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On the birth anniversary of Late Prashant Yadav, a DSJ student and the architect of the “Stand With DSJ” movement, a seminar was organised to discuss student politics where student leaders from Delhi University (DU), Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Patna University (PU), and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) spoke about the issues concerning university campuses amidst remembering Prashant. 

On 6th November 2019, the date he would have turned 20 had he been around us,  a memorial meet was organised to remember Prashant Yadav, a young Journalism student from DSJ and the architect of the “Stand With DSJ” movement which intended to fight against privatisation policy of DU. The event, organised in the form of a seminar in Satyakam Bhawan, Arts Faculty, had eminent student leaders on board who came from varsities across the country to speak on student politics, campus issues and the changing role of universities. Pooja Shukla, National Vice President, Samajvaadi Chatrasabha, spoke on the need for students to question the Government and espoused the role of universities as the cradle of democracy. Rocky Tuseed, Ex-President, Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU)  broke down while remembering Prashant. Salman Imtiaz, President Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union (AMUSU) asserted the importance of plurality and diversity in India. Kawalpreet Kaur, Delhi President, All India Students’ Union (AISA) asserted on the need to have more students like Prashant in the campus. Divyanshu Bharadwaj, Former President, Patna University, lamented the ailing condition of state universities. Jayant Jagyasu, C-RJD Leader, spoke about the state of marginalised people in university campuses.

A homage to Prashant by his teacher, Dr Albert Abraham, classmates, and invited speakers was followed by the seminar whose focus was to highlight the role of student politics in campuses. As the invitees were from nooks and corners of the country, their respective speeches contained concerns over changing demographics in India.

Remembering Prashant through this event was an attempt to reconcile his ambition, ideals, and thoughts.

Suman Shekhar, a third-year Journalism undergraduate student at DSJ and a close friend of Prashant’s said, “Prashant always wanted to be a part of the Delhi University election system. He wanted to bust the common notion that only rich students, able to shed 50-60 lakhs, could contest elections here. He wanted to fight elections following the Lyndogh Committee’s guidelines.”

He continued, “He contributed immensely in the entire Stand with DSJ Movement. Even if he had become a journalist, our country would have been graced with one fine journalist.” On asking how big a loss it was for him Suman said, “Personally, I can’t articulate that in words. I knew nobody when I came to Delhi. I always used to hang around with Prashant. Humare liye roz ka din vanvaas jaisa hogaya hai , hum kaat rahe hai bas. (After Prashant’s demise, my life is like an exile now).”

Prashant was on his way to Lucknow to celebrate Diwali on 4th November 2018, when he met with an accident on Yamuna Expressway. He and his two siblings died on spot. Prashant was actively involved in student politics and was associated with the student union of the Samajwadi Party.

“Its really saddening that we had to organise this program. It would have been better had Prashant been around with us today,” said Kawalpreet Kaur. She added, “I feel, the DSJ Movement that Prashant organised was very important because it was  the first movement where students protested against privatisation.”

Rockey Tuseed remembered Prashant’s vivid memories and got emotional while delivering his speech. He said to DU Beat, “When I became the DUSU President, we (I and Prashant) used to have a lot of discussion on the infrastructural problems of DSJ. We have protested together. When I was on a hunger strike, he came along to support me. He was like a younger brother to me.”

A scholarship in memory of Prashant was announced for meritorious students coming to DSJ from economically depressed background for the coming sessions.

 

Feature Image Credits – Mohit Dock

 

Priyanshu

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Varsity seeks President’s intervention to stop the construction of a 39-storey high rise private building in North Campus.

The Delhi University (DU) has urged the President of India, the Vice President, and the Delhi Lieutenant Governor to intervene in the matter pertaining to the construction of a 39-storey private building in North Campus. The Vice President of the country is the officiating Chancellor of the University, and the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi is the Chief Rector of the varsity.

Various sections have condemned the construction of the building, saying it is being constructed illegally on public land. They have also said the building will overlook six girls’ hostels in the varsity and will invade their privacy. Protests in this regard have regularly been ongoing since the move was given clearance by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) earlier last month.

The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) has also opposed the construction of the building in North Campus saying it “would significantly alter the social and cultural landscape of Delhi University” and also compromise the “safety of women students”.

The building is coming up adjacent to Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station in the North Campus of the University.

On Saturday, the varsity’s vice-chancellor Yogesh Tyagi announced at the Executive Council meeting that the varsity will be developed into an “integrated closed campus” within a year, sources said, adding the Council sought the support of North MCD and Delhi Police for this. The University’s South Campus, on the other hand, is a closed campus. The varsity has also formed a 20-member task force to look into the matter and address issues like illegal parking, traffic, incidents of snatching in the campus.

DU had also written to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Home Ministry as well as the Ministry of Defense on this matter. DUTA, the teachers’ body also said that there is already a severe paucity of spaces for students on campus, for their accommodation, recreation and for other academic activities and the use of this space for a residential complex is questionable in its intent. DU also insists that the construction of this building will come in the way of the Master Plan of Delhi, 2021, that has been envisaged for the city’s infrastructure. Moreover, according to the documents accessed by Mail Today, 228 trees have been felled for the construction of this building.

Feature Image Credits: The Times of India

Bhavya Pandey

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On Thursday, 5th September 2019, DU Beat conducted an interview with Chetna Tyagi, the Presidential Candidate from National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) in context to the upcoming Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections.

(Translated from Hindi)

Satviki: To the common student, DUSU feels like an unapproachable political entity. What will you and your party do to ensure accountability to the students of Delhi University?

Chetna: It gets difficult for the students to raise their voices on issues sometimes, so as DUSU elected members, it becomes our responsibility to raise our voice on behalf of the students. NSUI has also initiated a campaign ‘Awaaz Uthao Seeti Bajao’ where we want to promote equality amongst the Delhi University students. Under the campaign, we are covering issues of hostels, one fee for one course and university special buses.

If NSUI comes to power, it will force the authorities to take action so every student gets their rights and equality.

Satviki: The incidents on Old Gupta Road and Hindu Rao Hospital highlight security concerns for those living in the north campus. What steps will you take to ensure safety and security on campus?

Chetna: Every college should have a police van in front of it, every hour of the day. At least two policemen should be present so they can keep a check on the happenings in and around the campus so that they can control the situation.

Satviki: How inclusive do you think NSUI is in terms of minority and LGBTQIA+ representation?

Chetna: Our Vice-Presidential candidate is a Dalit who’s been given a high post, who will go on to further represent minorities of the Delhi University.

Satviki: Campaigning every year uses up a tremendous amount of paper for pamphlets, posters, etc which then leads to litter on campus. What is your say on the matter?

Chetna: Every candidate does their promotion through paper. I know it leads to a lot of paper waste and it is useless. We can have a plantation drive after the elections are over where we can grow plants in different parts of Delhi.

Satviki: Delhi University was recently declared an Institute of Eminence by the Union Government which entitles DU to payment of a 1000 crores over 5 years. What changes is this going to bring in DU?

Chetna: This extra money that we will be getting is the result of NSUI’s fight in the Delhi University. This extra money should be used to ensure equal opportunity should be given to all the students in Delhi University. Be it a student from a rural background, or someone belonging to the minority, everyone should be equal.

Satviki: The overriding perception of University politics is that it involves dirty politics, strong-arming, and violence. What has your party done to prove this perception wrong during this campaigning period, and what does it plan to do to reduce these perceptions in the future?

Chetna: I am a girl candidate, and NSUI has given the chance to a girl candidate after so many years. The students are the one who will judge and know which candidate is working for them, and which candidate is here because of his money power. Once the students start choosing wisely and not based on publicity stunts, it will all reduce automatically. So, NSUI will work for the students.

Satviki: Last year, there were allegations of EVM tampering against ABVP, also to be noted, the EVM’S were privately supplied and not by the Election Commission, how will you ensure that incidents like this don’t occur this year and how do you plan to make sure elections are held fairly?

Chetna: Last year, there was a nonexistent candidate who was used to get votes. The candidate was being voted for when in reality, the candidate did not even exist. So, there was something wrong. Moreover, the results were also delayed for a day or two. This year there should be tight security amongst the officers who handle the machines and the EVMs should not be misused. NSUI will keep a check on it.

Satviki: which element differentiates you from the other contenders for the post of President?

Chetna: Firstly, I am a girl candidate who is standing for the position of President. I don’t think ABVP has ever backed up a girl candidate for the post of president. NSUI has given the chance to a female candidate after so many years and I am going to give my best. I want to make my voice my identity and work for the students of Delhi University.

Satviki: What message would you like to give the students so that they see you as a deserving candidate?

Chetna: I am Chetna Tyagi, a student at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College. It is after 11 years that a girl candidate is chosen by NSUI to contest for the post of the president. I want everyone to come in heavy numbers to vote for DUSU elections.

Feature Image Credits: NSUI

Satviki sanjay

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On 5th September, DU Beat conducted a telephonic interview with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad’s (ABVP) Presidential candidate Akshit Dahiya ahead of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections 2019, to shed light on his opinions and views.

Akshit Dahiya is currently a first year L.L.B. student at Faculty of Law, University of Delhi (DU). He’s also a graduate in B.Sc. Physical Sciences from Ramjas College, and a silver medallist in bodybuilding from University of Delhi (DU). He became a member of ABVP in 2016.

What are the main issues you will focus on as a presidential candidate? 

Being a sportsperson, I strongly feel about encouragement of sports in University of Delhi (DU). Outside if you notice, all the students who win medals are of universities. Hence, I have a dream that in 2024 Olympics, it should be DU students representing India. 

The other thing is DU special buses, I come from a very low metro connectivity area, so transportation from my home to the varsity became a task. That’s why, we would start these buses by making petitions. 

There have been recent cases like the one on Old Gupta road or near Hindu Rao Hospital that seriously question the safety of students. Have you done anything to ensure the safety of students studying and living there? 

We’ve already taken various steps. I did my entire campaigning on bi-cycles. I took 100 bi-cycles from college to college. I had two motives for it, one was of Green Delhi, it’s shameful for all, how we’re not contributing as individuals towards this issue. The other is, the scheme of closed campus. A lot of cars are driven in campus making students prone to accidents.

What are the few highlights of the ABVP manifesto for DUSU Elections, 2019? 

Even though we’ll have an entire manifesto announcement, few points are: 

  1. Metro Concession passes: Metro is raising their fares constantly making it very expensive for a normal middle-class student of DU to travel. 
  2. Scholarships in University: ABVP is the only group that allotted 50% of their entire budged towards giving scholarships to sportsmen, PWD candidates, and Economically weaker students.
  3. Holiday homework: All the students sit idle for the two months till 20th July until classes start. We’ve taken a target that will we provide 10,000 students with internships in summer vacation. 

How inclusive is ABVP towards LGBTQIA+ students? Will they receive adequate representation? 

It should be noted, that in our manifesto we have mentioned that we want free education for Transgender and the entire LGBT community. 

DUSU seems an unapproachable entity to the common DU student. Will you take any steps for making it more student friendly and less intimidating? 

I was never part of student politics earlier. I was a studious student. So, I’m well aware of the thought process of sports and study-oriented students and I will run a cycle of schemes and programmes to bring them to DUSU. Already ABVP-led-DUSU has done events like “She the Change” to increase the involvement of women and we will continue this even for cultural society members, and sports students as well. 

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Lyngdoh Committee has kept 5000 as maximum expenditure for campaigning. How do you and your party abide by it? 

Our entire party follows this thoroughly as ABVP works on ground level and each student gets affiliated naturally. We work under those INR 5000 per candidate very easily. 

Campaigning for DUSU often leads to littering in campus by all political parties. What steps have you taken to avoid this? 

Our motive this time is Clean Campus. We will follow it in depth and thoroughly till the end. There is no way ABVP supports this. We have ensured that the campus had cleanliness. It’s just the other parties that don’t work all year round and then need heavy campaigning to win, unlike ABVP. 

In 2017, many DU colleges proposed to be given autonomy, which could lead to privatisation of DU’s constituent colleges, are you for or against this, and why? 

My opinion and what steps ABVP will take regarding this will only be revealed in our press conference soon.

Last year, there were allegations of EVM tampering against ABVP, how will you ensure that incidents like this don’t occur this year and how do you plan to make sure elections are held fairly?

The issue of EVM tampering came because on the post of secretary there were only eight candidates and yet votes had been given on a ninth ballot as well. 

It shouldn’t be situated with us, as NSUI won the post of secretary making it evident as to who tampered EVMs. For us, democracy is above all. We have never engaged in undemocratic acts like these.

University of Delhi was recently declared an Institute of Eminence by the Union Government which entitles DU to a receipt of INR 1000 crores over 5 years, however, the trend in 2019 in DU has been of increasing fees and hostel rates, why do you think this is so? And what will your party do to reduce fee hikes and hostel rates?

We have worked a lot against fee hikes for students. Citing a few examples, there was Rajiv Gandhi Girls’ hostel which had increased its fee manifold, ABVP went there to protest and accomplished the goal of reducing their fees for students. At Ramanujan College, after they increased their fee by 100%, we protested there for the same. 

In the end, I would just advise all the students to come and vote. We’ve struggled a lot in history to achieve voting rights for students. They should vote as this time elections will be held on the ideology of nationalism.

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ABVP Panel 

President: Akshit Dahiya, Ballot No.1

Vice President: Pradeep Tanwar, Ballot No. 5

Secretary: Yogit Rathi, Ballot No. 3

Joint Secretary: Shivangi Kharwal, Ballot No. 4

Feature Image credits : ABVP 

Chhavi Bahmba

[email protected]

 

Police suspects it to be a case of suicide but no evidence including any suicide note has been found from the site.

A third-year student of Ram Lal Anand College was found hanging in his south Delhi residence at Nanakpur on Thursday, 30th May 2019 afternoon. Utkarsh Sharma, a 22 year old B.A. (Hons) Political Science student is suspected to have committed suicide though no conformity has been established and the police is still probing the incident.

Sharma used to live in a government quarter with his parents who were not in town at the time of the incident. His parents had left for their hometown in Uttar Pradesh when the incident took place. When his calls went unanswered, the worried parents asked Utkarsh’s brother living in Palam to reach him. As he reached his house in Nanakpur, he found his brother death. Utkarsh  further informed Devendra Arya, DCP of South Delhi. He said that an inquest proceeding under Section 174 of the CRPC has been initiated to investigate the case.

As the President of Ram Lal Anand College, Utkarsh was quite known amongst his colleagues and mentors.  His principal, Rakesh Kumar Gupta remembers him as a smiling student. “I came to know about it. He was a good student and I had spoken to him around 21st or 22nd May. He had told me his exams went well. He always had a smiling face,” Mr Gupta told the Press Trust of India.

Utkarsh’s semester exams ended on 21st May 2019. He apparently last interacted with his college friends around the same time. Minali Gupta, the Vice President of the Student Union of Ram Lal Anand College told that she last met him on 21st May and is in a state of shock with his untimely demise.

 

Featuere Image Credits: Facebook and DU Beat

(With inputs from NDTV)

Priyanshu

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The ABVP-led DUSU has formally requested the DU Vice Chancellor to not conduct the semester examinations a day prior and after, and on the day of the General Elections.

For the upcoming Lok Sabha elections of 2019, which will be coinciding with the April-May semester exams, the ABVP-led Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) has requested the Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi, Professor Yogesh Tyagi, to not hold the semester examinations on the same day as that of the elections. They also demanded that the exams should neither be held a day prior, nor a day later than the actual date of casting votes, so as to ensure that the students from other states can exercise their right to vote as well. The external exams, along with the internal assessments, and practicals willl begin from April and are expected to continue till the first week of June.

In a separate letter addressed to the Chief Election Officer (CEO), Mr. Sunil Arora, DUSU requested him to arrange special railway services for the students of major Indian cities for their convenient travel, and to also make the tickets available at compensated rates. They also requested him to issue a directive in the form of an advisory to all the educational institutions in the country, urging them to not conduct the end-semester examinations during the ongoing General Elections.

“As students, a lot of us would be casting our first votes, as citizens of India we really look forward to it. A holiday prior the election and post it, would allow us to act our electoral choices,” says a second-year student of Kamla Nehru College.

These demands were raised, keeping in mind the fundamental right of the youth to vote, and the demand for the special railway services ensures that students from other states can also cast their votes in their respective constituencies. DUSU further appealed to the students to consciously exercise their fundamental right to vote in the upcoming elections.

However, some students have their doubts about this move as well and it, as articulated by another second-year student, “All the services are only available for the major Indian cities. I wouldn’t be able to go back anyway as I come from the remote town of Balangir in Orissa, it is a hectic two-day journey by train.”

The President of DUSU, Shakti Singh, stated in a press release, “The need of the hour is a strengthened democracy which can only be achieved by facilitating the maximum participation of the youths. We shall make every possible endeavour to effectively utilize our resources to meet these ends. We hope to see considerable growth in vote share in these elections.”

Saimon Farooqui, the all-India media and communications manager of NSUI, said, “A certain well thought-out mechanism needs to be established as voting is a layered process and students come from various parts of the country. They should also ensure that studies are not compromised in any way. It is the responsibility of the University of Delhi to ensure that voting process is smooth for students and they are able to exercise their right to vote.”

Image Credits: DU Beat

Antriksha Pathania

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The University of Delhi held its 94th Annual Convocation in the indoor stadium complex of North Campus, in the presence of Chief Guest, President Ram Nath Kovind, and the guests of the occasion were Prof. V S Chauhan, Chairman, UGC New Delhi, and Prof. Yogesh Kr Tyagi, Vice Chancellor, DU.

Addressing the enthusiastic scholars, the President began on a lighter note describing the University as one of the world’s biggest university and has always marched ahead in advance education. He firmly emphasised on the age of artificial intelligence which is largely impacting not only how the society is functioning but also the process in which society is thinking. At the same time, he took the opportunity to address the new courses that the University has introduced, as it is trying to break the barriers of the traditional educational system in order to prepare the Indian education system for the coming 25-30 years.

The President also appreciated the fact that 112 of the 171 medal and prize winners were girls. “Almost a two-thirds majority! This is in keeping with the trend in education of girls consistently outscoring boys. A welcome sign in our society,” the President said.

The guest of the occasion Prof. V S Chauhan, Chairman, UGC New Delhi brought to spotlight the emergence of a large number of women coming in the field of education. He stressed on the need of sharing knowledge with the marginalised and needy section of the society.

Approximately 600 scholars received their degrees and 175 medals were awarded.

The focus of the occasion was on a 60-year-old man, SK Sinha, an Associate Professor of Geography at DU’s Bhagat Singh Evening College, as he received the doctorate’s degree from the President, proving that learning and growing have no age barrier.

 

Feature Image Credits: India Today

Naimisha

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With the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) winning the recently held Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) elections four times in a row, we got an opportunity to have a tête-à-tête with the winning Presidential Candidate Rajib Ray from the Department of Philosophy in Kirori Mal College. Raising legit demands of ad-hoc teacher regularisation, the greater pay scale for the teachers under the 7th pay commission and putting up a tough fight against privatisation of education, DUTA is vital for the functioning of the University of Delhi which comes under the top central universities of India.

Here are the excerpts:

In your manifesto, the major demands raised by the DTF this year involved the resolution of anomalies of the last pay scale, promotion of teachers, and due placement and payment to ad- hoc teachers in DU. How does your Front after coming to power hope to achieve this and through what means?

Ours is not a party, but a Front and the moment you associate the notion of ‘power’ to a union, my conception of an ‘association’ is completely different. So, firstly, I would like to mention that it’s a historic win for any group to have won four consecutive times in a row. All the issues that are happening since a long time and the future is yet to be achieved. Last year the government came up with a Third Amendment which was to reduce the number of teachers at the departments and we led a huge movement in the summer forcing the government to roll back the amendment. The authorities then came up with the Fourth Amendment to which we are still against, but it is definitely better than the previous one.

As far as the appointments are concerned, under the monitoring of the Delhi High Court after our immense efforts concerning the Law Faculty Case, the appointment procedure in the departments have already started and I hope, that without any delay, further processes of appointments shall commence in the various colleges. The recent speech made by our Hon’ Minister of Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar, on the new education policy with respect to promotions of teachers, ‘hire and fire’, etc. and seeing the trend of autonomy being given to colleges, it is very disappointing not only for the students but also very bad for the morale of teachers as DU treads upon the path of self-financing courses and reduced public spending.

What major problems can autonomy and steps leading to privatisation have on students’ lives in DU?

Firstly, the pattern of making colleges autonomous in DU is not a new one, but what we need to realise is the brazen manner in which it is being done. The moment the motion for autonomous colleges passes, the college has to get 30 percent of resources on its own. The question is ‘from where’. The colleges will get it from increasing the fees of students despite opening up of new courses and will have to pay the salary of the faculty through the self- financing courses that can lead to lesser salaries of employees. This method is not only lopsided but will also affect the teachers’ morale. The way to get out of this is to sensitise students and teachers in the public realm about the ill effects of autonomy and privatisation, and can vouch for a huge political pressure on the government. This is similar to the way it happened in the case of FYUP roll back with the help of media. So, the solution is to make it a matter of public debate.

Do you believe that the intense regularisation of higher education by multiple regulators like University Grants Commission (UGC), National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), etc. can help central, deemed, and state universities to improve their performances as we have already seen, that lesser regulation in the case of IITs/IIMs has made them enter the top 200 rankings of the world?

First of all, these rankings that you mention are very subjective and there is the whole nexus of foreign universities that are embedded in these rankings. Also, who decides the world rankings is a matter of debate and on what grounds?  The most important help all sorts of universities need is funding and no such cuts in funding should ever happen. Also, the NAAC rankings are there only to judge the criterion of funding to be provided. Public funded institutions must serve the students well and the recent demographic changes in DU students for the past decade show that students from the lower strata are also coming to DU and for them, funding by such regulators is very important. And with a recent Supreme Court ruling, all regulations are mandatory but what’s happening now is changes are occurring in the university without consulting the ‘LAW Book’. So, arbitrary regulation should be controlled. Also, the case for recently opened Delhi School of Journalism, be it self-financing or not, will depend more on the type of courses it plans to offer and the fee structure for the students as well as the availability of permanent faculty and not visiting lecturers.

How do you plan to revoke the problems caused by Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) and evil effects of the semester system which now seem to be very much institutionalised in the system?

The major problem is there is no choice being offered to students under CBCS, in terms of courses and subjects due to the unavailability of faculty, lack of infrastructure, and lack of payments to be made to teachers. So, we need more faculty and need to build a number of colleges, which is a long way to travel.

What could be done to improve the student-teacher ratio in DU?

At present in DU, it is 1/50 and we want to improve it further. But, normally in such discussions, our main focus is primarily on the regular students and we tend to ignore or isolate the students of School of Open Learning where the ratio is almost twice. So, immediate steps should be taken by the management for its betterment and what is needed is more number of colleges and placement and promotion of teachers. Also for the promotion of teachers, we need to revise the criteria upon which the teachers are judged; for example, if you are asked  in an interview in 2013 to do something since 2008, it’s a bit unfair as you were not made aware of such guidelines in 2008 and thus on such basis, you are rejected in 2013 interview. That is what is happening to our teachers at DU.

What message do you want to give to students for the upcoming DUSU elections being the DUTA President? Also, are you able to draw any parallels between DUSU and DUTA?

Regardless of my affiliations, I won’t promote any particular student wing here, but what I want is a free and fair election which is the true essence of a democracy. I am appalled at the increasing use of muscle and money power in DUSU elections.

As far as DUTA is concerned, there is not much use of muscle and money power the way it happens in DUSU. Only various student and teacher groups are involved in our elections. Also, there is a huge interference of the state machinery in the conduct of DUSU which is not the case in DUTA.

Finally, what will be your immediate plan of action after coming to power?

We will start our public sensitising programmes in order to make the students and teachers aware of the bad effects of privatisation of education and approach all levels including MHRD, state, and administration of DU. Our plan is to not bend under pressure of any Vice Chancellor or the authorities. We want to make our universities free and restore their ability to question and debate as well as protect it from all outside forces.

Image Credits: The Hindu

 

Oorja Tapan

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As the Obama presidency comes to an end, the world would not be same again. We would be deprived of a leader, who had camouflaged behind his serene smile and a rangy gait, a stubborn optimism, unfailing grit, indomitable will and incredible gravitas. Every time Barack Hussein Obama took to the podium, the world held its breath to hear out, as he conjured dreams for countless people through his genuine determination, those crescendos alternating with pregnant pauses, the eclectic hint of a Hawaiian accent and ecclesiastical notes jingling with his prodigious charisma in an ethereal voice and inhuman grace.

The New York Times quotes Beverly Tan Murray, an African American resident from Miami as saying, “ Mr. Obama’s presidency was the living embodiment of a dream we were once promised. If we could live in a world where he was president, maybe America saw, respected, even loved us. For a brief, magical time, that “maybe” felt like reality.” Mr. Barack Obama carried hopes and aspirations on his towering image of a sensitive husband and a loving father, and that of a compassionate, humble and thoughtful man.  His persona made the government feel alive as he offered a beacon of hope to a restless world in troubled times, time and again in these 12 turbulent years.

 

The posterity shall of course also be made to remember, time and again, that the very magnetic eloquence which led to his ascent, proved to be his Achilles’ heel. There always remained this formidable difference in his unquestionably noble motives and what he was finally able to attain for America and the world.

His massive domestic and international political fails, diplomatic setbacks in Russia and Israel, his inability to persuade the Congress on many key reforms, utter failure at being able to check gun violence even after the Sandy Hook and Charleston killings and developing breeding ground for terrorism in middle east due to detrimental inaction will always be blemishing his tenure at the oval office. Some even logic that it was his timidity and inaction on crucial matters at critical junctures which led to the general frustration against the vernacular politics leading to the rise of Donald Trump.

At the end of the day, inspite of his many heroics, irrespective of everything he did,  be it Stimulus Bill, Obamacare, salvaging America of two economic recessions, Paris agreement on climate accord, Bilateral agreements with China, Russia and Latin America including Cuba and new paradigms of relation with European and Asian nations, his critics will see his failure over what he saw as pointless.  He will be remembered as a leader who did not flaunt his achievements.

The Telegraph quotes Barack Obama saying to a young child interviewing for People’s magazine last month about the Tuesday farewell party.  “We are going to have a big party before we leave office. But I’ll be honest with you- it’s going to be after your bed time.

As for us, this is no bed time. We will watch in delirium as your antithesis takes over as the 45th POTUS, who unlike you, is vindictive, irritable, argumentative and dangerous.

As for you, some will question your being a good president,  no doubt about that.  But you will always be remembered as the  most beautiful person to ever reside at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Feature image credits:  White House Photo/Pete Souza

Nikhil Kumar

[email protected]

The Ramjas student union elections finally took place on the 17th of last month. We caught up with the new president, Mr. Yogit Rathi  to ask a few questions on his big win. A third year student from the history department, Mr. Rathi had won by a landslide victory with a margin of 104 votes with his biggest competitor Anuj Damara landing 421 votes. The rest of the candidates who came third, fourth and fifth were Kapil Choudhary, Mohamed Alam Tyagi and Rishabh Bajpai respectively.

Student elections at Ramjas were scheduled to be held in September but were suspended in the wake of a fight which broke out between two presidential candidates. The Faculty had unanimously decided on suspending the elections till the issue was sorted out. After much consultation and many meetings with the DSW, DUSU office and the Principal, a decision was taken to keep the election date on the 17th of October, 2016.

Following is the interview with Mr. Rathi, as taken right after the results.

Arindam: What made you fight for the college elections this year?

Yogit: Unfortunately I had enrolled in an engineering college right after 12th but since all my friends were in DU and the political atmosphere kind of lured me in so I changed my mind and came here instead. Once here, I actively took part in union politics since my first year. I had made a lot of friends and associates in that time. So when somebody suggested that I should try for the president, I did not hesitate as I believed it would be a good idea and since it was the centennial year, this was my chance to work for the college.

Arindam: Were there any difficulties in winning this year? What was your strategy for this year’s elections?

Yogit: There were a lot of major obstacles and the competition was a tough one, no doubt. The college was facing multiple issues such as the absence of college fests, management problems and other issues faced by the blind students in the library. Another hurdle was when, on the day of scrutiny in early September, a fight broke out between two candidates (names withheld) which led to the elections being suspended for some time. After repeated pleas on our part, the Principal finally agreed to conduct the elections in October.

Arindam: Have you participated in politics before? Also, are you working for any social cause or in college events?

Yogit: I have actively participated in my departmental activities and also worked for college events over the years. I had also tried for the centennial team but unfortunately was not selected.

Arindam: In your manifesto, you have mentioned ‘Technologically advanced tuck shops..to help students meet their basic necessities’. What kind of facilities are you talking about? Can you elaborate on this?

Yogit: If you look around you will notice that our college, in spite of having a photocopy shop, does not have a stationery one, which many colleges have and is a necessity. For various reasons the students have to take printouts, browse the internet and have a basic need of stationery items. The purpose of a ‘Tuck’ shop is to provide all these facilities within campus grounds.

Arindam: Another interesting thing you have mentioned in your agenda is setting up an ‘Analyst Programme’ and ‘introducing a new software’. Can you explain further?

Yogit: This was an idea that came up amidst all the centennial fervor. The idea was, to create a link between the Ramjas college library and the university library which would be further connected to all the central universities in the country. I realise it is a big dream to have and would need  lot of work but it is not impossible. The principal has promised to consider this proposition once the centennial celebrations are over.

Arindam: That is a big project. Good luck with that! Now for my last question. You have made a lot of promises and it seems with the centennial celebrations and faculty and staff working around the clock, you might fall short of adequate resources or time, to deliver on your word. How, if this comes to be, are you planning to tackle this?

Yogit: The centennial team has a lot of students to handle with organising the celebrations but I believe for our goals to be reached we have all the resources we need. It would take time but I plan to involve all the class representatives (CRs) from ach department, to make it a more unified effort. If each department chips in, fulfilling all the agendas will be no hard task!

Image credits: Mr. Yogit Rathi

Arindam Goswami

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