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India Dominates the Enactus World Water Race, Six out of 12 Projects Belong to DU

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Six out of the top 12 and three out of the top four projects shortlisted for the World Water Race belong to India, more specifically the University of Delhi. With a very strong Indian representation in California, the Enactus World Cup will be held from 9th to 11th October. DU Beat brings to you the highlights and details.

This year, the Enactus World Cup is being held from 9th to 11th October in Silicon Valley, San Jose, California, USA. 36 National Champion Teams from across the world have been invited to compete, collaborate, and celebrate their victory at the World Cup.  The Enactus National Champion from India this year is Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), University of Delhi, who will be presenting their Project Virasat at the World Cup. According to their website, Project Virasat revolves around, “ reviving the dying art form of handcrafting copper and brass utensils using hammering techniques, by mobilising artisans and providing them access to organised credit, contemporary designs, and better demand avenues.”

The Enactus World Cup also features the prestigious World Water Race, a competition that recognises and mobilises Enactus teams and their projects tackling the water and sanitation crisis. The top 12 teams are given an invitation to collaborate at the World Cup. This year, six out of the top 12 projects are from India including Project Tabeer by Sri Guru Gobind College of Commerce (SGGSCC), Project- Swachhalaya by Ramjas College, and Project Iffat by Jesus and Mary College (JMC).

A representative of Enactus JMC at the World Water Race and Project Iffat’s Co-Head, Kritika Malik, says, “This is the first time JMC will be attending the World Cup and we’re looking forward to it. We’re all really excited and at the end of the day, we all win since it’s all about lending our best hand to help. Best of luck to everyone, the world water race is on!”

The top teams advance to the impact stage, are given executive mentorship, provided with Enactus World Cup travel stipend, and expert presentation coaching. This year, the top four projects include Project Dhara by Jesus and Mary College, Project Asbah by Shri Ram College of Commerce, and Project Raahat by Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS).

The Impact Stage will be held between October and December 2018 and the winner would be granted up to $20,000 in scaling funding and continued executive mentorship. This year, two out of the top 12 projects are by Enactus JMC. “I feel really proud of the entire team for working so hard that both of our projects were selected as part of the top twelve teams in the World Water Race and that we get to present Project Dhara at such a large platform. I hope we can make the best of this opportunity and learn and grow from this experience,” says Charvee Gupta, Co-Head, Project Iffat, Enactus JMC.

A contingent of 16 members will be representing Project Dhara and Project Iffat from JMC in California. Sakshi Gupta, former head of Project Dhara, Enactus JMC, says, “While doing our bit for the betterment of the community we never had winning in WWR as the main goal, it was definitely always there in the back of our heads to win so that the awareness is increased and we can impact more people but we never worked to win. To reach this level without an absolute aim is an even bigger achievement than the winning trophy. It really feels surreal at times during practices and expansion meetings. And now we’re all just gearing up to give our very best and get the best experience back home so that we can do better for our project in the future.”

Five members of Enactus SRCC will be representing Project Asbah at the Water Race. Raghav Jhawar, President of Enactus SRCC, says, “We started with this project two years ago, with terfil filters. That technology, we soon realised, failed. So we came back full circle and started researching on the technologies. We then diversified our project into community RO and sodium hypochlorite solution. One thing we have all learnt at Enactus is to never give up. Carrying the same spirit with us, we are proud to say that we provide 6,000+ people with access to clean drinking water. Therein lies our true victory.It’s a big opportunity for the team and we look forward to it.”

“This is the first time Enactus SRCC is getting the opportunity to participate in World Water Race and the success is due to the scalability, sustainability, and comprehensive nature of our project Asbah which brings impact in the life of more than 8,500 people through clean drinking water and reduced health expenditure. The major credit goes to the entire team led by Rakshith Chhajed and Insha Pandit who made sure that these dreams are realised,” says Arjun Goel, former President, Enactus SRCC.  

Last year’s World Cup Champions, Enactus SSCBS will be sending a team of 18 members to represent Project Raahat at the Water Race. Yash Dhawan, President, Enactus SSCBS, says, “Representing the country at the Enactus World Cup and the Enactus World Water Race is a great experience for every Enactus member. One not only learns about the cultures of different countries but also networks with delegates from across the globe, gaining insight into projects running all over the world. We wish every participating team luck, and hope for a great competition.”

Feature Image Credits: Enactus

Muskan Sethi

[email protected]

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Enactus

Enactus Nationals 2018: Battle of Entrepreneurial Action

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Founded in 1975, Enactus is a global student organisation which inspires students to take entrepreneurial action to improve the lives of others. The Enactus World Cup is an annual event featuring the best social innovation projects created by the top university and college teams. With less than a few months left For the world cup and even fewer months left for the Nationals, it would be fitting to take a look at the preparation of some of the Enactus teams from Delhi University.

While Enactus Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies was named Global Champion for Project Rahat last year, this year will witness heightened competition among colleges of University of Delhi to qualify for the Enactus World Cup.
Home to some of the pre-eminent Enactus teams of India, DU claims the legacy of presenting some of the best social innovation projects in Enactus history.

On being asked about their preparation for the Championship, President of Enactus Ramjas Rohit Saha asserted, “With various up and running projects fulfilling many a sustainable goal of the United Nations in the fields of health and well being, our focus for this year’s World Cup is on providing social welfare through clean water, sanitation, and zero hunger.”

As we move on to the college nestled at a walking distance from Ramjas, we will feel the heat of the competition emanating from Enactus Hindu College. The team from Hindu prides itself upon three remarkable projects, Project Oorja, Project Veerangana, and Project Shreshth, the first of which boasts of being in collaboration with LEDsafari, a social start-up based in Switzerland.

One of the strong contenders amongst teams from 36 countries, 1700 campuses, and 72,000 student participants around the globe is Enactus CVS (Centre of Vocational Studies). Sticking to the forte of their college, CVS has decided to pick projects that involve earning livelihoods through vocationalisation- Project Raah and Project Madari. Speaking about their preparation for the Nationals, President of Enactus CVS Anshul Arya claimed, “As a team of young minds, I think Enactus CVS has a perfect blend of knowledge, commitment and dedication to help the underprivileged people.”

Keeping in mind the inputs provided by the judges at the competition last year, Enactus LSR is also gearing up for the Nationals, and has taken some major steps to drive its projects towards sustainability and scalability.
When entreated to spill the beans on their preparation, President of Enactus LSR Amisha Patel commented, “Under Project Auric, wherein our women entrepreneurs of Mangar village in Haryana produce dishwashing liquid, we are actively looking to collaborate with NGOs to expand our reach.”

Claiming the legacy of exceptionally brilliant initiatives such as Project Jazba, Project Zaffran, and Project Tarang, Enactus Miranda House led by its President Anjali Rai, is expected to provide some intense competition to the other teams of Delhi University this year.

As the we inch towards the Enactus Nationals, it would be a marvel to watch these incredible teams challenge each other in the entrepreneurial battle of the year. However, even as these teams battle it out, it is important not to lose track of the motive that ENACTUS stands for: channelising entrepreneurial spirit, passions, and ideas to create good in the world.

 

Feature Image Credits: Arran High School

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
[email protected]

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Campus Central

Sigh of Relief for Unmukt

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Latest cricket sensation Unmukt Chand, captain of the Under-19 Indian cricket team, might have garnered heaps of appreciation for his striking innings in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, but barely had he the slightest of idea that it would also trigger off a countrywide debate.

Apart from being an incredible cricket player, Chand is also a student of B.A. (Programme) in St. Stephen’s College. However, his association with the college has been rather hostile. Earlier this year, following the denial by the college authorities to issue him the admit card for final exams on the grounds of inadequate attendance, he decided to approach the High Court and filed a petition in May stating that since he had got admission under the sports category, a certain relaxation in attendance criteria should be given. Although, with the involvement of the court Unmukt was able to seek permission to appear for exams; he didn’t approach the court on time and consequently could appear in only two exams out of four thus failing to clear the same.

However, in what appeared to be a favourable turn of events for this talented youngster well-known sports personalities decided to pour in support and speak in the matter. From the former national-level cricket player Kirti Azad, also a Stephanian, to current captain of the Indian national cricket team Mahendra Singh Dhoni, lot of people raised questions about the harsh treatment meted out to Unmukt. The Principal on his part was caught in a no win situation as he would receive flak both for abiding by the rules and subverting them.

Apparently, Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal and sports minister Ajay Maken also stepped in and spoke to the Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh who assured them to resolve the matter on priority basis. While responding to the letter written by Maken in this regard, VC said that they have asked the St Stephen’s College Principal to forward them all the necessary papers so that they could help Chand, who led India to U-19 World Cup win.

In his letter to the VC, Maken wrote, “You would agree that fostering and development of a vibrant sports culture in the country which would ultimately lead to our better performances at the international arena is hurt precisely because of such systemic bottlenecks that only discourage young people from taking up sports but also stifles their career mid-way.”

Finally, after much hullaballoo, with the intervention of the Vice Chancellor, Unmukt Chand has been promoted to second year at his college but he will have to simultaneously clear his first year exams as well.

Moreover, Dinesh Singh also indicated that under the proposed structure — that is expected to be placed before the Academic Council in a couple of months — participation in sports activities will be accorded credit towards regular Daily Programmes and the students will have the choice of replacing some of the academic courses with a structured recognition of participation towards his/her degree.

 

Vatsal Verma
[email protected] 

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Juxtapose

Can World Cup Buy a Promotion?

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An exuberant Indian under 19 cricket team recently conquered the World Cup under the leadership of Unmukt Chand but the debate that followed did not centre on Unmukt’s potential as a cricketer. Instead it was the controversy regarding his promotion (orinitially detainment) in college that monopolized the media space.

But surely Unmukt deserves a little leniency after having made the nation proud in such emphatic fashion. Add to that the rigours of cricket practise and one can understand his predicament. On the other hand, the very object of exams is to gauge the progress made by students in their chosen field of study and Unmukt has equivocally made none. Is it then not fair that he be made to repeat the semester?

This week Juxtapose poses the simple question whether a world cup can buy a promotion?

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News

World Cup Hero Detained by Stephen’s

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It has been known since decades that St. Stephen’s College is a very unique college in campus, and that it follows its own rules and has always remained very set in its ideas. There is no denying the fact that it is one of the most sought after college in Delhi University, but it is also true that it has the image of being quite fixed in its ideologies.

This comes very evidently to us today after Unmukt Chand captain of India’s under 19 side, who just brought the country great pride by winning the world cup and hitting a 111 runs in the final match was detained by his college for low attendance. A student who should have been given great honour for his remarkable performance in the World Cup was shown a chit of no promotion in college shortly after he returned. Earlier also, Unmukt, a student of BA Programme was barred from taking the second semester exams owing to low attendance.

The entire Indian cricket fraternity is baffled at the state of affairs. MS Dhoni also tweeted “This incident shows the lack of importance and respect given to sports in India”. Unfortunately this incident has taken place besides the fact that Unmkut Chand has been academically inclined throughout the year, he had earlier secured a first division in his exams which is credible for a sportsperson with such hectic schedules. An international player who has dedicatedly played for the country can certainly be excused by the college for low attendance.

However, the Stephen’s principal Valson Thampu on his part said that he had no control over the University rules, and only the administration can make an exception. All are now geared up for the court hearing on 16th September that will decide our young captain’s fate.

 

Picture credits: Additi Seth

 

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