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Editorial: Delhi University, It Is Time to Pull Up Your Socks

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To stay relevant in the 21st century – the University of Delhi (DU) needs to let go of its laissez-faire attitude. Read our Editor’s take on why DU is trapped in its own history.

Making it into DU was a dream for so many of us. We battled the unpredictable and exhausting board examinations, obsessed over  cut-off lists, and withstood the impossibly frustrating admission process to finally make it here. Once here, all the effort seemed worth it. To study with the brightest people in our generation, participate in DU’s competitive society culture, absorb its active protest culture, and learn under its brilliant faculty, made it a one of a kind experience. This, coupled with a relatively relaxed attendance policy and reasonable fee, was enough to make this place a dream come true.

However, three years in the University and my rose-coloured glasses have finally worn off. What I saw as the culture of protest is actually teachers and students demanding basic resources and rights. What was seen as thriving society culture is the students’ way to keep themselves occupied and challenged since the varsity offers few opportunities to do so. The affordability of DU is constantly at threat, with newly established schools like Delhi School of Journalism charging a hefty fee and offering sub par education in return. With the Higher Education Funding Agency and the current government’s obsession with privatisation, DU’s accessibility is historically most vulnerable right now.

However, this is not all. The bigger problems with DU are related to its academic rigour. The truth is, towards the end of our three years, there is very little that the institution has taught us.

This facade of DU’s reputation has limited influence; recruiters and major corporations are distinctly aware of how little a DU degree teaches you, which is perhaps why they avoid us like the plague. Navigating the process of landing your first job on your own is chaotic and most people seek the security of campus placements. However, in DU, the word ‘placement’ is reserved for commerce students from the five top – ranked colleges in the varsity. It’s not as if commerce students or those in top colleges are necessarily more skilled than the rest of us but selective elitism goes a long way. The rest, pursuing other “non-employable” degrees in the remaining colleges, cannot aspire to be recruited in any capacity.

Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful to DU for the exposure and experiences but they were by and large the product of the hard work of the students who made societies their life and gave them their competitive edge. Apart from its reputation, there is very little that DU offers us. My resentment stems from the fact that I, like my peers, am horribly under-prepared for the real world. It is responsible to revive the curriculum to make it competitive with other universities, and it is their responsibility to realise that their job does not end by offering students mere theoretical knowledge.

Sports facilities in DU are underwhelming and most sports’ quota students find their own way of training themselves independently. Certainly, there is a funding crisis that the varsity is experiencing and the threat of a bigger impending crisis looms above the surface, but even existing funds aren’t appropriately utilised. For example, in 2017, the varsity returned 108 crores to the University Grants Commission (UGC) because it could not find an avenue to spend it. Three crore rupees allocated by the UGC remained under-utilised and had to be returned as well.

As I reflect upon my three years in DU, I am grateful for the creative minds I got the opportunity to interact with. However, nostalgia has not clouded my judgment and I know that there was so much more that DU could have offered and so much more that I deserved. The only people who graduate from DU and make it in life should not be B.Com. students, IAS officers, rich kids whose resources get them into an Ivy – league college for Master’s or those studying in Hindu, Lady Shri Ram, Stephen’s, and Hansraj. The rest of us also deserve access to an education that teaches us the required skills, has a curriculum abreast with top international universities, and offers us the opportunity that allows us to get employed if we wish to be. Like an egocentric, ageing actor who cannot get over their glory days, DU is iconic but stuck in the past. It needs to catch up with the times and enter the 21st century. After all, reputations alone can only last so long.  

Kinjal Pandey
[email protected]

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DUB Speak

DU Students Speak on Youth and Politics, What is Missing from Political Culture

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In the last part of DU Beat‘s analysis, we look at what the respondents have to say about the role of youth in politics, elements missing from our political culture and some other conclusions.

 After having analysed what the University of Delhi (DU) students, mostly first-time voters, had to say about the government, the opposition, the electoral possibilities and what matters to them as voters, our attention is now turned to questions that aim to understand their views about the larger political sphere.

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When asked about whether they thought if the youth could influence the politics of the country, almost all respondents answered affirmatively – 71.7 per cent saying “yes, in a major way” and 26.4 per cent selected “yes, but in a limited way”.

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A second and related question was whether the respondents had been politically active themselves. Ironically, 49 per cent said they had not.

To give space to respondents to express what they felt about the larger political culture, we asked them what they thought was one major element missing from politics. The responses were not only highly varied, but also threw light on a rather sad state of affairs as brought about by the plethora of shortcomings as perceived by the voter. A majority of them focussed around ideas of accountability, morality and integrity, lack of emphasis on “real issues”, and incompetent leadership and opposition, while some others touched upon the need for a free and strong media and tolerance for dissent. Yet others felt the need for parties to show unity in international matters and put India first.

“Dharm ke sthaan par dharmikta ka chalan,” (The replacement of righteousness by religiosity) wrote Amit Kumar, a student of Shyam Lal College. Shankar Tripathi of Hindu College answered that a “greater acceptance” of student movements, and a safer and workable environment for the same was a missing element. “People take themselves as a subject of government they do not take themselves as a participant in politics,” said Praveen from Dyal Singh College. Some views were rather curious. A student from Kalindi College, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, “Too many rights to common people, they oppose almost every step taken by the government.”

Interesting and varied answers were also given, wherein respondents expressed their general views about the upcoming elections or the political trends – from singular remarks like “NDA>36o”, “Save democracy” and “India should not invite Indira Gandhi Part-2” to lengthy comments.

Namit from Dyal Singh College wrote, “Upcoming elections will be a watershed moment, which will make the picture clear where the country would go in the next 10-15 years. Also, it will be the most difficult election for the grand old party, the Indian National Congress. Eager to see how Rahul Gandhi leads them.”

“The upcoming elections are very crucial not because it is Modi vs rest but because it is choosing between becoming a developed nation or still remain developing. Yes, India is still developing but the pace of development that we have seen in BJP led NDA government is so fast – be it the area of national security, health, education or roads and railways. If now at this point this government is stopped then I believe our graph of development would come down,” wrote Aayushi Agarwal from Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women.

A student from Hansraj College wrote, on conditions of anonymity, “I don’t know if there has been any work done or not. But one thing’s for sure – I don’t feel secure voicing my opinions now as I did before. And no, I am not anti-nationalist, neither a fan of Congress.”

 

Conclusions

 To conclude, it is quite clear that everyone feels a lot is riding on this election. For some, it is about deciding what and how India and its democracy would be going forward; for others, it has got to do with sustaining what has been done in the past five years. In any case, the election is important.
There is also a near-universal realisation that voting based on caste and religion or emotive issues isn’t desirable and that greater emphasis on more pressing issues is necessary. At the same time, there is also an acknowledgement of the absence of that tendency in the current political and electoral scenario.

 

 

Image credits-
1. Cover- DU Beat archives
2. Graphs-  Palak Mittal for DU Beat

 

 

Prateek Pankaj
prateekp@dubeat.com 

 

 

 

 

 

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News

Wait Till the Election Ends for PM’s Degree, HC Delays Petition Seeking Disclosure of DU Results

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 Delhi High Court on 23rd April deferred hearing a petition by Delhi University (DU) which challenged a Central Information Commission (CIC) order, allowing inspection of DU’s exam records from 1978, the year when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also cleared his exam, under the RTI Act.

 

Justice V. Kameswar Rao posted the case for hearing on 25th July, soon after which DU sought an adjournment saying that Tushar Mehta, the Solicitor General had gone to Gujrat to cast his vote and was hence not available.

RTI activists including Nikhil Dey, Anjali Bhardwaj, and Amrita Johri, along with their representative, Advocate Trideep Pais, have collectively filed an intervention application, saying that results are a public affair, hence should be available to all. They also argued that the varsity was denying the details of a particular year only – vis 1978.

In previous hearings, Delhi University had claimed that the exam records of all students are held in “fiduciary” capacity and disclosing the results could have far-reaching adverse consequences for the university.

The High Court was hearing a petition by DU, challenging a CIC order allowing activist Neeraj to inspect records of the students who had passed DU’s Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in the same year.

The university’s contention arose from the fear that inspection of all the results might be a deliberate attempt to seek  “personal information of a third party”. PM Narendra Modi is said to have passed his B.A from School of Open Learning (SOL) in the same year is at the epicentre of the probe.  His degree has been marred by controversies since Arvind Kejriwal raised objection on his qualifications in the post demonetization era.

Sequentially, a Central Information Commission order dated December 21, 2016, directed the inspection of results of all students who have passed BA exams in 1978. After DU appealed against the order, Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva stayed the order in January 2017.  Earlier in March 2017, responding to an RTI by an Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) correspondent, SOL stated that it had no data of students passing out in 1978.

Image Credits: The Hindu 

 

Priyanshu
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DUB News

Delhi Government Stops Funding of 28 DU Colleges

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Owing to failure in the constitution of their governing bodies by Delhi University (DU), Delhi Government has stopped funds to 28 DU colleges.

Delhi government has once again stopped the funding of 28 DU colleges, partially or fully funded by them owing to the delay in the appointment of their Governing Bodies, Education Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia said on Monday.

The previously appointed bodies ended their term on 9th March. On 20th February, Sisodia had written to DU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Yogesh Tyagi for extension of their term for three months. However, no action was taken by the University.

The Hindu has reported that Delhi government had given the University a deadline of 31st July last year to clear appointments of the ten member governing bodies for each of the 28 colleges, which had been pending since 2016. The government had stopped the funding earlier too, in 2017 as DU had deferred formation of the Governing Bodies.

On Monday, Sisodia directed the Finance Department to stop the funds, which amount to INR 360 crore annually, over what he termed was the “deliberate and mala fide attempt to delay formation of governing bodies”.

According to a report by Times of India, in his letter to DU Vice Chancellor and the Finance Department, Sisodia said, “Delhi University has not constituted the governing bodies in the 28 colleges…till date. It is directed that till the governing bodies are formed in these colleges, no funds should be released.”

He added that because of the absence of governing bodies, there was no one to keep an eye on how the colleges function. “As the custodian of public money, I cannot allow unchecked corruption and irregularities to be sustained on government funds.”

This decision by the government was met with a strong dissent by the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) and Nation Democratic Teachers’ Front (NDTF) who demanded the withdrawal of the decision.

“The DUTA finds it unacceptable that the employees of these colleges be held to ransom because of the impasse created by the University and/or the Government. The stopping of funds is a short-sighted step as it will only disrupt the academic and administrative functioning of these colleges when students are preparing for their semester exams,” Rajib Ray, President of DUTA said in a press release.

Abha Dev Habib, former Executive Council member also expressed her immense displeasure and said, “DU had taken almost a year last time for the formation of Governing Bodies and the standoff between DU and Delhi Government resulted in funds cut, delayed salaries etc.. The history seems to be repeating itself. Governance, teachers, non-teaching employees and students suffered in the twelve colleges, which are 100% funded by the Delhi Government. Also last time the DU list had a large number of names which appeared to be because of  BJP interference and the list did not give options to Delhi Government to choose. We fear that we are heading towards a similar situation.”

Devesh Sinha, Dean of Colleges, DU, however, has denied any deadlock between the university and the government. He said that DU had written to the government on Monday, assuring that governing bodies of all colleges funded by the government would be formed within two weeks.

Sinha further added, “The EC has objections to the list of names that were nominated. The governing bodies are supposed to include experts from various fields. However, in some cases, the government had recommended five persons from the field of education for one college. We are sorting this out and will form the bodies within two weeks.”

The move, however, is unlikely to affect the colleges immediately as the next instalment of funds from the government isn’t due till September. But if it drags on till November, it will become very difficult for colleges which are fully funded by the government particularly.

 

Feature Image Credits: Niharika Dabral for DU Beat

Shreya Agrawal

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A Checklist: Things to Do Before Graduation

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As college comes to a close, here is another cliché checklist about things to do before graduating. Don’t fail this checklist by our Associate Editor, even if you failed your New Year resolutions because you get to graduate only once.

This list is not based on expert advice; neither should it be the ultimate measure of doing college right (as if #goals on Instagram were not enough to make us feel inadequate). Here are a bunch of things, outgoing students should do in April:

–    What is more impossible than a Goa trip? A mass bunk. Execute a successful one before the last working day.

–    Refer to page seven and visit the touristy spots near campus one more time (or even better, for the first time). Don’t forget to use #wanderlust.

–    Channelise all your krantikaari (rebellious) vibes and attend a protest.

–     Pick a quiet day to sit in the library and just read. Experience the quiet solitude as you finish the assignment; it’s quite meditative. Some people say that on a lonely day if you press your ear against the bookshelves, you could hear them whispering.

–    Reflect on the conflicts you had in college, be it with any society member, a classmate, or a faculty. Analyse what happened and try to resolve it. But, most importantly, if you don’t find a closure, then let it go. Recall the hurt, anger, guilt for one last time, and let it evaporate.

–    Scribble your initials on a college desk, and if you are feeling more adventurous, then make graffiti on campus walls (inspiration: Free G.N. Saibaba). Don’t get caught.

–    Visit Central Library, University Stadium (there is a free gym with treadmills and the usual works), and spend some time around the VC lodge.

–    Sample canteen food. Remember the suspicious – looking dish that you have been avoiding? Order it now.

–    Click pictures of your college in the morning light, during the golden hour, and post 6 p.m. Capture your friends, college pets, and yourself. Catalogue the mundane sans the filter; these pictures will be precious later. Don’t click it for Instagram, do it just for the memories.

–    It is the final semester; sort your reading material.

–    Attend a full day of classes (including the 8:30 a.m. lecture) and actively participate in every lecture.

–    If you don’t dress up extra in college, then when will you?  Hence, unleash your #OOTD genius and dress to impress.

–    Tell your crush you like them #AajKuchToofaniKarteHai (#LetsBeCrazyToday).

–    Lay your outfit on Sunday night, declutter your college bag, and for once, be excited for Monday.

–    Write a letter to your college, department, society, or anyone. Lay bare your thoughts and feelings.

–    Graduation is inevitable, and life is only going to get real from now on. Rather than waiting for the withdrawal symptoms to hit you in the face, start the process of letting go already.

–    Forgive yourself for not being “productive” or “good enough.” What made you think you could survive college without breakdowns and disappointments? Overconfidence – that is the answer. College is a coming out of age experience for many of us. It is the first time when we get drunk, take responsibility for ourselves, and bargain for freedom. In this process, we make several mistakes (or worse, we assume to have made mistakes). As long as you learn your lesson, it is fine. Early adulthood is tough already, so congratulations on making it to the last semester. In the words of Frank McCourt, “You have to give yourself credit, not too much because that would be bragging.”

 

Afterthoughts: For some of us, it is a shame we can’t just admit that college was dreadful and that one can’t relate to the nostalgia. We would rather dump the farewell, get that degree, sell our books, and leave. A quick goodbye, ta-ta!  Well, we can do it by all means; yet regardless of how uneventful these three years were, everyone deserves to have pleasant memories. I wish you would give this phony checklist a chance.

Feature Image Credits: Saubhagya Saxena for DU Beat

Niharika Dabral

[email protected]

 

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If Politicians Were Delhi University Students

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A ‘what if’ scenario imagining politicians as DU students. 

The great leaders of tomorrow are made in the great educational institutions of today. So, for satire’s sake, we tried thinking how it would be to place some eminent politicians of our nation as students in some eminent colleges of the University of Delhi. The results have been weirdly amusing, to say the least.

Manmohan Singh: He is the studious student who has it all sorted out. You can find him on the front seat with thick lenses focused on the words in his books, and the words on the blackboard. He arrives in class, studies diligently, and goes back home without anyone detecting a trace of his existence, as he hardly utters a word. He belongs to the species of nerds but finds it tacky to show off his knowledge.

Preferred course- Economics, Political Science, and Philosophy. 

Preferred college- SRCC, Hindu, Hansraj

Assaudin Owaisi: He is the one kid in college who can’t live without using his vocal cords to the maximum of their capability. The troublemaker student, he will always find himself in some sort of pickle, be it with the fellow students or the administration. Despite this rebellious attitude, you cannot expect him to align himself with one particular faction or group. Therefore, he also falls in the category of those students whose friend circle keeps changing every college year, not implying that he is a snake (saap in classic DU terms). 

Preferred course- Political Science, Law

Preferred college- Ramjas, Law Faculty

Maneka Gandhi: She is the classic feminist University of Delhi girl. You can find her tactfully expressing her opinions against misogyny and patriarchy through her carefully chosen words. Apart from issues related to women, she is be expected to show up at any/all protests surrounding threats made to the members of the DU fraternity face, with the venue, mostly being the classic Faculty of Arts. Mess with this student and you might end up paying a hefty price.

Preferred course- Sociology

Preferred college- LSR, Miranda House

Shashi Tharoor: He is known for his good grades, good looks, self-confidence, and charm, used to impress all the girls in the college; Shashi Tharoor easily falls within the bracket of students who have it all. He is usually self-obsessed and narcissistic in order to maintain his image, especially in the way he arranges his hair or the bourgeoisie language he uses. As mentioned previously, he is the Casanova of the college and is likely to have a girlfriend who meets his intellectual capabilities. However, when two intellectuals are together, a clash of opinions is inevitable. 

Preferred course- English, Philosophy

Preferred college- St. Stephen’s (isn’t that obvious?)

Lalu Prasad Yadav:  Our classic Bihari babu is an expert at everything pertaining to cattle and fodder, but, don’t underestimate him “inki girlfriend Rabri Vidhayak hain”. He is the kid that questions the teacher and mimics him behind his back for the sake of entertaining the whole class. He helped us understand the value of friendships in college; he says ‘I thought Nitish babu was my friend in the first year, but by the third year I realised he is a snake in lieu with that CR Modi’. No one ever trusts him with money as he always says it’s for his cows back home, but never returns it.

Preferred course and college – “arrey bhaiya kuch bhi dedo bas DU main le lo”

Yogi Adityanath: Hailing straight from Uttar Pradesh, this bhakt of Ram is the most religious kid on campus, with a passion for ‘renaming things’.  As a result of this, Jackson from class became Jai kishan! He’s always dressed in orange, a unique dress code that seems to be the fashion of the days. Don’t underestimate him by his size because he beats (quite literally) everyone in his love for the cow. He is a fresher to the college but has already made his presence felt everywhere.

Preferred course – B.Sc. mathematics

Preferred college – Hindu college   

Rahul Gandhi:  The baba himself, though it is too early for him to go to college, his mother still comes to drop him off. You can never spot him in class as he is most likely to be sitting somewhere doodling, or staring into space. No one takes him seriously even after he became the CR. People from the other class joke about him on their class Whatsapp groups. He is following family suit in standing for college elections, but honestly, he just wants to sit at home and watch Shinchan. However, he is surrounded by a lot of seniors who are saving him from trouble, but until when?

Preferred Course – whatever Mom says

Preferred college – St. Stephens (is home tuition still an option in college?)

 

Feature Image Credits: India.com

Shaurya Singh Thapa

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Haris Khan

 

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Arts & Culture

PARASHARA Closes Day-1 of Tempest 2019

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Here is a recap of Day 1 at Tempest 2019, the annual cultural festival of Miranda House.

Tempest 2019- the Annual Cultural Fest of Miranda House- University of Delhi kick-started on 14th February 2019. There were a plethora of events scheduled by the college but most of them got delayed due to unfavourable weather conditions. Nevertheless, the events ran smoothly and the first day of Tempest turned out to be a fulfilling and vibrant experience for the attendees.

The Annual Rachita Das Gupta Quiz was organized by the Quiz Society of Miranda House. They conducted three quizzes on Day 1. The Open General Quiz saw participation of 30 teams with 2 members in each team. Mukund and Dhruv bagged the first position, while Rorik and Rohan came second, and Basab and Amlan stood third. Eco Biz Filler witnessed Kirti and Pragati win the competition. In the Open India Quiz, Ashish and Abhishek Paliwal came first while the duos of Jayant and Amlan, and Ankur and Kartik Puri stood second and third, respectively.

Vaatavaran, the Eco Club of Miranda House organised Enviro Quiz, a short-film-based quiz. It saw participation from 20 teams from across different colleges. The first prize was awarded to Poornima and Yash, while Karishma and Garima, and Pragati and Niharika bagged the second and third prizes, respectively.

E-Cell, Miranda House, organised three Inter-College events at Tempest 2019. Combination- an event related to geographical locations of companies, saw participation of 20 teams with two students in each team. Addictive- a marketing competition of pitching products in the style of Bollywood, was won by Ashok, while Pinku came second. Boss Hunt- a Treasure Hunt had 35 teams compete, where Aditya Sah came first, while Neeruganti Purnima came second.

11 Dance Societies from across different colleges, which qualified the online preliminaries, performed at Burlesque, the Western Dance Competition, organised by Tanz, the Western Dance Society of Miranda House. The event was judged by Mrs. Sameeksha and Mr. Nitin Theo Kerketta. Enliven (Western dance society of Gargi) won the competition, while Crunk (Western dance society of Sri Aurobindo) came second.

The next event was the Hindi Debating Competition where the students battled their wits on the topic- “Sadan ke math mein loktantra maatr ek saashan pranali nahi, jeevan mulyo ka srot hai (In the opinion of the House, democracy is not only a regime conduct, but it is the source of life values).” It was judged internally by teachers- Mrs. Kusuma Krishna Subha and Mrs. Meeta Kumari. Smriti from Lady Shri Ram College was awarded the title of Best Speaker in favour of the motion while Happy from Ramjas College was awarded as Best Speaker in opposition.

Amid the melody of raag Darbari and Yaman, Sangam- the Indian Classical Music Competition- organised by Geetanjali, the Indian Music Society of Miranda House saw various performances that had the audiences captivated. With 14 participants in the Duet Singing Competition and 13 teams representing their colleges in the Choir Singing Competition, the event was a huge success. The Duet Singing Competition concluded with SGTB Khalsa College’s Sukriti and Saksham bagging the second prize, with the winner’s title being claimed by Hansraj College’s Pranava and Ram.

Adwitiya, the Fine Arts’ Society, in a stunning display of powerful art, transformed SAC to an exquisite art gallery. From portraits to abstract brushstrokes, all the artwork presented had a story to tell. An art-piece labeled ‘Nirvana’ captured the modern world in a representative manner. A symbolic display promised and delivered aesthetic pleasure.

The day concluded with the performance by PARASHARA- a popular Delhi-based progressive band, with an idea conceived and brought to action in the mountains. The audiences swiveled to the beats as they played their melodies, revolving around the realities of life, with an interesting modern touch to it. This wraps up the Day 1 of the fest and all the festivities stuck true to the theme of the fest: “Future of Fun”.

Image credits: Mahi Panchal for DU Beat

 

Sakshi Arora

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Shaurya Thapa

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Kartik Chauhan

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Shivani Dadhwal

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Straight from the Horse’s Mouth: Hinduites on the V-Tree Pooja

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The tradition of the ‘Virgin Tree pooja’ at Hindu College, wherein students pray in front of a tree on Valentine’s Day with the hope of losing their virginity, is viewed with diverse and opposing perspectives.

“I’m just young, rich, and tasteless,” says rapper Pusha T in the song ‘Runaway’. It might be an apt slogan for the tradition of the Virgin Tree (V-Tree) pooja at Hindu College. “Young” because maybe we’re the youth desperate to get laid; but also “tasteless” because maybe we recognise the problems with the tradition and go on regardless. “Rich” is slightly irrelevant here.

The tradition, which takes place at Valentine’s every year sees students worshipping the V-Tree. A female celebrity is chosen as the ‘Damdami Mai’ and the Mr. Fresher of the boys’ hostel, dressed as the pandit, does the pooja. Recently, the same has begun for the girls’ hostel also, wherein a ‘Love Guru’ is worshipped by the Ms. Fresher. Water filled condoms are hung on the tree, an aarti is sung, the water is showered on the crowd and a Holi-like celebration follows. Apparently, thou shall loseth thy V-card should thou showereth in the condometh watereth. Hindu 6:9, perhaps? Students view the pooja in a variety of ways. Defenders say that the motive is spreading awareness about safe sex. Others say that it’s patriarchal, misogynist, and excludes many. Yet others fall somewhere in between. “(The pooja) serves the purpose of spreading sexual awareness. It tries to do away with the taboo associated with sex,” says a second-year History Honours student. This was reiterated by Shubham Yadav, the Girls Students’ Welfare Minister. She said that while posters about AIDS awareness are also put up, the aarti is very demeaning.

This reasoning isn’t convincing to many.
Kareema Barry, a second-year English Honours student says that the inclusion of the male celebrity was only “tokenistic.” “What about transgenders? Aren’t we neglecting them? The solution is not to put their picture but to remove all of them,” says Sakshi Priya, Vice President of the college’s Women’s Development Cell while proposing a discussion on safe sex instead. Parakram Chauhan, a Philosophy Honours fresher comments on the “toxicity” behind the the pooja in terms of “seeing getting laid as some sort of prize or blessing.”

What are the freshers expecting?
One such expectation is to see a proper way of disposing of condoms, according to Mrinalinee Sharma of the History department. Khushi Gupta of the same department says “I want to see how they hang condoms after filling them with water, I’m very excited.” Parakram says he’s expecting “nothing at all.” However, a large chunk of them seems to be unaware of what the pooja is. Various students have protested against the tradition and some tell us that the crowds had declined last year. While Pinjra Tod’s article on the subject, which condemns the pooja as a contributor to “rape culture — which slut shames women who assert their sexuality,” is a bit overblown, not even the defenders deny that it could be made more inclusive and less demeaning.

Whether it’s a silly tradition or a serious issue, and whether it needs amendment or abolition, is for us to decide. We must ask if we’re just being tasteless, or something much more serious than that.

Image Credits: DU Beat

Prateek Pankaj
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Arts & Culture

Day 1 of Reverie 2019 at Gargi College Closes with The Local Train

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Here is a re-cap of Day 1 at Reverie 2019, the annual cultural festival of Gargi College. 

The opening day of Reverie 2019 commenced with the lighting of the lamp by the chief guest and actor, Sushma Seth, followed by her speech. Performances by Professor Ruchika Sharma, Euphony – Western Music Society, and Enliven – Western Group Dance Society ensured of the fun that is to follow at Gargi College’s Annual Cultural Fest, Reverie.

Events and competitions began soon after the inauguration. Students participated in the Talent Recognition competition and showcased their prowess in the form of dance, singing, slam poetry, and more. A number of students also participated in the English creative writing competition organised by Quilluminati, the English Creative Writing Society.
The first event in the seminar hall, Khayal, the classical solo singing competition, was supposed to begin at 11 a.m., got delayed due to the late arrival the two judges; Sriparna Nandi and Arundhati Bhatacharji, the total number of contestants that took part in the event was 11 from across University of Delhi (DU) colleges. The contestants had to perform one classical piece each and the participants were allowed to bring one instrumental player to accompany them. The minimum time limit was 4 minutes per performance. The winner of the event was Chinmay from Kirori Mal College, Abdul from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College bagged the 2nd place, and Daksh from Zakir Husain College came third.
The second event if the day in the seminar hall, featuring The same jugdes as before, Jugalbandi the semi classical duet competition saw, a total of 6 teams with two participants in each team performing a piece with one additional instrument player. The winners of the event were Minatullah and Rupanshi from Kirori Mal College, Sukriti and Sukprit tied from SGTB Khalsa College tied with Yugandha and Sakshi from Lady Shri Ram College for Women for the second position and Abdul and Hardik bagged the third prize.
The final competition of the day in the seminar hall also had the same judges with an additional judge, Mr. Debu Bhatacharya. Vadaan, the instrumental solo competition saw only 4 participants playing various different classical instruments like the tabla, harmonium, dhol etc. They had to present an instrumental piece within a maximum time of 5 minutes. The results for the same were: Anant Raman from Dyal Singh College in first place, Nabeel Khan from Zakir Husain College in second and Sarveshwar from PGDAV (morning) College in third place.

The Western Acapella competition was conducted by Euphony in Gargi’s annual cultural fest Reverie. A total of 16 teams from across different colleges had passed the online prelims competed to win the cash prizes. The event saw delay and the management had to shift their venues from the Auditorium to the seminar hall after the 11th performance owing to the demands from Sparx, the choreography society, for them to begin their own competition. The competition was judged by Mr. Joshua Peters and Mr. Maker Kashung. The acapella society from Sri Venkateshwara College came first, there was tie for the second place between societies of Jesus and Mary College and Lady Shri Ram College for Women, St Stephen’s College came in third.

Dhanak, India Group Folk dance competition organized by Nazakat saw a participation by 11 teams who had cleared their online prelims. The event was judged by Mrs. Swagata Sen Pillai, who gave the third position to Delhi Technical University, 2nd position to the Bhangra Society Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, and Annhad, Daulat Ram College came 1st . In her speech, she said that Bhangra Society of SGND Khalsa could not win because they exceeded the time limit, whereas according to the members of the society they had not exceeded the time limit at all. While talking to DU Beat, Jaskaran Singh, President of the Bhangra society of SGND Khalsa College said that it was cleared with the organisers beforehand that their time would be counted once the dhol beats begin after the sher but somehow the judges had counted their time just after the sher began. It is to be noted that the teams from SNDT, SSG and DTU almost backed out from the competition when an allegedly intoxicated guard misbehaved with them at the entry early in the morning.

9 teams across different colleges participated in the Choreography competition organised by Sparx, called the Creative-iti. The event began after a 3-hour delay because of a domino effect of all the previous events being delayed. Capella, NSUT won the competition while the second and third place was awarded to LSR and Sparx, of Gargi College respectively. The event was judged by Ms. Surya Sharma and Deva Smita.

Day 1 of Reverie witnessed power packed performances by the participants in the Talent Show event, organised by the Students Union of Gargi College. Both solo and group performances were allowed. Students performed on latest Bollywood hits. The show also witnessed solo and duet singing. The theme of the fest: “A brave new world; an ode to Diversity” works on the basis of 3 C’s- Choice, Consent, and Conservation. These cover broad topics like LGBTQ empowerment, sexual harassment, female empowerment, equality, wildlife preservation, and protection. Individually these are significant and necessary issues of today’s world but interlacing all of them together as a theme for one of the largest annual cultural fest of Delhi University brings down its gusto.

The day came to a magnificent close with The Local Train’s performance, which swept the crowd off its feet. With songs like Choo Lo, Dil Mere, Aaoge Tum Kabhi the band ensured that the crowd didn’t lose their energy.

 

Feature Image Credits: Surabhi Khare for DU Beat

Prachi Mehra

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Anoushka Sharma

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Haris Khan

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Sakshi Arora

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Campus Central

Minutes of DUTA Executive Meeting, January 2019

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The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) held an Executive Meeting on Saturday, 12th January 2019.

The resolution for the same is a comprehensive account of the crisis being confronted by the teachers of the University in lieu of the Central Government’s withdrawal of government funding from public-funded universities. This was termed as a “highly misguided policy” and “commercialisation of higher education”. This has led to a delay in the announcement of revised allowances and pensions of teachers. The exploitative conditions in terms of long working hours and lack of job security and employment benefits for ad hoc teachers have also contributed to the rage and unrest among teachers.

In addition, DUTA has also directed rage and disappointment against the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Delhi, and condemned him for his inaction and lethargy in carrying out timely appointment procedures for teachers. They expressed strong criticism towards the VC for capitulating to the Government’s agenda by not even allowing the tabling of the report of the sub-committee set up to facilitate the adoption of the UGC Regulations 2018. Owing to the same, several young ad hoc teachers had declared a hunger strike in effect from 4th January 2019, which has now continued for nine days in the blistering cold.

In the resolution dated 12th January 2018, the DUTA has declared solidarity with the teachers on hunger strike, and has demanded that the Government bring in a one-time Regulation for the absorption of temporary and ad hoc teachers. They have proposed a one day strike and dharna at Gate No.1, DU to highlight their demands for the re-convening of the adjourned meeting of the Academic Council. They have also announced an immediate action programme of One Day Strike along with a Long March to MHRD on 17th January 2019.

Emphasising that these consequences emanating from a reduction in Government funding will soon affect the students as well, and has called for support by all sections of the university community, including and especially students.

Feature Image Credits: The Indian Express

Nikita Bhatia

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