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NEXUS’25: In Sri Venkateshwara’s Fest, Jashn-e-Dilli Took Centre-Stage

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University of Delhi’s Sri Venkateswara College witnessed a massive footfall following the culmination of its Annual Fest, NEXUS, in March.

Sri Venkateswara College, under the aegis of the University of Delhi, celebrated its Annual Fest, NEXUS, on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th of March this year. Upon entering the college gates, one witnesses what appears to be the college’s way of presenting an ode to Delhi—a Jashn-E-Dilli, if you will. Every corner has been decorated with banners naming popular sites of everyday pilgrimage, from the Faqir Chand and Sons bookstore to Sarojini Nagar.

An inauguration ceremony preceded the performance of the Dramatics Society of the college as they took to the front lawns on Day 1 from 9.30 A.M. onwards to celebrate Madari’25, an annual street play event, abuzz with the energy of the performers. Crescendo, the Western Music Society of Sri Venkateswara College, presented the Battle of Bands from 1 to 5 P.M. as a tribute to Delhi, the heart of the country’s music revolution. In the midst of it all, Alaap, the Indian Music Society of the college, presented Raageshwari, a polyphony of melodies, at the Indian Classical Choir Competition. While Nrityangana, the Indian Dance Society, took to the dance floor in solo and group dance competitions.

As you enter the building, leaving behind the cacophony of singing voices and the chants of the dramatists, you are met with Mehfil-e-Tamasha, an improv battle taking place in Room 57. If there is one thing that has stood out by now, it was the dedication with which all artists performed, the veneration they heaped onto artistry, eventuating in a showdown for the history books.

Kurukshetra, the crew-based dance competition, preceded the performance of the night by The Frequency Project, who gave music a Sufi spin in their own rendition of popular classics.

Day 2 was marked by Effulgence, Sri Venkateswara’s Photography Society’s annual display, Kodachrome, taking place in tandem with Opera D’Arte 3.0, Leonci Art Society’s annual display. A student from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, who planned on staying for the Mr. Professor’s DJ nights after participating in H#, the Western Acapella Competition, stated:

It’s been an interesting run so far. The wins were well-deserved. I’m staying here till 6 for the DJ.

As is the case with every DU-affiliated college, the sole event that marked Day 3 was the performance of the much-awaited artist. This time, Javed Ali of Guzarish fame took to the stage. Post Dilli Ke Darshan, the concert gave people in the audience a lifetime of memories and then some more.

Featured Image Credits: Arush for DU Beat

Aastha Singh

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Nexus 2025: Final Day Descends into Chaos amid Overcrowding

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The final day of Nexus 2025 at Sri Venkateswara College saw unexpected crowd surges, security lapses, and logistical issues, raising concerns about event management and attendee safety.

Sri Venkateshwara College (SVC) hosted its annual fest, Nexus, from March 3 to March 5, 2025, bringing together students from across Delhi for three days of music, cultural events, competitions, and live performances. However, the third day in particular witnessed an overwhelming surge in attendees due to the much-anticipated concert by renowned singer Javed Ali with an estimate of over 6000 people inside the venue. The massive turnout quickly spiraled out of control, with people even jumping over the college fences in an attempt to enter the premises, leading to injuries, security violations, and more chaotic scenes at the venue.

Even though the official instructions stated that the college gates would be closed by 2 PM, they were shut as early as 1:45 PM, leading to a massive crowd gathering right outside the campus gate. Many students, including members of the organizing committee, repeatedly requested the guards to reopen the gates, but their pleas were ignored due to the already overwhelming number of people inside the college premises. The situation quickly turned disorderly as students found themselves trapped as those outside struggled to get in, while several inside were unable to leave due to the tightly packed crowd blocking the exit as the same gates were being used for both the entry and the exit. Moreover, the crowd outside the gates was so dense that students caught in the middle or near the front had no clear path to vacate the place either.

In conversation with DU Beat, a Delhi University student, Kalyani said,

 

The crowd was so packed outside the gate that even though we wanted to leave, we were trapped there for 3 hours outside the campus until the gates were reopened. Even though the police were trying to get people to leave, it was incredibly difficult since there was no way out of the crowd, making the entire situation a lot more suffocating.

Another student, who wished to remain anonymous, shared that beyond the suffocating conditions, the crowd was also unsafe with many female students facing groping and harassment. She said, “We noticed that no one was following the queue, and everyone had gathered at the gate, so we decided to join the crowd. However, the situation turned unpleasant as I faced a lot of groping and misconduct, which was horrible, but apart from that, once we were inside, it was fine.”

While many students blamed management, the organizers had a different perspective. Talking to DU Beat, Nandini Das, the Vice President of the SVC student union, stated,

Well, we had over 6000 students inside the campus area, and the same number of students were waiting outside the campus. As a union member, it was very tough for me as well as my fellow members to manage because we had a management team of at least 50-100 who were looking after a crowd of 6000 plus. But hopefully the police and CRPF had helped us a lot, and also the injured people were provided medical service immediately. And I think you can’t blame anyone for mismanagement because I do believe that you should have some civic and moral sense of how to behave in a public place. Out of 6000, if 1000 people are trying to violate the protocol, then I think it’s the individual who’s the problem.

However, students from SVC did have complaints regarding the management of the fest. Vanshika, another student of SVC, said, “It was very chaotic. The roads outside were blocked for over 4 hours, with even Venkateshwara students being stuck outside campus for hours. It should’ve definitely been managed better by either not allowing students from other colleges or by not making them stay outside for so long.”

Beyond the numerous issues faced by those stuck outside and the minor altercations that broke out on campus, there were also allegations of misbehavior by the management towards the media team. Aashvee, a videographer present at the event, revealed,

Despite having barricade passes for the star night as per the official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), our team was subjected to harassment, humiliation, and outright negligence at the hands of the event’s so-called management. Random individuals, including non-students, effortlessly jumped over them and entered restricted areas unchecked. Meanwhile, our media team, stationed in the designated media section as required for coverage, was singled out and aggressively confronted by two members of the event staff.”

Overall, the last day of Nexus 2025 highlighted the difficulties of managing large-scale college events. Overcrowding, security lapses, and logistical challenges created a chaotic environment, leaving both attendees and organisers frustrated and raising concerns about safety. While efforts were made to control the situation, the incidents call attention to the importance of better planning and stricter crowd management in future fests.

Read Also:  Security: The Overrated Inconvenience During Fests at Women’s Colleges

Featured Image Credits: Ayushmaan for DU Beat

Ashita Kedia 

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DU to end increment benefits tied to MPhil and PhD holders

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The University Grants Commission has requested a dismissal of all incentives to MPhil and PhD holding faculty members last month to prevent objections during audits. Potential salary cuts may be in the works.

Several faculty members of the Lakshmibai College of Delhi University possessive of MPhil and PhD degrees had to see pay cuts in their salaries in February following a government directive.

The directive enforced a mandate which had been in place for eight years to roll back increments provided to faculty members on the basis of the seniority of their degree (particularly MPhil and PhD holders). The implementation of the order came as a complete shock to the teaching faculty at Lakshmibai College, who then arranged a meeting with Principal Pratush Vatsala in February itself to further discuss matters.

The matter could be traced back to 2010, when the University Grants Commission had declared five salary increments for PhD holders, three for faculty members on study leaves for a PhD as well as MPhil holders and one for acquiring an MPhil in service.

Then, in 2017, The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) advocated a discontinuation of these benefits, citing benefits in relation to relaxation of required experience for promotion of faculty members from the position of assistant professor to associate professor.

The decision had yet to see implementation following Delhi University’s silence on the matter. The University Grants Commission, however, has advocated for a disruption of incentives to avoid audit objections in the near future. So far, Lakshmibai College and Shyam Lal Evening College have implemented the order. In a conversation with The Telegraph, a Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) Member had stated,

The UGC’s 2018 regulations continue the incentives. It has helped in attracting candidates with research qualifications to join institutions. Withdrawal of the incentives will adversely affect teacher quality in institutions.

The Delhi University Teachers’ Association has declared a strike for all incumbent members on 7th March (Friday), from 10.00 A.M. to 05:00 P.M. with an order of suspension of all classes until then.

Read Also: Delhi University VC Sparks Debate by Dropping Baburnama and Manusmriti from UG History Syllabus

Featured Image Credits: DU Beat Media Library

Aastha Singh
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Dalit student allegedly harassed and assaulted by Shaheed Bhagat Singh College’s principal

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On Friday, protests took place in the arts faculty led by the Student Federation of India (SFI) and another one staged by the students in Shaheed Bhagat Singh College responding to an alleged case of assault on a Dalit student by the college principal.

On the 18th of September 2024, protests were staged outside the office of Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s principal, Prof. Arun Kumar Attree. These protests, led by a Dalit student, were in response to an alleged incident of blatant casteism and assault on him by the principal. The Dalit student, Sumit, claims that Attree assaulted and hurled casteist slurs at him amidst an attempt for a forced confession for an incident that allegedly took place in September.

On 24 October 2024, several obscene videos were sent to students and teachers alike in the Hindi Department’s WhatsApp group. They were sent through the phone of one of Sumit’s classmates. On suspicion of hacking and frustration of negligence to these issues, the matter was brought to the principal through a letter sent in by Sumit and his classmates.

Recalling the incident at an AISA-led student-teacher convention on Tuesday, he alleges that such incidents were not news and had taken place numerous times before but were swept under the rug.

They took my phone and went through everything they could despite assuring us of our privacy prior. They even went through my chats with my sister and a whole lot of other things that I probably am not aware of.

Following the letter, an investigative committee was formed to look into the matter. They allegedly seized the phones of the suspect and, in Sumit’s case, went through his private photos and even through chats with his family. This was an obvious and absurd breach of one’s right to privacy as laid down in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.

We’d get you arrested, taint your character certificate, and make sure your career goes nowhere from here on if you do not confess to having dispersed the videos. If you get away with all that, we still wouldn’t let you in without charging a hefty sum.

These were allegedly the things said to Sumit once he was called to the principal’s office, where, despite the committee admitting to having found nothing against him, Attree pressured and threatened Sumit to confess. He, alongside other professors, tried locking him in to physically assault him further. There were casteist slurs thrown at him and told how he “looked” like someone who would do such a heinous act. Sumit, as he alleges, was made to sit through all of this for 5 hours.

You could tell he is the culprit just by looking at his face.

This was allegedly remarked on by Mahesh Kumar Choudhary, a professor in the Hindi department at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College. Sumit, after the incident, was treated like a convict in college classrooms, and as he put it, it’s almost always people from the SC/ST communities who are singled out and discriminated against.

Disappointed and upset, Sumit and his friends went to file an FIR at Malviya Nagar police station on charges of breach of privacy. This is where the trial of disappointing events, allegedly takes pace. The police, after having heard his complaint, dismissed it initially.

You are no Ambani that your privacy would matter.

The Delhi Police, on several occasions, have dismissed such complaints or handled them poorly. Why should one’s economic or social standing be a determiner of a right to a dignified life? Dr. Rakesh Kumar, a professor at the college and also present at the student-teacher convention, alleges that FIRs aren’t registered against the principal owing to his familial ties to the higher-ranking officials in the Police Force.

Attree has denied any wrongdoing with a statement to Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) saying, “The student has been manipulated by a teacher, who is currently undergoing an inquiry related to false certifications. The student himself faced an inquiry after there were allegations that he had previously hacked people’s phones and sent obscene messages”.

Curiously, it is not the first time Attree has found himself in hot waters, as he infamously detained 1500 students last year on grounds of mandatory attendance criteria. Under his tenure, he has introduced what many view as “anti-democratic” measures into the campus space. He has barred students from hanging out in groups of 4 or more and has installed CCTV cameras everywhere, including the staff rooms, which is seen as an authoritative move in an attempt to curb any sort of opposition he may feel.

Nandita Narain, former President of the Delhi University Teacher’s Association (DUTA), condemned the incident and expressed her support by saying,

Such incidents of blatant authoritarianism are increasingly more common, as seen by recent incidents in Laxmibai College and Shaheed Bhagat Singh College. I hope strict action is taken against Attree for this crime against humanity. I also hope for greater representation of the SC/ST community in positions of power at the university level shortly as a means to combat this issue.

Read also: Students demanding concessional metro passes led by SFI-Delhi detained by Delhi Police

Featured Images credits: @sbscduofficial on X

Yash Raj

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Hindu College Queer Collective returns with a campus-wide Pride Parade after 2 years.

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On the 9th of November, 2024, a North Campus-wide Pride Parade was organized by the Hindu College Queer Collective. The parade was joined by students and activists of various universities, queer collectives, gender cells, and other organizations. It also included several poetic, dance, theatrical, and music performances as a part of the event.

The Pride Parade of the Hindu College Queer Collective (HCQC) was, unlike several sponsored events organized in DU, a completely crowdfunded event that sought to keep the parade “community-funded” and to avoid rainbow capitalism. The event kicked off with several cultural performances in the Sanganeria Auditorium of the college by guest student performers as well as performances by societies and cells of Hindu College that included poems by students on the queer love, music performances by students of Alankaar: The Classical Music Society and Aria: The Western Music Society, dance performances by the members of the North East Cell, Adhrita: The Indian Dance Society, and a play titled “Dear Closet” by Masque: The English Theatre Society of Hindu College revolving around transphobia. The cultural programme also sought to reach out to queer students and allies beyond Hindu College and hence the HCQC pride parade, for the first time, also featured more than 15 guest performers.

The final ‘surprise performance’ was not revealed to the audience via the official schedule and was only revealed at the moment of the performance to be a dance by the members of HCQC. The energetic productions throughout the day reflected upon the audience, who also twirled to the beats from their respective seats

The Pride Parade event also featured several stalls set up outside the auditorium. These stalls ranged from Camera Commune, a film club’s stall on prints, books, and keffiyeh on queer movements and Palestinian struggle to raise funds for Trans Community Kitchen, to Bhagat Singh Study Circle’s stall of multilingual progressive books, The Azadi Project’s stall of crocheted and handmade items made by displaced women, a stall of jewelry, mehendi painting, candles by queer folk, and a stall of prints, live sketching, and face painting by college students. The stalls were allotted either to queer or queer-led organizations or to individuals and/or organizations that worked for marginalised communities.

The Pride Parade formally began at 4:30 pm after all the cultural performances, and it started from Gate 4 of Hindu College. The parade covered almost the entire North Campus as it went from Hindu College, following the route through the Delhi School of Economics, Kirori Mal College, Chhatra Marg, Ramjas College, Daulat Ram College, and Shri Ram College of Commerce, and finally culminated at the Gate 4 of Arts Faculty, North Campus. 

As the parade turned to Ramjas College and a huge crowd of students from the college stared at the crowd, a student from the parade stated:

“Sab hume aise dekh rahe hai par accha lag raha hai. Hum lad rahe hai apne liye. It feels good that everyone is looking at us. We are only fighting for ourselves.)”

Powerful slogans of resilience and support echoed through the course of the parade. 

“Homophobia Down Down!

Transphobia Down Down!

Teri Mukti, Meri Mukti, Queer Mukti Zindabad (Your Freedom, My Freedom, Queer Freedom Long Live!)

Jai Bhim-Lal Salaam

Rape Culture Ka ek Jawab-Inquilab Zindabad

Hum Nafrat Hatane Nikle Hai, Aao Humare Saath Chalo (We have come out to remove hatred; come join us!)

Student Unity Long Live”

As the parade was being closely monitored by the Delhi Police, whose permission was sought and granted for the same, several slogans and chants raised during the parade were censored. The azadi chant, for instance, was censored by the police authorities, and they requested the organizers not to raise such chants.

Aishwarya, the president of the HCQC concluded the parade with a small address to the crowd and remarked:

We give a lot of importance to ensure that the pride parade is 100% crowdfunded and that it is preceded by a cultural event everytime because that’s our effort to tap into multiple forms of expression and portray how queer is in everything and everything can be queered. There is no specific space where queers can express queerness, such as, the pride parade. Queerness can be present in every form and expression, and is a way of life. The way academia operates in the current status quo and how it can be inaccessible for so many people is the reason why we preceded the pride parade with the cultural program.”

Aishwarya further added:

“We also believe in a politics of collaboration and tried to collaborate with different societies and cells that might not engage with issues or queerness otherwise. In several colleges, performance societies are given more importance than queer and gender based collectives so our idea of doing a pride parade in collaboration with these societies helps us reverse and restructure the hierarchy structure within the college space and reach out to larger audiences, including the ECA societies, that engage with and learn about queerness in the process. We feel that we have succeeded in creating a non-judgemental space with our pride parade event.”

Some students did mention that while organising the Pride Parade at a formal level by one of the very few formally recognised Queer Collectives in DU is in itself a huge achievement by the HCQC, they felt that several issues such as transphobia, gender dysphoria, and institutional deaths of queer students in our own campuses, did not get enough platform as much as they should have.

 

Read Also: SFI Delhi organized the annual Pride Parade; chants of Azadi echoed throughout.

Featured Image Credits: Sharanya Dayal for DU Beat

 

Vedant Nagrani

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DU Collective comes together in solidarity and remembrance of Professor G.N. Saibaba

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On 15th October, 2024, a tribute was paid to Professor G.N. Saibaba at Arts Faculty Gate, University of Delhi, posthumously. A public meeting and a candlelight vigil were observed by students’ and teachers’ organizations, which were joined by civil society members, colleagues, and activists who worked alongside Saibaba. 

G. N. Saibaba, former Assistant Professor at Delhi University, passed away on October 12 at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad due to postoperative complications after a surgery to remove gallbladder stones. Saibaba was arrested in 2014 under the “draconian” UAPA for charges of working alongside members of the banned CPI (Maoist) and its alleged frontal organization, the Revolutionary Democratic Front. In 2021, Delhi University terminated his employment following the UAPA case against him. However, he was not reinstated after his acquittal in March 2024. It was claimed by many that Saibaba, a 90% disabled academic and human rights activist, was “wrongfully incarcerated” for a decade and “tortured” by the state during court trials and also during the period of jail time where he was forced to live in solitary confinement, declined proper medical care, and even prohibited from meeting his mother after her passing away. Sai’s death was received as an institutional murder by fellow academics, students and others.

The solidarity and remembrance event at Arts Faculty included speakers who highlighted Sai’s resilience, his revolutionary spirit, and his long struggle against exploitation and oppression. The speakers included Professors Karen Gabriel, N Sachin, Abha Dev Habib, Vikas Gupta, Jitendra Meena, and Saroj Giri. Kamal Singh from PUCL, Jagdish from DGMF, and representatives of student groups also shared their memories and thoughts.

Addressing the people, Professor Karen Gabriel said,

The term Urban Naxal has been structured against those who have understood the logic of the system and move through it and destroy it…UAPA not only destroys individuals but also families and communities.

Professor N. Sachin urged the masses to rise in “remembrance and rage” for Saibaba “against a system of induced apathy.”

Professor Vikas Gupta held that,

It is in Saibaba that we see a commitment to social justice” and also that “it is not possible to fight against one kind of inequality; the struggle is against all violations of social justice.

In conversation with DU Beat, Professor Abha Dev Habib said,

Sai’s death is an institutional murder because his minimum needs such as medical care were not provided. The state could not prove anything against Saibaba even after 10 years. He was denied bail every time he approached the court, and even when the high court was to set him free, the state would go against it; he couldn’t get justice from the state. All those who are opinion-builders, those who can speak for a more equal society and democratic rights, are being put behind bars. Sai Baba has been taken away too early from us. The University also did not give him justice. Even before it was proved he was guilty or not guilty, the university terminated his employment. By terminating his employment, his right to livelihood was also taken away. The state, the society, and we as people have wronged him by not speaking up.

The cause of all other political prisoners facing, what the participants maintained to be, “wrongful incarceration” was put forward, and it was demanded that they be released. They foregrounded the cases of activists such as Hany Babu, Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulshifa Fatima, and Rona Wilson who continue “languishing” in jails, undergoing extended trial periods, and face “terror litigation”.

Further, instances of “state-structured violence” and “physiological torture” of political prisoners jailed under UAPA was recounted, where people like tribal rights activists Stan Swamy and Pandu Narote, passed away in jail after their bails were denied on several counts.

Speaking to DU Beat, Professor Jenny Rowena, wife of Hany Babu, said,

We always talk about issues when somebody dies, then it becomes a viral thing. We saw Rohith Vemula when he was alive. How much attention do we give to these people? Even now, people who are in jail because they campaigned for Saibaba, like Hany Babu, Rona Wilson, and Surendra Gadling, who was their lawyer, are still in jail. These people also have a lot of health problems, so are we waiting for the same to happen to them? We all should really protest against UAPA. All condolence meetings that we have should also be against UAPA. There should be a mass movement against it, because they [the state] are using it ruthlessly now to crush any kind of opposition and dissent.

Further, slogans against the “genocidal” Operation Kagar and Surajkund Scheme were raised. The public meeting was followed by a candlelight vigil in which all friends, comrades, and students of the revolutionary Saibaba paid a tribute to him.

 

Read also: Of Separation, Solidarity, and Sustenance

 

Featured image credit: Shahid Tantray’s Instagram

 

Bhavana Bhaskar

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Delhi University forms committee to address St. Stephen’s admission concerns

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With new academic sessions in full sway across DU, St. Stephen’s is still embroiled in headlines over its admissions concerning  single girl child quota.

A quick recap of the situation up until now: Delhi University had initiated admissions under single girl child quota for the academic session 2024-25.  

As reported by DU Beat, under the new mandate, one seat per program in every college is reserved for a single girl child to promote gender equality and inclusivity. 

Haneet Gandhi, Dean of Admissions , stated:

Our primary aim for this initiative is to promote the education of the single girl child. Secondly, we are encouraging people to address population control and respect couples raising a single girl child and giving her proper education.

St. Stephen’s College, already at loggerheads with Delhi University over extra allocation percentages took legal recourse for admissions under the single girl child quota, citing the university’s interference in its admission process as unconstitutional and violative of its rights as a minority institution.

The college considered 13 subject combinations within the BA Program as a single whole, thus, reserving only one seat for a girl child across all combinations. This formulation of a distinct seat matrix by Stephen’s, different from one provided by Delhi University was violative of the university guidelines.

Thus the court ruled that, 

St. Stephen’s College, being an aided minority educational institute also, cannot claim to have absolute unbridled powers to exercise discretion against the policies framed by the University to which it is affiliated.

Therefore, it was seen that although St. Stephen’s is a minority institution with a certain degree of autonomy, it must adhere to the regulatory framework set by Delhi University. While some students were admitted after the court’s decision, many remain uncertain as the dispute between the college and the university continues.

The latest development in the case is formation of a three member committee by Vice Chancellor Yogesh Mishra to be directly in contact with Principal of St. Stephen’s, John Verghese, over admissions issues including those pertaining to the single girl child quota. Constituted by Professor Harendra Nath Tiwari, Alok Pandey and Maya John, proper communication will be undertaken towards the resolution of these issues.

 

Featured Image Credits: Free Press Journal

 

Read Also: St. Stephen’s College Faces Allegations over Minority Quota Violations in Admission Process

 

Afza Khan

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DUB interviews DISHA candidate for DUSU president

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We spoke to Shivam Maurya, a first-year B.Com (Hons.) student at Hindu College, contesting for the post of president from DISHA Students’ Organization, ahead of the DUSU elections scheduled for September 27, 2024. 

 

Question: What in your individual capacity motivated you to contest for election?

Shivam: We come from very far-off to the nation’s biggest university, it is however not how people say it is. We are not being provided with hostels. Looking at fees, you think it’s low but when you have to pay it. My own fee is  Rs. 26,870; it’s too much for a middle-class student.

Question: What do you see as the biggest challenge that students face today?

Shivam: The biggest challenge is anti-student policies. Policies like NEP, FYUP teach students skill-based knowledge so they can do some fixed work for fixed industries. These are designed in a way that disallows lower-class people from coming forward. Seen this way, the most-backward can never make it to the front.

Question: You talk of “merging the student-youth movement with the struggle of the working masses” in your manifesto. How do you interpret this? 

Shivam: Like we have students and working-class individuals, this statement is not for the elite.

Question: Also, what is a ‘common minimum programme’?

Shivam: Common minimum programme reflects common interests and problems of students like fee hikes, hostel accommodation, and (un)employment.

Question: Your manifesto repeatedly refers to the ‘common student’. What is this common student in your understanding? Is every student in DU a common student?

Shivam: At a basic level, every student is a common student. Several students, however, take admission [in DU] to spread propaganda for selfish purposes. Those are in no way common.

Question: The image of Bhagat Singh is your ideological representative, ABVP uses that too. How is it different?

Shivam: For us, Bhagat Singh’s ideology is that of equal education, opportunity, and [equal] treatment of everyone. But as you say ABVP uses Bhagat Singh’s iconography as well but – in a false manner and they throw their pamphlets over roads and use Bhagat Singh to save themselves[for their own political benefit].

Question: How does not being aligned to any party help you during elections? One can see this as a weak ideological position but, how is it a strength? 

Shivam: We have to understand the difference between a political party and a student organisation. If you are aligned to a political party then you represent the party rather than students, like ABVP and NSUI do. Whereas, DISHA represents only students and you think of it as a weakness but it is not a weakness.

Question: SFI and AISA have come into an alliance for left-unity, DISHA can also be ideologically interpreted as a left party. Did you approach them for an alliance?

Shivam: We do not feel it should be ideologically-run as every student who aligns themselves with our common minimum programme is welcome to join DISHA. If we only take someone from a fixed ideology then students of different ideologies are excluded. 

Question: But the way you claim that ABVP-NSUI have a politics of money and muscle, but even their politics come from ideas that are accepted by the masses who elect them to power. Your manifesto claims DISHA has no ideology. Isn’t it a weakness that you don’t have an ideology? 

Shivam: No, it does not mean that we’ll let anyone join the organisation. If someone promotes casteism or hooliganism, we won’t keep them in the organisation as they are violating our common minimum programme. 

Question: Several members of DISHA have often been seen indulging in online debates using heavy terms that might not be accessible to marginalized students who are not familiar with Marxist discourse. This is contrary to your manifesto that states you don’t have an ideology. How far do you think these debates can be stretched in order for them to not reduce to in-fighting?

Shivam: What members of DISHA do, is their own matter. The organisation is isolated from this. 

Question: So, your members’ actions are separate from the organisation?

Shivam: We are concerned as to what they do at the level of the organisation. We can’t interfere in their personal lives.

Question: How does your organisation plan to include students from gender, religious, and caste minorities, LGBTQIIA+ students, and students from economically weaker sections? 

Shivam: We see them all equally. We oppose their oppression but we do not oppress them. They all can come with us and fight and we are with them too.

Question: Systems of power oppress them. For instance, the recent Delhi HC directive about ensuring 50 per cent representation of women in DUSU counters gender oppression. Is DISHA doing anything to ensure this representation and inclusivity?

Shivam: It’s nothing like that. It’s not necessary that only women can understand women’s issues or only Dalits can understand Dalit students’ issues. From time to time, our organisation protests or engages in struggles whenever necessary. As students see us and recognise our struggles, they’ll try to join us.

Question: The DUSU candidates of DISHA are not as publicly visible as other candidates are. This makes mobilization of students difficult as candidates are the face of any organisation. Why so? 

Shivam: We are trying our best but we are unable to gather such a large outreach. 

 

Image Credits: Devesh for DU Beat

 

Read Also: Interview with Dr. Abha Dev Habib

 

Interviewed by Bhavana and Vedant 

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Transforming Identities: The Unseen Side of College Life

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Stepping into college often comes with high expectations about academics, friendships, and even politics. A rather ignored side of the college experience is the unexpected arc of self-discovery and growth that comes with it. This piece attempts to explore how college may challenge you in unforeseen ways. 

I remember 2nd November, 2022, as if it were yesterday. Skittish with nerves but bubbling with excitement, I stepped into college for the first time. Like the hundreds of other freshmen, I could not wait to experience the much-anticipated college life. 

We all have fantasised about our lives in college, props to the ‘wild’ college stories we’ve heard or the media we’ve consumed. The college experience is often glamorised and romanticised, becoming almost inescapable due to the ubiquitous college student trope in popular culture. Through all these narratives, we consciously or subconsciously end up building certain expectations about our time in college. However, one aspect of the college experience that we rarely foresee is how profoundly it will transform our identity. On my first day, I had a certain idea, an expectation from my three years at Delhi University. However, nothing could have prepared me for the journey I was to go through.  A third year student of sociology at LSR shares a feeling similar to my own,

Since coming to college, I have realised that I have a newfound confidence in my ability to think for myself and make decisions completely of my own accord. Owing to all the discussions that we have had in our classrooms since the first year, I have become even hungrier to know more and to learn more. I feel I have become more fearless with my decisions, and I participate more comfortably and confidently in conversations as I have the right facts and ideas of my own,

One of the most dramatic shifts that we experience as teenagers is perhaps the transition from school to college. Suddenly, we no longer have to wear a uniform, no one is checking our notebooks, and we have a newfound autonomy. Many of us have longed for this freedom—this autonomy—but when it finally arrives, it brings with it a certain anxiety. Now we are on our own, and no one will be holding us accountable but ourselves. This sudden leap into adulthood can be quite jarring and challenging, but at the same time, the sense of independence and empowerment that it brings with it makes it worthwhile. Over time, we come to appreciate how some seemingly small moments have contributed to our growth and maturity.  Another student from LSR resonates a similar feeling,

My time at DU has instilled a certain sensitivity in me regarding other people’s opinions and cultures, and I have come to appreciate being exposed to different ways of thinking,

While one can argue that there is still some work to be done on the diversity and inclusivity front of the university, it is not a stretch to say that being at Delhi University introduces you to people from very different social realities than your own, something that I find lacking in many other institutions, and particularly private ones. Students from markedly different socio-economic and regional backgrounds converge in their common pursuit of knowledge. These interactions challenge our preconceived notions and biases, prompting us to reflect on our own experiences and perspectives. This microcosm of empathy and understanding can then become a catalyst for positive developments in your personal identity. 

In my own experience, engaging in conversations with people from diverse backgrounds heightened my political consciousness. I found myself more involved in socio-political discourses and issues. While I do recognise that my thoughts or actions alone may hold little value in comparison to the gravity of the socio-political issues, I do not feel as powerless as I once did. I now have a voice, even if it may not be as loud as others. This realisation has also made me more comfortable expressing myself unapologetically, whether through conversations, fashion, or art.  A third-year Economics student from Gargi College remarks,

Before coming to college, I was a shy kid. I didn’t speak unless I was spoken to, and sometimes I even tried to escape regular conversations. I anticipated that my college life would be similar. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. These three years transformed me from an introverted kid to someone who makes small talk in the metro now,

While the prospect of finding connections in college may seem daunting, these shared spaces and daily interactions make it easier. For many of us, college becomes a place where we find a community and a sense of belonging. 

From navigating administrative tasks to participating in student politics to daily commutes, every small experience in college contributes to the transformation of our identities. To anyone who’s just about to start their college journey, here is an unsolicited piece of advice: take a deep breath and strap in, for the next three years just might surprise you in ways you never imagined. 

Read also: 

Maintaining your Identity in College

Featured Image Credits: Disha Bharti for DU Beat

Disha Bharti  

[email protected] 

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Navigating Neurodivergence in Academia

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Neurodivergence, as an impairment, unfolds to become a disability as social and educational institutions heavily lack in its recognition; resourcing for such students remains a dream.

 

Neurodivergence is an umbrella term that enlists to include people with atypical brains, which adds a difference to how they ecologically interact. It is inclusive of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD), and others. 

There have been positive changes in terms of recognition and importance of mental health in India. However, all alerts and emphases on mental health leave out the back door when the shallowness of such a performance is exposed with the invisibility of neurodivergent students in academia. An understanding of “the mental” on educational campuses limits to only believing it as a wave of sadness and discomfort that needs counselling. This idea is reiterated with Delhi University’s Counselling Centre, which fails in its purpose to mention and include the experience of neurodivergence, even for namesake.

While the stigma and prejudice (along with other factors) around disorders limit accessibility to diagnosis, those already diagnosed have it no easier in navigating academic and university spaces. The confusion and strictness of college societies collude with a premodern educational setup to confound the sense of achievement and goodness that these spaces should be offering, very often becoming places of disinterest and hurt.

Recollecting her experience, Silvia Nath, a second-year student at Miranda House, who has been clinically diagnosed with ADHD, shares

In my first year, I completely detached myself from my department since my batchmates and teachers weren’t helpful and held stigmas around therapy and mental health. I was judged also for my food habits (as a non-vegetarian) along with my unwillingness to contribute to classes. This detachment caused a very low attendance, which again was a traumatic experience for me. Teachers have been harsh towards me and questioned my competence. Being happy should not be so normalised so that other spectrums of emotions are seen as unnatural and unhealthy.”

The general ignorance to this problem is reflected in the casual usage of medical terms amongst neurotypical people to express mood phases, which has inadvertently reduced the real symptoms to a bluff, non-serious setting of the mind—which can be auto-altered. Sharing rigid spaces like college societies with such groups that lack a reasonable understanding then becomes challenging.

In conversation with DU Beat, Debolina Bhattacharya, a graduate from Delhi University 2024 batch, shares,

I was working with a lot of neurotypical people, for sure, in my college society. Personally, it was not the best of times. It’s very hard to get along with people. I was told that I was overdoing things, talking too much, and other things that were singled out. Naturally, I prefer to do a lot of things together, which allows me to move from one thing to the next. But when you have to deal with people who don’t understand it and have very rigid ideas of how you’re supposed to behave, it becomes hard to curate your personality. I have reached a point, after college, to not hide who I am. But there was a demand to conform, to ‘fit in’ and it was made very clear that I wasn’t. The burnout was so severe that graduating college was what helped.”

(Debolina is a diagnosed neurodivergent person)

The range of exclusion and vulnerability expands when various markers of identity such as caste, class, gender, sexual identities, or geographical locations intersect. Students who are already disadvantaged are pushed deeper to the margins, where their potential is untapped, and their abilities are overlooked. 

Norzin, a Ladakhi student, currently preparing for her NEET examination, has been diagnosed with OCD and anxiety. 

Since I am currently preparing for NEET, I have faced challenges in staying organised due to the lack of a structured environment. I believe a college space with a more structured environment and access to resources and opportunities to interact with peers and professors would provide a more conducive environment for me to work and will help me to deal with my mental health issues more effectively.” – shares Norzin

Institutional reforms beginning from classroom recognition of neurodivergence and sensitisation towards it, are a good place to start when addressing the problem. Pedagogical methods that allow for behavioural support or interventions to promote communication in academic, social and everyday life skills should be used. Most essentially, kindness and empathy should be used to deal with and comprehend the nature of those around us, whether they are diagnosed or undiagnosed. It’s not a burden, but rather a responsibility. 

 

Read also: Mental health societies in DU

Featured Image Credits: Education Times

 

Bhavana Bhaskar

[email protected]

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