After weeks of protests being organised at Hindu College due to the availability and facilities of the girls hostel, the Delhi Commission for Women has sought UGC’s response.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued fresh summons to the University Grants Commission (UGC), for the latter failed to respond to the earlier ones, say the members of the DCW. On the issue of the girls’ hostel of Hindu College, the DWC stood alongside the students who were protesting day and night. They sought a reply from the former as to there was a Rs. 30,000 difference in the fees of the girls’ and the boys’ hostel. This move was adopted after the panel had repeatedly written to the UGC seeking answers regarding the discriminatory hostel fee for the University as a whole, but they were not obliged with a response.
Protests have been circumventing the College for the past few days. They started with the students having foundational demands like reduction of fees for the girls’ hostel, similar curfew timings and rules in comparison to the boys’ hostel, the formation of a Student Council for them (like the one that exists in the boys’ Hostel) for facilitating communication between the administration and the students. The umbrella goal for these gatherings was to lobby for a clearly chalked out transparent admission process, where allotment of seats in the hostel would be made according to a cut-off list while maintaining the reserved seats for different categories.
The Commission also complained of many colleges within the University not having hostel for girls, making it even more difficult for them to come to Delhi and receive education. The girls who do come here are forced to live as paying guests in accommodations provided by private individuals who charge them exorbitantly.
The student protestors, apart from demanding equality in terms of rules and fees, also demanded an explanation as to why, after such long 117 years of the existence of the college, the authorities realised that girls also study here and they do need a roof under which they can stay. It is alarming that the realisation of the necessity of accommodation dawned upon them after decades, and yet the provision offered remains unaffordable to more than half of the population of this country.
Enactus, the global non-profit community which seeks to inspire action, has transformed communities in more than thirty-six countries with the help of visionary minds. Emphasising on the monumental impact of entrepreneurial action, the Enactus community has been working towards manifesting an independent world by generating employability through its unique projects. Colleges under the University of Delhi have established their presence through relentless efforts and have emerged successful in catering to the plethora of social issues plaguing thousands of lives. Here is a compilation of the events, projects, and achievements of the prominent Enactus societies of the University of Delhi.
Enactus Ramjas
The Ramjas chapter of this social venture commenced in 2011 and has successfully catered to three models of business since its inception. These include the Enactus Store, Project Bawarchi, and Project Transcreation. Enactus Store is an online platform which specifically caters to the products and services of Enactus teams all around the country. Project Transcreations seeks to help the transgender community to sustain their lives through providing them with entrepreneurial avenues such as cab driving, jewellery making, etc. They have also launched their very own beauty parlour in Saket solely run by transgenders. Project Bawarchi is a canteen exclusively being run by victims of drug and substance abuse near North Campus and is accompanied by food carts and tiffin delivery. The society has also conducted myriad events to serve the community this year. Under the umbrella of its Project Transcreations, Enactus Ramjas organised a transgender fashion show along with an LGBT pride march. It also conducted the biggest Enactus Festival in February of this year and saw a successful participation. Semi-finalists of Enactus Nationals 2016, the society has carried out more than 30 sensitisation campaigns related to drug abuse since the launch of the project.
Enactus Hindu
Conceptualised in 2014, Enactus Hindu launched its Project Veerangana in this academic session. The social endeavour aims to propagate safety ideals for all by transforming young, unemployed women into self-defence instructors. The previous social campaigns of the society include Project Shreshth and Project Oorja. Their pilot project, Shresth, transformed a group of financially dependent women from the Badli Industrial Area, Rohini into self-sufficient entrepreneurs who manufacture and market incense sticks under the brand name ‘Aanchal Aggarbatis’. Project Oorja strives to preserve environmental balance by providing clean solar lighting solutions to tackle the menace of rising carbon footprints. Under its current project, the society introduced a campaign titled ‘Be A Veerangana,’ and witnessed two months of intensive offline and online promotions, encouraging women to share instances of harassment and breaking the taboo around crimes. At Mecca 2017, the annual cultural festival of Hindu College, their team conducted ‘Road to Safety,’ a unique? simulation of the streets of Delhi, with the objective of raising awareness about simple safety measures which can come in handy in our day-to-day lives. The animal community was also served with its ‘Warmth for Paws’ initiative to provide clothes to street dogs with sweaters made from discarded woollens in the bitter cold months of December and January.
Enactus Khalsa
One of the youngest members of the Enactus community, the Khalsa chapter of the non-profit endeavour germinated in August of last year. While their pilot project is currently under development, they successfully organised an awareness campaign within the college. Titled #LetsMakeGodTalk, the students of the college were induced to deliberate upon the social sphere. On Daan Utsav, the society also organised a visit to a girls’ shelter home and spent a day there with the kids playing games and interacting with them.
Enactus Ramjas College
Enactus Hindu College
Enactus SGTB Khalsa College
Enactus Miranda House
An active member of the social community, Enactus Miranda House has been the launching pad of four successful initiatives since its inception in 2011. Namely Project Zaffran, Project Jazba, Project Tarang, and Project Daryaft, the society aims to boost the issues of financial dependency amongst the women community, strengthening the standing of acid-attack survivors, developing environmentally complementing products, and enhancing the tourism sector, respectively. This year, the society organised a seminar – ‘Astitva’ in relation to Project Jazba, along with a seminar with Mr. Vikramjit Singh Rooprai on the occasion of Heritage Day under Project Daryaft. The annual festival of Enactus Miranda House – Impressa 2017, was organised with the theme ‘Breaking Stereotypes,’ and witnessed events such as open mics and movie screenings. In addition to organising a waste collection drive, the society has also conceptualised an internship programme ranging from the Campus Ambassador Program to Synergy, the Winter Internship Program to propagate ideals of entrepreneurship and initiative.
Enactus SRCC
Perhaps the oldest member of the Enactus community, Enactus SRCC has been doing pertinent projects for a decade now. Some of their recent projects are as follows. Project Life On Wheels facilitates micro-credit for rickshaw pullers by enabling them to own their rickshaws. Project Aahaar is an initiative to rehabilitate underprivileged women by providing them with culinary training. Project Azmat was an endeavour to liberate manual scavengers by providing them with a sustainable source of livelihood through a development of a micro-enterprise and to facilitate construction of proper toilet systems. Project Sattva was an initiative to bring efficiency in India’s dairy sector by the rearing of high yielding cattle and value addition to milk through a mutually beneficial relationship. Project Asbah aimed at providing clean drinking water to rural households through the development and marketing of clay-based water filters produced by a community of potters. With projects like these, Enactus SRCC secured the second runners-up position at the Enactus Nationals 2016. They have received the prestigious KPMG grant and Walmart grant in recognition of the progress made by their projects.
Enactus Shaheed Bhagat Singh College
Since its formation in 2014, Enactus SBSC has come a long way with three socially relevant and inspiring initiatives. Their first project, Project Karva aimed at the upliftment of women. Under Project Roshni, visually impaired people were taught how to make candles as an attempt to become independent as well as self-sustaining. Inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, they conceptualised their third project, Project Aahar, which seeks to provide affordable as well as hygienic food to people in need. Other than the projects, two fundraising campaigns were conducted this year. From 5th-7th October 2016, Campaign Umeed took place where members sold bookmarks and notebooks made by the specially challenged children of Deepalaya School. On the 109th birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh under Campaign Anghaar, candles made by the visually impaired to the students of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College were sold. Campaign Sparsh addressed the women residing at Anand Parbat and introduced them to NGO GOONJ’s ‘My Pad’ – a kit that contains undergarments, sanitary pads, and a manual on menstrual health. They also addressed the issue of child sexual abuse as it is one of the major evils surrounding Anand Parbat through organising interactive activities for the children and showing videos that demonstrated the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching.
Enactus Miranda House
Enactus SRCC
Enactus SBSC
Enactus Maitreyi College
Established in 2014, Enactus Maitreyi is currently working in collaboration with the National Coalition of People Living with HIV on their third project – Project Samya. True to its name, Project Samya aims at bringing equality to women affected with HIV who are evidently socially excluded and are often forced to quit their jobs. Enactus Maitreyi’s first project, Unnayan, helped the women of Mayur Vihar to make and market a liquid dishwasher, ‘Clean Ninja’ for them to become self-reliant. They launched their second project, Swadhin in 2016, with the aim of helping the physically impaired community by equipping them with entrepreneurial skills. This year the society started its own plantation drive. Other than this, Enactus Maitreyi purchased stationery items for the specially-abled students of Anukriti School, with its own funds by keeping aside INR 2 from the sale of every product. To raise funds, Enactus Maitreyi launched a fundraising campaign called,#IDidMyBit, which was conducted over a period of 2 months. A photo booth in Connaught Place was also created to raise money.
Enactus Sri Venkateswara College
Conceived in 2015, Enactus Sri Venkateswara College has been appreciated for its innovation and uniqueness of projects. The society has successfully churned out three projects, namely Project Captain Compost, Project Aushadhi, and Project CiggB. Project Captain Compost aims to provide a solution to the garbage menace in the city while uplifting the social and economic status of ragpickers at the same time, and Project Aushadhi merged the two issues of homelessness and medicinal waste. Winner of the Blue Dart Grant worth INR 40,000, the society launched Project CiggB this year which focuses on the disposal and recycle of used cigarette butts. To establish a communal outreach, they organised stalls in the fests of Hindu College, Indraprastha College for Women, Kamala Nehru College among others, along with stalls and exhibitions under ‘Heartist,’ where they provided a platform for street artists to showcase their skills and sell their products. In association with ‘People for Animals’ and Enactus SRCC, Enactus SVC also set up a winter cloth collection drive in December 2016. They have also collaborated with ‘Parivartan’, the social service society of Sri Venkateswara College for interaction and skill development of slum children and organised a special event for them to celebrate Children’s Day.
Enactus Hans Raj
A cognizant member of the Enactus community, Hansraj College’s Enactus has been running four projects since its commencement in 2011. Project Lekhni has been successful in helping five women from Jhandewalan to rise from the status of victims to the masters of their lives, Project Boond seeks to solve the problem of clean drinking water for the underprivileged masses by providing them with low-cost water purifiers that run without electricity, and Project Mithaas is an endeavour aimed towards providing a stable source of income to farmers in India by encouraging them to adopt beekeeping as a practice. Enactus HRC conceptualised Project Aaangan this year to provide day-care facilities to working women of lower income strata. Winner of the Best Project for showcasing the spirit of VEER at Enactus Nationals 2016, Enactus HRC has, in addition, conducted a donation drive for Project Aangan. Aashayein’16 was an initiative for the kids of an NGO Navjyoti to help them experience the dream they wished to live. It was a small drive by Enactus Hans Raj to fulfill wishes and spark a fire in them by overcoming challenges.
Vivre – The Film and Photography Society of Hindu College was formed with the aim of bringing together students who share a love for photography and an eye for filmmaking. Every year Vivre organises SNAP – The annual Photography festival which is the biggest in DU with participation from various universities. Snap, now in its 7th edition, organises events such as workshops, talks, discussions and an exhibition is set up showcasing our best work along with the winning entries. This year Snap featured Asutosh Kashyap along with the members of People’s Instagram page India in Black! Snap was a 2 day event this year.
Day 1
The audience was mesmerised by the talks of Mr. Dinesh Khanna and Mr. Gulzar Sethi. It was not an ordinary interaction session, it was a session which enlightened our paths as young photographers. Gulzar Sethi’s team also accompanied him to Hindu College, and personally guided our society members. It was a cherishable experience for all of us. After the talk, BRC took the eminent photographers on a ride full of creativity and imagination. On that day BRC was capturing the essence of SNAP, and inside of it was a magical world of photograph entries from across the country. Mr. Dinesh Khanna judged the entries on the theme ‘colour’ and shared some dazzling techniques on how to play with given camera tools. Mr. Gulzar Sethi judged the competition themed ‘manipulation’. Later, both of them shared their views on the photographs shot by our society members and taught a better way of looking at the world from behind the lens. We wrapped up the day by capturing our blissful moments with Mr. Dinesh and Mr. Gulzar Sethi.
Day 2
At 6:00 am it started. Yes. With sleepy eyes, in nightwear and camera in hands, our society members along with the members of India In Black, were ready to capture one of the most captivating sights in Delhi – Chandni Chowk. It was a memorable experience for all of us. And back at Hindu College, at 10 am, BRC was casted upon, with the society members’ photographs. At 1:00 pm, the photography treasure hunt started and one could easily find people running from one side of the college to another. And then the highlight of the second day was the Boomerang competition, themed on the famous melody of Shape of You by Ed Sheeran. Contestants were given 20 minutes to make a Boomerang and we received amazing entries, some dedicated to social causes like body shaming.
We wrapped up the last day of SNAP with hopes of making the next edition more exciting and entertaining to the young hotographers.
Watch the incredible work of the society in this hyperlapse video here.
A few prestigious institutions under the University of Delhi, namely, St. Stephen’s College, Hindu College, Ramjas College, Shri Ram College of Commerce and colleges run by theDelhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, have expressed the desire of achieving a deemed university status. The proposals are at very initial stages, but if granted, these colleges will have the power to formulate their own rules and fee structures which will not adhere to the functioning of Delhi University.
The matter was raised in the governing body meeting of Hindu college, and it was declared that in later stages if a college wants a deemed university status, they must have an ‘A grade’ accreditation under NAAC for 3 consecutive years. A senior university official stated, “Few colleges like SRCC, Stephen’s, Ramjas, Hindu and the ones run by the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee want deemed university status. The Union Human Resource Development Ministry has also formulated some norms for providing more autonomy to colleges but deemed status will give them complete freedom of functioning on their own”. It has been speculated that if this status is granted to any of these colleges, they will not be bound by any of the rules and regulations of Delhi University, and thus there will be no need to seek sanctions from the University for any decision. Despite of all these proposals, it has also been speculated that the Student Unions of these colleges might oppose this move because the college will then have a liberty of deciding their own fee structure, and thus there might be a price hike in the fee which would make affordability a great reason of concern for many students.
St. Stephen’s College has already been in a tussle with the University of Delhi for the past couple of years regarding an autonomous status. Attempts to reach out to the Student Union of the college for their comments were unsuccessful.
In the wake of mass molestation at Bengaluru which sent shock waves around the nation, colleges in University of Delhi (DU) are going a step ahead by encouraging students to enroll for self-defence classes, and some are even imparting skill development training to empower.
Kirori Mal College (KMC) organised a 15 day long self-defence training camp for girls in collaboration with Delhi Police. “It’s difficult to change the sick mindset in our country. Women empowerment should be more than a slogan. Through this self-defence training, we will enable girls to defend themselves when in need” says Nikhil Agrawal, a third year student of the college. The program which is an initiative of SAHAS – Women Empowerment Cell of the NSS unit of the college started on January 9th.
Hindu College also started a self-defence and skill development program called Project Veerangana. An initiative of Enactus Hindu, the program imparts basic self-defence training for women and also helps them to turn their self-defence skills into a source of livelihood. “The objective of our project is not to just impart self-defence training to women but also help them become young entrepreneurs so that they can market their skills for a basic livelihood and teach more women how to be safe,” said Vishruti Jain, president of Enactus Hindu College. Under a three-tier process, the first 10 days saw a workshop conducted by the special police unit for women and children in association with Evergreen Public School. The self-defence workshop included 40 school students and 30 women from the slum area. After the training process, these women will in turn impart lessons to the other women under the supervision of colleges and schools. The program plans to impart lessons of entrepreneurship and communications to them, so that they can earn a livelihood by imparting these lessons in schools and colleges.
Satyawati College has also begun its self defence training program for girls which would be of 15 days beginning from 20th January. This initiative is being taken up by the NSS unit of the college in collaboration with Delhi Police Ashok Vihar police station. Rashi Nimi, the NSS vice president of Satyawati College says, “Crime is increasing day-by-day and so are the numbers of molestation cases. In such times, it is important that women be empowered in whatever way they can be. The students are very happy that such programs are being conducted, and if the response is good, we will organise it again.”
With growing cases of molestation in colleges and DU being a top choice of meritorious girls across the country, the colleges are serious towards ensuring safety of their students.
The Literary society of Hindu College organised a discussion on the pop icon’s win of the Nobel Prize and how it’ll affect the contours of literature and popular culture.
The ground of discussion was the contribution of Dylan in the Counter Culture movement in the US and how his music has had a universal appeal in prompting masses to sing the same lyrics in unison. Dylan’s non affiliation to any political organisation or party gave him the license to address the excesses of the American government, be it the arms race during the cold war or the civil rights movement.
The discussion also investigated the roots of poetry and the oral tradition and the connection between the two. Dylan’s penchant to create a mix of politically critical commentary with folk music was associated with traditional forms of poetry, which employ similar instruments.
In the wake of Belarusian journalist Svetlana Alexievich winning the prize in 2015 and Dylan following suit, the global community’s realisation to go beyond traditional definitions of literature was also discussed. Some participants also raised the fact that close to none of the popular authors have won the prize yet, making the Swedish Academy elitist in its definition of what constitutes literature. The prize given to Dylan ‘for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition’ was acknowledged by the singer – songwriter five days after the announcement, on his official website. But no sooner than the academy heaved a sigh of relief that Dylan removed the mention from his website. The mention read ‘winner of the Nobel prize in literature’. The participants also discussed the delay on the part of Dylan and his perceived unpleasant attitude.
That the prize was symbolic in the sense of giving boost to alternate forms of literature was acknowledged by the participants, who at the end of the discussion contemplated the future of the award and literature.
Featured Image Credits: The Literary Society, Hindu College
Founded by the students of the college, this organisation functions on the basic premise that human rights are not optional.
Although, the preamble of the Indian Constitution is based on human rights and there are many laws in place to protect the aforementioned rights, very less is done to preserve them. India has ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but there’s still a lot that needs to be done in terms of prevention, protection and preservation of human rights in the country. The Human Rights Chapter, Hindu College aims at doing exactly that.
The Human Rights Chapter, Hindu college.
This nascent organisation was founded by students of Hindu College, who abide by the maxim ‘Human rights aren’t optional.’ Staunch proponents of human rights and all its facets, its members seek to carry the baton of change, both by instilling awareness about these rights and fighting against breaches of the same. HRC, by being a vehicle of social awareness and change, aims to be the link between authorities, students and teachers. The chapter has aligned its agenda with the vision of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The organisation’s main focus is on promoting the right to education, which it believes to be the foundation of change.
One of its kind, HRC is committed to the foremost cause of ‘democracy:’ where everybody has a voice and the power to claim their rights. It seeks to incorporate the voices of the silenced and marginalised through the medium of film screenings, seminars, reading sessions and other such events. It ran a successful social media campaign called ‘8 Days of Activism’ which shared stories of eight inspirational human rights activists. From Arundhati Roy’s work in the field of democracy to Medha Patkar’s attempts to make development humanistic, from Ashok Row Kavi’s work for the LGBT community as the first openly ‘gay man of india’ to Kailash Satyarthi’s indomitable passion for children’s rights, the campaign instilled both inspiration and motivation to take a stand for human rights. HRC collaborated with the Bastar Solidarity Network and organised a movie screening along with a group discussion to acknowledge the war that the Indian state has been fighting against its own ‘second-class citizens.’
Movie screening by HRC in collab. with Bastar Solidarity Network
Despite being young, the organisation has garnered members from many colleges and different disciplines, establishing a strong grip over its area of work. The members stand united for human rights and against atrocities inflicted on the people.
Image credits: The Human Rights Chapter, Hindu College
Hindu College saw hundreds of students descending on their campus for a conversation with noted filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. Hindu College’s Symposium Society hosted Update Democracy in association with Polit, which is an upcoming national polling platform, in the Ibtida laws on their campus. The event, held without much branding or advertising, was organised as an informal conversation between the filmmaker, who is noted for his standout voice on issues which often go unaddressed, students from the university, and members from the Polit team.
Speaking to us before the event, a member from the Polit team explained the concept behind the polling platform and the urgent need for it in today’s world. The platform allows users to poll on any issue they want opinions on – from the Delhi government’s action against dengue and mosquito-related diseases, women’s issues to other global occurrences. What they claim sets them apart is the ability of the platform to also provide data on the demographics of who’s taking the polls. That provides clarity in the noise surrounding all issues – you not only get to know what people think about a particular issue, but also who forms the various sections who hold those particular opinions. They’re keen to involved the torch-bearers of contemporary India – the youth – to be more participative in important decisions and make their choices known, which was the rationale behind launching their platform at Hindu College to Delhi University students.
[caption id="attachment_44980" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Update Democracy at Hindu College[/caption]
Over the course of the event, Anurag and members from the Polit team talked to students about things as varied as censorship, finding the right career path, and stories from Anurag’s college days. Anurag sees potential in Polit as a research tool and as a platform that will give more perspective to the opinions society sees as ‘majority’ opinions. He spoke exclusively to DU Beat before the event (watch the interview) and said, “Right now, there’s a whole lot of chaos and a lot of noise and we don’t really know what people want. Who gets heard is decided by who’s the loudest – whoever can afford to create more noise, gets heard.” Anurag also reminisced his college days and recognised students as the most active participants of India’s democracy.
Photos by Prateek Singh for DU BeatShubham Kaushik[email protected](With inputs from Aditi Tiwari, Miranda House, University of Delhi)]]>
War cries can be heard amidst scores of people seated in the Hindu College auditorium. It’s the day of the Prime Ministerial Debate, a battleground among warring factions that sets the tone for the highly anticipated college elections a couple of days later. It’s a pleasant pandemonium. Each Member of Parliament, seated, or standing high in passion to congratulate or hit back at the contestants in the cult like rhythmic chants of the crowd, is engaged in rhetoric, enabling a process that also keeps the person next seat engaged, politically. In what might seem like a cacophonic environment characterised by sloganeering lies the political dispensation of Republic of Hindu College that every student here actively engages in.
Poetics doesn’t seem to shy away from the jam-packed auditorium for the right and the left sides support different candidates. The event, which is in its 5th year now is organised by the Symposium society of the college. It is a celebration of the parliamentary system that the college follows, a microcosm of the national level parliament.
The college parliament is a students’ representative body that has a Prime Minister with her cabinet, the leader of opposition, Speaker and the President. Members of Parliament are the students of the college who sustain the ethos of the system by coming out in large numbers to vote on the day of elections. The cabinet has ministers with individual responsibilities of Finance, Literature, Sports, Culture, etc. The Prime Minister, on her discretion elects the cabinet ministers. Even the Civil Services finds representationas secretaries actively work under various ministries.
With the beginning of the session, political activity in the multi-layered structure of varsity politics at DU is visible in the college, much in line with other colleges. In the run up to elections, bringing in various departments (smaller political bodies) and societies within the fold of a faction forms a major part of the political strategy. That identity politics keeps at an arms-length from the college’s political contest is evident from systematic bludgeoning of any attempts at giving the contest an identity based colour.
The Parliament is also responsible for allocating funds to various societies that run in the college. Part of the agenda is focused on enabling impediment free environment to the societies and their functioning.
As an institution, its functioning is steered by the Speaker (a faculty member) whose appointment is done by the President (College Principal). With seasonal sessions, on lines with the national Parliament, one dispensation of the Hindu College parliament functions for one fiscal year.
Over the years, debates and discussions on various international issues like the Cold War, 1962 War with China, 1972 Liberation of Bangladesh and state sanctioned excesses and human rights violations have upheld the sundry nature of issues discussed. The parliament has passed various bills in relation to issues of national and international importance.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s approval of the college’s system while claiming that “India has only 2 Prime Ministers. One sits in the Indian parliament and other in Hindu College”; his categorical equation, is symptomatic of not just the structural credibility of the institution but also its workability in representing the students.
Someone has rightly said, “You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food!” and being a DU student which epitomises the availability of economical lip smacking food, we couldn’t agree more with the statement! Take a look at some of the canteens across DU and their signature dishes loved by the students.
1. Maitreyi College
Fried Rice and Manchurian (Maitreyi)
Maitreyi College has a canteen which provides a great range of lip smacking dishes and nutritious drinks that wouldn’t make you feel the need to step outside to fulfill your appetite. In summers, a chilled glass of freshly squeezed mosambi juice (Rs.20) with a little chaat masala is exactly the kind of refreshment every student needs. A plate of wholesome Rajma Rice (Rs. 40), which finishes within only two hours of its complete preparation has a perfectly balanced, rich sweet and spicy flavor and one that is bound to make you nostalgic about your ghar ka khaana anytime. The second most sought after dish would be our Vegetable Manchurian and Fried Rice (Rs.28). This heavenly combination of its tangy and juicy gravy with soft sticky rice can be proudly chosen over any Chinese restaurant’s dish. If you try the Honey Chilli Potatoes, they will not only leave you thirsty because of the fiery heat from all its spices but also wanting for another plate because of its sweet flavorful veggies and amazing relish.
Rajma Rice (Maitreyi)
-Shagun Marwah, 3rd Year student, Maitreyi College
2. Kamala Nehru College
KNC Canteen
Having a regimented timetable with almost no breaks and early morning classes, the little ‘dabba’ that my mom packs in the morning gets finished within the first hour of college. However, KNC’s canteen becomes the ultimate saviour for mid-class hunger pangs. A plate full of Pav Bhaji (Rs. 30), Macroni (Rs. 20) and a cup of Cold Coffee (Rs. 25) is the most filling meal that the canteen offers. The Rajma Chawal are to die for too!
-Riya Chhibber, 3rd year student, Kamala Nehru College
3. Ramjas College
Chilli Potato (Ramjas)
Ramjas canteen recently changed its catering staff and a few new items like chilli potato (Rs. 50), potato manchurian (Rs. 50), egg and bread combos( Rs. 30 for 2 eggs) and fried rice ( Rs. 40) were added to the menu. Chole Bature (Rs. 30) is a hot seller and is claimed to be the best item. Apart from that juices (Rs. 20), tea/coffee (Rs. 10) and bottled drinks like coke maaza and sodas are also available at MRP. The best things about the canteen are that we can eat in the open and the new amphitheatre being constructed beside it.
-Arindam Goswami, Final Year student, Ramjas College
4. Hindu College
Shahi Paneer (Hindu College)
Facing an avid competition from various eateries in Kamla Nagar and Hudson Lane, the Hindu College Canteen still outshines others. Catering to the college students seeding all around North Campus, here you can munch delicious food at reasonable prices, leaving you not only with a filled in belly but also with satisfied taste buds. The menu lists various delicacies from North Indian, South Indian and Chinese cuisines along with a few anytime snacks. Chhole Bhature, Dosa, Shahi Paneer served with Butter Naan and Pav Bhaji must be tried. So do grab a bite here next time you’re around the campus. Shaahi Paneer with Butter naan ( Rs. 45) and Dosa (Rs. 25) are a delight to the taste buds.
-Hardik Kakar, Hindu College
5. Sri Venkateswara College
Dosa (Sri Venkateswara College)
Sri venkateswara college canteen reminds one of Amma’s canteen in south. With the indistinguishable delicious sambhar and inexpensive south indian dishes it provides a complete package for foodies. ‘Mysore masala dosa’ with the special south indian spicy touch is able to make a mark on the student’s tongue. Its eccentric location and chilled out atmosphere makes it the most popular hangout place for students. The graffiti walls beside the seating arrangements ups the ambience level. Despite being a new canteen students have found their love and reasons to stay at college than preferring Satya lounges.
-Gerush Bahal and Lakshya, DU Students
6. Jesus and Mary College
JMC Canteen
The canteen of Jesus and Mary College is one of the most popular ones of the varsity. With a diverse food menu, consisting of South Indian, North Indian, Italian and Chinese dishes among others, the level of hygiene is also decent. Though the taste of various food items seems average, yet few dishes do attract students of the neighboring colleges to the place. With the price being slightly higher than most of the other colleges, Dishes like Bhel Puri, Sev Puri and Chowmein/Fried Rice captures the hearts (and obviously, the stomach!) of all the JMCites. The favourite dishes – Bhel Puri and Fried Rice, cost 40 rs each.
Fried Rice (JMC)
-Lovleen Kaur, Jesus and Mary College
7. Miranda House
Dosa (Miranda House)
At Miranda House, a satisfactory quality of food is maintained across the menu. From the honey chilli potato (Rs 40) to the chicken manchurian (Rs 50) and masala dosa (Rs 30),the canteen churns out quality food at affordable prices. The fresh juice stand is also a favourite amongst students. To the dismay of many students however, the ‘momo-bhaiya’ has quit his job this year, and chicken momo is no longer on the menu. Come back Bhaiya !
The level of hygiene maintained at the Miranda House canteen sets it apart from other colleges. A committee of faculty members carries out regular inspections to ensure that cleanliness standards are maintained.
