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2019 So Far: Exploring the First Trimester of New Year

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With the first three months of the year gone, let us look back at how these months went ahead for us and what will the rest of the year have in store for us.

In the blink of an eye, I remember dosing off to sleep at 4 A.M. on the first of January, after all the New Year wishes were attended to, and now as the fourth month of this year has started, I simply wonder how and where did these three months go.

The first trimester of the year, for any University of Delhi (DU) student is absorbed in the fest season, either in attending it or, as a participant, running every other day for competitions in some or the other host college. The intensity of the course takes a back-seat with the incessant strikes, which we callously enjoy, without truly acknowledging their purpose.

I would like to ask a simple question- all of us make New Year’s resolutions, but, do we even stick to them? While I genuinely don’t believe in the concept of making resolutions particularly when the calendar flips the date to 01/01, I believe any time can be the perfect time to turn over a new leaf. Without digressing further, let me get back to my question. What is the strategic realism to these resolutions, as hardly a few make it past the first week of their marked promises, before narrowing back to their old lifestyle. Annie Rana, a literature student of Maitreyi College, feels, “The fact that every week, month, or situation asks out of us different ways to react or behave, so keeping resolution as a sole means to discipline (yourself), won’t really help.”

As every year has something or the other in it to look forward to, 2019 too has witnessed a lot so far in these three months. Talking about the personal, national, and the international front, we have faced a tough three months to begin with, and while the next trimester has already started, the election fury will reign over as the midtown madness this summer. The next trimester will look forward to ‘voting for the first time’ for a majority of us, or having to make career-related choices, or entering a new path of life; every demarcation of the calendar has been split with a beautiful finesse.

“Every month, I track my growth. Some acts are bound to be childish, but I tend to see a progression in the maturity,” says Heena, a student of Maitreyi College as she looks at her journey in 2019 so far. To map out your journey is a really important thing and when most of us miss out on this, a sense of existential crisis hits us. To look back when I started college, the change from 2017 to 2019, not just as a big bracket of 730 days, but as the mental growth which chartered into me is also something which can be represented as a progressing draft, in the fourth quadrant.

The sentiment that each year holds is also important. As I look at the batch which will graduate this year, 2019 marks as this primal year which will witness a major change in them, and while three months have buzzed past us, the sinking of them in the memory and action won’t. It was a series of lasts. Talking to my seniors, I could figure out how every competition, every fest, every department activity associated with the college, would be their last. With that emotion flaring in, the efforts, the smile, and the hidden tears were a mixed bag of emotions through the entire three months. As this month will go ahead as the ‘vidaai’ or the farewell time for them, the bucketful of memories they take on with them is sublime.

To 2019 so far, you haven’t been particularly kind, and I don’t expect you to get sweet and mellow, anytime soon. Conclusions are sweeter, cathartic. I have been exhausted and drained completely, and in these three months, the motivation has been sucked out of me (too bad the exams are right around the corner). As the summer will settle in with the hope of getting off a daily routine, i.e. college, I will find a relief (I suppose so), from the experience which was- the daily running to Sadar Bazaar, as the department and college fests lined up, being on the phone 24*7 for sponsorships, scripting my real conversations as well! From not being able to take time out with the friends and sit in the comfort or solace each other like we do as a routine to finding the infinitesimal balance between studies, societies, interning, and working in a media house, from forming mental ticks in my mind as the work load started gliding away, one after the other, swiftly, to sitting back and sipping tea in nostalgia and having the worst phase of constant bouts of low self-esteem and worth, and finding the phase of confidence back; I can say these three months took a lot from me and gave me back a bitter-sweet collection of everything.

To 2019, I promised myself this year will be a sole devotion to travel and exploration- the physical and the mental aspect of this duality. And as every month, a new travel destination finds its spot in my heart and I set forth to plan it out, every place I visit, makes a spiritual connection within me and with this hope, the year will progress with its own set of ups and downs which I will look forward to with an open heart.

Feature Image Credits: Eastside Projects

Avnika Chhikara

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Campus Central

It Is What It Is: Frustrations of a Graduating Literature Student

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Here’s a culmination of thoughts about what I have come to feel and believe in.

“Turning and Turning into the widening, The falcon cannot hear the falconer. Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold, Mere anarchy is loosened upon the world.” – W.B. Yeats (The Second Coming)
In my three years of studying English Literature, I do not think I have come across lines that better define the times that we have become a part of, both partly willingly and partly reluctantly.
With the turn of the year and the ever-nearing elections, we are seeing the worst that this country has to offer. We had a near war-like situation with Pakistan, there have been various accounts of Muslim lynchings, the situation of Kashmir is continuously falling into an everlasting non-conclusionary void. We have become the community that loves cows more than the girl child while rapes are still growing more in number and less human in grit.
Netflix, seemingly the only hope of escape from the brutal reality, has started cancelling shows that we want to watch and I do not understand what this Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) system in the University of Delhi (DU) is, in which you can’t even get marks.

India, as a nation, has achieved a feat of having killed 30 million women, from unborn children, to honour killings. To put it in comparison, even Hitler killed six million Jews. We, however are the nation of the woke and the ancient dharma. These are the deeds of Indians and religious fanatics – both Hindus and Muslims alike. No Pakistanis, no Chinese, no West – we are stuck protecting the cows and calling ourselves chowkidars, forgetting the duty we hold for our girl children. When will this play – pretend end? Many men have started becoming a part of the equal rights movement, yet where are the mainstream movements against lewd advertisements and songs? When will we realise silence is supportive only for the oppressor?
Another thing that bothers me is the society’s ignorance at how men are the victims of patriarchy too. We need to let go of the stigma that toxic masculinity and patriarchy put us men at a pedestal that damages us as well. We need the equality, the normality, as much as women do. It isn’t men versus women; it’s us together versus this social construct of patriarchy.

As the elections draw closer, we are seeing everyone choosing sides on this mindless battle of two parties with people going like “I will vote for Modi ji” or “I will vote for Rahul Gandhi.”

Everyone has blatantly forgotten that these elections are to vote for the person standing and delivering in your area. Vote for them based on facts and accountability, not based on propaganda jingoism.There are many more gloomy things that could have been entailed in this rant. However, I believe I have done my bit to share my thoughts enough to make at least one man think of what is happening in this great, beautiful nation, that has merely become a playground where the rich kids have the toys and we are stuck eating sand.
“It is what it is,
The playground of the puppets,
The ‘woke’ with strings attached, Those asleep completely detached.
In the great circus of life,
With the audience and the Joker, Maybe its all a dream, or maybe it’s over, When will we wake up to see things closer?
It is what it is.

A play with no players, and no god watching us over.”

Haris Khan
[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

KMC’s North East Students Cell organised 8thnicia!

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8THNICIA ‘19 CONCLUDES WITH A GRAND SUCCESS!
The evening of 14th March marked the end of 8thnicia ‘19, the annual cultural festival of North East Students’ Cell, Kirori Mal College. The fest kicked off with a panel discussion in the morning in which Amarjit Sharma and Sandipan Talukdar discussed on the burning topic of “Citizenship (Amendment) Bill”.
The seminar was followed by a photo exhibition titled “Incident” by one of the Cell’s very own executive member, Hrishikesh Talukdar, which portrayed the lives of North-Eastern people in Delhi. All this happened while at the same time students munched on delicious North-Eastern cuisine and played various types of games. A quiz was also conducted before the main event, which witnessed great enthusiasm from the students who were present.
The awaited cultural session began at 3:00 PM with cultural performances, both in movement and melody from various colleges all across Delhi University representing an even wider range of ethnic cultures from North-East India. The fest concluded with a cultural ramp walk which displayed various cultural attires of different ethnic communities of the North-East.
Under the teamwork of the Executive Members, the cultural fest was marked with great success and grand acceptance. The vibrant cultures of the North-Eastern states displayed in the fest was truly indeed a celebration of life!

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Uncategorized

To-Be Third Years, Your Sanity is Significant

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Read to know about the third year’s mental and physical pressures, and what you should do to prioritise your mental sanity over every aspiration for perfection.

If someone asks me about my experience in the last year of college, my usual reply starts with “traumatic,” “stressful,” and ends with a “Thank god! It’s ending.” As much as I talk about my course being an absolute mismatch with what I had expected, it would be grossly unfair to make these incorrect statements. Rephrasing my earlier assertion – the University of Delhi (DU) has taught me everything I need to know, but my course contents. In this “everything” I found umpteenth life lessons that no school or professor could have taught me. The biggest, and possibly the most crucial, piece of information here is a simple remark – ‘nothing is more important than your mental sanity.’ A kind senior of mine reiterated this sentence enough times for me to remember for a lifetime, and I thank her for this.
This statement held the most importance for me when I was about to begin my third year in college. Right now, with college society elections around the corner, most second-years are filled with the same crippling anxiety and fear. Many have already started prepping for entrances, while others have begun campaigning for the respective position they wish to take up in the next year. For those who emerge lucky, the moment when they are elected to take up the position of responsibility of their choice becomes one of the most fulfilling memories of their college life. A fresh hope of leading the society to newer heights is ignited, and they embark on a journey of success and failure in equal measures.
In this quest to fulfill the supremely high expectations of seniors, we imbibe from them a culture which embraces perfectionism, and we develop a work thic which strives to follow procedure in a similar fashion as they did. Oftentimes, we become so invested in an association that we give priority to it over everything else – friends, family, and sometimes even our career. This blind faith in the mechanical workaholic culture and putting precedence of the society over everything is, sadly, toxic.
In this system, where graduating seniors urge their juniors to work harder and take the society to newer heights, no one utters the words “take care” with equal emphasis, or usually leave this bit in the post – script. No one says it often enough, that we need to prioritise our career and health over everything else, and that an all – consuming behaviour by virtue of heading a society or an institution is problematic at the behest. Many end up micromanaging most of the work, which leads to a toxic work environment, not only for them but also for those peers who wish to learn.
While it is important to do justice to the position one has been elected to, it is a different ball game when that individual has to juggle society with marks and all the other baggage that the third year comes with. Third year is not easy for most, and acceptance of this is the only way forward. Anyone who says otherwise is either blessed with god – gifted abilities or is simply bluffing their way out of everything. Third – year is an important juncture, which has many minute yet important decisions, and a lot of us do not possess the luxury to fail academically and rely on our parents as a back – up.
Despite all this, it comes to an end, which is when the realisation of taking unnecessary stress because of “that one error I missed out from editing” or “that one prop that I forgot to place” comes into the forefront. I am glad I had a senior who reminded me to not take extreme pressures and enjoy my last year in college alongside the work. Hopefully, more seniors can be the same guiding light for a junior who is about to take up the same, seemingly intimidating role they once held.

 

Feature Image Credits: NDTV

 

Vijeata Balani

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Features

“I love myself” and where it goes wrong: Self-love vs narcissism

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Do you accept and love yourself or are you the King of the world? Let you be the better judge by reading down below, the difference between self-love and narcissism.

“Mein apni favourite hoon”, a phrase you would have heard a million times over, and with assurity said it out loud yourself. Irregardless of the fact that this dialogue is iconic or not, what really brings the matter to light here is the difference which has never been understood- the parallels of self-love and narcissism. Why are they considered one and the same thing by many and how and why there is a major difference between the two. Let us figure it out, through the course of this article.

kareena kapoor GIF

Let us focus on the primary word- love. Films and novellas have bruised and ruptured the core ideal of love. It was always a metatheatre for the viewers, love was described as objective, through someone else’s gaze, through shimmery red lipsticks and an elegant pearl choker or through a well-suited tuxedo and a steady walk or ballrooms. This is not all love entails. Love has always been described as a feeling of mutuality between two individuals. But what about loving yourself? Where does that fit in this frame?

This is where the concept of self-love emerges. I feel it is a subjective term, to each individual, his or her own. For myself, it is a feeling of accepting yourself for who you are, flaws and strengths alike. And it is tough, it is not a measure to see how perfect you are, but being true to yourself and making peace with yourself. Self-love is correlated with self-esteem as well, it determines your outlook towards things, your acceptance for what goes on in life and a strive to become better. This is the purest form of self-love. Now let us talk about how it gets marketed in our lives. Having scars, not being the perfect figure, being too tall or too short, too pale or too dark, to shy or too strong, all of these are among the innumerable categories under which we can bring self-love to.

I also feel, it is safe to say that it is the 21st century when the core ideals of self-love began, when all of us got knit into the internet and when the personal got broadcast to a global audience. The reason this concept or philosophy got such a big response is because how vernacular it felt to each and every one. a sense of being able to relate arose and with that arose the feeling that you are not the only one who lives with insecurities, you outgrow them or you accept them and move on to become better. If self-love is such a simple concept, tough to follow, I agree, then why is it misinterpreted as narcissism?

keerat kaur

Narcissism on the other hand is this obsessive and excessive admiration one holds towards themselves, such as idealizing their physical appearance, outlook and developing a sense of entitlement. If you see Miranda Priestly storming out of her office with an excessively entitled opinion and a mood to shred you to pieces on how you dress yourself, you know you are facing a narcissist. A narcissist develops a ‘mental hierarchy’ giving him or her, a sense of complacency, and this undying need to seek validation for everything.

miranda priestly GIF

Heena Garg, a literature student from Maitreyi College says, “as entertaining as it is to watch a portrayal of such a self-absorbed person in films, in reality, it is really difficult to deal with such a person. Having had such a friendship with someone before, it sometimes feels like a one-sided effort, as the other person just sees themselves, everywhere”. Taking a cue from Bollywood films, the iconic Poo from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gum or Anil Kapoor in Dil Dhadakne Do present a deeper insight, which we wishfully ignore in attempts to enjoy the film, rather than decode the characters. Sometimes, portrayals of such characters are impressionable on the minds of the youth. The line, “kaun hai yeh, jisne dubara mudke mujhe nahi dekha”, by Kareena Kapoor, may provide a sense of hilariousness, but deep down, it also reflects the dire need to be seen and attract the attention of others, especially the one from the opposite sex. While self-love is about cleansing yourself of the negative, narcissism becomes the engulfment of so many negative thoughts. The insecurity with which one lives in soon turns into spite, competition with others, even your loved and cherished ones and a constant need for approval.

Studies showcase how it is people with narcissism who face a really low self-esteem and in order to compensate for the same, accept and create a virtual atmosphere around them where they are the only perfect or best people around. Gargi Singh, a psychology student in Delhi University says, “narcissism tends to arise in cases where the parent-child relationships is either filled with excessive adoration or excessive criticism leading to this inflated sense of the self”. The childhood and the adolescent shape how the future for us goes and as in a lot of philosophical arguments, the childhood is the most important stage in anyone’s life as it lays the psychological groundwork for us for the future as well.

Hence, sit down and relax. When you say “I love myself”, do you really mean it as a sense of accepting who you truly are or as a way to establish a sense of superiority to settle a trigger? Think more, breathe mire and introspect. I’ll take off now.

Image credits: Keerat Kaur, Tumblr and IDiva

Avnika Chhikara
[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

Riding up to Paigaam: Natuve and their Theatre Productions this year

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As Natuve, The Theatre Society of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College comes up with its annual street play fest, Paigaam ’19, the showstopper to the University fest season, our correspondent traces their success journey through the fabled hippodromes of the capital this far.

A typical day at Safdar Hashmi Theater. Delhi’s play going coterie, an endangered species, the entire crowd, standing on their feet, clapping, like a part of them knew that they hadn’t seen anything of this warmth for a time. A mere college theatre society, Natuve’s original production Mx. Mute had just got over.

There are many words which come to mind when one tracks the progress of this theatre society over the last four years. If you happened to take a walk down the left wing of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, any day of the year, the weather bleak or rosy, the sun on your shoulders or shying away from your eyes, you can count on finding the kids from Natuve, drifting in their black kurtas. Right from the soul scorching heat of the Delhi summer to the glorious winters, the society works to bring out the best in themselves, and magically makes their very own amateur effort, with a world of experiments, imperfections, and innocence, rise and shine.

Natuve came up with two plays this year. Mx. Mute and Vyavsaaya Me Tarakki Paane Ke Chamatkaari Totke. While the formeer gave a subtle spin to the issue of assimilation of the LGBTQIA+ identity in the society, standing out particularly for the phenomenal work of the chorus to showcase genders, characters and societal reactions, Vyavsaaya, on the other hand was a hilarious musical comedy, keeping the audience at the edge of the seat at all times, not missing to prickle, however, with its sharp, nuanced satire.

The plays had many an innocent flaws. A few hiccups in transition, a tad too overexcited lightwork, a few rookie mistake in the sounds, and a few mis-directed laughs, yes. Nevertheless, what stood out was the hard work of every last person, what won hearts was their sisyphean desire to make their play the best it could be. The constant fire to give as much life to the art as possible. This won them awards, yes, the most in the college circuit this year, but more importantly, they continued the meteoric rise of Natuve. Yes, that’s the word we were looking for. Natuve continues to be a beloved.

Join them at their fest tomorrow. With Natuve, you have my word, the sun would be a bit kinder to you.

 

Image credits: Nikhil Kumar for DU Beat


Nikhil Kumar
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Arts & Culture

Drama Sutra: a theatre report in three acts

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27th March is universally celebrated as World Theatre Day. Considering how the city of Delhi has always been a theatre hotbed, we look back at a few theatrical moments chosen at random from last year, showing how the life of theatre actors can be as dramatic as the plays in which they act.

Act 1- Going Solo

W_end_sep30_pg8_lead
Minissha Lamba in Mirror Mirror, at Miranda House.

Theatre, like any art form gets shaped and re-shaped in various ways. In that view, one trending phenomenon in the theatre circuit these days is the rise of the ‘one man/woman play’. Imagine having an intimate tete-a-tete with just one person from the stage, getting all dramatic with you and his/her own personal demons. There aren’t many fancy twists and turns, light and stage tricks. Just some raw and real emotion.

Recently, Aswhath Bhatt, for instance, drew crowds ‘cosplaying’ as Sadat Manto on stage and speaking the iconic writer’s lines in his own improvised manner. Aptly titled Ek Mulaqat Manto Se, Bhatt has had fame playing minor character roles in Bollywood films like Haider and Raazi. While he might not be a mainstream heartthrob (hardly any theatre actor is one in this country) but his Manto-based play drew popularity the last year with Bhatt even performing his one-man skit at Nepal!

The India Habitat Centre saw another play on similar lines called Tanashah, a one-man dance theatre piece by Navtej Johar acting out the prison diaries of Bhagat Singh. Drifting away from history, I witnessed a memorable one-woman play some time back, at Miranda House.

You might have heard Minissha Lamba’s name attached to some Bollywood movie while the teens of this generation were growing up. She even was famous for being a Bigg Boss contestant (usually people are infamous for that)! However, her debut at theatre came with an AGP production called Mirror Mirror, a psychological thriller where she portrays a pair of twin sisters.

Supported with voice overs and dramatic lighting, Lamba proved to be compelling enough channelling her inner madness. There was a lot of over-acting in the play but it was the right kind of over-acting, enough to draw earnest applause.

Maybe, Lamba’s tryst with theatre might mean she has more acting chops on the stage rather than film, as Bhatt’s case was mentioned earlier. Maybe, that’s the magic of theatre.

Act 2- Off stage

Screenshot_20190324-192604
Ashwath Bhatt’s video from Jaipur, in which he expresses his frustration at how artists are to face trouble because of a few intolerant elements.

The part before was the intro, the good part. Now again, we will jump to one of the protagonists of this article, Aswhath Bhatt. It was early on this year that he was in Jaipur to perform one of his plays, a Kashmir themed piece titled Eidgah ke Jinnat. It’s quite unfortunate how the very word ‘Kashmir’ evokes pessimism in the minds of many an Indian. This time, too Bhatt’s journey in Rajasthan was met by the same brand of Kashmiri pessimism.

The Abhishek Majumdar directed play, talks about two orphans growing up in a radicalised, war torn Kashmir. The current state of this Indian state which this play mentions, is common knowledge.

However, the Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar went on to say this play shows the Indian army as a torturous force. This was an exaggeration and a clear case of Jingostani media. And the comes our public which gets easily influenced what they read.

The first performance of this play went smoothly however, the planned encore performance never happened. The national mainstream came to know about this through a grimness evoking, dimly lit video recorded by Bhatt himself.

It turns out that a ‘mob frenzy’ for the ban of the play, took place at Jawahar Lal Kendra, the designated venue.
‘It was fine till it was a protest. But what happened here was clearly more than a protest. I don’t know as an artist where I should go now.’ This is one of the snippets from Bhatt’s video. Sounding chillingly similar to Manto, Bhatt added ‘If I have done anything wrong, bring me to court. I will answer myself at court then’.

This brings out an important question in lieu of artists in India. Our country deserves good artists but do good artists deserve this country?

Act 3- Separating the art from the artist

mahmood-farooqui
Mahmood Farooqi is a great theatre artist but his recent acquittal from the court of law makes us raise questions at his personality.

Hindu College in its literary fest were intent on inviting a famous Dastangoi team (dastangoi is an old form of Urdu storytelling which has been reborn in Delhi theatre) founded by Mahmoud Farooqi. Farooqi, a towering figure in the circuit, was however coming to perform a remembrance for the late Ankit Chaddha, former Ibtida president. For those unacquainted with societies of the University of Delhi, Ibtida is a leading dramatics society from Hindu College.
However, as it turned out, the performance never happened.

Farooqi is an interesting man to be judged as a person. News reports online can tell you in detail on how initially, he was alleged in rape case involving an American scholar.

The scholar was friends with Farooqi from before but things went awry when she alleged him to have had forced oral sex with her without her consent. Soon, a fast track court sentenced the theatre stalwart to seven years prison time. But unlike other such cases of violating consent, this case had several grey areas.

This can be understood on how the Delhi High Court acquitted Farooqi. It was found out that both were involved in consensual sexual relations previously. Still, previous relationships don’t indicate that you still have the right to do anything without consent. Any layperson can know that. This case however put the public in intellectual exhaust as we don’t know if the victim’s claims are true or not.

If Farooqi is innocent indeed, then the court’s judgement comes as a breather. Otherwise, it is another judicial failure where consent was not respected.

What is irksome is however the closing lines of the third act of this real-life drama, lines from the judgement:‘Sometimes, a feeble no can mean a yes.’ How problematic this quote is, it needs no explaining.

Urvi Sikri, a student from Hindu College adds, ‘Someone with his social capital getting acquitted that too with this problematic judgement really raises questions. I did not feel comfortable the least having this man in the Hindu College auditorium…’.

Featured Image Credits: Shaurya Singh Thapa for DU Beat, India Habitat Centre, The Quint, and NDTV.

Shaurya Singh Thapa
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DUB Speak

Being a Mallu in DU

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For a city that has all kinds of people under its fold, the Keralite is no different. The experience of being a mallu in Kerala may seem like it is for any other outstation students but is that the case? The reality may seem far from commonly understood notions. Here is a thought on the same

Dilli walo ki Dilli. A beautifully, polluted city, with its noises, midnight weddings, and of course varied people and cultures. A mini India on its own, here lies the famous Delhi University. A University, that many aspire to live ‘the’ college life in. A University that attracts thousands of students from all over India and to the students from Kerala is no exception.

Like everyone else who comes to this interestingly unorganized mess, the Malayali ventures forth, not knowing the language or the culture, mostly because of an uncle or aunt that migrated years ago. Otherwise in hopes of seeing places beyond home beyond the watchful eyes of his/her parents. Struggling to fit in and learn the language otherwise fitting in too well.  Being a Malayali in DU means you are not alone. There is and always will be a Kerala fraternity to look after you. A community that you somehow become part of, not even realizing that you never stepped out of your birthplace “The God’s own country”. One leaves Kerala, only to be back here again.

The Malayalis have and always will remain in DU. They are leaving behind their cultural legacy. A reminiscence that shall follow. The community has not only become an integral part of the university campus but has also contributed immensely to its growth. The Malayali community has been successful in establishing literary circles and societies on the campus.  An apt example would be Maithry an organization started by a few Stephenians in 2015 and has been active till now. It has a democratic election that includes every single Malayali in DU, who are democratically elected. The members of Maithry provide help desks to make it easier for Keralites to have smoother admissions all around the DU Campus. It also organizes Freshers for the students.  Maithry was able to contribute around ten lakh rupees in the chief minister’s relief fund for Kerala Floods. It also organized Onam an ethnic festival of Kerala, which had Mr. Shashi Tharoor as the chief guest. “Maithry was also able to provide scholarships to six students last year that included their annual fees, an initiative that we began in memory of two Malayali students who passed during their college here in DU,” informed Mr. Mehroof, the president of Maithry that that is the Malayalai Student’s fraternity, Delhi University.

In fact, the Malayalis have also been able to establish their cultural identity in individual colleges as well. The Malayali literary society of St Stephens College is a very good example. The society was successful in organizing a fund collection drive for Kerala victims. It also celebrated Kerala Piravi and Onam in the college, where hundreds of students both Mallus and non-Mallus came together with women wearing the traditional set saree and men, wearing the mundu. Du beat was able to speak to Mr. Ashish the present of MLS (Malayalam literary society, St Stephens college)

Being a mallu in DU is equivalent to being in a world of its own with its own differences. There seemed to be a subtle difference amongst the community with respect to the community. A faction referred to as, the Delmals. The individuals, who are born and brought up in Delhi being Malayalis. The chemistry between these two kinds of people may at times be not the most perfect but they do learn to live together though having cultural difference despite having the same identity.

The simple fact cannot be overlooked that each Malayali will have his own subjective differences with respect to the experiences gathered from their college lives. One thing is but certain that no matter what, the Malayali community in DU has always been together in supporting homesick students, helping them find another home here and spread the Malayali “thanima” all around, for many more years to come.

 

Stephen Mathew
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DUB Speak

The Educational Refugees of Kashmir

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As many in the country target a community in hatred, read the account of being marginalised and misunderstood in the country’s capital.

It is easy to protest when there are people to answer your slogans. While in Kashmir, I participated in some of the street protests. I protested when my friends got killed and blinded by the ‘non-lethal’ pellet guns. I knew the risks of participating in such gatherings; death, an injury, or a life full of misery. However, I had made peace with such possibilities under the belief that protesting was indispensable to a democracy. I had concluded that this equanimity was justified.

After shifting to Delhi four years ago, I found myself in a different situation. I came across people who knew little to nothing about the Kashmir conflict, and people who thought they knew everything. The latter was more difficult to deal with. Their primary source of knowledge about Kashmir was Bollywood movies and biased news media. I had two options- one, stay quiet and the other was to make them understand what the conflict is all about. I chose the latter.

As a Kashmiri studying in a premier Indian university, I have witnessed the cognitive dissonance of the supposedly intellectual lot of the country. Being a student of journalism, I cannot run away from these discussions. But it has been a daunting struggle to balance my safety and will to speak the truth. I can recall an event of my early days at college when a police officer was baffled to see Urdu on my Aadhar card. To quench his astonishing curiosity, I amicably mentioned that this is how Aadhar cards are in Kashmir. However, I had amplified his suspicion. “Kashmir se hai, phir toh acche se bag check karva” is what he said. Ignorance offers complete impunity to the perpetrators of intolerance.

Repeated shutdowns and curfews forced me to migrate. Delhi was not my first choice. However, I couldn’t get my passport on time because of the ‘thorough’ and slow verification process that only Kashmiris undergo. The conflict followed me to Delhi. I realised that no matter how quiet or non-opinionated I become, I will be attacked for who I am. My survival is a protest in itself. I and various Kashmiri students like me are the educational refugees who have made a decision to leave their homes for an education. Many Kashmiri students, in the past, have been charged with sedition for unjustified reasons. As Kashmiris, our each move is scrutinised, and each action is seen as for or against the state. We brave numerous odds to get an education but then it is our comrades back home who face the worst.

The recent attack in Pulwama unleashed the bigoted ‘reactionary violence’ on our community. A wave of suspensions and xenophobic attacks against Kashmiri students followed. Kashmiris like me who live in various Indian states for a decent education are being attacked on the pretext of supporting the militants in Kashmir. There have been repeated calls for violence against Kashmiris on social media and no action has been taken against the culprits. As a student who has been bearing the brunt of this conflict and the hate that it accompanies, I want peace more than anyone else does but this ‘blood for blood’ attitude will always result in more violence. We must not let this hate consume more blood.

In the end, we are just normal students with our own dreams to achieve. But we cannot afford to let our guard down at a time when our identity and our rights are being trampled upon. A life of normalcy is a distant dream for us but hope for a better future is what keeps us going.

“Hope is a weapon. Survival is victory.” –Dunkirk

Feature Image Courtesy: Kashmir Reader

Maknoon Wani

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Campus Central

DU Begins Accepting Foreign National Applications for the Year 2019-20

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The varsity offers over 500 programs at undergraduate and higher levels making it an appealing choice for foreign nationals for applying.

The application process for foreign nationals seeking admissions in Delhi University (DU) began on Friday, 22nd February. Applications are open for undergraduate, post-graduate, M.Phil, Ph.D, certificate, diploma, and advanced diploma courses.

All applications will be accepted through the official website for foreign students – http://fsr.du.ac.in/. At first look, the window looks almost exactly like the one which is made available for Indian students, however, the application fee is INR 1500, which is 10 times the normal remuneration.

The website details a comprehensive, four-step procedure that the prospective students are supposed to follow in order to apply. After having filled the online application form, they are to attach documents in accordance with the guidelines of the Foreign Students’ Registry (FSR). Hard-copies attested by the Embassy have to then be sent to the FSR by post.

Following is the scrutiny of the application, after which the applicant is informed via email. If selected, further documents, like the visa have to be arranged for. On reaching Delhi, the students check with the FSR, and that is the end of the procedure. “The process was very straightforward, and, from what I’ve heard, much less cumbersome than what DU students go through to get in,” is the opinion of Sam Halpert, a History Honors student at St. Stephens, who is an American resident.

The University also provides an International Students’ House for male students, located at Mall Road, for those who wish to stay there.

Times of India reports that that last year, DU received over 3000 applications. Most of these are from the sub-continent. Afifa, a first-year B.Com Honors student of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College hails from Afghanistan and says that an Indian education was, arguably, the best thing that happened to her, and something that would set her course for getting a better life.

Besides countries like Nepal, Afghanistan, Myanmar and the likes, DU also has students coming in from the US or UK. When asked why he chose to come to India when so many Indian students are trying to study in the US, Halpert listed several reasons. “I have been exposed to a much more monolithic depiction of India and wanted a deeper window into what factors shape Indian politics and the Indian economy. I am also betting on India playing a more important role in geopolitics in the coming years. While many Americans are turning their focus to China, I see India as a country that also deserves a closer look. Having a deeper understanding of India will be crucial to remaining a global power,” he said.

The difference in tuition fee is another appealing component to him. “Although I think I pay more than a national student, that is still less than what I pay in the US, especially coupled with the lower cost of living in Delhi.”

In any DU college the cut-offs are the basis on which admission is sought. But in case of foreign students, it is a centralised allotment on behalf of all the colleges of the University. “There is no cut-off. Instead the dean asks us to choose among some college according to our percentage. We can surely persuade them to give us  better options,” says Vikalp Kashyap, a first-year B.Com Honors student.

Foreign students studying in DU is not just advantageous to them, but to the Indian student community as well, because it provides a wholesome, more global outlook.

Feature Image Credits: fsr.du.ac.in

Maumil Mehraj

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