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Representation for Me, Not for Thee?

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Representation Pride

In DU and in India, LGBTQ representation has been improving, if at a snail’s pace. But does it go far enough? We spoke to queer people around the university, who have found no place in this emerging space, to understand why a certain demographic still dominates LGBTQ representation.

LGBTQ representation in DU, as in the rest of India,  is still measly. The University administration does not acknowledge the existence of the community, let alone take any steps to uplift or prevent discrimination against its members. In most colleges and spheres of university life, anyone who is not perfectly straight and cisgender must conceal their identity for fear of being socially ostracised, harassed, or just looked at as strange and deviant.

But slowly, this is changing. Queer collectives have been created in a few colleges, to provide spaces for LGBTQ students to express themselves freely and find a place for themselves in the community. More and more students are able to come out to their friends without fear of judgement or exclusion, and some have even found safe spaces in the classrooms of progressive teachers. Moreover, every June, both LGBTQ students and their straight allies come out to the streets of North Campus and other parts of the university in a celebration of queerness and love.

Yet, there’s something a little strange about this representation. When you think of an openly queer student from any of India’s large universities, who do you picture? For most of us, the answer will be a young bisexual woman, likely with a name that betrays her upper-caste origins and a healthy dose of socioeconomic privilege to go along with it. But why, in this group of lakhs of students from across the country, is this the one demographic that appears to be so dominant. Is it a simple chance, or is there something more sinister at play?

“I think being gay or especially bisexual has become “mainstream” in certain circles in a way that being trans has just not. It’s also much easier to hide not being straight than it is to hide being cisgender. You can choose to hide the fact that you date the same sex when you go to an interview or doctor’s appointment. But if I were to come out and transition, especially with meds or even surgical procedures, there would be no way to turn my trans-ness off if I’m not in the right setting,” a closeted trans man from Miranda House told us.  As a student in a women’s college, he feels a sense of otherness from his classmates all the more acutely, but does not feel comfortable coming out to anyone but his closest friends for the same reason. 

A trans woman we spoke to told us that being transgender in India is still associated with the third gender community, even if the trans individual in question does not identify with them. Since this community, by virtue of its socio-economic position, is as far as can be from the woke metro-dweller, transgender individuals are excluded from queer discourse in these circles as well.

Yet, bisexuality is also one of the identities that is most frequently erased by society and the media, simply because it isn’t as visible as many other queer identities. “I think one of the main reasons behind people feeling that bisexual women are “over-represented” is because our identity isn’t taken seriously. Everyone thinks we’re just straight girls who sometimes kiss other girls when we’re drunk or to entertain guys,” said a bisexual woman from Lady Shri Ram College for Women. 

This superficial view of female bisexuality means that the consequences of being out and visibly bisexual are often not as severe as they are for being visibly transgender or gay. Even so, it perpetuates an incredibly harmful stereotype and leads to bisexuality being dismissed as an adventurous phase, at most, which bisexual women will get over. Many bisexual women also report lesbians refusing to enter into serious relationships with them, as a result of the perception that they will choose a more socially acceptable male partner when they eventually have to make a serious, long-term commitment. 

And when bisexual women do flout this stereotype and choose to spend their lives with female partners, they face just as much, if not more, backlash than gay persons. As one bisexual woman who has been with a woman for nearly a decade now told us, “My family and many others think I’m even worse than a gay person because at least I have a “choice to be normal”, whatever that implies.”

Some think the class divide in queer representation has a simple origin. “I honestly don’t think it’s anything too deep. If your family’s rich and you’ve grown up with a so-called “international” education, you’re more likely to be accepted by your friends and family if you come out. So you can paint pride flags on your face for Pride and put up infographics about gay representation in movies without constantly worrying about the wrong person seeing it or spreading a rumour.” says a lesbian woman from Hindu College.

Openly queer public figures in India, whether they’re the two lesbian lawyers Arundhati Katju and Menaka Guruswamy who fought to overturn Section 377, or iconic author and novelist Vikram Seth, are nearly always sophisticated, wealthy and endlessly eloquent (in English, of course). As one gay man said on an anonymous online forum, this image has become the only remotely socially-acceptable way to be queer in modern India.

“It’s not really a shock that Dalit queers aren’t represented in mainstream queer discourse in India. We’ve been excluded from all of these other supposedly progressive movements, whether it’s mainstream Indian socialism or feminism,” a student of Kirori Mal College told us.

In a society where upper-caste activism narratives are dominant, the identities and significance of transgender Dalits are sidelined completely. This is especially true when it comes to transgender and third-gender Dalit women, who, despite being some of India’s oldest and most important LGBTQ activists, are brushed aside for figures that are more palatable to dominant groups.

Some of these factors are beyond the control of the queer community, but many of them are not. So, it is the responsibility of the most vocal and visible of India’s LGBTQ community to pass on the mic. If we don’t, there is no hope of India as a whole ever accepting those who stray from the straight, cisgender norm. We may create islands of pro-queer wokeness and get a colonial-era law or two repealed, but real, large-scale change can never come when the vast majority of us are still invisible and unheard.

Read Also: The Need for Queer Collectives in Colleges

Featured Image Credits: Deccan Herald

Shriya Ganguly                                                                                                                                                [email protected]

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DUB Speak

Colleges and its Walls: A Need for Improvement

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Colleges and its Walls: A Need for Improvement

The infrastructural issues of many Colleges continue to deteriorate and no action has been taken for its improvement. Just because students study in a government college, are they supposed to accept the conditions or is there any hope for correction?  Read to find out more.

For many of us it has been a ‘dream come true’ experience as we entered University of Delhi (DU). From living ‘the’ college life to savouring moments that only a student of DU would know, it has been one of the most anticipated journeys that we always wanted to embark on. Words fall short while describing the feeling of finally getting into the college for which you had worked so hard. However, it all comes crashing down because of a few shortcomings and this makes you question your decision of whether you made the right choice. DU is one of the most prestigious institutions of the country but is it really capable enough as it is deemed to be? From a very young age, we have been taught that if we study hard, we will score a government college but is it worth it when even the basic necessities for a decent academic experience are not to be found here.

DU is an institution set up in the times we call history. It becomes quite important to make the necessary adjustments and carry out renovations in regards to the infrastructure. Nevertheless, DU has somewhat failed us in that domain. A number of colleges under DU have reported a lack of basic infrastructure in terms of classrooms and washroom facilities. The buildings may look poised and aesthetic from outside but from the inside a different story has been spinning from a very long time.

The lack of infrastructural care is quite evident in Kalindi College, DU. On talking with a number of students from the college on the pretext of anonymity informed us that none of the washrooms present in the college have proper latches, working flushes, soaps or even a basic standard of hygiene. The loos stink almost all the time. Apart from the washrooms, the buildings of the college are in need of an “immediate renovation”. Walls have not been repaired since years and the paint has cracked and deepened into dry flakes. Further, the condition of the classrooms are in a battered state. The benches and chairs are broken and the doors do not have latches due to which they swing freely. Even in Delhi’s harsh weather, fans of many classrooms fail to work which makes the teaching and learning process a tedious task. There is absolutely no maintenance whatsoever of the college infrastructure. According to various students, the Principal, Dr. Naina Hasija, has been notified about these issues on several occasions including the general body meeting of the students and faculty. However, no steps have been taken to improve the conditions, which continue to deteriorate.

In conversation with a student from Gargi college, DU, told DU Beat about the hygiene issues that persist in their college washrooms. According to the student, the washrooms are very dirty and they are in quite a horrible condition. To add onto this, the student stated that the loos stink almost all the time and they even get flooded with water sometimes. Further, the student brought to light that the first year class representatives brought this matter to the attention of their previous  students’ union and followed the developments. However, they were told that this happens every year and nothing is done about it.

There are Indian loos but the western ones usually have dirty seats which increases the risk of an infection, especially during the menstrual period.

-Student, Gargi College, DU

Amidst the reports of a fan falling over a student in Lakshmibai College, DU, another similar issue has been reported from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College. A student of the college told DU Beat that a fan in their class was shaking hard and during the exams the fan fell down but no one was hurt. However, we await for an official confirmation about the same. Additionally, such infrastructural issues were also reported from Satyawati College, DU. In conversation with a student from the same college, told DU Beat that since the inception of the new building, there has been no maintenance work done for the old building of the college. Besides this, the worrisome conditions of the washrooms are also deteriorating.

The washroom beside our auditorium does not have mirrors while the washroom located above the canteen has mirrors but no water. Urinals do not function and they always stink. Also, the walls of our college are covered with slogans like ‘Join ABVP’ and names of students who are a part of the political parties. The outer beauty of the college has also been compromised because of this.

-Student, Satyawati College, DU

Besides this, there is an infrastructural issue present in Kamla Nehru College as well. In conversation with Taneesha, a student of Kamla Nehru College told DU Beat about the conditions of the classrooms. She informed us about the lack of seating and even classrooms to accommodate the students of any course. She claimed that during the winters, the teachers used to take classes in the shed activity area present in the college or in the ‘choppal’ area. However, in summers too, they are taking classes in that open area under the scorching heat of Delhi, according to her.

Half of the students in ‘choppal’ are eating, some of them are taking a lecture, and some are taking some other lecture. It is a complete mess.

-Taneesha, Kamla Nehru College, DU

Further, she asserted that there are no proper benches to sit on and this is quite evident during the examinations. She claimed that as she entered the class to give her exam, she found no seats left. However, at the end, there was a chair and no table where her roll number was mentioned. According to her, she was asked to sit on the chair and give her paper but at this, she questioned the authorities and asked for a table since without it she would not be able to give her exam. After about ten minutes of searching, Taneesha was given a table as she stated.

Very poor conditions of the classrooms and seating arrangement. The college has a small infrastructure to the extent that the batch of political science has 180 students but it can not even offer the basic infrastructure to 100 students.

-Taneesha, Kamla Nehru College, DU

This does not end here. Another college under DU, perhaps already in a tussle of disaffiliation, College of Arts (COA), has a very dilapidated infrastructure issue. In conversation with Deepika, a student of COA, told DU Beat about the deteriorated conditions present in their college. She stated that the washroom issues continue to remain the same. The restrooms in the college lack door latches and water, have broken windows, and non-functional flushes, as she stated. She asserted that the college has re-painted the walls of the buildings to maintain the “outer beauty” of the college. However, this was done over the wall paintings created by the seniors. According to her, the students are again painting the empty walls to maintain the environment of the college. Another student of COA told DU Beat about the poor conditions of the classroom. Additionally, he claimed that there is no proper drinking water present in the college.

They installed a college flag and painted the entire campus but they are not working to provide the basic needs to the students which should be sorted first.

-Student, College of Arts

The conditions in regards to the infrastructure and hygiene is quite perturbing and troublesome for the students. The authorities must take cognition of the situation and act on it at the earliest.

Read Also: DU and its All-Pervading Issue of Inadequate Infrastructure

Featured Image Credits: swirlgirlspeaks.com

Ankita Baidya

[email protected]

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Campus Central

Protest for OBE: Police Violently Hauls the Students

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Protests took place in University of Delhi to demand the conduction of OBE for the even
semester students. However, protesting students found themselves amidst police brutality.
Read to find out more.

On 4 April 2022, a protest demanding the Open Book Examinations (OBE) broke out at the
Arts Faculty Gate-4 at the University of Delhi (DU). This protest took place in light of the
forthcoming even semester examinations that are scheduled to take place in the month of
May and June 2022, in physical mode. Students gathered in large numbers to demand the
examinations take place in online mode (OBE). However, it soon turned into a site of
brutality that was discharged by the Delhi Police. The protesters were manhandled by the
Police, which was followed by their detention.

Video Credits: Nikhil Kumar for DU Beat

In their press release, the All India Students’ Association (AISA) displayed their solidarity
with the protesting students demanding the OBEs for the upcoming examinations. AISA also
condemned the police brutality unleashed upon the common students.
To increase the support for the protest, AISA activists mobilized hundreds of students across
the campus to join in the call for demanding OBEs. Still and all, the Delhi Police went on the
offensive against the common students, detaining two of AISA’s activists.

The Delhi University’s administration showed its characteristic indifferent attitude while
hundreds of students contested its policies for their future. This behaviour towards the
common students is absolutely unacceptable. The DU-VC (Delhi University- Vice-
Chancellor) must answer for these grave offences against the common students.
-All India Students’ Association (AISA)

Further, AISA resolved to continue the struggle unhindered and unafraid of the malicious
intent of the Administration and the constant use of police to curb students’ movement.

https://twitter.com/TheShaStories/status/1511261865678360576?t=7CSiVFAZVxv9DWl7GWZMfQ&s=08

As the protests are progressing, the students of DU have various reasons in support of the
OBEs. In conversation with a student from Kamla Nehru College, DU, told DU Beat, on the
grounds of anonymity, that it is quite unjust for the students to appear for exams in the
physical mode. She stated that the decision was absolutely inequitable because more than
half of the syllabus has been covered in the online mode, in most of the courses across the
colleges in the University. Moreover, the final year students, in all the courses offered by DU,
are also appearing for the physical examinations which put a big question mark on their
future, as stated by the student. She believes that the final examinations which would denote
the end of college life for many students are quite valuable and to toss it off onto the factors
of uncertainty that are carried by the physical exams is intolerable.

I have a practical course and yet more than half of the things have been taught to us
through the screens of our laptops. How can the university expect that the students are
ready to appear for physical exams, given the situation where none of us appeared for one
in over a year. This step intends to jeopardise our academic future.

-Student from Kamla Nehru College, DU

https://twitter.com/your_pratyush/status/1511209262562742274?t=5inbAAFdBqMSDkbEkTFZQg&s=08

Another student who was present at the protest told DU Beat, on the grounds of anonymity,
that offline exams would have been justified if the classes were conducted in the physical
mode. However, given the situation that the classes were conducted on virtual platforms, like
zoom, where both students and the teachers faced network issues quite often, along with the
fact that the past 3 semesters were completely online, this is a sudden change and it
became a routine to not completely comprehend what was taught, as stated by the student.

Moreover, the student expressed her concern over the sudden reopening of colleges where
they were stuck between finding new accommodation, labs, projects and exams. The
student informed that almost 80% of the syllabus has been covered in the online mode
where the professors were not very concerned if each student was attending the class. It is
becoming very difficult to cope up with these sudden changes along with the offline exams,
as expressed by the student. In addition to this, the students at the protest told DU Beat,
how the students were threatened by some professors to appear for the physical exam in
place of their demand for online mode. The students at the protest further mentioned that if
they resort to online papers, the teachers will fail them.

The teachers told us that they’ll make difficult papers that we won’t be able to pass. They
showed us two papers and said that if you give offline paper you’ll get good marks, else
you’ll get barely 10 out of 30 in internals if you appear for online exams. Later on when
students checked those papers, both the online and offline papers were the same. Now, how
are we supposed to trust them?
-Student of DU

Earlier, the university had issued a notification where all the students, who are appearing for
the exams in May and June, were notified that the university will be providing them with extra
30 minutes which is a one-time measure in the given circumstances. In addition to this, the
university requested the faculty of various departments to provide the students with
additional choices in the question paper, along with the directions of conducting mock tests
as a part of the Internal Assessments, with the intent to prepare the students for the physical
exams.

Image Source: University of Delhi

 

Read Also: OBE System: A Harrowing Time for DU Students Lessons From The Last OBE and Tips for The Upcoming One The 101 Guide to Nail Your Open-Book Examination

Featured Image Credits: Himasweeta Sarma

Ankita Baidya
[email protected]

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Dalit Professor slapped by HOD – Casteism or rage?

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A humiliating incident took place on Monday at Lakshmibai College when the HOD of the Hindi Department slapped a fellow Dalit Professor. A police complaint has been filed after which The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) organised a protest against the issue.

 

A shocking incident took place at Lakshmibai College on Monday when the HOD of the Hindi department, Ranjit Kaur slapped her colleague, Dr Neelam a Dalit Associate professor during a college meeting. 

 

The teachers were called in for a meeting and the Head, Ranjit Kaur asked them to sign the minutes. Dr Neelam said in her statement to the Indian Express that she wanted to browse through the minutes before signing but Kaur wasn’t allowing them. She was slapped after her insistence, which left all the teachers stunned. Though only a few of all the 13 teachers present have come forward in support of Dr Neelam. 

 

“There were 13 of us there; we all saw what happened. We were stunned that somebody could slap their colleague like this.”

  • Anshu Jharwar, a teacher in the Hindi department as reported by The Indian Express

 

Neelam has also alleged in her statement that this insult was hurled because of her caste as Kaur “always had an issue with me because of my caste”. 

 

As a counter-statement, Ranjit Kaur has alleged this as false and it was she who was attacked. She told The Indian Express that Neelam wanted to go through minutes of various previous meetings which would have taken them 3-4 hours. 

 

“I even apologised immediately. But she came and grabbed me and pulled my hair. In her original complaint, there was no caste factor but now she’s playing the Dalit card to create problems for me. I’m a god-fearing; I have never said anything casteist in my life,” said Kaur as reported by the Indian Express. 

 

Stating this as her reason behind the objection she claimed, “I had to go to the computer lab, so I tried to take the register from her but she pulled at it. During that tussle, it’s possible my hand could have hit her face. But it was not an intentional slap.” Ranjit has now filed a counter-complaint to the Principal against Neelam. 

 

After this incident, Dr Neelam filed a complaint at the Bharat Nagar police station. She also went to submit her complaint to Principal Pratyush Vatsala who did not accept it until there was pressure from activists and teachers. Meanwhile, the Principal has denied these allegations and said that they tried to resolve the matter but it has gone out of hands now. This matter will be put forward in the next Governing body meeting of the administration. 

 

“This is a serious matter. Institutions cannot be allowed to refuse redressal. A fair time-bound inquiry as per rules should be conducted.”

 

  • Said Dr Abha Dev Habib, Treasurer, DU Teachers Association (DUTA) in a statement to Edex live

 

Was the hurled abuse due to casteism or not will be revealed after further investigation. What can’t be denied is that casteism is a dominant force in academia. From ill-treatment to discrimination a lot is faced by teachers and students of marginalized communities, a lot of which goes unreported. 

 

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) wrote to the Principal of the Lakshmibai College and demanded proper action be taken and justice be served. They asserted that issues of casteism in the university space are to be dealt with utmost seriousness. SFI Delhi State President Sumit Kataria and SFI DU Convenor Akhil KM met Dr Neelam to express their solidarity. 

 

https://twitter.com/sfiduspeaks/status/1427965317548974089 Embed this tweet, pleaseee

 

SFI even organised a protest against the humiliating act on 18th August at Lakshmibai College. There was heavy police deployment at the site who tried to remove the activists by force and manhandling. Still, the protest took place demanding action against Ranjit Kaur. 

 

 

 

Various issues have sprung up in the past year that has shown the ‘equal face’ of our education.

 

Vipin Pudiyath Veetil, an assistant professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences resigned because of the caste discrimination he faced at work. The video of a Professor from IIT Kharagpur hurling abuses at students from backward communities went viral last year. 

 

If the teachers holding the baton to guide generations of the nation would be in clutches of social evils such as casteism, it becomes a very serious issue that will obviously lay its impact on the future in ways unrecognisable. Thus the most valid question of the hour becomes,

 

 “Societies progress one small step at a time, or do they?”, as asked by Professor Vipin in his mail to other faculty members. 

 

Kashish Shivani

[email protected]   

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DUB Speak

Educational Empowerment: A Question of Self-Identity

By
Educational Empowerment: A Question of Self-Identity

The transgender community seeks an educational upliftment at the earliest but the social construction of gender is creating mayhem. The question is, are we willing to place education above Self-Identity?

While reminiscing those childhood days in school when life was full of giggles and nonchalant days, I wondered about the questions I was asked back then. What is your favorite color- blue or pink? The answer was blue but the expectation was ‘pink’, since girls could not like blue. Different notions and behavioral patterns have constructed the concept of gender. The gender roles assigned to each of us are based on an accepted set of characteristics. If anyone falls beyond them, they are rejected in society’s eyes. Then what happens to the transgender community? What about their unique Self-Identity?

Education makes everyone better off. It is education that develops everyone and helps them to choose better and work for the best. Knowledge empowers an individual to recognize opportunities, understand their rights and duties. Education has the power to make a person complete. Gender alone can not determine the character of a person but it is the empowerment by education that makes a person face the world. Moreover, this educational empowerment helps in the developmental process of a country. We claim to be a developing nation and have set our eyes on becoming developed. The irony is that we are the same people who are creating hindrances in the process. Education should be imparted equally irrespective of gender then why is one section of the society deprived of it?  Why is equality a notion of just two genders?

The word gender may sound quite peculiar and unimportant but the impact it has is way greater than we can realize. You and I can sleep tonight with calmness. However, it is this very word that has seized the peace out of many lives. In a landmark case, the Supreme Court of India recognized the transgender community in 2014. It acknowledged the right to choose one’s gender identity as it is integral to the right to a life with dignity. This gave formal recognition to the community. Yet, there is a long way to social acceptance.

The transgender community has been deprived of cultural and social participation which has resulted in restricted access to education and other needs. According to official reports, there are about 4.9 lakhs people who belong to this community. The actual number could be way higher than these figures. Out of which, about 55,000 belong to the age group of 0-6. In comparison to the literacy rate of 74% of the general population, the literacy rate of this community is quite low at 46%. Although the constitution guarantees them a quality life, they lack the means that create the ‘quality’ of life.

Formal education for transgender is not a very popular concept in Indian society. The enrollment is significantly low and the drop-outs are too high. They are reluctant to continue schooling as a result of all the bullying and harassment they have to face. The community is deprived of a healthy environment be it at school or home. This further deteriorates their standard of living. With the prevailing stigma and less education, the endless number of opportunities is only present on the paper for them.

Back in 2014, when the country recognized the transgender community officially, the University of Delhi also included the third gender in their application form. It seemed to be a big leap since a premier institution had opened its arms towards inclusivity. Nevertheless, there are accounts of students who received a cold shoulder from the officials along with bullying that followed them into their classrooms.

I approached a group of students to find get directions to the window for filling up the application for DU’s School of Open Learning (SOL). They called me a ‘Chaka’. I never thought that educated people could be so insensitive. We are also a part of society. I knew right then that I will never be one of them.

-Delhi based transgender via ED Times

Educational deprivation comes from the question of equality. We are in an era where people are still gripping on the concept of feminism. Even now, we are fighting for women’s rights and equal opportunities for them. We are still bridging the gap between the two genders. When there is an issue of fairness between men and women then how is equality going to reach the third gender?

In a classroom, when a student uses a slur like ‘Chaka’ and it goes unnoticed in the name of a joke, are we taking this issue of inclusivity seriously? Are we inclusive when we have generalized the use of slurs for this part of society?

The transgender community faces problems in all walks of life. Hence, an equitable education through social acceptance is critical. This makes the need for educational empowerment even more important for the working of an inclusive society. There is a long road that needs to be walked down to achieve the collective goal of their social acceptance that would ensure reimbursement of their lost quality of life

Read Also: The Need for Queer Collectives in Colleges

Featured Image Source: News 18

Ankita Baidya

[email protected]

 

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DUB Speak

Woes of Online Education: The River of Unadaptability

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Woes of Online Education: The River of Unadaptability

The Indian Education system is based upon the traditional methods of face-to-face dissemination of education. With the pandemic hitting and challenging us in all the possible ways, the education needs restructuring to sustain the crisis. The question is how are we going to address the underlying issues to make the system compatible with the on-going predicament?

A thought of the past are those fine winter mornings where we used to get up to our mother’s voices. Then packed our bags, ate our breakfast and headed out for school. From attending those science periods to playing football in every games period, we were accustomed to a certain kind of development. We were never prepared for any other situation where all these could just become a talk of the thin air. Yet, here we are battling a deadly virus from the comforts of our humble abode. The unforeseen outbreak of the COVID-19 disease that is caused by the corona virus has forced the educational institutions to shut. The concept of blended mode or the online Education is not new to the present time but the change from a classical appeal to a more westernized approach has been a little sudden. This situation has kept a challenge before the entire education fraternity of the world and has forced the pedagogues to shift to the online mode overnight. Although, the sheer willingness to gain and impart knowledge has kept the students and the teachers moving through the months, there are quintessential arguments that need our focus to deliver the best in the time of the crisis.

Education system in India was doomed long before the pandemic hit. I’m simply taken aback with the thought that we were expecting them to be efficient online.

-Kenisha, Hindu College, University of Delhi

Every outcome has its pros and cons but if and only if we try to resolve those cons then the solution can turn as the best scenario. Shifting the students and the teacher to the online mode seemed to be a playful and an interesting way out but did it really help when students are slacking off? The Indian educational pattern is more theoretical than practical which makes it difficult for the students to keep up with the classes in the long run. Nevertheless, as students it comes onto us to make some adjustments and do our best to help the situation but a practical approach needs to be harboured eventually. This crisis may cost us other attributes of life. However, the education holds the prime place in a student’s life and the crisis should not cost us the same. The question is not only about engaging the students but also about imparting the same or even better quality of education in such stressful times. So, now the matter at hand is will the long hours of lecture stick to what is written on those ten pages of our book or are we going to find a practical approach to make those hours worth everyone’s time?

From a kid’s perception, it is equally difficult for us to grab things from our home like in DU (we know we will have Open Book Examinations then why to listen? There is no reason.) Same goes with school like students gave exam on Google forms. What is the point of studying huge syllabus?

-Piyush Srivastava, Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, University of Delhi

In addition to the above, arises the question of accessibility and feasibility. India is a polarized nation with a clear distinction between urban and rural. On one hand we have a prospect of better approach towards education by making it real-time and accessible from anywhere but the question of disparities amidst the different sections of societies is inevitable. The urban advancements in the digital arena exceed the underlying issue of the division. While this step might have made our lives easier, about 60% of the students face the unprecedented complications arising from lack of internet connectivity. These figures could widen the gap and have the potential for worsening the status-quo persisting in the nation. This is further fueled by the state’s inaction to ensure accessibility to internet in every region. When the little boy has the responsibility to look after his father’s shop and make time for the book in his hand, the inequitable access to internet would make it difficult for him to accomplish his targets.

I don’t think that our education system was capable for online mode because of the vast digital divide that existed and still exists. Online mode is especially incompatible for the rural areas as compared to the urban areas because of lack of proper infrastructure.

-Srivatsa Seth, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi

The online mode might be the final solution to our problems in the near future. Before asking the stakeholders to blatantly switch to this sudden change, it is really necessary to answer the question of accessibility and feasibility. Education is the backbone of the world. It is the medium that is going to reel us out of any crisis. Hence, an equitable implementation of internet connectivity in each and every region is the need of the hour in order to maintain the ethical standards of education.

Our education system holds importance for the face value. Eliminating the physicality out of the system, makes the students exposed to the virtual tangibles. Yet, online education is no longer an option for us but a necessity. It might have loopholes but it is on us to make it capable enough to sustain the global catastrophe that we are witnessing. So, the question is, are we going to kneel before this sitch or are we going to join hands and work towards structuring the system in accordance with the present times?

Read Also: Is Covid-19 Making Celebrities Stay in the Same Boat as Us?

Featured Image Credits: Vanessa Rodriguez via Foothill Dragon Press

Ankita Baidya

[email protected]

 

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Campus Central

Casteism, Class, Convention: Are We Still Free?

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Casteism, Class, Convention: Are We Still Free?

Casteism has been lurking in our systems as a product of historical grievances. From condemning the actions to being the perpetrator, is this deep rooted caste bias finding new ways to make itself comfortable?

Yet in another turn of events, a student from scheduled caste, hailing from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), had to face the atrocities of casteism. The victim, Sagar Kumar, was subjected to physical brutality over refusal to copy the assignment of the alleged attacker, Shubham Kumar. In a conversation with Dalit Desk, Sagar explained what he faced.

On 28 November, at night 11, I was studying in my room while Shubham came in and asked me to do his assignment to which I refused and told him the teacher can fail me for this. Several times he insisted but I refused. Thereafter he hurled Casteist slurs at me and started abusing me and beat me. Adding, I am mentally traumatized after this incident; strict action must be taken against him.

-Sagar Kumar told Dalit Desk.

According to the report by Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association (BAPSA), JNU, Shubham Kumar has been abusing Sagar Kumar for the past one year. This has put the latter through a great deal of purgatory and physical trauma. This incident is a reminder of the prevailing status quo arising out of casteism. BAPSA found Sagar Kumar with a high blood pressure. He was shivering in fear for his life while his voice was cracking. A complaint of the aforementioned incident has been lodged at National Commission for Scheduled Caste, Vasant Kunj Police Station, Equal Opportunity Cell (JNU) and Chief Proctor of JNU. The creamiest brains putting it out at the most premier institutions of the country makes me wonder, if we are too invested in literacy that educating the consciousness has taken a back seat.

The shameless shout out for impunity by Shubham Kumar only exposes the fault lines of the self-proclaimed island that JNU is.

-BAPSA, JNU

The irony of the entire situation is the fact that we condemn the very actions that we see being perpetuated around us by our own people. From using the casteist slurs to mocking the minority in the name of comedy, we are witnessing a degree that is pulling us towards the breaking point. Institutional casteism is on the rise and this incident comes as no shock. A recent study suggests the lofty prevalence of casteism in higher educational institutions but the constancy of this sitch is quite overwhelming. What irks me is the smell of normalcy around it. Unless the blood oozes out of the situation, the discriminatory and defamatory acts are subjected to negligence. How can these deprecatory and belittling instances thrusted aside while condemning them?

The very existence of the grievances cell for the marginalised section in the educational establishments proves the existence of these preferential and unjust acts. Creation of these cells to seek redressal has pulled curtains over the actuality of the situation. This has made it easier to achieve those estranged dreams in the crippling shadows of the same. Meddling with casteism does question the political agenda and its pernicious relationship with it. A peculiar pattern can be observed in the same regard, even at the places of education. Meenakshi Yadav, the representative of Student Federation of India (SFI) from Lady Shri Ram College spoke to DU Beat. She questions the standing of this circle which instigates casteism while fulfilling their political dream.

Brahmans portray themselves that they are in-charge, they are in power. They feel a sense of superiority due to the presence of the current governing body.

-Meenakshi Yadav, SFI representative, LSR

It is a simple monopoly of strength to establish dominance of a caste by the ones in power. Showing the monochromatic nature of elitism, it pulls the reins of casteism. It aligns the political inclinations and caste-based notions, producing a class of inherent elitism. This is an establishment which teaches equality and the next minute pulls the card of ‘winner-winner, political dinner’.

Koi gujjar hai toh batado, humko dosti karni hai par sirf apne cast walo se.
-A first year student as quoted by Meenakshi Yadav, SFI representative, LSR

Delhi University has long been known as a place where tensions arising from casteism have been lit. Not long ago, it had displayed a reservation of their thoughts when the writings of two dalit writers, Bama and Sukhartharini, have been removed and replaced by the work of an upper caste writer, Ramabai. This altercation of syllabus poses a sheer threat to the sovereignty of the institute and questions the autonomy of the academic space. How can we account for the pillars of democracy with a prejudiced and biased eye? Is this discriminatory influence above the education imparted by the most premier institutions?

A student from Delhi University told DU Beat on anonymity, “It is quite usual for me to go about
my day and hear people using a language that might not be welcomed by any marginalised group. Even if we retaliate, all that comes out is a small laugh and the words are expected to be forgiven the next minute. It is quite normal to see the usage of such a language, be it in college or my neighbourhood. It is the same story spinning everywhere.”

Our civilizational past shows us the derogatory history of this section of the society. The pain inflicted on people like Sagar Kumar is told in pursuit of the lost self-respect and in anticipation to put an end to such infamous incidents. It is veracious to say that we are experiencing an infamous facade of cruel reality. The blatant act of turning a blind eye to the prolific iniquity by the prestigious establishments makes me question the due justice. Will a fair play swing by the wronged eyes or will it continue to serve exoneration to the offenders?

Featured Image Credits: ‘Skyscape’ by Rajyashri Goody via India Today

Ankita Baidya

[email protected]

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Humour – But The Cost?

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On the occasion of Teacher’s Day here is looking at one of the most loved scenes of comedy, from one of the most beloved comedies of our times and asking if we realise the cost of the humour we so amply glorify.

It was genuinely all fun and games.

Every time people, peers, and elders, would sit down to discuss 3 Idiots, the film, invariably the Teacher’s Day speech would come up. Look at how Rancho so smartly explains his point to Raju. Did you see how Chatur was put in place? Serves him right. Love watching Virus being put in his place, it’s such fun!

Growing up around people who revered the now cult classic as a rip-roaring comedy on the farcical nature of our education system and parental expectations from children, aspects of the film ever hardly struck me as odd. Until recently while speaking to one of my high-school teachers I was pleasantly taken aback to hear,

I have no respect for a film that makes such comedy out of a public humiliation of teachers and that too by making them the butt end of rape jokes. It is obscene and crude.

Here was a man, a teacher at that, who disliked what is arguably one of the most impactful and successful films of recent years. Not because it spoke about herd mentality, and emphasised excellence over success, but because of the way it treated it’s teachers in the process of proving a point.

Of course not all teachers deserve to be worshipped on altars. Some are mean, insensitive and just bad at their job. But is it okay to make an entire nation laugh by making your professor the butt end of rape jokes? Think about it.

The scene in question serves a dual purpose in the narrative of the film. It is to explain to Raju the importance of excellence and enjoying your curriculum as opposed to rote learning the same. But at the same time it is yet another widely lauded vilification of the figure of the nerd, who is close to his professors, knows nothing but studying, is socially awkward and of course is the butt end of bullying and abuse. And in the context of the film, this very same stooge of the professor becomes the instrument by which the cool students get back at the professors they hate so much.

My argument is simple. In no way am I endorsing a cut-throat competitive world or a teaching persona who believes your life is of no worth unless you pursue engineering or medicine. My problem is simple and different. How can we, as a society come together to hate b laughing at them and making them the butt end of rape jokes? The perpetrators of the crime literally go on to celebrate the victory of the same in the next scene and by the end of the film are hailed as heroes. The nerd is the one who is made to appear in poor light.

Humour is tricky business. Comedy is purposely designed to critique societal norms and the establishment but if the core purpose of comedy is to relieve through laughter then isn’t it important to question where that humour or laughter is coming from? Really think about it. Sexual harassment and abuse in academia is a widespread problem across the world. Horror stories of students, male and female, being abused by professors and teachers galore. We all have that one friend who confided in us about that one evening, in one empty tuition class, when the teacher they revered for so long transgressed from all acceptable social norms.

Another, easily overlooked aspect of the scene in question is the use of language as a tool of oppression. The student in question, Chatur, grew up in Pondicherry and Uganda and speaks, quite unconvincingly, broken hindi. How is it alright to use this as an excuse to vilify him and the teachers he so deeply adores? As a student of a university as large as Delhi University, every day I see students from distant parts of the country, struggling to convey the most basic of questions. Why? They do not know Hindi and their English is not perfect. But they still try. And even as they try and helplessly request people to not speak in hindi, there are people in abundance who think it fun to reply to their questions in hindi just for the sake of a few laughs. It is 2021 and yet linguistic chauvinism is a tool of abuse in the student community.

In the post-MeToo scenario, films, especially cult classics like the one in question, need to be recognised for their casual humouring of abuse. As an outcast nerd myself, I do not know how long it will take for society to actually come around to stop vilifying us. But that is a different issue altogether. But what we can start off, as students, is to recognise these instances of trivialisation of deeply troubling issues such as abuse in educational spaces. Our teachers are not without their faults and by god we are part of a deeply fundamentally flawed education system. But really our teachers and by large our students deserve better representation than this.

Now that I think, is it really all fun and games?

Anwesh Banerjee

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For the ‘Could Haves’ and the ‘Should Haves’: Dealing with Lost Time and its Many Dilemmas

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There is a looming sense of regret that sits right in the middle of my chest. It pokes my arms every day, pestering me to get out of my room, meet my friends, and “live” in a way that would make me seem more interesting. We have stepped into 2021, and yet it feels like our life has been put on one of those repeat telecasts, much like we are just living in 2020 2.0

College has been a very numbing experience. I find myself operating on auto-pilot, hardly making sense, processing what I am feeling each day, let alone acknowledging how far I’ve come. When you start functioning in a certain way, start putting up with deadlines, attending classes, submitting assignments, it all becomes part of a fixed routine that starts to attach itself to your identity. To find yourself at the end of two extremes, either jostling with a stringent routine or vehemently searching for it, navigating and placing your life and all its social interactions have been an indescribable and numbing experience. Every day is about grappling with the thought of losing out on the days you were meant to live out the freedom you were promised throughout your school years. Going out on spontaneous drives, spending hours aimlessly wandering markets all over the city, impromptu night-outs, all were meant to be the small pleasures of your DU experience. 

A Day at a Time

I lie on my bed, witnessing days after days becoming miserable: my anxiety meter has broken all records, my interest seems to have wandered off to far off lands which only exists in surrealist visions and getaways, and my mother watches me as I hang in there. There is this constant need to go out and ‘live’ my life, and yet on some days, I barely find myself “living” at all. 

This pandemic has given us a lot of things including exclusion and lone. I find myself detached from everyone and everything, and yet glued to this screen of my laptop or my phone. People ask me “when does your college reopen?” and I look the other way, too numb now to grapple with that question.

With third years not getting the graduation they were supposed to have and not having been able to make the best out of their college experience, I wonder if I will suffer the same fate, and so will my batchmates who came to the University with varied hopes, ambitions, and dreams: who only now sit and watch as all of that withers by.

Far Away From Reality

And then there are first-years, who haven’t even experienced college yet and no one knows when they will get to. I see potential and I see all of that fade away into the thin virus-prone air while they sit in front of their laptops (if they are privileged enough) trying to make sense of what the administration refers to as an “online education”. One of the biggest challenges one may have faced as a fresher attending the University online is the pressure to prove their likeability to other people. This aspect manifests itself quite differently offline as conversations and plans have a way of flowing naturally, leaving little to no space for any kind of pretence or forcefulness. Who you are, what you should be, and how you’re expected to be the gap between these three personas seems to become wider and wider as we spend more time away from real existence. Now, both the external and internal worlds have mixed to leave no balance and no actual place to go to when in need of some respite. Life at home is inextricably tied to visualizing your life outside. While opening up things is still not viable, I somehow wish people would remind themselves of the larger lessons these years were meant to teach us. That of slowing down and easing up. Not having to do too many things in too little time and feeling like you’re losing out on all of it. Not much has changed in terms of measuring levels of productivity. These years seem to have hit everyone differently yet it’s as if we are moving far away from all sorts of individuality. 

Seizing a Sliver of Hope 

While I sit at home, I’ve formed my own set of simple pleasures and little yet significant sources of joy. For homebodies and introverts, it is comparatively easier to find hope and inspiration to continue, especially if you add some romanticization and a stable home environment into the mix. But, things start to become blurred. The hope that you so strongly rely on gets hidden amidst the uncertainty of the future. You’ve imagined a stage of your life pan out in a specific way and suddenly you have to deal with the destruction of that imagination. It is this living in your head, imagining what could have been and what should be that takes an eventual toll. This toll and turmoil persist especially if you see things and people around you progress and live in ways that somehow resemble how you imagined life to be. It is a persistent struggle between privilege and tip-toeing around how morals come into effect in an ongoing global pandemic. 

For Lost Time and Growth

We all have had to deal with the loss of a substantial amount of time which somehow keeps piling up. Earlier, I didn’t pay enough attention to lost time as it was often made up for. But, now there is grieving not only for all those days and endless memories that could have been but also for ourselves. It is known for a fact that you can’t possibly get to experience and hold everything in life. Things are bound to come to you at their own pace and when you least expect them. This once again starts to seem too simplistic especially when you operate within a limited time frame to make the best of your formative years. 

There is this other thing, though. My creativity helps me breathe, and so I write with all that I have and lay bare all my emotions. I have learnt to cherish every moment and every conversation that I get, even if it’s just in the form of a text or a call because I have realised that that’s all I’m going to get for a while, so might as well hold on to it. And so I dare you, I dare you to hold on to everything that makes your day just a little bit more liveable: scrolling through that relatable meme page or watering that plant or waking up and feeling the sun on your skin, or talking to that one person who stayed by you throughout all of this, and so much more in the form of stardust and pixie rainbows. Anything and everything that can still manage to bring a smile on that face too weary to go on any further and rejuvenate that mind exhausted from deadlines and a failed chance at a “college experience” and everything in between.

And as much as I despise even accepting this, all this time and space with myself has allowed me to grow and sustain myself in a manner that no other space or degree could have. Yes, had I been in college, my experiences and my confrontations would have looked differently but am I willing to trade off finding my voice during the pandemic with the hope of something better? No. I let go of my time and energy, wondering the possibilities and plausibilities, and yet it has only made me more miserable. You don’t satiate your hunger by staying hungry, you do it by the act of going and getting food. And so, if you are an introvert or an extrovert or just a person still in the excavation of finding themselves, find your tether. It can be your family, your friends, or just the hope of meeting your favorite person or having cheese chilly Maggi in your college Nescafe for the first time or just being amid Delhi University’s red walls: surrounded by brilliant minds and a vision to aspire more, dream more, and act more. Hold on, so that when you really get the chance to be out there in the world, you are your most vulnerable unapologetic self, in the most YOU way possible.

Featured Image Credits: Vyamin

Annanya Chaturvedi
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A Rundown of DU’s Indifference to our Plight

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The University of Delhi (DU) has outdone itself in willfully failing to acknowledge the grievances of its students and teachers by deciding to conduct OBEs amidst the collective trauma that the country is going through. This article is an exploration of the gravity of the issue, the opinions of those whose well-being is the most at stake and the secondary considerations that cannot be overlooked.

“ In extraordinary times like these however, it’s so integral to give yourself the benefit of the doubt. This is not the time to feel guilt or regret over days spent taking care of your physical and mental health rather than being conventionally productive”.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused an upheaval in the functioning of the country as palpable fear and anxiety to loom around its people, exacerbated by the ever-proliferating number of cases and deaths. Today, the insanely overburdened and under-equipped health infrastructure of the country is nearing its collapse as it faces shortages of hospital beds, medical equipment, treatment drugs, and healthcare workforce. Despite the best efforts of the healthcare workers and those who’re religiously following all precautionary measures against the virus, innumerable families are currently grieving the loss of their loved ones, some of whom couldn’t even get the resources they needed to recover. The government has barely taken any concrete measures besides willfully failing to provide any sort of relief to those who are suffering. This blatant disregard for the plight of the common people has prompted students all over the country, who themselves might be suffering physically or mentally or might be taking care of their family members who are COVID-19 positive, to take up the task of verifying and amplifying pandemic- related resources, regardless of whether they have time to spare or not.

Numerous college societies and student-run NGOs have started their COVID-19 relief helplines to increase the accessibility of these extremely limited resources. The upsetting reality is that millions of people today are relying heavily on the mental effort, energy, and hours invested by these students in helping others, while the government continues to be indifferent. To add to the mayhem, the University of Delhi (DU) has decided to hold the final examinations of second and final year students, thereby adding to the distress and emotional anguish of lakhs of students who are already anxious about and preoccupied with taking care of themselves, their families and others in need. This has resulted in widespread criticism from the affected students, their teachers, and unions like the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) as the consensus among all is that the University’s resolution to conduct examinations in such emotionally and physically challenging times reflects its lack of empathy for those it claims to serve.

Since the onset of the pandemic, DU has conducted online semester examinations thrice. Each time, its decision to hold OBEs was based on the unfounded assumption that all its students, backed by varying family incomes, had the necessary facilities to attend classes and sit for their exams smoothly. If there’s one thing that’s stayed constant throughout last year, it’s the University’s disinterest in considering the specific privileges of a proportion of its students, or lack thereof. Except for this time, the frightful state of the country and its toll on the mental and physical health of the students has further added to their adversity. A common sentiment shared by most students and professors is that it is out rightly brutal on the University’s part to subject
them to such mental pressure at a time when the majority of them are grieving the loss of a relative or are down high fever, severe body ache and other ghastly symptoms of COVID-19.

Image caption: DU students to DU Beat

“We’ve already lost some of our colleagues, so many are suffering and there’s no record of the number of students who are currently COVID-19 positive. The exams scheduled for May end must be postponed immediately,” said Mr. Rajib Ray, the President of DUTA, who expressed these concerns in a letter to the acting Vice-Chancellor and appealed for the extension of deadlines of Internal Assessments as well.

(Read more: DUTA’s letter to the acting Vice-Chancellor )

Even more than the University’s lack of consideration and understanding, what’s agitating the concerned students and teachers the most is the dearth of response from the University’s end for their queries, appeals, and grievances. Time and again DU has reinforced its inability to take a proper stance to back its students and its teachers. It is only after a series of requests, mass protests, strikes, and other forms of demonstration that the University feels compelled to take some sort of action. The current situation however has thrown several issues out into the open, one of them being whether the University is politically hindered and is unable to support its students and teachers and help them. It feels as if the modus operandi of the institutional structure disallows it to consider all viewpoints and perspectives, even if they go against the establishment. There are a lot of confusing elements at play and it’s normal for any student to get utterly perplexed and dejected by the overwhelming amount of things happening around. Firstly, as mentioned, the youth is significantly and virtually running the health infrastructure. It’s not as if students have an enormous amount of free time but the kind of helplessness that has pervaded and persisted has inevitably forced us to take the reins of the situation into our hands. While some colleges have ensured and implemented some amount of leniency, the experience across the University has been extremely varied. Moreover, while Universities like Ambedkar, NIFT, Delhi Technological University all have suspended regular classes, the situation isn’t as smooth and comfortable for the country at large. The recent incident at IIT Kharagpur is a testament to that.

Secondly, when it comes to the conduction of OBE examinations for the second and third-year students there’s a lot of conversation and an overall explosion of opinions from all sides which have to be heard and considered before the University takes any decision. Postponing exams could be a probable cause for added pressure later on, as it will not only hinder further academic prospects for the final year students but also rests on an idealistic
assumption that things will improve fast. The students studying at Delhi University come from all over the country and with such a diverse demographic, going ahead with the exams at a time when the country is burning is downright inhuman. “Firstly it’s not an easy yes or no when it comes to cancelling exams altogether. We need to realize how we are dealing with a lot of different people and individual differences. We need to consider the problem of the third-year students fulfilling their academic timeline which is integral for pursuing their Master’s and can reflect in their employment as well.” says Karthika Sajeev, President of the LSR Student Union.

There must be a realization that the consequences of the second wave of the pandemic are way more drastic and sudden as opposed to the first wave, making this year a substantially difficult year to keep a track of all your commitments. Sajeev further points out how for most students it is physically and mentally impossible to sit for exams let alone attend classes. According to her, even the faculty members are not in the right mind space to properly devote themselves. Attendance has gone down significantly, with most classes not even seeing fifty percent of students turning up. “Last year the situation was better but we need to realise how the situation plays out in multiple ways. We have yet to receive our results from the last semester and if the university goes on ahead with the examinations, who is going to evaluate them?” Sajeev remarks on the lack of clarity and communication from the University’s end. Indian Universities indefinitely have a habit of valuing hustle culture over normal, human concepts such as taking breaks, work-life balance, etc. With that being said, if the university goes ahead with the examination it will be a highly discriminatory move against those who are COVID-19 positive and have lost their family members. Some might argue that online classes are relatively easier to navigate. We understand that disrupting the entire academic calendar of an institute as significant as the University of Delhi isn’t an easy decision. However, providing students and teachers with absolutely no relief after a tsunami of tragedies in the country is heartless, to say the least.

“The University has made no attempt to provide relief to the families of the teachers we’ve lost, the teachers who have to teach despite not having the mental bandwidth for it, the students who are suffering or the ad hoc teachers who lack essential job privileges. Moreover, the propagation of fake news by the government to divert people’s attention from genuine concerns of the aggrieved and its inconsiderable and inconsistent contribution to dealing with the pandemic crisis have shown its utter disregard for the well-being of its citizens,” said Miss Abha Dev Habib from DUTA. The idea isn’t about flexibility as much as a heartless approach being employed to deal with the situation. Citizens are left, alienated, and disowned to look out for themselves. There’s no idea of a welfare state looking after the necessities. No scope of communication with any regard or empathy for those who’ve been potentially traumatized for the rest of their lives.

“Exams or no exams, classes suspended or not, we must reach a larger and conscious acknowledgement of the fact that we all need to slow down”.

Image caption: “Exams or no exams, classes suspended or not, we must reach a larger and conscious acknowledgement of the fact that we all need to slow down”.
Image credits: Elzeline Kooy

At one instance, teachers and students are struggling to find Oxygen and Remdevisir leads, and the very next moment you’re struggling to finish assignments, attend lectures, take notes and juggle internships side by side. This is to assume you’ve not been affected directly by the pandemic. When you’re running pillar to post, struggling to find basic resources that should otherwise be easily accessible, completely ruptured by the whirlpool of uncertainty around, you can’t possibly think of grueling yourself further with the complicated OBE exams. “Our session will get over on the 30th of April, most Internal Assessments are already there with the respective professors. At this point it’s all about how the University responds. We’ve sent emails to the Vice Chancellor, the Dean and we just hope that the University makes a quick decision in the favor of the student and faculty body.” Sajeev points out with a hint of optimism.

Once again the question that arises is of the complete breakdown of all mechanisms to seek redressal. As brought forth by Sajeev, a lot of DU colleges do not have an active student body that will actively communicate the students’ grievances while also keeping in contact with the faculty members. The situation has lapsed beyond control and one is left to realise that often students have to face crises disproportionately. It’s imperative to remember that the principal reason for the existence of the University is to bring value to its students and professors. The institute was built to serve us and not the other way round. And no matter how strenuous it gets to navigate the right path to collective betterment, it is still vitally important that the University places the well-being of the students and teachers over all secondary considerations, at every step of the way, including this very moment. And the need of the hour is to let the affected parties decide for themselves what the best approach to soothe their afflictions would be. What holds paramount importance right now is that the grievances and opinions of the students and professors, the ones who are the most
affected by the University’s decision, are heard and entertained, despite what the University may consider to be the better judgment. It is quite certain that the mental and psychological consequences of the impact will be deep- rooted. At present, there are no clear-cut solutions to the problems that we as students and as citizens of this exhausted country are facing. Exams or no exams, classes suspended or not, we must reach a larger and conscious acknowledgement of the fact that we all need to slow down. We all need to give each other the space to grieve, process our emotions, collect our thoughts or simply take a break. There is no certainty of the fact that things will get relatively better. In extraordinary times like these however, it’s so integral to give yourself the benefit of the doubt. This is not the time to feel guilt or regret over days spent taking care of your physical and mental health rather than being conventionally productive. Our only hope is that things will get better. People will look out and support each other. empathy will replace apathy, The government will be held accountable for the grave terror they’ve carelessly caused. And, most importantly the voice of the youth will be heard.

Read Also:
https://dubeat.com/2021/04/the-circus-of-du-apathy/
https://dubeat.com/2021/04/calls-for-covid-care-centres-for-du-teachers-and-students-intensifies/

Featured Image Credits: LA Johnson, National Public Radio

Tara Kalra
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Shirley Khurana
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