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The second instalment of Percipience, the eminent alumni lecture series under the aegis of University of Delhi, North Campus, was held on the 21st of this month at the Convention Hall, Vice-Regal Lodge. The topic for the seminar was “Fundamental Duties under the Indian Constitution: Forgotten Virtues?” The guest speaker for the event was Honourable Justice Arjan K. Sikri, Judge, Supreme Court of India. The moderator for the event was Professor M.P. Singh, Honourable Chancellor, Central University of Haryana, with the august podium presence of Yogesh K. Tyagi, Vice Chancellor, University Of Delhi and Professor Sydney R. Rebeiro, Dean, Alumni Affairs.

The event began with the inaugural speech by Justice Sikri. He spoke of the modern context of the Buddhist idea of enlightenment and the role of good citizenship towards the fulfilment of the purposes behind the constitutional fundamental duties. Talking of the role of the citizen in the rule of law, he referred to the trinity of ‘reminder, warning, and inspiration’ for the materialisation of an envisaged society. In the same breath, he also stressed upon the requisite sense of respect for the national flag and anthem.

Second on the podium was Professor M.P. Singh. In his moderation speech, he spoke on the idea of ‘dharma’ in relevance to the modern perception of fundamental duties. He stressed upon the fact that religion is a secular concept as it is nothing but a way of life. He also cited Mahatma Gandhi when he said that if the fundamental duties are performed well, fundamental rights would be of little concern.

This followed the question hour as the house was opened to the audience which comprised of the alumni, professors, and students of the University. The two guests clarified the various nuances of Part IVA and Article 51 of the Indian constitution.

The all-awaited presidential address was conducted by Dr. Yogesh Tyagi. He subjectively summarised in a nutshell the essence of the two lectures prior to him. Talking of Part IVA which caters to the clause of fundamental duties, he said that this was the shortest, youngest, and arguably the least legitimate of the laws referring to the need of subtle revisions in the wake of modern times.

The event ended with the national anthem led by the choir of the University of Delhi.

 

Image Credits: Nikhil Kumar for DU Beat

Nikhil Kumar

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After months of hard work, the SRCC students’ union finally executed the much awaited event of Narendra Modi’s visit to the college.Although the program was a huge success with around 1800 students turning up and thronging the sports complex to hear the Chief Minister of Gujarat speak on the theme: “Emerging business models in the global scenario”, some students protested in front of the college, shouting slogans against SRCC’s move to call Modi. In all, over 1000 students had assembled outside SRCC, which also included Modi’s supporters. Fortunately, the security was quite strong all around the campus with more than 150 police officers checking ID cards and allowing only SRites inside the college.

The protest took a turn for the worse when a section of students tried to break the barricade to get in and some pro-Modi students joined in to add to the confusion. It was then that the police had to use water cannons and even lathi charge. This went on for almost the entire session at the end of which students attending the event were told to stay back until the crowd subsides. There were also reports of ABVP activists misbehaving around campus.

The students were demonstrating to oppose his entry into Delhi University calling Modi “Fascist mass murderer”. They said that his invitation is wrong because it overlooks the communal riots in Gujarat in 2002 in which 1200 people were killed while he was in office. “This is pure nonsense, how is Modi’s visit to address students connected with any riot whatsoever! He is a man of action and we respect him for what he did for the development of Gujarat. I think they are creating a mountain out of a mole hill by making it a political issue”, says Bhargav, an SRite. The event, however, ended without any serious harm or injury to anyone.

Aishwarya Chaurasia
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Image credits: Sakshi Gupta