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Ramjas College administration: will Not accept Articles on Politics

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The administration has put out a notice asking students to refrain from sending articles on political themes.

In a recent move by the Ramjas College administration, articles with political themes will not be accepted for the college magazine Anand Parvat but rather, students are encouraged to submit ‘generalised’ writings instead. A further notice was sent clarifying that students may send the article on any topic but, which stated that, “students should however take precautions that the Election Commission of India has issued certain guideline to give views on social media in light of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections”.

The move apparently comes after the February 2017 clashes in Ramjas which erupted after Umar Khalid was called for a seminar organised by the literary society and the department of English.  Repeated censorship and systemic silencing in Ramjas has been condemned by the students.

“I don’t understand how can academic space be divorced from the political and read in isolation, that too in a college like Ramjas, whose walls smell of resistance and dissent. I find it very immature and undemocratic on the part of the administration to issue such an arbitrary notice.” said Yash Chaudhary, a third year statistics student.

Dr. Vinita Chandra, an associate professor at the Department of English who was previously a faculty advisor to the student editorial board remarked that this was the first time in Ramjas’ history where the magazine was brought under the staff council, “the money for the college student magazine comes from the students…College magazines, like school magazines, are meant to provide students a platform to express their creativity and their ideas about college life and the world they live in. It is not meant to be an academic journal. An administration that thinks it needs to censor its students and is afraid of allowing them to speak is truly out of touch with young people and needs to look into the reasons for its mindset.” she added.

The drastic move has also brought about resistance from the students. The Students Federation of India (SFI) plans on organising a protest on the 18th of April, 2019 in the college premises against the administration. Resistance follows Ramjas in uproar on social media and posters in college as the administration remains mum on the move.

“Well, the kind of censorship being seen in a space like Ramjas only further reiterates that there isn’t a better time to serve your country by writing politically, and keep fascism at bay” said another student, who would like to remain anonymous.

According to a Hindustan Times report, magazine convenor G. Chilana said that he had received complaints from various departments about the notice. “We are not sidelining any department or subject. We just want students to write more on academic issues rather than about any political event or ideology which has no relevance for the magazine. They should understand this,” Chilana said.

 

Image Credits: DU Beat archives

Jaishree Kumar

jaishreekumar77@gmail.com

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In a First, Hindu College Provides Office Space for Leader of Opposition  

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On 12 March, the Leader of Opposition of the Parliament of Hindu College was allotted an office space, for the first time in the Parliament’s near hundred-year-old history. How significant would this be?

A day before Hindu College’s annual fest, Mecca, Naveen Kumar, the Leader of Opposition of the College Parliament, proudly announced on his official Facebook page the allotment of a formal office space to the parliamentary representative.

Unlike many students’ unions, Hindu College has a Parliament – christened the ‘Parliament of the Republic of Hindu College’ – to which the student elections are held. According to the constitution of the college, the candidate with the maximum number of votes is elected as the Prime Minister (PM), who then appoints his Cabinet, while the candidate securing the second highest number of votes becomes the Leader of Opposition (LOP). The same constitution also provides for formal office spaces to both functionaries. However, while the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had been in place in the college, the office of the LOP had been absent till now.

Image Source: Facebook Naveen Kumar, the incumbent Leader of Opposition of Hindu College.
Image Source: Facebook
Naveen Kumar, the incumbent Leader of Opposition of Hindu College.

The situation changed under Naveen’s incumbency. He tells us that he had been at work since September to get the space allotted. While his term is about to end soon, he hopes that the new development will benefit the subsequent LOPs.

Often, the margin between the votes pulled in by the PM and the LOP respectively isn’t very significant numerically. Naveen, who lost to Shreyash Mishra, the Prime Minister, fell only 44 votes short. Hence, the LOP also represents a major chunk of the students, as Naveen tells DU Beat, making an office space all the more necessary.

Elaborating on the significance of the office, he says that it would allow students to raise grievances and make the LOP more accessible so that their complaints could be better addressed – ultimately increasing accountability of the representatives, while also enhancing the significance of the position itself.

However, a problem that still persists is the low number of Parliamentary sessions organised in the college. Many students express this sentiment: a college that once was an intellectual centre of the nationalist movement, now sees its culture of debate and discussion declining. Without Parliamentary sessions, one is made to wonder if the representatives can actually be held accountable and whether the politics of the college could go beyond Mecca to addressing more pressing issues.

Pointing at how the office has been a long time in the making, Naveen says, “People tell me that it took a long time and that my term is ending; I tell them it’s been a hundred and twenty years since the college was established. Compared to that, the few months of my term are nothing!”

Image Credits: DU Beat

Prateek Pankaj

prateek.pankaj03@gmail.com

 

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Beyond the Obvious of Delhi University Colleges

News Shows and their Politics of Language

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While the TV news in India frequently fails in providing relevant information to the citizens and rather becomes an arena for incessant shouting, it also operates in subtler ways. The mere language of headlines, hashtags and names of shows should raise eyebrows.

American linguist and philosopher, Noam Chomsky, theorised the ‘propaganda model’ of the mass media in his book Manufacturing Consent, wherein he talked about five filters of the media: ownership, advertising, sources, flak, and creation of a common enemy. In a nutshell, media institutions are part of big conglomerates who sell their products to advertisers, and whose sources of information are also the elites; those who oppose these elite interests face flak from the system, while a common ideological enemy is created to spread propaganda.

Yet, it doesn’t take a renowned philosopher to observe elements of this model operating on a daily basis; most Indian news shows seem to be following it to near perfection in some or the other way.

Those dramatic headlines coupled with theatrical music and imagery need to only be slightly observed to understand the suggestive undertones of the programmes. Not only biases, but provocation can also be seen. Sentimental and emotive elements are consciously used to shape narratives and capture viewers. News edges closer to the genre of entertainment. Apart from the more conspicuous displays of these elements as seen in the debates and the role of star-anchors, much subtler mechanisms also seem to be at play – headlines, hashtags, and even the names of the shows are culpable.

The most visible examples of this can be seen during critical situations. Since Thursday, following the Pulwama attack, news channels focused almost exclusively on the incident – and rightly so. Yet, the gravity of the situation was used by the channels to draw in audiences with their theatrics. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with drawing audiences, because that’s what news channels literally run on, but the problem arises when the techniques used for this purpose pose harms.

For instance, consider the headlines during the 9 P.M. Broadcast of Aaj Tak on Thursday – “Ye hamla nahi, jang ka ailaan hai” (It’s not an attack, it’s a proclamation of war), “Surgical strike nahi, seedha prahaar hi raasta?” (Not surgical strike, but a direct attack is the solution?). During situations like these, when emotions of the public run high and a sense of frustration surrounds the masses, the responsibility of providing a calm and measured coverage of the news lies with the media to an even greater extent, especially on widely-watched channels like Aaj Tak. Of course, a sense of anger was present in the public. But by using provocative headlines – those that hint towards a call for war – these news shows not only fuel the fire but also send out a wrong message. Similar headlines were seen in Friday’s ‘DNA’ show on Zee News.

News shows often use problematic headlines and tickers.
News shows often use problematic headlines and tickers. Image Credits: YouTube

Be it ex-servicemen, defence experts, or even many common people, there exists a recognition that war isn’t a joke. Yet it makes for good TV, doesn’t it? The severity of a war, the appeal for revenge, the impending danger – all of it draws the audience. Instead of responsibly analysing the situation and, in fact, making an appeal to the viewers to maintain calm and let the concerned authorities take the necessary steps, such programming tries to capitalise on the emotion to attract audiences by stoking the fire. Drawing in viewers also means pulling in more advertisers. That’s just one example of how the filters operate. Yet, these instances aren’t limited to the coverage of emergency situations.

In fact, the mere usage of hashtags in everyday programming points to a bigger picture. Hashtags trend on Twitter, giving news channels an idea of what type of news pieces would sell. Further, this would allow them to focus more strongly on populist topics, which can potentially sideline some crucial but less market-friendly issues. The style and substance of the news shows is also reflected in the popularity of these hashtags; if a particular style of news attracts more tweets, channels will have greater incentive to keep going with that style.

Furthermore, the language of hashtags is also important. A simple YouTube search entry of “Republic TV debate” presents a multitude of clips of Arnab Goswami’s primetime debate show. Every video thumbnail has a hashtag in it. ‘#RahulFakeNews’, ‘#RepublicBharatVsAMU’, ‘#CongAttacksHindus’, ‘#RahulLieCaught’, ‘#UnstableAlliance’, ‘#ModiVsWho’ – these are just some of the many hashtags that invite questions. The hashtags aren’t only reflective of a singular narrative but also give an idea on the type of tweets they’ll invite. Obviously, it won’t be in the show’s interest to display tweets that go against the narrative it wants to portray. Thus, very selective tweets are displayed, giving an impression to the viewers that what they’re watching is correct and supported by the public opinion as well.

The use of hashtags in debate shows also invites questions. Image Credits: YouTube
The use of hashtags in debate shows also invites questions. Image Credits: YouTube

Sensational issues are picked by many channels. CNN-News18’s weekly 10 P.M. show- ‘The Right Stand’ regularly focuses almost exclusively on issues having a religious angle.

Even the names of these shows should be inspected. Halla Bol, Takkar, and Dangal are also, in fact, names of action movies, almost as if the shows are meant to be a platform for speakers to brawl over issues; ‘Bhai vs Bhai’ and ‘The Great Debate Show’ seem to have an entertainment element inherently attached to them; ‘Arnab Goswami on the Debate @ 9’ puts more emphasis on the anchor than the news.

Obviously, it’s not possible to deconstruct and analyse every debate in a single piece and even these examples are selective. There are innumerable debates that may be deconstructed and analysed, but the aforementioned selective examples are reflective of a larger trend. A look at the substance of these debates glaringly points towards the problems in the media. But the point is- even inconspicuous elements like hashtags and headlines are at play. So, what does the language of news shows tell us? Bias, sensationalism, and irresponsibility, for a start.

Yet, it doesn’t mean that all’s bad. Even these shows sometimes pick real issues and do a good job covering and analysing them. Like the Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express, Raj Kamal Jha said, “Good journalism is, in fact, growing; it’s just that bad journalism makes a lot more noise.”

Feature Image Credits: Newslaundry

 

Prateek Pankaj

prateek.pankaj03@gmail.com

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Campus Central

Being a first time voter, what to keep in mind

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As we move closer and closer to the impending elections that will shape the nation, DU Beat brings to you a guide to tell you how it feels to vote for the first time.

As the nation settles in to this new year, we are also slowly and slowly edging closer to our first opportunity to exercise a right that will change our future as a country. The right to vote in the country’s election and choose who will lead us for the next 5 years. For almost all of us currently in DU this would be the first election of this scale in which we will serve an active role. We are pat of the huge 1.8cr new voters that will vote for the first time.
First, we need to make sure that we have registered to vote the steps and requirements for the same are as follows:
1. Are an Indian citizen
2. Have attained the age of 18yrs on the qualifying date i.e. 1st of January of the year of revision of the electoral roll.
3. Are ordinarily a resident of the part/ polling area of the constituency where you want to be enrolled.
4. Are not disqualified to be enrolled as an elector

As responsible citizens that have been the right of having an equal say it is important to use this vote as to make sure that the ideas we believe in are thoroughly represented, it has been seen that we as a generation have taken it to protests to show any howsoever incompetence the system that we are part of right now and as such we should now in this deciding point believe and support what we think is a better alternative, no matter who we support as a party, every vote that we choose to forfeit is one voice left unheard and one step missed to a change. Things are going to become turbulent with parties trying to seduce votes out specially from the younger generation, this time it is our generation’s future in particular that will be in doubt so we should vote right and vote surely.

“Upcoming Lok Sabha are an opportunity for the first time voters to take responsibility of the nation on our shoulders” – as the PM said in his Mann Ki Baat tweets. It is the time for us to make our thoughts of change into actions.

Feature Image Credits- Hindustan Times

Haris Khan
Harisk@dubeat.com

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DUB Speak

A Match Not Made in Heaven: Politics and Art

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Is it the purpose of art to suit certain political sides? Is it necessary that it subvert opinions? The age-old question of the politics in, and of art remains, but should its consumption be denied solely based on that?

Arundhati Roy, the Booker Prize-winning writer, said, “Ignoring of things is as political as the addressing of them.” The significance of the activist cum writer’s words becomes more evident when one takes a good look at the current
discourse surrounding art in India. With the elections about to commence amid a fervour of political blameshifting,
staining of opposing strategies, and the power play of the entire nation, ‘propaganda’ is a word found commonly
conjunct with films these days. There is certainty that this theme of thought cannot be let go off without a patient
analysis, unlike the way it has been conveniently ignored by the members of the film fraternity meeting with the Prime Minister as fansin-awe instead of citizens-in-power.

The Accidental Prime Minister, Uri: The Surgical Strike, PM Narendra Modi, a biopic on our Prime Minister, are some of the films with nationalist, or an explicit political sentiment endorsed in their content. It is foolish to deny the
agenda meant to be fulfilled by them, to target the audience that is soon going to vote. But a question that arises in the storm of posts filled with the criticism of these films is: is art essentially only political? The answer to this should not be the direct conclusion to the question: should art be dismissed solely based on its political propaganda?

At the risk of inviting backlash, the answer to these questions is a plain negative. This does not deny that ‘personal is political’, but the purpose of art was not to live up to the standards of morality, simply because morality may change according to cultures, subjectivities, and circumstances. Even if one disagrees with the politics of a certain artwork, making that the primary reason for its non-consumption or criticism is a problematic course of action. If individuals decide that the dismissal of art on the sole criterion, i.e. its impact on the mindset of society, is the road to take, then a dangerous form of censorship rises to the pedestal. It is the misguided way of justifying a curb on free speech.

One of the parameters for the consumption or criticism of any art, according to academicians James Bruce Ross and Mary Martin McLaughlin, is the context in which it is placed, and the political baggage of it cannot be left behind. To look at art as art, not a  theoretical course or an argument in itself, it is important to first consume it with patient judgement. There will always be a political debate brewing in its context, and if the dismissal of art is confined to it, then there will probably be not much art left to consume without a feeling of guilt towards one’s political and ethical ideologies. It is absolutely possible to be critical of art, but it is only through its consumption that one can become informed, and misinformed choices are not the way to take in the attention-grabbing era of political marketing.

Feature Image Credits:Artmajeur

Anushree Joshi

anushreej@dubeat.com

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Uncategorized

Power and Politics of Pockets

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While men have always had spacious pockets catering to their utility, women have had to endure a lack of pockets, false pockets, and pockets so small nothing would fit. DU Beat traces the journey of pockets through the 17th century and the gender divide they propagate every day.

“The history of pockets isn’t just sexist, it’s political.” Fashion thrives on sexism. Whether or not a garment gets utilitarian pockets depends upon the gender the garment is being stitched for and the norms surrounding that gender. While men have had baggy, spacious pockets since their advent in the 1600’s, women still continue to struggle with fashion norms that dictate a lack of pockets, false pockets and pockets, so small that you couldn’t fit anything inside.

In the late 17th century, pockets made their move to become a part of men’s clothing, permanently being sewn into coats, waistcoats, and trousers. However, women had to get creative and wrap a sack with a string around their waists and tuck it way under their petticoats as a substitute to pockets.

In the late 1800’s, sewing pockets into skirts became a medium of rebellion and the sign of a strong, independent woman. However, the idea of women having fabric between their legs made people uncomfortable because of reasons like “femininity.” With both the world wars, women’s fashion introduced utilitarian clothing, which meant that women finally got pants with pockets,

“After the first world war there was a drastic change in women’s clothing. Edwardian ideas were put out. There was a brief period in the mid-20th century when there were pants without pockets. The idea of this revolutionized fashion was that women would look thinner without pockets,” says Avnika Chhikara, a second year English Honours student at Maitreyi College.

By the end of the 18th century, women’s fashion revolved around restraint in terms of skirts being pulled close to the body, the thin slender waist, and the silhouette fitting the stereotypes.

“Victorian era gowns used to have decently sized pockets concealed in the skirts. That was practical at that time because the skirts of the gowns were fluffy and big. With the evolution of fashion and the introduction of form fitted clothing coming into the trends, the size of the pockets started to shrink,” says Bhavya Banerjee, a third year Political Science student at Daulat Ram College.

She further adds, “Women’s clothing is designed in a way so it looks more appealing, beautiful, flattering, rather than how it can help women be more productive, or according to their convenience. It’s not designed to help them advance or be more functional in a workspace.”

Esteemed designer Christian Dior was reported by the Spectator in 1954 as saying, “Men have pockets to keep things in, women for decoration.” Men’s fashion has always centred around comfort and utility while women’s fashion revolves around set stereotypes of beauty. The giant different in terms of pockets reinforces sexist ideas of gender.

To break free from these gender norms, it’s important for us to introduce liberal ideas within fashion and giving people their own space to experiment along. “Maybe we can start a trend of having a pocket in the middle of the shirt at the divide to symbolize gender neutrality,” says Antara Rao, a third year Economics Honours student of Jesus and Mary College.  

While women’s false pockets are pleasing to look at and serve aesthetic value, they also create a culture of dependency around them on other things/ people. “False pockets are just there for the aesthetic value. For me, they serve as half assed policies and tokenistic concessions that look good just on paper and are meant to be like “Oh look we are so forward thinking that we removed pads from the luxury tax bracket #feminism” while the actual question is why do they still cost so much if they’re a necessity?” says Charvee Gupta, a second year student of B.Com. (Hons.) at Jesus and Mary College.

The question remains, how an entire industry that claims to cater to women serve them to poorly? When an outfit has pockets, we look at it differently. Pockets also instil a sense of comfort and confidence in the space and utility they offer.

“I get my jeans stitched simply because I need normal pockets. The shop’s location is: A Teen, Mohan Singh Palace, CP. You can get A1 fit and latest designs in less than Rs. 1200,” says Niharika Dabral, a third year BA Hons. Humanities and Social Science student at the Cluster Innovation Center.

“One supremacy there is in men’s clothing… its adaptation to pockets. Women have from time to time carried bags, sometimes sewn in, sometimes tied on, sometimes brandished in the hand, but a bag is not a pocket,” wrote, American feminist and novelist, Charlotte P. Gilman, in 1905.

“Not having pockets forces women to buy handbags and clutches (they don’t even get nice wallets), so a lot of advertisements and films term this as extravagance and thrifty. It’s a necessity,” says Anushree Joshi, a first year English Honours student at Lady Shri Ram College for Women. But a bag is clearly not a pocket.

The lack of pockets has made handbags a necessity today and has increased the dependency women face when they go through this. “I feel the idea of women not having pockets stems from capitalism and consumerism. The lack of pockets forces women to buy another product – handbags! I feel that it’s purely business; create a need and then make money off of it,” says Shania Mohapatra, a second year student of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Cluster Innovation Centre.

Though today, the red carpet does show women like Amy Schumer wearing dresses with pockets, posing with their hands tucked into them, the idea of pockets hasn’t yet trickled down to everyday clothing like jeans or dresses.

Feature Image Credits: Racked

Muskan Sethi

muskans@dubeat.com

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DUB Speak

Apoliticality – A Conscious Choice

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Apoliticality is simply a state of being politically neutral, unbiased, non-aligned and free from party politics. It does not mean indifference and ignorance.

 If we were to go back to ages past our own, we could easily notice the most pervasive aspect of politics playing through them all. Politics as a subject has excited human intellect for eons; because of its direct correspondence with power. Where once Politics was a means to achieve power for the purpose of practising a change, it has today become the end. Power is sought for the privilege it fulfills, the prerogatives that it promises, and not because it gives a certain grasp on change. It is expected to see the political indifference of a lot of people in our country, for the similar realisation. The truth is in our face, clearer than ever, and while some flee away from the promising vanity of it, some choose to act. So then, what is the best course of action? Is escapism ever a choice? Is escapism synonymous to apoliticality? We can know these answers, for once if we ask ourselves.

In all forms of politics, a diametric opinion is formed. Despite a wide representation, there are only a couple of political parties that stand their ground in public opinion in India. We saw it in the recent DUSU elections – the youth’s response to student politics. After an actively effective campaigning, the results have arrived, and rightly, not to the best of everyone’s interests. This is what politics teaches us, in fact, asserting your ideas with conviction is the true sense of it. Voters cannot be forced into believing in an ideology by the use of force. This decision must form internally. But all of us witnessed the gifts of various political parties this election season to gain favors of students. Why do we need an incentive to vote, an upheaval that reminds us that we must vote? Apoliticality is not about my refusal to vote, it is my conscious choice that I decide the candidate whom I give my vote to, on the basis of his/her merit. My perspective is skewed because I mean to make it so, not because a candidate gave me a movie ticket.

It is mistaken that people who do not indulge directly in politics do not know a lot of it to comment or offer suggestions. It is not true. Politics is increasingly becoming administrative in nature, but in that, we seem to forget that politics is a faculty of the human mind; it mandates human intervention. But most of us do not participate actively in politics because it has been stigmatised. We keep forgetting that it is made up of people, and people at times can be fickle, can be biased and can be disappointing. It is the people who make politics, but sadly, we see the becoming of this statement otherwise.

Our disassociation with politics is a choice. And all choices are not in the best taste. Sometimes, even if you are the most apolitical person, you will be dragged into politics against your choice. Today, we cannot exist in seclusion. Hence, indifference is not a choice. Apoliticality must be. The state of being unbiased, a state that requires you to be yourself. And what’s better than being yourself?

 

Feature Image Credits: Harvard Divinity Bulletin

Kartik Chauhan
kartikc@dubeat.com

 

 

 

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The Obsession with Student Politics in India: A case of Delhi University

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Politics has played a major role in the Indian frame for a long time, and we explore its obsession branching out in the student arena as well.

Election season is over but the hype, controversy and the obsession with student politics brims over hot brews of coffee debating and general angst.

The past few years have noticed a consistent increase in the role the student bodies play in the circuit of Delhi University. Delhi University’s Students Union [DUSU] is the representative body for most of the faculties and colleges. The hierarchy also includes the internal students union in every college, with elections being held every year for office-bearing positions. Ever since 1954, the Delhi University’s Students Union [DUSU] has peaked prominence in the university. One of the key factors being is the expanse of the varsity. Being one of India’s largest universities, it serves as a great plethora for younger generations to express their viewpoints in a different light. These bodies are backed by different political parties.

Campus activism in the words of T.K. Oomen in his book Asian Survey, “is one of the pet areas in the research in contemporary social science. However, the nature of student politics and government is rarely studied”. The DU campus is blessed with serenity until the election season hits in. there is chaos and loyalty battles wrung out, with roads synonymous with lying pamphlets and college walls echoing with slogans. The case of Indian students’ union politics or student parliaments is quite different compared to its western contemporaries.

While the major touch-point for being actively involved in a student’s union means the adequacy for a good and experienced political career in the future, a lot of the nuisance created here is not prevalent there. While student bodies have a variety of tasks enrolled within, there is a big difference in the varsity student unions abroad and here. For starters, the students union elected has representative halls, like the George Sherman Union in Boston University or the up and coming promising members of the Yale College Council. Compared to the American and Western counterpart, our student unions are still emerging but are we convalescing in the shackles of unclear domains when it comes to politics? Are our student unions a reflection of the un-impressive struggle Indian politics has faced coming into the purview of the world?

The obsession of student politics can be traced to the source of power and authority, a pre-requisite to self-sufficiency in a now emerging Indian youth. While politics still stands as an attractive career option in the Indian domain, there are certain criticisms attached to the political situation and the trend of familial politics which has been extending an arm ever since the British Raj.  In a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald, an interesting view-point of Indian politics was given notice stating, “In India politics is not a vocation, but a family business.” Continuing with his argument, Amrit Dhillon also comments that “Whichever party you look at, in every part of India, nepotism is rampant. Merit, a record in public life, knowledge, skills, character, are all irrelevant. If you have the right surname, you will get a ticket.”

While just politics in a global scenario is still long miles away, it is safe to say that there are pros and cons both attached to the increasing importance to the student bodies in India. While it still is ushering up in other universities, the Delhi University scenario places a good observation and argument as to where we stand when it comes to student parliament bodies, and their role in the overall national hierarchy of democracy.

Sources cited:

https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/nepotism-the-way-they-do-politics-in-india-20140327-zqnpg.html

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2642743?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Feature Image Credits:  DU Beat 

Avnika Chhikara

avnikac@dubeat.com

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DUSU Elections 2018

Debating Matters: The Hindu College Annual Prime Ministerial Debate

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For a long time, Hindu College has had the distinction of having its own Parliament, a rare feature in any DU college. So, as the campus gets awakened in the wake of the DUSU elections, Hindu College becomes a political world in its own.

On the eve of the college Students’ Union elections, a major event that takes place in Hindu College is the Annual PM debate. This year, the same took place on the 10th of September 2018. Apart from fiery speeches and questioning, it also felt like a session when the democratic audience of the Hindu College auditorium got to know their candidates in a better manner. There were obviously a few hoots, cheers and naarebaazi. But this year’s edition was pretty different in the sense that there were five contestants for the PM’s chair (one of them being a woman leader which, again, is a rare phenomenon in the Parliament). Each one was from a different course with different aspirations and agendas. After the clock struck twelve, the auditorium started to get jam-packed. Members of the ‘Symposium’, the society involved in hosting this mega event, were trying their best to handle the unruly crowd, cheering for their candidate and finding the spots where the other members of their society were seated. The energy and the whole aura of the setting felt as if a music concert is about to start.

After a few minutes, all the five candidates got up on the stage, each one displaying a mix of confidence and confusion on their faces, their notes clutched tightly in their hands. Round one witnessed each leader presenting his or her vision, his or her arguments, and his or her expectations. Ananya Bhardwaj started out by explaining how the politics in the college has hardly been inclusive for women and the debates and discussions are mostly “concentrated within the boys’ hostel”. She questioned, “If the women of the institution don’t get an adequate space to voice their opinion, then how is this parliament democratic?”

Next in line was Divit Yadav who again highlighted how he too wants to promote gender equality and at the same time, would want to improve the infrastructure of the college. He also mentioned how he and his supporters had successfully conducted ‘Mecca’, the college fest which was hailed as ‘the big daddy of college fests’ in several publications of Delhi. The ‘Mecca achievement’ was again highlighted by the third candidate, Naveen Kumar. He added how he had been disillusioned with the ruling panel of the Parliament the year before and this led to the creation of his own front ‘Team Naveen’. Kumar also took an indirect jab at a few other instigators in the student politics when he said he does not believe in using surname or caste to attract votes. Infrastructure and student welfare issues were also elaborated by Shreyas Mishra. His speech might have sounded dull but it was factually correct and straight to the point. His agenda included strengthening the Wi-Fi signals, setting up a lunch break for the convenience of science students, introducing more books in Braille and so on. The last speech was by Vivek Reddy who seemed very timid and calm while he was seated. But as soon as he got to the podium, he took control of the stage. His was a speech driven by a lot of aggression as he yelled out his thoughts on how the parliament needs to be more equivalent in nature and accommodate people of all social and economic backgrounds. Even though this was mentioned by other candidates too, Reddy’s passion truly seemed unique and personal.

What followed was a session when the candidates could question each other and answer a few questions asked by the audience. In all these rounds of arguing, the main themes that were common to all were student welfare, representation for students of all backgrounds, and of course, ‘Mecca’. Some glorified how Mecca is ‘Hindu College ki Shaan’ (the glory of Hindu College) while a few others said that conducting the college fest is not the only responsibility of a PM and many other issues need to be given more attention.

Some points in the candidates’ agendas seemed like they are much needed to enhance Hindu College while some other points seemed like unrealistic electoral promises which will hardly be realised once the elections get over.

Who will win? Who will lose? The answer to that is totally dependent on the students who make Hindu College what it is. The answer will be revealed on the 12th of September.Till then, the students can ponder over yesterday’s debate and try making the right choice.

 

Feature Image Credits: Vivre

Shaurya Singh Thapa

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The Alliance of AISA-CYSS Declares DUSU Candidates’ Panel at Rally

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The AISA-CYSS alliance unveiled their candidates today in a rally that started from the Faculty of Arts, North Campus.

In a huge show of strength, the alliance of the All India Students Association (AISA) and Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), declared their candidates for the upcoming Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections on 12th September 2018, in a rally that started from the Faculty of Arts at 1 p.m.

Abhigyan, a first-year student pursuing B.A. Programme from Ramjas College would be contesting for the post of President while Anshika Singh, a student from Dayal Singh College would be contesting for Vice President. Both are from the AISA. Chandramani Dev, a student from Law Centre II and Sunny Tanwar, a student of Pannalal Girdharlal Dayanand Anglo Vedic College will be contesting for the posts of Secretary and Joint Secretary respectively. Notably, both candidates are from the CYSS.

In a press release, the joint alliance promised to challenge the politics of hooliganism around the campus and to establish an ‘alternative model’ of DUSU which will be student-friendly. They have based their campaigning on issues like better student transportation and accommodation facilities, ensuring a Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) which would encompass the entire University, better placement facilities for students, student clinics in DU colleges and so on.

The rally of around 300 people moved from the Faculty of Arts in North Campus to Ramjas College, Kirorimal College, Hansraj College, Hindu College, Law Faculty and returned to the Faculty of. When asked why students should vote for AISA-CYSS, Abhigyan told DU Beat, “We’re trying to change the narrative that has been existing around here. We want to change the scenario of people coming with garlands in their necks and trying to portray themselves on a pedestal that is above the students. We’re trying to break that. We’re trying to communicate better with the students and we are fighting every day while understanding that students are also fighting every day.”

Having said that, it was considered ironical that the CYSS panel members started to climb the statue of Swami Vivekananda in the middle of the Faculty of Arts, with garlands in their necks. On the insistence of some AISA members, they descended from the statue and proceeded for the rally on foot.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Sara Sohail

saras@dubeat.com

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