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In conversation with Saniya Shaikh: Skeet Shooter from LSR

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Saniya Shaikh is a 2nd year student studying in Lady Shri Ram College for Women. But she is no ordinary girl; she represents the Indian contingent in Skeet Shooting. DU Beat was able to catch an interview with this inspiring sports person.

At what age did you start shooting skeet and what got you into the sport?

I was 13 years old when I started shooting skeet. Being born in a family where my grandfather, dad and all my uncles are national level shooters, the sport runs in my blood. Growing up with guns and accompanying my dad to the shooting range in competitions was a part of my childhood. I got into this sport because of my dad. He always tells me, “I prayed to the Almighty Allah to bless me with a daughter as my first child and I wanted her to be a daughter.” So it was all because of my dad’s dream that I got into this beautiful sport because he saw this dream for me even before I was born and I thank him from the bottom of my heart for introducing me to this sport.

What all competitions have you participated in?

I have participated in more than 30 world cups, world championships, Asian shooting competitions, Commonwealth shooting and a few Grand Prix.

Tell us a little about your daily routine and training.

I get up at 4 in the morning and then train for 8-9 hours, which gets a little difficult since my training hours clash with my college timings. In the evening I hit the gym and exercise for 2 hours as I am a gym freak.

Given that it is an unconventional sport for Indian kids, did you face any problems on your way to becoming a professional player?

The best thing I love about Shooting is that it is an unconventional sport. It’s different and interesting. A girl like me would have never settled for something conventional (laughing) or less interesting than shooting. Also, there has always been a huge support from my family and that’s why I never felt any problem.

Who had the greatest impact on your shooting career?

My father! He is a real inspiration to me. I am pretty sure he would have gone through a tough time training a kid like me. So now, I am going to get him an Olympic Gold!

In your spare time, what else do you like to do?

I love listening to music. I am also learning to play a guitar at the moment. Moreover, I am a big fan of Usain Bolt and hence, I read about him a lot. I have got two pets and I like to pamper them. I also love horse-riding.

Did you receive any aid from DU to further promote you as a player?

All I can say is in India we give importance to a very few sports like cricket and tennis but sports like shooting do not get the same kind of recognition and support. However, thing are changing gradually and as a shooter, I will do whatever I can to make it a more appreciated and recognised sport in India.

What is the best advice that you can give to a young aspiring Shooter?

I would just like to say that every shot is the first shot. Shoot as if you are never going to shoot again. Do not think about the misses. We all miss, we are all humans. Show the world that you are the best!

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Lady Shri Ram College for Women

Economics Department of LSR concludes Econvista

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Econvista, the National Students Symposium of the Economics department of Lady Shri Ram College for Women concluded last week on 25th January, Saturday. The Symposium was subtitled India at the Crossroads, and took place on the 24th and the 25th of January, with some fantastic guest lectures taking place as a prelude to the same. These included lectures by eminent personalities like Isher Judge Alhuwalia (Chairperson, ICRIER) Ashok Gulati (Chairperson, Commission of Agriculture Costs and Prices) and Smita Mitra (UN Women). Dr. Isher Judge Alhuwalia was also the Chief Guest of the event. The theme that the symposium followed this year was Political Economy in the wake of the coming National general election and to reflect how economics is invariably linked with politics.

The flagship events of Econvista this year were the Eco Trials, Dr. Saroj Gupta Memorial Paper Presentation, The Economist, The Policy Dilemma, Eco Journalism, Eco-Know-me and Eco Matters. The interaticve, informal events were called Thinkonomics, Economystery and The Animated Economy. The prestigious Dr. Saroj Gupta Memorial Paper Presentation was won by Sambodhi Sarkar of St. Stephens College for his paper titled “The real estate sector in India: Curbing black money flows and increasing tax revenues”. The second position was bagged by the team from IIT Kanpur and the third position went to the LSR team.

Possibly the most distinctive feature of Econvista, however, was the record response that the event received. Says Charvi Kain, the President of the Department of Economics, LSR, ‘’ This year, we have seven outstation contingents participating in Econvista, making it a truly remarkable national event.’’

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Lady Shri Ram College for Women

Lady Shri Ram College Organises Session on #Sec377

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On Tuesday, 28th January, the Women’s Development Cell of Lady Shri Ram College for Women organized a talk by Dr. Ashley Tellis, a renowned professor and LGBTQIA activist who spoke about how Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code affects women. An extremely controversial and contested section, the recent upholding of 377 by the Supreme Court has been challenged and attacked massively by the LGBTQIA community.

Dr. Tellis held the attention of almost 50 students of the college by handing out two questionnaires at the outset, the first about how one is constructed as a woman which entailed questions of pain, shame, menstruation and violence that being a woman in a patriarchal context is part of, and the second was one that posed questions about sexuality (that are most frequently asked to homosexual individuals) to heterosexual people. These questions ranged from when one ‘chose’ to be heterosexual to why heterosexual people try to ‘influence’ others to follow their lifestyles. These exercises brought students to understand social constructs of gender and sexuality more closely, so as to set the discussion on section 377 in context. Dr. Tellis then spoke of how even the reading down of the section in 2009 only extended rights of sexuality to homosexual men of elite classes, almost never mentioning lesbian and other categories of women. He also evoked theoretical concepts of post modern scholars like Foucalt so as to explain his points better.

The enthusiastic group asked Dr. Tellis several questions about how to address concerns of breaking the sexual binary, the way in which femininity is viewed and his own experience of being open about his sexuality in the University set up, making the talk an interactive and informative experience.

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Lady Shri Ram College for Women

LSR student brings laurels with writing skills, wins DSC prize

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Shyamolie Singh, a second year student at Lady Shri Ram College for Women recently won an essay competition in the capital, organized so as to ‘’initiate a dialogue about South Asian Writing’’ in the new generation by the DSC prize, a highly acclaimed international prize for South Asian Literature. Singh’s entry titled ‘Changing Identities in contemporary South Asian Literature’ is said to be a beautiful piece, seconded by Bhavna Singal’s entry – a student of Gargi College. Four Delhi University colleges sent entries by literature students for the competition – Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Hindu College, Jesus and Mary College and Gargi College.

Shyamolie has been awarded a certificate of merit and an all expense paid trip to the Jaipur Literature Festival, which is where she will be honoured on the 18th of January this year. The inspiration for her piece, she believes, came from being exposed to some path breaking South Asian literature over the years, and raising questions of identity in college, outside and in the media. She says, ‘’I think I was reading Shyam Selvaduari’s The Hungry Ghosts at that time, and I ended up quoting it in the essay itself because it talks about violence, myth and sexuality – a lot of identity intersection …probably influenced the direction of my piece.’’

After making the college proud with this literary honour, Shyamolie wishes to continue her tryst with literature at the masters’ level and join the Civil Services thereafter.

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News

Economics delegation from Delhi University attends SAESM in Lahore

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A group of twelve students and five professors from the University of Delhi attended the 10th South Asian Economics Students Meet (SAESM) held at Lahore, Pakistan from 23rd to 30th December. This economic meet had an undergraduate students representation from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The entire event was divided into two halves. The conference and various competitions were held on the first three days, followed by a retreat on the next three. Political Economy in South Asia was the overall theme for this meet, conversely, there were six sub-themes. University of Delhi, Lahore University of Management Sciences, University of Kabul, Symbiosis School of Economics, Pune, St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata and many more attended this event.

The students stayed in the Lahore University campus. The first day commenced with the national anthems of the seven South Asian countries being represented, which was followed by the opening ceremony- finally unraveling the 10th Annual Meet. Charvi Kain, LSR and Sambodhi Sarkar, St. Stephen’s College stood second in the quiz; Palaash Bhargava, KMC stood third in the Budding Economist and Chhavi Miglani from SRCC reached the final round for the Budding Economist.

Apart from leading the Indian delegation, Sambodhi Sarkar also won the Amartya Sen-Mehboob ul Haq Award. His paper on The Political Economy of Public Finance was deemed the best overall paper during the conference. Miranda House’s Amrita Garai won laurels for her paper on The Political Economy of International Trade as well.

Other students who represented the University of Delhi were Ishneet Kaur from KMC, Anuvinda PS from LSR, Manas Pathak and Jatin Bavishi of Ramjas College, Karan Kumar from DCAC, Stuti Oberoi of Miranda House and Ishita Asija representing IP College for Women.

After the hectic meet the students were taken for a day trip to Islamabad and for a short visit to the Harappan Valley. A professor of Lahore University also invited all students for lunch at his farmhouse.

The overall feeling by the students of India was that their image of Pakistan had changed and changed for the better. Charvi Kain said, “I felt as though Lahore was quite similar to New Delhi, the people were very warm and the experience had been quite enriching.” Whereas, Palaash Bharagava mentioned that he got to understand Political Economy way beyond the Indian way of learning. He even said that as Economics has various schools of thought, this event proved to be quite successful in making him understand different perspectives of Economics.

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Delhi University College Orientations

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Women's Development Cells across Delhi University

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th gang rape case as I think that is well established. But yes, I am talking about the inclusion of these lived experiences as a part and parcel of laying down the foundations of the numerous minds and attitudes that get shaped at colleges in Delhi University every day. I am talking about going that extra mile and to simply not wait for an event to shake us from the roots and later indulge in conversations expressing grief that last as long as a cup of coffee. Tracing some of the initiatives and going back to endeavours that started with trying to create and move away from a patriarchal society, one simply can’t overlook the setting up and introduction of various Women’s Development cells in colleges all across Delhi University. The increasing relevance of the same is closely tied with the context in which there is a need for them to function. Structures of patriarchy, consequent years of oppression, every experience unfolding an untold story and reiterating the belief- “ the personal is political”, that every action in the confines of your domestic sphere builds up to form a reaction and possibly similar actions in the public sphere is an ideology which most of these societies aim at instilling in the youth today. Some initiatives like the Sashakt which is a committee that strives for the empowerment and development of the students and faculty at Bharti College. It organizes several activities to help understand what is sexual harassment, educate students and staff on how to prevent and address harassment, and campaigns on prevention of sexual harassment through the medium of films, posters, banners, lectures and discussions  to create awareness. Lady Shri Ram College was one of the first few colleges in Delhi University to have started the Women’s Development Cell as a formal society in 1985. Banishing the view of being called “man haters”, this society aims at allowing its members to have a balanced view about the various gender issues that are a part of everyday living. It is an absolute necessity that every college has a women development cell as it opens up the minds on topics of sexuality, patriarchy and gender. In a series of events organised by this society, some of the ones that really stood out include a street play called Dastak by the Asmita Theatre Group. This street play was directed by Mr. Arvind Gaur and highlighted the heinous violence and harassment against women at public places. Additionally, the acclaimed documentary filmmaker Mr. Rahul Roy was invited for a discussion on ‘Masculinity and Gender Relations’. Deconstructing Gender, he brought to the fore the themes of masculinity and gender relations in the larger backdrop of caste, communalism, labour, class identities, culture and societal structures. In what constitutes an integral part of the curriculum of the cell, is the annual fest called “Udaan” every year showcasing plays starring eminent personalities like Tom Alter, panel discussions and heated debates amongst other activities. In speaking to one of the members of the Women’s Development Cell from Kamla Nehru College, she was quoted saying “These societies are imperative not only because they help in overcoming gender as a social construct, but help in engaging with Gender as a process and as a reality that one deals with on a daily basis” “One Billion Rising”, which was a global campaign for putting an end to such injustices was a smashing hit and it provided the societies of all these colleges to actively participate in the flash mob and the rallies. In a lot ways, it sent out a clear message of solidarity against these different forms of suppression of women and it was encouraging to see the huge numbers in which the youth had turned up with immense zeal and enthusiasm. It is not just women’s colleges but Women Development Cells are an important hub of activity in Co-ed colleges as well. Colleges such as Kirori Mal, Venky and Shivaji have really active WDC forums. At KMC a lot of its work is undertaken by the college gender forum, Parivartan, though, which is one of the most active ones in the university. Gender justice is now just not another feminist jargon concerning a certain section of the society, it is a responsibility that has now, more than ever before, assumed an unmatched level of importance and the setting up of Women’s Development Societies is no longer just an option but a necessity. By Tanya Kak ([email protected]) and Niharika Singh ([email protected])]]>

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LSR organises first Manohar Shyam Joshi Memorial Lecture

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Lady Shri Ram College for Women organised the first Manohar Shyam Joshi Memorial Lecture in the college Auditorium on the 8th of August 2013. The lecture by Mrinal Pande, Chairperson, Prasar Bharati on the “Art of Story Telling in India” witnessed a packed auditorium and was attended by esteemed academicians along with the family of Late Manohar Shyam Joshi.

For those of you who might be unaware, Manohar Shyam Joshi was the writer who penned down the first Hindi soap opera of Indian Television – “Hum Log” and the popular “Buniyaad”.

Dr. Bhagwati Joshi, wife of Manohar Shyam Joshi formerly worked as a lecturer at LSR. Paying remembrance to his great work, the college organised the lecture.

Preeti Dhawan, Vice Principal, LSR and Meenakshi Gopinath, Principal, LSR with Dr. Bhagwati Joshi

The lecture by Mrinal Pande touched upon the story telling traditions in India stating that stories in India exist as a duality of entertainment and information. She also said that often it is ‘irony’ that creates the magic in stories. Further, the discussion delved into censorship where she stated the existence of state censorship and self-censorship. While the former can be fought against, it is the latter that is more harmful. Taking instances from Premchand’s Godan, Folk lore in Buddhism and Manohar Shyam Joshi’s work, the lecture engaged well with the diverse audience. The lecture was a multi-lingual one with the guest comfortably switching between Hindi and English and quoting Sanskrit shloks.

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Mrinal Pande, Chairperson, Prasar Bharati

LSR’s much loved KK (Kasturi Kanthan ma’am) shared an experience of her interaction with Manohar Shyam Joshi. The event ended with a short movie made by a first year student on Manohar Shyam Joshi and an address by the family of the writer.

Image Credit: Nalini Prasad

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Lady Shri Ram College for Women

LSR inaugurates Resource Center for students with disabilities

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On Friday, 2nd August, the KPMG Resource Center for students with disabilities was inaugurated at apartment 10 of the staff residences at Lady Shri Ram College. The walls of this resource centre adorn art work by students with disabilities, and the notices on the boards are both in Braille script and in English. Spread over two rooms, the computers here have software that makes technology accessible to students and teachers with disability – from coding software that translates sound to text for students with hearing impairments to software like JAWS, Everest –D Braille Embosser, Screen Reading Software, Lex-Talk Scanner, Book Scanners, DAISY recorders and Players and OCR software  for students with visual disabilities. It is equipped with a total of 10 computers, which are installed with softwares needed by both English as well as Hindi medium students.

At the resource center, all text on display is accompanied by a Braille version of the same.

An initiative by REACH (which stands for Reaffirming Equity Access Capacity and Humanism) – an LSR society meant to empower students with any kind of disadvantage, this resource center is a part of KPMG’s CSR activities and will hugely benefit LSR and it’s students and teachers with disabilities.

Hemul Goel, the current student coordinator for REACH said:

“The Resource Centre equipped with the latest assistive technology like the Everest –D Braille Embosser, Screen Reading Software, Lex-Talk Scanner to name a few, really brings us close to our aim of empowering students and making them self reliant. Besides setting up a Resource Centre, a new wing called Kshitij Swavalamban has also been instilled under REACH. Through this initiative we hope to provide placement and internship opportunities for those at a social and economic disadvantage.’’

This initiative by LSR reflects all the values that the college stands for, and is only a beginning of the larger goals of equity and justice that it instills in its students.

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Lady Shri Ram College for Women

LSR introduces Research and Referral period with the coming of FYUP

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Lady Shri Ram College for Women, known for intense academic commitment and discipline, has introduced a 75 minute research and referral or academic study period every Friday in the light of the new Four Year Undergraduate Programme.

The college has cut down 5 minutes from each class and done away with the assembly on Friday to make space for the R&R period.

The idea behind this 75 minute long study period is that both students are teachers have very little time during the course of the week to engage in research and further introspective reading. In the everyday routines of college and course work, the element of research is usually lost. Particularly with students who are part of the FYUP, it is difficult to manage anything other than coursework since classes take place till five in the evening. This 75 minute time frame every Friday gives faculty and students a chance to engage with their subjects further.

College administration is also making sure that this period is not used for any extracurricular activity. In the words of the administration, “It is not a time for singing and dancing but for intellectually stimulating activities.”

In addition to research and further reading, students are also free to make presentations, engage in guest lectures, talks, discussions and screen documentaries of academic interest during this time. While this new addition to the timetable has been made because of the FYUP, it is applicable to all students from all courses and all years.

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