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The Department of Zoology at Sri Venkateswara College celebrated its 50th anniversary on February 9th, 2024, with a special event aimed at promoting health and well-being. Organised by Evolvere, the Zoological Society, the event featured a free health check-up camp open to all.

The medical camp commenced at 10 a.m. on February 9th, offering a range of health services, including pulmonary function tests, bone mass density tests, blood pressure checks, and blood sugar monitoring. Dr. Ananya Dubey, a general physician, was present to address any health-related queries, alongside a team of six nurses and two doctors. Additionally, Dr. Rashmi Baliyan, a gynaecologist, provided specialised consultations.

The collaboration with Primus Hospital, Chanakyapuri, ensured the availability of state-of-the-art equipment for the various tests conducted. The camp attracted a significant turnout, with approximately 800 individuals availing themselves of the complimentary services offered.

Under the expert guidance of professor Anita Verma, convener of the Evolvere Society, along with Dr. Perumal Jayraj, Dr. Richa Mishra, and teachers from the Zoology Department, the event was meticulously organised. 

The event, under the efficient leadership of Shivangi Gupta and Harshita Jha, the President and Vice President of Evolvere Society, respectively, was a huge success in promoting holistic well-being. 

Participants were required to register upon arrival, after which they received a prescription pad outlining the recommended tests. Dedicated stations were set up for vital checks, including weight, BMI calculation, blood sugar, and blood pressure monitoring. 

“There was an organised team where responsibilities were delegated. Society members were stationed at each camp to ensure smooth operations and prevent overcrowding.” shared Arth Ohlan, the Central Councillor of SVC. 

In addition to the health check-up camp, a seminar titled “Artificial Intelligence-driven Early Warning Systems for Clinical and Public Health” was held from noon onwards. Dr. Tavpritesh Sethi, an Associate Professor of Computational Biology at the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi, delivered an enlightening presentation on the topic. Dr. Sethi’s expertise in the field of systems medicine added a valuable dimension to the event, shedding light on innovative approaches to healthcare.

The event extended its scope to include two engaging competitions aimed at fostering creativity. It included a reel-making competition, where participants were tasked with creating reels around themes related to ‘Zoology’. In addition to this, a CD painting competition on ‘Environmental Consciousness’ saw a unique blend of creativity and students’ concerns regarding environmental sustainability.

Through collaborative efforts and expert guidance, the event succeeded in providing valuable health insights and fostering a culture of preventive healthcare awareness within the college community.

 

Read Also: delhi-universitys-sol-launches-center-for-innovative-skill-based-courses-cisbc/

Image credit: Nabeera Jamal for Dubeat 

Kavya Vashisht

[email protected]

 

After a tumultuous pre-election campaigning season, the nomination period for DUSU and college Student Union elections has proven to be no less happening. Amid similar scenes being reported in Hindu College, SSCBS, and Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, ‘Venky’ or Sri Venkateswara College (SVC) saw students protesting against the administration to demand an explanation for the grounds on which their election nominations were cancelled.

On September 14, 2023, the administrative body of Sri Venkateswara College (SVC) released the provisional nomination list of candidates for election of Executive Committee of SVC Students’ Union & Central Councillors. This document listed 5 provisional candidates against the post of President, of whom two candidates—Arth Ohlan and Kartikey Tomar—were supported by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) according to our sources. The very next day, however, a corrigendum was issued by the college, removing Kartikey’s name from the list.

Even though the very first list claimed the candidates being “found valid provisionally, after the scrutiny for various posts”, the nomination of Kartikey Tomar was cancelled in the second list reportedly on the grounds of not meeting the attendance criteria. In conversation with DU Beat, Kartikey revealed the explanation he received from the college administration for the cancellation of his candidature.

Nominal list mein mera naam tha, usmein meri attendance poori thi. Par doosri list mein mera naam nahi thi aur admin ka kehna hai ki tumhari attendance poori nahi hai. Ya to meri attendance poori pehle nahi thi ya meri attendance kam karwai gayi hai.

(My name was there on the nominal list and my attendance was complete at that time. But my name was not there on the second list and the admin told me that your attendance was not sufficient. Either my attendance was not sufficient in the first place or my attendance has been reduced by someone.)

He blamed the college administration and election committee for committing such a blunder, if it was a case of the attendance criteria falling short. The latter part of his statement here is referring to a protest that happened on the college premises on the morning of September 15, where he and other sources alleged that “pass-out students” had protested to cancel his nomination. The same was mentioned in a complaint mail sent by Kartikey, addressed to the DU Registrar, Dr Vikas Gupta, Dean of Colleges, Prof. Balaram Pani, DU Proctor, Prof. Rajni Abbi, among other University officials. It read,

My name (Kartikey Tomar) was there in the list. But today a group of opposition students protested in front of the college administration and finally the election officer favored them and finally reduced my attendance by 1%.

One of our sources claimed that these protesting students had belonged to a youth organisation called ‘Happy Club’. We were able to get in conversation with one of the students from Happy Club, and they told us that suspicions arose over Kartikey Tomar’s attendance when they talked to his fellow batchmates.

Classmates ko idea rehta hai kisne kitne lectures attend karein hain… Jab humko doubt hua to humnei strongly is baat par demand rakhi. Administration ne humari sunkar cross-check kiya aur fir list badal di.

(Classmates tend to be aware of who has attended how many classes… When doubt arose, we strongly raised this demand. The administration listened to us and cross-checked (the attendance), after which they changed the list.)

They also informed us that the candidates from Happy Club have won both the posts of Vice-President and Secretary unconstested.

The provisional list of candidates is supposed to provide a final window to candidates to withdraw their nominations. ABVP activists from the college informed that they had submitted the withdrawal of Arth Ohlan’s nomination on their own volition, since the latter “was a second-year student and we thought it would be better for him to contest as President next year”. However, with the cancellation of Kartikey’s nomination, ABVP is left with no valid candidates on the final list for the post of President of Sri Venkateswara College Students’ Union.

In view of the same, Saturday, September 16, saw sloganeering and protests by ABVP activists in the Sri Venkateswara college premises. Protesting students gathered outside the administration office and messages circulating on social media also claimed that students had locked professors and staff inside a room. While the validity of the latter claim could not be fully confirmed, one of the protestors present on-ground did strangely admit during our conversation,

Ek hi professor hain jo apni marzi se ander baithe hain. Bas hum unhein bahar nahi aane de rahe.

(There is only one professor sat inside willingly.  We are just not letting them come out.)

They also said that the door had been locked by the guards from the outside.

This is not the first time an incident like this is happening. Reports have been floating around of candidate’s nominations being cancelled allegedly without satisfactory explanations and students protesting against the same. The latest updates on the situation in SVC have informed that the Hostel Warden and another professor of the college advised the protesting students to send a mail to the Grievances Redressal Cell, along with assuring that their demands will be formally heard on Monday morning. Students wait in anticipation for the redressal of their grievances.

Read also: Death of Democracy? Protests at Hindu College as Multiple Student Union Nominations Rejected

Featured Image Credits: EducationWorld

Sanika Singh
[email protected]

 

Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi, has recently witnessed a controversy surrounding a video that was released by some students from the English department, containing harmful misinformation and hate speech about the transgender community. In response, VenQueer, the unofficial queer collective of the college, condemned the video and demanded an immediate apology from the perpetrators.

 

VenQueer has expressed support for the transgender and gender non-binary groups and urged the administration to take strict measures against those who were behind the video. To promote inclusivity and a safe space for the queer community on the college campus, the collective has also urged for the conduct of more gender and sexuality sensitization programmes and workshops. They have also advised all college students to express their disapproval of the clip and avoid circulating it.

 

On 30th March, the English Department Association of Sri Venkateswara College released a statement on their social media platform, denouncing the video and expressing their support for the queer community. The association has made it clear that none of the views expressed in the video are tolerated or propagated by its members. The association has also appealed to all college students to refrain from sharing the video and to express their condemnation of it. The association has explicitly stated that none of the opinions presented in the clip are supported or encouraged by its members. The association has also urged all college students to publicly denounce the video and desist from sharing it. 

 

This is not the first time that instances of discrimination against the queer community have come up at the University campus. Queer individuals faced backlash after the DU Pride parade held a few months back. There is opposition from many colleges. The administration responds to the requests of queer students on campus with hostility, ignorance, indifference, and sometimes threats. Students’ calls for a queer collective are rebuffed with opposition, ignorance, indifference, and even threats from officials as reported at various colleges of the varsity in the recent past. 

Read also: https://dubeat.com/2023/03/31/student-protesters-at-arts-faculty-brutally-detained-by-delhi-police/ 

Image credits: DU Beat Archives

Ankit Tiwari performed on the last day, as heavy rain engulfed Nexus, the annual cultural fest of Sri Venkateswara College. However, the star night was delayed and issues arose, even after strict security. 

On 29th February, the final night of Nexus’20, Sri Venkateswara’s Annual Cultural Festival, everyone was excited for the fest to be concluded with the performance of renowned singer and songwriter, Ankit Tiwari. The performance which was arranged to be at 5 pm, was extremely delayed due to unexpected showers and thunderstorm that ensued in the evening.

 Before the performance began, the huge crowd which had gathered to listen to the artist, shuffled back and forth between the performance ground and the college building to take shelter from the excessive downpour. The rain kept everyone on their feet, and the muddy grounds were a dangerous territory for people who had dressed their best for the fest.

There was extremely strict security maintained for the star night. Many items were prohibited to be carried. There were staff teachers, and administrators on the main gate as well as inside the barricade. However, the heavy rain tested all.
During the beginning of the performance, the sound system switched offmid-song due to technical errors, causing a ruckus.

A student inside the barricade, told DU Beat, “The issue was that there were a lot of people who wanted in, and as they were trying to enter photographers were getting shoved. Barricade did have administrators and College staff inside to see if everything is okay.”

Despite of security being maintained, the large number of crowd was a test for all. Female photographers present at the venue faced harassment by other photographers and Tiwari’s team while doing their job, with people pushing and shoving others around to get a barricade entry, photographers got shoved and hit as the crowds around the barricade became unmanageable. However, there were administrators present inside the barricade for safety of students.

A female photographer covering the event, in conditions of anonymity said, “The people with Ankit Tiwari told me that if you want a picture then you need to come to his room. As I was the only female photographer, the other male photographers told me to go to the back.”

These events occurring mostly in isolation and behind closed curtains clearly didn’t dampen any spirits as the crowd wholeheartedly enjoyed after the singer arrived on the stage. Tiwari sang some of his greatest hits, like Sun Raha Hai Na Tu, and also invited members of the audience to join him on the stage as he performed, hyping up the crowd. The event ended at 8 pm at last, with rains showing no signs of satiating. People ran helper-skelter to take cover and rush towards the closest metro stations wading through the muddy roads while people struggled to exit the campus due to the excessive crowd.

Rajat Sharma, President, Students’ Union, said, “Day 3 of Nexus was going well even after the heavy rains but some incident occured between the authority, photographers and delhi police which was very unfortunate to happen. I being unaware of the complete situation from all the three sides cannot give my verdict over right and wrong but anything of this sort is obviously not good for tge reputation of the college and if there was any misconduct I am extremely sorry for the same taking the responsibility and blame wherever required.”

However, in Sri Venkateswara College, Nexus, the annual cultural fest is organised by Fine Arts Association (FAA) as well.

Hrithik, President, FAA, said, “Keeping in mind about conditions prevailing , we tried our level best to assure strict security and efficient management . Entry inside the college on the three days was strictly provided to only those who had the valid ID cards . Our officials were present at the main gate and near the barricade to make sure there was no issue .
We appreciate all our media partners including all the videographers and photographers who stood by even in the unpleasant weather conditions to cover our event . My team and I would also like to thank our enthusiastic crowd which helped to make Nexus 2020 a grand success.”

The star night was memorable for all. The pleasant chilly weather soon washed away everyone’s trouble.

Nexus ended on a chilly note, yet witnessed warmth on all three days. The college was filled with iconic Bollywood mementos, the decor was remarkable with them being able to put a ship, owing to the Pirate in all of us, between the College. Nexus, unlike other fests, is organised not just by the Students’ Union, but the Fine Arts Association, as well. The entire college perfectly imbibed the theme of “Lights, Camera, Nexus.”

Feature Image Credits: Manav Ahuja for DU Beat

Shreya Juyal

[email protected]

 Satviki Sanjay

[email protected]

 

 

The students of Sri Venkateswara College took to the roads and metros of the city to spread a word of change.

Being the capital state of the country; the city of Delhi has all the rights in the world to flaunt its extravagance. It has to its attribution- a rich cultural heritage with a pinch of apparent haunting, a tumultuous yet boastful past, a humongous yet solitary diversity, and the tag of a metropolitan. A metropolitan form only the frame to the entire portrait of the city of Delhi; the colors and the strokes come from the lanes and the by-lanes that intersect life in the different parts.

To get a taste of the city and to improve it, the volunteers of ‘Parivartan’- the independent social service society of Sri Venkateswara College- carried out an awareness cum cleanliness drive in different parts of the city. The volunteers were divided into groups and sent to cover several areas in around the metros. Ten places were covered in total, including- Hauz Khas, Rajiv Chowk, Saket, INA, Chandni Chowk, AIIMS, Central Secratariat and Race Course.
All the student volunteers were armed with self-made posters, each of which had very strong messages pertaining to the two issues that were being addressed, namely, food wastage and the upcoming reiteration of the saga of bursting crackers; which at the end of the day leaves the city in deep despair, thereby, turning a blind eye to the blind city.

With the approaching season of Diwali, the amount of crackers burnt becomes quite evident through the aftermath- ‘THE GREAT INDIAN SMOG’ that covers the entire city till winter sets in. The other groups were involved in spreading a word against smoking and littering in public spaces. The presence of two different-coloured dustbins for wet and dry waste was acknowledged. The volunteers also urged the passers-by not to litter their own spaces, thereby, keeping the city clean. After all, Rajpath is not the face of the city!

Slogans like- ‘Burn your ego, not crackers’- were eye-capturing enough to draw a large part of the crowd towards the volunteers. Sharing his experience, Tushar Bhatia, a first year student states, “The drive was an interesting experience. Initially, everything did not go as planned and all of us had to improvise on the spot which made it even better”. From the metro station to the park and through the distributary lanes to the main road till the Red Fort and back; this was the exact course through which Chandni Chowk was covered. The Sun was at its peak and so were the volunteers. The weather only ignited their enthusiasm that could not be dampened by their perspiration or the scent that the hot breeze carried.

Apart from just the ambience, it is quite interesting to note that they got encouragement form the passers-by as well. Prateek Mittal shares, “I felt really good during the drive. I could see that our posters had attracted a lot of attention and people got our message. It felt very nice when a policeman walked up to us and said”, “achchha kaam kar rahe ho” (you are doing a great job)”.
Apart from just interacting, a signature campaign was also carried out- #NoMoreHungerNoMoreShor- wherein, volunteers were seen getting people to sign the chart that they were carrying. The signature campaign added further impetus to the entire drive with people coming up themselves and asking questions regarding the two issues. Slogans like-“What your tongue likes to taste, would you let it go to waste?”- were successful in garnering people’s attention as well as support. The volunteers were successful in dealing with the passers-by in a much matured manner, since, the entire thing was unplanned. The volunteers used heavy statistics that proved their stance like the number of bird-deaths and how it is harmful to the ecology as well. Aparajita Choudhary, a second year student shared, “All Delhiites have been experiencing the smog that covers the city for weeks after Diwali. It was enough to indicate the perils of burning crackers, peril for both humans as well as the ecology. Many people shared with us, their stories of mishandling of crackers that led or could have led to major accidents. Older people reflected apathy since they had lost interest over the years. They expressed that even though it made them irritable, they did not mind saying anything in the interest of the youth”.

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The volunteers experienced helping hands from the crowds as well. There were people who came up to them and upon clarifying their queries, chipped in their ideas as well.

Talking about the effectiveness of the drive; it was definitely a red-letter day event. But a lot of hands need to join to bring about a big change. As Rajat Sharma, a first year student from the same institution puts it, “I guess this initiative was effective as well as highly potential to bring about a change in the society. Those who genuinely wish for the betterment of the society will definitely put their best foot forward. After all, one is enough to make a difference, and we were quite a lot.
As Kamalika Anand, one of the executive heads’ puts it, “This was just the first step”.

Image Credits: Parivartan Society, SVC

Shrija Ganguly
[email protected]

As reported by DU Beat in January, the poor conditions of the footpath of south campus and persistent overflow of sewage led students of Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University to write letters to various government and municipal agencies to look into the matter. This was met with a positive response from both, the Prime Minister’s Office and Dr. Meenakshi Lekhi, Member of Parliament.   However, more than a month and an evening of rain later, the campus reverted to sewage waste on road and water logging. Ashutosh Singh, a student of Sri Venkateswara College, notified the Public Works Department to tackle this issue and also live up to their promise made before of replacing the sewer line. The work for this has begun and new sewer pipeline is being laid out. Demand of public toilet or convenience and the reconstruction and repair of the footpath had also been mentioned in the letters but no work towards it has started yet. “It is essential that we demand for basic rights. With properly constructed footpaths and public toilets, college students can have a pleasant experience instead of hassled one,” said Ashutosh Singh. Under a student run program, a campaign called ‘Outside the Campus’ was initiated where more than 250 students of Sri Venkateswara College wrote post cards to the PMO expressing their grievances, wants and solutions.   Also read: Open Sewers and Broken Footpaths: South Campus students complain to authorities   Shefali Bharati [email protected] Image credits: Ashutosh Singh]]>

The Entrepreneurship Cell of Sri Venkateswara College, A.S.C.E.N.D. hosted the second edition of E-nfluence: A drive to inspire the youth to venture into the entrepreneurial arena, on 21st September 2015.

The event witnessed a series of Speaker Sessions by Mr. Mayank Batheja, Co-Founder of Letsintern.com and Mr. Nitin Malik, owner of various restaurants across Delhi. The guests inspired the students of the students of the college to explore the idea of entrepreneurship, making them aware of the challenges involved and the perks attached.

Mr. Batheja urged the students to opt for unconventional careers and to turn their passion into profession. 

The cell also conducted its flagship Startup Pitching cum Mentorship Workshop that aimed at creating dialogue between all participating start-ups and our Guest Mentors. The session saw budding entrepreneurs showcasing their business ventures to notable mentors including Mr. Raj K Pathak, President of APE Communication, and Mr. Karun Kumar of Micro Small Medium Enterprise, Government of India (MSME, GOI)

Almost 400 students from various streams of the college attended  the event. 

E-nluence also has under its purview a unique photography competition on the topic “Laptops make you Superhuman” which is open to all colleges across Delhi.

For more details on participation, visit http://facebook.com/ascendecellsvc

Inputs from Chahat Sehgal

Shefali Bharati

[email protected]

Vimarsh, the Hindi Debating Society of Sri Venkateswara College, organised an inter-college freshers’ debate competition on 19th September 2015 on the topic, ‘Will the implementation of CBCS (Choice Based Credit System) improve the standard of higher education in India.’

While the debate saw active participation from speakers both, for and against, it failed to draw any stable conclusion and the topic remains debatable as the speakers in favour as well as against the motion were able to present their views effectively based on facts and reason. The most important points put in favour were the interdisciplinary approach of the system, availability of choice to students, transfer facility available to different colleges and universities on the basis of credits later, bringing down competition by providing grades instead of marks etc.

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Members of Vimarsh, the Hindi Debating Society of Sri Venkateswara College

 

 

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Winners and judges of the inter-college freshers’ debate

Whereas, the speakers against the motion focused on the lack of proper infrastructure and qualified faculty in Delhi University and other institutions, problems in implementing uniform syllabus due to diversity in states and their curriculums, grading system which they thought would further demoralise the hardworking students, the way the CBCS was implemented i.e., without  consulting students and teachers. Aakash Pawar and Priya Singh from Vimarsh steered the proceedings of the house while allowing participants to present heated arguments through interjections.

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36 participants from various Delhi colleges, eligibility being one team from one college, battled to win top three titles which were all taken away by girls. 

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The judges, Shri Neeraj Kumar, a famous writer and journalist and Shri Ramkishor Yadav, Associate Professor in Sri Venkateswara College, adjudged Aakritii as the best speaker (against the motion) from Institute of Home Economics.
Monika as the best  speaker (for the motion) from Lady Sri Ram College and Aditi Muradia as the best interjector from SGTB Khalsa College. The judges stressed on the need to differentiate between speech and debate and talked about some important points to be kept in mind which were found lacking in the presentations of some contestants. President Anchal Bawa and Vice- President Pulkit Khanna of the society brought the curtains down by presenting a warm vote of thanks.
Guest post by Aakash Pawar from Vimarsh

Image Credits: Aakash Pawar and Ashwariya

The Student’s Union of Sri Venkateswara College will be presenting Nexus 2013, its annual cultural extravaganza on the 7th, 8th and 9th of March this year. Among the fest rankings that emerge in DU every year, Nexus almost always scores among the top 3 in terms of most-awaited, best organised and most glamorous. Over the years, Nexus has hosted on its stage a galaxy of brilliant singers that have included the likes of Indian Ocean, Euphoria, KK, Sonu Nigam, Shankar Mahadevan and many more! Spread across 3 days, Nexus 2013 is a cultural haven and is among the most sought-after platforms for cultural societies across the University to display their prowess. One of the most high profile competitions at Nexus is the Choreography competition that brings together the best teams to participate in an artistic display par excellence. In fact, Nritya, the Choreography society of SVC is one of the star attractions of the show, renowned for the perfect coordination, brilliant conceptualization and spell-binding performances. Another prominent event is the quintessential “Mr. and Miss Nexus” competition that encourages talented individuals to forward and showcase their confidence, talent and abilities in front of a large audience. This competition has the dual ability to attract both participants and audience members in large numbers! The evenings are dominated by 2 inter-related events. The Battle of the Bands is an intensely fought competition, allowing a large number of varied and exciting bands to play in front of an equally enthusiastic audience. The celebrity judges invited for the Battle of the Bands will themselves play the next night, appropriately labeled “Rock Night”. The most looked-after event is of course, “Star Night”. Occurring on the last day of the festival, Star Night is the ultimate chance for a college to showcase its brand, its organising ability and its scale of ambition. “Each year the suspense builds as to which singer/band will perform on star night. I am eagerly looking forward to this year’s announcement and will make plans accordingly”, is the opinion of a student from Venky. Alongside, there are a wide range of other events awaiting the students at NEXUS 2013. Visit their official Facebook page for further details, http://www.facebook.com/svcnexus Vernika Awal Sri Venkateswara College]]>