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Students take the Ramp to tell the story of Handloom Fashion in Delhi’s first-ever Khadi Fashion Show

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The Delhi Khadi and Village Industries Board (DKVIB) is hosting ‘Vastra Katha’- a Khadi Fashion Show to promote Khadi and Indian textiles and handlooms. Many renowned designers will be present. Students from across Delhi colleges would perform.

The Delhi Khadi and Village Industries Board (DKVIB), in the presence of renowned designers, has planned the flagship ‘Vasant Katha’ to promote Khadi and Indian textiles and handlooms.

Students from prominent colleges of Delhi University are set to participate, and the event is scheduled for August 6 at Hotel Ashoka, a day before National Handloom Day, making the scheduling of the event appropriate in all regards.

According to Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, there are two main parts of the show planned: an exhibition to showcase the various handlooms and another exhibit to showcase the history of khadi. A ramp walk that will feature handloom wear has been set up, alongside twenty-four stalls that will showcase the various unique Indian textiles and crafts like Kantha Silk of West Bengal and the Monga handloom of Assam. The promotion of various GI-tagged textiles is intended.

 

Students from Miranda House, Lady Shri Ram College, Hindu College, GTB Khalsa College, Guru Gobind Singh College, and Pearl Academy would be in participation. Upon enquiry about the selection criteria, the Vice President of Nakshatra (The Fashion Society of Hindu College) told DU Beat that conventional beauty doesn’t play a big role, as boldness and fierceness are supported. The student body is prepared to present sarees with a rather ‘simple and modest look’ which mimics handlooms perfectly.

Performers are selected on the basis of their stage presence and confidence. The literal meaning of ‘Vastra Katha’ is ‘the story of cloth’ which basically refers to the journey of clothes and how it evolved with years of threads swindling to make a perfect fabric of its time & condition which is a perfect blend of beauty and comfort.”

When asked what wearing a handloom means to the youth as students and members of a fashion society, she said that “wearing and representing handloom in the contemporary world is a way of embracing the art and artistry of our indigenous fabric factories, where most of the work is done by hand. Those designs of threads carry hundreds of years of culture and history. Hence, to get a chance to caress that art is a gratitude.”

The Government of Delhi has plans to make this an annual flagship event, with an aim to support artisanal welfare along with pursuing sustainability and cultural resurrection. “Handloom is more than heritage — it’s climate action rooted in culture,” Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said. He also thanked CM Rekha Gupta for her support and contribution and mentioned that he was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Vocal for Local’ flagship campaign, which also aims to protect and encourage India’s rich craftsmanship culture.

Read Also: Delhi University CSAS UG Admission 2025 – First Allocation List Released, Check Here!

Featured Image Credits: Unsplash

Anjali Kumari Jha

 

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The Third Act: Convenor Denies the Allegations of the Senior Members

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The third-year students of The Third Act had claimed to have faced abuse by the convenor. However, the convenor denies the allegations and claims their disorderly behaviour was the reason for their suspension.

The recent events that took place in the dramatics society of Satyawati College spurred a row of accusations. In a conversation with the convenor, the professor informed that the college has not done anything. The third-year students have made a huge issue, which was not supposed to be, and due to the ruckus they created, they had to be suspended from the society.

The professor went on to inform us that the letter that was sent to the students, talked about the indiscipline that they created. He explained that due to the news that went up one-sided, the college has asked the students for clarification on the irregularities that have occurred in the dramatics society. The college has asked both the students and the convenor to respond to the same.

The chats that have taken place between the students, as claimed by the professor, has addressed the professor in a disrespectful manner by using only his first name. The professor also asserted that nobody has done anything with them. Just a disciplinary action has been taken against the third-years.

The students have claimed that they have been tortured and what not but nothing of that sort ever happened. Rather, there are chats where they have been completely disrespectful towards the teacher (me). 

-Convenor, The Third Act

Further, the professor has informed us that The Third Act page on Instagram is being run by a pass-out student, Nikhil Pandey. The admin was changed a few days ago after the fiasco erupted. Moreover, according to the professor, the letter-head that the students are using is not the correct one. The name ‘The Third Act’ is also not verified by the council yet, though the name was given by the convenor and a few other teachers in 2014-15. Before that, the name was ‘Sarang Natya Samiti.’ Back then, as claimed, the professors were new appointees and were not aware that the name must be verified by the council. Now the students are using a letter-head that is not verified by the college and it also consists of a contact of a student who is not even in the society.

The third-years are also claiming that they are being suspended from the college and they would be barred from sitting for the exams. However, as the convenor claimed, they have been suspended from the society only and nothing else.

According to the convenor, the cybercrime that the third years are claiming is not from the professor’s tenure. All of this came to light only after the students were suspended. When the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) came to the convenor, it was signed by the students. The professor explained to them then that whatever they are doing might result in criminal offences and in the future, they should not indulge in anything of this sort.

As claimed by the convenor, the students tried to physically assault a second-year student. The convenor was an eye-witness, along with other two teachers. After the incident, they lodged a formal complaint.

I decided to suspend the students, which is my constitutional right as the students went against the disciplinary rules. Also, this suspension does not jeopardize their career, they have been simply suspended from the society. 

-Convenor, The Third Act

The professor went on to explain about the Rs. 8000 that has been taken from the college. He said that if the amount belongs to the college, even if any crime has taken place, it must be returned to the college. It is a government fund and it needs to be returned, no matter what.

The professor also claimed that irregularities in the bills have been found. The society went on to get clearance for a bill in Bihar in the accounts section without the prior knowledge of the convenor. They also went on for a competition in Chandigarh without informing the teachers. Moreover, claims of bills of November 2022 have been manipulated and are being shown in 2023. The convenor also claimed that there was a bill of Rs.7385 (approx.) of Muzaffarpur which is apparently a fraud. The bill is of a shop that belongs to one of the students. According to him, the advance bill settlement application is dated 23 March 2023 and 24 March 2023 but the bill submitted by the students is also dated 23 March 2023, which made the authorities raise an eyebrow. He also said that the students had gotten money sanctioned for the costumes and since those costumes belong to the college, they are supposed to be in the college to which negligence was shown.

Given the situation that the students were going to go in five days and I thought of doing something that would not be harmful for the students so I defunct the entire society. I did not even bother about the bills and finances initially but when they start misbehaving, I asked for the bills and then the irregularities in finances were realized.

-Convenor, the Third Act

Moreover, according to him the students issued MOU with the president’s signature, that too a scanned copy which is wrong and is supposed to be signed only by higher authorities. All in all, he claimed that the irregularities in the funds of the society made by the students are being highlighted because of their own actions. The college called the senior members on 4 May 2023 for clarifications on the matter. However, according to the convenor, the students did not come. Professor informed us that the students would be sent another notice in regard to the same.

Read Also: The Third Act Seniors Accuse the Convenor, Students Deny the Allegations

Featured Image Credits: satyawati.du.ac.in

Ankita Baidya

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Of Seniors and Societies: With Great Power, Comes Greater Respect for Juniors

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Whether you are a fresher who just got into a college society, or a second or third-year who got promoted, read on to understand what kind of a relationship you should share with your fellow members.
The University of Delhi (DU), while being eminent in terms of education, is also recognised as an institution which aids the overall personality progression of a student because of the numerous extra-curricular activities it provides. It would be safe to say that not many colleges or universities take as much pride in their societies as DU does. But along the same lines, runs a parallel that might not be so luminous.
Because of the immensity of the work, the countless hours of practice, the sword of Damocles constantly hanging over the members’ heads to live up to the legacy that their seniors had left them with, it is not difficult to slip into this looking-down on juniors who never seem to know what they should do.
The true judge of an office-bearer’s character is how well they tackle these blunders of the juniors, because, in their defence, they have never been in a similar situation before, and need constant assistance till they reach a point where they can handle the work themselves. Conflicts are bound to happen, but it is how well these are tackled that determines the future of the society.
A lot of time is spent doing society work, and it becomes an increasingly toxic space for the juniors if they feel they are not being respected enough, and are treated as if it were sheer privilege, and not their merit that they were made a part of the society. But in reality, these students have had to clear several rounds of auditions, and were selected amongst a large pool of applicants, thereby confirming their excellence.
It is essential for the juniors to know that their seniors deserve respect, not because of their seniority, but because that is basic civil behavior. At the same time, they must not forget that they, too, are supposed to be on the receiving end of such civility.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Maumil Mehraj
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