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Life of a Professor

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We all talk about the problems and difficulties in the lives of students, but we always forget to mention the difficulties that professors face.

The job of a teacher is considered as a fixed-time job by many. A lot of students talk about how a professor just has to come, speak for an hour, deliver lectures, and go back and enjoy the rest of the day. But the real question is that, is their job as easy as it is thought to be? The answer to this question comes in many forms. 

Becoming a professor is not just a day-job that can be turned off after working hours. It changes the way of life, as it changes the way one acts, and you cannot truly turn your academic brain off. Their job is not just restricted to the classroom. It is taken to their home as well. For instance, writing assignments is the work of students, but correcting them and offering ways for becoming better is the work of the teacher. Correcting assignments of 50 students is not done in a single day. If a student takes an hour to write a test, the professor will also need some time to read and correct it. It is a result of hours of hard work.

The work of a professor is also not limited to delivering lectures. It forms a much wider perspective. Once you become a teacher and are responsible for a bunch of students, you are not responsible just for their academics, but also their overall growth. Where the right or a positive professor can lead to the rise of a student, the negative one can lead to their fall. Everything a teacher does has the power to influence the students.

Bharati Jagannathan, a permanent faculty at Miranda House said, “The job of a professor is easier in comparison to other private corporate jobs as they have to work for longer shifts. However, there are other difficulties in our lives. It depends on what we are looking at. For instance, teaching the same paper over years is not difficult as we just need to brush up our knowledge. But taking a new paper increases the difficulty. We need to spend hours in college where we do not even have our personal space. The people in the administrative department have their cubicles, but we are required to share the same room with other professors. The work is also not confined to just college, as we need to prepare for our lectures, read and check assignments every day.”

Mridul Megha, an ad-hoc professor said, “Being a teacher is not easy, but it is exciting. Moreover, being an ad-hoc professor is a little difficult because the fear that we will have to sit for interviews again in the next semester and we might or might not get the job is always there at the back of our mind. As a result of this, we are also not able to associate ourselves with a single college.”

She further adds, “The notion that teaching is time-constrained is not very true. Teaching is a profession that is not restricted to just college. We need to prepare daily for our lectures and if we have 4 lectures then it is like preparing for 4 tests every day. We need to keep updating ourselves and that is not easy. In most of the other professions, the work stays confined to the workplace itself but as a teacher, we have to dedicate around 2-3 hours at home every day to reading.”

Balancing work, family, life, and self is demanding at times. Professional life is time-consuming and challenging. Thus, it can be said that the life of a professor is not easy. Just like every other professional, they have a hundred things to deal with, and they have a bigger responsibility of building the character of a student as well.

Feature Image Credits: DUB Archives 

Priya Chauhan

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ABVP Announces List of Shortlisted DUSU Candidates

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On Friday, 30th August 2019, the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) shortlisted seven candidates out of their previous ten, who would be contesting for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) polls.
On Friday, ABVP released the list of seven shortlisted candidates, out of their previous ten, who would be contesting in the DUSU 2019 elections.
These candidates are Tushar Dedha, Yogit Rathi, Akshit Dahiya, Pradeep, Tanwar, Shivangi Kharaab, Jaideep Maan, and Mansi Chauhan.
The ABVP also declared the composition of its Election Committee on Saturday, 31st August 2019. The Election Committee is headed by the State President of ABVP, Delhi Unit, Dr. Avneesh Mittal. The other members include National Executive Member of ABVP- Dr Manu Sharma Kataria, State Organising Secretary-Anand Srivastava, National Media Convener – Monika Chaudhary, State Secretary- Sidharth Yadav, Former DUSU President Shakti
Singh, and Central Working Committee Member- Abhishek Verma. ”

This committee will now start having meetings, and discuss about the candidates, how their performance is going on in the University, their background, and personality of the candidates- content generation and how they’re speaking (and) addressing the students, what content they are putting in front (of the students) and on the basis of these parameters, our Election Committee will decide who will be our four candidates,” Monika Chaudhary, the National Media Convener of ABVP and a member of the Election Committee reported to DU Beat.

The party generated talks with last year’s elected President, Ankiv Baisoya being found to have had a fake degree, landing the party, as well as DUSU in hot waters. “Actually, we are not having a very, like particular system of how to check out the degrees of the students, and last year also, we gave (a) ticket to Ankiv Baisoya for the simple reason that Ankiv Baisoya was enrolled in the University and that time he was having admission in University in the Buddhist (Studies) department, and his nomination also got cleared, so we had no clue that the past degree would be fake. This time also, we have checked the background of the students, their degrees, but we are not having a very authentic system that we would have gone into other universities and (checked) their background. We have a simple system (in which) we check their backgrounds and previous degrees from Delhi University, and if they are a student of Delhi University, they’re genuine for us,” Monika Chaudhary commented.

Ashutosh Singh, ABVP’s State Media in-Charge commented, “Toh iss time hum log aur hamari Election Committee, saare candidates ki saari information ki acche se scrutiny kar rahe hai… Ankiv Baisoya ki cheez hamare dhyaan mein hai. [This time, the Election Committee is scrutinising all the
information regarding the candidates properly; we’re keeping Ankiv Baisoya’s incident in mind.]
ABVP’s Election Committee will be declaring the final candidates for the DUSU elections on 5th September 2019.

Feature Image Credits: Janam TV
Shreya Juyal
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Admissions 2018

Historians and Authors Condemn VD Savarkar’s Legacy at Public Meeting

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A host of student organisations invited various academicians for a ‘public talk’ on the legacies of Bhagat Singh and VD Savarkar on 28th August.

The controversy about the busts of VD Savarkar, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Bhagat Singh – which were installed, and then removed from the University campus – might have subsided, but the ideological clash still seems to be alive.

Various student parties and collectives – like Parivartankami Chhatra Sangathan (Pachhas), All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch (BSCEM), Pinjra Tod, Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), and others – held a public talk titled ‘Bhagat Singh Ya Savarkar: Tay Karo Kis Ore Ho Tum (Bhagat Singh or Sarvarkar, decide which side you are on)’. Eminent historian S. Irfan Habib, author, former DU professors Shamsul Islam and Madhu Prasad, and Jagmohan Singh, author and nephew of Bhagat Singh, were present as guest speakers at the event, which was marked by sloganeering, songs and condemnation of Savarkar’s ideology and actions.

“Sacrilege to club all three together”

Mr. Habib, whose work has been instrumental in transforming the perception about Bhagat Singh – from one limited to just a martyr to one of a revolutionary thinker – pointed out the different style of politics practised by Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose on the one hand, and VD Savarkar on the other. He said that while Savarkar’s supporters can push him independently, it was a sacrilege to club all three together.

Responding to the claims of many supporters of Savarkar that Bhagat Singh had praised his work, Mr. Habib said that while this was true, Bhagat Singh’s approbation was limited only to a few lines about Savarkar’s book on the revolt of 1857, and not about the latter’s political thought.

“Angrezon ka dalal”

The author of over half a dozen books on Savarkar, Golwalkar, Hindu nationalism, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS), Dr. Shamsul Islam seemed especially scathing in his critique of the father of the Hindutva thought. Keeping a bunch of documents and papers handy with himself as evidence, Dr. Islam went over the mercy petitions that Savarkar had sent to the British officials while being imprisoned in the Cellular Jail in Port Blair.

He further said that Savarkar had sabotaged the Quit India Movement and helped the British by training “thousands of Hindus to join the British army,” while the Hindu Mahasabha had formed coalition government with the Muslim League in four provinces. He repeatedly made an appeal for state-funded publication of all of Savarkar’s writings and them being made compulsory readings in schools and colleges; the purpose behind this, as he highlighted, was that it would lead to a supposed exposé of Hindutva organisations. “Don’t install Savarkar’s bust, publish his writings,” was his call.

The other two speakers, Mr. Singh and Ms. Prasad also contrasted the life and legacies of Savarkar and Bhagat Singh. The former said that Bhagat Singh wanted to bring Inquilab in people’s lives, while calling for usage of the complete slogan “Samrajyavad murdabad, inquilab zindabad.” Ms. Singh urged the audience to stop using the title “Veer” for Savarkar. “Ye kaayar they aur hain (they were and are cowards)” she said.

One-way traffic?

Despite the eminence of the speakers present at the event, the public meeting seemed to speak in one tone: a unanimous condemnation of Savarkar. At one level, that state of affairs can be understood; the organisers of the public meet do not subscribe to Savarkar’s ideology. Just like an event organised by supporters of Savarkar might be expected to be in his favour, one organised by critics would raise their voice against him. But would it have been a better, more educational experience to organise a debate with representatives of both sides instead?

When we posed this question to Deepak Gupta of Pachhas, one of the main organisers of the event, he replied, “Aapko aisa lagta hai ki jo debate ki jagah maar-peet karte hain wo aise program ko hone denge? (Do you think those who prefer violence over debate will let such a program happen?)”

A similar sentiment was voiced by Dr. Islam, “Wo aayenge nahi (they won’t come)”, he said, while alleging that Hindutva organisations and their supporters hide their original documents whilst he keeps publishing them.

Feature Image credits: Prateek Pankaj for DU Beat

Prateek Pankaj
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DUB Speak

JOMO v/s FOMO

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In this happening world, it is quite impossible to catch up with everything and we end up missing on something or the other. The feeling of joy or fear of missing out on something is what decides if you have JOMO or FOMO. 

In the world of social media, keeping up with all the latest happenings, attending social events and parties forms a part of the list of things that we’re supposed to do. You open Instagram once and see people vacationing or partying and feel sad about the fact that you are working or studying. This is where FOMO starts. Going out, meeting new people, making friends and learning new things brings happiness to some people. However, there are a set of people who feel better to not connect with people and miss out on social events and at the same time feel good about it. Knowing about the fact that somewhere someone is having a good time but not being impacted by it is what the opposite of FOMO called JOMO stands for.

There are a number of people around us who face both JOMO and FOMO. The two terms are an antithesis to each other. While JOMO is all about disconnecting, opting out and being okay with where you are, FOMO is the fear of missing out on something that others are a part of. Feeling sad about the fact that your friends are having fun at a party that you aren’t invited to makes up for FOMO. In contrast to this, JOMO refers to understanding ourselves and choosing what we want to do or not do. 

Aatreyee Tamuly, a second-year student of Miranda House feels that the whole trend of FOMO started with the coming up of social media. She further adds, “Every second person now seems to be suffering from FOMO which leads to sadness or even depression. Even now there might be one person on your social media enjoying and this will make you doubt what you are currently doing.” However, she feels like she suffers from both FOMO and JOMO at different times. She adds, “I have severe FOMO when friends make plans without me but I have JOMO on missing on to some family functions and other events.”

Priyanshi Singh said, “I have FOMO when there is some BTS concert going on”. Another student of Miranda House, Dhritee Bordoloi also feels that she suffers from both the syndromes and it completely depends on the situation. She said, “I have FOMO when there are get-togethers and I am not invited. In college as a first-year kid seeing people go out and have fun made me feel left out and lonely. However, I feel JOMO when I have had a tiring week and want to spend some time with myself. In such a situation, no matter what a lit life others are having, I am relieved to be in my own room spending time alone.”

FOMO and JOMO are concepts that differ from person to person. Being college goers, it is very common to suffer from FOMO. However, FOMO is a syndrome which can have worse outcomes while JOMO can help you lead a happy life. Being in your own comfortable space and feeling good about it is the mantra to a happy life. There are a number of reasons for embracing JOMO. Spending our free time consumed by the drama of social media leads to a lack of time for other activities. Getting away from FOMO and moving towards JOMO will get you more time for carrying out productive tasks.  

Saving up on money is, of course, the main reason for embracing JOMO. While FOMO can leave you in debt, JOMO can help you save up for anything that you wanted to buy. Being free from unwanted commitments and online addictions also mean more space and time for spontaneous acts and unplanned moments. Another important benefit of JOMO is that it allows you to experience life at its fullest. It helps us slow down and know ourselves better.

We’ve got one life and we can’t spend it with the fear of missing something. 

As Naina in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani said, “Life mei jitna bhi try karo, kuch na kuch to chootega hi. Isliye jahan hain, wahan ka hi maza lete hai. (No matter how hard we try; we can’t explore everything. So it’s better to enjoy where we are, what we do and appreciate what we have.)”

It is better to be joyful and choose real connections rather than shallow distractions. 

Feature Image Credits: Wonder How to

Priya Chauhan

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Impact of the Syllabus Controversy on the English Department

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The English Department of the University of Delhi (DU) continues to be negatively affected by the Syllabus Controversy. 

The Executive Council of DU has approved the syllabus for English for the first semester, but this approved syllabus continues to be a mystery for not only the students, but also the professors. In fact, even the Head of the English Department, Professor Raj Kumar has not been made privy to the new syllabus. This continued delay with regard to the syllabus has now moved beyond ideological and ethical debates, and has started to negatively impact the students, causing mass worry and frustration across the University campuses. 

In most colleges, professors have started to teach the first-year students the old syllabus, but they are not sure about whether what they are teaching the first-year students is going to be relevant to them with respect to the upcoming examinations. Priyanshi Banerjee, a first-year student of English at Lady Shri Ram College, said, “No one seems to know anything about the new syllabus and this is causing a lot of problems for us first-years. Examinations are not going to get postponed, but considering the current slow pace of studies I don’t know how we are going to manage to complete our course work.”

Students are not even able to procure the books being taught currently because the bookstores in the college campuses are not stocking them, because of a lack of clarity with respect to the prescribed texts. Shyla Sharma, another first-year student of the English Department, said, “All of us are very anxious. It is very odd for us to see other department’s students going about their course work when we don’t even know what our syllabus is. Even the professors seem upset and lost, and this is causing a lot of confusion. We don’t even have all of our books yet, as we have been told not to buy them. I hope the syllabus is soon released.”

In spite of the mass tension, an academic debate in the midst of the syllabus controversy continues to flourish. Royina Chhabra, a first-year student of the English Department, said, “Restrictions are being put on our academic freedom. We should have a right to study what we want to, especially our history and culture irrespective of whether it is good or bad. How else are we supposed to learn and think for ourselves? This entire controversy is taking a huge toll on our education.” Many students also seem to be specifically upset about the negative debate with respect to the exclusion of the Queer Literature Paper. A first-year student of the English Department, who wanted to remain anonymous, said, “Queerness is a part of our lives. Section 377 no longer criminalises homosexuality, so why is our education system doing so? In fact, I believe that it is the responsibility of our education system to educate people about queerness because most people in India aren’t aware of, or comfortable about it. The fact that our new syllabus is probably going to be politically motivated and authoritarian in nature highly antagonises me.”

The Syllabus Controversy began when right-wing organisations like the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) objected to the English Department for including certain study material relating to caste and gender in the new syllabus. Specifically speaking, they had an issue with the story Manibein alias Bibijaan in which the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bajrang Dal are portrayed negatively, with respect to the 2002 Gujarat riots, and the inclusion of the depiction of Hindu deities in queer literature by taking references from texts like Bhagvath Puran, Sankar Puran, and Shiv Puran. Counter-protests for academic freedom by organisations like the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Students’ Association (AISA), Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), and Pinjra Tod soon followed, leading to ideological and educational confrontations. This controversy has led to the syllabuses of many subjects not being released, even though the new academic year has already started. 

Feature Image Credits: Sriya Rane for DU Beat

Juhi Bhargava

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Women in Sports, Finish Last

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What are the different connotations that sports hold for us? Have its horizons expanded to accepting women, and how successful is it now?

29th August is celebrated as the National Sports Day, dedicated to the sportspersons and their hard work. It is a day to commemorate their contributions towards playing for our country and winning laurels. But, in reality, it is a day to celebrate popular sportsmen like Virat Kohli, with huge cults around them and few popular sports like cricket, which have a massive viewer-base. With a few days still left to this important day, why not realign our horizons and shift our focus?

PV Sindhu, Dutee Chand, Mithali Raj, Deepika Kumari, Tanlai Narzary, the Phogat sisters – over the past few years, Indian sportswomen have created a name and distinct space for themselves. However, the recognition from people still seems to be a far-fetched dream. But movies like Dangal and Mary Kom haved helped in garnering traction to and some attention towards their struggles. With these films, not only did they gain more recognition, but it also tackled the ideas of social stigma attached to women in sports.

Recently, there was a celebratory parade for the four-time Women’s World Cup Champions in the United States of America. This event is significant given that, not just in our country, but all over the world, women’s sporting events are disregarded. The idea behind this attitude often stems from the belief that their performance is not at par with those of the sportspersons in men’s sporting events. The only focus, if given at all, is upon their clothes and their outburst. 

Tennis, which is one of the only sporting places where women are seen as equals, also tends to gain attention only when Serena Williams displays her anger. What this normal emotion of rage is linked to is the idea of how women are ‘too emotional’. Women are represented in the light of being too sensitive in magazines and news pieces. What we do not realise is that this discrimination in terms of behaviour, pay, and popularity only pushes women to the background. 

The problems extend further to the lack of funding and even basic training conditions. Stories of sportspersons having to sell their medals to earn money, because they are not provided with anything, have become commonplace. Many talented sportswomen are not trained in the first place, due to the many obstacles that lie ahead.

Female products-oriented companies will now sponsor their events, in the big leagues, more companies now want to be front-of-shirt sponsors. India’s Dutee Chand opened up about her sexuality as a queer person recently, and fought the backlash she received from her village, in order to make a more inclusive environment for others like her. Megan Rapinoe has also come out with her partner, Sue Bird. These mark historic steps for our country and the way sportswomen demand respect. 

In a country like India, ideas of equality cannot be implemented immediately because of how our society thinks. But movies become an important access point to normalise this. The film, Chak De India, recently completed twelve years since its release. Despite being a decade old, its plot and issues remain relevant. It deals with women not being allowed to play sports, women’s teams being deprioritised, being considered at an inferior status from the men’s team, among other issues.

What has opened up today is a dialogue. Newspapers talking about the starkly different salaries for Kohli and Mithali Raj, advertisements campaigns trying to spread awareness – there are some of the things contributing to it. This dialogue may have just begun, but it could soon lead to equality among sportspersons of all genders. Maybe soon, people will stick to their televisions for a Women’s Cricket World Cup tournament, as they did for the one played by men.

Feature Image Credits: India Today

Shivani Dadhwal

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Delhi HC Asks DU to not be “Harsh” on Student Leaders

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With the demise of India’s former Finance minister, Shri Arun Jaitley on 23rd August, 2019 and the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections around the corner, the Delhi High Court has asked the University of Delhi (DU) not be “too harsh” on student leaders since they have the potential to become the leaders of the country in future.

As reported by NDTV, while addressing a grievance of defacement of public property during 2017 DUSU elections, the High Court stated that the country gets great leaders from student leaders and the University authorities should not be too harsh on them for their activities during Students’ Union elections.

In a status report presented to the bench previously, a list of 15 students was rolled out who had been involved in the activities destruction of both public and private properties by spray paints and other means of causing defacement.

The bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar said, in an apparent reference to Jaitley, “Don’t be too harsh on them. Don’t put ban on everything. From student leaders, we sometime get great leaders for the country. You know the examples; you must have seen it yesterday,”

The bench also said that civil and criminal action would be initiated as per the law if anyone is found involved in damaging either public or private properties. It also asked that the Centre, the University and the police ensure that all the guidelines are followed and adhered to during this year’s election process. The message of having a wide publicity to be given to penal actions if anyone was found defacing public property was also given out.

The High Court had earlier said prevention of defacement of property during student body polls in the DU was more important than taking action against candidates after they indulge in such activity. It had also suggested putting in place deterrents like disqualification of candidates to prevent defacement of property during the student body polls.

It is thus, hoped that this election season for the DU rolls out peacefully without damage to any person or property and leaders of our future find their way into the government through their political journeys in DU.

Feature Image Credits: Rishabh Gogoi for DU Beat

With Inputs from NDTV

Amrashree Mishra

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Arts & Culture

‘Cata Doxa’: in Appreciation of the Cats and Dogs of DU

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From the poised, purring cats of Miranda House to the tail-wagging, sunny dogs of Jesus and Mary College, the collective adoption of campus cats and dogs by college students evokes pawfuls of pure joy.

Canteen specialties, daunting cut-offs, the area undergoing eternal construction and the inconspicuous niches (that allegedly only you and your clique know about) are some things that lend to the identity of a college. But, perhaps, the most aw-inducing of these peculiarities that characterize the day-to-day life in a college is the stray animals that are no longer stray and have found a dwelling in the campuses of different University of Delhi (DU) Colleges.

Along with the haggling auto-vala bhaiyas, hassling security-vala bhaiya, the forgiving canteen staff, and the red-bricked buildings, these animals become a permanent fixture for our colleges. The poised and dignified cats of Miranda House have been chronicled generously over the years and have been immortalized as an essential part of the institution.

The dogs who roll over for impromptu coddling and banish the woes of a morning lecture, and the cats who’s snarky yet validating meow adds a spring to your step, are appreciated by all. Across colleges, students adopt the initiative to care for these beings and instate them as campus pets.

Take the instance of Harman Mangat, a second-year B.A (Honours) English student from Jesus and Mary College (JMC), who started the Instagram page, ‘dogsofjmc’. The page conceived at the beginning of the year hosts about a hundred posts featuring the campus dogs; Draupadi, Leo, Shakuntala and her newly-born pups, accompanied by quirky captions and meme layouts. The account has amassed over two hundred followers with its wholesome content.

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Image Credits- Harman Mangat, Jesus and Mary College (dogsofjmc on Instagram) Image Caption- The campus dogs of Jesus and Mary College in their natural element

The campus dogs of Jesus and Mary College in their natural element  Image Credits- Harman Mangat, Jesus and Mary College (dogsofjmc on Instagram)

She also took up the billet, along with a couple of her friends, to look after the dogs. “When I first met the campus dogs, I was taken by their cuteness and wanted everybody to adore them. I also felt the fervent need to protect them, come hell or high water,” said Harman. The dogs are quite independent and are provided with water in terracotta pots and boiled food by the college students. The earthen dishes are regularly washed to avoid the growth of algae or bacteria. A house was made out of a cardboard carton but was demolished immediately, upon completion by the canines, an enamored Harman added.

To provide regularity and structure to the fostering of JMC dogs as well as to pacify the college administration, Vanee Singh, a third-year B.A. Programme student, came up with the noble idea of ‘JMCanines’. The initiative, still in its nascence, possesses long term objectives that include getting the puppies vaccinated, the female dogs neutered and establishing a fixed feeding schedule. Vanee hopes on the solidarity and compassion of the students to further this endeavor.

Feature Image Credits– Harman Mangat, Jesus and Mary College (dogsofjmc on Instagram)

Prisha Saxena

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Savarkar Bust Controversy Grows: Protests, Detentions, and Removal

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The controversy behind the installation of the busts of VD Savarkar, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Bhagat Singh in North Campus escalated with protests, detentions and ultimate removal of the statues.

In a press release by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) today, the student outfit said that the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) removed the busts of VD Savarkar, Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose, which had been installed earlier this week, from the University premises.

It also said that the University administration has given assurance to the ABVP and the DUSU that after the students’ union elections – scheduled for 12th September – the busts will be re-installed as per the necessary procedure. According to the DUSU’s own admission, the busts had initially been installed overnight of their own will, as the administration had allegedly not responded to their requests for months.

Even though the ABVP is currently in power in the Union, the party had maintained that “the busts should be installed in the University of Delhi campus only with the permission of the Delhi University Administration and other concerned authorities.”
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Before the removal of the busts, however, there had been demonstrations and protests by parties opposed to the ABVP. A signature campaign was held Friday by various student organisations, such as Parivartankami Chhatra Sangathan (Pachhas), Pinjra Tod Collective, Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and others. Sources told us that during the proceedings, the police took action and detained two Pachhas members: Deepak Gupta and Manish Gautam.

A statement made by Pachhas alleged that the police took the biodata of both detainees, who were also told that they would be charged under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code. The statement then alleged that Deepak Gupta was taken into a separate room, where he was not allowed to sit and not given water. Mr Gupta also alleged that the police tried to “personally attack and humiliate me verbally.” Gupta’s father was allegedly called by the cops, however owing to “bad signal” the call could not be completed. “In a half-hour interrogation, the police tried to intimidate me just because we were peacefully protesting against Savarkar,” the statement further read.

The statement further alleged that during the interrogation, two members of the ABVP, who had been detained for some matter, came into the room. “The strict demeanour of the cops disappeared,” it said. It was also alleged that while Gupta had been made to stand for half an hour, the ABVP members were offered chairs to sit. The statement said that the protests meanwhile kept going at the Arts Faculty Gate. Following the “continued pressure, both members were released after three and a half hours.” However, Gupta says that while the police told them that they were being charged with Section 188, Gautam and he were not given any information about it as they had not received any calls regarding this yet.”

Speaking to DU Beat, Siddarth Yadav, State Secretary, ABVP Delhi, denied the veracity of this chain of proceedings. “It is a good story but none of it is true,” he said. However, he did not respond on time to our further questions regarding what the correct account of proceedings in his view was.

A statement released by ABVP said that the party “demands stringent legal action against those involved from the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) in insulting our freedom fighters” – in response to the NSUI Delhi President Akshay Lakra blackening the bust of Savarkar around 2-2:30 a.m. on 22nd August. “Student organisations associated with left ideology, CYSS and NSUI have stooped down to a very low level and have given a major blow to the culture of debate and discussion prevalent in the university,” it read, saying that the said organisations were “insulting freedom fighters to meet their trivial political interests.”

Akshay Lakra also released a statement which said: “NSUI never wanted to create any hooliganism or nuisance in the campus but we won’t tolerate infiltration of any type of fake nationalism.” He alleged that the “ABVP tried to divert the attention of students of [their] unsuccessful DUSU 2018 tenure including Ankiv Baisoya’s fake degree… this whole statue incident was an attempt to polarise and change the discourse of DUSU elections.”

 

Image Credits –  Pachhas

 

Prateek Pankaj

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Memes on Kashmir: How Much is Too Much?

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The abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A has invited a series of memes on social media which are downright insensitive and distasteful. Here’s analysing how much humor is too much, or is it really humour?

Ever since the Articles 370 and 35A have been abrogated, this piece of news has become a hot subject of discussions and debates in canteens, dinner tables, and possibly every social media platform. 

The decision taken on 5th August, which strips Jammu and Kashmir of the special status granted to it decades back, and bifurcates the state into two Union Territories has invited mixed response from the people around the country, as some call the decision a historic step towards unification of the country and an attempt to resolve the long ongoing Kashmir issue, while others find it unconstitutional and a violation of rights of Kashmiris. 

As different opinions and responses found their way to social media, so did the memes. Meme culture in the last couple of years has taken social media by the storm, and it is here to stay. 

For every recent happening in the country and beyond, there are memes to lighten up the mood and give a humorous angle to the situation. Thus, it was only obvious to expect memes flooding our timelines after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, and they did.

While a lot of memes were decent enough to be shrugged away after a laugh, there were double the ones that were really problematic and made us question- how much is too much?

Image Source: Twitter
Image Source: Twitter

From people going to buy land in Kashmir to showing their desire to marry “beautiful” and “white” Kashmiri girls, the memes turned insensitive to the people of Kashmir whom the decision impacted in the first place. 

“The memes on Kashmiri girls and land are not helping or creating humour out of this situation. It is only alienating the people of that area furthermore. It is creating a very stifling environment,” said a student from Jammu and Kashmir. 

These meme-makers and sharers turned Kashmir into a mere plot of land which they can now buy and girls from Kashmir as a mere commodity they think they supposedly have rights over. The complete lack of empathy from their end reflected their deeply embedded patriarchy and opportunism.

While it’s completely okay to take sides in a decision and celebrate where one feels necessary, it’s not okay to derive sick and problematic humor at the cost of respect and dignity of the people who are still coming to terms with the change in their lives, and are very much the part of your own nation.

Memes on Kashmir
Image Caption: Deccan Chronicle

 

Section 144 was imposed on Jammu and Kashmir on the night of 5th August to prevent any threat to security. While Ladakh and some parts of Jammu and Kashmir have started gaining their connectivity to the world back, several districts of Kashmir are still without internet connection. The meme-makers were/are making these distasteful jokes on people who didn’t have access to read and comment upon them. 

It’s extremely saddening to imagine a situation where our people from Kashmir will find these insensitive memes, welcoming them as they log in after days. 

“When the sentiments are so charged and atmosphere is apparently full of fear and distrust. Is it really helping the situation if you make the people of that land unwanted instead of being welcomed?” said one student. 

“The environment feels very occupationist. The way memes are being made on women and land. Trivializing the matter like that makes it seem like everyone cares not about the people But the land and girls,” added another. 

Humour is meant to convert a serious situation into something light to make people see something funny and positive in every situation. But, under this veil of “it’s just a joke”, can we conveniently forget the context sitting on our privileged positions? 

Is it okay to defend every insensitive remark as a joke without paying any heed to how the subjects of your memes will possibly feel amidst the tense situation?

It’s important for these people making careless remarks to register that the place and people they are joking about, thoughtlessly have been living a life of acute distress for over seven decades now. Sounds of bullets and witnessing dead bodies are normal of the lives of these people. Generations after generations, all they pray each day is for one more peaceful day to survive. While you and I live our lives joyously because of our privilege of being born into a state where constant terror attacks don’t haunt our lives, the Kashmiris are under a constant threat. 

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It’s okay to celebrate the decision. It’s okay to put forward your opposition. Any debate is healthy to democracy. But what’s certainly not okay is to make our fellow countrymen feel like a commodity and their homeland, property or plot of land. 

It becomes imperative for us as people who “actually” love the heaven that Kashmir is and the people who reside in the valley, to be thoughtful and sensitive of their emotions and make them feel the sense of belonging to the country and fellow citizens. 

In our haste to earn a few likes and comments, let’s not forget that humanity trumps everything. 

Feature Image Credits: Twitter

Shreya Agrawal

[email protected]

 

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