With the end of school life, admission fever has caught up and life is changed forever. The cocoon of school life has burst and you are in for a rollercoaster ride at the University of Delhi. One of the most relevant debates in the University is: North Campus or South Campus? I understand that everybody does not have the privilege of choosing between the two, but the preferred choice has always been the North Campus. Having settled for a South Campus College, I can vouch for the differences but each one has its own pros and cons.
Location
All the colleges in North Campus (NC) are located within walking distances of each other. In addition to this, all the Departments and Faculties of the University lie in the vicinity along with teachers’ residences and apartments. Cluster Innovation Centre and Delhi School of Journalism are also a part of North Campus. South Campus colleges are located in a gap of kilometres from each other and walking is not feasible. Being in such a close-knit environment, NC students have the opportunity of coming across other fellow students from other colleges and making friends beyond just their college, the same is not plausible for South Campus students.
Activity
With the benefit of having all colleges, departments, and faculties in the same neighbourhood, students are often found at locations other than their colleges during free hours. Not a day goes by when there is not a talk, seminar, play or other events (s) in any one of the colleges. Such privilege has not been bestowed upon the South Campus students because a) not enough events take place during odd semesters and b) time travelling to NC would consume the free periods.
Hangout Spots
Anna Canteen, Tom Uncle’s Maggie, Majnu Ka Tila, and Hudson Lane are some of the favourite hangout spots for North Campus students. Kamla Nagar (Knags), a favoured shopping stretch, is at a stone’s throw away from all colleges. Satya Niketan, Hauz Khas Village, Lajpat Nagar, and Nehru Place are the preferred hangout hubs for South Campus students offering an array of options for eating and shopping.
Hullabaloo
The protest culture is a double-edged sword. The sloganising and haranguing have often excited and disturbed the North Campus students. The right to protest is a blessing in disguise for the University teachers and students to claim their fundamental rights, but often the same protests are used as a propaganda tool of the political parties which disrupts the schedules of North Campus colleges. Residing in solitude and away from the protest culture, the South Campus colleges carry on with their lives in peace, but that has not deterred the students and teachers from joining their compatriots on various occasions. Considering most protests often culminate at Mandi House, all colleges get equal access to participate in vibrant student-led movements.
In conversation with the DU Beat correspondent Dr. Anjana Nera Dev, Assistant Professor at Gargi College, articulated, “The North-South friendly rivalry is part of the urban legend heritage of DU admissions. While common sense dictates that geography and academic credentials are the reasons for the inter list migrations between the two, there seems to be more to this than meets the eye. Also, the preferred direction seems to be North, while South is better for all the co-curricular activities. I wonder when the compass will go back to having four cardinal points and the East and West will also become desirable destinations to which students will aspire and about which the media will debate.”
Everybody’s college life has its own share of ups and downs and once you have settled in your college, you love your college no matter what and it becomes your home.
Feature Image Credits: The University of Delhi
Prachi Mehra
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