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Arts & Culture

How To Kill Time Until Reopening

By DU Beat January 4, 2022

Brace yourselves for a mocktickle upon the grief that has swallowed our dreams and continues to haunt us- reopening of colleges. Read ahead to know what mocktickle actually means.

As reopening feels like a distant dream, the only thing left for us to do is feel hopeless. But for how long? This was supposed to be a phase, a time period that was supposed to end but has become an ever going dream, nightmare perhaps.

Apart from being sad and angry on a regular basis, this time and age of learning demands tons of things to be learnt but are we in any position to learn when our dreams have been made into torn papers that can never be in their original shape. Thus to lighten your hearts we present a mocktickle (yes I came up with that word, getting it registered soon, say hi to the Tharoor in me!) – an article to tickle you while mocking the situation we live in.

Visualise, Imagine, Dream

The perfect way to kill time until reopening is to stalk all your seniors and gaze at their fest photos. Try imagining yourself in their place and derive pleasure from this dreamy scrolling of Instagram. If you are a part of any society or aspire to be one, provoke the stalker inside you and search the entire history of your society. Watch every youtube playlist, every performance, every Facebook post that ever existed about them. (This actually gets you brownie points during auditions just don’t overspeak)

Learn, Learn and Do it!

Learn those skills that your parents have been shouting for at the top of their voices for two years now. Just in case if reopening actually ever happens how will you survive it? The hopelessness won’t cook your meals nor will the excitement clean your clothes. (There are actually tons of tricks that can come in handy if you are an outstation student so listen to what your parents say closely)

Have a Tissue for this Point!

Let’s accept how lucky are those who have already got the chance to stay in Delhi. To push yourself further towards being a Nihilist watch those photos clicked in front of red walls. Cry over those group photos of societies who are practising while leaving outstation students and understand the depth of sadness.

Be Social

It’s about time that you finally take out some time to get to know your classmates. The best way to do this is to scroll over the DPs in WhatsApp groups to actually know your classmates. (If you can make an effort to socialise, even a small birthday wish or a ‘good luck’ before exams can bring smiles.)

Thoda Dukh Thoda Productive

In spite of all the hardships we are going through owing to Covid, we can’t deny that this is one of the most crucial times of our life. Owing to the availability of time and resources one can easily manage 2-3 commitments together. If you can gather the courage to actually work in these gloomy times we salute you! And if you are the brave one who chose to prioritise their mental health over running in a rat race, then we bow to you for that is equally productive.

Featured Image Credits: Grindfiti

Kashish Shivani

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Arts & Culture

DU Societies: Online or Offline

By DU Beat November 30, 2021

As a semblance of normalcy begins to return to functioning around us, Delhi University performance-based societies choose to go offline with their workings – a decision that risks alienating outstation students who are still hesitant to return to campus. Read on to find more.

Delhi University sees a diverse crowd in all terms. The play of privilege has come to the forefront in the era of the digital divide. We witnessed students committing suicide, leaving education, and going to all ends to just afford a phone or laptop for studies. In this phase, where do the cultural societies of Delhi University stand?

In the online scenario, all the performing societies were forced to operate in the online space, as a result of which we saw many online productions, audio plays, and virtual open mics. But the transition phase in DU societies has begun even before the colleges are officially reopened. A few months back a lot of performing societies started functioning offline, some with or without permission from the college authorities.

These mainly comprise drama societies, music and dance societies which need offline spaces to carry on with their operations smoothly. But since DU is not a university of Delhi students only, the question that ‘Do DU societies belong only to Delhi people?’ seems pretty valid in a scenario where outstation students are being repeatedly sidelined by the indiscriminate move to go offline with functioning.

Just a few days back Mood Indigo, the fest of IIT Bombay, organized the prelims for its street theatre competition, where some of the prominent societies performed with their productions like Ibitida, Hindu College, Hansraj Dram Soc, Kahkasha JMC, Lakshya, Kamla Nehru College, Anubhuti, Sri Venkateswara College, and many others. DU Beat talked to Simran from Hansraj Dram Soc to understand their take on conducting offline practices and workshops in collaboration with other societies.

We first years came into the society to perform and sadly it was not happening. Offline practices were essential for us to learn how DCTC worked as we will soon become seniors and the onus of training others will be on us.”

An outstation member of Kshitij, the street play society of Gargi College which organised an offline workshop in collaboration with Hansraj Dram Soc, on grounds of anonymity, shared their views with DU Beat,

If we talk about outstation students, someone who has never seen their college, for them, online meets are everything, that screen becomes more than just a screen. Offline meets are not fair to them, and they cannot be expected to travel long distances to attend, it is just not fair. They are missing out on experiences and lessons because of the circumstances. In the end, it comes down to whose perspective you choose to see – that of the helpless first year or the third year who will choose the offline mode due to the sheer rigour and space it allows one to work in.”

The culture of performing societies is surely a source of pride for the University of Delhi but another thing that the nukkad nataks propagate is the call for equality. In such a situation, when being in Delhi means being able to experience the societies, aren’t these societies becoming elite spaces? Various outstation students, who can afford to be in the city for internships or societies have moved here already, so who is actually being left behind? For these answers, we talked to Jai Mahajan from Shunya, Ramjas who shared his society experience.

Being in an online space has affected theatre but we are trying our best to level the playfield. Shunya is trying to come up with a fusion of both online and offline work. Surely people in the offline mode are learning and adapting quickly, but it’s up to seniors how they balance the collaboration.” – Jai, a member of Shunya, Ramjas

In the month of November, Shunya conducted its first series of month-long offline workshops. Students across departments and years from the college attended the workshops, which were conducted by incumbent and erstwhile members of the society on a wide range of topics relating to theatre. But the attendees also included a large number of outstation students who flew down to the city specifically to attend these workshops. Although safety precautions were adequately taken for the same, the decision to conduct these workshops in the offline mode, which many society members too could not attend, still remains under question.

As the auditions of performing societies were conducted in the online mode in the time of the digital divide, it already pushed out students from backward sections of societies. Several talented students could not audition due to unstable internet, and some had to travel elsewhere just for the sake of giving their auditions. And after that exclusion, the dispersion of outstation and Delhi students brings forth the question of representation. Performances talking about the evils of caste and class while propagating on those same foundations are making a farce of the art form.

We can’t lose out on practice just because the colleges are online now. To get on the stage and win awards and experience that feeling of dancing in front of people cheering for you hoping that you win. To learn things online is really difficult, offline practice is of the utmost necessity if you want to bring the best out of your crew. There is no formal permission as such but socs have never totally depended on college to practice even when it was offline.” – A member of a dance society

DU performing societies have been known for their rigorous working, but the entire working process changed owing to the prevailing conditions. Talking about how his society operates, Tushar, a member of The Dramatics Society of Dyal Singh Evening College, Junoon said,

Most of the members of our society are from Delhi, offline meets are recorded, and activities are discussed in the online meets. The same activities are done in the online mode with some tweaks to make them feasible.”

Meanwhile, Jai from Shunya, Ramjas shared how audio plays helped them bridge the gap to some extent.

Some of our members are from Kashmir and places where there is low connectivity; for them, we practiced and explored auditory drama on phone calls.”

Shruti, the President of Lakshya, KNC, shared her society experience of working in the online mode. For better functioning, they divided the team into two where outstation members worked on the stage production, working with characters, while the Delhi students worked on street play.

At least some of the students would learn and know something; this year we are focusing more on learning and teaching.”

There are also various societies that chose not to function in the offline space. Siddhi from LSR Dramsoc shared her take on the issue,

Even though the offline experience was beautiful, we chose not to practice in offline mode since we have people from other cities as well in our society. We need to adapt to the times, and to pass on the culture, we talk about our past experiences and activities, so our juniors know about the working. DCTC as a group needs to think and engage in dialogue to come to a better and more feasible conclusion.”

While sharing her experience of being an outstation student, a member of a drama society said in a conversation with DU Beat,

It doesn’t feel like a team anymore; the production doesn’t feel ours. If offline working brings back the culture of theatre it also breaks the team apart in two. It’s a sort of slow coercion over outstation students to leave since we don’t play any active part. We feel like outsiders instead of outstation students, where we realize being in Delhi is a privilege that we can’t afford.”

Despite the brouhaha surrounding the debate around offline and online functioning, there are societies that have accepted the online mode and have gone ahead with annua productions; for example, the Shakespeare Society of St. Stephens College performed their annual production for the year Chateau Manor House on Zoom a few weeks back. The reluctance of many societies to adapt to the same mode is, on one hand preserving the physical essence of these performance societies. At the same time, it risks non-functioning and becomes largely emblematic of the larger hegemony present in these societies to refuse to adapt to changing times and tweak and challenge procedural functionings that have been set in stone for years now.

Image Credits: Sabha, the dramatics society of St. Stephens College

Kashish Shivani ([email protected])

Anwesh Banerjee ([email protected])

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Increasing Seats in DU: Wandering over Possibilities

By DU Beat November 17, 2021

In their recent memorandum to the Executive Council, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) put forth a demand for the increment of 10% seats in all courses. Wandering over the possibilities, if they are feasible on the ground or is this just a demand to be said on paper?

In a memorandum asking for the reopening of campus, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) included a demand to increase seats for all courses by 10%. With more and more students applying at the university every year, such a demand might look like a problem solver. But this ajooba can’t be done just like that (finger snapping). We wondered if this could really be possible, and there are various odds standing in the way of the expansion of DU.

Year after year, the cut-offs of the University of Delhi have been soaring high. This year as well 4,38,696 students have applied for the Undergraduate courses. Last year, in 2020 this number stood at 3,53,919. In the wake of a 20% increase in applicants, this year and a significant rise in this number each year might make this prospect appear wonderful. But after taking a closer look at the plethora of problems that the University has hurled upon itself it might appear as a not-so-wonderful idea.

As we know since last year, some colleges of the University have been struggling with a financial crisis. Lack of funds, non-payment of salaries, and problems faced by Ad-hoc teachers form the avalanche of problems that colleges have been facing lately. The introduction of new seats would put more pressure on the existing funds and infrastructure. This increment would also mean a change in the faculty and student ratio. According to a report in July, out of 1076 sanctioned posts, 846 teaching posts were lying vacant.

After the introduction of the EWS quota back in 2019, the varsity had various seats lying vacant in the category. Even in 2020, the EWS category had more vacant seats than in 2019. As reported by the Times of India, despite special drives and several cut-offs about 5.6% of seats of the EWS quota were still vacant. When DU hasn’t been able to work its way around an increment of seats within a quota, how will it be feasible for the entire university? Shouldn’t our first focus of attention be on filling all the seats in the existing seat count? About 1.5% of seats were left vacant under the OBC quota in 2020, 0.6% were vacant seats under the SC quota and even the ST seats saw the most vacancy in the year 2020.

Already under the plethora of problems, our beloved Delhi University has also implemented the New Education Policy starting from the year 2022. No talks around extra funds for the same have begun and teacher’s resistance against it continues. Under the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), students will have the choice of studying at the university for the fourth year as well, irrespective of what number of students who opt for it, it will lay force on the existing resources. The varsity will have to be prepared to host students for one more year.

Professor Abha Habib, the Treasurer of DUTA said in a conversation with DU Beat,

“It is an insignificant demand, a long and due process is followed after sanctions from various committees and UGC. Instead of putting more load on the same University, more attention should be laid on state universities. Why should students be forced to move out of their states for education, premier institutes should be established within states or the existing ones should be improved. There is no scope for expansion in various colleges.”

Outstation students have to spend a lot on travel and stay for being in Delhi University. Costly PGs and barely cooked food are complementaries to the problems of staying outside your city or state. To understand such a plight DU Beat talked to a parent, Monika Sethi, mother of Ananya Sethi who is a second-year student.

“ Kids from tier-1 cities get to study in their own state but people from Uttar Pradesh and other states have to send their kids outside because of the dearth of opportunities here. The situation then becomes like there are two households to be taken care of including all the travel costs.”

Just to accommodate the growing number of students, the existing quality of education (which in itself consists of loads of unsolved problems) can’t be compromised. A lot of questions will have to be answered and a lot more issues to be resolved before the University can even think about the increment of seats.

Feature Image Source: Times Of India

Kashish Shivani

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Arts & Culture

Dear Freshers, This is Your Reality Check on DU Societies

By DU Beat September 30, 2021

With the rosy season of auditions going on, this is an introduction for freshers to the dark side of DU Societies.

As the audition season approaches, one could have seen the college areas buzzing with auditions. On the online campus, it’s a bit different; the society’s social media pages, which have been abandoned for long, now become the main agenda of society meetings. All of a sudden, reels are being posted, and you see clips of happy members of societies playing along, some on screens while some on the ground, and a Ritviz song playing in the background. The usual words that will be used in these videos are “family”, “creative community” and every adjective you can imagine for a bunch of happy undergrads. But are societies really this happy, or is it just the poster happiness to lure in freshers?

(Obviously, not all societies fall into this category, the main aim is to introduce freshers to the toxic side of DU societies.) A lot of societies are run by seniors who exercise control over all the functioning. At some colleges, administration or the teacher or convenor intervene, but at some, they don’t pay any heed. Some societies have also faced such extreme obstruction of administration that even their performances have been canceled, whereas the bullying by many societies goes unchecked due to no surveillance. (Societies should ideally lie between this tussle of control, where admin maintains minimum control but a required check, but hey, we are in DU!)

A hierarchy is maintained among all the members to maintain ‘discipline’. But this setup often leads to toxicity as seniors in positions of responsibility take undue advantage of their power. The societies that should act as communities housing creative talent become a powerhouse of trashy politics and toxicity, where bullying and ragging houses.

Recently, such a situation came to light during the auditions of Finance Investment Cell of Hansraj College, about which a first-year student said,

During our Finance Investment Cell interviews, the core team members made us dance against our will, I felt uncomfortable but since I wanted to get into the soc, I had to go with the flow. Later on, they were boasting about the fact that they made us do squats, dance, and sing in the interviews during our induction meeting.”

First Years who are already ridden with anxiety get pushed underneath the wish of being in the cool circles of college and fail to report such behaviors, and the cycle of toxicity continues. Another student from a dance society shared their experience in a conversation with DU Beat.

This certain level of hierarchy restricts our freedom as an artist and as a person. The role of unions should be to represent the members of the society and to guide us, but it feels like someone has given them authority and they just want to show it off.”

Even in the online mode, several students have suffered terrible things at the hands of societies. With the second batch moving into the online campus, we need to configure our thinking accordingly. If the cultural front of the university keeps on reeking privilege and toxicity, the development of the individual would be a far-gone concept here. It’s high time proper redressal forums (talking about Cultural Secretaries) work in every college to respond to all grievances and dismantle these toxic hierarchies.

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Kashish Shivani

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Humour – But The Cost?

By Anwesh Banerjee September 15, 2021

On the occasion of Teacher’s Day here is looking at one of the most loved scenes of comedy, from one of the most beloved comedies of our times and asking if we realise the cost of the humour we so amply glorify.

It was genuinely all fun and games.

Every time people, peers, and elders, would sit down to discuss 3 Idiots, the film, invariably the Teacher’s Day speech would come up. Look at how Rancho so smartly explains his point to Raju. Did you see how Chatur was put in place? Serves him right. Love watching Virus being put in his place, it’s such fun!

Growing up around people who revered the now cult classic as a rip-roaring comedy on the farcical nature of our education system and parental expectations from children, aspects of the film ever hardly struck me as odd. Until recently while speaking to one of my high-school teachers I was pleasantly taken aback to hear,

I have no respect for a film that makes such comedy out of a public humiliation of teachers and that too by making them the butt end of rape jokes. It is obscene and crude.

Here was a man, a teacher at that, who disliked what is arguably one of the most impactful and successful films of recent years. Not because it spoke about herd mentality, and emphasised excellence over success, but because of the way it treated it’s teachers in the process of proving a point.

Of course not all teachers deserve to be worshipped on altars. Some are mean, insensitive and just bad at their job. But is it okay to make an entire nation laugh by making your professor the butt end of rape jokes? Think about it.

The scene in question serves a dual purpose in the narrative of the film. It is to explain to Raju the importance of excellence and enjoying your curriculum as opposed to rote learning the same. But at the same time it is yet another widely lauded vilification of the figure of the nerd, who is close to his professors, knows nothing but studying, is socially awkward and of course is the butt end of bullying and abuse. And in the context of the film, this very same stooge of the professor becomes the instrument by which the cool students get back at the professors they hate so much.

My argument is simple. In no way am I endorsing a cut-throat competitive world or a teaching persona who believes your life is of no worth unless you pursue engineering or medicine. My problem is simple and different. How can we, as a society come together to hate b laughing at them and making them the butt end of rape jokes? The perpetrators of the crime literally go on to celebrate the victory of the same in the next scene and by the end of the film are hailed as heroes. The nerd is the one who is made to appear in poor light.

Humour is tricky business. Comedy is purposely designed to critique societal norms and the establishment but if the core purpose of comedy is to relieve through laughter then isn’t it important to question where that humour or laughter is coming from? Really think about it. Sexual harassment and abuse in academia is a widespread problem across the world. Horror stories of students, male and female, being abused by professors and teachers galore. We all have that one friend who confided in us about that one evening, in one empty tuition class, when the teacher they revered for so long transgressed from all acceptable social norms.

Another, easily overlooked aspect of the scene in question is the use of language as a tool of oppression. The student in question, Chatur, grew up in Pondicherry and Uganda and speaks, quite unconvincingly, broken hindi. How is it alright to use this as an excuse to vilify him and the teachers he so deeply adores? As a student of a university as large as Delhi University, every day I see students from distant parts of the country, struggling to convey the most basic of questions. Why? They do not know Hindi and their English is not perfect. But they still try. And even as they try and helplessly request people to not speak in hindi, there are people in abundance who think it fun to reply to their questions in hindi just for the sake of a few laughs. It is 2021 and yet linguistic chauvinism is a tool of abuse in the student community.

In the post-MeToo scenario, films, especially cult classics like the one in question, need to be recognised for their casual humouring of abuse. As an outcast nerd myself, I do not know how long it will take for society to actually come around to stop vilifying us. But that is a different issue altogether. But what we can start off, as students, is to recognise these instances of trivialisation of deeply troubling issues such as abuse in educational spaces. Our teachers are not without their faults and by god we are part of a deeply fundamentally flawed education system. But really our teachers and by large our students deserve better representation than this.

Now that I think, is it really all fun and games?

Anwesh Banerjee

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Breaking Down the DU Aesthetic

By Naina Priyadarshi August 25, 2021

The tote bags, the kurtas, the jhumkas, the sandals, the Sarojini of it all!

Diversity is possibly the primary thing that counts as a niche when it comes to DU. While it is claimed proudly, the inherent urge of wanting to belong and recognize another as one of your own has quite conveniently led to one of the most diverse and heterogeneous institutions developing its own separate, sense of style.

Beginning with the one that has aesthetic pages in a universal chokehold, the tote bag. While, in my own humble opinion, backpacks are more convenient, tote bags have gained popularity by targeting the need to be seen as individuals. Instead of a generic-looking backpack of primary colors and zips, tote bags can be customized to reflect your politics, your interests, or your favorite Taylor Swift lyric. (Also, for us introverts, isn’t it convenient to have something to hold?)

This arm accessory, which goes well with everything, is frequently paired with a kurta. It can be simplistic or bold, plain or intricate, and not expensive. From Sarojini to Lajpat, shops abound in every color and design you can think of, all for a low price (lower still, if you know how to haggle).

And of course, no good outfit is complete until it is complemented by the right footwear. Flip-flops, sandals, and sports shoes are the most prevalent kinds on any varsity, and with good reason. People often underestimate just how much of college life is essentially just walking. And as much as I’d like to show up in fabulous boots, just the idea of having to endure that pain that excruciating is enough to make me reconsider. Style loses yet another battleground to comfort and sandals reign as the supremely preferred and situationally appropriate choice of shoes.

Once your basics are good to go, in comes jewelry. Rings, bangles, oxidized jhumkas, the works. Just pop on one (or all) before leaving your house and you will have succeeded in guising yourself as a DU student.

And despite all these, the best part of the DU aesthetic is its affordability. Of course, you’re free to turn up in your Louis Vuitton but know that Sarojini is going to the showstopper. While money doesn’t dim entirely here (or anywhere), any judgement you might get from strangers in the corridors does not exist.

It’s impressive how the massive student body has found a style in which they can all come together and exist as one, while also retaining their individual identities and celebrating them as often as they can.

Naina Priyadarshi Mishra

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DU Colleges to Start New Certificate Courses

By DU Beat August 12, 2021

Adding to the existing plethora of certificate courses, a few DU colleges have started new certificate courses at lower fees on topics ranging from Food Technology to Legal Literacy.

Some DU colleges have started a few new certificate courses on topics like Food Technology, Legal Literacy and Science Writing at a lower fee. Aimed at arming the students with the required knowledge, these new certificate courses cost less fee with the hope that this would attract more students towards these courses.

The Chemistry Department of Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi has started the industry-oriented, add-on course entitled “Food Science and Technology: From Farm to Fork”. With classes to be held on Saturdays and Sundays, the course is scheduled from 14th August to 9th November.

Sri Venkateswara College is the first college to start this type of course at Delhi University. Although few colleges of the DU have been offering B.Sc. or B.Tech. courses on basic Food Science but this course is entirely different as it is mainly focussing on industry requirements and new technologies employed there.
This course and training sessions lined up to blend well with the industry needs and thus guarantee to produce learned, well-informed, and efficient Food Science & Technology professionals to suit and complement role-specific responsibilities.

In this course, the industry professionals, eminent scientists, and Food technology experts across the country and even outside the country will do interactive sessions with the students to provide up-to-date information and training required to sustain and grow in the Food industry.

Today, with the growing challenges of climate change, global warming, disappearing natural resources, and the recent pandemic, the Food Processing Industry is still recognized as a dynamic and sunrise industry. Therefore, this niche course offers a unique blend of subjects that empowers the students with professional competence and expertise not only in food processing, packaging, food engineering but also hands-on training in various Food Technologies required in the Industry. So, I feel that this course adds an advantage to your BSc degree course of basic sciences with an essence of professional and applied course tag that garnishes your CV to make a career in the industry as well as in research.

Dr. Shikha Gulati, Convenor & Course Coordinator, Food Science and Technology.

Costing at Rupees 2500, the course is open to any student studying in courses of the science stream and e-certificates would be provided to students upon completion of the course.

Food technology is a sought-after and useful course internationally. Such professionals are required in the food processing, beverages and packaged food industries and wine companies. This course on FST will provide an opportunity to the students to learn various aspects of food processing, food preservation and packaging, food analysis etc. This would also enlighten the students with vast application in industries at international level, related to packaged food, nutrition supplements, beverages, bakery, confectionery and wine etc. Students would be getting exposure of all kinds of technologies including nano technology used in the food industries. An industry visit will also be organised if situation permits.

Dr. Sanjay Batra, Head of Department of Chemistry, Sri Venkateswara College.

Daulat Ram College is starting an add-on course called ‘Legal Literacy, Awareness and Aid’. In collaboration with the Delhi Legal Services Authority, the course will be in online mode in the academic year 2021-22 and the following academic year, the diploma course will be conducted offline. The registration process started on August 10 and will continue till September 10 and the minimum eligibility criteria are senior secondary pass.

The aim is to educate learners from different disciplines and backgrounds, specifically from the non-law field, about the theoretical and practical aspects of the legal framework.

Savita Roy, Principal of Daulat Ram College.

I was on the hunt for a good add on course since the first semester. I was really happy when I came to know the chemistry dept SVC is offering one of FST. It is a field I’m very much interested in and I’m hoping for a fun and productive learning experience. The course structure and timings also look comfortable as it is on Saturdays and holidays only.

Bharath Harikumar, a student attending one of these add on courses.

A certificate course on introduction to forensic sciences is already being conducted by the Hansraj College, for which the classes are being conducted on weekends. In addition to this, the college has also started another certificate course on science writing and communication. This particular course aims to enable students with the required skills for report creation and discrete writing on topics of medicine, science and technology.

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Feature Image Credits: The Economic Times

Harish Neela Lingam B

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Abvp to Hoist National Flag at 1 Lakh Places; Plans to Form Committees to Aid Implementation of NEP

By DU Beat August 10, 2021

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) issued a press release Monday. The release outlines its plans for the country’s 75th anniversary of independence, as well as its own 75th anniversary in 2022-23. Education sector related issues and the formation of committees to aid in the implementation of the NEP were also discussed.

In a press release dated 9th August 2021, student organisation Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) announced its plan to hoist the National Flag at 1,28,335 locations across the country on 15th August 2021- India’s Independence Day. They have also planned to work on internships, Tiranga marches, social media campaigns, short films on forgotten warriors, and so on.

Sidharth Yadav, the National Media Convenor of ABVP, said “We plan to engage the entire young community with the celebration. In Delhi, we are hoisting at 647 bastis. A big number of students from DU have volunteered and the experience they are getting while visiting these bastis is already heart-warming. I am sure that we will be successful in taking the celebration to the last man in the line and also develop a perspective amongst University students.”
Bharat Sharma, ABVP’s Delhi Media Convenor, added “until now, flag hoisting has largely been a government ritual. We intend on taking it to the masses.”

Furthermore, the organisation has decided to form a committee in each state. This committee would make recommendations to the governments, administrations, and universities for ensuring timely implementation of the National Education Policy.

The organisation is also celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022-23. In light of the celebration, the ABVP has decided to take on large-scale campaigns. A one-day National Executive Council meeting was held on August 1, 2021, in Bhopal via a virtual and physical medium. In this meeting, the organisation passed two resolutions and an appeal.

The first resolution referred to the problems in the education sector during the Covid-19 period. They have also demanded a solution from the Central and State Governments. The second resolution discussed the country’s current situation and called for action. The council has decided to expand the ‘Parishad Ki Paathshala’ activity nationwide. They have also decided to establish the ‘Ritumati’ campaign for women’s health and empowerment as an amplitude across the country.

Feature Image Credits: Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad

Sandhini Goyal
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#PrideForAll Or Not?

By DU Beat July 12, 2021

Three years since the decriminalisation of Section 377, and the Indian Queer community continues to be on the receiving end of prejudice and discrimination. But with compulsory heterosexuality being guzzled down everyone’s throat, and the archaic patrolling of the borders of sexuality and gender identity, are we really surprised?

TW: mention of suicide, homophobia, conversion therapy

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an Indian family deep in the trenches of society, will forever be plagued by the longstanding preoccupation of “log kya kahenge?” Miss Austen’s wordy prose aside, you would have to be an extremely lucky individual if you have somehow managed to escape this cultural obsession with propriety. It is hard to escape, impossible even for some.

And yet for others, it is an obsession that is oftentimes deadly. Last year, a queer woman from Kerala died of suicide after being forcefully subjected to conversion therapy. Two years before that, a lesbian couple died of suicide after being shunned by the world for their love. “We are leaving this world to live with each other. The world did not allow us to stay together,” is what their last words were, courtesy of a note that they left.

Social movements in India, like the feminist movement, have to a larger extent, been able to establish some legitimacy amongst the Indian public because of collective pressure on political authorities by these groups.

In comparison, the queer movement has struggled to gain the same form of legitimacy in society. A lesser number of people are willing to advocate for queer concerns or publicly identify as queer and advocate for queer activism. And in most cases, we can safely attribute this silence to the Indian social attitude towards sexuality and gender identity. This rigorous and despotic policing of the borders of “normal sexuality” means that fears of many kinds are commonplace in the lives of people under the rubric of queer. This, coupled with intersectionality, makes the lives of many queer people cramped with fear and shame, reflective of societal sentiments.

“Talk more about it!” or “Be vocal about your problems!” It is easy to ask people to advocate more outrageously about their issues when your own head isn’t on the chopping board. And when talks of queerness in the conventional Indian setup are centred around pathological and criminological perspectives- around conversion therapies and social isolation- with what right would we dare ask the queer community to self-identify?

How can we blame them, when parents value their social standing in a stunted and backward society more than their children’s happiness?

Perhaps I am merely parroting what you have already read in hundreds of articles. Or perhaps this might lead to a belated cognizance within many. But your allyship to the queer community

means nothing when it is practised only in a safe space. Your threads about queer subtext in Indian mythology are useless unless you’re willing to take them beyond your Twitterverse. This society is more brutal than what we perceive, discussing issues at large while sitting at the dinner table with people who think the same as us. What’s the use? They already know. It’s time to move past them.

Shreya Juyal

[email protected]

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Scholarships Offered by DU: All That You Need To Know About

By DU Beat July 11, 2021

The University of Delhi (DU) witnesses a diversified plethora of students from different parts of the country seeking admission each year; for the thirst for educational opportunities and exposure to the dimmed lights of the capital city. Apart from their cultural divergence, they also belong to different sections of the society with finance having an upper hand over all the attributes. Therefore, in order to ensure equal participation, ease out the stress of financial burden, and recognise student welfare, the administration provides scholarships to all students with adherence to certain conditions.

Here are some scholarships granted by the University for its undergraduate students:

Dr. V.K.R.V. Rao Endowment Book-Grant:

This scholarship is provided to a student who has secured a place in any college under DU and belongs to the family of a Class IV or Class III employee of the University. They must be in the first year of their three-year undergraduate course. A sum of Rs. 100 is provided for each month for a duration of one year and is renewable if the performance of the student is satisfactory.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/21082014_UG_1.pdf

Sh. Prem Prakash Award:

The financial aid is a one-time grant called the “Sh. Prem Prakash Award” worth Rs. 3,500/ – payable at the start of the year. The awardee is chosen on the basis of merit from amidst the offsprings of Class-IV workers of the University. The awardee must be admitted into the 1st year of any college under the varsity. If no suitable candidate is found from the Class-IV families, then the students from the Class-III families will be taken into consideration. Students who are already availing the benefits of other grants from the University, from other University, private body, state or central government will not be eligible for the aforementioned award.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/Sh.%20Prem%20Prakash%20Award.pdf

The Delhi University & College Karmachari Union Book- Grant:

There will be two grants by the name of ‘Delhi University & College Karmachari Union’ (DUCKU) worth Rs. 250 per month for a period of one year. Applicants should hail from the families of the non-teaching staff of the University of Delhi (DU) and must be enrolled in the first year of the three-year undergraduate course.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/21082014_UG_8.pdf

The Delhi State Co-operative Union Grant:

The allowance is known as ‘The Delhi State Co-operative Union Stipend’ and consists of an aid of Rs. 50 per month for a period of one year. However, it can be renewed as well on the basis of the performance of the awardee. This stipend is handed over to those students who are the off-springs or dependent brothers of non-commissioned defence force personnel resident of the Union Territory of Delhi. Choices will be favoured towards the son of a Jawan who was either killed or incapacitated during action in or after 1965.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/21082014_UG_9.pdf

Pt. Man Mohan Nath Dhar Book- Grant:

The Pandit Man Mohan Dhar endowment scholarship offers a monthly stipend of Rs. 100 for a period of one year. It is awarded to deserving and needy students who are pursuing their undergraduate/postgraduate classes from the University of Delhi and whose family income doesn’t exceed the amount from which it starts attracting income tax.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/21082014_UG_11.pdf

Sardar Kartar Singh Grover Memorial Book- Grant:

The scholarship is worth Rs.350/ – per month which will be normally viable for an academic year from 1st August of a year to 30th April of the following year (Nine Months); extendable to the following scholarly year.The Scholarship will be granted to an understudy of Computer Science courses, BCA or B.Sc. (H) who gets best grades in the First Year Annual Examination of the BCA – B.Sc. (H) course. If two students are found to have the same marks, then the awardee is decided on the basis of the rank secured in the entrance if given/ Class 12 result if the admission was merit-based.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/Sardar-Kartar-Singh-Grover-Memorial-Merit-Scholarship_new.pdf

Ganga Sant Book- Grant:

The awardee of this scholarship will be granted an amount of Rs. 175/month for a period of three years which is renewable yearly on the basis of performance of the awardee. To avail this scholarship, a student must be enrolled in BA. Hons( Sanskrit) and must be in dire need of financial assistance. If no such students are found in the above mentioned course, the scholarship will be passed to B.A. Hons( Mathematics). In case, no student is found, the scholarship will be passed to any other course, taking in regards the financial condition of the student. Students availing other scholarships or financial assistance from any other source shall not be eligible for the same.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/Ganga-Sant.pdf

Puran Chand Khatri Book- Grant:

This scholarship facilitates the educational journey of first year students hailing from Khatri families with an amount of Rs. 40/month for a period of one year. The scholarship is awarded on the basis of merit, of the class 12 examination conducted by Central Board of Secondary Examination or any other examination recognised as equivalent to the same.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/Puran-Chand.pdf

Delhi University Women Association Book- Grant:

Two awardees will be chosen every year for a financial aid of Rs. 100 per month for a period of three years. The continuation of the same depends on the performance of the student. Daughters of Jawans who are meritorious and in need of financial assistance are given preference. Students availing other scholarships or financial assistance from any other source shall not be eligible for the same.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/09092015_DUWA_Scholarship.pdf

Smt. Kesra Bai Luthra Book- Grant:

Under this scholarship, the awardee will receive an amount of ?100 a month for a period of 3 years which is renewable every year on the basis of performance of the awardee. The students pursuing B.Sc. (Hons) course in Botany or Zoology and must possess the characteristics of merit along with the need of financial assistance. If a student is availing any other scholarship, then they will.not be able to receive this scholarship. If the scholar has failed to make satisfactory progress or is found to be guilty of gross misconduct, the individual after due warning will be reported to the principal of the college, who may withdraw their scholarship.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/06092017_Keshra.pdf

Prof. J.C. Luthra & Smt. Kesra Bai Luthra Book- Grant:

The scholarship provides the opportunity with a financial aid of ?100/month for a period of 3 years which is renewable at the end of each year on the basis of the acceptable performance of the awardee. The student must pass class 12 examination or an examination equivalent to the same and preferably must not be below high to class. The student must be enrolled in BSc.(Hons) course in Botany,.Zoology, Physics or Chemistry. They must be meritorious enough and must be in need of financial assistance in order to pursue their higher studies. Once scholarship shall be awarded to the student offering the above-mentioned disciplines as the main subject in such a manner that 50% of the recipients shall be women candidates. The same criterias for ineligibility including the holding of any other scholarship from any source is applicable here as well.

Satish Batra Memorial Book- Grant:

With a financial aid of Rs.300 per month for a period of three years, the Satish Batra Scholarship is awarded to a needy student who have passed their class 12 examination and are in their first year of B.A.(Hons)/ B.A. (Pass) in Urdu from the University. The continuation of the same depends on the academic performance of the awardee.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/satish-batra.pdf

Dr. S.L. Haro & Smt. V. Hora Endowment Book- Grant:

The awardee of this scholarship will be granted an amount of Rs. 100 month for a period of three years which is renewable yearly on the basis of performance of the awardee. To avail this scholarship, a student must be enrolled in B.Sc (Hons) in Zoology course and must be in dire need of financial assistance. Students availing other scholarships or financial assistance from any other source shall not be eligible for the same.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/S-L-Hora.pdf

Shri Khushi Ram Book- Grant:

Three awardees with merit and in need of financial assistance will be chosen every year for a financial aid of Rs. 100 per month for a period of three years. The continuation of the same depends on the performance of the student. The awardees must be enrolled in the first year of Bachelor’s degree under the Faculties of Arts, Social Sciences, Science, Mathematics, Music & Art. Students availing other scholarships or financial assistance from any other source shall not be eligible for the same.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/08012021_UG14.pdf

Shubo Chander Aimya Banerjee Book- Grant:

This scholarship is provided to two deserving and needy students who are pursuing their undergraduate classes from the University of Delhi and whose family income doesn’t exceed the amount from which it starts attracting income tax. They must be in the first year of their three-year undergraduate course. A sum of Rs. 50 is provided for each month for a duration of one year and is renewable if the performance of the student is satisfactory. The awardees must be enrolled in the first year of Bachelor’s degree under the Faculties of Arts, Social Sciences, Science, Mathematics, Music & Art.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/08012021_SubodhChand18.pdf

Shri Ram Lubhaya Book- Grant:

Under this scholarship for blind individuals, the awardee will receive an amount of ?100 a month for a period of one year which is renewable every year on the basis of performance of the awardee. The student must be in the 1st year of their undergraduate course after acquiring admission to the University on merit basis. Students availing other scholarships or financial assistance from any other source shall not be eligible for the same.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/01092018_sh-ram-lubhaya.pdf

Shri Moti Lal Kaul Aima Memorial Book- Grant:

This financial aid for blind students is worth Rs. 150 per month for a period of three years. The awardee must be admitted into the 1st year of any college under the varsity under the courses of B.A. (Hons.)/ B. Sc. (Hons.)/ B.Com (Hons.) Students who are already availing the benefits of other grants from the University, from other University, private body, state or central government will not be eligible for the aforementioned award.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/01092018_sh-motilal_kaul.pdf

Vijender Sharmila Chopra Book- Grant:

The Vijender Sharmila Chopra scholarship offers a monthly stipend of Rs. 100 for a period of three years. It is offered to the blind student who was successful in securing the highest marks in Class 12 examinations and enrolls themselves in B. Sc./ B.Com/ B.A. Vocational Studies (Hons.) or Pass Course under DU.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/01092018_vijendra-sharmila-chopra.pdf

Postgraduate Scholarships:

Here are two of the scholarships offered by DU for its postgraduate students:

Delhi University & All India Postgraduate Scholarship:

A total number of 20 students will be awarded with the above scholarship which consists of an aid of Rs. 400 per month. The candidates must have passed their undergraduate education from a recognized Indian university with a first class. Students availing other scholarships or financial assistance from any other source shall not be eligible for the same.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/21082014_PG_1.pdf

His Holiness The Pope Scholarship:

This scholarship was given by His Holiness The Pope during his visit to India in 1964 and is available for post-graduate students. It consists of an amount of Rs. 150 per month for the students in need of financial aid and whose parents’ income including his/her own income does not exceed the amount from which it starts attracting income tax. The scholarship is tenable for one year and can be renewed for the second year if the performance of the student is satisfactory.

Link to the PDF: http://www.du.ac.in/uploads/scholarships/21082014_PG_2.pdf

For more information, kindly visit the official DU website.

It has been ages since these scholarships were announced. With the changing times, there should have been an increase in the amount of scholarships as well.

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Featured Image Credits: Ulearning

Himasweeta Sarma

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