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Gandhi Bhawan

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The Gandhian ideals of self-reliance and the search for individuality in education are embodied in a lesser-known institution of DU, known as the Gandhi Bhawan located in North Campus. Read to know more about this unexplored marvel.
Clad in the stench of the colonial past, of this country the Indian education system has been relying on a westernised version of its national reality for as long as one hundred years now. We study Louis Fischer and rely on Rachel Bespaloff to garner high marks in examinations. In times of our own articulately accepted and violently detested identity crisis as a nation, the University of Delhi (DU) took the foundation of Gandhi Bhawan under its esteemed wing and embarked forth, on a long journey, of understanding and living by the principles of the man and the the ‘institution’ who contributed to find something we can call our own.
The Gandhi Bhawan, located at the Chhatra Marg in North Campus, is a centre that dedicates its efforts and resources to studying the words and
works of the Father of the Nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Yoga and meditation training programmes that are organised at the Bhawan for
varying durations become poignant in the fast-paced lifestyles we are used to today. With participants from across the borders and experts like Dr. Surakshit Goswami, Shri Gopal Krishan, Dr. M.L.  Chawla, and many others have been present to provide their perspectives and skills on disciplines like Yoga.
Not only is the emphasis laid on grooming individuals through meditative means, but the Bhawan also highlights the importance of breaking from the private to march into the public. Swachhata Pakhwadas have been conducted in the year 2017, bringing the management committees, the Municipal Corporation, and the students to the streets in solidarity to clean the campus. During the cleanliness drives, they illuminate the general public on the integral nature of sanitation and hygiene.
The mention of Gandhi may have varied, troubling, and even triggering connotations on our critical mindsets, but there are dimensions to the character of the man who unified a nation through certain shared ideals. One such ideal was of self-reliance that our own ministers bank on for votes time and again, but it is the course in Charkha spinning at Gandhi Bhawan that brings selfhood home. Inaugurated on 11th October 2017, the course is taught by Ms. Sita Bimbrahw, a retired Hindi professor from Kamala Nehru College.
Gandhi Bhawan periodically organises summer camps, seminars, and competitions. Various branches of Gandhi Study Circle also prefer this
venue for hosting their events. Whenever the hustle and bustle of North Campus get too much, you can stop by the quaint library of Gandhi Bhavan. More often than not, you will find some reading sessions going on which are delightful to attend.
Spinning Selfhood
The foundation of Gandhi Bhawan was laid by the late Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru in 1956.
Feature Image Credit: Akarsh Mathur for DU Beat
Anushree Joshi

Many students and teachers marked their presence outside Gandhi Bhavan in the North Campus on Thursday to put forward their complaints and grievances. Delhi University Vice Chancellor, Dinesh Singh, organised a public meeting in the midst of protests by students and teachers against rejection of 32 applications for special chance and evaluation system.

Grievances of students and teachers were heard by the VC and Singh also promised to resolve attendance-related issues of a batch of students from Dyal Singh College who, after being allowed to write three semester exams, were suddenly detained from writing the fourth due to lack of attendance. He also heard another student who was detained from writing her law exam for lack of attendance due to pregnancy

Later DUSU brought the protest to the door of Gandhi Bhawan. “Vice-Chancellor haihai,” said a group of students holding black flags. After about half-an-hour of negotiations between the students and the Proctor, the Students Union’s office-bearers were allowed inside. Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) President Arun Hooda argued why they were not informed about the durbar and why they needed to fight to get inside and participate in durbar.

The Union also questioned the decision of denial of special chance to students which allows them to take exams they earlier could not during the time of their graduation due to any emergency, in reply to which Mr. Sigh said that special chance placed a tremendous amount of pressure on the exam branch. He also added that  such a provision could be allowed again if the students could give him in writing that they will have no objections to the results of those currently studying in DU being delayed because of special chance. Singh’s team explained that the provision was withdrawn to give “relief to exam branch”. To accommodate re-testing of students who took admission years ago the university has to dig up years-old syllabus, set question papers and then find people to evaluate them accordingly.

Anger burst out after Academic Council’s standing committee rejected all 25 cases of “special chances” which the Delhi High Court earlier this week had recommended to the panel to be “reconsidered”. The Vice Chancellor later assured that the 25 cases were rejected in their present form as the documents were insufficient and will be reconsidered later.

VC called this meeting a bit of success and said that “this is not a one-off public discussion, but will be happening every Thursday whenever I am in the city.” He further added that everybody was welcome and no prior appointment was needed.

However Saikat Ghosh, a DUTA member said, “Having a cup of tea with us will not make everything alright, we will soften our stand only if he is genuinely interested in sensitively addressing our concerns”.

Image source: The Hindu

Sakshi Gupta
[email protected]

Many students and teachers marked their presence outside Gandhi Bhavan in the North Campus on Thursday to put forward their complaints and grievances. Delhi University Vice Chancellor, Dinesh Singh, organised a public meeting in the midst of protests by students and teachers against rejection of 32 applications for special chance and evaluation system. Grievances of students and teachers were heard by the VC and Singh also promised to resolve attendance-related issues of a batch of students from Dyal Singh College who, after being allowed to write three semester exams, were suddenly detained from writing the fourth due to lack of attendance. He also heard another student who was detained from writing her law exam for lack of attendance due to pregnancy Later DUSU brought the protest to the door of Gandhi Bhawan. “Vice-Chancellor haihai,” said a group of students holding black flags. After about half-an-hour of negotiations between the students and the Proctor, the Students Union’s office-bearers were allowed inside. Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) President Arun Hooda argued why they were not informed about the durbar and why they needed to fight to get inside and participate in durbar. The Union also questioned the decision of denial of special chance to students which allows them to take exams they earlier could not during the time of their graduation due to any emergency, in reply to which Mr. Sigh said that special chance placed a tremendous amount of pressure on the exam branch. He also added that  such a provision could be allowed again if the students could give him in writing that they will have no objections to the results of those currently studying in DU being delayed because of special chance. Singh’s team explained that the provision was withdrawn to give “relief to exam branch”. To accommodate re-testing of students who took admission years ago the university has to dig up years-old syllabus, set question papers and then find people to evaluate them accordingly. Anger burst out after Academic Council’s standing committee rejected all 25 cases of “special chances” which the Delhi High Court earlier this week had recommended to the panel to be “reconsidered”. The Vice Chancellor later assured that the 25 cases were rejected in their present form as the documents were insufficient and will be reconsidered later. VC called this meeting a bit of success and said that “this is not a one-off public discussion, but will be happening every Thursday whenever I am in the city.” He further added that everybody was welcome and no prior appointment was needed. However Saikat Ghosh, a DUTA member said, “Having a cup of tea with us will not make everything alright, we will soften our stand only if he is genuinely interested in sensitively addressing our concerns”. Image source: The Hindu Sakshi Gupta [email protected]]]>