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The Elitism of Education: Acknowledging the Privilege

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There are people from all walks of life who aim of accessing education but, the elitism around it stands as an overcast shadow, giving chances to some and leaving others behind.

Each year, when the results of the 12th grade examinations are declared, the nation collectively holds its breath. It does not matter if your kid is actually in 12th, or if they are in the second grade. The results reach new heights each year, with students working hard to achieve seemingly impossible scores. It is with these scores that come the impossible cut-offs.

It is a thinly veiled fact that the University of Delhi (DU) remains to be one of the most sought after universities in India. The “DU Tag” is a golden goose to catch, since it offers both – a subsidised education, and a status symbol. Thus, every passing year becomes a blood-bath of score battles to get into the best colleges. The idea of over-achievement is now so deeply internalised that even students who are fully aware that one exam set for one day is hardly enough to judge their worth, get carried away and caught in this vicious trap.

Many feel a sense of elitist pride for having been admitted to one of the more prestigious universities of India and our conditioning tells us – “well, why shouldn’t we?” After all, we worked hard to achieve it and it is a big deal. It is at this stage in the stream of thoughts that we contribute to forgetting our privilege. In economics, the “cycle of poverty” is the “set of factors or events by which poverty, once started, is likely to continue unless there is outside intervention”. This cycle is built on gate-keeping the weaker sections of our society from accessing the resources, education being an important one of them, which they direly require to come out of their existing state of situations.

Education is freedom. It is for that reason that education became such an important tool for the British to keep their colonies “in-line” – for that is precisely why only a certain set of Indians were educated in order to create a divide, and the perfect set of subordinates. It is then, that it becomes interesting to see that even after 72 years of Independence, it is exactly what we continue to replicate in slightly different ways. This is not a secret that in India, a Government school education is inherently sub-par when compared to the private education. This divide exists not just because of more highly qualified, high-paid teachers who can be held accountable but it also exists because of every other element that a private education entails. It entails an ability to afford dedicated teachers, extra reading material, and even private tuitions – something that has become a rite of passage in possibly every Indian household that can afford to do so, and most importantly, a support system that enables this culture of education.

It is then that the prospect of Government colleges being revered over private institutions becomes an asset. It works towards bridging a gap of working towards the façade that it is not just money that would get you a good education, but it is your own merits, too. However, when the Government of India introduces policies like the National Education Policy of 2019, which works towards privatisation of these government institutions, this re-enforces a privilege that already has had a strong base, to begin with. When we make Government institutions autonomous and give them the liberty to set up courses with their own fee-structures, when we allow the Government to take away the job security of those who put “quality” in quality education, we allow a culture of gate-keeping.

Not every student can afford to pay lakhs to be able to go to a university. It is then that it becomes important to recognise this cycle of elite education, and to make conscious efforts to resist it.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Shreya Juyal

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Writing’s on the wall: the walls of North Campus

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Every aspect of North Campus has its own story to tell. Just take the walls for instance; there is something or the other stuck, painted, splattered on these walls that are bound to catch your eye.

One can begin their “Dilli Deewar Darshan” with a common Delhi University thing i.e. student politics. Take the left or the right, various shades of political opinion are expressed on the bricks that form the foundations of several colleges and lanes. This definitely includes the posters and bills featuring quirky close-up photographs with loud fancy fonts. Even before a fresher gets to know about parties like ABVP and NSUI, he will know who is Rocky Tuseer, Rajat Chaudhary or Mahamedha Nagar, all thanks to the endless posters and vibrant graffiti. Getting layers of these posters is like a monthly affair for many such “walls for democracy” on the campus. And some of the thin paper bills even start getting shredded over time making the wall look like a bizarre work of modern art. Sometimes rain might be the reason for the tearing away of these posters. However, we all know that rain and Delhi don’t have long-lasting relationships. So, one might wonder which beast goes on scratching off these posters in a savage fashion ravaging our North Campus walls.

However, the walls don’t get tattooed with the names of DUSU candidates always. Sometimes there are scribbles of meaningful text and art as well.  Many free thinkers and peaceful revolutionaries form a part of the DU family and their mental product is reflected on the walls too. For instance, you can spot the words “Free Saibaba” spray-painted in different areas. This refers to the sudden arrest of DU Professor GN Saibaba who has been hailed as a crusader for peasant movements. Some detailed imagery and messages can also be found relating to women empowerment, road safety and menstruation awareness. These adornments to the North Campus walls are much needed for the aesthetic appeal and social relevance.

Talking about art and politics and social messages, it is no surprise that the Father of the Nation is also a featured guest. Mahatma Gandhi’s face is virtually everywhere in the country be it in textbooks or currency notes or the DU walls. A few walls near Vishwavidyalaya metro station and the souvenir shop, in particular, have several bright murals on Gandhi’s morals (no pun intended).  Apart from Gandhi, historical greats like Swami Vivekananda and Bhagat Singh also keep a watchful eye on the students of DU.

 

gandhi

 

A knowledge hub like Delhi University attracts people from diverse parts of the country. Many shift to North Campus with hopes, dreams and their parents’ money in their pocket and tend to shift in flats and PGs. So, it’s no surprise that amongst the tons of Post It notes stuck on the walls, advertisements for PG and other facilities occupy a major share too (especially on the Kamala Nagar and Hudson Line side).  The names and ads are totally random so you can expect anything from “Radhe Radhe Boys PG” to “Cook Dhoni”.

Ranging from mundane to outrageous, these walls are something which makes North Campus what it is. The walls are filled with diverse colours, fonts, political parties, student unions, rebel messages, and paintings. Maybe indirectly, this symbolises the whole DU culture itself, a life filled with hues, cultures, and ideas of all sorts…

no staring

 

Featured Image credits- Shaurya Singh Thapa

 

Shaurya Singh Thapa

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Chai Pe Charcha : The Love for Chai at Campus

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From the loveable Raja bhaiya at the Patel Chest in North Campus to the Chai spot behind Jesus and Mary College in the South Campus, the entire University of Delhi (DU) has fallen in love, head over heels over Chai, and this article traces why is that so. 

Tea is more than just a beverage, it’s the elixir of life. Here are few of the many reasons why DU can’t be imagined without chai and chaiwallahs.

Chai brings an inevitable feeling of belongingness and warmth. It’s like a home away from home. This feeling of familiarity that chai brings often takes away the anxiety of starting somewhere anew, hence precisely why the Fresher’s feel at peace when they are on the campus with their favourite chai spots. It’s often that the vibe of the place and the people make you fit in.

Abhinandan Kaul, first year student from St. Stephens College, said “As I entered the DU North Campus, I had been introduced to the famous Sudama Tea stall, “north campus ki shaan!” “Sudama“- the Amar Chitra Katha character symbolizing true friendship, transforms friendship in DU too. It’s such a cute place to build strong bonds with minimum resources, I always go there with my friends to chill out with a hot cup of tea and biscuits!”

Drinking chai is a habit, it has become part of the everyday routine we follow. There’s a specific time for it. There’s a specific place for it and a specific ‘nashta’ or food to go with it.  Whether it be after the 2 p.m.  lecture or receiving calls from your mother everyday exactly at 6:30 in the evening to ask you only would you be home for chai, A hot cup of tea cannot be missed.

Noihrit, third-year student from Ramjas College said,  “Chai is constant for me. Whether I scored well or poorly in my exams, had a good or a bad day, hectic or leisurely society work, chai is indivisible from me. Spending my evenings with friends and chai at the tea point at Old Gupta Chowk is something which I’ll relive forever.”

Infact, while many of us fall in love with chai, there are many who fall in love at chai. With a cigarette in one hand, chai in other, sitting on the plastic stool, bursting out with our most vulnerable thoughts, discussing everything from weird exes to family troubles to even anxiety issues, chai spots pave a way for a perfect conversation with your special one. Chai and momos constitute a perfect day at the campus.

Prabhanu, first-year student from Kirori Mal College says, “I met this girl online way before I got into DU and I live in South Delhi. So we started talking and to meet her I had to go all the way to Civil Lines and all we used to do was drink chai and smoke sutta (cigarette) for hours until I had to go back home. Our first date included going to a hospital in Civil Lines, chai and sutta. And we are currently seeing each other.”

Its 3 a.m. and you have a sociology internal in the morning, an economics assignment to submit and a begging session to ask your teachers for attendance is also due. Chai in this moment of extreme chaos, rescues you.

Jaishree Kumar, third-year History student, Ramjas college said, “I once stayed up all night to finish my assignments. No sleep at all. Nada. Chai came to my rescue to keep me up.”

Chai is the staple for all societies, whether it be to survive the rigorous practice sessions or just to gossip about other societies with a cup of tea in hand. Chai helps all to perform.

Yaksh Handa, first-year student at the Hindu college said, “So members of the Deb Soc, before commencing the day’s proceedings, would go out to the Hindu ke saamne wali chai tapri, to get a shot of adrak wali chai, and over chai, everything from politics of the right wing to the stupidity of the debsoc seniors and to the quirky nicknames for our debsoc tshirts was discussed. I feel such short and unplanned chai tapri visits keep the soc entangled in a common thread.”

One will be amused to know that chai has a very special place in hearts of this organisation, the DU Beat, as well. Infact, the very feature image you see, is the last spot of the senior-tour which apprised the juniors of the most memorable places at college campuses from there to be gone seniors.

Vaibhav Tekchandani, Photographer and Video Editor at the DU Beat, said “The last fest season, all of us, i.e. The Village Area, the photog family, as well as the correspondents, without any said notice or gesture used to accumulate at these chai wali tapris and everything from the live updates to the captions was discussed. It was a beautiful feeling and I’d give anything to go back to those days.”

From broken hearts to broken hands, all was treated at the chai wali tapri. It is the greatest source of making memories that will give you nostalgia every time you pass through that place.

Janesh Sahni, Photographer and Video Editor at the DU Beat says, “Raja bhaiya’s Tapri has been our go to place since like forever. I broke my hard drive last year during Tempest and we all tried to fix at Raja Bhaiya while I panicked hard. “Meltayi Maggie” is melted cheese Maggie that you can get at Raja Bhaiya, we coined that term.”

Chai brings a pool of memories for not only just for society members or DU Beat members, but for each student of DU. From assignment discussions to ranting about college professors; everything takes place at chai wali tapri. People like Raja Bhaiya and things like Sudama ki Chai becomes actual realities of our lives, than just places.

Waise bhi, it’s the gospel truth that Chai bina Chen kha re. (All this while one thing remains the gospel truth; there is no peace without a cup of tea.)

 

Feature Image Credits: Janesh Sahni for DU Beat

Chhavi Bahmba 

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Bazinga: DU to Create Inter-College Societies

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University of Delhi (DU) has introduced an inter-college society system, in an attempt to tackle the divisions within the Varsity.

DU’s Extra Circular Activities (ECA) and Sports Committees have launched the Delhi University Collegiate Culture Circuit (DUCCC) with newly formed inter-college societies. This initiative was collectively taken in the Executive Council (EC) meeting held on Saturday, 26th October. The two day long EC meeting witnessed long formulated debates on both sides of the matter. A certain level of hierarchy along with team esteem exists in all the societies of DU, and the scheme may not play out well there.

Many college students have expressed their disagreement with the decision, as they believe it will create segregation instead of belonging. Amaal Kumar, President of Natuve, dramatics society of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, said, “We spend each day of our college life with our society. Now with that gone, it takes away our convenience as well as bonding. It should also be noted that when you’re in the same college, you face similar issues, and are around people with same teachers who understand your society needs. Now all of that will be gone.”

However, the decision has been taken to do away with the college elitism that exists in DU. Ramesh Ray, the ECA Committee Chairperson, said, “This will do away with the resentment among students that has been created out of years of competition, and bring feeling of community as a whole among students.” The DUCCC has been set up to look after the many changes this decision will bring. Allotting areas for practice and scheduling the practice time of inter-college societies will be taken  up by this newly formed committee, along with the matters of society elections, and dealing with  administrative work.
The official announcement has been made on the DU website and thereby, the scheme will be initiated after the upcoming fest season of January to March, 2020. The campus has received this news with contrasting opinions; many feel a loss of identity to be not known by their college society names. Some others feel this will give an opportunity to meet students from all walks of life.

Karan Thapar, member, Vurbum, the western Dance Society of Motilal Nehru College, said, “This
is a great step. The barriers of college, location, and seclusion will be broken with this. It will be great to see a Hindu College society member with a member from Ram Lal Anand College to perform, united by their art.”
Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is only to be appreciated and not accepted.

Featured Image Credits: Hitesh Kalra for DU Beat

Chhavi Bahmba
[email protected]

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Memorial Meet Organised for Late Prashant Yadav; Student Leaders Speak on Campus Politics

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On the birth anniversary of Late Prashant Yadav, a DSJ student and the architect of the “Stand With DSJ” movement, a seminar was organised to discuss student politics where student leaders from Delhi University (DU), Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Patna University (PU), and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) spoke about the issues concerning university campuses amidst remembering Prashant. 

On 6th November 2019, the date he would have turned 20 had he been around us,  a memorial meet was organised to remember Prashant Yadav, a young Journalism student from DSJ and the architect of the “Stand With DSJ” movement which intended to fight against privatisation policy of DU. The event, organised in the form of a seminar in Satyakam Bhawan, Arts Faculty, had eminent student leaders on board who came from varsities across the country to speak on student politics, campus issues and the changing role of universities. Pooja Shukla, National Vice President, Samajvaadi Chatrasabha, spoke on the need for students to question the Government and espoused the role of universities as the cradle of democracy. Rocky Tuseed, Ex-President, Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU)  broke down while remembering Prashant. Salman Imtiaz, President Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union (AMUSU) asserted the importance of plurality and diversity in India. Kawalpreet Kaur, Delhi President, All India Students’ Union (AISA) asserted on the need to have more students like Prashant in the campus. Divyanshu Bharadwaj, Former President, Patna University, lamented the ailing condition of state universities. Jayant Jagyasu, C-RJD Leader, spoke about the state of marginalised people in university campuses.

A homage to Prashant by his teacher, Dr Albert Abraham, classmates, and invited speakers was followed by the seminar whose focus was to highlight the role of student politics in campuses. As the invitees were from nooks and corners of the country, their respective speeches contained concerns over changing demographics in India.

Remembering Prashant through this event was an attempt to reconcile his ambition, ideals, and thoughts.

Suman Shekhar, a third-year Journalism undergraduate student at DSJ and a close friend of Prashant’s said, “Prashant always wanted to be a part of the Delhi University election system. He wanted to bust the common notion that only rich students, able to shed 50-60 lakhs, could contest elections here. He wanted to fight elections following the Lyndogh Committee’s guidelines.”

He continued, “He contributed immensely in the entire Stand with DSJ Movement. Even if he had become a journalist, our country would have been graced with one fine journalist.” On asking how big a loss it was for him Suman said, “Personally, I can’t articulate that in words. I knew nobody when I came to Delhi. I always used to hang around with Prashant. Humare liye roz ka din vanvaas jaisa hogaya hai , hum kaat rahe hai bas. (After Prashant’s demise, my life is like an exile now).”

Prashant was on his way to Lucknow to celebrate Diwali on 4th November 2018, when he met with an accident on Yamuna Expressway. He and his two siblings died on spot. Prashant was actively involved in student politics and was associated with the student union of the Samajwadi Party.

“Its really saddening that we had to organise this program. It would have been better had Prashant been around with us today,” said Kawalpreet Kaur. She added, “I feel, the DSJ Movement that Prashant organised was very important because it was  the first movement where students protested against privatisation.”

Rockey Tuseed remembered Prashant’s vivid memories and got emotional while delivering his speech. He said to DU Beat, “When I became the DUSU President, we (I and Prashant) used to have a lot of discussion on the infrastructural problems of DSJ. We have protested together. When I was on a hunger strike, he came along to support me. He was like a younger brother to me.”

A scholarship in memory of Prashant was announced for meritorious students coming to DSJ from economically depressed background for the coming sessions.

 

Feature Image Credits – Mohit Dock

 

Priyanshu

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Climate Action March Held in North Campus

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Colleges for Climate Action organised a climate action march at Arts Faculty, North Campus, University of Delhi (DU) on 1st November to stand in solidarity against climate change. 

The march began from Gate Four of the Arts Faculty, and was concluded at Gate three of Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station. Students from various colleges gathered at the Arts Faculty gate with masks on their faces, posters in their hands, and intent in their hearts. 

Slogans like “What do we want? Climate Justice. When do want it? Right Now.”; “Climate Change se Azadi”; “As there is no Earth B!” were chanted while matching forward. All the posters and structures held by students were made out of reusable materials. 

The main motive of Colleges for Climate Change, as told by the organisers was to “provide a convenient campus solution to college students to get involved in the fight against crisis.”

“Even though many people may not turn up on one day, march at institutions worldwide help to raise our voice against this as a community as a whole,” they added. 

The march concluded at the Vishvavidyalaya metro station where the students orchestrated a fake die, on the sounds of raging sirens to symbolise the urgency of a required climate emergency, as otherwise, this will be the clear end.

Sharda, student of Environment Sciences said, “People think they don’t know what to do for climate crisis, they don’t know how to contribute, but there is so much they can do, join strikes, use the public transport, make dire lifestyle changes and even quit meat.” 

After the fake die, students sat in at the Vishwavidyalaya metro station to share their stories of how they’ve contributed to climate action, they sang songs to promote solidarity through harmony and recounted various ways to contribute to climate action. 

The women specially from colleges, were seen leading the strike. Just like the global strike pattern, this March definitely had a women’s and young adult narrative. The protest was said to be apolitical, but asking for a political discourse. A Climate Crisis Act lies in the hands of those in power. Their negligence, by not declaring climate emergency and much more is what had let many to protest earlier. But, this protest was said to be apolitical. 

Pragya, a Hindu College student said, “We’re saying this is apolitical as we don’t pertain to any political ideology or are not affiliated to any political party, as climate crisis is an issue for the entire world and not just any political party.”

The march also emphasised on scrap the straw movement, with mentioning the petition which each college could fill out to ban use of all single use straws and plastic. 

Feature Image Credits: Noihrit Gogoi for DU Beat 

Chhavi Bahmba 

[email protected]

 

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Media trial pushed DU professor towards suicide

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A family friend of Delhi University professor Alan Stanley reveals how media trial in professor Stanley’s home state led to his death.

 

On the 19th of October, this Saturday, the body of DU professor Alan Stanley was found on the railway tracks at Sarai Rohilla. The police also suspect the 27-year-old Ad-Hoc professor at St. Stephens for the murder of his mother. His mother was found on the same day in their apartment in Pitampura. Police stated that she was found hanging from a ceiling fan in the apartment. Her mouth was stuffed with cloth and her hands were tied, they added.

 

The duo was facing abetment to suicide charges in Kerala. The charges were filed over the death of the professor’s stepfather, Wilson. His stepfather had committed suicide in December and the charges against the mother and son were filed by Wilson’s family.

 

This case became a media trial, and the ensuing aftermath was one of the reasons for Alan’s suicide, according to a family friend. The New Indian Express quotes the friend, TD Thomas, who said: “Last Saturday, Alan and Lissy told me over the phone that they cannot withstand the media trial and requested me to file a case in the court seeking CBI enquiry into Wilson’s death.” Thomas states that he had even met an advocate and was arranging the same when he got the news of their death.

 

According to Thomas, the civil case being fought between Alan and Wilson’s family was over his property was supposed to reach a verdict on November 4th. However, according to Thomas, Alan and Lissy used to get threatened by Wilson’s family over settling the matter, otherwise, they would ruin Alan’s life.

 

A few days before his death, a news article had appeared in a regional media outlet in Kerala which against Alan Stanley and his mother regarding the case. Thomas says that Alan told him that he wanted to end his own life as he could live in a world where he was subject to a media trial every day.  Thomas says “ He told me that he could not face his students and wanted to end his life as these allegations were coming out on print and social media.”

 

Feature image credits: DU Beat Archives.

Prabhanu Kumar Das

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‘Coming Together to Prevent Suicide’ – Mental Health Festival 2019

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‘COMING TOGETHER TO PREVENT SUICIDE’ – MENTAL HEALTH FESTIVAL 2019

PowerWithin successfully organised ‘The Mental Health Festival’ on the 13th of October in collaboration with India Excellence Forum and Gautam Buddha University. It was to mark the World Mental Health Day, observed every year by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) and World Health Organization (WHO). The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day was “Coming Together to Prevent Suicide”.

The event brought together all the stakeholders, from school going students to academicians, mental health professionals, survivors, researchers, journalists, representatives from film & theatre background, and policymakers under one roof, to hold stimulating and thought-provoking discussions around ‘Ecology of Suicide’ and mental health at large. The chief guest for the event, Shri Harivansh Narayan Singh, Hon. Dy. Chairman, RajyaSabha, Government of India in his speech expressed his concern over the growing number of suicide cases in recent times and said how reintroducing the teachings and methodologies as prescribed in abundance in ancient scriptures can positively contribute to our Mental Health.

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Chief Guest – Shri Harivansh Narayan Singh, Hon. Dy. Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Government of India.

The day of the event was packed with interesting intellectual and cultural activities, which addressed mental health, its prevalence, experiences, notions, importance, and current on-going work in the field of mental health and fitness. ADRIFT, a documentary on narratives of mental health survivors in their own words, curated by PowerWithin was also premiered. Maria Sufia&Pankhuri Agarwal, two mental health survivors, now working as mental health proponents were also present during the screening, where they shared their own journey of healing and emphasized on the need to break free from the myths surrounding mental health, which keeps/prevents so many individuals from asking for professional help.

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A representative of PowerWithin moderating ‘ADRIFT’ session

Earlier in the day, the audience witnessed a very interesting panel discussion on ‘Suicide Prevention’ led by school kids. They put forth the need to normalize the concept of mental health and create more safe spaces, where many such discussions can take place. ‘There is no health without mental health’ as said by one of the kids in the panel left every individual in the hall awestruck.

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School Students Participating in Panel Discussion

Keeping in line with the theme of the festival, a panel discussion on ‘Converging on the Ecology of suicide prevention’ was held. To ensure a broader perspective on the said topic, the panel constituted of individuals from all walks of life; in age and in the profession. Some interesting points were raised by the panel around the pervasiveness of mental health issues, challenges faced by mental health professionals and how the role of media can be crucial in spreading awareness. Sensing the growing need for addressing issues around mental health, India Excellence Forum launched fellowship programme, in collaboration with PowerWithin, for students who will be trained on/off the field as Behavioural Mentors, to take the baton forward and work with the younger generation to safeguard their mental health and eventually, the future of our country.

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Panel Discussion on Ecology of Suicide Prevention

To reach out to a wider audience, a range of cultural performances displaying the various facets of mental health and art forms like theatre, music, dance and laughter therapy, which can actually help people to heal were presented to the audience. Students of Gautam Buddha University performed a moving play on the increasing cases of suicides and how it is important for people to not feel ashamed of asking for professional help.
Ms. Sharanya Nair gave an exquisite performance in Hindustani Classical dancing. Mr. Raja Dutt mesmerized the audience with his soulful Flute performance. Mr. Prateek Nair held the audience in complete awe with his beatboxing. Mr. Dani, a lyricist, and Singer captivated the audience with his beautiful self-written song in support of Mental Health. Followed by this, they had Dhwanik, the Music Society of Zakir Hussain Delhi College, touched the hearts of the audience with their classical singing. Laughter is the best medicine, said a wise man. And to accomplish this, they had some highly talented Stand-up comics like Mr. Vikrant Chauhan, Mr. Abhinay Rai, Mr. Raj Negi, and Mr. Sachin. Ms. Komal Chopra, a Tedx speaker presented her piece ‘Don’t kill yourself today’ as an appeal to the listeners to keep looking for a ray of hope as it’s a bad day and not a bad life.

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A Theatre Play by GBU students promoting Suicide Prevention

Many NGOs and Organizations came forward to support our initiative and put up their Stalls in an effort to promote initiatives around Mental Health. PowerWithinhad set up stalls on Emotional Health Check-up and Counseling Services Stall, led by Mr. Kaushik, to aware the audiences about varied typed of Psychometric Assessments available for support and another stall on ‘Stress Busters’ led by Ms. DivyaGoswani. Ms. Aastha Jain, a Graphologist had set up a stall to create awareness about the Art and Science of Handwriting Analysis, by analyzing the audience’s handwriting and providing brief reports about their Personality traits. Ms. Ekta Chopra, a Psychologist by profession and a Painter by hobby, had also put up a stall of her Paintings.

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Art Stall by Suchitra, The Fine Arts Society of ZHDC

In addition to all these, an Art Therapy workshop led by Ms. Sonali Saini, a UNESCO-CID certified Art Based Therapist & a practicing Psychologist, was also organized. It was exclusively for individuals aspiring to become a professional therapist. The workshop included visual art, dance-movement, poetry prompt and expressive writing as a form of expression. The amalgamation of experiential exercises and art was received well by the participants.
In an interview by B2B with Founders of PowerWithin, Mr. Vishal Goyal and Mr. Amit Panwar added that – ‘state of Mental Health is deteriorating in India and it’s high time that we take a strong step to support and promote Mental Health. Every 40 seconds, there is a Suicide and every 2 seconds, there is someone attempting Suicide and these data by WHO should itself be evident to the fact that Mental Health is the largest upcoming crisis that Human Beings would be facing next. Instead of waiting for the crisis to happen, PowerWithin is taking a step towards a solution by bringing together all the stakeholders – academicians, professionals, survivors, media, policymakers and people from different walks of life to Coming Together in an attempt to Prevent Suicide and Promoting Mental Health’.
Ms. Sneha Jha, COO, PowerWithin extending her Vote of thanks for the Mega Event added – ‘The Annual Mental Health Festival 2019 was made successful via the collaboration with India Excellence Forum and Gautam Buddha University. Our media partners, DU Beat, DU Express and DU Assassins have extended great support in helping us reach out to the Youth of India.’
If you want to extend support to their Initiative and/or need help promoting Mental Health, then you can connect to them at [email protected]. Via, they are Being Brave Initiative, they are taking Mental Health Services and Initiatives to individuals and organizations – Schools, NGOs, Universities, and Corporates.

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Organizing Team of PowerWithin

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Body of DU Professor Found on Railway Tracks

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The dead body was found at the Sarai Rohilla railway station while the Professor’s Mother was found hanging at their Pitampura residence. 

The decapitated body of a Delhi University professor was found on a railway track near the Sarai Rohilla railway station this Saturday afternoon. Around half-an-hour later, the man’s 55-year-old mother was found hanging at their flat in northwest Delhi’s Pitampura, the police said.

27-year old Allen Stanley hailed from Kottayam in Kerala and was an ad-hoc Professor at St. Stephen’s College, North Campus, University of Delhi (DU). His mother Lissy, was found with cloth stuffed in her mouth and her limbs tied, hanging from the ceiling fan in their Ashiana Apartment flat, as reported by the Times of India. 

Stanley taught Philosophy at the college, and was also pursuing a PhD from another institute. A four page note in Malayalam along with two knives were also found in the flat. According to the Hindustan Times (HT), investigators said they suspect the teacher, who taught at St. Stephen’s College, may have killed his mother before taking his own life. They added that the duo was facing an abetment to suicide case, filed at a police station in Kerala reportedly by the family of the Professor’s father’s former wife. Police investigation has revealed that the woman’s husband had allegedly killed himself in December last year. Although, the mother-son duo had secured anticipatory bail in the case, they were depressed because of it, the police said.

Kottayam’s superintendent of police (SP) Hari Shankar, however, said that there was no case against the DU teacher and his mother in the district. “We have checked with the police station in Pambadi and found no case against them here,” he said, adding that he has informed the Delhi police about the same.

The bodies of the deceased were sent to separate government hospitals where the autopsies will be conducted by Tuesday. The police have informed the man’s brother, who lives in Kerala, about the deaths. He had reportedly given the police some insight into the reason his family members may have been depressed. 

St. Stephen’s College principal, John Varghese in conversation with HT, said, “The young man was an adhoc teacher at our college. On Saturday, he did not come to college and we got to know that he had committed suicide. The college administration was not aware of any previous FIRs against him. He had not spoken to any of his colleagues about it.”

Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Bhavya Pandey 

[email protected]

 

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Arts & Culture

Antaragni 2019: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Conclude the Four Day Extravaganza

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Antaragni’19, the annual cultural fest of IIT Kanpur was declared officially open on 17th October 2019. The four day fest culminated on 20th October 2019.

The fest began with an inaugration ceremony held in the Main Auditorium. The guest of honour was DGP Om Prakash Singh and District Governor DC Shukla, with Director of Institution and many distinguished IIT alumnus. This year marks the diamond jubilee of the institution, hence to add to the festivities many cultural performances were organised like a upbeat song amalgam sang by IIT students to welcome outstation students and a soulful classical rendition to highlight the grandeur of the fest. The opening ceremony also marked the collaboration between IIT Kanpur and Rotary Club of Kanpur North to make Antaragni’19 more socially responsible.

The first day of Antaragni commenced with an EDM night. Even the heat of Kanpur couldn’t stop people from enjoying the night to their fullest and sweating profusely. The pronite was started by Ravator. He took over the stage and made the crowd jump off their feet with some of the most amazing beats and drops. Later, DJ Bonka,took to the stage and lit up the stage with some amazing songs. They even played some Punjabi tunes along with EDM, a combination you don’t get to experience that often. At last, Giannobille came up and made the crowd grooved to the amazing beats. After the pronite, a DJ war took place at The Club in the Open Area Theatre. Artists performed their remixes to qualify through the prelims. The event had seven participants, out of which only five were to be qualified for the finals. The event saw about 200 people dancing off their feet with a lot of cheering and hooting. It was judged by Spin Guru Academy, best DJ and Music production academy of India. The participants won everyone’s heart by playing all kinds of music.

Day 2 of Antaragni 2019 began early and bright with a plethora of creative and competitive events lined up.The prelims for duo music event ‘Pair of Stage’ and prelims for the solo singing competition ‘Antargini Idol’ were organised, and saw participation from students across different colleges in different cities.

The venue for the prelims of Pair on Stage was shifted from L-16 to L-19, and saw about 44 mesmerising performances. About 15 pairs qualified for the finale. On the other hand the prelims for Anataragni Idol witnessed 150 participants out of whom only 20 would qualify for the final event. This competition was judged by Naman Sharma, the vocal coach at culture root foundation.

Mayanagri, the comprehensive quiz organised by Hindu Literary Events (HLE) with topics ranging from mythology to literature, and with different qualifier rounds including word games and pictionary was conducted along with a general quiz. HLE manging committee also conducted prelims for Aamna Saamna, a hindi group discussion competition. The participants were divided into random panels and topics were provided, each team was given a 2 minute preparation time. The Panel Discussion would then go on to reach a constructive conclusion.

The Anime Quiz saw Anime buffs enjoy answering questions posed to them. 8 teams , out if 18, qualified the prelims with 3 to 4 members in each team. 1st Round was Bounce, 2nd Round was the Pokemon Round, while the 3rd Round was the Giant Slayer.

Estampie, the prelims of Solo Western Dance competition followed by Jitterbug, the prelims of group western dance competition. Taking place in the main auditorium, the event was a full house. 46 dancers participated in the solo competition out of which only 8 qualified for the finals, and 17 teams partook in the Group Dance Competition, out of which only 7 made it to the next round. The event was judged by Ravi Verma, prominent dancer and Rahul Suryavanshi from Hip-Hop India championship. The dancers successfully lit up the stage and left the audience awestruck.

Synchronicity, the western rock band competition took place at the Synchro stage. A total of six bands from all over India took to stage with different kinds of genres. The performances had people dancing and banging their heads to the beats. The event was judged by Gautam Sarkar, owner of music label Ditto and Hickson V. George.

A creative writing event was conducted channeling the inner writers of participants. The event had about 15 teams of two people each. It consisted of two rounds. In round one, four words were displayed on the screen with one word every ten minutes and the participants had to write on that word. In the second round, participants were given five prompts and had to write on one of them, but it had a good twist. After halftime, the team had to exchange their pieces within them and continue writing in their teammates piece, which made the participants scratching their head. The event was judged by the English literary society of IIT Kanpur.

Comic Kaun participation vividly and was one of the most celebrated event with crowd more than 500 people sitting in one event. The event was platform for budding comic to show their sets and test them in front of such a large audience. The event organised with a great initiative seemed to miss the purpose of a platform because of the participants and the audience.

The third day of Antaragni had wonderful energy. A number of events took place simultaneously. Starting with Mela quiz, a quiz covering questions from Music, Entertainment, Literature etc. A total of 9 teams participated in the event, out of which all 9 of them made it to the finals. On the occasion of the Korean Culture Day, the quiz had a separate session covering that as well. The quiz was conducted by prominent quiz masters Somnath Chanda and Anindita Roy.

Not just quizzes, the day also witnessed some other entertaining events. Antaragini Idol, The prelims for the Solo Music competition took place at lecture hall 8. The contest had 150 on the spot participants, harmonising beautifully. It witnessed Naman Sharma, The vocal and instrumental coach of Cultural Roots foundation as the judge. Only 30 people qualified through the prelims for the finals to take place on 20th October.

Drishtikon, The Hindi extempore taking place at Lecture hall 2 added some traditional values to the day. The participants were shown a random picture and were given 30 seconds to analyse to speak on it for 2 minutes in Hindi. They were judged on the basis of choice of words, hand gestures and presence of mind. Out of a total of 35 participants, 15-20 were expected to qualify for the finals. Famous editor Arun Dev and Professor of Humanity and Social Science Department of IIT Kanpur, A.R.K. Verma judged the event.

The fest had supervised another quiz, TLC quiz as the name suggests, covering questions about Travel, Culture and Lifestyle. The questions were displayed on a screen and the team had to give on the spot answers. Correct answers gained a team 10 points, judged by the Quizmaster, Anandita Roy. There were 52 questions comprising of 14 questions from each of the 3 categories. The event was a tie between two teams, so it witnessed a tie-breaker round which was won by Vallari Srivastava who took the first position home.

Another extempore came about called the Jam Finale. The Jam masters supervises the event and gives the participants 3 words to speak on them. The event had about 9 participants and they were judged on the basis of grammatical errors and hand gestures. The event was highly informative.

The Stage Play finals took place at L7. Six teams qualified through the prelims and made it to the finale. Teams gave a splendid performance with beautiful storylines. The event lasted for 7 hours and every team had a unique concept. Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi won the first prize, whereas the second prize was won by the Dramatics society of IIT Kanpur itself. Miranda house, University of Delhi took home the third prize.

Day three of Antaragni, IIT Kanpur also witnessed the dance events- Tour De Force, group street dance event and Estampie, the solo dance battle event adjudged by Rahul Suryavanshi, Hip Hop india champion and Ravi varma, B-Fab Crew.

8 teams participated in the Tour De Force. There were two rounds- the performance round and the battle. Satyawati College emerged as the winner while the second position was given to Delhi Technical University.

Estampie held 3 rounds, the performance round out of which four participants qualified, the two two-way one-on-one battles, and the finalists then fought a three-way battle. Rahul Rao, from Outbreakers, ARSD College emerged as the winner of Estampie.

Mr. and Ms. Antaragni, delayed by two hours, began at the Main Auditorium in the campus and witnessed a large audience. 8 participants fought tooth and nail in four rounds- Introduction, Talent, Improvisation, and Interview, to win the title. Judged by Christeena Biju, Miss India Finalist from Odisha, and Abhishek Dubey, a Splitsvilla and Roadies contestant, the event saw a lot of heckling of the participants by the rowdy crowd. Vikhyat Singh and Jivika Wadhwa from Delhi Technical University won the title of Mr. and Ms. Antaragni respectively.

Lokalz, a K-Pop band graced the stage at Antaragni in association with the Korean Cultural Festival to celebrate a Korean Cultural Day on Day three of Antaragni 2019. Their energetic performance, even though delayed, energised the audience.

Day four, the last day, of Antaragni 2019 was full of event finale’s and wild spirit and energy.  It commenced with quiz  based on the world of Cinema and movies. The quiz consisted of a total of 35 questions from Movies. The quiz had two rounds in which the participants had the liberty to ask for hints. The first round had 25 participants out of which only 6 qualified for the second. The event covered every aspect of cinema from Bollywood to Japanese movies and from the 70s to the 21st century. The event was supervised by quizmaster, Anindita Roy.

In today’s world of westernization, when it’s getting harder and harder to stay in touch with your roots, Antaragni conducted Kavyanjali, a Hindi Poetry Event. The event invited online registrations through samples which had a count of almost 175 participants. The samples were then shortlisted and 20 contestants made it to the final round. Judged by Manglesh Dabral, prominent contemporary Indian poet and winner of Sahitya Akademi Award, Pankaj Chaturvedi, winner of Bharat Bhushan Smriti Puraskar and Geet Chaturvedi, winner of Bharat Bhushan Agarwal Award. Poetry enthusiast had filled the venue and people poured their heart out through poetry.

The finals for Antaragni Idols, Solo Music Competition took place at lecture hall 14. The venue was filled with a beautiful and soothing aura. The audience was full of music enthusiasts and witnessed the participants performing all kinds of music, making it diverse. The competition was judged by Naman Sharma and Akansha Grover, Vocal coaches at Cultural Roots foundation. 16 finalists took to the stage and sang their hearts out for the title. Apart from the singing abilities, participants were also judged on the basis of their knowledge of classical music.

The most robust event of the day was the finals of Jitterbug, the Western Dance Competition. After the prelims of 17 teams, 7 teams qualified for the finals. The event was hosted by none other than G.D. Suyal. Judged by Rahul Suryavanshi, Gold Medalist at Dance World Group, Canada and head teacher at Korean culture Dance Academy and Ravi Verma, the founder of VFab, the event was a full house. There were two rounds and the teams successfully lit up the stage. The audience didn’t stop cheering which showed their excitement level.

 

The finals for Steet Play event, adjudged by Mr. Anjan Srivastava, Indian film, television and stage actor, and Indian People’s Theatre Association affliant, of which he remained Vice-President for several years, and Mr. Darshan Jariwala, Indian film, television and stage actor who the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for Gandhi, My Father. 9 teams performed out of which, The production ‘Dharam Sankat Mein’ by Fursat Mandali, the dramatics club of IIT Kanpur was placed first at the Nukkad Natak Finale on the last day of Antaragni 2019 ‘Tujhe Kya Naam Du’ by Anubhuti from Sri Venkateswara College placed second. Aayam from Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology, and Dramanomics from College of Vocational Studies were placed third and fourth respectively. Despite being apprehensive of giving out individual results, the judges on deman by the organisers gave out individual acting prizes. Consolation prize was given to Dadi from KMV, while the third and second position were won by members of Shivaji College’s dramatic society, while a member of Lady Irwin College won the first position.

Kavi Sammelan at Antaragni witnessed Ankita Singh, Madhyam Saxena, and Aman Akshar deliver their poetry on social issues, current scenarios, and other topics with passion and grace. The audience at Open Air Theatre enjoyed the poetry with immense enthusiasm and cheer.

The Auditorium in the evening witnessed popular performances by the musical duo on Sacophone and piano Jerry and the Pelicansystem, and the immensely celebrated comedian Karunesh Talwar. The packed audi was impressed by both these talented artiststs, enjoyed music with the first, and laughed along jokes with the second.

The popular musical trio, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy closed Antaragni 2019 with their strong, energetic, and eclectic performance.  The audience danced to the tunes of their famous songs including Zinda and Gallan Goodiyan.

 

Avni Dhawan 

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Sakshi Arora

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Chhavi Bambha

[email protected] 

 

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