits!

Riya Chhibber

[email protected]

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Interviews

In conversation with Delhi-based mountaineer Akash Jindal

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Akash Jindal, a student of DCAC is a mountaineer, and an entrepreneur, working passionately for Viral Hepatitis awareness. In a recent conversation with DU Beat, he talks about the mountains he has climbed, his non-profitable work and the next big thing in his life- climbing Mt. Everest.

Q. Let’s start by talking about the mountains that you have surmounted, your brainchild Mission Outdoors and recent work related to Viral Hepatitis awareness.

I have been climbing since I was 16. It’s been more than six years now, and I’ve come a long way. It all started with a training camp called Basic Mountaineering Camp in Himalayas. Ever since, I have climbed many peaks between 17,000ft and 21,000ft of varied conditions, technical pitches and altitude. Most of the climbs in India have been in Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh and outside, I have climbed some of the highest mountains in Europe, Australia and Iran for which I hold some records.

After graduating from DCAC, I joined a friend who I had met a few years ago to start Mission Outdoors. Our company is a bit different from other adventure travel outfits as our products range from backpacking in Australia to skydiving in Russia to climbing Kilimanjaro. As of today we have had operations in Russia, Nepal, Australia and Tanzania and its growing ever since.

I’ve been campaigning passionately for Viral Hepatitis patients as I was tested positive recently, but it was all a hoax. I do it because initial few Hepatitis tests can be misleading and I wish to make the society aware about it.

Q. Do you have an inherent passion for mountaineering? Or was it a certain someone or an incident that inspired you to climb mountains at a young age?

Honestly, I wasn’t athletic naturally and I trained myself with grit and determination. I was an average kid in sports back in school. It was only in class 11, I started browsing the internet about adventure sports and I stumbled upon Kayaking, but unfortunately the seats were already booked. Then I was suggested by the same school if I would be keen on doing a basic mountaineering course offered by them. It was a blessing in disguise. The course was not even close to what I had presumed it to be, it was a hardcore climbing camp of 26 days training on rock, snow and ice which culminated with climbing a 17,000ft peak and a written test. Clearly, I picked up this sport as fish to water and there has been no looking back. What followed was an advanced course in mountaineering and expeditions.

deo tibba
Deo Tibba

Q. Out of all the mountains that you have climbed, which one would be your absolute favourite? Are there any particular reasons for it?

It’s really hard to filter out one as there are so many unique experiences. But to pick the most beautiful and equally hard climb, it would a 20,000ft mountain in Himachal Pradesh, Deo Tibba. We did this expedition in 2013 and it was particularly very hard as there had been a cloud burst and tragedy in Badrinath. It was a special climb because despite facing setbacks, even before the start of the climb, we were tagged as crazy and stupid people trying to kill ourselves. We came back victorious and satisfied that with calculated risks, some goals are worthwhile. Apart from this, the trek to the base of Deo Tibba is a visual treat, it’s through meadows, beautiful valleys and equally serene rivers where one can find sheep, wild horses, and if lucky, even encounter a bear.

Q. The world recently saw the release of Everest and how debilitating it can be. And yet, there you are, ready to take this challenge. So how are you preparing for climbing the Everest?

I always had Everest in mind, After my basic mountaineering course, I knew I had to try this sometime in my life but I was patient to not hurry it up. Everest is different from other climbs, it’s really really high. One needs to be in his prime shape not just physically but also mentally. Many people think that climbing requires lots of physical endurance and skills, there’s no doubt about that. But one thing which most people miss is the mental endurance. I have personally witnessed many times when my body had given up, but it was my mind that pulled me up and still pushing me higher.

Everest is possibly the greatest test of human potential and I want to take this challenge, it’s going to be fun and thrilling. Regardless of the end result, I believe we should push ourselves to the extreme to see how far we can go. We should just be true to our dreams.

Highest of Australia, suunto

Q. Set aside mountaineering for a while, what kind of places other than mountains, do you like to travel to? Which are some places that would take the first few spots in your wishlist?

My two recent climbs have been to Russia and Iran in August and September, respectively. Not only did I climb the highest mountain and volcano of these two countries, but I also travelled as far and wide as I could. Iran was such a dream vacation, I was hosted by acquaintances who treated me like a family. I went for skydiving, bicycling, and beach and got to understand their culture, food and history. What we hear on TV is just 10% of the real thing. We need to go and see it for ourselves to understand how wrong we are about some places. During my travels, I like to experience things like a local, not like staying in a hotel and get into the “hop- on hop-off” city experience.

Q. Why are you campaigning vehemently for Viral Hepatitis patients? Is there a particular incident behind it?

A few months back, I was in the process of obtaining visa to Iran. The prerequisite was to get a few medical tests done amongst which were Hepatitis B & C. I was (wrongly) tested positive. Needless to say, I was devastated. During that hour long drive back home from the lab, I kept wondering how my life would change, for worse, and in just a couple months time. The more I read and researched about it, the scarier it became. Apparently this virus can stay dormant inside a host body for 20 years, and just one day, out of nowhere, decides to pop out and infect you.

I pulled a few strings; spoke to a doctor friend who recommended a couple of confirmatory tests. I chose another lab this time around. Though I’d been anxious, it still came as a surprise to me that I tested negative I went for another series of tests, and I tested negative again!

I posted about this on Facebook to let people know, and what followed was a call from a friend whose uncle was also tested positive and was never suggested for any confirmatory tests. Clearly, there was very little awareness in the society. It was then that I spoke with one the organisations which works in the healthcare sector. Having received their support, I was all geared to do my bit to create as much awareness as I could.

Q. Delhi University has its share of students interested in adventure sports, mountaineering to be precise. Any word of advice you’d like to tell them?

We are privileged to be studying in DU and staying in Delhi. There are so many weekend trips to the mountains that can be done solo or without any prior experience. We are lucky to be situated so close to the Himalayas, an overnight bus journey will take you to the footsteps of the Himalayas.

Back in my college years, I worked with the university officials to build a climbing wall at University stadium, its taking time, but I am pretty sure someday it will come up.

Finally, if someone wants to venture into this, then it can only happen when you have the courage to take that first step. We need to believe in what we are and what we love doing. 20s is the age of exploring yourself, we shouldn’t focus on settling. Settling is saturation and we are too young for that. I just hope that everyone gives at least one try to their dream without fear of failure or doubt and see how easy it was to follow what drives us.

Image Credits- Akash Jindal

Sudisha Misra
[email protected]

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DUB News

A platform by Delhi University for its students to seek free counselling via email/telephone

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College life is often described as the best phase of life. But each student faces several problems in college. Delhi University has finally decided to pay heed to this issue. The Mind Body Centre of the University has launched free student counselling through email/telephone to help students cope with issues such as low self-esteem, family discord, anxiety, etc. MBC is a centre inaugurated on 13th February 2014 by the Vice-Chancellor of DU, Prof. Dinesh Singh with the objective of promoting wellness of girl students at the University. With its budding popularity and a need for expansion, its services can now be availed by all the students of the University. It is moving forward with the motto, ‘Health beyond Healthcare’.

And in order to seek help, there are three ways- phone-based, email-based and face-to-face counselling. For the phone based counselling, the toll free number is 1800-3000-7303. One may also seek their expertise by dropping in an email at [email protected]. Face-to-face counselling is only available for female students.

For further details one can log in on www.mbc.du.ac.in and get a better view of the assistance the centre can provide you with.

Image Credits- MBC’s official website

Nishita Agarwa

[email protected]

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