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The DU-Fied Rizz

By DU Beat August 2, 2023

This article is an op-ed about the statement dressing observed across the Delhi university, what it essentially symbolizes and potentially offers to the society in general.

The unanimous euphoria every girl felt in the washroom of the Barbie movie premiere over pink couldn’t help but make me think about this one another symbolic yet statement dressing unifying a large cohort ,that being the “DU dress code”.

What feels like being in the bluepilled matrix of the “bonkers-ification” of college outfits, the raging monopoly of H&M and Zara with their Sarojini Dupes, or the razzmatazz of fast fashion outlets in Kamala Nagar or Janpath, essentially paints a larger picture of what happens to be the “DU-fied rizz”, it’s not about how many times your typical slogan printed tote bag slides off your shoulder, it’s about pulling it back up. It’s about the constant euphoria-esque serve with the statement face paint art at Fests. It’s about finding the perfect faux Pas between upper east side vogue and the fawning desi attires. It’s oxidised Janpath earrings, artsy witch core septum piercings, chikankari kurta slay, MKT thrifts and what not.

It portrays itself with a certain sense of irony how you can easily identify the DU brigade dressed in the spectrum ranging from fab India khaki kurta simpletons to lulu & sky corsets bearing baddies, right from the oversized shirt over tanks and wide legged trousers to the artisanal bangle clad kurti endowed individuals.

More than a sense of fashion, it’s a statement, one that brings together chic with sustainability. Sarojini becomes a high fashion substitute, thrifting becomes the new currency and locally grown businesses the warble call for styling enthusiasts. At the risk of generalizing the human experience curve we have achieved what appears to be a unified assertion of what fashion doesn’t necessarily have to be, it remains to be an inclusive domain for expression of identities. Ofcourse the situation Is far from ideal, arguments in favour of elitist bias, bullying and harassment claims and the general lack of tolerance for the “chalk and cheese” fashion statements continue to exist but from the standpoint of observing the bigger picture it does feel like that Delhi University as an institution offers space to harbour the fraternity of the fashion diaspora that seems to have become a hallmark in identifying the university’s culture by and large.

Featured Image credits: DU Updates

Priya Shandilya

[email protected]

On ‘Udna, Daudna, Girna’: The Narrative of a ‘Dream Job’

By DU Beat July 19, 2023

10 years ago, when Bunny from ‘Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani’ said, “Mai kabhi rukna nahi chahta, Naina”, all of us felt it. It was our initial brush with one of those whose life revolved around their glamorous, quirky job – their ultimate dream. But do dream jobs really exist? Or are they a fantasy only meant for TV screens? Should getting a ‘dream job’ be the ultimate endgame of our life? Let’s find out.

Imagine waking up in a new country every day, meeting new people every time and all of that because of your job! What a dream! Anybody would want it. But sadly, none of it’s true.

When we talk about ‘dream jobs’ today, the conversation automatically takes itself to the ‘creative professions’ – a cinematographer, an independent musician or even a travel photographer, like Bunny. It’s bizarre how we think about the ‘dream job’ aka the job that would give the ultimate happiness and satisfaction. An ideal job for us then looks like something outside the ‘boring 9 to 5 routine’, something that gives your life ‘raftaar and pagalpan’ (in Bunny’s words), so that everyday seems like a mystery, an adventure, a rush of adrenaline and presents itself with unusual surprises. All of this sounds glamorous, anybody would fall for it. And this is exactly where the toxic narrative of fantasizing a dream job begins.

Much like the idea of a ‘dream school’ (“my life is worth it only if I get into Harvard”), the idea of a dream job grabs many. We are constantly on the rush to be different, to be unique, to do something outside the box. The ‘motivational’ posters of “only dead fishes go with the flow” or “The road less taken” by Robert Frost scream to us. Doing something ordinary seems like a criminal offence, you are officially branded as a sell-out in the society. Try telling your friends that you dream about nothing besides a 9 to 5 job with your briefcase and filling your boring accounts sheet and…ugh, it’s so dull that I can’t describe it any further. Exactly. That is what is deemed of mundane things.

But then the question arises, what’s wrong with wanting ordinary things? Does life always have to have an extraordinary purpose?

Think about it: A job that is secure, with a proper and adequate salary, with health insurance and that sustains you through the day or a job with no defined hours, meagre pay with no security of sustenance and you could be fired any day. Sadly, the narrative of a dream job has been woven in such a way today that we tend to overlook all the downsides that come with this ideal job. Even though Bunny might be having the time of his life exploring restaurants in Portugal and sipping wine in Paris, at the end of the day, he comes home to an empty hotel room, exhausted through his bones and overworked. But he has quite a sustainable income, you might say. Well, fiction and reality differ, after all. * Winks *

This is also quite a prominent thing that is wrong with the creative industries. They paint a picture of being an industry ‘run by passion’ and ‘doing what you love’ and tend to exploit this same ‘passion’ of people by overworking them. All the sayings like, ‘when you love your work, it never feels like you are working’. All bullsh*t. One fine Tuesday afternoon, after you have been overburdened with tons of job assignments for months, leaving you no time to even have lunch or call your loved ones and not enough income to clear your rent dues, you are going to snap. That dream job ain’t gonna look so dreamy anymore.

But is this all about money? Does capitalism matter over our passions? Not really, but it stealthily creeps into your ‘ideal job’ as well. Imagine working day and night for your ‘passion’ and investing all your sweat and tears into it. Initially, it gives you a sense of satisfaction, of fulfilment. You have something to defend your job at your friend’s party (provided you get the time to attend those because Bunny won’t), “My work fulfils me from within, so what if the pay is less?” But ultimately, you start to wear out. Sometimes, you do not want to wake up in a new city every day. Some days, you just want to cuddle up in your bed, listening to the familiar sounds of the dishwasher at your home, in your home town.

And this brings us to another aspect wrong with this ‘dream job’ and even Bunny mentions it. “Naina, mai kabhi rukna nahi chahta” but Bunny, dream jobs are such wo tumhe rukne bhi nahi dete. That is how the industry runs. Mental health breaks are considered invalid under these settings. What do you mean you need a break from the thing you ‘love’? The only thing that gives you happiness in your life is giving you problems as well? It might sound bizarre, but yes sir, it’s true. Your so-called passion or your ‘monetized hobby’ can give you trouble. Because, essentially, it ain’t a hobby anymore but another cog in the capitalistic wheel that has hypnotized you with its so-called glamour. And hence, ‘rukna’ becomes a non-existent concept in this industry- you work despite how you are feeling because your so-called passionate work will cure and heal you. That’s how they advertise themselves, at least.

And hence, you and me were so easily mesmerized by Bunny’s life back then. Who needs friends and family when your job is already so fun? Well, another major red flag of this dream job narrative. This job asks you to compromise everything, your friends who stood by you for years, your family that hasn’t seen you in ages or the girl you wanted to marry. All of it, for the ‘raftaar’ and the ‘pagalpaan’.

Yes, ordinary life, wanting simple things or ‘dal chawal’ might sound incessantly dull but life often balances itself out. Bunny might be living his ‘udna, daudna, girna’ life but at the end of the day, he comes back home to a cold hotel room, has no clue what his friends and family are doing back in India and hasn’t felt the walls of his childhood home in years. Contrastingly, Naina has a so-called dull and boring job but comes home to a warm family, home-cooked meals and people to lend her a shoulder when she needs it.

Even though it might sound like it, I’m not trying to invalidate having a passion or an ambition. Sure, passions and ambitions are important. They are what keep us going. But it’s also important to sometimes pause, stand back and question the system, wipe your lens and figure out the labels – what is dull and what is glamorous, what is real, what is unreal. And sometimes, to say to yourself that although mai udna, daudna, girna chahta hu; rukna is also important and a part of life, even in your ‘dream job’.

Featured Image Credits: Google Images (iDiva)

Priyanka Mukherjee

Netflix and Nap: The Unhealthy Allure of Lazy Student Life

By DU Beat July 16, 2023

It’s tempting to fall into unhealthy habits but having a balanced lifestyle is the key to a vibrant college life.

One enters college with an abundance of excitement, hope, and the most fun of them all, freedom. While this freedom provides opportunities for growth, it also brings with it a sense of carelessness. When you’re no longer answerable to Mom, you let loose. In most college students, this leads to the rise of some unhealthy habits. Being able to stay in bed and Zomato all the time may seem like a dream come true at first, but it inevitably invites problems.

However, that is not the only factor that could lead to the development of an unhealthy lifestyle. It’s also easy to feel so drowned in assignments, society work, or internships that there’s no room left for exercise or any hobbies for that matter. After a hectic college day, there is nothing more inviting than your bed. With an episode of your current binge and some pizza on the side. This becomes a routine that’s hard to break out of.

The appeal of the taste of fast food is not the only thing that has kept me in the habit of ordering in almost every night. It’s also very convenient to not have to prep or cook meals. It feels like a quick fix after a long day.” -Vansh, a second-year student

Moreover, “broke college student” is a famous phrase for a reason. When short on budget, cooking the same instant ramen pack a few different ways to get through the week is appealing. Thus, many factors contribute to the rise of unhealthy eating habits in college students. Another major problem is that of little to no exercise. It’s difficult to make time for a regular routine. The norm of going late to bed and having to wake up early for morning classes keeps one in the cycle of feeling tired throughout the day. Pulling all-nighters consistently and then drinking tons of coffee to survive, skipping meals, and not exercising are therefore common elements of a college student’s lifestyle. The allure of it all is heavy. But this lifestyle is unfortunately not sustainable. How do we beat it?

It’s important to start at the fundamental level and correct your basics. Build your day around a healthy sleep schedule, eat at the right time, and start incorporating at least some exercise throughout the week. As cliché as this might sound, your elders are correct. Doing this will significantly improve your quality of life and help you focus better on your goals. You don’t need some rigid instruction table to help you achieve all of this. Start slow and be soft with yourself. It’s also okay to maintain some flexibility. You do not need to cut Netflix or McDonald’s out of your life (duh, how could we ever?). Just practice moderation with it.

After college hours, it feels unsafe for me to travel to and from a gym in the city. So, I’ve made it a point to wake up a little extra early in the mornings to do yoga. This way I get some exercise done every single day.” -Gauri, a second-year student at KNC.

While waking up early is definitely not the best suit for many of us, here are some things that you can do to start living a better and healthier life. When you get hunger pangs at odd hours, have fruits for snacks instead of reaching for a packet of chips. They’re yummy and healthy, plus super convenient to grab. Replace your caffeinated beverages with better alternatives that also serve as a refresher, such as milkshakes. When you do need to order in, pick healthier options as opposed to fast foods. For exercises, try to include movement in the little day-to-day tasks. Walk around on your study break instead of sitting in bed. Take the stairs instead of elevators wherever possible (the metro station!). Discover a safe road/park near you and go for the occasional walk while on the phone with family or friends.

There are innumerable little ways you could create a better lifestyle for yourself. Making conscious choices regarding nutrition and exercise will take care of you both physically and mentally, improving academic performance and overall quality of life. Pave the way for a balanced and fulfilling college experience that sets you up for success in the long run. Cheers to doing better.

Featured image source: Seventeen Magazine

Additional image source: Pinterest

Arshiya Pathania

The Internship Exodus: Black Mirror Season 7 EP 1

By DU Beat July 5, 2023

The article is a take on the internship culture, the dilemma it presents to college undergrads and the possible alternative solutions that seem to summarize a student’s summer break post pandemic .

If I had to pitch in the latest episode of black mirror that intrinsically captures the essential collapse of society, I might just bring to the table the possible plot of a dystopia the summer break essentially is, with a love triangle, featuring the insane tension between a college student, summer internships and the reclusive possibilities of an actual summer vacation.

An intern is an unfledged hustler entering what’s basically the hunger games of employment where undergrads try to maximize any and every chance to be pumped out as career ready hirelings. The internship culture has taken the entirety of universities across the globe as an efficient yet at times, a deceptive ploy at adulting.

The benefits of internships range from cost effective employment drives to efficient skill set peddling, a channel of networking and hands on experience in fields the student tends to value more than the drowsy July lectures in sepia toned stifling classrooms, no wonder it seems like the perfect step in the “type A” coded corporate world. But internships aren’t the typical “grabbing coffee for your boss and excel sheet presentations in office ” Nancy Myers fantasy, but rather a tight rope of balancing deadlines and breakdowns.

Even though a stipend incentivised internships offer an angel’s halo to the ever broke student stereotype, they can be exceedingly exploitive in the favour of the status quo and when this exploitation is mechanized as a necessity by colleges coupled with the peer pressure of ‘not doing enough’ it becomes a problem at hand, a predicament that Delhi University undergraduates currently juxtapose with their one shot at having a true summer break for once. While one section decides to upscale through the increasingly popular advent of ‘summer schools’ , the other has an undeterred resolve of the ‘perfect CV’ that has their most fancied summer internships as the crown jewel, while others fancy their truly deserved summer break in the sweet nostalgia of their home towns or fancy holidays that make up a core memory .

The onset of adulthood, the anxiousness of leaving your formative years behind too fast and the ruthless race to succeed in an unforgiving world – all adds up to the truly tormenting experience of being a college student facing the brink of the summer break .

Farewell: Mourning our Lost Memories and Experiences

By DU Beat April 13, 2021

With graduation right around the corner, third-years sit by as they lose all hope of getting a physical farewell, or any of the college experiences for that matter. DU Beat spoke to some of them in order to get an insight into their psyche and know the popular opinion that has been going around.

The pandemic has taken away a lot of things from us, but most of all, it has stolen away some of the most beautiful days of one’s life — a real chance at a college experience. With having completed a year, confined to the four walls of our room, we sit and wonder as our dreams, hopes, ambitions fade away into the lone.

Anushree Joshi, a third-year student at LSR says, “The greatest loss of finishing college online is the ability to sit and look my peers in the eyes as they tell me about their days and I tell them about mine. The anxiety of things ending, in any normal year, would be wrapped up in the hullabaloo of celebration — multiple farewells, graduation dinners, and the lasts of meals and outings.”

But there’s a pang of ineffable sadness now, in knowing that some of the teachers who have changed the way I look at life have never even seen my face in real life, or might not remember it. It’s a loss much less significant than what this world is experiencing right now in different ways, but it’s a loss incredibly personal and irreparable,” she added.

Another, 3rd-year History major Aanya Wig elaborated on her wishlist for the New Year’s this year, “I wished to go back to campus, I wish I could sit in class and attend a lecture, I wished I could sit in the sun in the front lawns, I wished to get another vada pao, I wished I could hear the chirpy voices in the corridor, I wished to walk on campus again, and I wished to spend a little more time with the wonderful women at college.”

How does one then even begin to grapple with such questions, then? During the past year, people have lost people, their incomes, and even their interest in anything and everything around. The thought of bidding goodbye to such spaces of liberalism and inclusivity to be out there in the ‘real world’ is frightening enough that now, we even have to deal with not being able to go back to college for that one last time: sit in those lush green lawns, or juggle between classes as you order that cup of ice tea or chilly cheese Maggi from the Nescafé and sit at your favourite spot which makes you feel home with people who have stayed with you during the past three years, even when everyone else left. How does one even begin to get closure?

I don’t think the idea of online classes was bad in itself because yes, it was the need of the hour, but like million other things, this idea was also not executed well. Not only the students, but the teachers also faced a lot of issues to get adjusted to this new normal. Not to mention how it has adversely affected the process of learning in itself,” expressed Somya Jain, an Economics major at LSR.

Shivani Dadhwal, a KNC student elaborated on the losses we have all faced as a collective,

Having spent 50% of the time at online college is sad, there are so many unfinished Nescafé ice teas, college gang trips, classes, fests, outfits to wear to college, impromptu plans, whacky canteen food combinations, conversations and jokes. Abruptly, one was made to pack it all up and just walk away.”

It’s okay to mourn, it’s okay to get disheartened or even feel at loss here, but it’s not okay to not gift yourself the right to celebrate your own graduation. You deserve this farewell (even if it’s online) more than anyone else and hold on to your memories, learnings, and celebrations for your tomorrow will find you much farther than where you are today.

Featured Image Credits: DU Updates

Annanya Chaturvedi

[email protected]

Features

Here is How You Plan A Fun Budget Date In Delhi!

By DU Beat March 2, 2021

We have curated just the perfect date for you under a reasonable budget, so get your perfect outfit and ask your favourite person out on a date already. And if you aren’t already dating, this may be the perfect sign for you to finally ask them out!

We live in extremely uncanny times where the swipe and the hustle culture defines relationships and dating life. College years can be the most extraordinary experience of your life and for some, it becomes rather idyllic if you have someone to share them with and just explore random places, go on long drives, and watch pretty sunsets.

It’s time we move beyond Instagram filters and Snapchat streaks to explore the city with our favourite person. Street food dates, cafe dates, movie dates, park dates – it all works, right as long as you are with this one person who makes you feel out of this world.

1.No pressure, but the beginnings always set the mood for the rest of the day. And that’s exactly why you should start off with breakfast at Carnatic Café, Lodhi Road with their extensive breakfast menu at extremely reasonable prices. The lovely little place serves the most amazing filter coffee and a South Indian diet to keep you rejuvenated for the rest of the day.

Nearest metro station: Greater Kailash

Price per two people: Rs. 300 (approx)

2. Head towards Lodhi Art district, grab Yulu bikes and ride across graffiti lanes and enjoy just the perfect colours of Delhi. Perfect for people who appreciate art or love to get photographed, its pop colours and abstract shapes would make you fall in love with Delhi (and who knows, maybe even your date) all over again!

Nearest metro station: JLN Stadium

How to Yulu? Download the app, locate one, scan the QR code, and ride along!

3. After enjoying your ride, head towards the famous Moolchand Paranthe Waala to get the best varieties of moist and flavoursome paranthas followed by their famous mango lassi in Lajpat Nagar for who doesn’t love yum food and a good laugh. The hot, greasy paranthas were apparently loved by the King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan who used to often enjoy them back in the day when he was in Delhi.

Nearest metro station: Moolchand

Price per two people: Rs. 100 to 200

Pro tip: Don’t spend forever deciding which paranthas to get, okayy!

4. Now head towards Bangla Sahib and grab your favourite kulhad wali chai with freshly made pakode and take a long walk across the place. After a tiring day, you’d instantly be replenished after entering its serene premises.

Nearest metro station: Rajiv Chowk

5. The final stop would be Sunder Nursery where you can experience the beautiful sunset across the lake with your special someone! The place shuts down at 7 pm, so make sure you don’t miss out on this one. The two of you watching the sunset surrounded by trees, flowers, and all the other beautiful things in the world after a wholesome day out would just be the perfect idea to end your date with.

Nearest metro station: Lajpat Nagar

We know dates can get pretty overwhelming at times, but take this one day out just for yourself and for the person who makes you so happy. Follow our map but don’t forget to explore random places ‘cause those are the best ones. Talk your heart out, laugh unhesitatingly, make loads of memories, and be yourself in the most ‘you’ way possible. You got this!

Featured Image credits: istock

Annanya Chaturvedi

Hridika Rao

[email protected]

DUB Speak

The (Un) Productive Cycle

By Shivani Dadhwal February 20, 2020

Being productive is too much work and we, as students, are too much lazy. Read further to relieve yourself of this pressure of working too hard.

On the morning of National Productivity Day, I overslept and missed my first lecture. I reached the next lecture 20 minutes late and instead of writing my article, I went to Taco Bell with my friends. I also had the first day of my internship where I spent about 2 hours doing pretty much nothing. I finally came home, watched To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before part two and cringed over it for an hour. I ate dinner, finally decided to write my article the next day and swiped left on Tinder for another half hour. Welcome to a day into the unproductive life of a college student.

As students, we can spend days, weeks, months or even years doing absolutely nothing and yet feel immensely tired and exhausted all. the. time. I personally like to think of it as some kind of a talent we all possess. T’is ain’t an easy life, my friends. However, what bothers me is this intuitive need one has to be productive. An unproductive day is considered a lazy day. But again, is there something really wrong with it?

We’re all too hard on ourselves. We push our own limits, setting goals far beyond our standards. The inability to meet these unrealistic expectations brings down our morale, further degrading our work quality and eventually placing us in the inevitable, vicious cycle of unproductivity. Seriously, chill out, these unnecessary pressures, the romanticisation of being exhausted or busy, the capitalistic notions of achievements need to be challenged. Pushing yourself is great, but being cruel to yourself is not the best way to achieve your goals.

In this ends versus means debate, choose the right path for yourself. Take a day off and sleep for 16 hours. Watch the worst guilty pleasures on Netflix. Make plans and cancel them all. You deserve a break from stressing out about being productive by being absolutely unproductive. You can also be kind to yourself and be a part of the ‘race’, or maybe even sit out of the race.

I would ask you to chill this National Productivity Day but I missed the deadline because I was busy being unproductive. Anyway, it’s all getting too productive for me, so I guess I’ll end here.

Feature Image Credits: Darius Foroux

Aditi Gutgutia

DUB Speak

The Journey of The First Semester of College

By Shivani Dadhwal December 12, 2019

How does college life hold up to the expectations of freshers?

I remember how I walked into my college the first day- dressed dandy, eyes glimmering with hope and my tote bag heavy, with things enough to last a zombie attack. The college itself was brimming enthusiasm and anticipation- the kind of anticipation only 18-year-old kids finally going to college can muster.

For some, college life is a new beginning. For others, it’s a chance to finally delve into what they love. Regardless, I wasn’t the only excited 18-year-old there. A romantic by heart, I was expecting my own Pitch Perfect-esque adventures. Coming to college felt like that Miley Cyrus song, the one where she hops off with a dream and a cardigan.

The first week of college felt great, but I knew it was too good to be true. The rose glasses soon came off. What I expected were breezy days where I could dress up to my heart and come and leave whenever I wanted, finally doing something I truly was interested in. What I soon found out was that technically college was all that, except with an asterisk that said Terms and Conditions apply in the fine print.

While I already had low expectations, the first thing that college changed was my study habits. Education took a backseat on this ride. Travelling for an hour for just one class became a chore and education for me started revolving around attendance, assignment submissions, internals, and externals. Like every other fresher, I got involved in college societies.

The biggest surprise that came was how the hype around societies failed to meet the expectations. The entire buzz around societies, auditions, and inductions mellowed down as soon as it dawned on us that societies, too, weren’t all games. The first week was filled with overenthusiastic students like me eager to be a part of every society possible. Fast forward to two months later, and half of us had already left or were regretting what we joined.

The desire to join a society, though, felt like a part of my bigger desire to fit in. To find a place. To finally figure out what it was that I was meant to do. It was easy to get lost in a space where everyone is just as talented, especially when I was still on my path to self-discovery and enlightenment.

The one thing that college did get right is the diversity and variety. That any given point of time, there was something happening for someone. Interested in student politics? There’s a protest in the Arts Faculty. A film critic? The film society is hosting a screening. Into drama? There’s a street play at the metro station. And this gave me, and every other fresher out there, a chance to try out new things.

College life showed me how it is easy to get caught up in this whirlpool. Easy to get lost in the eye of all this newfound freedom. Easy to forget who I was amidst assignments, projects, new friends, and ‘getting a life’. What they said was that college was about going out of my comfort box, meeting new people and discovering myself. What they didn’t tell me was how college was also five continuous classes a day, piling coursework and sometimes biting off more than I could chew.

But what I’m learning is that college comes with so many firsts. But it also seems like a place that makes things last and I’m just taking my time on my ride!

Featured Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Satviki Sanjay

Unpaid Internships: Are They Worth It?

By DU Beat September 3, 2019

With the growing demand for work experience among candidates in the process of finding jobs, students find themselves getting lured towards unpaid internships. Read on for an analysis of the system of unpaid internships and its relevance.

The transition from school to college is a significant one. While school was marked with scoring well to get admitted to the desired course and university, college makes one job-ready. College prepares an individual for the work-culture which awaits them after it. With the jobs being scanty, and candidates in abundance, there is a rapidly increasing race among students to enhance their skills and curriculum vitae (CV) to stand out among the rest of their peers. With ever-increasing competition, students with prior work experience are preferred over the rest of the lot. Thus, students freshly out of college find themselves in a fix. Internships, in scenarios like these, come to their rescue. Several small and big companies hire students as interns on a weekly or monthly basis where they are asked to work either from home or directly in the office.

The past few years have seen students actively seeking internships in their field of study to gain firsthand industry experience, and well, add that extra line in their CVs. Internships come with the promise of certificates, and the much revered letters of recommendation (LOR). Apart from strengthening one’s CV, they also help students in building connections in the industry. While several companies hire paid interns, a host of other companies offer nothing more than a certificate and “experience”. Despite that, unpaid internships see a huge number of applications with students desperately yearning to get in. When you are working as a full-time employee, the company needs you as much as you need it. But the paradigm shifts in the case of interns. Interns find themselves needing the company a lot more than it needs them. Interns can be easily replaced by anyone from among hundreds of others seeking that position, who are willing to work for free. Thus, the demand for a stipend, however meager, in exchange for the value the intern is adding to the company, is always silenced. “Psychology students often pay for an internship at a hospital,” apprised Shivani Dadhwal from Kamala Nehru College, representing the sorry state of students seeking experience through internships.

Are these unpaid internships worth it? The answer cannot be in a binary of yes or no. Internships do not matter as much as where you intern does. Before diving into this world of internships — which is darker than it appears to be —students need to carefully assess the value of the work, and the certificate that they will get after its completion. There is no dearth of dubious companies which treat interns in exploitative ways, offering nothing in return, except for a certificate, which more often than not, holds no value if the company in question is not renowned. On the contrary, companies having a stronghold in the field of your interest can allow you an opportunity to connect with some of the renowned names in the industry, all the while making your CV shine. Working with a reputed firm, even if it is unpaid might prove beneficial while you are seeking jobs, but the quality of the work matters too. Several interns complain about having clerical jobs like photocopying, making coffee, among others. Such experiences, however mighty the workplace may be, will end up adding no value to your targeted skillset.

At the same time, unpaid internships at startups with excellent work-culture, where you are trained within proximity of learned seniors, might end up opening doors of success for you with the amount of experience you can get working there. Lucrative offers of internships need to be carefully scrutinised before students decide to invest their talent, time, and energy into working for a company. It is important to realize that your talent, however raw, holds value in the market. Consequently, it should be invested in with much thought and research. Platforms like Glassdoor and Linkedin might help students in learning from the experiences of other interns, and making a smart choice. Demand for the proper value of their work and strict labor laws for interns should be made to save young students from exploitation in the name of unpaid internships.

Feature Image Credits: Medium

Shreya Agrawal