The Honourable Vice President of India acknowledged Janki Devi Memorial College’s emergence as a prominent University of Delhi (DU) College and its contribution to Women’s Empowerment (Mahila Shasastikaran) at the diamond jubilee celebrations of the college.
Early in the morning, by 7:30 am, the college was full and buzzing with excitement to welcome the Honourable Vice President of India, Sh. Venkaiah Naidu and the Vice Chancellor of University of Delhi, Sh. Yogesh Kumar Tyagi on the occasion of the Founder’s Day of Janki Devi Memorial College (JDMC). The Founder’s Day is an annual event held to remember the contribution of the illustrious founder of Janki Devi Memorial College, Sh. Brijkrishan Chandiwala, the eminent Gandhian who was committed to the cause of women’s education. This year the Founder’s Day also set in motion the year-long 60th Anniversary celebrations of the college, and the college was honoured to have the inauguration of the distinguished speakers series, wherein the first lecture was delivered by the Honourable Vice President.
In keeping with the environmentally-conscious traditions of the college, each guest planted a sapling. After the lighting of the lamp, there was a scintillating performance by Nupur, the Indian classical dance society of JDMC.
Professor Tyagi, in his speech welcomed all the first-year students of JDMC and wished them a happy new session, stressing on the fact that studying at the University of Delhi—which has some of the best faculty in the world—is indeed a privilege.
Dr Swati Pal, Principal of JDMC welcomed the Vice President, and all present in the audience with her speech. A short-film about the evolution of the college since its inception followed her speech. Its Foundation stone was laid by none other than Pandit Nehru in 1960, and since then the college portals have welcomed many esteemed dignitaries. Dr Pal spoke of the diamond-like qualities of the college: its evolution, its inherent quality, shine, and worth, and above all, its endurance and invincibility: the theme also of the Diamond jubilee celebrations of the college. She reminded the students to always be inspired by Bhaiji’s devotion to truth, purity, simplicity, philanthropy, and the vision of women’s self-reliance and to remain grounded as humane and good individuals.
This was followed by the Inaugural Distinguished Lecture by Sh Venkaiah Naidu, which was eagerly anticipated by the students.
The Honourable Vice President congratulated the college for being one of the prominent educational institutions, and for promoting women’s empowerment. He began by praising the social commitment of the college as evidenced in the activities of the NCC, NSS, Equal Opportunities Cell, and Gandhi Study Circle. He also took cognizance of how the college assisted and helped in empowering the differently abled, and lauded the environment-conscious policies and infrastructure. He told the students how important it is to keep nature and culture in sync with each other. Furthermore, he discussed the aims of an ideal education. It must be geared towards knowledge generation, equal opportunities, employment, and above all, towards morality. He spoke of the reverence for the feminine in ancient Indian cultural practices and hoped that this would be instilled in the future also. He paid tribute to Bhaiji’s vision and shared many amusing and thought-provoking observations about cultural practices, that form the context of modern education in the true sense of the word. His speech, laden with humour, and his personal interaction with students made the audience respond with a full-hearted applause.
The vote of thanks was offered by Prof. Brajesh Chaudhary, the Chairman of the Governing Body of the College who also spoke about the need for constant assessment, and re-evaluation in the education system.
Dr Pal felicitated all the guests with saplings, mementos, and gifts.
Indeed, it was the perfect start to the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Janki Devi Memorial College.
Prior to the naming of the winners, the Principal, Dr. Swati Pal walked down the ramp with the jury members and the Student’s Union and the audience was seen cheering and applauding with excitement.
Much-awaited results were then announced. Shelley Kataria, who impressed the audience and the judges with her strong personality, her lovely dance performance and intelligent answers was crowned Miss JDMC 2016. The first runner-up, Kritika Kumar and the second runner-up, Lakshita Chopra were also appreciated for their amazing performances. The three winners were presented with bouquets and gift hampers and all the participants received tokens of participation for their great efforts.
High-spirited and fun-filled, the event was concluded by the college President, Simran Gupta which was followed by loud, happy cheers.]]> 
More about this project, Future Learn, can be found on the website, futurelearn.com.
Aamir Khan was present as an ambassador of the UN, but that hardly mattered to the girls who crowded around him to shake hands and get pictures clicked with the renowned actor. It was indeed a dream come true for some.
Vice chancellor, Cambridge University and Vice Chancellor, Delhi University, Professor Dinesh Singh were also present at the function. The event couldn’t have been organised successfully without the coordination of the student council- Jasmine Sahni, president, Karishma Kathpal, vice president, Tulika Sharma, general secretary, Pretty Kapoor, cultural head, Kritika Sharma, Aasha, Shikha Shukla, Sukriti Aneja as well as many other students.
It was a mixed experience for many. While on one hand, there was David Cameron, the political leader, asking them to come and study in Britain, and then there was Aamir Khan. One instilled new hopes and dreams for the future of education in the minds of students and the other just mesmerised the girls. It was indeed a memorable thirty minutes and for those who missed college that day, hard luck.
Surbhi Grover(