Addressing the MeToo movements of 2018, the new Netflix original, Guilty, attempts to question our morality but fails to be true and fair. Read the review for a deeper insight.
Portraying college life in a vast variety of forms through Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, 2 States and Wake Up Sid, Karan Johar presents to his audience, yet another such depiction of the same in his latest production, Guilty, directed by Ruchi Narain. Guilty is a Netflix original based in the prime student-hub of the country, the Delhi University, aiming to address the significance and relevance of the #MeToo movement that began in India in late 2018. Including elements of slut shaming, class differences, political influence, mental disorders and many more, Guilty attempts to cover a case of rape accusation in its most complicated nature, honestly defining the idiom – too many cooks spoil the broth.
The movie stars Kiara Advani and Akanksha Ranjan as two widely distinct girls from the same college, St. Martin’s. Advani’s character, Nanki Dutta, is the typical “rebel without a cause”, covered with tattoos and hair colours, fond of Faiz and Kafka, who is also the lyricist for the college band. She is dating the lead singer and college heartthrob, VJ (Gurfateh Singh Pirzada). Tanu Kumar (Ranjan) on the other hand is a small-town girl with a local accent. She is introduced in the movie as she recites a monologue from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, while presenting an errotic act in front of the boys from the band, with Nanki observing the same as an audience. The two characters are at odds with each other from the very beginning because of Tanu’s overt absorption in VJ. Tanu is also portrayed as someone who’d try to play the victim in all possible situations and in a sense, could be tagged an “attention seeker”.
The movie focuses on the rape accusation made by Tanu against VJ, a year after the incident, amidst the MeToo movement that had awoken in the country. The case is investigated by Danish (Taher Shabbir) who is a lawyer, preparing witnesses for VJ’s case. Danish acts as the neutral eye observing and questioning everything and everyone related to the case (though I wonder why the writers chose to assign this role to a lawyer fighting for one party, instead of a police officer, perhaps?). Danish seems to be constantly at war with his thoughts, trying to understand this game of he-said-she-said. He finds a crucial piece of this puzzle in Nanki, the witness who wasn’t even present. His conversations with her unfurl the story further, bringing forth hidden facts and secrets within the gang.
Guilty makes us constantly question our mental conditioning, proving the existence of prejudices ingrained in our brains. It addresses common questions like, “why would I rape someone if I have a girlfriend”, “why was she quiet for a year”, “she was asking for it” and more making it nearly impossible to empathise with Tanu. However, what disappoints me in this movie is the fact that, as an audience, I couldn’t really empathise with any of the characters. The movie unfolds so many complications that, somewhere down the line, the writer seems to relegate the significance of the primary agenda, weakening the moral impact by the end.
This brings me to the even more disappointing ending scene, which is both highly unrealistic and annoyingly cringe-worthy. The movie had followed a fairly genuine representation of the life of a student at the Delhi University with the intoxicating culture at college fests, internal competitiveness, the “woke” gang and particularly, “tere bhai ke sath scene ho gaya hai” (our friend is in trouble). As a DU student myself, I certainly enjoyed the first half of the movie as I could relate to most of it. However, by the end of it, reality comes to a halt and moral lectures are shoved down the audience’s throat in the most obvious way possible. It seemed like lazy writing, with the writers creating an easy way out.
The end credits, on the other hand, was a creative artistic expression and moral summary of the film, backed by the song “Kahun” written and composed by the song director of the film, Ankur Tewari. The song is a beautiful call out towards all those who silence the voices of the victims and encourages the latter to speak up. Personally, the outro was my favourite part of the whole film, without which the movie appears incomplete.
Guilty, for me, seemed like a movie with a good concept, decent execution but disappointing impact. In today’s date, where we’re aware that the rate of crime against women hasn’t gone down over the years, it is essential for mass media platforms to be intricately careful with what they present on screens to their massive audience, and ensure they do not impart the wrong message. Guilty, with its screening platform being Netflix, and its audience being our generation, had the perfect opportunity to do greater justice to the MeToo movement, which in my opinion, it failed to do.
As the world gets engulfed into a pandemic with mass-hysteria and banging thaalis at the drop of a hat, what can one do till 31st?
Cramped up between internals and 9 AM lectures, we were dying for the mid-semester breaks, but no one, absolutely no one knew what was in store for us. On 12th March, the University of Delhi (DU) Registrar declared the postponement of classes, exams, internals till 31st March, 2020. Stuck within the four walls of your house, how can you make the maximum out of social distancing and quarantine?
Bond With Your Family
Agreed, not everyone has a healthy relationship with their parents and quarantine can take an emotional toll on them, let’s get together and cry over our collective trauma. For the rest of us, we cry our hearts out on ghar ka khana and mom’s remembrance, try to relive the pre-college days, try to re-bond and repair the broken threads of your family. As Karan Johan says, ‘it’s all about loving your parents.’
Binge! Binge! Binge!
On a normal college-day schedule, we’ll spend the night away binge-watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine, complaining the next day whilst missing the 9 AM lecture and bragging about our body’s ability to function in three-hours’ sleep. Now, all you got to do 24*7 is to binge your heart’s content out, and with absolutely no one asking you to go out. Aditi Gutgutia, a student of Lady Shri Ram College spends her time binge-watching on CID, reliving her childhood, you see.
Reconnect With Your School Friends
People change, old bonds break and there is no shame in trying to reconnect with them (unless they are toxic, then stay 3000 light-years away). They are probably just one call away and equally bored switching from one app to another. My personal favourite would be playing online games with them, online quizzes, drawing oranges, carrots, and bananas.
Read & Write!
That Agatha Christie that you bought from a book store in Kolkata is waiting to be touched, felt, explored, devoured. Open your bookshelf and finally finish that book you have been postponing since you started college. Great reads produce great writers, don’t forget to write, other than being a great coping mechanism and an outlet to channelise your deepest thought, writing is relaxing. As Prabhanu Kumar Das has been productively utilising the uncalled for breaks diving into his literature. “I have been reading my usual college readings, trying to expand on my understanding of marxism, reading Lenin, some Bukowski, I have been writing articles and poetry.”
Journaling
We wouldn’t have ‘The Diary Of A Young Girl’ unless Anne Frank journaled through the holocaust. Record. Write. Vlog. We are narrating the tales of COVID-19 and quarantine ruining our attendance and non-existent social life. Shakir Subhan or the ‘Mallu Traveller’ continued to vlog as he was admitted into an isolation ward at a government hospital in Kannur. Several patients have been regularly tweeting or maintaining blogs, tracking their symptoms and giving regular updates.
Do-It-Yourself!
Those aesthetic notebook covers, t-shirts, gifts, phone covers, that you saw on a YouTuber’s video, do it, girl! All of us are going to come out as chefs and bakers with the over the top Maggi experiments and mud cakes. With time by our side, unleash your hidden creative genius and explore. Experiment and be the Rancho you always wanted to be, like Akshat Arora says, “I am so bored out of my wits that I uninstalled my Windows, downloaded Linux and then downloaded Windows again. My laptop hates me now.”
Meditate
Quarantine can take a toll on one’s mental health, increasing anxiety and making it extremely stressful for some. Center for Disease Control and Prevention enlists a set of guidelines on how to manage and cope with building anxiety and stress. Meditation can if not cure but reduce and help one calm their senses. Amidst raging fear, hysteria, and deaths, it is essential to look after one’s mental health too.
Chill Minus The Guilt
An idle mind is a devil’s workshop, or is it? Productivity guilt teaches you that it is pertinent to keep on working, be productive, produce any physical or tangible change. The pandemic hysteria can be too drastic on one, it is alright to sit idle, stare at the wall and contemplate one’s existence. Take a break. Year-long we are overwhelmed with assignments, internships, society, for once, as we are asked to stay put, in silence, do that, minus the guilt.
Clean & Organise
Our life is a mess doesn’t mean our rooms have to be, too. Clear that wardrobe, fold that bedsheet, clear your study table, organise your bookshelf. My friends and I have uncovered childhood mark sheets and assignments from the bottom of our school bags. Help organise and rearrange the house, help your family out, stay hygienic, clean and sanitize!
Look Out For Others
Elderly and the immunodeficient are vulnerable to COVID-19. Keep your parents and grandparents under check, look after yourself, self-care is essential. In times of such dystopia, it is all the more important to stay strong and fight this together.
Students of Mumbai University were met with an unforeseen postponement of their examinations, Nandini Sukhija, a student of the same, says, “I study a bit because my remaining four exams got postponed. Since all my family members are working from home, we usually find time to play cards or Ludo. I plan to spend a self-care day, using face masks and hair care products. I might as well start with a new tv series.”
Feature Image Credits: Anukriti Mudgil for DU Beat
Many students have seen their peers or themselves face parental pressure about studying Science, we look at why the older generation has a bias for the Sciences and whether it is valid.
Many of us have come across phrases such as “Acche marks aaye 10th mai, Science lelo” (you got good marks in 10th, take Science), “Humanities wala hai, pakka padhayi nahi karta hoga” (they are from Humanities, they must not study), and so on. In Indian middle-class society, the classification of those who pursue humanities as intellectually inferior to those who are in Science is constant.
While Science is an essential part of human life, there are many fallacies one can point out in the Indian education system even in the Science stream, the hyper-competitive nature of it being the very obvious call out, with children being enrolled in coaching and preparing for entrance exams from a very early age. The other being how the learning administered in many colleges does not make graduates employable. A report by India Today in 2019 stated that out of 1.5 million engineering graduates every year, around 80% of them are unemployable. The basic reasoning which one can gather behind this preference for sciences is that people look at it as the safe option, one through which they can find a steady career and future. We have heard older generations say, “Hamare time pe options siraf doctor, engineer, aur lawyer thhey” (the only options we had were doctors, engineers, and lawyers). This mindset still plays a vital role when parents and their children decide which stream to pursue, with many parents still asking and/or forcing their children to take science.
Miley, a second-year student from Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), whose parents told her to take science said, “My parents felt the only reason to not take Science as if you were not smart enough and it’s supposed to be a trophy for them. They cared little if I pursued a career in Science, I just wanted everyone to know that I was “smart enough” if I wanted to. I ended up doing Honors in English from one of the best colleges and yet all they think I do is a B.A.” Shivam, a student preparing for his JEE Mains said, “My parents always wanted me to take Science, and it’s something which I have always wanted too, so I would not say it was forced. Yes, preparing for competitive exams takes a lot of time and dedication but it’s time I am willing to put in to secure my future.” Now while Shivam and many like him strive to break into the topmost colleges in their streams, the stereotype of humanities kids being their opposites falls flat. To get into Delhi University (DU) and many other universities, students have to compete against extremely high cut-offs and unpredictable board examinations. The This obsession of Indians with science leaves one with the following conclusion, just because something is followed by the majority, does not mean it’s in everyone’s best interest. There’s no Mantra that can guarantee you success, but doing something out of pressure for the sake of approval definitely won’t help. And this kind of obsession is certainly unhealthy and will become problematic in the long run, given the current economic conditions of our country. It’s high time that we introspect our basis of decision-making, because even if this obsession with science helps someone achieve success, it doesn’t guarantee happiness that was lost along the way. idea of Humanities being for those who slack off or are not willing to work as much as other streams immediately takes a hit. In the end, one can see that the stream does not decide a person’s employability or worth, and the larger problem itself lies with the education system in India. A system which places rote learning and education without questioning as its foremost agenda, a system in which arguably the very idea of knowledge is lost in the quest to gain that extra percentage points or a higher rank than others, a system which prefers pitting students against each other and propagating ideas of intellectual superiority on the basis of streams rather than allowing students to learn from each other.
The third and final day of Business Conclave at Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) concluded with inspiring sessions by Mr Gautam Gambhir, Ms Prajakta Koli, Mr Kapil Sibal, and a fun session with entertainer Mr Kapil Sharma.
The first session of the final day of Business Conclave 2020, commenced with Mr Bhargav Sri Prakash, Former National Tennis player, Inventor of Digital Vaccine, and CEO of FriendsLearn. Sri Prakash talked about his journey of how he started as a student of Mechanical Engineering in Chennai. He went on and talked about his obsession with race cars. Sri Prakash emphasized on the importance of Ayurveda and told the audience about how Indian Ayurveda has treatment for illness but no prevention, so he discovered Digital Vaccine. Later on, he enlightened the crowd at SRCC about his project in India which is the 1st in the World that serves underprivileged children in Chennai. Mr Bhargav is also a health enthusiast, he said “India should do justice to its potential.” As according to him, the evolution of India has been limited to Outsourcing. Sri Prakash ended the session by making a plea to the students to come together and take on the big problems around us.
Padma Shree Awardee, Gautam Gambhir, covered various topics, ranging from politics to self-motivation, while talking candidly at the Business Conclave, organised by the Students’ Union, Shri Ram College of Commerce. The ex-cricketer, talked with great responsibility while covering BJP’s defeat in the latest Delhi Assembly Elections. He said, “It is not my job to only cater to my constituency, but to the 70 constituencies, that we contested for.” In the conversation on politics, he said, “Never thank a politician”, stating how development is each politician’s job and they shouldn’t be thanked for it. He even mentioned the Ghazipur Landfille issue to be solved, irrespective of his fate at the Elections. The audience was inspired by his cricket analogy implementation in the field of politics and the ups and downs of life.
Kapil Sharma, one of the leading names in Television Comedy, had the auditorium packed for his panel with Youtuber and SRCC Student, Karan Chawla at the last day of the Business Conclave, organised by the students’ union of SRCC. Kapil Sharma, shed light on the writing process of the show and stated, how the narrative of the show is observational comedy. Being in SRCC, he reminisced his own college days in Amritsar and the college theatre he did, that led to him being comfortable with stage and the overall idea of the show. The panel had a seemingly interesting end, with him inviting beatboxing, cajon playing students at the stage and jamming with them on a rap song.
Following Kapil Sharma’s hilarious yet heartwarming presence, the audience was greeted by the well-renowned YouTuber and content creator, Prajakta Koli. Due to the absence of certain speakers, Prajakta’s arrival seemed like a bit of a delay to the ardent audience. She started by talking about modeling her career from being a radio intern to trying her hands on content creation and becoming one of India’s most popular YouTuber. She further discussed the many landmarks in her career like collaborating with Canadian YouTuber, Lily Singh, and having tea with former First Lady, Michelle Obama. After addressing issues like nepotism and YouTube censorship, she interacted with the audience, guiding the aspiring YouTubers and enacting her character, Montu for her fans. Sabrawal sisters, the youngest designer and writer, also presented their beloved artist with their books.
Entrepreneur and social activist Ajay Gupta motivated the students with his inspiring words. Narrating his life story, Mr.Gupta told the audience about how polio effected his lifestyle and career. He emphasised on the fact that positive thinking and an optimistic approach towards life can help a person alot. He highlighted the shortcomings of India as a disabled-friendly country and how he has worked towards making India more accessible via his disabled-friendly Ridhihood University. “I feel privileged because of my Bachpan and Academy Heights network of schools. The network is of 120 schools and provides education to more than 35,000 children”, said the founder of the ‘Hum Honge Kamyab’ foundation. The speaker told the students about the importance of being flexible in life and concluded with the famous military war cry, “Josh is high, very high.”
The day and the conclave culminated with senior INC politician and MP, Kapil Sibal. He spoke unreservedly about his past and how did his family settle in India after the partition. Speaking about the diversity and heterogeneity of India, Mr. Sibal said, “Unification of India comes not through diktat but will come through emotion.” He then moved onto the economical and social demographics of India. Mentioning the importance of youth, he emphasised on the shortcomings of the education system and significance of the freedom of students. Taking a jibe at the central government he added, “You don’t have to say ‘Jai Shree Ram’ to be a good student.” While highlighting the importance of dissent in a democracy, he accused the NDA government of trying to ‘hijack’ university campuses. Ending his speech, the Rajya Sabha member, said, “The country deserves better leaders, better (university) vice chancellors and better citizens.”
Feature Image Credits: Surbhit Rastogi for DU Beat
In conversation with Ms Susmita Das, Physics PhD student, University of Delhi (DU), to decode the struggles of pursuing science research in contemporary India. Her specific area of research is Astronomy and Astrophysics, with broader emphasis on variable stars that is, stars that change their brightness over detectable periods of time.
Image Credits: Manav Ahuja for DU Beat
Chhavi: Science for the longest time had been a predominately male field, so, from Class 11th, where you first made the decision to pursue it, were there any struggles you faced as woman? Either from family or people in your close proximity?
Susmita: No, in that sense I feel very fortunate. We are a family of three daughters and my parents have always pushed us towards education. My family has been very encouraging. From my friends and professors, I haven’t felt any gender discrimination throughout my academic career, whether it be during school, bachelor’s, master’s or even now during research. In fact, I’ve been extremely motivated by my high school Physics teachers, Mrs. Bratati Roy Choudhury and Mr. P. C. Sarkar, among many others to pursue a career in Physics.
Chhavi :That’s so great.
Chhavi: Even in fields of science, there has always been a stereotype where astrophysics is not considered a women centric field, like most people pursue medical as one. Does that stereotype still exist and have you faced that?
Susmita: I wouldn’t say it’s a predominantly male centric field because there have been a few pioneers in astronomy who are women. As an example in the field of my research, we have a very important period-luminosity relationship which has been named after Henrietta Leavitt. However, there are few women if you compare the numbers. Of course, the institutes all over the world try to bridge the number gap between men and women nowadays- so it’s a very good time for women to be in science! A very interesting fact here is that we have the Astronomical Society of India and the current president of ASI is Dr. G. C. Anupama, a woman from IIA. It’s a female president leading the Astronomical Society of India right now, which is inspiring in itself!
Chhavi: Astronomy consists of night observations, field trips and much more that might hamper your safety. Have there been any measures to make it a more female friendly field in general?
Susmita: So, the thing about night observations is that you’re usually provided in-campus accommodation, so if you have any observation scheduled for the night, you also have the accommodation close by. And it is the same for both males and females wherever we go. However, suppose we are doing general PhD work (not night observations), say right here in Delhi University, maybe carrying out analysis in our data. When it’s night, you know it’s time to go back to the hostel, even though you may be in the momentum of getting some good work done. But then again, this is more the issue of whether we have out of campus accommodation or an in-campus accommodation. In institutes with in-campus accommodation, we wouldn’t have the constraint of leaving at say, 9PM from the lab.
Chhavi: Often women are discouraged for science research as it involves extensive years of study, and by that age they are expected to get married, with taunts like “Shaadikabkaroge?” have you faced that?
Susmita: Yes, these questions are fairly common especially during family functions. More than my immediate family, it would be other people around generally asking this question. I’m very grateful to my parents- I’ve just turned 29 but they have never pushed me to get married. Of course, my mother enquires if I have a boyfriend, if it’s stable relationship-wise and so on; it helps to have a bestfriend in my mother in that aspect! I’m from Guwahati, Assam and I think it’s not just a special case for me- I’m sure my friends from back home would agree that the focus has always been primarily on education, irrespective of gender and there has never been a pressure to get married “early”.
Chhavi: How did you feel when people ask you this question; you did an observation and on the brink of something great and people just want to know when you’re getting married?
Sushmita: When people ask me, I usually smile politely and reply that I need to get my PhD done first because I don’t want my married life to be interfering with my studies. Of course, that’s my personal opinion- I wouldn’t necessarily say that getting married during PhD is a bad idea. I have many friends and seniors who had been married and also had children during the course of their PhD, while all the time managing their professional life really well. It all depends on the person in question and how comfortable she is in balancing the different aspects of her life.
Chhavi:How do you think young women should approach their parents, wanting a career where they spend their next 7-8 years in extensive research?
Susmita: I believe having a female role model who is relatable to your own life may help. She could be, in some way, the person who leads the path. It would also be much easier to share her story as an example to your parents to convince them that she has been so focused in her academics and she’s doing really well now on her own.
Chhavi: I agree, but don’t you think it’s time that parents encourage their daughters for science research?
Susmita: Yes, yes but I think this is also changing with time. Parents are becoming more accommodating with the age their daughter is expected to get married; they don’t push that hard. Also, it’s not the case of choosing either your personal or professional life, you can choose both and maintain both in balance. I think it’s very important to balance your life well, in general. Parents are very encouraging when it comes to academics but they also worry about the future stability of their daughter, which is quite expected. However, with the changing times, parents understand (and their daughters can convince them of this well) that a stable future does not necessarily come from marriage. It’s the education that has the power to provide their daughters a stable future. If young women were to focus more on their own education, it automatically paves to a path of a much secure future.
Chhavi: Talking about representation of women in Science. Which is the female role model that you look up to or you were inspired by in the field?
Sushmita:All through childhood, I’ve been inspired by Marie Curie. My father is the kind of person who motivated me through biographies of female scientists and it started from Marie Curie. However, every child knows about Marie Curie and Einstein. But as you study deeper, you have so many more role models coming in. Like Henrietta Leavitt who has given us the period-luminosity relation or Jocelyn Bell Burnell who discovered the first radio pulsars, it’s so impressive. My role model keeps changing with time.
Chhavi: Now that you are part of this field, have you ever faced any kind of sexism?
Susmita: Personally no. but I have heard about female students who are PhD scholars and might not be very comfortable with professors. I have heard stories but personally I have not faced them.
Chhavi: What’s your opinion on the notion of “being beautiful takes away from your intelligence”?
Susmita: Do you remember the hashtag about women scientists? #distractinglysexy in response to the surprisingly sexist comment by Tim Hunt, a Nobel Laureate. I believe the women in science came together wonderfully well in protest of his unfair opinion. I think it’s really unfair if you’re expected to choose one of the two options: that you can either dress well or work well. Over the last few years, I’ve met a few incredible women scientists who are also the most beautiful or well-dressed women I’ve ever met. I’m sure people with these stereopyed thoughts are more the exception, than the norm.
Chhavi: Adding to that, Have you ever faced that you won’t be taken serious, because you are beautiful?
Susmita: No, I don’t think so. I think that is also a very generalized notion. Sure, there may be cases where people assume but never confront. But again, I’m sure there would only be a handful of people who may not consider you smart only because you’ve dressed a certain way. Suppose you give a scientific talk in front of an audience from your research field, I’m sure they’d be more interested in the science aspect rather than how you’ve dressed. That way, I don’t think it’s ever been a case.
Chhavi: What is that one big factor that you would everybody consider when they are with science as a career, especially young women who want to be a part of this field? What is one thing they should keep in mind?
Susmita: Throughout my PhD life, all I’ve learnt is that you have acceptances and rejections from the multitude of applications and proposals you keep submitting. It’s always a ride of success and failure. Of course, when you have a successful application, you are really happy and then the rejection gets you down. So, the thing is through the ups and downs, you need to keep your calm because it all averages out. We may also have many more rejections than successful applications but we shouldn’t lose hope during those times. That’s what I keep telling myself, every time I get a rejection letter. I try to think about all the successful applications I’ve had so far to keep my motivation up.
11th February is recognised as International Day of Women and Girls in Science by UN Women and UNESCO. To celebrate the integral role of women in Science and Technology, DU Beat had the privilege to interview Mrs Richa Kundu, currently pursuing PhD from Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi.
Image Credits: Surbhit Rastogi for DU Beat.
Avni: You’re doing PhD in Science and Research, what were your qualifications prior to this that got you here?
Richa: I did my Masters, MSc in Physics from Delhi University only. Then I cleared the NET JRF Exam, which is for the fellowship. Initially, I was a Junior Research Fellow and was funded by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), MHRD and two years later, I was promoted to Senior Research Fellow.
Avni: 11th February is known as International Day of Women and Girls in Science, do you feel giving this name to a particular date, benefits women out there and promotes this area?
Richa: All that can definitely help, but to promote such things, women should actually be encouraged, because when I was in MSc., 70% of my class was female students, but as I went through Masters, I felt that mostly men are there as women in India are actually not really encouraged to pursue further research, most of my female classmates from MSc are teachers right now. After a particular age, there’s society and family pressure and they are discouraged from pursuing further studies. That mindset should change and giving a day won’t change that. Making people aware and treating women equally are the kinds of things that will change things.
Avni: There definitely exists gender disparity in your field, how have you been able to cope-up with it or manage it so far?
Richa: Personally, I haven’t encountered any such thing but I get a lot of international exposure, so I don’t see these things on international platforms, but if we consider India only, we can say that this is true for India as there’s a taboo that women should get married and have children, so the main thing is to change the point of view of people. Personally, I haven’t encountered any such thing as I am also married. I got married last year during my PhD and my in-laws and family are very supportive of my studies. I have to go to Chile for the next 10 months and my family is perfectly fine with it.
Avni: What are you currently working on in your research?
Richa: I am working on the extra-tidal region of stellar clusters. Stellar clusters are made up of thousands of stars that seem like a single star in the night sky. All the stars in a cluster were formed at the same time typically 12-13 billion years ago.
Avni: What are your plans after you complete your PhD?
Richa: I don’t have a set goal, but I have two things in mind. After this, I will apply for teaching jobs, but if I don’t get one, given the situation of India right now, I will apply for postdoctoral somewhere out of India to gain experience.
Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) recently revealed a survey done on around 700 ad-hoc teachers, highlighting their demographic profiles and working conditions to revalidate ‘One-Time Absorption’ as the only way to alleviate the young teachers and their conditions.
In a press statement released on 5th February 2020, DUTA revealed information about the demographic profiles and working conditions of the ad-hoc teachers of the University. According to the survey, over 4500 teachers at the University of Delhi are working on an ad-hoc or temporary basis, as permanent appointments haven’t taken place in over a decade. All the ad-hoc teachers fulfil the minimum eligibility criteria as per UGC regulations. 80% have higher qualifications and 88% are NET qualified. Nearly half the respondents have worked in one institution – this suggests that institutions are satisfied with the performance of the teachers and are benefitting from the contributions these teachers make to the academic and corporate life of the institutions. The data also shows that most Ad-hoc teachers are only able to pursue academic activities at great cost – without any leave or only during vacations, and nearly 25% are unable to pursue any academic activity at all.
“Recruitment was done sporadically in two brief periods, first in 2014-15 and then in 2017, in few colleges/departments. The recruitment process, which started because of a High Court Order of December 2016, was brought to a complete halt because of the 5 March 2018 UGC notification for the implementation of Department/Subject-wise roster. It took over a year for the issue to get resolved. However, meanwhile, all advertisements for permanent appointments over 2700 posts lapsed. The change in screening criteria and recruitment process as per UGC Regulations 2018 now threatens the prospects of a vast majority of these teachers,” the Statement read.
The ad-hoc teachers have the same qualifications as permanent teachers- fulfilling all the requisite academic qualifications like NET/JRF, M Phil, PhD, Post-doctorate etc. from prestigious Universities of India and abroad, and having teaching experience for years- and perform the same functions in their colleges and institutions as permanent teachers, and still, are denied job security. They receive no facilities like annual increments, medical benefits, maternity leaves, etc. and the duration of their tenure depends largely on the whims of the administration of their institutions, as stated by the press release. “This is also reflected in the findings as women constitute 57% of the workforce and most of them are either unable to plan their families or face extreme hardship during their pregnancies. Many are forced to leave their job – this is not reflected in the survey as only those who were able to get back their job figure in the survey.”
DUTA and the University’s teachers have been agitating for over 2 months now to press for demands related to their service conditions, including pensions, promotions, and permanency in jobs, claiming that these policies stand in stark violation of not only the Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Delhi but also of UGC Regulations which have stipulated maximum 10% for such vacancies and also go against the spirit of various court judgements and violates the fundamental rights of the affected teachers including the right to equal wage for equal work. “Various State Governments have initiated such processes of regularization for teachers in their State Universities through notified executive orders. Even the Government of NCT, Delhi, through the Governing Bodies in the colleges maintained by the Delhi Government, has shown willingness towards the process of regularization: many of these Governing Bodies have passed resolutions recommending a one-time absorption of all working temporary/ad-hoc teachers which now needs sanction from the UGC and the MHRD. In 2009, the UGC had asked Universities/Institutes to absorb UGC Research Scientists working in the units.
Today, when over 50% population is below the age of 25 years, it is important to strengthen public funded educational institutions. Infrastructure development and maintaining adequate teachers’ number are essential for quality education. It is important that University and its colleges, which serve lakhs of students from across the country, are stabilized through permanent faculty,” DUTA said.
DUTA recommends that the UGC should frame a specific Regulation as a one-time measure for the absorption of the temporary/ad-hoc teachers in the University: a provision for teachers to be absorbed against vacancies which are approved and earmarked according to the DoPT Reservation Roster for teaching positions. Their ongoing struggle has led to the MHRD to recognize that no adhoc teacher be removed until permanent recruitment is done.
With a release of a notification on the University of Delhi’s (DU’s) website, the Examination Committee has declared that Dharam Shiksha will be added to the list of Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course (AECC) subjects.
In a surprising turn of events, The DU Vice Chancellor, has announced his plans to introduce Dharam Shiksha as a compulsory AECC subject from 2021. Currently, there are two AECC subjects, English Communications and Environmental Science (EVS), both of which are taught in the first year.
The new AECC subject, Dharam Shiksha will be based mostly on the Hindu Mythology and the Vedas, taught in either the third or the fourth semester on the discretion of the college.
Dr. Yojesh Tyagi, Vice Chancellor (VC), DU, said, “After intense discussions and deliberations on this pressing issue, we have decided that it is of utmost importance that our students learn about Hindu culture and history. We feel that studying Ramayana and Mahabharata along with other scripts will help students forge a life which is holistic. It will teach them to stay away from material sins.”
While this has been the justification given by the VC as to why there is a need for this course, the Officiating Librarian, DU, Dr. Narendra Kumar said, “Yes there is a need for this kind of a course, but there could have been inclusion of texts from all religions and cultures, given how DU is such a culture-rich University.”
The syllabus has been said to include the teachings of not just the sacred texts, but also the life lessons of many in the Indian History. This would include Biographies and Autobiographies of Swami Dayanand, Mahatma Hansraj, Swami Shraddhanand, Swami Virjanand, and many more. The Committee feels that the history and life lessons of these people is something unexplored by many college students.
The Committee has refrained from including concepts like idol worship a nd violence during the independence period so as to not harm the sentiments of any community. Rajan Kalra, a first year student of Dyal Singh Evening College, said “They want to inculcate the ideas of a moral life in college students who already live in a rebellious phase of their lives, they (college students) would directly try to oppose any moral education being taught to them, and also, it would be an additional subject which will be more of a reason for the hatred towards this decision.”
Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is only to be appreciated and not accepted!
The even semester has begun, and so has the countdown to live your life as the final-year college students.
‘Knock knock’
‘Who’s there?’
‘Your last semester is here’
These must be hard-hitti ng lines for every third-year student right now. Applications, entrance exams, scholarships, internships, placements, interviews, and expectations-these are the words which define the life of a final year student. Most of us are stuck with the question of “Aage kya karna hai” (What should I do in future?). Days pass by and we still can’t find an answer to it. Most students define the last year of their college as stressful and exhausting. Some of us are applying for a job, some are preparing for entrance exams, and some are still trying to figure it out. With the beginning of the last semester of your college life, it is important to take a step back, breathe, and relax. If I look back, I don’t know how these three years passed by.
It is said that college really transforms you. It feels like yesterday when we were filling out the registration form to be a part of the University. Remember how we entered college with heavy bags of expectations and immaturity? First-year goes by completing assignments, attending morning lectures, and ‘trying to fit in the university culture’. The second-year brings about a more settled person in you. You are no longer a ‘fresher’ now, you are probably the one giving advice to the ‘freshers’. By the beginning of third-year, you have transformed into a mature, responsible adult, making decisions for yourself. The final-year of college is an emotional roller coaster ride, where your life will revolve around the happiness of graduating, and the sadness of leaving your college life behind. This phase is often accompanied by self-doubt, anxiety, insecurities, and nostalgia. Everyone around you will have only one question: ‘What next?’, and before you realize, you are already sailing in the sea of disquietude.
So how to keep yourself calm in this storm? My only advice will be to take one step at a ti me. Francis Assisi quoted, “Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” I think this is probably the solution we are looking for. Most of us are also stuck in the dilemma of whether to pursue a Master’s degree or a job. While all of us have preferences, this decision is extremely important and can define how your life shapes up. Enlist the pros and cons, talk to your family and friends. Don’t take such critical decisions in haste. As a final-year student, there are some important lessons that I would like to share with the juniors. Firstly, utilise the ti me you have in your college days. Take up any activity which helps you build contacts, be it joining the Placement Cell of your college or a work from home internship. College is the best ti me to build your resume. Secondly, use the internet for activities that do not involve Netflix and Instagram. You can probably set-up your LinkedIn profile or enroll yourself in an online course. Participate and attend events or gatherings. The events don’t have to be related to your field of study. It can also be a seminar on the involvement of youth in politics or a talk on a completely different subject like Botany. Lastly, give yourself some ti me and space. Most of us while struggling with applications and placements, forget enjoying the last year as a college student. Sometimes we make ourselves “too busy” to enjoy the moments we will cherish once we graduate. Don’t forget to live the wholesome experience of the University of Delhi. In the end, my fellow thirdyear students, whether you have figured it out or are still clueless, remember to breathe. Take each day as it comes.
Ask the best moment of college life and Business Economics students from University of Delhi would definitely mention one of the ‘Roister’ stories. The month of January is special not just for the students organisers of the BA (Hons.) Business Economics, Aryabhatta College but all 9 other colleges also offering the same course. Roister is one of the most popular sports fest hosted by any society across the University circuit.
Roister’2020:Play for a Purpose was organised from 16th-19th January, 2020 with Go Green initiative highlighting the concern regarding environmental issues in college premises. Around 1000 students from almost all the colleges of University of Delhi and specially those pursuing Business Economics participated enthusiastically in the event.The list of sports events included Badminton and Basketball for the first time apart from usual Cricket, Football, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Chess, Kho-Kho, etc. Filler games which are open to anyone in general were also organised and the participation was higher than the preceding editions.
After 4 days of games, Gargi College bagged the trophy of the overall winner and Girls’ Champion whereas Shivaji College got the honour of becoming the Boys’ Champion. Even as the hosts, Aryabhatta College, stood second in the overall points tally they got all the praise for successful organisation of the fest which was plagued by the rain on the very first day.
The most important lessons learnt was team building, sportsmanship and dedication. The unity of the students of Department of Business Economics which shapes an event like ‘Roister’ needs special mention as the participating colleges have already started looking forward to Roister’21.
‘Ab bhi jiska khoon na khaula, khoon nhi woh paani hai, jo desh ke kaam na aaye, wo bekar jawani hai’, Rang De Basanti has registered itself as the very best form of narration from Bollywood over the past decades but has this tale found itself as the natural stimulus record of youth agitation and neo-patriotism?
When a bunch of young, restless and carefree students from Delhi University rise against the government’s actions, demanding justice and due resignation of a Union Minister who is responsible for the harsh consequences endowed upon their friend and his family, the ensuing repercussions take atrocious turns by the hands of the state. The above mentioned lines forms the premise of the 2006 Republic Day release Rang De Basanti, that celebrated youth and revolution like never before, since the National Freedom Struggle. It was only when these lines from this grand celluloid marvel gained relevance in the stark happenings throughout the nation that Rang De Basanti became the perfect manifestation of the ongoing struggle of students against the government and it’s policies like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) & the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The popular adage ‘films are the reflections of society’ couldn’t have asked for a better paradigm than Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s cult classic Rang De Basanti, that narrates and encapsulates the essence of true patriotism which was in passé in an age of pseudo patriotism and cloud of fraudulence. The film while narrating the tale of the Indian freedom struggle and deeds of our heroes like Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Ashfaqullah Khan, Ramprasad Bismil, Sukhdev, Rajguru, and Durga Bhabhi, reinstates the essential quest for better and truly free India in a generation of liberalized, west-influenced & apolitical students who have lost hope in the India that the revolutionaries and freedom fighters fought for.
The continually decaying culture of historically informed and culturally envisioned youth which was absolutely unaware of the power it possessed and the influence it can promulgate; the diminishing culture of protests which was either a tale of old books or secluded from the young blood was transformed entirely in the scape of the tale in Rang De Basanti. It didn’t just prove to be a return to a sense of patriotism in the Young’s way but also increased democratic participation and belief in its principles.
From the energetic beats of Rahman, draped craftfully in Prasoon Joshi’s lyrics that gave us the Khoon Chala, Luka Chuppi, Rang De Basanti, or the youth’s anthem Robaroo & Khalbali, these sounds have found a rebirth as songs and poems of revolution in the ongoing protests around the nation. The story of the youth rebelling and leading with reformatory actions are the scene of the current state, where characters as diverse as a passed graduate to a rich brat, a skeptical student, an aspiring poet from humble Muslim background, a dedicated filmmaker, an honest right wing party worker and defense personnel, all get together to save the nation from the abyss, when needed.
The powerful dialogues like ‘Koi bhi desh mahaan nahi hota, use mahaan banana padta hai‘ have registered themselves in the form of posters, placards and pamphlets being passed around. In one scene from the movie where Aslam, played by Kunal Roy Kapoor, is seen designing a wall graffiti with slogans like Inquilab Zindabaad and a pint of pop culture, this has veritably inspired the artists who have crafted their minds out on walls and ways in Universities and other sites of protests.
The candlelight vigil at India Gate, was seen as a thought provoking idea by Mehra, Kamlesh Pandey and Rensil D’Silva, the ensuing instances in the country replicated this on various incidents, be it the Nirbhaya Case Or Jessica Lal Murder Case. Rang De Basanti (RDB) gave the nation a fresh way to protest – by mobilizing the youth. Coincidentally, the ongoing protests have been manhandled by the Police in the same way as the protesters were attacked in the movie when they gathered in support of Flight Lieutenant Ajay Rathod.
The enactment of freedom fighters by our reel life heroes did push them with the enthusiasm and made them aware of the change they can bring about, it wasn’t surprising to see the same cast of RDB with the names of Siddharth, Kunal Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan and Atul Kulkarni being the prominent voices from celebrity domain speaking out against the police actions in Jamia and JNU and backing the protesters.
The movie with it’s iconic climax of a frustrated youth taking on the government and inciting a spark of revolution among them after the heroes turned to alternate ways to seek justice and change saw stills from different universities of the country akin to what we witnessed in the case of the rotests in Jamia, JNU, DU & AMU.
Rang De Basanti leaves us with a very crucial lesson which must be the source of inspiration for each one of us that, ‘Zindagi jeene ke do hi tarike hote hai, ek jo ho raha hai hone do, bardaasht karte jao, ya phir zimmedari uthao usse badalne ki.’
