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The Patriarchy and the Burnout: Gender Roles’ Contributions to Academic Stress

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When does being a woman weigh heavier than being a student? Is it possible to look at academic burnout in Indian students without looking at the gender-based issues exacerbating these stresses?

Academic pressure is undoubtedly a universal problem, but it is certainly not uniform in how it is experienced. The ways in which stress is interpreted vary significantly depending on where an individual is positioned within the gender binary. This is because the pressures we face are not constrained as an individual, psychological experience, but are mediated by wider social structures. Patriarchal norms shape our psychopathology, and deviation from rigid, normative gender roles can itself become a source of mental distress. 

One can apply the idea of deviations from these roles as contributors to the experience of academic pressure: in women being cautious of appearing ‘too ambitious’, in men talking over women in a group discussion or women not being taken seriously in front of male counterparts. Research by psychologists in India further highlights gendered disparities in academic stress, with significant differences emerging as early as age fourteen.

While academic competition is often spoken about in the language of merit, ambition, and economic mobility, the truth is that these pressures carry different emotional weights depending on one’s gender. For many women and young girls, higher education is often an escape. It is framed as a “valid” reason to leave home and avoid being married off to commit to a life of household work right out of school. For a woman stuck in an oppressive house, the pressure to succeed academically then, isn’t just pressure to achieve but is sometimes the only path to freedom. The emotional load is heavier because academic success is not simply opportunity; it is leverage against a system that more often than not, refuses women autonomy unless they can prove themselves to be exceptional.

Even within universities, women face the suffocating fate of being continually underestimated professionally and over-policed personally. Casual comments on the length of one’s skirt, having a man repeat your idea louder and suddenly earning credit for it, a professor who asks if you’re “planning to focus on career or family,” is the everyday reality for women. None of this technically falls under ‘academic work,’ but when your place of learning becomes a site of constant vigilance and defence, academic pressure can’t just be exams. Being a woman in an Indian college means continuously dodging sexist comments, being characterised as incompetent and having to prove your worth repeatedly just to get bare minimum credit.

Rebecca Solnit warns us about this in ‘Men Explain Things to Me’, where she writes about how patriarchy shrinks women. The omnipresent threat of male violence, she argues, shapes everything women do. It dictates where women go, how loudly they speak, whom they trust, and whether they can take up space without apologising overtly. 

In the confines of North Campus itself, the divide is glaring. I see boys strolling in shorts at 2AM eating Maggi after a group study session, and girls power-walking the same stretch at 9PM with their fingers clasped around a pepper-spray bottle to their PGs. It’s simply not the same world. When being a woman constrains you, stereotypes you, abuses you and condemns you to a life where you are never truly free, being a woman has to be a part of being a student.

That is not to say that patriarchal expectations make academic stress neutral ground for boys. For men, education holds different anxieties borne from expectations of masculinity. Boys are raised with the burden of becoming breadwinners, their worth tied to their ability to secure stable, respectable employment. Their academic performance is not just personal growth but a preparation to shoulder the financial weight of their families. It is an immense emotional toll to accept onto young shoulders.

Yet the system also makes seeking help a taboo. Vulnerability is not an option for boys told to “man up,” “be strong,” and “don’t cry.” Expressing fear or struggle is seen as weakness, making failure–or even the possibility of failure–terrifying. “There is no emotional support during the moments when you feel low. I used to cry for days and nights,” said a young Kota student to DW News (Deutsche Welle). These words reflect a reality where men don’t always get the tenderness and care needed to survive immense academic pressure.

This is true even more so for LGBTQIA+ students. According to a Noida-based cross-sectional study, 66% of LGBTQIA+ youth suffer from anxiety and suicidal ideation. Already at elevated risk for mental health struggles, academic pressures exacerbate these vulnerabilities. Experiences of ostracisation from peers, professors, and families turn classrooms into stressful environments. In such a hostile environment, succeeding at academics becomes a means of achieving acceptance, safety, and legitimacy.

We see that academic pressure is not a monolith. It is filtered by the expectations, stereotypes, and constraints of a patriarchal society. What looks like a common, personal challenge is actually quite an intersectional one. It is worth looking at sociologist Emile Durkheim comments on the nature of suicide, which he calls a ‘social fact’. Social facts are not just individual or psychological problems, but those created by social forces and systems. Academic pressure in India should be looked at the same way. A patriarchal society’s gender roles, economic inequalities and more influence how deeply wounding academic pressure can be on the already marginalised.

Our resources for care and mental health support need to move beyond just stress management lectures and a “one-size-fits-all” support. Helplines and student counselors need to be capable of addressing the specific burdens placed on girls, boys, or queer youth by virtue of their position in a patriarchal order. The situation calls for a sensitisation of our mental health support providers and a more systemic institutionalisation of the same. Addressing academic burnout in India needs more than reducing syllabus load or increasing counseling services. It requires a cultural reckoning with the patriarchal values that shape our expectations of children and young adults.

Read Also: CUET and the Gender Equation: Why Fewer Women are Entering Delhi University

Image Credits: Ryan Johnson for NPR

Anjali Paruvu

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

More Assessments, Less Learning: The Platformisation of the Indian Universities

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The trajectory of the Indian university, from its inception under colonial rule to its contemporary manifestation in the National Education Policy 2020, is characterised by a fundamental reliance on borrowed institutional models and an ongoing negotiation with entrenched systems of social exclusion. The very concept of the ‘Indian university’ was labelled as an “unnatural desire” contaminated by an “unfortunate weakness for imitation” by early critics like Rabindranath Tagore, who observed that grafting the institutional infrastructure, its buildings, its furniture, its regulations, and its syllabus onto an alien culture and history denied the historical forces required for the idea to achieve “organic sustenance”.

The colonial administration established India’s first universities in 1857, modelled after the University of London, to create a class of lower functionaries and offer instruction in European literature and science. This marked the rise of what academics call the “secular feudal complex of interests”. In Bengal, which saw the first universities in India, they existed to serve the bhadralok, where profits derived from land contracts funded urban bureaucratic careers, and caste privilege was masked as secular intellect. The system actively secured the dominance of Hindu upper castes and neglected existing indigenous, vernacular schooling systems, which historical reports showed had surprisingly diverse student demographics, sometimes enrolling children from marginalised castes like Chandal and Sunri. By tailoring education to win the confidence of the educated and influential classes of the people, the colonial framework institutionalised deep-seated caste and class apartheid in the name of merit.

This borrowed and deeply selective institutional structure provided the foundation for post-independence university planning, which, during the period of 1947–86, operated under the ideology of ‘welfare’. Policy documents, such as the Radhakrishnan Commission Report (1948–49), defined educational opportunity using abstract concepts of “talent” or “ability”, thereby legitimising historical privilege as “merit” and sidestepping structural caste and religious exclusions. The Commission even rooted its curriculum for citizenship in the varnashrama ideal, invoking the dvitiyam janma, traditionally reserved for the dvij (twice-born) upper castes, thus validating caste hierarchies through the metaphor of intellectual attainment. 

A prime example of how the welfare model perpetuated caste exclusion, as Debaditya Bhattacharya argues, lies in the formation of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), modelled after the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). These institutions were explicitly designed to distinguish intellectual expertise from the productive labour traditionally reserved for lower castes. This structure cemented the aura of “castelessness” around meritocracy, exempting IITs from constitutional reservation mandates until 1973. The selection process, rooted in competitive mass entrance examinations, ensured that scientific and technological expertise was set apart from the “manpower mandate” through selective entry. This institutionalised upper-caste dominance, leading to the unfortunate, documented rise in suicides among marginalised students in these elite technical institutes, confirms the hostility of the meritocratic ecosystem.

This period of focusing on “welfare” failed to dismantle the colonial framework, leading policy to shift to the neoliberal ‘market’ (1986–2012), redefining education around “human resource development”. When the market model failed to provide reliable employment, the policy shifted again toward financial logic and risk management under the NEP 2020, signalling the age of the “Platform University”, which focuses on securing market legitimacy and placements, rather than producing critically thinking educated individuals. 

 The NEP argues that specialised knowledge is unreliable in a world risk society and that education must prepare workers of the future for jobs that may change or disappear. The implementation of multidisciplinary education at universities like Delhi University exemplifies this shift toward non-knowledge and propaganda serving as investable securities. The introduction of mandatory VAC in Delhi University’s curriculum demonstrates the fracturing of knowledge into ideologically charged and tradeable curricular derivatives that have little relation to established disciplinary traditions. The objective is to produce innovative skill combinations that might survive price fluctuations.

The definitive structural mechanism for this platformisation is the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC). The ABC transforms educational institutions into “banks for academic purposes”, mirroring commercial banks for financial purposes, offering services like credit verification, accumulation, and transfer. The platform enables ubiquitous access (any-time, anywhere, and any-level learning) and promotes mass digitisation, ensuring a network effect where the student is reduced to a “credit variable, unique but infinitely circulable”. 

The NEP legitimises this financial restructuring by invoking the myth of ancient Indian universities (Takshashila, Nalanda, Vallabhi, and Vikramshila), claiming that these “world-class institutions of ancient India” demonstrated the success of “vibrant multidisciplinary environments” and that India needs to “bring back this great Indian tradition”. However, a critical history of these ancient sites reveals that they were not true universities in the modern sense. For instance, Takshashila was primarily centred on brahminical education, where knowledge acquisition was confined to the upper dvija (twice-born) castes, with an explicit ban on shudra populations, and instruction was conducted individually within the acharya’s household, lacking the corporate character and worldly openness required of a university. Similarly, Nalanda functioned primarily as a sangharama (rain retreat) for the Buddhist sangha, not an autonomous centre for secular intellectual curiosity, focusing intensely on religious proselytism and monastic doctrine. The transformation of Nalanda into a learning center was accidental, and the mission of foreign visitors there was primarily religious evangelism to procure and translate sacred Buddhist texts, not to engage in disinterested research. The policy’s appeal to this mythological past serves as a political cover to justify the financialisation of the present, ensuring the university’s total surrender to the logic of the derivative asset. The pursuit of happiness studies for students further exemplifies this totalitarian ideological goal: the systematic destruction of the university’s critical “publicness” and the faculty’s capacity for critical private intellectuality, replacing genuine thought with an ideological “science of happiness”.

The platformised university, therefore, is the final stage of the original colonial borrowing, where the foundation is based on structural exclusions. The NEP 2020’s insistence on graded autonomy and the subsequent ranking of institutions (Type 1 Research Universities down to Type 3 colleges) further establishes a hierarchical system, where the great icons at the top receive the bulk of promised funding, ensuring that structural inequalities are perpetuated under the guise of pursuing excellence in an economy of scarcity. The ABC, acting as the university’s super-app or surveillant assemblage, ensures that the student remains a lonely, calculable asset in a system obsessed with rating and credit accumulation over intellectual engagement.

Read Also: NEP: Changing Norms for Teachers and Students

Image Credits: Daily Bruin

Sakshi Singh
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The Broke Student’s Guide to Surviving the Last Week of the Month (Without Asking Parents!)

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1. Introduction: The Last Week’s Struggle is Real

It’s the 24th of the month. You open your wallet, or instead click on ‘check available balance’ in the UPI app, and you have just enough money for a chai and a samosa. But you still have more of the week until your next allowance. Welcome to the last week of the month survival struggle every college student knows too well.

On the other hand, in a country like India, students often spend their entire lives managing small amounts of pocket money or earning money from part-time jobs. The problem? Rent, mess fees, travel costs, and social outings will make short work of that budget before you know it. Suddenly, add in some unexpected expenses, a birthday treat for yourself, a spontaneous trip out of town, or that irresistible online sale, and now you are counting coins instead of making plans.

Indeed, not making it to the end of the month is a story as old (ish) as time, and nearly everyone has been there in their student days. But the good news is you don’t need to go hungry, ditch your friends, or cry to your parents for an emergency transfer.

In this guide, we’ll share practical, realistic broke student tips to help you survive the last week of the month with your dignity (and your friendships) intact. These student budgeting hacks will show you how to survive on a tight budget in college, without giving up fun or good food.

2. Why Students Go Broke Before the Month Ends

If you’ve ever wondered why students run out of money before payday, the reasons are surprisingly predictable—and they tend to repeat month after month.

  1. Overspending Early

It’s like a little festival as soon as your pocket money or wages come in. You eat out with friends, buy clothes, and perhaps shop online. By the time you realize it, a large portion of your paycheck vanishes into thin air in less than a week.

  1. Unexpected Costs

That birthday present for a pal, a class trip on short notice, and a sudden requirement of academic resources will clear your budget in the very same day.

  1. Poor Budgeting Habits

A surprising number of students never bother to track their spending at all. So, when you have no clue as to where your money went, then the next thing is a surprise zero balance.

  1. Peer Pressure & Social Image

It is tempting to adjust your own budget to make it appear that you can keep up with your spendy friends.

  1. Over‑reliance on Credit/BNPL Apps

Likewise, “Buy now, pay later” services and credit cards allow you to spend next month’s money this month… often leading consumers into a downward spiral of debt.

If you do not get rid of these habits, you will always be in the same financial state as any other broke student at the end of each month. The solution is identification, identify these patterns, and act before the last-minute panic mode kicks in.

3. The Survival Mindset

Okay, let’s get the obvious out of the way; being broke by the end of each month doesn’t mean you’re useless. It is a place that almost every student visits at some point. From a broke student’s perspective, from frustration to creativity.

Rather than feeling sorry for yourself because you have no money, adopt a “make it work” mindset for managing student finances. That is what it means to focus on the ability to achieve what you can with the money and resources you have, not what you can’t. See it as a challenge, a game of sorts in which you have to flex your responsible spending muscle and practice living intelligently.

You don’t have to sacrifice fun or traveling; you just have to find all the cheap ways to do them! It may be as minor as substituting a café coffee for a homemade chai with friends, or choosing to walk across campus instead of taking a cab.

How to survive until the next allowance and cultivate savings habits that will last long after college. By reframing your Last-Week situation as a short-term experiment in frugality.

4. Food Hacks for the Broke Student

One of the biggest worries people have when they are in a financial crunch is what they will eat next. The good news? You can eat pretty well without blowing your last ₹200. Affordable and budget-friendly student meals, as well as food ideas in India, to keep you satisfied and not hungry with a smile until the end of the month.

  1. Cook in Batches

Do not cook every day; make dal chawal khichdi, pasta, or very simple one-pot curries in bulk. Batch cooking will save you money and time, and leftovers can be kept for future meals.

  1. Maximise Hostel Mess/Canteen Pass

Use your prepaid meal or canteen plan to the max. Live off it the way you should be, because it is virtually free at this point.

  1. Cheap, High‑Energy Snacks

Make sure you have these budget-friendly and filling snack options on hand, such as bananas, roasted chana, bread omelette, poha, etc., or boiled eggs. They are affordable, healthy, and great for snacking on between meals.

  1. Free Food Opportunities

Now, campus life is replete with free food, provided you know where to find it. Club events, cultural festivals, and guest lectures often come with a treat or, sometimes, a full meal.

  1. Potluck with Friends

One person makes dinner, and everybody cooks what they make. Prices are definitely lower; expect to spend far less than you would at home for a bigger variety of food.

  1. Avoid Online Food Orders

For Swiggy or Zomato, yes, they will come tempting your taste buds, but splurges in the form of delivery last week can rip shit out of your pockets faster than you thought. Save those treats for another month.

These end-of-the-month food hacks will prove that eating healthy on a budget is not just about money, but also about creativity.

5. Travel & Commute on a Shoestring

Travel costs also add up, and when money is tight, you want to save as much money as possible. You could save hundreds of rupees on your previous week’s survival plan simply by making wise decisions when it comes to traveling.

  1. Walk or Cycle

For short distances, walking or biking is typically the most cost-effective and healthful option. This not only saves you money but also provides a form of physical activity.

  1. Student Bus/Metro Pass

You can obtain student bus passes or metro cards in a few cities in India, which offer a cost per ride significantly cheaper than what you usually spend on cabs or autos.

  1. Share Auto/Cab Rides

If you can’t use official transport, organise to split with friends heading the same way. So a ₹100 cab fare = ₹25 per person for four people.

  1. Plan Outings Around Public Transport

Avoid getting stuck late at night when buses or metros are no longer operating. Concluding trips near a transport hub saves you from unexpected Uber bills on short notice.

  1. Borrow/Bike‑Share Services

Cycle-sharing services or e-bike rentals are often available on various campuses and in cities at a fraction of the daily cost, making them an ideal option for budget-conscious commuters.

These travel hacks for students demonstrate how to save money on the commute by thinking one step ahead and opting for more affordable options.

6. Entertainment Without Spending

Just because you are broke does not mean you have to sit at home and be bored. Even if you can not find freebies, there are ways to have a good time that do not include pulling out your wallet. So, nothing helps you lift yourself and make a quick connection with any free entertainment ideas for students in the last week of the month.

  1. Free Campus Events

All colleges are alive with Free Stuff — arguments, open arenas, individual evenings, concerts. They are lighthearted and entertaining, making them ideal for the new friends segment.

  1. Host Game/Movie Nights

Have a movie night or game night with friends. Invite everyone to a potluck, so the merriment is as communal and cost-effective as possible.

  1. Public Parks, Beaches, Museums

A walk through the parks, beaches, or free-entry museums of your city may be an enjoyable and zero‑cost option. Also, it is nice to get away from campus for 3 days.

  1. Skill Swaps

Organize your own workshop, and barter your skills with a friend for hers. In exchange, you could learn photography or how to cook.

  1. Sports/Games in Hostels

Host Match One might arrange cricket matches, badminton games, or a football evening in your hostel or nearby playground. It’s free and you get some exercise.

These fun ideas on a budget are living proof that broke student activities can be even more enjoyable than paid outings.

7. Side Hustles for Quick Cash

You may be at a point where your wallet is empty, and a few extra bucks will help a ton. These student side hustles are incredibly fast, flexible, and easy to do between lectures.

  1. Freelancing

If you are skilled in writing, graphic design, video editing, or social media management, consider becoming a freelancer to businesses/startups in your area. You can also connect with remote gigs on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork.

  1. Tutoring Juniors

Have juniors in school or college and teach them your best subjects. The short-term tutoring, which is common and lucrative during the exam period, is often sought after by parents willing to pay well.

  1. Selling Old Books, Clothes, Gadgets

You can sell items no longer in use on popular sites such as OLX, Quikr, or the campus buy–sell WhatsApp group, declutter your room, and earn a few bucks in the process. More space, more cash, that’s a win-win.

  1. Research Participation/Surveys

There are several online companies & also colleges that pay you to participate in their research or surveys. This is not big money, however, it is a piece of cake and fast.

  1. et/Babysitting, Other volunteer events

Care for a pet or babysit for friends, neighbors, or professors.

  1. Part‑time Campus Roles

You would typically work as a library assistant, event crew member, lab helper, and campus ambassador. All of these roles are straightforward to complete and often pay on a weekly basis.

Here are short-term ways that students can make money; these include quick cash jobs for students. In the last week of the month, even a small gig can earn you money and lessen your worries till you get your next allowance.

8. Borrow Smart (If You Must)

From time to time, even with your best effort, the last week of the month will close quicker than you can save. Once again, you can fight back by borrowing responsibly, as long as it is done so in a responsible manner.

  1. Borrow Only from Trusted Friends

Keep your lending pool small. If you choose to borrow, only ask one or two close friends. This makes things simple and eliminates any awkwardness.

  1. Always Have a Repayment Plan

Develop an effective debt repayment plan. Consider when and how you will repay the money before requesting it. Let them know what the funds are for, and your friend will likely have peace of mind in lending it to you.

  1. Stay Away From High‑Interest Loans or Payday Lenders

Quick‑cash schemes and shady lenders often charge extreme interest rates that trap students in debt. Steer clear of these at all costs.

  1. Use Student Loan Apps for Genuine Emergencies

Apps offering student microloans in India, such as StuCred, can be a safer choice—but only if you use them responsibly and for genuine needs, like medical expenses or essential purchases.

  1. Borrowing Should Be a Last Resort

But do not let it be something you make a habit of every month. Accept it only where unavoidable and improve your budgeting for the future.

The bottom line is that, if used responsibly, emergency cash for students is a lifesaver, and in the process, it won’t harm your friendships or finances.

9. Avoid These Common Last‑Week Traps

When you’re already low on cash, a few minor mistakes can push you straight into the broke student traps that make survival even harder.

  1. Impulse Food Orders

That “just one” order from Swiggy or Zomato can easily go from INR 300 to 500/-. At 2 times, you have already lost half of the money you have left. Just concentrate on those food hacks and say no to app cravings.

  1. Last‑Minute Expensive Outings

A quickly arranged long weekend or an impromptu late-night movie release may sound harmless; however, the immediate cost of travel, tickets, and popcorn can be huge. So say no to the last-minute, spontaneous, and expensive plans.

  1. Borrowing Without Planning

Taking money without a clear repayment plan may lead to the formation of a student debt cycle in India. This doesn’t just harm your relationships; it also fosters an unhealthy financial habit.

  1. Overusing Credit Cards/BNPL Apps

”Future money” feels relatively easy today, but sticky tomorrow. Frequent late fees and high interest rates can turn small purchases into expensive ones.

If you avoid these last-week-of-the-month mistakes, then you have a good chance of making it through without financial stress or resorting to an emergency investment.

10. Preparing for Next Month So You’re Not Broke Again

Living through the final week of one month is all well and good, but not having to do that every month, that is the prize! If you follow these few smart habits, you can say goodbye to the struggle of running out of money and relax into student life.

  1. Budget From Day One

The day your pocket money or wages are in, immediately calculate how much you can spend every week. This prevents you from overspending in the initial days.

  1. Weekly Spending Check‑ins

Pick a regimented day (like Sunday night) to review your finances. The key is to identify overspending ahead of time, making it easy to catch and make changes before it becomes a problem.

  1. Emergency Mini‑Fund

Set aside ₹500–₹1000 at the start of the month in a separate wallet or account. We even recommend avoiding it altogether for essentials. Use it only for last week’s necessities, such as food or transportation.

  1. Track Expenses Daily

Log every rupee. You can easily log all the rupees you spend on free apps like Walnut, Money Manager, or Google Sheets. Awareness is half the battle.

  1. Side Income Stream

You can manage to save some money every month if you employ yourself in a small part‑time teaching, freelancing, or on-campus job, and stop asking for more from your parents.

  1. Separate Essentials & Fun Money

Stay away from using your rent, food money, and other travel expenses for entertainment. Be sure to put this feature into use so you never “accidentally” spend your grocery budget on a concert ticket.

Use these student budgeting tips, and you may even end up with some money left over at the end of every month. This can help you have a little fun without the guilt.

11. Final Thoughts – Broke Doesn’t Mean Boring

So, please do not treat the broke week as a disaster and think of it instead as an opportunity to showcase your creativity, resourcefulness, or intelligence in spending! What you just read about is not only tips and hacks for survival, but also foundational to lifelong money discipline.

However, it is not necessary to spend a lot on student life. Fun without money, think free campus events, no price tag at all to attend, plus ways you can spend your entire last week and still have some form of social, exciting life.

The next time you feel the pinch, try these student life hacks in India and see how much lighter you feel, financially and mentally. Remember, it’s not about having less; it’s about making the most of what you have.

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India Gate Pollution Hullabaloo: Protesters Allege Forceful Detention, 22 Arrested, 5 Sent to Judicial Custody

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Anti-pollution protest on India Gate

Protests by BSCEM and Himkhand student groups turned chaotic at the India Gate as police detained multiple students, reporting the use of pepper spray and Maoist slogans during the confrontation.

The protest at the India Gate against rising pollution turned chaotic as the Delhi police took several students into custody. Students said they were picked up forcefully.

BsCEM and Himkhand reported that members from their groups- Akshay from bsCEM and Aahan and Aakash from Himkhand- were among those held. They stated that Akshay was singled out by the police and assaulted, and also mentioned the misconduct towards a female protester who stepped forward in his defence.

Student groups stated, 

We are not criminals, we are students protesting for our right to breathe when the state is poisoning us. By such actions, Delhi police only exposes its criminal nature.

They called on the general public to gather outside the Parliament Street police station and demand the release of their fellow protesters.

The Delhi Police have confirmed that two separate FIRs have been registered, one at Kartavya Path police station and the other at Parliament Street police station. The arrested individuals were produced before the two magistrates at the Patiala House Court.

Furthermore, five students accused of spraying pepper spray on Delhi police personnel and shouting slogans in support of the slain Maoist fighter Madvi Hidma have been sent to a safe house on a two-day custody until their age is verified. The matter was heard by Judicial Magistrate Aridaman Singh Cheema, who reviewed the charges under BNS provisions.

In a separate case, the Delhi Police have arrested 17 additional individuals. Judicial Magistrate Sahil Monga heard the case and has placed these individuals in three days’ judicial custody- PTI reported. 

The Kartavya Path FIR now includes sections 74, 79, 115(2), 132, 197, 221 and 223 of the BSS, while the FIR lodged at the Parliament Street Police Station includes charges under BNS sections 223A, 132, 221, 121A and 126(2).

Featured Image Credits – PTI India

Rahul Kumar 

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Delhi Protests Against Pollution: Maoist Slogans and 17 Protesters Arrested

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On November 23rd, the Delhi Coordination Committee for Clean Air organised a protest in front of India Gate against the rise in AQI. People started shouting slogans against pollution, while some groups also started sloganeering Maoist slogans. 6 protesters were detained, and 17 protesters were arrested. 

On November 23rd, the Delhi Coordination Committee for clean air, which many organisations are part of, organised the protest. Alongside citizens, they protested in front of the India Gate for the rising AQI levels in Delhi, which have sparked concerns for public health safety. 

The protest began at 4:30 pm right below the India Gate. Organisations like Himkhand and bsCEM started to raise slogans for the extra-judicial encounter of CPI (Maoist) leadership Hidma. In an interview with a bsCEM member, they linked the rising pollution to the ‘imperialism development model’ and championed the development model that CPI (Maoist) brought in Bijapur and Bastar. Many have criticised, like SFS, the slogan raised by bsCEM and Himkhand, calling the slogans adventurist and ‘not an appropriate platform to raise this issue’. They also said they were not informed of the slogans that would be raised before the protest. 

Due to these differences, parallel protests took place. The one on the Kartavya Path, distributing pamphlets and addressing the public, while the one near India Gate, which refused to move and sloganeering against pollution, alongside Maoist slogans. Many of the latter protesters were detained and arrested. 

Protesters have alleged that they were dragged and, later, male officers manhandled female protesters. A protester, according to Wire, developed abrasions on his legs from being dragged by the police. Many have criticised the brutality of detention by the police, calling it undemocratic.

6 protesters were detained, and later 17 students who went to Parliament Street Police station demanding the release of the detained were arrested. The police have registered two FIRs, one at Kartavya Police Station under several provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), alleging that protesters tried to pepper spray police officers and blocked the road. Another FIR was registered in Parliament Street police station for obstructing public servants and assaulting police officers. The 17 students were sentenced to 3 days in jail by Judicial Magistrate Sahil Monga on November 24. 

The constant protest against pollution shows the rising concern for public safety. Many residents are already reporting health issues due to high AQI. This incident reveals that public fury is reaching a boiling point, driven by the tangible health crises residents are already facing from the city’s toxic air.

Also read: Protesters Detained at Kartavya Path as Delhi’s Air Pollution Crisis Deepens.

Photo credits: Press Trust of India

Reva Rawat 

[email protected] 

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Events

 A Two-Week Sporting Spectacle: League of Titans 2025 Starts Strong at IMT Ghaziabad 

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IMT Ghaziabad’s Sports Committee has commenced League of Titans 2025, a 14-day intra-college sports event featuring nine disciplines: Cricket, Football, Volleyball, Basketball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Lawn Tennis, Throwball and Chess.

A two-day auction placed around 350 students across eight teams shaped around this year’s theme, Crownfall Chronicles, with each team built around a unique gem power. The tournament structure includes 8 league fixtures and 2 semifinals followed by finals in each of the 10 sports, creating a comprehensive competitive layout for participants across categories.

Sports Committee was elated to partner with 35 sponsors across multiple categories. GAIL (PSU) serves as the Title Sponsor, supported by Dermease and Kia as Co-Sponsors, while Growth Traders and Tiny Hoomans join as Associate Partners.

On-ground participation from brands further enhanced the atmosphere. Kia set up an interactive car display, Monster Energy and Predators engaged students with on-spot activations, and VGR, the Grooming Partner, drew steady attention through its grooming stall.

League of Titans 2025 blends competition, creativity and student-led enthusiasm, delivering a high-energy sporting chapter for the IMT Ghaziabad campus across 14 days.

The event is in full swing and has naturally become a focal point on campus. As classes wrap up in the evening, students gather around multiple courts to catch the fixtures, giving the grounds a lively and spirited atmosphere. Basketball, volleyball and badminton have emerged as the strongest crowd-pullers, with matches producing gripping exchanges, extended rallies and tightly contested finishes that hold spectators’ attention until the final point.

Table tennis adds a sharp, fast-paced rhythm to the league, with rapid returns, sudden momentum shifts and technically skillful plays earning quick reactions at the tables. Throwball has also contributed significantly to the energy of the event, with coordinated team play, quick defensive recoveries and spirited rallies that keep matches engaging. Chess offers a contrasting but equally compelling dimension, featuring long strategic duels between sharp thinkers and drawing small but highly invested audiences.

The league features eight teams, four from the senior batch and four from the junior batch, creating a balanced mix of experience and fresh competitive drive. Each team has begun shaping its own identity, supported by captains who guide their squads through tight phases, maintain structure during demanding sequences and adapt strategies in high-pressure moments. Early fixtures across sports have already highlighted standout performers whose consistency and decision-making have influenced several match outcomes.

The Sports Committee continues to oversee the league with disciplined coordination, managing scorekeeping, scheduling and smooth transitions between fixtures. Their continuous on-ground presence ensures that matches across different sports run efficiently and maintain a steady flow throughout the evening.

Supporting brands such as GKG Namkeen, Dolly Soda, Khari Foods and many others add to the experience by providing refreshments and rewards for standout performers. Winner hampers featuring snacks, beverages and grooming items give players moments of celebration after intense fixtures and add a warm, enjoyable layer to the event environment.

With competitive fixtures unfolding each evening and strong involvement from the campus community, League of Titans 2025 continues to underline the spirit of collaboration, enthusiasm and athletic commitment at IMT Ghaziabad.

 

 

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Editorials

When Reclamation Becomes Recklessness, But the Fight for Respect Becomes a Spectacle

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The #ProudToBeR movement, though intended to reclaim a slur and promote empowerment, risks turning into a reckless spectacle that distorts genuine advocacy for women’s dignity, respect, and social awareness.

Divija Bhasin, a social media influencer, @awkwardgoat3 on Instagram, who is popularly known for challenging social themes, recently attempted to reclaim the slur usually pejoratively denoting sex workers, but not limited to that demographic, in response to the massive amount of hate comments that she receives where people called her a r**di.

Following this, several of her followers began using the hashtag, displaying the same on their Instagram profile bios. This also includes women who are pre-teens and underage—those who might not be fully aware of the semantic, social, and historical weight of the word.

The word, originally used to denote female sex workers and prostitutes, has now evolved into a derogatory insult which has been often used to easily target women who engage in any social behaviours that are deemed ‘unfavourable’ to society at large, but mostly men. Usage of this word is an ‘attempt’ to hammer a dent in a woman’s character. There has been an unfortunate normalisation of usage of the word, where it is used in daily conversations, flicked casually at the slightest inconvenience or irritation. Almost every woman at some age, at some place and in some situation has been subjected to the use of this word. And I’m no stranger to such experiences—I was labelled that in the 8th grade, at a time when I didn’t even know what the word meant. When I complained, my teacher dismissed it as nothing more than a “minor clash”.

The criticism for the same exists in a spectrum, varying in people’s reactions. Some argue that we can’t reclaim a word that has no neutral counterpart, which means that it is just plainly existing as a derogatory word without any terminology that could be a more respectful version of the same. An analogy of this could be derived from disparaging terms used for the African Americans and members of the LGBTQIA+ communities. While for the latter groups, it is clear who can reclaim the slurs used against them since the contours of membership are clearly defined, the former can claim no such clear delineation.  

Some question why Divija has chosen to reclaim a word that was never hers to begin with. As a woman, it’s one of the most unhealthy manifestations of chauvinism and a projection of the toxic male ego onto them. It is simply more effective to call out the problematic nature of a deeply insulting word than to reclaim it with pride because the onus then lies on the person propagating it to visualise the political correctness of using this word with pride. 

The third argument that we make here is how just the act of attempting to reclaim this word reeks of the privilege of being from an elite upper-class background. It is essential to call out the lack of sensitivity and understanding of the realities of living in vulnerable conditions, like sex workers who are deeply exploited in a country like India and have to fight tough battles every day, not just because of their work but because of the fact that it’s never stripped from their identity, which ultimately never gains them acceptance as being a ‘normal’ person with feelings and expectations. 

I believe that confronting hateful and demeaning remarks with conviction is a strong and necessary response. Yet, urging followers to inundate platforms with hashtags they scarcely grasp reflects a troubling lapse in responsibility—particularly from someone whose reach and words hold the power to frame narratives and shape perception. 

Through the course of writing this piece, my social media algorithm revealed a deeply unsettling trend. The incident seems to have emboldened certain voices to dismiss genuine advocacy for women’s dignity and the urgent need to instil basic respect and appropriate conduct toward women in Indian society. This, in turn, has fuelled a dangerous narrative — one that misleads people, especially teenage and young adult men, into believing that calls for respect are exaggerated, performative, or undeserving of serious attention. Under the overbearing weight of memes that celebrate and cherish this propaganda, let’s not forget the duty we carry as members of a society where women, with each passing minute, are shamed, raped, hit, acid-attacked and burnt because of the grave power asymmetry between the genders and their roles. 

As a deeply divided society, we must confront a difficult question: where do we draw the line between advocacy and mockery? Both, when taken to their extremes, risk devolving into radicalisation and perversion on one end and bullying on the other. While this movement may have been met with resistance from the majoritarian perspective, it should instead ignite meaningful discourse. It stands as a stark reminder that it is long overdue for us to grant women the verbal justice they deserve—and to stop normalising their vilification simply for daring to rationally speak up, just because our deeply entrenched, insecure and patriarchal mindset can’t handle it.

Read Also: Patchwork Feminism: Are Women Truly Capable With Just Education Alone?

Image Credits- UN Women 

Divyanshi Dusad 

[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

Waves 2025: BITS Goa’s Cultural Festival Sets New Standards

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When cultural brilliance meets coastal vibes, you get Waves – and this year’s edition proved why it’s one of India’s most anticipated college fests.

From October 31st to November 2nd, BITS Pilani’s Goa campus transformed into a cultural powerhouse, hosting Waves 2025 – three days of electrifying performances, fierce competitions, and memories that’ll last way beyond the fest hangover. With over 8,000 participants from 150+ colleges converging on one of India’s most vibrant locations, Waves proved once again why it’s rapidly climbing the ranks as one of the country’s largest student-run cultural festivals.

The Star-Studded Lineup

Let’s talk about what everyone was really there for – the nights that made us lose our voices (in the best way possible).

Day 1 kicked off with Aditya Rikhari setting the perfect tone for the fest. The indie vibes had everyone swaying under the Goan sky, listening to “Sahiba” and honestly, is there a better way to start a cultural fest than with some solid indie music?

Day 2 brought the house down – literally. Sunidhi Chauhan graced the Bollywood Night, and if you’ve ever wondered what 5,000+ people singing along to “Sheila Ki Jawani” sounds like, well, you missed out. The energy was absolutely electric, with the Bollywood diva delivering hit after hit that had the entire crowd on their feet.

Day 3 wrapped things up with a bang as DJs Krispy Kristina and Ravator took over for the EDM Night. The bass drops, the light shows, the collective jump when the beat drops – it was the perfect crescendo to three unforgettable days.

 

Beyond the Headliners: Where Competition Meets Creativity

But Waves isn’t just about the celebrity performances (though let’s be honest, they’re pretty hard to beat). The fest hosted over 40 events. The competition was fierce, the talent was insane, and the stakes were high.

The Big Four – Waves’ flagship events – saw some of the most intense showdowns:

  • Natyanjali brought dance crews battling it out in what’s essentially the Olympics of group dance competitions
  • Sea Rock proved why it’s the country’s largest semi-professional band competition, with eliminations held across 12 cities before the grand finale
  • FashP (Fashion Parade) turned the auditorium runway into a spectacle of design and choreography
  • Mr. & Ms. Waves tested personalities and talents, with finalists going thro

    ugh intense rounds over all three days

Then there’s Sizzle – the solo street-dance competition that always draws massive crowds and has racked up millions of views on YouTube. Picture a dance battle, but make it college fest level, with students forming circles and losing their minds over every killer move.

And if you thought that was all, think again. Waves also hosts a 

Prom Night – because what’s a cultural fest without some elegant, dressed-up vibes? It’s the perfect breather between high-energy competitions, giving attendees a chance to slow down, dress to impress, and create some Instagram-worthy moments.

The Verdict

If you’re still reading this and thinking “damn, I should’ve been there” – well, you’re right. But here’s the good news: Waves is only getting bigger and better. With its explosive growth, massive footfall, and consistently impressive lineups, this is one fest that deserves to be on every college student’s bucket list.

Whether you’re into dance battles, comedy nights, fashion shows, or just want to vibe to some incredible music in Goa, Waves has something for everyone. The 2025 edition might be done and dusted, but it’s set the bar pretty high for next year.

Mark your calendars for Waves 2026, folks. If this year was any indication, you really don’t want to miss it.

For updates on Waves 2026, follow @wavesbits on Instagram and check out the official website at register.wavesbits.org. Trust us, you’ll want to be there when the next edition rolls around.

 

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DUB Speak

The Three Acts of a Magic Trick

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Where capitalism towers and faith flickers, Mamdani performs, turning promises into tricks, doubt into devotion, and New York into a restless audience.

 

Magic. It is why this society dreams. A little part of us that industrialisation couldn’t take away. A part that remains with us, even after the ripe age when we all become machines. The concept which makes materialism thrive, which makes money an agent. A gateway to the impossible. It replenishes faith and births belief. And when it intersects with reality, we call it a trick. 

 

A magic trick typically has three separate acts. The first one is The Pledge—when the magician presents something ordinary, something without a story, like a hat. The second is The Turn—when that ordinary turns into something extraordinary, something stupefying and confusing but believable; a pigeon out of a hat. The last is The Prestige—the most difficult part. The part which validates the audience’s hope for the existence of magic, something that gives them a reason to turn it into instinct. Revealing that magic is no secret—by the show of empty hands. Becoming a story with an ultimate cliffhanger. 

In my world, Zohran Kwame Mamdani is a magician. Now, let’s walk through his acts together. 

The Pledge

A very simple man has become the new mayor-elect of the world’s richest country’s richest city. A self-proclaimed socialist on the throne of New York City—arguably the most capitalist city in the world and home to most billionaires. His campaign was strong, as it was straightforward. He is now set to become the city’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor and its youngest in over a century. He began by walking the streets of NYC and asking people about their problems. Later, he designed a campaign targeting these issues and announced that he would be standing for elections—defying all rules of politics, economics and statistics. 

His agenda, to me, is simple—find where it hurts and promise a 100% effective painkiller. And he did just that. He focused on an agenda, something that can be absorbed by the common person. Something that objectively promises a better life. And for New Yorkers, it was affordability, an issue that his predecessor, Eric Adams, a fellow democrat, didn’t address. This instilled a belief in people—a desire to trust something bigger than themselves. Ordinary, yet powerful. 

The Turn

This is where the extraordinary part comes in. He appealed to the people of NYC with claims of taxing the rich. He stated an increase in the corporate tax from 7.25% to 11.5% and a 2% income tax surcharge on individuals making more than $1 million per year. Just enough to get the wealthy annoyed, but not touching their core wealth—their assets at all. 

Contrary to popular belief, real estate is the engine that runs NYC, not finance. The city’s growth is directly measured by its unaffordability. And Zohran is targeting that ruthlessly. This could easily backfire with extreme economic losses because of the reallocation of investors and the wealthy moving their capital elsewhere to escape taxes. This is not sustainable. A socialist city surrounded by a capitalist world suffers capital flight. It just means a reallocation of the cause of inequality. 

But Zohran wants regulation, not a total structural reform. His aim is to accomplish the impossible—to give his best try towards equity for all. He limits his beliefs to what is practical. But he faces backlash for the river of his ideology, not the cup of water from it that he’s offering to NYC. What he wants is public infrastructure parallel to the lavish private ownership in the city—more public housing, city-run grocery stores, and free transit—that provides relief and alternative structures without dismantling the entire capitalist system. 

 

The Prestige

Finally, the last act. The part where his crusade becomes inscrutable, mystifying. So much so that people (his audience) become almost mesmerised into placing their entire trust in him. The part where his illusion becomes so strong that it becomes instinct for the people of NYC, that even when evidence suggests otherwise, their faith denies it. Until now, NYC has been shaped by neoliberalism. Zohran isn’t an extremist, but the one word which defines him is. Socialism. People unable to understand the nuances of a socialist economy become victims of bigotry. Their attachment to a leader becomes an attachment to an idea that they can only half comprehend. This is what gives rise to debate, making Zohran’s campaign immortal.  

 

He faces criticism for describing “Globalise the Intifada” as a symbolic call for Palestinian human rights, not for violence or antisemitism. It reflects his very evident thought pattern—supporting whatever is morally right. He focuses on the core strength of an idea but ignores its effects, just like the impact of socialist agendas on NYC’s capitalist economy. But that’s what makes his magic real. His own belief in the illusion, irrespective of the reality. 

Conclusion

As it is with all tricks, this story remains unfinished. The ultimate cliffhanger becomes whatever manifests when he claims his office. His image—the illusion he created to win the campaign—is one thing. He owes his win to the loophole between realists and relativists. But now it’s time to act on it. If he actually pursues his claims, he will have to face the New York State jurisdiction and the cumulative force of all the most powerful people in the world against him. And if he doesn’t, he faces massive protests by the common people of NYC who were promised more affordable lives. 

But there’s another option. What if he accomplishes both? What if he finds a way that promotes his idea of affordability without facing a backlash from the wealthy? Right now, he faces capital flight, operational risks and long timelines—most of whose cost is imminent before benefits. However, perhaps he gradually implements progressive taxes with tied incentives (like credits for investment in housing or green projects) or private-public partnerships so that the growth seems mutual, not anti-rich. This would mean him calling the first-row audience members up on the stage before the curtains roll. 

 

Nonetheless, in my world, Zohran Kwame Mamdani remains a magician—living his illusion. 

Read Also: “One day we logged in, and then we never logged out.” DUB speaks to Ria Chopra

Image Credits: The Financial Times

Shreya Bhushan

[email protected] 

 

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Arts & Culture

“One day we logged in, and then we never logged out.” DUB speaks to Ria Chopra

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An alumnus of LSR, Ria Chopra is a freelance writer and creative consultant, and (un)officially the neighbourhood internet anthropologist. Chopra’s pop culture trivia reels and the Gen Z analysis essays have earned widespread acclaim. With her debut non-fiction book, Never Logged Out, in the pre-order phase, DU Beat reached out for a conversation about Gen Z and the Internet Culture.

Shikhar: If you had to pick one pop culture moment that stands out as your personal favourite, what would it be? Which one, in your view, has had the strongest influence on this generation?

Ria Chopra:  I have too many favourites to be able to pick one, but a recent one would be Zeenat Aman’s Instagram debut and the posts and writing she would publish on the platform. It was lovely in all aspects: to see an older person engage with social media, to have such a legacy star reveal their innermost thoughts and feelings in moments when they were at the peak of their fame. I think the most influential one would be any of the large-scale changes in the world of internet and social media: the advent of Jio, the launch of Instagram Reels, or even the gradual change in social media from being a space of connection to a space of commerce. I think these have had deep-seated impacts on how Gen Z engages with the world around them.

Shikhar: The internet has increasingly become a “third space” for our generation, especially in the post-COVID world. How do you see this shaping the experiences and interactions of DU students?

Ria Chopra: Should we call it that? I think one of the prerequisites of being a third space is that it should be accessible to everyone, and while it may be easy for us to overlook this, the internet is still out of reach for many women, lower-income groups, etc. It is also an inhospitable place for many people to be their fullest selves. That being said, I do agree that it has become a huge space of interaction and interpersonal engagement—for many people, digital socialising is where it’s at. Amongst DU students, I see a lot of intergroup conversation online; on the r/delhi subreddit, for instance, or Twitter threads and Instagram pages, which have DU students sharing experiences and trying to help each other. Hyperlocal communities of this sort can be extremely useful and supportive, especially for young adults, and I love that this has translated to the digital world too.

Shikhar: Pop culture shapes much of our daily lives, from our outfits to the phrases we use. Do you think internet culture and fandom discourse have begun to replace traditional political and literary forms of expression?

Ria Chopra: I don’t think so. Pop culture, along with literary and political discourse, has always been one of the vocabularies of expression that exist. In fact, I would say that pop culture, internet culture, and literary culture references can all fall under the overarching umbrella of political expression. Something I like to say is that the “personal is cultural”, and as we all know, the personal is political too. There’s a false discourse being created online about internet/pop culture vs literary/artistic discourse, which I think has been overblown. One replacing the other or being good/bad compared to the other isn’t true. I think dissecting pop culture and internet culture can be a very politically expressive act, while it is also entirely possible to uncritically engage with literature (like the ‘Performative Man’ trend) and hence strip it of its depth entirely. As long as we are thinking, we are good.

Shikhar: In recent years, cinephile and pop culture circles have developed a sense of elitism, where people look down on others for not recognising references. This often ties back to unequal access to cultural capital and knowledge. Do you think pop culture is losing its essence as a middle ground between high and low culture? 

Ria Chopra: Our cultural knowledge has always been a function of our privilege—of the language we speak, the money we have, the access we enjoy, and the things we are allowed to engage with. This is why I would rebel against describing anything as ‘high-brow’ or ‘low-brow’—who decides what the ‘high’ and the ‘low’ is? Elitism or snootiness in art domains simply represents a set of people unwilling to accept their own privilege and to try to understand art in other ways. Whenever I see ‘cinephiles’, critics or anyone else looking down on others for not getting references, I just zone out and move on—I can’t bring myself to respect that kind of discourse. 

Shikhar: The revival of Y2K aesthetics and 90s cinema among today’s students comes with varied interpretations. Some call it commercialised nostalgia. What, in your view, drives Gen Z’s fascination with the 90s and 2000s?

Ria Chropra: Multiple factors, the largest one being a huge sense of crisis permeating our existence today, birthing in us a desire to retreat into a warmer, safer cocoon of what feels like a better time—our childhood. Many of us older Gen Zs also remember that time tangibly: the early days of the internet, the early sense of rebellion in OTT, the drive of playfulness on websites and social media, and yearn for that feeling of discovery and curiosity that used to exist in our pop culture and internet culture experiences. It felt more fun, you know? I talk about this in my upcoming book too, but I think there’s also a generational coming-to-terms right now with the effects the internet has had on us. In other words, one day we logged in, and then we never logged out, is the title of my book too. I do think that nostalgia is rose-tinted, though it was a horrible time politically—feminist conversations weren’t as mainstream as they are now, and society wasn’t as progressive as it is now. So we should be careful what we wish for.

Shikhar: One question I love asking everyone: who’s your favourite pop culture icon? And what’s one piece of pop culture you’d recommend everyone experience?

Ria Chopra: I hate this question. How am I supposed to pick one? If you force me, at gunpoint, to say it, then my favourite pop culture icon is Shah Rukh Khan, obviously. Pop culture I’d recommend everyone experience is the entirety of AR Rahman’s Bollywood work (I’m a Hindi speaker, so I connect more with his work which is in Hindi, though his work in other industries is also great), and also the full 16-video YouTube series of the Berklee College of Music’s rendition of his music.

 

Read Also: Social Media Vilification of the Nerd Archetype

Image Credits: Sanjana Chopra

Shikhar Pathak

[email protected]

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