PsyFiesta 2018-19, The Annual Fest of Department of Psychology, Gargi College started out its journey of narratives by bringing together students and staff for a plantation drive. The event was organised in association with GlassEye, the filmmaking society of Gargi College and Iris, the photography society of Gargi College.
The first interaction of the day was with Dr. Anandana Kapur. A sociologist and a filmmaker, she engaged in a conversation with the students about how everything is a story and each one us, filmmakers in our own ways. Her raw storytelling and urge to bring women narratives to life left the audience inspired.
The next speaker to take over was Dr. Yogesh Snehi, a professor of history from Ambedkar University, Delhi. His belief in historical narratives of ordinary people presented the audience with a story un-thought of before – Stories of Sufi Shrines. He reminded the students the cultural side of narratives and how all the stories passed on from generation to generation, help us piece together an unwritten history.
Dr. Gauri Chakraborty, associate professor at Amity University, currently heading the Amity School of Communication, was the next to take over the stage. She bridged the real and the reel for students by talking about the origins of stories and how certain factors like experience of the maker, imaginations, fantasy and associations from real life help in coming up with timeless content that makes its way into people’s memory.
The event also consisted of two competitions – PhotoStory, where participants had to weave their own story in relation to a set of pictures presented; and Thank you, next, where participants in a group formed an impromptu story on the basis of a given first line.
Moreover, students from Department of Psychology, Gargi College also stepped up to present an account of stories, too raw and close to their hearts, some tracing back to childhood, some recollecting birthday wishes from their mothers and some, where homes juggles between Delhi and Kashmir.
The event ended with a vote of thanks and a sense of courage to bring one’s own narrative to life.
The University of Delhi is home to a lot of talent and uniqueness.We bring you a series of unconventional college societies that put their heart and soul into their respective fields.
1.Peace Society, Jesus and Mary College
Image Credits: Surabhi Khare for DU Beat.
Peace in itself is a wide emotion with no limits. Life of a student can be really hectic sometimes. Being a student, one has to strike a balance between studies and other activities, which can be stressful. So, the peace society stands for spreading peace and harmony within everybody and outside all around in the environment.
The society conducts various activities for the overall development of the members. The society has yoga and meditation sessions as well.
The society believes being at peace makes a person more productive.For this, talk sessions and seminars are organised. The members also get to learn how to remain calm and poised in every situation.
2.Puzzle Club, Jesus and Mary College
Image Credits: Surabhi Khare for DU Beat.
Puzzle is a world where no one can ever get to know everything, but only by constant activeness and willingness to know more one can cross half a mile.A person should have strong analytical and logical skills to be a member of this society. One should be able to identify all the tricks of any puzzle with reason and logic . The society believes that the members are like the puzzle pieces that stick together by their contribution towards the society to make it work as a whole.
3.Vision, Hansraj College
Image Credits: Saubhaya Saxena for DU Beat.
Vision, the newspaper society of Hansraj College started out as a secret society, aiming to connect every aspect of Hansraj with its students. In recent years, the society members have had more opportunities and practice to work, act and edit. This year’s college elections were actively covered by vision members. The society wants to encourage any hidden talent that might be stirring, which is why all members are expected to write and report regularly. The society believes in encouraging the members to see themselves as journalists whenever they report. Building future journalists is one of the goals of the society.
Vision constitutes four teams-editorial, technical, sponsorship, and photography. Some of the members have been interning or have interned at a number of places, one of them being the Hindustan Times.
4.Earthlings,Hindu College
Image Credits: Saubhagya Saxena for DU Beat.
Hindu College has had one of the largest lawns in North Campus and it also boasts of a large population of dogs, amphibians, and birds. Initiated by the Zoology Department, the society started striving to understand and preserve all these creatures with a couple of conservation strategies. The society is also participating in a project with World Wildlife Foundation.
Pranking is increasingly becoming a means of sustenance for many YouTubers. Humour is after all, harmless and entertaining. But is it?
Maximum entertainment is derived from an interactive and intriguing piece of art. But the idea of entertainment is more than just an exciting piece of work. It is really about subjectivity. It is an impressing of ideals on the audience, as it also truly holds a mirror to the society. The content that we feel connected to most is the expression of an artist that we find most relatable. An increasing effect of pranks clouding over media-content is not very latent. Pranking is now an expression of humour.
Humour, again is not easy to classify as a term. It is subjective. The true concern then is the act of deciding when humour becomes more than just something to celebrate. Even in its subjectivity, the idea of humour is extremely broad in the sense that it deals with human values; and in that, it must hold some ethical ground. You might enjoy an offensive joke, but to someone else, it might be a humiliation. Logically, even in humorous banter, we need to practise certain restraint.
It is this restraint that is lacking in the YouTube pranksters’ fraternity. You will see thumbnails of blurred (and sometimes not even blurred) women being asked uncomfortable but “humorous” questions by a promising YouTube “artist” on your YouTube Trending List. Videos like “Would You Rather Slap Me or Kiss Me?” and others are extremely unacceptable. These videos are shot without the consent of the starring participants because the camera must record their authentic reactions.
Shooting around public places like parks and metro stations, these problematically curious adventurers cause discomfort and insecurity. A few days ago, four girls from Delhi University were captured on record sitting in the Central Park in Connaught Place. When they questioned an actor with the “hidden” cameraman– a part of the pranking troop– the actor mentioned that they were “shooting for a YouTube video for their channel”.
It is appalling how easily you can justify something like this borderline stalking act by using the hidden camera argument! There is no element of consent or respect that concerns this rancid humour. Does this impeach of people’s privacy by recording their actions deceptively has any healthy appeal to it? The sadly egregious reality is that such content actually finds an audience of millions on YouTube.
Disbelieving the actual existence of this creepy behaviour in our daily lives, Debopriya Bhattacharya, a Literature Major from Hindu College says, “So all this time I thought these were ‘fake’ videos but now that I know they are shot without consent, it gives me all the more reason to abhor them. I feel these videos are the cheapest forms of entertainment that are out there on the internet and what’s more surprising is that these videos have an active ‘audience’.”
It is difficult to defend the audience when that selfsame audience feeds on such sick content. These videos and experiments also make it difficult to challenge the everyday issues that disallow women to be an equal member in the social settings; as most of these videos capitalise on objectifying women. Humour cannot be allowed to be subjected to this festering of lowly “pranks”.
Pranking as an act is not the problem, however. Healthy humour is really the lifeblood of entertainment, but the important factor to be considered is active and informed participation of the people involved in the act.
Discomforting people and creepily stalking their footfall, to cater to your needs of providing the society with something to laugh about is not cool. Humiliation is not humorous as it is not the idea of entertainment. Period. It is time we start calling out such “pranksters” before they capitalise on YouTube views and subscriptions.
When debating is an enriching and fun activity, how do debating tournaments turn out to be strenuous and tardy?
One of the first things you learn after joining the debating circuit in the University of Delhi is how every tournament might be different, but they all have that one thing in common, they all run late. The schedules will always ask you to come at 8:30 or 9 am, and as a novice debater, you will go to the respective college on time. You will reach on time i.e. 30 minutes before schedule, only to find the college empty or with other naïve fresher debaters as yourself. Despite Whatsapp messages from the Organising Committee a night before the tournament, requesting you to be on time, the affair will, certainly, not start before 11 am.
Apart from the delays, what comprises a debating tournament are the jitters you get as you come with your entire college contingent, waiting for the roll call to end, seeing other teams, recognising people – mostly the ones you lost against at the previous tournament and for the motions to come out.
As the round begins, you see people immediately fall into their teams, the serious whispers, arguments being constructed, people rushing towards their rooms. The tension in the room is self-evident. What is stressful about Parliamentary Debating is how you do not get to prepare a speech and do not know what the other side will bring to the table.
It is just you using the 20 minutes of preparation using all the training you have received in mocks, the news you were grilled to read up on by your seniors, the techniques you learned while missing classes; all these things culminate to determine whether you win or not. And this goes on till the five rounds come to an end.
Debates get more intense in senior tournaments, against people who are third years or, sometimes, Law students who are much older than you. Their age and experience are unfair assets they hold against you, which can often lead to them not taking you seriously. Post breaks. the pressure is quadrupled, because a single unrebutted argument or poor analysis does not mean you can go on to the next round but you are out of the tournament itself.
Five rounds usually spread over two days might sound like a comfortable schedule. However, the small delays gradually add up to massive interludes not allowing participants to leave before 8 pm. With some tournaments even ending around midnight, security is a major concern, given that there are no provisions for transportation.
Furthermore, it is rare that colleges provide accommodation only with higher registration fees. As it gets late, the college is closed and so you can find the last round being wrapped up in the college grounds or near the gates.
Being from a girls’ college, safety is an even bigger issue. It being a new experience, in the beginning, parents worry incessantly with frequent calls, texts, scolding and requests to reconsider this activity. Some even come to pick their children up on late nights. Gradually they become well-acquainted with this pattern and you begin to hear about how you do not go to ‘college’ but to ‘debating society’.
You will come home to see stories of your friends out on weekends while you went to debate. And despite the stress, anxiety, mental and physical exhaustion and feelings of self-doubt you will be willing to compromise on your social life next weekend as well, and the reason is very simple. The feeling of learning, knowing, being smarter than the smartest and the thrill you experience is indomitable.
Three years on, the suicide that sparked a rebellion is still being remembered with the wounds of inequality and misuse of administrative power, still fresh and burning.
Just two years ago on this day, Rohith Vemula passed away, his life ending with a noose. This was not just a plain suicide of an Ambedkar Student Association (ASA) student facing discrimination because of his Dalit identity but, as many described it was more of an ‘institutional murder.’ What drove Vemula to suicide or was his death already planned and then made to look like a suicide? Such questions and speculations dominate debates since his death in 2016.
However, what can’t be ignored is that Vemula’s death along with the powerful letter he left behind, surely created a new age of rebellion amongst the youth against caste-based discrimination and University administration.
Commemorating his third death anniversary, a series of talks and marches embraced the University of Delhi’s North Campus.
It started with Youth for Social Justice organising a remembrance meeting for Rohith Vemula followed by a Young India Padyatra from Arts Faculty to Vishwavidyalya Metro Station. It was concluded with a candlelight march at 6 pm from Vishwavidyalya to Arts Faculty.
In the afternoon hours of 17th January, a remembrance meeting for Rohith Vemula was held by Youth For Social Justice at Arts Faculty. Speakers and professors from all over the colleges of the University of Delhi were invited to speak on Rohith Vemula’s suicide which happened three years ago at University of Hyderabad. The Chief Guests of the event were Rajendra Pal Gautam, Minister of Social Welfare, Government of Delhi and Professor Manoj Kumar Jha, Member of Parliament and Department of Social Work, DU. At the meeting, the speakers spoke extensively about the institutional discrimination and systematic oppression Dalits face in central universities and the lack of SC, ST, and OBC teachers in reputed institutes of the country. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Savitribai Phule were remembered and slogans of ‘Jai Bhim’ were raised by the crowd present there. Rohith’s last letter was also quoted a couple of times by the speakers highlighting casteism and elitism in a university space.
Image Credits: Niharika Dabral for DU Beat
As the evening hours set in, a candlelight march was held by Students’ Federation India (SFI). The participants first walked from the metro station to the Vivekananda statue in the Arts Faculty complex. They stood with candles in their hands while a few volunteers stood in front of the statue, honouring Vemula’s legacy.
Image Credits: Niharika Dabral for DU beat
However, it is ironical that in Hyderabad, Vemula shifted from the SFI to the Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA) as he found the former to be a body showing some amount of classism, something which Vemula was strictly against. However, this can be heard as speculation too as different sources have been building different narratives since his death.
“Yes, he had his own issues with SFI back then and SFI itself has had issues with the ASA.” Akhil, an SFI-affiliated student from Zakir Husain Delhi College, remarked. He continued by saying, “However, what we need to appreciate is how his institutional murder led all the fronts to change for the upliftment of lesser communities to come together. His death was unfortunate for this country, but it strengthened us and will keep on driving this revolution. In fact, a few months after he passed away, SFI and ASA came together as a coalition and won the Hyderabad University elections.”
After a few moments of silence, the marchers walked back to the Arts Faculty gate and planted their burning candles to the ground. Gathering in a circle, they shouted slogans invoking the immortality of Rohith Vemula, Bhim Rao Ambedkar, and several other pioneers of this movement.
Whatever outcome comes out of this current political scenario with caste-based discrimination still prevailing, notions of patriarchy being challenged, and reservation still being a heated theme in our Parliament, Vemula and the many others who died in this struggle, their legacy will continue to impact the youth.
‘People may dub me as a coward. And selfish, or stupid once I am gone. I am not bothered about what I am called. I don’t believe in after-death stories, ghosts or spirits. If there is anything at all I believe, I believe that I can travel to the stars and know about the other worlds…’
-Rohit Vemula in his death note
Feature Image Credits: Niharika Dabral for DU Beat
Influences of the American life have penetrated deeply in our day to day lives, perhaps more than we would have wanted to. But are we aware of its consequences yet?
As we tread along the waters of this postmodern world, wading our way through the crests and troughs of capitalism and the dynamics of power, I can’t help but wonder about the American influences we’re all gradually transforming into victims of.
I feel like living a dilemma. What I read or watch stands in complete contradiction of where I belong. A world full of people can be suffocating if you feel like a part of the world of books, you know. But any individual is the sum of his/her surroundings. And surroundings include social and cultural backgrounds. I believe quite strongly I’m not the only one. As a millennial, citizen of an Asian country, and a girl born into a Hindu family, this clash seems profoundly overwhelming. Through this attempt at purging, I shall try to analyse what really is this ‘dilemma’.
Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, an American psychologist discusses the psychological effects of globalisation with a special focus on youth and suggests that it generally results in issues of identity (Arnett, 2002). I surmise this is the living dilemma.
India is a country that homes people from various religions, dialects, and cultural backgrounds. It is not, like a fully developed nation, a ‘homogeneous mixture’. And in this, we take pride. But these variations are perhaps leading into a loss of individuality, and by extension, lack of cultural/social values.
The hegemony established by the Britishers 200 hundred years ago seems to have metamorphosed into an advanced form. We are now slaves to the vibrant world of Netflix, juicy Macs, and brands that we can’t even pronounce the names of correctly. I do believe that this is the natural course of events and that there is nothing to regret or feel ashamed about here. What baffles me here is the wave of identity crisis that appears to have the strength of drowning us.
The question is not if it’s a good or a bad change, or a right or wrong change. The question is to what extent can it influence us, and to what extent – as people coming from a collectivist background – we would be able to take it.
Unlike children, adolescents have enough maturity and autonomy to pursue information and experiences outside the con?nes of their families. Unlike adults, they are not yet committed to a de?nite way of life and have not yet developed ingrained habits of belief and behaviour; they are more open to what is new and unusual (Arnett, 2002). As children of a developing state, we are even more vulnerable to these changes. The kind of information/data that unearths itself from the virtual world of internet is appealing to every adolescent, but I reckon what makes Indian children more prone to getting hooked is the post-colonial hangover, which makes sure that an adolescent gets exactly the kind of escape s/he needs.
A third-year student pursuing Political Science Honours from a Delhi University college remarked, “We have become slaves of American brands and products. We do speak and protest again capitalism, but not everyone can reject the kind of effect the American market is having on us.” One may promise to not go to a McDonalds for life, or not watch Netflix but to what extent can the youth of today – susceptible by the seemingly fancy world of the West – resist the temptations it offers? And how will the individual then, cope with the flipside of it in real life?
The myth that we are progressing towards an ‘advanced’ or more ‘civil’ world shall always remain a myth. The need of the hour is not to question if the changes happening around – ones that feel like seeping through the bones and skull of the nation – are right or wrong but that, are we ready to tackle with the issue of our identity that we are seemingly growing more confused day by day about.
A first hand account of Dr. Asha Devi, an ad hoc professor at Hindi Department of Aditi Mahavidyalaya. She talks about the difficulties ad hoc teachers have been facing for over two decades.
“I joined the University of Delhi (DU) as a lecturer in Aditi Mahavidyalaya in1996 on ad-hoc basis. I used to change three buses to reach the college since it was two hours away from my residence. With a Doctorate in Hindi, double Masters in Hindi, and Mass Communication, I was sure that I’ll soon get a permanent job in the University. I was also the Class 12th topper in Hindi in CBSE Examinations, 1985. I still have the journal where my interview was published. Even at that time, I had said that I wanted to be a lecturer when I was asked about my goals.
I did my Bachelors, Masters, M.Phil and Ph.D in Hindi from DU. I cleared NET with JRF in 1991 in the first trial. In 1999, my daughter was born, and being an ad-hoc I wasn’t given maternity leave. I was thrown out of my job but I did not lose hope. I continuously kept teaching in various colleges of the University as a guest lecturer, and even agreed to give a single lecture a week. In 2001, the interviews for permanent posts of faculties were conducted in Aditi Mahavidyalaya. I wasn’t selected despite a good interview because the already appointed lecturers were given preferences. I joined Aditi Mahavidyalaya again in 2002, again on an ad hoc basis. In 2004, the interviews for permanent posts were conducted again, but due to nepotism, I was thrown out from my job for the third time. Even now, when I think about the 2004 interview, I feel extremely miserable, helpless, and depressed. The thought that someone else took my job because they had better contacts and money than me still haunts me.
Since then, I have been filling the application forms for other colleges of DU spending around INR 500 to INR 1000 on each form. Every year, thousands of applicants fill these forms, but the interviews never take place. If they do, I for sure never get selected, despite proper experience, and qualifications. I taught in a private university for a year where my salary was even lesser than what I used to get in DU.
Since I have been teaching in Aditi Mahavidyalaya for long, it feels like my second home. However, there is still a fear that this home will never accept me completely, and would throw me out. My daughter is pursuing her graduation from Miranda House. She often asks me to join her college, but it is not that easy. I can only dream of teaching as a permanent faculty. Every four months, I have a weird feeling in my gut which leaves me wondering whether I’ll get the letter this time or not. I am the sole bread earner of the family. I have two kids, and less money to spend on their education. I am under many loans. I want to make sure that they don’t suffer because of the system, like I have.
One thing I am sure of is that is I know my job very well. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been teaching for 20 years. Since 1996, I have also been the in-charge of many committees, and societies of Aditi Mahavidyalaya. I was the convener of NCC for nearly six years. I used to be given tasks to take the NCC students for outdoor camps. If I were so impotent, who would assign me tasks like these?
Sometimes, students of other disciplines tell me that they want to attend my lecture. This makes my day. Whatever happens in college affects me a lot. I tell my daughter everything that happens in a day. It occupies a huge part of my life. It’s too late for me to learn something new, and start all over again. All I want to ask is: What is my fault?, The fact that I didn’t give in to the system or, deserved to be treated fairly.
Delhi University to ensure centrally air conditioned campuses, due to the growing climate concerns.
Delhi University issued a statement on the 7th of January, 2019 that it will instal central air conditioners in all the college campuses. The proposal is set to be in motion from the new academic year (July onwards). On a trial basis, a few select colleges will have these installed. Depending on the affect or reaction of the college community, this measure will be taken on a full-fledged mode.
The reason, issued earlier, is the shifting climatic conditions. With the northern India witnessing a cold wave, it is expected that the summers will be as scorching as ever. Heena Garg, a student of Maitreyi College says, “The college infrastructure, especially the ventilation is a big problem in classrooms. The rooms are very stuffy and it creates a lot of problems in the hot summer months. The fans do not work properly. It results in a lot of discomfort among students.” A lot of private universities have already adopted the centrally conditioned system in their campuses. Infrastructure is still a major issue faced by a lot of Government or state based colleges.
Professor Yogesh Tyagi, the 22nd Vice Chancellor of Delhi University, expresses his views on this decision, “It is about time the Delhi University improves its infrastructural facilities. Addition of the centrally conditioned campus will be a major boost for the University and will benefit the students and staff.”
With the rising levels of pollution and lack of pure air in the Capital’s air index, a lot of households are also shifting to centrally treated air conditioning. Their growth in the Indian markets has been very restricted as compared to that of their western counterparts, where every house is already centrally conditioned. India is lagging behind in this lifestyle concern as its affordability is restricted only to the rich.
Apeksha Jain, a second year B.Com. student of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College comments, “In a city which has such extreme climates, DU’s decision for central air conditioning is a really good one. it will improve campus engagement and attraction, and improve the existing infrastructural conditions of the university.” While some of the colleges in DU provide air conditioned classes to its students, the call is for a campus wide change for the better.
What becomes of you outside the college gates should not be decided by your neighbour and other Sharmajis. We bring you five choices your relatives never thought could pay your bills.
It is the time for board examinations, and the time for graduations. DJ rightly said in Rang De Basanti, that the life beyond the gates of the school is an entirely different, perhaps more cruel one. The one factor to making it seem less cruel, and in fact enjoyable, is to choose a profession that makes you hate Mondays a tad less. Here are five offbeat career prospects that have the power to make you rich, content, or both:
1. Cartoon making: So Many of the world’s artists spend their entire lives with their heads stuck in a math problem, when they would much rather use the last page for a sketch of Mr. Bean. It is time to make money from your “hobby”. Every acclaimed newspaper and magazine has a dedicated space for cartoons nowadays, while television and movies provide more possibilities to your love and skill for doodling. Asian Academy of Film and Television, National Institute of Design, and National Institute of Fashion Technology are only some of the excellent institutes to hone the skills needed to cut it in this profession.
2. Pet Grooming: As a student of the University of Delhi, you must have become accustomed to having dogs and cats enter your vicinity at any time. If you enjoy petting them more than you love engaging with humans then, there is a future in it for you. It requires patience, and an understanding of the needs of those who cannot express themselves in words. There are no essential qualifications for this profession, but it requires immense skill and hard work. To grow further over the years, you can start a pet salon or a pet cafe, and work with organisations like PETA as well.
3. Rural Studies: If you are one of those people who find the lack of attention given to the 70% of the population of the country, residing in the rural areas, appalling, then there is an excellent opportunity in the field of rural studies for you. You can work with NGOs, the government, or open a business of your own, focussing on the area that interests you the most. There are Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees offered in this course at colleges in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Delhi.
4. Museology: The main reason to pursue this is, of course, the “I dig you” memes. The other important reason is your passion for something considered atrociously boring by the science-inclined population of the nation, i.e. history. Study museums, their significance, and the stories of the past with this career. University of Calcutta and National Museum Institute of History of Arts, offer the best programmes for this opportunity.
5. Bartending: There are careers that are fun, and then there are jobs which make everybody envious. Bartending is a profession that has been around for a long time, but it is only in the recent past that its mainstream value in making money has been realised. If you enjoy listening to people’s drunk break-up stories, and have a love for alcoholic drinks, then this job is for you. You should be a graduate in any subject, if you want to be hired by high-end bars. A knowledge of alcohol, and preferably a diploma is appreciated for this career. Indian Institute of Bartending (Chennai), B’Mann School of Bartending (Chennai), Liquid Art Bartending School (Hyderabad), and Institute of Bar Operations and Management (New Delhi) are the best institutes to acquire a degree for the profession.
A bittersweet rant narrative dedicated to all those who couldn’t stick to their college societies for long.
If you’re in your first year in the University of Delhi, eager to explore the circles of societies in this varsity, then maybe you should not read this. Well, chuck it, you can read my thoughts as I am bringing them out of my society for a reason.
As for my second- and third-year comrades, I hope some of you relate. Those who can’t, good for you and your co-curricular life. Now let’s cut to the chase and talk about a transition phase.
As the vacations end and year one of three in college commences, we all are filled with aspirations and ambitions. I was no Shakespeare but still a wordsmith above the level of an average Wattpad writer. Many were like me, dreamers in need of new dreams, and artists in need of new fields. And with a pocket full of these dreams and our college ID card, we walked to the different desks of different societies. Once those seemingly experienced, artsy seniors noted down my details, I felt fangs of nervousness biting my neck as I took some nervous steps to my chosen society’s auditions.
So many people and what new things do I have to bring to the table? Would this society be my first priority? Apart from my skills, I faced these questions in a candid interview which seemed like an arranged marriage scene in a Bollywood film. Of course, I answered to all these questions in the positive (even if I knew I am a youth who hardly can be committed to commitment). A few days later, I and the other lucky ones got the calls, and got the Whatsapp group invites; they were finally a part of an artistic clique.
Yes! I got in! ‘Thanks a lot for this!’ ‘I shall not disappoint you all. Thank you for having me!’ ‘*multi-coloured heart emojis*’, these were the Whatsapp texts that bombarded the society’s group. It might seem cliched but these messages showed our true emotions.
I began to attend my society meetings as the semester gained momentum. I learnt new tricks, made new friends and got a new vibe. The season of fests were fun and even if we lost, I still had this family to make memories with and hone our art to kick the other society’s butts next year (excuse my language as I got too emotional!). Then we got society tee shirts which I agree had some bizarre colour scheme and even more bizarre puns printed on it, but this was a marker of my identity with this collective. That meant a lot.
They say nothing lasts forever and my love story for my society started fading off way too soon. The sessions and meetings started feeling like a mere formality. The tasks began to feel like a compulsion and for some, it started being an epitome of repulsion. I am guilty for the fact that I stopped contributing to the organising work of the society as I just wanted to do my art and nothing else. I became self-centred in my art, hoping that others can handle the society work.
Ha! I was wrong.
For now, many others too became self-centred. You see our approaches to art might not be the same, but we are all a sucker for a solo spot under the spotlight instead of an open-air collective meeting under the sunlight. The attendance rate at the meetings was no longer high like the rate of petrol. The society was diminishing. At the coming fests, the other societies’ butts were intact. We hadn’t kicked them.
Then with the college year ending, the seniors bid adieu and it was time to elect new heads. However, these mundane society elections themselves spread a gas of toxicity which we all breathed. Factionalism was further deepened.
The heads had set up a somewhat socialist setup for the society i.e. equal worth for everyone’s work. So, no matter if you’re Lady Gaga or Lady Blah Blah, everyone began to be seen in the same light. Now I as an artist, am still finding my worth. It might be high or low but I know for sure, it isn’t the same as everyone. Sorry socialism but this equal worth thing isn’t suited for me.
Escaping from the sinking Titanic that my society had become, I went on my own boat to charter new seas. I got bigger platforms that recognised my talent, more internships, more gigs. It’s not smooth sailing but at least I’m not losing hope unlike me in my society.
Now that I have finished exactly half of my college life, that ‘excited Indian Idol contestant who gets selected in the audition’ vibe is no more. The Whatsapp texts from the society are mostly muted or left on read. The society tee is just getting damp in some murky corner of the wardrobe.
And to my society, if you are reading this, I’m sorry if I seem to be too blunt here but I can’t stick with you for long. I hope you’re still happy and keep on showing new roads to freshers or just build up the hope to show them new roads like you did for me. Maybe, the fault wasn’t in you but in me. Sigh! That’s too cliched. I can do better than that. I hope I do better than that.
Feature Image Credits: Rishab Gogoi for DU Beat. Shaurya Singh Thapa shauryat@dubeat,com
19, The Annual Fest of Department of Psychology, Gargi College started out its journey of narratives by bringing together students and staff for a plantation drive. The event was organised in association with GlassEye, the filmmaking society of Gargi College and Iris, the photography society of Gargi College.
