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Friendships in Times of Political Discourse

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With countless Instagram posts, raging WhatsApp messages and everyday discussions, the current political discourse has widely affected our relationships and this piece aims to answer the question that should you let your political opinion ruin your friendships? 

 

India is currently standing on the edge of revolution with more than 40 prominent universities including central universities like the University of Delhi, and globally acclaimed universities like Harvard University all protesting against the fascist regime of the elected government.

This protest has not just reached the streets but it has even engulfed our daily conversations. Students throughout the country have shown immense support to the right of peaceful protest and raised voices against police brutality witnessed by students of Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University. With section 144 imposed and means of communication and transport cut, students have refused to stay silent even after constant detentions of their comrades.

However, there still exist many who have been blinded by years of BJP propaganda and have to awaken the “Hindu” in them to dominate. The co-existence of both extremely strong perspectives can be found easily. Unfortunately, these people aren’t far-away citizens, they are found in our proximity and interact with us daily.

People you idolised might support actions that you condemn, your childhood friend can appreciate police brutality and even your college boyfriend can ask you “What is the problem with CAA? Why are you over-stressing?”

In times like these, where there are bleating hearts, it’s important to remember a few things.

 

  1. It’s okay to be emotional: While many might tell that it’s just a policy or it’s just an act, and you’re being over-emotional over something that doesn’t directly affect, you, by all means, are allowed to tell that person to leave. It’s good to be emotional, it’s good to keep yourself in shoes of those who are oppressed and not be blinded by your privilege. It’s okay to share a million stories a day. What’s not okay is to blame yourself for caring too much.

 

  1. Unfriend, Unfollow, Block: While you’re posting your opinion, many will share videos of buses burning and doctored images of protest posters to undermine the student revolution. Seeing even one story can fill you with disgust and a longing frustration. If you believe, the person has the intellect to comprehend the gravity of what you’re saying, you may engage in a healthy discussion that doesn’t affect your mental health. But, if not, you’re completely allowed to eradicate that person from your social media as well as life.

 

 

  1. Others lack of awareness isn’t your burden: If all your friend leads you in is unnecessary bickering; distance yourself. It’s not your job to debate on half-known facts and pseudo-nationalism. It’s recommended that you ask the other person to educate themselves with the current scenario and then have a discussion. You may send them sources of information to correct their perspective but not on the cost of your mental well-being.

 

  1. Judge people on their opinions: Often you hear that you should stay cordial even after conflicting political opinion. However, it must be assessed whether the opinion just technical or lacks basic empathy. Is the debating point whether you like the reach of the possibility or you fail to consider someone human? The political opinion just doesn’t determine a political standing of the person but also questions their fundamental privilege.

 

 

  1. Call them out!: In a family WhatsApp group, if you feel suffocated with your uncle’s marginalising joke, call them out. Instances like this pave way for the banality of evil. Examples like these, normalise cruelty and in many cases even internalise it as it’s said without an objection in a comfortable safe environment. Hence, you calling them out will make people question the normalisation of it.

 

While relationships constitute a large part of our life, nothing is above your mental well-being. It’s imperative to remember that even conflicting opinions can turn relationships toxic.

 

 

Feature Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons

 

Chhavi Bahmba 

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A Bill becomes an Act, and a Promise becomes a Joke: Citizenship Amendment Act is about religion but more than that

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There have been some misconceptions in the past few days regarding the nature of the recent protests in Assam and other North-Eastern states. And therefore, some have been shying away from talking about it. Others are misinformed thinking the Assamese people are just protesting about religion, ignoring the whole debate about ‘illegal migration’. Here’s a deeper look.

 

While Assam faces an internet shutdown, other Indians are learning more and more about the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Internet itself is offering differing points of view. While some are understanding how the protests in North-East are dissatisfied voices against fall promises, the Twitter handles of prominent Right-wing leaders try assuring us that everything is all right. Some have even gone to the extent of calling this a massive conspiracy; director Vivek Agnihotri (a very ‘right’ individuals with often wrong assumptions) says that Pakistan is supplying arms to these protesters in Assam and goes on to call the movement against Citizenship Amendment Act, ‘Pakistan’s revenge for Kashmir’!

But those who can figure out the wrongs, are out on the streets even in Delhi, looking beyond their privilege and uniting for solidarity with the North-East, a region which mainland India has ignored more than often. Yesterday, Jamia Milia Islamia’s peaceful march by students and staff to the Parliament wasn’t allowed to step beyond the college gates too as the police engaged in lathi charges, and used tear gas to disperse the crowds. Another march took place to Jantar Mantar today.

Contrary to the anger amongst Delhi’s youth, the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) led Delhi University Students’ Union, posted a message on their social media handles on 11th December, which didn’t surprise many. ‘ABVP wholeheartedly welcomes passage of the #CitizenshipAmendmentBill2019 in the Upper House of the Parliament of India. The persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh will now be able to get citizenship of India and lead a life of dignity.’

Clearly, the Citizenship Amendment Bill which now became an Act has a religious background to it, for the Centre which backed it. If you look at it from a simplistic perspective, you would think that the only controversial aspect of the bill as many of you know, is just the fact that Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh would be denied easy citizenship in India as these countries already have an Islamic majority. The central government in the nation and DUSU out here in Delhi University want you to see the Act only in terms of religion. And obviously, in terms of religion, the Act is biased as it seems to allow persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists from such countries (as if Muslims cannot be persecuted at all in these countries). So, that’s how the initial buzz around Citizenship Amendment developed in the cities. #MuslimLivesMatter is trending amongst many Instagram posts and for the right reason.

Screenshot (14)Official post by ABVP

But now, with the rise in violence and chaos, and the deployment of paramilitary in the North-East, we must be informed that it’s not the communal angle for which the locals are fighting authority. They are angered by a promise that got broken, proving again that the mainland cares little for them.

To quote an Assamese friend (who wishes to remain unnamed for now), ‘Assamese people voted for BJP hoping that the party will remove illegal migrants. But now this selective bias of keeping some migrants, and removing the rest, means that our demands mean nothing for them.’ To put it in a nutshell, the inhabitants of Assam and other states of the North-East don’t wish to have anyone don’t want to provide refuge anymore to illegal migrants.

Whether a person follows Hinduism or Islam, speaks Bengali or Assamese, that is not the first priority for the protesters. All that bothered these protesters was if a person is in an illegal immigrant and all. Early on this year, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam was riddled with its own problems (many ‘true’ inhabitants’ names were removed while many ‘illegal foreigners’ made it to the list), but it did offer the locals some hope. Now, with the BJP-led Centre’s plan of selectively choosing who will stay in Assam, and who will not, has turned the NRC into a joke.

Again, those who are looking at this issue from their simplistic bubble might interpret the current rage in Assam as ‘xenophobic’. But we should take a minute to understand the situation over there. An already overlooked region, the North-East has limited land and limited resources, and cultural identities (note we’re talking about cultural identity, not religious identity) of the people here are endangered. They just can’t afford to hold any illegal immigrants; such demands and issues have been raised by the region for so long. And what did the North-Easterners get in return for these demands: a joke.

A joke that became a bill and now has turned into an Act.

Hence, if you are reading up about the Act and the rage around it, please don’t just look at it from a simplistic understanding. It’s not possible to think about what the locals must be feeling there, but try to broaden your thought. After all, even the bespectacled debating lapdog of the Centre has gone against the Centre this time!

Know that the Act is definitely communal, but also heavily exploitative of the demands of a cultural and numerical minority. Today, one section of this country saw its electoral rights being played with to suit the Centre’s own agendas, tomorrow it might be your rights, your identity, that might become a joke…

 

Featured Image Credits- Biju Boro

 

Shaurya Singh Thapa

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Pride and Privilege: An unequal scale

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A look at how caste and class privilege is still prevalent in the LGBTQI+ Movement in India and how accessible it is to all sections of society.

The LGBTQIA+ movement has taken great strides in India in the form of awareness and rights. An example of how this movement has succeeded is the Supreme Court ruling that Section 377 of the IPC as unconstitutional on 6th September 2018. On the 26th of November 2019, the movement has suffered a setback in the form of the Rajya Sabha passing the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill which is regressive for the Trans community and a step backward for the movement in the country. The question that arises is.  Does the LGBTQIA+ movement consider intersectionalities within the movement or, Does it cater only to certain privileged classes within big cities and still remain inaccessible to people from marginalized communities such as Dalits and Muslims.

The true essence of a movement should lie in fighting for the people within it. An example of this can be seen from an excerpt from Hasratein: A Queer Collective’s latest statement urging action against the Trans Bill during the Pride Parade. “This Pride is not a party, it’s a fight. It’s a brawl in a bar that ends with a brick thrown on the head of a cop. It sparks a revolution. It is for the trans community. Only when this atrocious bill is defeated, do we celebrate. Join us in our rage at Delhi Queer Pride to continue our resistance against this fascist state.”

A noticeable aspect of the pride parade and the LGBTQI+ movement is the ignorance of intersectionality. Rishi Raj Vyas, a Dalit queer activist when talking about the Pride Parade says “When we were at Pride, they did not let us raise the flag of Babasaheb Ambedkar saying that Pride is only for LGBTQ people, thus denying access to queer Dalit and queer Muslim people. So, we need to have more intersectional spaces for queer individuals from different caste and class backgrounds and yes, we need to educate people, especially queer people about struggles of people of class and people of caste”

Yameena, a student of sociology from Miranda House, University of Delhi says “The LGBTQIA+ movement in India has the tendency of excluding Muslims and Dalits. It’s often a result of the inherent islamophobia and casteism of the Savarna queers. It’s also important to look at the issue from a socio-political dimension.”

It is a very important point to consider that the accessibility of these movements for different castes and classes within India is still next to none. Prachi, a student of IPCW says “Coming from a very privileged place, it was very hard for me to remember any Muslim or Dalit queer person I know or have met in real life. the Muslim or Dalit people I know are not publicly out to the world because we live in a very Hindu dominated society and this society is not at all safe for them.”

It is time to recognize that privilege does exist within the sphere of the LGBTQIA+ movement in this country, and while it might take steps forward, the overall effort will be fruitless if the many different socio-political factors within the movement and its intersectionalities aren’t recognized. There is a need to examine and introspect how this movement and all the positives within it can reach and incorporate all sections of society.

Feature Image Credits: Noihrit Gogoi for DU Beat

Prabhanu Kumar Das

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Arts & Culture

Plea to Block The Passageway of Trans Bill 2019

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The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019 currently being tabled in the Rajya Sabha, has been strongly critiqued, and rejected by the trans community due to its contentious and violating nature

The Winter Session of the Parliament commenced on 18th November, and the impending tabling of the regressive Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019 in the Rajya Sabha began on 20th November. The Bill had been earlier passed by the Lower House in August.

Despite its deceiving nomenclature, the Bill in fact offers no protection or real mainstreaming measures for the Indian trans community and instead, reeks of transphobia and ignorance. The bill stands to dehumanize and further ostracize the marginalised community.

For trans people to legally identify as a different gender,the Bill purports a two-step procedure. The step of ‘screening and certification’ in front of a district magistrate and a medical screening committee, under this procedure, is an arbitrary and demeaning measure that violates the personhood, agency and privacy of a trans person. This measure reflects the Bill’s narrow and ignorant understanding of ‘gender’. It also stands in contradiction of the 2014 NALSA Judgement passed by the apex court that granted the right of self-identification.

The Bill rejects the need for reservation for transgender people in education, healthcare, and employment, denying the reality of how transgender people do not have an undemanding or safe access to these, due to lack of financial resources and rampant discrimination.

Further, the bill mandates transgender people to live with their birth families, where they are most often met with rejection and hostility. It denies them the right to live with their chosen families/communities/partners etc. Thus, the Bill criminalises traditional Hijra livelihoods and families. The Bill gives a maximum sentence of 2 years to anyone who sexually violates a transgender person which upon comparison with the extension of a sentence up to lifetime upon the violation of a cisgender woman, reveals how the bill blatantly encodes discrimination against transgender people with lower penalties for violence against them.

The following Instagram post, by @theypfoundation via @inbreakthrough follows the intricacies of the Tran Bill, in conversation with Bittu, a scientist and a gender queer transman.


View this post on Instagram

The Transgender Bill is currently in the Rajya Sabha. Here is a refresher on what it is and why it is problematic. #flawsinlaws Posted @withrepost • @inbreakthrough The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2019 was recently passed in the Lok Sabha. The trans community has been raising many concerns about the bill, here’s why: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ____________________________________________ #TransBill #transbill2019 #killthetransbill #loksabha #news #transrights #transcommunity #translivesmatter #passthemic #listentotransvoices #demands #reservations #statement #killthebill #killbill #transrightsarehumanrights #transrightsmatter #transvoices #transvoicesmatter #discrimination #violence #transphobia #queerphobia #supporttransrights #transgenderrights

A post shared by The YP Foundation (@theypfoundation) on


Ray R, a transwoman studying law at University of Delhi says (via Twitter), “The trans community believes that the current Bill being discussed in the Rajya Sabha makes a mockery of their personhood, community, rights and only adds to everyday humiliation and violation…”

On 24th and 25th November, Delhi and Bengaluru respectively, witnessed the Delhi Queer Pride and the Namma Pride. As thousands flocked to celebrate at the processions, many wore black to stand in support with the trans community and protest the regressive Trans Bill.

Feature Image Credits: Vaibhav Tekchandni

Story Image Credits: Jaishree Kumar for DU Beat

Prisha Saxena

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The Dearth of Home-Cooked Meals

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Being an out-station student isn’t easy, especially when it comes to compromising on food. Let us look at the role the college canteen plays in a student’s life.

Good food is probably on the top in the wish-list of all university students. However, most of the students don’t have access to the heart warming home-cooked meals. After a long and exhausting day of sleeping during lectures and wrangling in society meetings, we all long for comforting meals. But, where does one find them?

After discussing about this issue with lots of students at a personal level, I found out that most students resort to the college canteen for their meals. A very small proportion actually carried lunchboxes. Even the hostellers and PG-dwellers prefer the canteen over their promised, paid meals.

“Being a PG student, the lunch that I get is usually iced coffee or bread butter everyday.  Although I don’t prefer eating food from canteen daily but I have to rely on it. If I were a Delhi student, I would never consider food from canteen. Also being a PG student, I am broke more than half of the time so it’s real struggle deciding what to do about lunch. So although I don’t love canteen food, but it has become my lunch everyday,” says Avni Dhawan, student of Kamla Nehru College.

Deewanshi Vats, a resident of the Under Graduate Hostel For Girls (UGHG) says, “Though we have a 4 meal package in a day, the quality of food is pathetic. You literally have to search for dal in dal which is just nothing but water! We don’t get nutrient rich food like sprouts and dry lentils at all; also no curd! Salad (only cucumber) provided is usually stale. Quality of rice and other vegetables is really low.”

With the poor quality of meals provided, most students have no choice left but to fall back on the canteen food. This affects them both financially and health-wise. Spending good proportions of monthly pocket-money on unhealthy, and often not very tasty food is not the ideal preference of any student. This is where students cherish home-cooked meals packed in lunch boxes the most.

“One thing you miss more than home is homemade food! It’s quite understandable that you cannot get the same ‘ghar ke khana ka taste’ when you move to a different city; and for a while will enjoy eating fancy food and junk, but there is this saturation point where you will miss basic daal and roti and then no other food will be able to satisfy your tummy!” commented an out-station student of Daulat Ram College.

It truly becomes a sorry state of affairs for the outstation students when it comes to the matters of food. But there is one ray of hope for all the outstation students. With the end of the semester around the corner, one can comfort themselves with the loving thought of returning back to home after the exams are over and enjoy the warmth of those homely meals to their hearts’ fullest content. It almost seems like the delayed gratification, worth all the while.

 

 

Feature Image Credits: The Outlook

Aditi Gutgutia
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Students Burn Effigies in Solidarity with JNU

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The agitation against fee hike at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) reached Delhi University (DU) when progressive student fronts performed protest demonstration and effigy burning at North Campus.

The movement against arbitrary fee hike in JNU has garnered support from educational institutions all across the country. After the inhumane brutality of police forces won, the JNU students protesting became national news, many organisations and bodies joined hands to bestow their support. Most recent in line are the progressive student bodies of Delhi University who conducted a protest march in North Campus on Wednesday which followed effigy burning of Delhi Police, Home Minister Amit Shah and Baba Ramdev, who made spurious comments regarding Periyar, Birsa Munda, Savitribai Phule, and B.R Ambedkar yesterday.

All India Students’ Association (AISA), All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO), Pinjra Tod, Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), Democratic Students’ Union (DSU) and other progressive collectives of DU organised this protest demonstration at Art Faculty from where the protesters circled a part of north campus. Chanting slogans of “Azadi” and “Halla Bol” along with placards condemning Delhi Police and Government Forces, the protesters walked past Campus Law Centre, Law Faculty and came back to Art Faculty where effigies of the were burnt.

“For the last one month, JNU students have been protesting for 999 percent fee hike and the introduction of a new hostel manual which is a step to push people from a deprived background, women, Dalits away from the University,” said Ankur Agraj, a second-year Law student at Campus Law Centre.

On the question of ABVP demanding the formation of a joint struggle committee for fee hike issue the AISA supporter said, “After all, ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) is also a student organization. Their supporters will also be affected by this hike. But the ABVP wing of JNU has displayed a pro VC (Vice Chancellor) stand from the very beginning. It’s important for them to understand that it’s not about Left or Right. The institution comes before your ideology.”

Neel Madhav, a final year Journalism student said, “The time has come to burn all the educational institutions of this country. Because, the government has finally proved that knowledge, merit, academics, and art hold no value in this country. They have made it so evident that family of a king will hold kinship and a poor will rot as a poor coming from marginalized background will remain poor for whole of his life.”

The support came from teachers as well. Laxman Yadav, Professor at Zakir Hussain College addressed the protester after effigy burning. He raised questions about the whereabouts of Najib, who went missing from JNU last year. “Democracy is being assassinated in Kashmir and PM says everything is fine. The way Kashmir is being throttled, education will also be chocked to death,” he expressed.

Narrating a story on why it is important to fight against administrative cruelty, Laxman said, “When there was fire in a forest, the bird tried to control it. On asking why is she doing this when it is obvious that she won’t be able to extinguish it, the bird said that she knows that, but when the history of this forest will be written, they will tell that this bird at least tried to stop the fire.”

For more than 80,000 students in Delhi University, only 4,000 hostels are afforded. The movement at Jawaharlal Nehru University has raised a critical question for the lack of hostel facilities and high fee structure here at Delhi University.

Image Credits: Noihrit Gogoi for DU Beat

Priyanshu

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National Press Day: A Closer Look at Student Journalism

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Looking at student journalism in Delhi on the occasion of National Press Day, an account of student journalism through the eyes of students. 

 Journalism was and still remains to this day one of the most dangerous, exciting, albeit under-appreciated professions. The case remains more so, In India. media freedom group, Reporters Without Borders released a report in 2018, which put India fifth on the list of the maximum number of journalists killed in 2018, the death count being six. In the current atmosphere, many students at Delhi University (DU) and universities across India look at journalism as a career option. For many students, this career starts from the undergraduate level through college magazines and organizations such as DU Beat where valuable experience on how a media organization functions can fit into a students timetable.

For many students, working in student media and student journalist has been an enriching experience. As Chhavi Bahmba, a first-year student at Sri Venkateswara College and a correspondent for DU Beat says, “Student journalism has been one of the most liberating things, and the highlight of my college life. It has given me access and a platform to write. Also, people around me also get a voice as I can put their thoughts forward. It’s been a stepping stone to my career.”

There is also the fact that deadlines and missing them are one of the deadliest sins in media, and working as a student journalist inculcates that. Aditi Gutgutia, a first-year student at Lady Shri Ram College says, “It compels me to write as a habit and makes me fight the urge to procrastinate.”

According to Faizan Salik, A student from Jamia Millia Believes that exposure is one of the most important aspects of a student journalist as he goes on to say “ it is a veritable bridge that can expose you to multiple dimensions of life which is untouched otherwise and hence promises some good amount of fermentation in the long run.” He also goes on to talk about how it working for that can be a challenge but that is something that he and several others have had to overcome. He says, “Being a part of something like this in a university like Jamia was a challenge that we at The Jamia Review, a student-run journal of Jamia Millia Islamia has taken a step further and hopes to incorporate everything that it requires to achieve our goals.”

There are, of course, negative aspects too, some of which are synonymous with journalism as a profession. Jaishree Kumar, a third-year student at Ramjas says. “I learnt that journalists are treated badly and worshipped. It is also rewarding and exhausting at the same time.”

There are the obvious downsides of handling so much workload along with regular classes, and another problem put up by Jaishree was how working for student newspapers not associated with the College administration also doesn’t help attendance as even though her teachers are supportive of her work, they cannot give her ECA attendance.

In conclusion, in the current politically charged climate, student media has given aspiring journalists a place to hone their skills. The experience that we get is valuable and the experiences and contacts that we build cannot be found anywhere else.

Feature Image Credits: Scopio

 

 

Prabhanu Kumar Das

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DU to Create Inter-College Societies

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

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

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

However, the decision has been taken to do away with the college elitism that exists in DU. Ramesh Ray, the ECA Committee Chairperson, said, “This will do away with the resentment among students that has been created out of years of competition, and bring feeling of community as a whole among students.” The DUCCC has been set up to look after the many changes this decision will bring. Allotting areas for practice and scheduling the practice time of inter-college societies will be taken up by this newly formed committee, along with the matters of society elections, and dealing with administrative work.

The official announcement has been made on the DU website and thereby, the scheme will be initiated after the upcoming fest season of January to March, 2020. The campus has received this news with contrasting opinions; many feel a loss of identity to be not known by their college society names. Some others feel this will give an opportunity to meet students from all walks of life. Karan Thapar, member, Vurbum, the western Dance Society of Motilal Nehru College, said, “This is a great step. The barriers of college, location, and seclusion will be broken with this. It will be great to see a Hindu College society member with a member from Ram Lal Anand College to perform, united by their art.”

Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is only to be appreciated and not accepted.

Feature Image Credits: Hitesh Kalra for DU Beat

Chhavi Bahmba

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The Luxury of Riding a Cycle Rickshaw

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With a lot of us using public transport to commute daily for college and to other places we go to, we sometimes take these for granted and fail to see the little bundle of happiness that the public system of transport is.

“Metro se Kaun-Kaun jayega?” (Who all will take the metro back home?) is a question that is very common in the college campuses of the University of Delhi. Whether you might be a student from the Delhi NCR region or somebody who lives away from college intentionally to save some money, we all have used the Delhi Metro a lot. And certainly, the Delhi Metro has had a lot of importance in the daily lives of Delhiites, but it’s not like all the colleges are at a walking distance from their closest metro station. Thankfully we have a lot of public transport facilities available to make that small commute easier, in the forms of E-Rickshaws or Auto Rickshaws. But there exists another form of transportation that maybe has gone oblivious with the fast moving world, that is the quintessential ‘Cycle Rickshaw’.

Cycle rickshaws are the type of three wheeler public transport which is structured a lot like any other type of rickshaw, except it is pulled by cycle like mechanism and is powered by a human! Look at it this way, a human, in the 21st century, willingly pulling a cycle rickshaw for you and doing so much hard work just to earn some money. It almost sad but remains a living reality of a large part of India.

It is truly ironical that such a cheap luxury is available to us and still we rarely ever use it. Since the cycle rickshaws are a dying industry, it is mostly run by fairly old men and it is heartbreaking to see an old person doing the hard work for you. When asked, they simply smile and reply something along the lines of “Beta abb toh aadat si ho gayi hai” (Oh child. Now,I am used to it). And truly, these rickshaw pullers would be one of the fittest people you would ever meet.

Cycle rickshaws were initially a very big part of our childhood as well, from fighting with our cousins to sit at the back of the small seat to sometimes even asking the rickshaw puller if we could pull it; even seeing a cycle rickshaw can sometimes bring back the most beautiful memories and one can simply forget all the worries of life with a ride. But they need not be restricted to just reliving old memories, they can also be used to create new ones. Cycle rickshaws are perfect to ride with dates; they are silent, eco-friendly and some of them can only carry two adults at a time; the perfect kind of privacy you need! Not just that, they are versatile because one can enjoy cool breeze without its overhead roof and can also protect oneself from the sun with its adjustable roof, sort of like a sports car; which makes it a luxury in another aspect!

Cycle rickshaws have a beauty of their own in terms of aesthetics and one can enjoy life at its slow pace while enjoying this modern day luxury. One can also learn a lot from a simple conversation with any rickshaw puller because they have a lot of experience and a simple act of kindness brings upon such a big smile on their face, it certainly lights up one’s day.

 

Feature Image Credits: Deewanshi Vats for DU Beat

Akshat Arora

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Eco-friendly Campuses of DU: A New Face of Miranda House

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With plastic becoming a major menace, here is an insight into how the students as well as the authorities of Miranda House have taken up several steps to make their campus a plastic-free space in the University of Delhi (DU).

Plastic is one of the most ubiquitous materials in the economy, but with the increasing awareness about its ill effects and negative impact on the environment, and the spreading of the news of its complete ban by the Government, several colleges and institutions have started substituting plastic with other less harmful or biodegradable options. Miranda House has also taken many such initiatives to discourage the usage of single-use plastic.

The first step taken by students and societies was to conduct a plastic-free fresher’s party to welcome the freshers to a “Green Miranda”. Vatavaran, the Environmental Cell of Miranda House, along with the Department of Geography, encouraged the Student Councils of all the Departments to conduct their respective Department fresher’s without the usage of plastic in decoration and food. As a novel and creative initiative, the “Green Departments”, which successfully conducted a “plastic-free fresher’s”, were provided with certificates. individuals.

The bigger question becomes, how many end up staying the same throughout? Inner healing does not happen in a day, the lives of Buddha and Mahavira are examples of the years of mediation that one must do to achieve such unearthly feats, to begin with. It is a gradual and slow process, like medical treatment or a fitness regime. The transformations are always temporary in nature, and one needs to mould their mind with continual practice to achieve maximum results. The human mind is a very complex enigma that has wonderful, and miraculous features to it that surpass the earthly plane. For thousands of years, the sages of India called ‘rishis’ had proved the same. They had, through continual and rigorous mediation, opened their chakras and achieved feats that seem inhuman in today’s age. One may desire to achieve such transformative abilities, yet not all of us can invest the time and energy to be able to achieve them.

Being part of an age where everything in our lives mostly revolves around speed and technology, it does not mean that selfactualisation cannot be achieved. The answer to it is as simple as the Sacred Games chant we have become used to hearing now – Aham Brahmasmi. Brahma, the creator, resides in one’s soul or Atman, and is nothing but the abode of creation and creative power. We believe what we wish to believe, and we hold on to our perceptions and inhibitions, but the moment we prepare ourselves to see beyond our rigidity of thoughts, we become free of our bonds. Thus, you must understand that eternal bliss or happiness of the being is possible for every one of us. If one wishes to invest even a few minutes of their time in life-altering activities persistently, one will achieve peace, calm, and a stress-free environment where creative energies can be released to bring a positive change in the mind and space that we occupy.

The most effective and simple exercise would be to concentrate on one’s breathing as one assumes a comfortable position for a span of just five minutes. It is all but a matter of faith – not in any external idol, religion, or God-men, but in the power of our intrinsic energy as a vehicle to transform our stress into positivity. One’s present should be of concern only if one wishes to change it for a different or a happier future. There is a need for change. It all begins today, if we keep our buzzing phones aside, and take a few moments to ourselves for the sake of positive mental health. Aatreyee Tamuly, a student of B.A. (Honours) History at Miranda House, said, “I think Miranda has taken the ‘No Plastic Campaign’ pretty well. It was great seeing all the departments taking part in the no plastic campaign during the Department fresher’s party.” The usage of plastic in the canteen has decreased, as they have started providing steel plates and spoons instead of plastic plates for serving food. Providing straws has been stopped completely. Nescafé has substituted plastic cutlery with wooden cutlery and plates with paper bowls.

The National Service Scheme (NSS) of Miranda House conducted various events to discourage the usage of single-use plastic. One such event was a collection drive on the campus to collect all the plastic bottles and other plastic waste. The collected items were then handed over to the plastic recycling centres. Another major step by the NSS was to celebrate Onella, a social mela (fair), with the theme of “No Single-Use Plastic”. Several posters were circulated with the message of avoiding plastic usage. Onella successfully encourage secularism, raised funds, and promoted the social cause of avoiding plastic usage. A Replaft competition was organised by the society where the students were supposed to reuse plastic to make craft items. The decorative material made from reused plastic was sold at Onella. A signatory campaign to discourage the usage of single-use plastic also found its way into the celebrations. Another initiative by the society was to organise a “Plog Run”, which involved plastic-picking plus jogging.

Priyanshi Singh, a final-year student of Miranda House, expressed her views on the initiatives. She said, “I feel that the initiatives taken by authorities and students to avoid usage of plastic are really good, but I feel more could be done to it. For instance, created tautology are still being sold on the campus, asplastic cold drink bottles and water bottles are being sold and used. Instead, they could only sell glass bottles or cans. Selling some packaged items like chips can also be avoided, which could also lead to a healthy lifestyle. Whatever has been done to minimise it is good, but still some more steps like substituting aerated drink bottles with cans and glass bottles should be done.” However, the initiatives taken by societies and authorities can only be successful if one takes steps on an individual level as well. The words of Margaret Mead ring a bell at this moment – “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Feature Image Credits: Namrata Randhawa for DU Beat

Priya Chauhan

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