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Prabhanu Kumar Das

DU to Create Inter-College Societies

By Sakshi Arora November 15, 2019

University of Delhi (DU) has introduced an inter-college society system, in an attempt to tackle the divisions within the Varsity.

DU’s Extra Circular Activities (ECA) and Sports Committees have launched the Delhi University Collegiate Culture Circuit (DUCCC) with newly formed inter-college societies. This initiative was collectively taken in the Executive Council (EC) meeting held on Saturday, 26th October. The two-day long EC meeting witnessed long formulated debates on both sides of the matter. A certain level of hierarchy along with team esteem exists in all the societies of DU, and the scheme may not play out well there.

Many college students have expressed their disagreement with the decision, as they believe it will create segregation instead of belonging. Amaal Kumar, President of Natuve, dramatics society of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, said, “We spend each day of our college life with our society. Now with that gone, it takes away our convenience as well as bonding. It should also be noted that when you’re in the same college, you face similar issues, and are around people with same teachers who understand your society needs. Now all of that will be gone.”

However, the decision has been taken to do away with the college elitism that exists in DU. Ramesh Ray, the ECA Committee Chairperson, said, “This will do away with the resentment among students that has been created out of years of competition, and bring feeling of community as a whole among students.” The DUCCC has been set up to look after the many changes this decision will bring. Allotting areas for practice and scheduling the practice time of inter-college societies will be taken up by this newly formed committee, along with the matters of society elections, and dealing with administrative work.

The official announcement has been made on the DU website and thereby, the scheme will be initiated after the upcoming fest season of January to March, 2020. The campus has received this news with contrasting opinions; many feel a loss of identity to be not known by their college society names. Some others feel this will give an opportunity to meet students from all walks of life. Karan Thapar, member, Vurbum, the western Dance Society of Motilal Nehru College, said, “This is a great step. The barriers of college, location, and seclusion will be broken with this. It will be great to see a Hindu College society member with a member from Ram Lal Anand College to perform, united by their art.”

Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is only to be appreciated and not accepted.

Feature Image Credits: Hitesh Kalra for DU Beat

Chhavi Bahmba

DUB Speak

Responsible Authority and Other Lies: DU Edition

By Kartik Chauhan October 20, 2019

With every change of guard, from one President to another, from one Secretary to the next, there is a constant transfer of authority. But is such a transfer aware of the corresponding responsibility? Are inactive or precarious Presidents and Society Heads a thing?

It’s strange how with every new session, more than the excitement of a new curriculum, an alarming number of DU students await the culmination of their contributions into being elected society post-holders or heads. In a self-proclaimed political atmosphere, such expectations are natural, some would say. There is not a lot of space for selfless action. And why should such a concept even exist, when all we are, is measured by the responsibility we hold, the productivity we profess, and the authority we command? In the face of such reckoning, positions of responsibility become titles just for the sake of CV’s and job interviews, and that is precisely when the shams associated with authority are revealed.

It happens ever so often that people volunteer to take up positions of power, and fortunately, they also come to access them. Notably, they also volunteer to assume power in societies they are passionate about. How is it that on assuming authority, some of these promising candidates resolve to inaction?

Once in power, the excitable idea is to step beyond the last set precedent. But more often than not, at least in my experience, even as a new imaginative thinking is employed in a defined position, something does not quite click. Everyone who has ever had to work with a group of people would agree how difficult it is to materialise ideas into tangible models with the combined effort. To speak matter-of-factly, there is an annoyingly normal lack of initiative in societies and organisations. In attempts to avoid overwork, we limit the scope of our responsibilities. Are societies then Just for Fun? Should every member be allowed to practise individuality or is there a moral obligation every person associated with a society is bound by? Questions like these reverberate in every society meeting, unspoken and unheard. However, there are two sides to this dynamic: the power-owners, and the sources and subjects of said powers. Failure to accomplish goals on either side complicates functioning of the structure as a whole. While it is easy to hold the latter responsible for fall-outs, who can question the former higher authority? College spaces instill a sense of free-rein, but as practitioners of such liberation, we regularly overrule the corresponding ideas of responsibility.

A constant game of power dynamics is sustained by innovation and newness. Many a time, the creative, however, is sidetracked by the administrative. To top it off, we are also an age of burnout “ded” youngsters, and that seems to justify more than our general lack of empathy, as it also enables us to do away with our responsibilities at times.

Almost all literature on Management Studies emphasises the correlation and co-dependence between the concepts of authority and responsibility. One of these cannot exist in a vacuum. In the face of such a mutually exhaustive structure, we often find ourselves contemplating the delusional non-issue that is life. To some extent, the transitional formative understanding of authority-responsibility relationship can cause disconcerting disillusionment, in the event of which, ignorance becomes bliss. We switch off our phones, ghost the council groups, evade our responsibilities to spite others. But everything about this maneuver spites us in return. How do we then, evade a voluntarily taken responsibility?

One of the greatest challenges in college is learning to prioritise. A position of responsibility teaches a lot, but it also takes away, sometimes much more than what it offers in return. There comes a point when authority seems coaxing. “Why am I doing this? What is the purpose of this all? I have a life outside of this space, where is my assertive power to say “No”? Why am I the only one working?” A collective space of authority tends to become a toxic agency in time, because of the very substance holding it: subjective inventiveness. Since every person brings their own mental faculty to the fore, the contributions also vary. It is indeed very easy to question someone agential, as the true measure of a leader is the sum total of the team lead by them. In the end it is for the team to decide the nature and scope of authority, as it is the leader’s decision to blend power with responsible action. But how often does that happen?

Feature Image Credits: @bambashkart via Instagram.

Kartik Chauhan

Hysterical Society Auditions: #JustDUThings

By Kartik Chauhan September 8, 2019

The University of Delhi (DU) owes its fames to the college societies, in part. Touted as the best platforms to skyrocket your explorations into your skills and art, every society maintains a paradigm to approve their novel associations. More often than not, these auditions turn out to be hysterical memories. Here we discover some of them.

Art is defined varyingly. Art is all about subjectivity and your ability to unravel exclusivity in monotony. Oscar Wilde captured it in his famous quote : “Life imitates art, or art imitates life.”

Our present discussion shall disgress from such ambiguity however, because our idea today is to revel in hilarity (as it should always be, in my not-so-humble opinion).

Now as we all know, life is as hilarious as hilarious gets (as mine is, always). Life is absolute conjecture in motion, a breathing being of uncertainty. And life is never a bed of roses (I wonder what that must feel like). Some people would tell you that art requires your life, in all its entirety. These people, you will find in large numbers in most of the Drama Societies around the varsity.

Drama Society auditions are usually borderline crazy, most us will agree. From being a chair or a generator to shouting your lungs out from the farthest corner of this world (the venue for auditions of course), DramaSoc auditions have no reigns. More often than not, these tasks prey on taboos. They require you to push yourself, to be as raw, as unabashed, as uncivilized as you can dare to be.

Having sex with a chair, sex in all its entirety – moaning and changing of positions expected; enacting masturbation in public or performing your best impression of any other carnal activity, these are just the first few tasks you are required to do.

As unexpected is the emotional and physical turbulence that you go through. 10 rounds of the college ground, 50 push-ups, planks for 5 minutes; the slouch in me shudders to hear these tales. Hysteria? Maybe.

Interestingly, the new recruits are forbidden to narrate their hysterical stories verging on humiliation to anyone. They are required to take them to the deathbed, but then, rants bring out the best in us.

But if you thought that only Drama Societies qualify for this contest of hysteria, you could not be more wrong!

As it is, the society auditions really vary according to the person who conducts them. When the interviewer is a skeptic, as was the one in a Literary Society, you can expect a question like – “Are you stoned?”- for just being your usual hip self. Hysteria travels from the candidate to the post holders too. One of the candidates in the same Literary Society heatedly claimed that being in the society was his lifetime fantasy, and that he do anything to get in. Another candidate heatedly entered into an argument with the President and discredited her merit by claiming her to be insufficient to judge his rightful claim (not worth) to be the only sensical member of the society.

Literature and Drama might well be deemed expected candidates in our hysterical readings, but wait for the next stories still.

In an audition for the Finance and Investment Cell in a college, a candidate having failed almost all the questions, was asked to teach any topic of his choice from Class 12 Accountancy Book. He did, and was surprisingly selected!

Most society members agree that the key to sure selection is your dynamic spontaneity. In this vein, the Debating Society of a college conducts its audition. 30+ existing members of the society question one candidate at a time. As questions fly in all directions, your only defense is your spontaneity. In another Debating Society, they called Mr. Ashok Srivastava, editor-in-chief, DD News, to their auditions, for no reason at all.

To conclude, probably a winner among disastrous auditions would be this one :

In a fashion society, a fresher auditioning for a model, dressed himself as Salman Bhai and danced to Main Aisa Kyun Hoon. It is easier to say that he had the last laugh, because the entire hall was hushed and traumatized by the end of it. He also challenged the unanimous decision to reject him.

And so they are, hysterical society auditions. And so they will be. Surely, these become stories we narrate to please ourselves, some years into a droll life. What is college if not hysteria, after all?

Feature Image Credits : DU Beat Archives

Kartik Chauhan

[email protected]

Features

Of Seniors and Societies: With Great Power, Comes Greater Respect for Juniors

By Maumil Mehraj August 21, 2019

Whether you are a fresher who just got into a college society, or a second or third-year who got promoted, read on to understand what kind of a relationship you should share with your fellow members.
The University of Delhi (DU), while being eminent in terms of education, is also recognised as an institution which aids the overall personality progression of a student because of the numerous extra-curricular activities it provides. It would be safe to say that not many colleges or universities take as much pride in their societies as DU does. But along the same lines, runs a parallel that might not be so luminous.
Because of the immensity of the work, the countless hours of practice, the sword of Damocles constantly hanging over the members’ heads to live up to the legacy that their seniors had left them with, it is not difficult to slip into this looking-down on juniors who never seem to know what they should do.
The true judge of an office-bearer’s character is how well they tackle these blunders of the juniors, because, in their defence, they have never been in a similar situation before, and need constant assistance till they reach a point where they can handle the work themselves. Conflicts are bound to happen, but it is how well these are tackled that determines the future of the society.
A lot of time is spent doing society work, and it becomes an increasingly toxic space for the juniors if they feel they are not being respected enough, and are treated as if it were sheer privilege, and not their merit that they were made a part of the society. But in reality, these students have had to clear several rounds of auditions, and were selected amongst a large pool of applicants, thereby confirming their excellence.
It is essential for the juniors to know that their seniors deserve respect, not because of their seniority, but because that is basic civil behavior. At the same time, they must not forget that they, too, are supposed to be on the receiving end of such civility.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Maumil Mehraj
[email protected]

Riding up to Paigaam: Natuve and their Theatre Productions this year

By Nikhil Kumar March 31, 2019

As Natuve, The Theatre Society of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College comes up with its annual street play fest, Paigaam ’19, the showstopper to the University fest season, our correspondent traces their success journey through the fabled hippodromes of the capital this far.

A typical day at Safdar Hashmi Theater. Delhi’s play going coterie, an endangered species, the entire crowd, standing on their feet, clapping, like a part of them knew that they hadn’t seen anything of this warmth for a time. A mere college theatre society, Natuve’s original production Mx. Mute had just got over.

There are many words which come to mind when one tracks the progress of this theatre society over the last four years. If you happened to take a walk down the left wing of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, any day of the year, the weather bleak or rosy, the sun on your shoulders or shying away from your eyes, you can count on finding the kids from Natuve, drifting in their black kurtas. Right from the soul scorching heat of the Delhi summer to the glorious winters, the society works to bring out the best in themselves, and magically makes their very own amateur effort, with a world of experiments, imperfections, and innocence, rise and shine.

Natuve came up with two plays this year. Mx. Mute and Vyavsaaya Me Tarakki Paane Ke Chamatkaari Totke. While the formeer gave a subtle spin to the issue of assimilation of the LGBTQIA+ identity in the society, standing out particularly for the phenomenal work of the chorus to showcase genders, characters and societal reactions, Vyavsaaya, on the other hand was a hilarious musical comedy, keeping the audience at the edge of the seat at all times, not missing to prickle, however, with its sharp, nuanced satire.

The plays had many an innocent flaws. A few hiccups in transition, a tad too overexcited lightwork, a few rookie mistake in the sounds, and a few mis-directed laughs, yes. Nevertheless, what stood out was the hard work of every last person, what won hearts was their sisyphean desire to make their play the best it could be. The constant fire to give as much life to the art as possible. This won them awards, yes, the most in the college circuit this year, but more importantly, they continued the meteoric rise of Natuve. Yes, that’s the word we were looking for. Natuve continues to be a beloved.

Join them at their fest tomorrow. With Natuve, you have my word, the sun would be a bit kinder to you.

Image credits: Nikhil Kumar for DU Beat

Nikhil Kumar
[email protected]

Beyond the Obvious of Delhi University Colleges

Scientist is a Woman

By Anushree Joshi March 11, 2019

Despite having extraordinary achievements
in STEM, women scientist remain unacknowledged and forgotten.

A few weeks ago, the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology were awarded collectively for 2016, 2017, and 2018. Amongst the 33 winners, only one was a woman (Dr. Aditi Sen De). At the onset the of lack of female winners might seem to stem from the general lack of women in science, but a close analysis of sexism in the fields speaks volumes about how women have been systematically sidelined.

American astronomer, Vera Rubin, who provided the evidence of the existence of dark matter, was turned from the astronomy program at Princeton because they didn’t allow women. Miles away from America, Kamala Sohonie, a biochemist whose discoveries played a pioneering role in
tacking malnourishment in India, was declined admission in Indian Institute of Science by Nobel Prize winner, C.V. Raman simply because of her gender. Sohonie, who topped the Bachelor of Science course, had to stage a Satyagraha in Raman’s office for him
to take her in. This attitude of not accepting women in science prevails today as well.

According to a study at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, titled “No gender differences in math performance” modern-day parents are less likely to encourage their daughters’ mathematical and scientific abilities, as compared to their sons’, despite them both having identical scores.

Women, historically, throughout the world, have been associated with a life of immanence, as opposed to the transcendence of male labour. To understand the disallowance of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), in the words of an average misogynist will be- “Women are too emotional for science.”

So, when women’s achievements in science proved otherwise, the circumstances became a threat to the consolidation of patriarchal social order. Erase them, if you can’t silence
them- this is the strategy adapted by patriarchal history-keepers, as the contributions of Rosalind Franklin, Kamala Sohonie, B. Vijayalakshmi, and multiple women have been concealed behind Watson’s, Raman’s, Chandrasekhar’s, and other men’s.

Amrita Vasudhar, a graduate of Physics from Miranda House and a student of the Indian Institute of Science, notes, “There are layers to discrimination. The society says- Okay, go ahead, pursue science, but make sure it’s
biology because women understand the theoretical subjects better.” Male scientists have found a way to deny women their rightful access to the discipline.

Women scientists, innumerable times, have found a way of non-conformation to live their love for science. Thus, the next time we use an equation or the refrigerator, we should pause and wonder how many women have had to fight to contribute to it, or more frighteningly, to not be forgotten for it. As a tribute to those smart-fierce women we must remember the names like Asima Chatterjee, Charusita Chakravarty, Janaki Ammal, and Chien Shiungwee.

Image Credits: Wired

Anushree Joshi

[email protected]

The Politics of the Gillette Ad

By Shaurya Thapa January 28, 2019

The Gillette commercial has divided opinion and provoked boycotts of the firm by some men. Is it really that offensive or just a sign of toxic masculinity which men keep on denying?

Toxic masculinity. You’re already so tired of reading and re-reading this phrase in every feminist piece of writing, right? Well, that’s good. People should make themselves aware of one of the main causes behind women getting killed, raped and mutilated every year.

The Gillette ad, which has been in the news recently talks about toxic masculinity. The advertisement features news clips of the #MeToo movement, as well as images showing sexism in films, in boardrooms, and of violence between boys and asking men in the end, “Is this the best a man can get?” The way men reacted to it talks lengths about the very prevalence of toxic masculinity in the society. Who knew that a shaving ad which is asking men to hold each other accountable could provoke such a negative backlash?

What are men exactly complaining about? They believe that the advertisement emasculates men. Others are screaming, asking to leave men alone and not jump in the “Men are trash” bandwagon. There are a few who are stating that it’s a marketing strategy by the company to monetise the #MeToo movement and basically, cater to an audience which is self-aware and demand that corporations take a stand on social issues.

Do you see the problem here? Why do I have a feeling that the men that are offended over this ad are the very men responsible for the things that they are being called out for? How can being asked to not sexually harass women on the streets threaten you and your manhood so much as to boycott the company whose products define your manliness? Is it too feminine for you to not be violent? Well, boys will be boys, right?

Of course, there are men who’re doing their best to make this world a better place. Even the advertisement is not denying this. Nobody expects men to let go of their presuppositions and their deeply embedded, social conditioning which time and again, makes them think that they possess more power and privilege over others, overnight. It takes time, but small steps are necessary in this direction. Educating yourself and listening to the women in your life is one such step.

It was time that somebody talked about it, publicly. Yes, this was an advertisement by Gillette to sell its products but it did start a conversation around positive masculinity. The world is paying attention, and so are you. Isn’t that the reason why you’re reading this article? Well, now you’re thinking about it and maybe giving a thought or two about your own skewered, toxic masculinity and Gillette’s shaving blade too. Mission accomplished.

Feature Image credits- Paste Magazine

Disha Saxena
[email protected]

Roma and the World of Underappreciated Domestic Workers

By Shaurya Thapa January 27, 2019

Roma, the most honored film of the year, is turning heads and changing the public discourse around representation. The film puts into center, the unsung heroes of the functional upper and middle class families across the world, the domestic workers. It will break your heart and move you, so watch it to realise your privilege.

Have you watched Roma? You should, if you haven’t. Alfonso Cuarón’s intimate family drama set in 1970’s Mexico is a wonderful masterpiece and an absolute cinematic spectacle. It is a visual representation of a personal diary, a diary of Cleo, a young woman of Mixtec Mesoamerican heritage who works as a live-in maid for a white upper-middle-class family in Mexico City. Prepare to be emotionally moved and wrung out and re-think the way you look at people whom you don’t give a second thought to.
The film is shot in black-and- white with extraordinary clarity and detail, with its majesty and grandeur being communicated through the soft gaze and gentle spirit and vulnerability of Cleo. It takes place inside the house where a gated, open-roofed passage filled with bicycles, plants, caged birds and an under loved, but chirpy and enthusiastic dog named Borras is shown, time and again. Cleo and her friend Adela, the family cook, live at the end of the corridor in a tiny, cramped room, upstairs. In the morning, Cleo wakes the children; at night, she puts them to bed.
From each dawn and until long after dusk, she takes cares of the family who seems unable to function without her help. She serves meals, cleans and carries laundry to the roof, where she washes the clothes in view of other maids on other roofs with their own heavy loads. We see her as she works and also in ways that we don’t commonly see domestic workers, as she makes a date with her first love, exercises by candlelight at night, gossips with her friend, and experiences the most profound forms of loss imaginable.
In Roma, does Cleo’s daily trek to her modest rooftop room, away from the family’s home and her candlelit exercise sessions, the lights-out rule imposed by the family matriarch make you think? Of course, it does. You have seen it happen in your own home. Domestic work has been and continues to be associated with women’s work, and by extension devalued. Domestic workers, can in no way cause inconvenience to the family members. After all, she’s just a maid, right? She’s never fully human for you, maybe a person whom you see every day and take notice and get tensed on the day she decides to take a holiday. Sounds familiar?
How can we forget the emotional labor that’s expected out of Cleo, every time? She’s obligated to express emotions the way her employer wants her to, whether it be politeness, cheerfulness, and in the case of children, love and affection. Well, with Cleo her kindness for the kids is genuine; it comes across as heartfelt, and is returned. “We love you very much,” they tell her. But it’s back to business just a few scenes later, when they ask her to fetch snacks while they watch TV. Her responsibility to provide care places her within the family, and yet her role as an employee places her outside of it. Her relationship with her employer is both intimate and distant, and she is both vulnerable and powerful. Roma forces the audience to look at the world defined by a hierarchy of power and privilege, to look at the “Cleos” of our own world.
Can we ignore the fact that physical abuse and sexual harassment are common, and most full-time workers don’t receive benefits or savings toward a pension? There are no fixed working hours; domestic workers are always on call. There are no minimum wages and no right to safe working places. The entire sector is defined by poverty-level wages, high rates of abuse and few mechanisms for recourse.
This film might force you to look at the harsh realities of domestic workers across the world. Maybe, take a look or two in your own home. Have you ever looked at the woman who comes to your house to do your work or stays at your house to do your chores, all day long? No, you never because honestly, why would you care?
You have a lot on your own plate, and you believe she’s happy too. She seems like it. Take a minute to look at the nannies we entrust with small children, the house cleaners who bring sanity to our homes, and the caregivers who care for our disabled and elderly loved ones. It’s the work that our economy doesn’t recognize, because the people who do it live in the margins and the work arrangements are often informal.
And yet, it is some of the most critical work in our society — caring for what is most precious to us, our loved ones and our homes — and to our economy, allowing millions of people to work outside the home while the domestic workforce takes care of what needs to be done inside the home.

Featured Image Credits- Vulture

Disha Saxena
[email protected]

DUB Speak

Your College Isn’t Over Just Because You Failed That Society Audition

By Niharika Dabral August 10, 2018

Society auditions seem to be the ultimate gateway into finding friends and purpose in college. With so much at stake, how does one deal with the failure of making into their preferred society?

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”Winston Churchill. This sounds phony, but it’s true.
The first week of August is over and chances are that the society orientations and auditions must be wrapping up as well. If you are one of those people who auditioned for extra-curricular clubs and societies, but unfortunately didn’t get through then this article is for you. We can’t claim to be experts in offering advice, however, we’ll repeat the lessons you are familiar with but need a reminder about.
The societies and cells in the University of Delhi (DU), be it the ever vibrant dance societies or the smug English debating ones, are repositories of talent. DU owes its spirit to them. It’s only natural that most of us want to be a part of these groups, for which we undergo a strenuous selection process. Some of the more competitive ones amongst us start preparing for it weeks in advance.
On the D-day, several things can go wrong. And even if they go right, you might still not find yourself amongst the chosen lot. And obviously, your heart will break, plain and simple. You’ll yearn to join those Dramatic Society members whenever you see them practicing in their high-pitched and compelling voices and reverberating energy. All of this will hurt and in all honesty, it sucks. There is no other adjective to explain this dismay and dejection.

To say that you have to be and can be bigger than your failure is unerring, but it also stems from this over expectation of healing. Take your time to crib and curse. The recovery needs to be neither graceful nor easy. Allow yourself the luxury of sorrow and once you are done, it would be time for an after-action review. Sit and analyse what went wrong, ask the members of the selection panel for feedback. It’s imperative that you reflect on what you did and avoid similar mistakes in the future. While this contemplation is never straightforward, it’s totally possible that the reason you didn’t get in has nothing to do with what you did wrong but with different expectations of the selectors. Maybe you are amazing at Indian classical music, but the society folks wanted someone who can beatbox. Your takeaway from this rejection should be self-assessment and experience. Make most of it even when you feel like murdering an entire clan.
At the onset of new sessions, societies recruit members liberally and what usually happens is, by the next month or so, a few recruits leave the society for several reasons. This opens up space for new members again, hence, your chances to join your desired fraternity are still available. Make sure you tell your seniors about your availability and try again.

Now, it’s time to use the ‘when one door closes, another opens’ analogy. Look around and scout for other opportunities that are still open. You may never know about your cinephile credentials unless you sign up for the Film Club. You might never unearth your abilities in entrepreneurial action unless you join the Enactus unit of your college. A huge part of college life is also about discovering oneself and it’s time you try as many things as possible. Keep your mind and your options open. There is a saying that sometimes it takes a wrong turn to get you to the right place. So maybe, just maybe, your destiny and passion lies in an obscure club waiting for you to locate it.
There is more to college life than societies. Have faith, seek beauty in the mundane, and you will fare the failure. We are rooting for you.

Feature Image Credits: Kartik Kakar for DU Beat

Niharika Dabral