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ABVP’s Reaction to Defeat in Elections

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Ritu Rana from ABVP who stood for the post of President giving an interview accusing NSUI of foul play soon after the results were out

“ABVP calls Delhi University to be closed on Monday, 17th September because of unfair means in calculation of votes in DUSU elections”. This is the message that was widely circulated on Sunday nights, causing wide absenteeism in colleges on Monday.

In what is being regarded as a highly imprudent move, the ABVP is busy garnering attention and public support because they feel that the DUSU elections vote counting process was rigged.

‘I think they are being too egoistic, they should just accept that they have lost and move on”, says Professor Prachi, of the English Department, Hansraj College.

As commonly known by now, ABVP lost the elections as NSUI sweeped the polls to victory. Subsequently, the former accused DU of using unfair means to calculate votes but strangely did not file an application requesting a re-counting of votes. “It’s stupid, if they so strongly believe that the elections were rigged, they should have filed an application immediately, rather than engaging in hooliganism”, says Vaishali, a student of Hansraj college.

This move by the ABVP was also not very successful as classes went on as usual in most colleges, where no reports of ABVP stalling classes was reported. However, the ABVP activists were able to make their presence felt in colleges like KMC and Ramjas, where the activists stormed into classrooms and demanded that the students leave the classrooms, thereby disrupting normal college routine.

“They just entered into our classes even when our professors protested. They did not let the class continue.”, says Nupur, a student of Ramjas college.

While no new move has been introduced on part of ABVP, speculations are that they will not raise this issue further, because of lack of evidence and also since they don’t want to spoil their party image.

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Campus Central

Celebrations Result in Lathi Charge

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Congress’ student wing NSUI (National Students’ Union of India) made a clean sweep at the DUSU polls on Saturday 15th September by winning all three top posts of President, Vice-President and Secretary. After the results were announced, the losing side (ABVP activists) started pelting stones at the ABVP office, broke through the tight security and barricades. Subsequently, Delhi Police had to lathi charge the gathered ABVP activists while they shouted anti-Congress slogans and demanded the recounting of votes. ABVP suspects something fishy behind the counting of votes.

ABVP isn’t satisfied behind the counting process as they alleged rigging in the elections and staged protest at the DUSU Office breaking the windows and destroying the DUSU Office property. “Everything was done with calculated planning and even the DUSU officials made sure that NSUI wins. Congress MPs Depender and Bhupender Singh Hooda were seen at 6 am on campus. We were even given a deaf ear and thrown out of the DUSU Office when we demanded recounting” said Rohit Chahal, regional leader, ABVP.

Some students who were injured were taken to Hindu Rao hospital while some students who were critically injured were taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre. “It’s not about winning or losing the polls. It’s about the way Delhi Police reacted when our students demanded recounting of votes. I hope DUSU officials look into the matter and do the needful.” said a disappointed Vijay Goyal, BJP Leader.

The ABVP has also called for a bandh across the University to protest against these alleged malpractices during  counting of votes.

 

Picture credits: Sawdha Singh and Aishwarya Chaurasia

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News

Justification Behind The Ban: The Complete Story

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18th August, 2012 an association of three publishing companies namely, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and Taylor and Francis sued Rameshwari and other such photocopy shops for selling the Xeroxed version of foreign authors’ books or “readings” without payment of Royalty. Following this incident, the readings at North Campus were banned which led to massive protests from students all across Delhi University. The students and these shops maintained that readings are sold to reduce the financial burden of the students. Where a student can get the “readings” at Rs 200 to 300 a foreign authors’ book costs around Rs 1000 to 2000, and most of the times a student needs just a chapter from the entire book.

Thus the students’ protest is partially justified. But if we examine the true scenario, we’ll find that the publishers did nothing wrong or “immoral” by banning the readings. Authors write books to communicate their idea or knowledge and in return expect a Royalty income. Similarly publishers, publish, distribute and sell books for making a profit. When the content of these books is photocopied beyond a “fair” limit, Copyright law is broken. The point is “photocopying” is not illegal, but in order to do so the sellers must get the permission or “licence” from the “Indian Copyright Collection Society” or the “Indian Reprographic Rights Organization” (IRRO) .The IRRO has set tariff (or rates) for licenses for different Institutions and Organizations for the purpose of copying. Normal rate of photocopying is Rs 12000 per institution per annum. This tariff has the approval of the Registrar of Copyright and is the Lowest in the World.

However “Readings” are not “normal photocopying”. They consist of the entire course in a semester and are generally content taken from several books which may be published by various Publishers. Where such “Course Packs” are made available, the Publishers books stop selling. Even the libraries stop buying multiple copies of the textbooks. Therefore the sale of the books is reduced affecting the income expectations of the Author and the expected return on investment for the Publishers. While a course pack may cost 300 to 400 Rupees, the value of the textbooks that the student would otherwise have to buy would be as much as Rs. 2000 to 3000. So it is a huge saving for the student at the cost of the Authors and Publishers.

Hence there is a “Course Pack” rate for Delhi University which is 50 paisa per page. That is the lowest rate for course packs in the world. If the readings are sold legally the cost of a course pack may go up a bit but still it will be lesser than having to buy 6-7 textbooks. A Rs. 200 course pack can become Rs. 300. If the University feels that this copyright fee is too much for the student, then they can subsidize by paying the IRRO directly.

In countries like UK and USA every time a library photocopies these books a little amount of the total cost is set aside for Copyright Collection Centre in the USA and the CLA (Copyright Licensing Agency) in U.K. Publishers and Authors have a right to protect their Copyright. All they are asking the Academic and Student community to do is to pay a small license fee to make photocopies. “There will always be some people who’ll want everything free but that is not sustainable. Surely the Academic and Student community does not expect a subsidy from Authors and Publishers? Without proper IRRO licensing that is what illegal photocopying amounts to” says Cambridge University Press. The “readings” are still banned in the North Campus and those shops selling the readings are doing it illegally. Their claim that they have got the licence from the publishers is absolutely false.

Aishwarya Chaurasia
aishwaryac@dubeat.com

Read the initial report here, https://dubeat.com/2012/08/readings-banned-in-north-campus/

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Campus Central

DDUCMUN 2012: Change is Ahead

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Wayne Dyer once said, ‘When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change’. This was the fundamental idea behind the organisation of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College Model United Nations 2012(DDUCMUN 2012). Held on the 1st and 2nd of September, 2012 at the Conference Centre in North Campus, this event saw participation from more than 300 students from 200 schools and colleges in 25 cities. The MUN committees included the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Human Rights Council and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries which had their respective agendas as reforms in UN peace keeping missions, impact of climate change on Statehood, security and migration, upholding human rights in prisons and response to new sources of energy while maintaining petroleum energy viability. The first day kicked off with one round of committee session after registrations followed by the inauguration ceremony. It started off with the lighting of the lamp by the Principal of DDUC, Dr. S K Garg, the Chief Guest for the event Dr. Sanjay Chopra, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, the Guest of Honour, Shri Tom Vadakkan, Secretary of the All India Congress Committee and the Convener of the MUN Club, Dr. Nisha Rana. The proceedings of the ceremony included addresses by Dr. Nisha Rana and the Secretary General Srishti Kapoor who declared the conference open. In the Chief Guest’s speech, Dr Sanjay Chopra spoke about his personal experiences at UN conferences with a pinch of humour while the Shri Tom Vadakkan spoke about the impact of policies formulated by one country on the rest of the world. After a short refreshments break, the delegates were back at their committees to discuss the thought provoking agendas, through a structure that mirrored the rules followed at actual UN meets. Under the observation of the Executive Board which comprised experienced MUNers, delegates made their points backed up by thorough research and debated with representatives from other countries by raising points of inquiry and information. The committee sessions and moderated caucuses continued for the rest of the day with a lunch break in between. The second day saw participants looking at effective solutions to address the issues in front of them. This was done through unmoderated caucuses, writing papers, drafting of resolutions and then suggesting amendments, followed by voting by the countries, interspersed with breaks in between. The evening of 2nd September saw the delegates and organising committee gather at the Main Hall for the closing ceremony of the event. To get things started, the band Autumn Home got the audience singing along as they covered popular songs like Yellow by Coldplay. After that the President, Vice President and Rapporteur of each committee announced the Best Delegate, High Commendation and Special Mention awards. “Last year DDUCMUN was a brilliant event, and they have been able to maintain the high standard once again, which is very tough to do. It is my privilege to have been associated with the DDUCMUN Club since its inception”, said Shirin Rai Gupta, a student of LSR and President of the Human Rights Council. The audience cheered for the winners enthusiastically and some even received standing ovations by fellow committee members. The evening came to a close with the Deputy Secretary General, Meenal Narula’s speech and vote of thanks. DDUCMUN 2012 saw a huge participation of first timers. As Delegate of Netherlands in the General assembly, Akashita Sareen said, ‘DDUCMUN was the first MUN that I attended, and I was surprised at how productive the conference turned out to be. It was well organised which made the experience, for a first timer like me, extremely palpable and fun’. Her thoughts were shared by Vrinda Uppal, Delegate of Slovakia. ‘I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with fellow delegates and engaging in fruitful debating. Looking forward to the next edition!’, she said.]]>

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Arts & Culture

FYI, it’s Maggi- The Newest Maggi Point on Campus

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Isn’t Maggi just the ideal snack to gorge on? It’s “finger licking good”, easily available and doesn’t stab too hard on your pocket. For your information, it’s Maggi or simply FYI as it is commonly known as among students, is the latest addition to the scores of popular Maggi points situated in North Campus, Delhi University.

To reach there, take the stairs going to down to a basement, in the lane right opposite the Mc Donald’s take away counter. As you open the door, you find yourself in a lively room with walls painted bright yellow and red, and low height tables kept with moodhas and dices. All this accompanied with the quirky but fun menu options (Read: WTF, BRB, LOL Maggi) make it an instant hit with students.

“I love this place. It is ideal for a North campus student as it is close to colleges, provides delicious food at affordable prices and the over-all ambience is great and makes one feel at home.”, says Saheba, a student of Daulat Ram College.

A very interesting feature of this restaurant is the varying versions of Maggi available. You can have your Maggi cooked in red chillies and schezwan or in chowmein style. Maggi kebabs and momos are also a hit among customers. But which is the most popular one?  “I get maximum orders for BTW Maggi that is cooked in cheese and rich, creamy butter.” says a worker of FYI.

“I live in a PG accommodation in Kamla Nagar. So FYI for me is the perfect food joint. Very often I come here with my PG roommates in the night to have food. It’s a good alternative to the boring food at my room.” she adds with a laugh.

Apart from Maggi, FYI also offers cold drinks, juices, ice tea and coffee.

The writer suggests– Increasing the quantity of food in one serving.

 

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Campus Central

Let's Hangout!

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What a glistening mirage college life radiates! To each of  those dreamy eyed ones, campus  life is a gift wrapped experience of enthralling fun, persistent chilling, some really cool signature hangouts, and truly the incidence of  “the best things in life” with a validity of three years! This picture perfect imagery might just be shattered with some mundane schedules and chores that we hate to get around with, but that isnt too much of a problem. Delhi University offers you some splendid locales, that would be just enough to reconcile all the pieces of the broken hour glass. The more happening north campus has much to allure. With attempts to modify classrooms to student’s interests, what happens around in the haven of students is not worth the miss! It’s the ever so famous Kamala Nagar market that you will splurge on, you’d live to die for QD’s scrumptious delights.  The more desi ones will take refuge in Chatte de Hatti and monsoon rains will pour on Kamala Nehru ridge, to all lovers’ glee. The more popular colleges will leave you spellbound with blissful experiences.  Whether it is the iconic sports complex of SRCC and the adored Irfan’s canteen or the ultimate café of St. Stephen’s, ranging to the unexplored ones like a supposed Bhoot Bangla, a Graffiti wall, SPIC MACAY’s Canteen and the Tibetan market, you would want to venture into every barricade and every locked iron door, simply because this place breathes youthfulness and freedom. To satiate your drive to explore some more irresistible places, do not hesitate to visit all that south campus has to offer you.  Lined up in Satya Niketan is an array of enticing cafes including student’s paradise QD’s. The elite Taj’ CCD is a host to a number of campus birdies too. Contrary to that is the incredibly popular Chowrangee in Satya Niketan which feeds you to your heart’s satisfaction. Living up to the popular perception of Delhi’s malling culture, Delhi University students will never refrain from spending days together in malls like they were their second homes. Many of whom have attained nirvana in our favourite Select City walk. The ones in Vasant Kunj have supremely come up with the ice skating and bowling trends, which is truly GenY’s thing to do. Delhi University is a world in itself and it’s unbelievable how seemingly short the time we have here seems. It has a myriad of joys to spread and heaps of experiences to retain forever and for life. So, cease this year here and set out on the journey to unveil new avenues. Hope you have a Xing on experience! Picture Credits: Additi Seth]]>

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Campus Central

Defining the To and Fro of Delhi University

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Rickshaws are a common sight at North Campus
The shining ray of hope is, of course, the jam-packed metro service. For all the students situated far away in their northern abode, Vishvavidyalaya station on the yellow line is the portal leading them away from the inconvenience of having to search for a way to get to North campus. Outside the station, hoards of cycle rickshaws stand, waiting to take you to your respective colleges. Shouts of “Rs. 20 only” being interrupted by another enthusiastic rickshaw wala rushing forward to offer you deals such as “Do Savari, Rs. 15” is a promising indication that you can get to your college on time for that dreaded first lesson. Apart from rickshaws, North campus also has a shuttle bus that takes passengers from the Vishvavidyalaya metro station to certain colleges around campus, such as Kirori Mal, Hansraj, Law Faculty and Arts Faculty. It also stops close to Stephen’s, Hindu and Ramjas.
The South Campus is scattered across various parts of Delhi, thus getting to these colleges might require the use of multiple forms of transportation. The good old metro always comes in handy, especially for students living at a distance, such as those in Gurgaon, Noida and the rest of the NCR. For colleges like JMC, getting off at the Race course station on the yellow line is the most feasible option, while its neighbour Venky prefers the AIIMS station as the college is down one straight road. With a little bit of bargaining, one can easily get an auto from any of these stations for 40-50 bucks. For colleges like Kamala Nehru and Gargi, Green Park station is a mere Rs. 25-30 ride away. LSR has Moolchand metro station on the purple line strategically placed behind it, leading to a brisk 7-8 minute walk to the main gate of the college. As for those who are unable to walk or simply lazy, there is no dearth of cycle rickshaws and autos. Bus routes ply all across Delhi too. For example, LSR has a BRT station right opposite its main gate. Various other south campus colleges are also easily accessible by many bus routes, mostly DTC. Bus, metro, auto, or your own vehicle, transportation in Delhi is easy and accessible. Moreover, it gives you a great opportunity to practice your haggling skills before you hit the famous Sarojini, Lajpat and Kamla Nagar markets. So hop on board and savour a memorable ride through your college years!  ]]>

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Arts Faculty

Top Hangout Spots in North Campus

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So you have made it to one of the colleges in North Campus and now you’re wondering what is beyond the big names and the college crowds in the place. You, dear fresher, don’t really have to worry about it at all. As awesome the crowds and colleges would be, you’ll just fall in love with North Campus and its little places. Here are some of the places you just *have* to check out this semester Kamla Nagar: Kamla Nagar is almost synonymous with the student crowds that throng it regardless they attend college or not. From McDonald’s to KFC’s to CCD’s to momo shops…you find it all! (Not a Pizza Hut though, unfortunately) Check out the latest trends in the Levi’s to Tommy Hilfiger’s in Kamla Nagar or just the cool street-side shopping experience. If you are a bookworm, you can easily sneak in an hour or two in the bookshops which have some good literary titles. If you are a party animal, check out ‘Wildfire’. Or maybe you are someone who loves to enjoy solitude. Well, then you can always sit in the chairs they put up near Barista Lavazza while the noise makers go to Malkaganj. ‘The Ridge’: Now if you don’t know what ‘The Ridge’ is, you will know soon enough. It is quiet, very green and clean too. Far from the crowds, here you can watch some playful monkeys, and cool off after the classes are over. Chances are you will end up watching animals while you jog! Arts Fac: Though it is generally a place where people go for their official work plus postgrad classes, the Arts Faculty, or popularly Arts Fac, is one of the most under-rated spots to hang out in the North Campus. Sit in the lawns, read, eat, watch people argue and then you can always take a walk around the campus that just inspires a calming effect on you. Also, you can have some Mishti Doi from the Mother Dairy stall just outside. D-School: Delhi School of Economics, fondly known as D-School is one of the best places to read, have cheap good food and listen to some old pensioners discuss the political affairs of the nation (loudly) in the evening. The J.P. Tea Stall is another feature in the D-School campus where most people can be found when they have nowhere to go. The Metro Station: Let’s face it north campus is cool because it has its own metro station. That, again, is nothing less than a hangout spot for students. You can find food, crowd, trees and a place to sit and talk with friends. Apart from these places, notable omissions from this list are Uncle Tom’s Maggie and the different college canteens because you will find Maggie everywhere in the campus. With this list of hangout places, this semester will certainly be a breeze for you; they just get cooler with time!   Priyam Goswami priyamg@dubeat.com]]>

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Fest triggers stampede at Ramjas

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Friday, February 10, 2012. This date will be marked as one of the darkest pages in the history of  DU. In an incident that is nothing short of frightening, a terrible stampede at Ramjas College injured several students. The college was hosting its annual fest and a certain singer, who goes by the name of Honey Singh, was to perform there at 6.30pm.

At 4pm, the traffic intersection between Delhi School of Economics and Ramjas was in a state of complete chaos with police vans speeding towards Ramjas from all sides. The rumours and panic that spread among the students who were on the road at that time, did little to help the already grave situation. The speculations soon became wild and reached all the way to Vishwavidyalaya metro station where stories of a possible death were doing the rounds.

Fortunately, there have been no reports to indicate that any lives were lost. However, a girl (rumoured to be a student of Dyal Singh College) allegedly fell in the stampede and was so severely injured by the rushing crowd that she had to be admitted to a hospital and is still in ICU. “ It was a nightmare, there is no other way to explain it. I regretted going there so badly that I was almost in tears,” said a student on the condition of anonymity.

The college authorities are underplaying the incident because the blame for the entire fiasco is being pinned on them. Students were initially entering one by one in an orderly fashion when the college decided to throw the gates open to make their job simpler. “ We decided to open the gates at 3pm because a very large crowd had already gathered by then. A girl felt slightly uncomfortable and was rushed to a hospital,” said the Principal of the college.

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Chariots of North Campus

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In collaboration with Delhi Transport Corporation, Delhi University has launched a low floor bus service to and from the Vishwavidyalaya metro station in North Campus.
The bus service began with the new session on 21st July. It charges a flat rate of Rs 5 and plies from Monday to Saturday on three routes. These three routes cover all the colleges in North Campus and have provided the students and teachers an alternate means of travelling to and from the metro station, which until now was the monopoly of the rickshaw puller.
This bus service started just in time as, in keeping with the rising prices, rickshaw pullers have also upped their rates. As opposed to charging Rs 10 for one person till the red light on Chattra Marg, rickshaw pullers now agree to provide their services for Rs 15; that too after some haggling. This might be an opportunistic temporary rise in prices to try to make a better living for a few days at the expense of freshers who are still learning the ropes of campus life and are not very aware of the prevalent rates. Even though some students sympathise with the rickshaw puller, they are glad for the availability of an alternate means of transportation. Says a student of Hindu College, “These rickshaw pullers work very hard in the heat and deserve whatever they are charging. In these inflationary times, it is difficult for them to make ends meet. So a rise in rates seems justified. However, it is difficult for us as well as we have to make do in a fixed amount that we get as pocket money. So the bus service is definitely a blessing”.

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